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Dr. Eldarion posted:YES! That's pretty much exactly what it was. My only guess is they were actually testing the compressor, and something got lost in translation. So there's really only three things they could have tested: 1) Fan motor on top of the outdoor unit 2) Compressor within the outdoor unit 3) Fan motor within the inside "furnace" (this is what's typically called a blower motor). In the same order, if this part fails X happens: 1) Fan motor fails, compressor could overheat and burn out (this is not an instant thing, would happen repeatedly over time) 2) Compressor fails... nothing else gets damaged 3) Blower motor fails, you no longer have air blowing around, nothing else happens You could get the compressor replaced proactively, but there's not really any way to tell if the existing one has a week left or 5 years. At that point you'd likely be replacing the entire system, as I can't imagine the labor works out to replace just a compressor on a residential system. Did they give you a quote?
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Apr 12, 2023 23:57
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Yea, that makes a little more sense... (given I'm not there, and I'm not a hvac guy)... if you combine the two reports I'd come to the conclusion #1 is failing from my list. It's very possible the megohmmeter readings are indicating that. They're measuring different things, but your fan over amping is quite possibly related. Whatever you do, don't go with the first company you hired for anything else. If they diagnosed a bad fan and suggested oil for $290 they are 100% scamming you. For $290 I'd expect they'd be *replacing* the fan. ($290 is a little low for this, but it's really high for "I squirted some oil at the motor)
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Apr 13, 2023 01:28
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Have you tried leaving the exhaust fans running 24/7? That might be much more cost effective then running additional hvac.
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Apr 14, 2023 01:25
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H110Hawk posted:I mean, you would be running more hvac by nature of pushing conditioned air out of the home. In a 50's era house? It's not like it's going to be sealed up tight anyway
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Apr 15, 2023 00:13
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DaveSauce posted:I'm looking to get our crawl space encapsulated some time soon. Part of that will be a bigass dehumidifier. I have something from santa fe piped into my regular HVAC system, and it seems fine. I went with it because I could pipe it in and never have to think about it past filter changes. We've had a few lovely experiences with the $100 lowesdepot specials in the past.
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May 27, 2023 00:46
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Motronic posted:That sounds like a dehumidifier and those absolutely have filters and aren't attached to your hvac typically. https://www.santa-fe-products.com/product/santa-fe-ultra70-dehumidifier/ I have it setup with a fresh air intake as well. It works pretty well, it helps to make the house not gross in the spring/fall when it's not hot enough to be running the air conditioner. They make a bunch of dedicated crawlspace dehumidifers: https://www.santa-fe-products.com/crawlspace-solutions/
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May 28, 2023 15:34
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Motronic posted:Yeah, I was looking at the crawlspace ones and they all seem to have filter (for good reason). I didn't think you were talking about a whole home dehumidifier. Nah I don't have a crawlspace, it's slab on grade here. I was just suggesting the brand because it's been working fine for me.
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May 28, 2023 17:12
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nwin posted:No, I noticed that and moved the insulation down a bit. I’ll see if it drips at the newly exposed part. I think you might be looking at this from the wrong angle - if there were enough condensation in the air handler to somehow overflow into a duct 20 feet away, the entire thing would be full of water and not actually working. Pull that vent off the ceiling (from inside). I bet you'll find either giant gaps leading to the attic, or the duct itself has been pulled off. My thinking is the warm humid air from the attic is meeting the cold air and causing condensation.
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Jul 4, 2023 14:17
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If you can reach it from the attic, easiest fix is just going to be surrounding it with spray foam.
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Jul 4, 2023 18:27
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testtubebaby posted:Hey AC friends… Turn the thermostat off (so it's not calling for cooling). Does the breaker still trip? If so, you have some weird electrical gremlins (like someone put a screw through a wire, like happened with my AC). If not, it's likely either the contactor or capacitor ($) or the compressor ($$$).
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Jul 6, 2023 23:34
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testtubebaby posted:Thanks for the suggestion, hadn’t thought to try that. Did you do any sort of work before it stopped working? Not HVAC, stuff like hanging a picture or shelf? Reorganize the basement and hang stuff from wires? (don't do that) Does it only happen when it's raining or something? The more info like this you can provide the tech the better (especially if it's not a short run from the panel to the AC) If you're comfortable doing it I'd suggest disconnecting the wires from the breaker and seeing if it still trips (but if you don't know what this entails... don't try it, especially when you've got someone coming tomorrow)
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Jul 7, 2023 02:16
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testtubebaby posted:Bad news bros, apparently it’s the compressor and my unit is too old for repair? Probably R22? But yea... labor costs dont really win versus just slapping in a new unit entirely.
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Jul 8, 2023 01:41
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testtubebaby posted:R22? Dunno... it was installed probably in 08/09. Let me know if this gibberish means anything to you: Yea, R22. It says it on the "FACTORY CHARGED WITH" line. That means it's definitely time for replacement given the compressor is dead. quote:Received a quote from the company that told me my unit is dead. Checking to see if you all think this is reasonable or if i need to put in some work sourcing lower quotes. Another big question is about the model... googled the number and it's by a company - Climate Master - that is unfamiliar to me. I am quite confused, that model number appears to be a water-source heat pump. I'm guessing you don't have geothermal heating/cooling? If not, they screwed up the quote somehow and you'd need to follow up to ask wtf. I can't say I've heard of that brand before, but it looks like they specialize in geothermal.
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Jul 10, 2023 23:16
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Gin_Rummy posted:Not sure if this is really the best thread for this, but since it may be related, figured I'd ask: I doubt that would be it - the condensation would be occurring on the *outside* of the ducts, so it really shouldn't be affecting your indoor humidity. I'd suggest you find someone that can do an "energy audit" and describe your issue to them. It's possible you have a big air leak somewhere that's letting a ton of humid air into the house. I would expect anyone that shows up to do this to have a blower door & thermal camera. Your state or utility company may subsidize this. Some of the same people can also do a "duct leakage tests", which can help tell you if you've got an issue like a duct being disconnected somewhere.
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Aug 6, 2023 23:55
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SpartanIvy posted:Are you on a slab or pier and beam? If you're dealing with excess humidity and are on pier and beam, I'd start looking in the crawl space. That really wouldn't explain the upstairs being significantly more humid though. Hygrometers are <$10... I'd probably buy one and try it on both floors, so you're got a consistent test device, and aren't relying on two different thermostats of unknown age.
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Aug 7, 2023 00:17
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Gin_Rummy posted:It’s a slab, but yeah, it’s just the upstairs anyways. That would do it... and fixing it will reduce your power bills a bunch!
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Aug 7, 2023 00:55
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Gin_Rummy posted:Is there a quick and easy way I can test this out without paying for an audit? I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a thermal camera if that may be of use here Have any incense? Light some and go to where you think the additions are... if you can see the smoke being blown around, you've likely identified an air leak! Fixing depends on what you find, caulk, spray foam, ???
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Aug 7, 2023 01:26
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Jenkl posted:Ok so just sanity checking on a few questios. You may need to get a pick or something in between the hose and the fitting... they can become pretty firmly attached over time.
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Aug 27, 2023 17:38
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Super-NintendoUser posted:I just disassembled and cleaned all the blowers and parts of my ductless units. It was basically growing a forest in there. I noticed there's a lot of products that you put a tablet or something in the condensation tray and it keeps mildew down. Any of them worth it? They keep the slime from growing in the drain lines, they aren't going to address stuff on the blowers/coil.
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Sep 13, 2023 01:12
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horse_ebookmarklet posted:Just bought a house, 1970s construction, finished basement, it has abandoned in slab ducts. Where's the green garden hose go? It almost looks like there's a sump pump down there? It would not surprise me if your sub-slab ducts had water in them (speaking as someone who also has sub-slab ducts). I would advise capping those ducts too, you aren't doing yourself any favors letting the moisture/radon up from them (they're actually kinda perfect for radon system if you need one)
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Sep 20, 2023 00:07
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horse_ebookmarklet posted:Yeah on the disclosure they mentioned the house flooded about 3 inches in the basement. They installed a pump in the ducts, installed a second pump in the sump pit, regraded the yard, and removed the basement walkout the water came in. The whole block flooded, the city came in and provided home owners with tie ins to the municipal storm sewer for discharge of sump water. I hadn't heard of this before, at first I was concerned it was an illegal connection. Yea, one of those pumps you linked is definitely the right idea. They probably just went "well there's a sump pump, just dump the water down there". I would 100% cap them. For the actual registers, I'd just dump a bunch of spray foam down them. For the inlets near the furnace, try to find a sheet metal cap that fits on, and caulk/mastic it in place. Note that under-slab ducts may be transite (asbestos), so avoid cutting anything that isn't metal. I'd wait a couple months after capping them before doing any sort of radon testing... if you don't already know you have a problem, it could very well be because those are uncapped.
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Sep 22, 2023 00:51
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Yea, that clear plastic tubing will eventually decay in the sun. At least it's in a place where it won't flood your breaker panel (unlike mine). Anything you can do to keep the sun off it will help, something like this would work: https://www.homedepot.com/p/HYDROMA...2100x/311572606 Unless your basement gets to below freezing, you shouldn't have to worry about it. Just make sure the pipe is pitched so that any water on the inside is within the area that doesn't freeze.
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Sep 24, 2023 00:13
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SirPablo posted:I have an interesting situation that I'm hoping this crowd has some suggestions on. Recently moved into a new house (1960s build). There is a laundry chute from the second floor to the basement. Shown below, the ducting has become disjointed so dropping clothes is no longer an option (unless you want it to disappear into the wall). Can anyone think how I can get this realigned without ripping apart drywall on the first floor? The misalignment is about six feet down from the top of the chute. My only thought so far is to drop some kind of liner down the chute, attached at the top, to act as a sort of bypass sleeve. Do you have a small child you can lower into the chute?
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Oct 10, 2023 00:08
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H110Hawk posted:Replace your thermostat with one that supports wireless remote sensors. Those are battery operated. Yep, ecobee will work pretty nicely for that (probably others too, that's just the one I have)
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Nov 13, 2023 00:50
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Wanderless posted:I would like to get the replacement capacitors for the various bits of my HVAC system that may need them. Many of my neighbors in the row of townhouses where I live have had to replace theirs, and I understand that it is much cheaper to buy the correct capacitor to have on hand than have the universal replacement that the HVAC techs carry in their trucks. I opened up the panel on the side of the condenser (~14 years old now)and now have pictures of both of those caps. I'm guessing there's also one on the blower up in my attic as well, which I think is original to the house, ca 2001. It's only going to be cheaper if you have the skills to install it. Universal capacitor is $70ish, the correct one for my AC is $16. As compared to the service call, the $54 difference isn't really a big deal. I'd be surprised if any HVAC tech really wants to use customer provided parts.
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Jan 12, 2024 00:26
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the yeti posted:This is air handling related so I figured I'd ask here first: Spray foam the bottom of the floor would help with the dust in the house, but I'm not sure what you can do about the basement.
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Feb 9, 2024 15:51
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H110Hawk posted:Copy down exactly which color wire goes to which terminal on the control board. Include any jumpers and what they are jumpering. Nah he's got a weirdo nonstandard thermostat - https://www.doityourself.com/forum/thermostatic-controls/550703-how-upgrade-honeywell-th921c1004-wifi-thermostat.html I think you'd want to bypass that entire second control board you posted (I see standard wiring designations on the left (C, R, probably Y1/Y2?) under the 1/2/3 Your old thermostat talks to that board via some sort of serial protocol - which is why it doesn't match anything else you're seeing. It might not even be the thermostat that's dead, it might be that control module you pictured. Can you easily access the wire between the thermostat and furnace? It might be easier to pull an entirely new wire in there and bypass all the existing crap.
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Mar 5, 2024 02:52
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Shifty Pony posted:That control board is basically handling all the standard switching and signaling to the furnace, the cable to the thermostat is a special proprietary communication link. The good news is you have white and yellow as well running to where the thermostat is, so you won't need to run new cable. It's hard for me to tell if he's got enough wires there for it to work (or what they're even connected to)... I count at least 8 coming into the board from the furnace. Poque posted:Appreciate the responses from you both. I think devicenull's makes more sense for my specific situation. Yep, that's exactly the case. This is unlikely to be a very long job for a pro unless new wires need to be run.
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Mar 7, 2024 02:41
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Somehow when my AC was replaced they decided it needed to go up by half a ton, despite them also doing air sealing and insulation at the same time. I really should have pushed back on that more.
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Mar 8, 2024 01:36
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Internet Explorer posted:I'm trying to figure out if I can install a radon fan where the pipe is exposed not in the attic, but two floors down. So roof, attic, then a floor, then a floor with the exposed pipe. It goes straight vertical. I know that static pressure is involved, but I have no idea how to calculate it and I can't find any rule of thumb guidelines for install instructions that cover it. I know that suction also plays a factor, but I believe we're good there and that head pressure is my main concern. I'm thinking about just trying to install a Rn 4EC-4, which let's me dial it in a bit, but figured I'd ask here first. I think they're usually done in the attic because it's easy and out of sight. We had a system put entirely on the outside of the house, and the fan is only about 3ft off the ground. That's actually the usual setup around here.
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Mar 10, 2024 16:07
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If it starts venting into the house just rent it out - https://radonmine.com/
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Mar 10, 2024 17:43
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Did you know: If you put a 24v DC relay into a 24v AC system, it makes a horrible noise? This fact brought to you by my attempt to get my dehumidifer working with the new ecobee (which doesn't support two-wire accessories natively)
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Apr 18, 2024 00:23
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60 times a second is basically continuous right? Having purchased the correct relay, all is now functioning normally.
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Apr 19, 2024 03:01
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