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Kjermzs posted:How badly is this hurting the efficiency? When it is in the low 90s the unit has to run constantly just to maintain a temp of 76. I had the coolant checked and it was where it should be. This probably has little to do with the deck and more to do with your house being poorly insulated. Four Feet of vertical space isn't terrible, assuming there is space around it. As others have said though, a condenser that sniff he own farts is a shameful condenser. FatCow posted:The upstairs AC also seems to draw air in through the WH vent stack if one of the doors is closed. This problem is really hard to solve without being able to see the building in person. But the fact that you draw air IN through a water heater vent is a Bad Thing that you should Fix. It means that when that water heater lights, it may not be venting outside properly, and dumping combustion gases in the building.
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# ? Jul 10, 2017 22:31 |
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# ? May 14, 2024 16:38 |
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ExplodingSims posted:Well, when you had the refrigerant checked, what where the pressures? I don't remember but the guy did add a small amount of coolant. I'm surprised he didn't mention the fact that the units placement could be affecting anything. Alereon posted:Replace this section of the deck with a metal vent grating and call it the Marilyn Monroe Memorial Deck. I totally thought about it. gently caress, I still might do it if the quotes I get are too high. The unit is 10 years old and uses the old refrigerant type(forget what it's called, phone posting) so I might as well get quotes on a new unit while I'm at it.
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# ? Jul 10, 2017 23:27 |
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Unless they're there specifically for the purpose of saving you energy and money, they often don't give a drat about placement because an overworked unit and under-educated customer means they can keep "topping off the coolant" and not doing anything to actually check for issues, and then charge you for a new unit eventually as well. Or they're just super overbooked in the middle of the hot season, and they have way more calls to get to that day rather than standing around trying to convince a newbie homeowner to relocate and replace an appliance. "Added a bit of coolant" is one of those catch-alls for techs who don't know how to test for actual problems.. It's like hiring a place to give your older, limping computer a once-over, and they defrags it, maybe add a stick of RAM, and leave with the old RAM sitting on the floor inside your case because they didn't realize that the machine can't run with 3 sticks of RAM - but they didn't have a pair that works and they figure you'll buy a NEW pc before you open it up.!. It's not that uncommon for a AC tech to follow up on a previously "topped-off" unit that's still not acting great, and find out that there may be as much as twice as much coolant in the lines as their ought to be. Those AC troubleshooting gauges are complicated, and they have complicated names, need to be regularly calibrated, and they may not be in the van that day. You mention that your unit uses (likely) R-22, so if it was missing some R-22, where did it go? Is there a leak of federally-regulated HCFCs which they didn't bother to find, that's leaking into an enclosed space which, as you originally posted about, is also the same space where your AC is intaking air? I'd grill them on that before I cut them a check - there's probably no leak (they probably didn't properly check it) but make them work a little for it. A short vent that points out to the side or up in an unused and unobstructed area is a cheap and simple fix, just be aware that using too much venting on the exhaust, will put extrta stress on the unit to push that hot air out, and lead to it being sort of undersized, or rather mis-utilized. Don't use corrugated venting, it adds extra friction to the air being pushed, and it also is a really good access point for rats and racons and the like to get under your deck, tear open a vent, and then have potential access to yoru living space - this is pretty common in trailers, manufactured homes, etc, where they just string cheap venting below the unit, box it in, and forget about it until a racoon comes out of an air register. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Jul 11, 2017 |
# ? Jul 11, 2017 01:28 |
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coyo7e posted:Unless they're there specifically for the purpose of saving you energy and money, they often don't give a drat about placement because an overworked unit and under-educated customer means they can keep "topping off the coolant" and not doing anything to actually check for issues, and then charge you for a new unit eventually as well. Or they're just super overbooked in the middle of the hot season, and they have way more calls to get to that day rather than standing around trying to convince a newbie homeowner to relocate and replace an appliance. Thanks for the info! I'll make sure to grill the next guys I have come out a lot harder. I had my wife snap a photo of the unit under the deck for me since I'm out of town. Please excuse the mess. The new puppy decided to chew off the insulation from the pip so I put up the makeshift fence. Then he jumped over that and I placed those stones on either side of the pipe until I get time to make the fence better. The other 3 sides of of the unit are the fins. The deck is huge so even though there may be plenty of space I don't see the hot air having a chance to escape before it gets recirculated. What you do you think? http://imgur.com/gp6Tc3O
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# ? Jul 11, 2017 03:10 |
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This seems to be the most appropriate thread for this post so I hope someone can help me. I'd rather not call out someone to do this for me. Does anyone know how to properly remove this old-rear end thermostat so I can replace it with a new one? It came with my apartment (thus no manual) but I really need a programmable one. I'm not sure if I'm even taking it apart properly. I've tried looking for a copy of the manual online but I haven't had any success. TIA
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# ? Jul 12, 2017 16:59 |
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Take those screws off, then it should give you access to the backing plate, where the colored wires coming from the AHU should be. Verify the color coding, and wire them up to the new tstat.
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# ? Jul 12, 2017 18:10 |
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yep. And that's a mercury switch atop that, don't break it! And bring it to your local proper recycling center for disposal.
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# ? Jul 12, 2017 20:55 |
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Turn off your furnace before goofing with it. Most states require a switch nearby.
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# ? Jul 12, 2017 23:01 |
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Seconding proper disposal of that thermostat. Most HVAC supply houses in my area take them off your hands for free and properly dispose of them. YMMV
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# ? Jul 13, 2017 16:14 |
Greetings HVAC peoples. I have a townhouse that may or may not have bad juju when it comes to AC. The most pressing problem currently is that I'm pretty sure the fan for the compressor has died (today). My Ecobee was kind enough to inform me about 5 minutes after my wife texted me that something was wrong with the AC. It is an 18 year old system at this point, which I'm trying to put off replacing because I've been told due to the refrigerant I'll need to replace the heat exchanger as well. When I turn it on, I get a buzz at the compressor, so I'm pretty confident the thermostat/control board are fine. I opened up the compartment with the cap and the cap is still shiny (it was replaced a few years back). I used a stick to try to give the fan a push to start, but it would go about 1/6th of a rotation and then come to a stop (not gently, but suddenly). The full story of this AC: about 6 years ago, I had a chipmunk take out the capacitor in a murder/suicide. If I had been more confident in using the internet, I probably could have done the troubleshooting and replacement there, but I paid about $150 for someone to come out and do it. A few years ago (maybe 2-3), the AC stopped working again, and I called the same folks up to come out and take a look. This time the fan had died, so they replaced that, and then also replaced the capacitor because, hey, why not. I don't remember what they charged, but it was a few hundred for this one. At this point, my internet sleuthing has led me to believe the capacitor or fan is bad, and the diagnostic of "pushstart the fan to see if it goes" failed, which leads me to believe it's the fan. I watched the guy replace it before and it didn't seem that bad except for moving the fan blade from one motor to the other. Would I be crazy if I tried to fix this myself? Would I even be able to get a replacement fan motor myself? If I do, should I also replace the capacitor? As a total aside, since I'm already making one post here, the townhouse is three full above ground floors plus a loft. There is a large (24x12ish) return in the living room on the second floor, and a small (standard register size) return in the non-loft room on the third floor. Basically no air gets into the master bedroom with the loft, despite our best efforts with closing vents to direct the air up. Is this a case where a booster fan might actually help or will that just make a lot of noise? I feel like there should be a second medium-large return in the master bedroom, but when I asked an HVAC guy about it he said we'd have to put a bump on the wall (rather than it running inside the interior wall).
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# ? Jul 21, 2017 03:47 |
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When the contactor is engaged does the compressor start up at all? Or does it just hum? Because it sounds like, from what you're saying, it's a bad cap. Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's still good. Depending on the brand I've seen them fail in less than a year. However, if it is in fact a bad motor, they aren't too hard to replace. The biggest hassle is trying to get the blade off the shaft. Otherwise you just need to make sure you match up the Horsepower, rotation, voltage, and make sure you pay attention to the UF rating on the new motor.It might be higher or lower than the existing cap. And you should always replace the cap when you replace a motor.
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# ? Jul 22, 2017 15:33 |
ExplodingSims posted:When the contactor is engaged does the compressor start up at all? Or does it just hum? Because it sounds like, from what you're saying, it's a bad cap. Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's still good. Depending on the brand I've seen them fail in less than a year. I ended up getting the same guy that installed my tankless hot water heater to stop by between calls. It did turn out to be a bad cap. I should probably buy a replacement now for the next time this happens. Internet diagnostics failed me. The compressor did not engage either.
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# ? Jul 22, 2017 16:23 |
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I mean, it would be handy to have a spare on hand. A better investment would be to buy a decent multimeter that can read microfarads though.
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# ? Jul 22, 2017 20:44 |
I just don't like getting near a cap that large that may have been charged at 220v. The meter I have at work I can bring home and use. I just don't like giant caps.
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# ? Jul 22, 2017 20:59 |
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Well keep your service guys number handy then. Nothing wrong with that either!
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# ? Jul 22, 2017 21:05 |
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Mr. Powers posted:I just don't like getting near a cap that large that may have been charged at 220v. The meter I have at work I can bring home and use. I just don't like giant caps. Get a cap discharger
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# ? Jul 24, 2017 03:43 |
Spookydonut posted:Get a cap discharger Is that just a metal bar with a nice thick rubber grip?
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# ? Jul 24, 2017 04:08 |
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I don't want to diss you for having a healthy respect for high voltages, but most caps in residential hvac applications are run caps wired in series with the start winding. They usually discharge pretty quickly when you shut off the power to the unit. There's always the screwdriver safety check as well.
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# ? Jul 24, 2017 04:18 |
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Mr. Powers posted:Is that just a metal bar with a nice thick rubber grip? Something that has resistance is safer.
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# ? Jul 25, 2017 03:27 |
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So I am gonna need to replace my AC and Furnace replaced in the next few months. How does one make educate themselves to ensure they aren't getting ripped off. I am not looking to learn about the ins and outs of AC repair, but I'd like to know what questions I should be asking and get a general rundown. I read this thread, so I apologize if I missed something that already covers this.
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# ? Jul 29, 2017 23:56 |
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I mean, it's pretty much like shopping around for any other contractor, make sure you research them and try and find as many reviews as possible. As far as equipment goes, the thing to be asking about would be the SEER rating. This basically tells you how efficient the unit is at turning electricity into cold air. Of course, as the rating goes up, so does price. Other things to ask about would be if you're changing over to 410a from R22, if they're going to do a chemical flush or just replace the lineset as well.
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# ? Jul 30, 2017 02:14 |
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I've been digging more into ductless A/Cs. I have a a couple rooms upstairs in a cape cod loft, and they get really hot, so I want to install a ductless mini-split system up there. One room is 12X12, and the other is 12X17. The ceiling is slanted in, and the wall on the end doesn't have enough room above the window to install a wall mount unit, so I need a floor mount like this: The only issue is that I can only find them in 9000 BTU, (Daikin and Fujitsu). The smallest outdoor unit i can find is 18000 BTU as well. I'm concerned that if I use 9000BTU in a 144 sqft space it'll be too much. It gets really hot up there, being a second floor loft, so I figure it can handle a little more than the standard math of 5-6k, but 9k seems way over kill. I have a friend that can get me Fujistu and Daikin at cost, which is great, but I'd like to see if someone makes something more correctly sized, like a 7k indoor floor mount and then a 14k. Any advice? Also if someone knows an HVAC guy in NJ/NYS that would do the work if I provide the materials and pay him in cash, please recommend. I'd like a guy that is actually licensed if possible to do the install.
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# ? Jul 31, 2017 21:19 |
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You ought to talk about cubic footage first, because floor space times height times like three is the old-school redneck rule of thumb iirc.
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# ? Aug 8, 2017 04:21 |
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sharkytm posted:OK folks, crossposting this from GarageJournal. Gave up on the DIY series: out of stock everywhere, and $500 more than the Pioneer 12K 120V. gently caress it, $500 in tools, $750 for the unit, plus some extras (lineset cover, electrical stuff). The DIY MRCool was $1250, same price, and the Pioneer is more effecient and I end up with the tools. Purchased: 12,000BTU Pioneer system: https://www.highseer.com/high-seer-inverter-mini-split-ductless/ductless-mini-split-heat-pump-wys012a-17.html I added a 25' lineset and HD vibration mounts. $732.41 including truck freight 50' of 14-3+g UF-B: $27.50 from Amazon, as no one had it locally Home Depot #1: 20' Drain line: $10 GE Fused AC disconnect and 20A fuses: $16 Wall Bracket: $48 25' of 1/2" Liquid Tight Conduit, 2x 1/2" Liquid Tight 90's, 2x straights: $40 2x 50' spools of 12G TNNH (I had green 12G around from previous stuff): $20 Home Depot #2: 20A Breaker 1/2" Flex conduit clamps hardware $20 Amazon: Robinair Vacuum pump 15310 Mastercool gauges/hoses with shutoffs 59661 Vacuum pump oil CPS vacuum gauge Rectorseal 4.5" Lineset cover kit x2 (turns out I could have done fine with the 3.5" stuff, but whatever... Nylog thread sealant Elected to use my old Bonney USA flaring kit, or I would have bought the YellowJacket flaring tool for $120. $557 inc. tax Zoro: Yellow Jacket R410a adapter Yellow Jacket 45° shutoff valve $33 3 hours to mount outdoor unit on a wall bracket and run liquidtite flex conduit, fish the 12G THHN, and connect to the new 20A breaker. 1 hour to mount the disconnect, run liquidtite flex to the outdoor unit, fish wires, and do the wiring. 3 hours to drill hole in wall, run the 14-3 UF-B, mount the indoor unit, mount the lineset cover base, run the drain line, get the top of the lineset connected, bent, and secured to the linset cover base. 3 more hours to run the lineset cover base to ground level, cut off excess, flare (only forgot the flare nut once, motherf-er), connect, and pull a vacuum to 380 microns to leave overnight. 1 hour this morning to break vacuum with dry nitrogen (it was at 480microns this morning), and pressure test to 125PSI (highest my regulator goes). I'm borrowing another regulator to run the pressure up to 450PSI this afternoon. If that holds overnight, I'll re-vacuum down to 100microns, leave it for an hour to ensure stability, and then finally release the refrigerant. Total cost: $1505, give or take, plus ~12 hours of labor and I wasn't in a hurry. I was quoted $3900 and $4100 for a "pro" to do the install using wither Mitsubishi or Fijitsu equipment. Yeah, I'll pocket the $2500 difference and keep the tools, extra wire, and experience.
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 18:23 |
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When would ductless be a bad idea?
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 18:44 |
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Assuming your systems are sized right and apples to apples, Any place where you need outside air exchange, or have air quality issues. Ductless systems do not filter anything.
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 18:52 |
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Anywhere you're going to have a lot of dust or grease around too. We've been having a lot of issues lately with the blower wheels on those things getting absolutely caked in poo poo until the can barley move any air
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 19:00 |
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That is true of any system, but minisplits will be worse in dirty environments. That doesn't mean you shouldn't install one in a shop or garage, it just means you have to clean it.
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 19:03 |
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It's worse on minisplits though, because the blower wheel is inside the evap, it's much more humid in there, so dirt and dust clumps on a lot faster than a traditional split. That and the fact that trying to pull said wheel out is a pain in the rear end.
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# ? Aug 14, 2017 21:30 |
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For running an A/C on solar, will a modified sine wave inverter work or is pure sine wave necessary?
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# ? Aug 16, 2017 19:54 |
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DreadLlama posted:For running an A/C on solar, will a modified sine wave inverter work or is pure sine wave necessary? That totally depends. Some units will be fine, others not. Most inverters have no problem with modified, and lots of newer mini splits are inverter based. Most brushed motors have no problem with modified either, which would cove at least most traditional compressors. But multi-speed motors sometimes have problems with it. The manufacturer of the unit should know.
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# ? Aug 17, 2017 01:02 |
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Our 12 year old (builder install) AC iced up over the weekend and the local HVAC company confirmed it's low on refrigerant. I'm not really interested in paying $400 to recharge it when it's relatively old and probably has a leak, so looking to replace it. They're going to come in tomorrow to evaluate our house and provide replacement recommendations, but I figure I'd solicit opinions here too. We're in a ~3000 sq ft two story + basement home, relatively open design (high ceilings) in the mid-west. Our current system is single-stage AC with a three-speed air handler. For the most part we don't have comfort issues with the current setup, and indoor RH isn't really a problem. The two complaints I do have is we only have one register in our bedroom which makes one side of our bed consistently cooler/hotter than the other, and we have another bedroom that's on the opposite side of the house that is always warm in the summer due to its distance from the air handler. Extensive modifications to the duct work isn't really an option, and I'm not particularly interested in investing in zones. We've been here for a year, and plan to live here at least 10-15 years. That said, would a two-stage system be a benefit over single stage for us? If that can help address our bedroom or hot room issue that may be worth it, but otherwise I'm not interested in a system that's unnecessarily complicated. Also, should I "definitely" replace our air handler / gas furnace at the same time, given that we're planning to live here a while? I understand the labor is cheaper to replace them both at once, and my intuition is that while the burners should last longer that the air handler itself could be questionable depending on how well the previous owners maintained the system (which, I suspect was par at best).
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# ? Aug 29, 2017 01:51 |
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ExcessBLarg! posted:and we have another bedroom that's on the opposite side of the house that is always warm in the summer due to its distance from the air handler. Ecobee might help with your one bedroom, but it's going to be at the expense of making everything else in your house colder. Insulation/air sealing may be a better solution there. quote:Also, should I "definitely" replace our air handler / gas furnace at the same time, given that we're planning to live here a while?
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# ? Aug 29, 2017 23:48 |
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Sounds like you could benefit from having an energy audit performed, hopefully including your heating and cooling loads by month, for each room. You wouldn't even need a serious one that goes through all the layers of your building shell, just having a pro look at your floor plan in regards to latitude and facing and number of windows, would probably be immensely helpful.
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# ? Aug 30, 2017 00:29 |
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ExcessBLarg! posted:Our 12 year old (builder install) AC iced up over the weekend and the local HVAC company confirmed it's low on refrigerant. I'm not really interested in paying $400 to recharge it when it's relatively old and probably has a leak, so looking to replace it. They're going to come in tomorrow to evaluate our house and provide replacement recommendations, but I figure I'd solicit opinions here too. You should pretty much always replace the air handler when you replace the rest of the system. In this case they already have to rip out the ductwork, so you mind as well get it done while they're there. A two stage system, (I'm assuming you're referring to two compressors) won't really help with the heat load on the far side of the house, as you'll still be moving the same-ish amount of air. A multi-stage system is really more for modular loads and such. If the far side of the house is struggling, the best thing to do will be to have them go through the ductwork, and check for dampers, kinks, etc, and thing that might be restricting airflow there. Ideally, you should have dampers that can be adjusted to increase/decrease airflow for each drop, so they should be able to play with them to increase airflow. As far as the bedroom issue goes., check for the same thing. You could also try switching to a different register, maybe something that evenly distributes the air a bit more?
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# ? Aug 30, 2017 00:46 |
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Thanks for the advice. I went ahead with replacing the air handler--in the end it made sense to replace everything at once instead of having to go back five years from now and mess with the evaporator coil again to install a new air handler. Ductwork for the far side of the house may be a project for another day. We don't use that room much now, but at least I have an idea what to do about it.
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# ? Aug 31, 2017 16:34 |
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I'm going to be installing a combi-boiler for radiant and DHW within the next couple of months. It's going to supply kitchen and 3 bathrooms radiant tile floors, with radiators in the living areas and bedrooms. I had some quotes from companies that will supply the boiler and install, but neither will assist with sizing the radiators or performing my heat load calculations. I also haven't had any luck finding someone to do this part of the job on its own. What do I need to do or know to do this accurately on my own? The online calculators, including one linked in this thread, were very confusing to use. Like, not hard, but unclear.
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# ? Sep 9, 2017 18:26 |
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Cross-posting from GJ: Just to add my experiences from my comments earlier in the thread about installing a min-split heat pump in our apartment. I purchased a 120V, 9K BTU Pioneer system from highseer.com, shipping was relatively quick on 2 mini-pallets. Liftgate delivery at no added cost, which was nice. Pallets were banged up, but the packaging did its job and nothing inside was damaged. I used a wall bracket, so couldn't use the heavy anti-vibe feet that I purchased, but if it was pad-mounted, they looked pretty sturdy. I'll use them for something else. The included condensate drain line is really cheap and thin, so I swapped it with heavier-wall marine bilge pump tubing. I had ordered a 25' lineset, it came packed separately. I cut about 3 feet off of. I didn't need a special flaring tool, my old brake line flaring tool worked a treat. I did forget to put the flare nut on the liquid line before flaring it the first time (as per protocol ), but I had plenty of extra to cover the difference. I purchased a RobinAir 15310 vacuum pump, Mastercool 59661 gauge/hose set (with integrated shutoffs, which are key), a YJ R410a adapter, extra shutoff, and a CPS micron gauge. I had THHN around from other projects, but elected to purchase some 14-3+g UF-B to run from the inside unit to the outside unit as per local code. This isn't available at a big-box store, they only had 14-2+ground, and I needed 14-3+ground. I already had a Nitrogen tank and regulator for the low-pressure test, but needed to buy a high-pressure regulator to run the full-pressure 450PSI test. Basically, I followed the install instructions, mounted the indoor bracket, drilled the hole at the requisite angle, mounted the indoor unit, connected the lineset, drain, and UF-B, ran the lineset cover base, bundled the first few feet of the lineset, ran and secured the lineset to ground level, did the electrical connections first, then cut and re-flared the lineset. Connected it up, did a vacuum pull to 500 microns to check for gross leaks, then 150PSI N2 pressure test with leak-check solution on all joints. When that had held overnight (not necessary, but it was late when I got it installed), I did another evac to 500 microns, held for an hour, then N2 to 450PSI again held overnight. Finally, I changed the oil in the vacuum pump, pulled it to 300 microns, waited 3 hours (it held at 380 microns), and released the charge. Tested the AC, tested the heat, cleaned everything up... done and finished! All told, almost $500 in tools, $750 shipped for the system, and $350 in additional supplies (lineset cover, AC disconnect, conduit and fittings, UF-B). $1535, and I've got the tools to do it again, extra lineset cover that I'll likely sell, and a bunch of experience. If I wanted, I could sell the tools as well. Not bad compared to $4000 quoted install price from 2 local companies. Pictures: Lineset run, everything mounted. I used the 4.5" Fortress cover from Rectorseal, and should have gotten the 3.5", but the supply house was out of stock and I didn't want to wait another week to get it from Amazon (they were backordered as well). Pressure Test at 450PSI from a Dry Nitrogen tank. I did a full triple-evac on the system. Final micron reading before releasing the charge.
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# ? Sep 11, 2017 17:30 |
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Asking more so I can figure out how hosed a friend is... she's in a rental, but she's responsible for all maintenance and repairs (hosed up situation on that, she's moving as soon as she can). She fired up her AC today, and... it wasn't cooling. Plenty of airflow from the vents. I swung by; I can hear the compressor start up, condenser fan is running as well, and there's plenty of airflow from the vents inside. The suction line is coolish, and the high pressure line is warm... that's backwards, right? Any idea what could be going on? It's very much a hack install, but it's a newer R-410a Goodman GSX13 single stage (if I read the sticker right, it's a 3 ton). Coils are labeled as R-410a, but no branding on them. Outside unit needs cleaning pretty bad, but it seems like the refrigerant is just going right through the coils without doing anything (I can feel/hear it moving through the lines, anyway). It normally keeps her house pretty cool, but after not using it for a few days, it's just burning power without cooling the house. My hack, barely knows enough to be dangerous, guess is whatever expansion valve it uses may have crapped out. Am I on the right track? It's definitely getting left to the pros, I'm just wondering what's wrong with it. Also.. 60 amp breaker on a 3 ton condenser. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:12 on Nov 3, 2017 |
# ? Nov 3, 2017 09:09 |
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# ? May 14, 2024 16:38 |
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Clean the coils and replace the filter first.
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# ? Nov 3, 2017 22:40 |