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Bird in a Blender
Nov 17, 2005

It's amazing what they can do with computers these days.

Gin_Rummy posted:

Re: my DIY ductwork from a few pages back

Quick recap:
The airflow in my system is currently very satisfactory, however my ductwork (a) is all shot (oldschool Goodman flex duct... falls apart when you touch it) and leaking like a sieve, and (b) all lying on the floor of the attic.


Will I be completely loving up the current feel of my system if I replace what I have with R8 flex in the exact same duct sizes, splits, and runs that I have now, but suspended from the ceiling? It will definitely introduce new bends, longer lengths of line, etc, but will that fundamentally change the airflow to each room? Any quote I've gotten from an HVAC contractor includes a complete redesign, and I both don't feel a need nor want to pay for it since the house cools pretty well as-is, even with the air leaks, so I'm hoping that I can just replace what I have on my own.

Additional side question, assuming this IS okay, would I be alright to further increase my adjustability to the system by adding dampers to each run, or does that run a risk of ruining the current "feel" of things?

The short answer is, yes it's going to change. You're going to replace leaky duct, so you're going to increase air flow to your registers. How much it changes depends exactly on how much extra duct you're adding. Personally, I would add dampers because it's the only way you can control airflow in your house. Although I'm confused why you're suspending it from the ceiling, is this all going to be exposed now? Either way, adding the dampers will let you make adjustments so you can get the airflow back to how you wanted it before.

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Gin_Rummy
Aug 4, 2007

Bird in a Blender posted:

The short answer is, yes it's going to change. You're going to replace leaky duct, so you're going to increase air flow to your registers. How much it changes depends exactly on how much extra duct you're adding. Personally, I would add dampers because it's the only way you can control airflow in your house. Although I'm confused why you're suspending it from the ceiling, is this all going to be exposed now? Either way, adding the dampers will let you make adjustments so you can get the airflow back to how you wanted it before.

Is it not code to suspend flex ductwork off the ground?

EDIT: if I’m adding, conservatively, 5-10 ft at the start of the layout to run things to the ceiling, and another 5-10 ft at the end of each line to go back from the ceiling and into a room’s register box... does that drive the need for an entirely new load calc?

Gin_Rummy fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Mar 13, 2020

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

Gin_Rummy posted:

Is it not code to suspend flex ductwork off the ground?

EDIT: if I’m adding, conservatively, 5-10 ft at the start of the layout to run things to the ceiling, and another 5-10 ft at the end of each line to go back from the ceiling and into a room’s register box... does that drive the need for an entirely new load calc?

The reason the contractors want to start from scratch and redo all the load calcs is they want to cover their asses in case it never was designed right in the first place.

If they do what you are planning, and it still sucked, guess who gets the pissed off phone call?

It is possible that your existing unit is improperly sized. You don't know until you do the math.

The total load wont change, but as others have said, fixing leaky duct runs and changing the length will change the resistance to airflow relative to the other runs.

This will change how much airflow goes to each room. You may like what happens, you may not.

Add circular balance dampers on each run so you can fiddle with it after all the duct is fixed and get it dialed in to your liking.

Some homes even need the balance changed seasonally. One position for heating, the other for cooling.

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



I’m hoping this thread can tell me which of these two window A/Cs is the best for a bedroom about 25’x25’, because the PYF Product Recommendation thread keeps ignoring me every time I ask there.

GE 14,000 BTU 115-Volt Smart Window Air Conditioner with Remote
LG Electronics 15,000 BTU 115-Volt Window Air Conditioner with Remote and ENERGY STAR

I want as much cooling ability as possible. As far as noise, quieter is better, I’m pretty paranoid about protecting my hearing, though I guess anything 60 dBa or less is okay.

I. M. Gei fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Mar 15, 2020

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

That soleus needs a 230v outlet, the other two don't. do you have one on the wall?

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

I. M. Gei posted:

I’m hoping this thread can tell me which of these 3 window A/Cs is the best for a bedroom about 25’x25’, because the PYF Product Recommendation thread keeps ignoring me every time I ask there.

GE 14,000 BTU 115-Volt Smart Window Air Conditioner with Remote
LG Electronics 15,000 BTU 115-Volt Window Air Conditioner with Remote and ENERGY STAR
Soleus Air 18,300 BTU 230-Volt Window Air Conditioner with LCD Remote Control and ENERGY STAR

I want as much cooling ability as possible. As far as noise, quieter is better, I’m pretty paranoid about protecting my hearing, though I guess anything 60 dBa or less is okay.

Check out the rated amps on the units specifications. The LG is 11.5 which is more or less the whole 15amp breaker assuming a usual 80% overhead. If you have other high draw items on the same circuit you might have to only ever use it on the eco settings (likely very quiet) all day long rather than on demand to maintain temperature. If the circuit is 20a this is less of a concern.

If you have to pull a new circuit you might want to consider a ductless minisplit for several times the cost. Or at least pulling 220v power on 12/3 or 10/3. That would let you use the more efficient units or even switch to a ductless in the future. They are super quiet, which if you are concerned with the noise level might be a premium worth paying to you.

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



MRC48B posted:

That soleus needs a 230v outlet, the other two don't. do you have one on the wall?

gently caress, you’re right. Fixed.

No I don’t have a 230V, and I’m in no place to get one.

H110Hawk posted:

Check out the rated amps on the units specifications. The LG is 11.5 which is more or less the whole 15amp breaker assuming a usual 80% overhead. If you have other high draw items on the same circuit you might have to only ever use it on the eco settings (likely very quiet) all day long rather than on demand to maintain temperature. If the circuit is 20a this is less of a concern.

If you have to pull a new circuit you might want to consider a ductless minisplit for several times the cost. Or at least pulling 220v power on 12/3 or 10/3. That would let you use the more efficient units or even switch to a ductless in the future. They are super quiet, which if you are concerned with the noise level might be a premium worth paying to you.

Okay I kiiiiiinda understand that top paragraph but your bottom one is mostly gibberish to me. What in the hot gently caress is a “ductless minisplit”? What is “12/3”? What is “10/3”? I guess those last two questions don’t really matter since I can’t put in a 220V setup, but what is this dickless miniskirt whatever-the-gently caress-you-said?

My bedroom is on a 15A circuit. I don’t know what constitutes a high-draw device that I’d have in there. The highest drawing things in there that I can think of are my desktop PC, my TV, and maybe my ceiling fan? But again, define “high draw item” (preferably without telling me to look up the exact specs for every single item in that room cuz lol I ain’t fuckin’ doing that poo poo).

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

I. M. Gei posted:

Okay I kiiiiiinda understand that top paragraph but your bottom one is mostly gibberish to me. What in the hot gently caress is a “ductless minisplit”? What is “12/3”? What is “10/3”? I guess those last two questions don’t really matter since I can’t put in a 220V setup, but what is this dickless miniskirt whatever-the-gently caress-you-said?

My bedroom is on a 15A circuit. I don’t know what constitutes a high-draw device that I’d have in there. The highest drawing things in there that I can think of are my desktop PC, my TV, and maybe my ceiling fan? But again, define “high draw item” (preferably without telling me to look up the exact specs for every single item in that room cuz lol I ain’t fuckin’ doing that poo poo).

They're all the rage basically everywhere that isn't the USA. They use heat pumps and magic to move heat around, either in or out of the room. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Ductless-Mini-Splits/Single-Zone/N-5yc1vZc4m1Z1z0y63v They are startlingly efficient and nearly silent once the room reaches the set point.

If you're on 1x 15A breaker in this room and cannot/will not hire an electrician to pull a new circuit you're going to need to at least finger in the wind the draw in your room, assuming it's dedicated to your room. I assume you aren't renting based on your brick drilling adventures in the other thread. Your desktop PC and accessories might be, but probably isn't unless you have some crazy gaming/buttcoin computer going on. A kill-a-watt (amazon) might be worth it for you here. Plug you high draw stuff into it (computer, TV, things you want to run concurrently with the AC, anything with a heating/cooling element to it - minifridge?) and then into the wall. Then get them doing the hardest thing you do - video games or streaming movies, etc. Sum it all up. Modern PC's throttle way down when not being stressed so just turning it on and logging in isn't sufficient, you need to be doing whatever it is you do on there.

First though, go kill the breaker for your room. Now go plug to plug and make sure they are in fact all dead, and that none of your other rooms are dead. If you're renting this room from a larger house or whatever, coordinate this with the other tenants so you don't plunge them into darkness on accident. Don't worry about your ceiling fan, they're generally low draw.

To directly answer your question as posed - I would gut-feeling only by "Energy Star" rated units, and probably from LG or similar, not GE. I'm sure the GE one would be fine, but I bet you get better performance in the metrics you care about (db per btu, btu per watt) out of the LG. I also haven't done any research on this. I put a 1-ton (12k btu) hitachi ductless minisplit in my similarly sized office, it's great.

EssOEss
Oct 23, 2006
128-bit approved
HVAC covers humidifiers, right? I have super dry air at home, low 20s % generally. A few months ago I got a humidifier and life changed for the better - the air feels far more comfortable at 40% humidity and I no longer have a constantly stuffy nose.

But I also have very hard water. This means the only thing I have found that can dissolve the deposits in the humidifier is 30% concentrated vinegar. I tried various but this is the only one that really gets it clean. Which is okay - I can clean the unit with vinegar.

Today I found my humidifer making a strange noise. An electric noise. Opening it up revealed a lot of corrosion. Ouch. I blame the vinegar - the time it takes for it to soak through the deposits leaves plenty of opportunity for the vapors to also attack the electronics.

This humidifier seemed as simple as they get - just a hot cup that water continually trickled onto. I figure if the cleaning agent attacked even such a simple construct there's no hope for me in trying other types of humidifier.

What can I do? Is there some humidification solution that is compatible with very hard water?

Motronic
Nov 6, 2009

EssOEss posted:

What can I do?

Get a water softener, even a small point of use one just for the humidifier - but a while house one would probably be a big quality of life improvement.

EssOEss
Oct 23, 2006
128-bit approved
I read on the water softener instructions "do not heat water above 85C". Since the humidifer is effectively boiling the water, this seemed to imply that softening would not work for this purpose. Is this logic wrong? Or is it a particular type of water softener that I need?

Motronic
Nov 6, 2009

EssOEss posted:

I read on the water softener instructions "do not heat water above 85C". Since the humidifer is effectively boiling the water, this seemed to imply that softening would not work for this purpose. Is this logic wrong? Or is it a particular type of water softener that I need?

I've never seen such a warning. I have a whole house softener, as do most people near me (hard well water) and it goes through my steam shower just fine.

Deceptive Thinker
Oct 5, 2005

I'll rip out your optics!

EssOEss posted:

I read on the water softener instructions "do not heat water above 85C". Since the humidifer is effectively boiling the water, this seemed to imply that softening would not work for this purpose. Is this logic wrong? Or is it a particular type of water softener that I need?

that's probably for the water going into the softener, not after the water has passed through it

EssOEss
Oct 23, 2006
128-bit approved
Perhaps indeed. Hmm. The most common thing sold for water softening in this corner of Europe is polyphosphate which, if I understand it right, just dissolves into the water to change the chemistry so it does not leave deposits. The only statement found online about polyphosphate and boiling indicated that boiling might revert the compound to some form that releases the captured ions.

I see there is another common water softener mechanism mentioned - ion exchange. This is not really something that is used locally here in any consumer context. They also seem pretty expensive, though maybe that is because the only suppliers I can find are industrial-oriented. I will try to get some offers. What are some well known entry level brands to look at?

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

You may want to double post in the plumbing thread if you don't get an answer here. European residential water softener equipment brands is not a common topic in this thread.

Pollyanna
Mar 5, 2005

Milk's on them.


Is it possible for hot air to get less hot between vents? The supply vents in the kitchen and bathroom are very hot, but the ones in the living room and bedroom are pretty cold. I noticed that the vents in the bedroom and living room are further away from the heater than the bathroom and kitchen vents, is it possibly losing temperature because of that?

I get that the real solution to my situation is “move”, but that’s gonna have to be for next year v:v:v

TacoHavoc
Dec 31, 2007
It's taco-y and havoc-y...at the same time!

Pollyanna posted:

Is it possible for hot air to get less hot between vents? The supply vents in the kitchen and bathroom are very hot, but the ones in the living room and bedroom are pretty cold. I noticed that the vents in the bedroom and living room are further away from the heater than the bathroom and kitchen vents, is it possibly losing temperature because of that?

I get that the real solution to my situation is “move”, but that’s gonna have to be for next year v:v:v

Yes it's possible, what do you think happens as air moves against a colder duct surface for a longer period of time.

Bird in a Blender
Nov 17, 2005

It's amazing what they can do with computers these days.

Yea. Insulation exists for a reason.

Pollyanna
Mar 5, 2005

Milk's on them.


Rip. The supply ducts aren’t insulated or anything at all. Is it just the lack of insulation that’s the problem, or is it distance too? Like, if I wrap the supply ducts in <insert thing that insulates here>, will that be enough, or is the distance from the heater what’s really screwing me over?

Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Mar 24, 2020

SpartanIvy
May 18, 2007
Hair Elf
It's the insulation. If you stop the loss of heat the air stays hot no matter how far you push it

Pollyanna
Mar 5, 2005

Milk's on them.


Got it. Can I fix that with stuff I can buy at Home Depot, or would I need a professional to do it? The ducts are free-floating in the basement.

kastein
Aug 31, 2011

Moderator at http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/and soon to be mod of AI. MAKE AI GREAT AGAIN. Motronic for VP.
How long a duct and how much temp loss are we talking? Also are you sure they're actually served by the same duct?

Gin_Rummy
Aug 4, 2007
So yesterday my compressor stopped working... determined that it was hard starting and tripping the breaker. Just had a tech look at it and he said the coils are shorted. At this point, with my R22 system, literally falling apart flex ducts, and 30 year old blower/furnace, do I have any option to salvage what I had, or am I basically stuck getting an all new system? The tech told me that bare minimum I have to replace the unit outside. Any input is appreciated...

GWBBQ
Jan 2, 2005


Gin_Rummy posted:

So yesterday my compressor stopped working... determined that it was hard starting and tripping the breaker. Just had a tech look at it and he said the coils are shorted. At this point, with my R22 system, literally falling apart flex ducts, and 30 year old blower/furnace, do I have any option to salvage what I had, or am I basically stuck getting an all new system? The tech told me that bare minimum I have to replace the unit outside. Any input is appreciated...
Updating everything would be the best solution in terms of efficiency and things breaking more as they get older, but "coils are shorted" could be as simple as the contactor needing to be replaced.

Gin_Rummy
Aug 4, 2007

GWBBQ posted:

Updating everything would be the best solution in terms of efficiency and things breaking more as they get older, but "coils are shorted" could be as simple as the contactor needing to be replaced.

The way he explained it was the coating on the coils has worn away, so they are now in direct contact with each other.

GWBBQ
Jan 2, 2005


Gin_Rummy posted:

The way he explained it was the coating on the coils has worn away, so they are now in direct contact with each other.
That sounds more like motor windings. If that's the case, definitely replace it.

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

I would replace the whole system (make sure this includes a new line set) if that's in your budget.

Doesn't mean you have to use this contractor. Get a quote from them and a few others if you can stand the loss of the heat pump for long enough to get them.

Gin_Rummy
Aug 4, 2007

angryrobots posted:

I would replace the whole system (make sure this includes a new line set) if that's in your budget.

Doesn't mean you have to use this contractor. Get a quote from them and a few others if you can stand the loss of the heat pump for long enough to get them.

Oh for sure... already found a contractor who quoted $2k below the other guys.

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

Reminder that lowest bidder is not always the best option, neither is the highest. Do your homework.

Gin_Rummy
Aug 4, 2007

MRC48B posted:

Reminder that lowest bidder is not always the best option, neither is the highest. Do your homework.

No worries there. They’re highly rated and well reviewed, family owned, and friends of a relative. They seem on the level and I’d imagine they’re able to offer a better price since they’re an overall smaller operation.

The Human Cow
May 24, 2004

hurry up
I got home from work to find an upstairs that was 13 degrees warmer than the downstairs. I went outside to check the wiring going to the compressor, wiggled some stuff around and turned a breaker on and off, and just heard a humming noise coming from the unit. The capacitor inside looks like this:



It looks pretty grody to me - what are the odds that that's the problem? I've got a multimeter if there's a way that I can check it. I can find a replacement online (https://www.amazon.com/Trane-CPT00659-CPT-0659-Replacement-Capacitor/dp/B00RZXUT0G), but I'd love to find one locally (Charleston, SC) - is that something that an HVAC company will just sell me without having to come install it?

edit: I just stuck a screwdriver in the vent and spun the fan and it kicked on, so that may be enough functionality to buy me shipping time if y'all think that that part will fix it.

The Human Cow fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Mar 28, 2020

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

probably. what you're looking for is an hvac supply house. call them first and ask if they have specifically what you want (as in exact part number) and will do a cash sale. don't waste their time and they won't waste yours.

The Human Cow
May 24, 2004

hurry up
I may have spiked the ball too early - I left it and went for a run, and it's not any cooler upstairs. The compressor wasn't running but it was buzzing, so I started the fan again. It ran for a couple of seconds and then quit, and now there's nothing :(

edit: actually, I think I just knocked a wire loose. We're up and running for now, but I still have to start it with the screwdriver.

The Human Cow fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Mar 28, 2020

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

The Human Cow posted:

I got home from work to find an upstairs that was 13 degrees warmer than the downstairs. I went outside to check the wiring going to the compressor, wiggled some stuff around and turned a breaker on and off, and just heard a humming noise coming from the unit. The capacitor inside looks like this:



It looks pretty grody to me - what are the odds that that's the problem? I've got a multimeter if there's a way that I can check it. I can find a replacement online (https://www.amazon.com/Trane-CPT00659-CPT-0659-Replacement-Capacitor/dp/B00RZXUT0G), but I'd love to find one locally (Charleston, SC) - is that something that an HVAC company will just sell me without having to come install it?

edit: I just stuck a screwdriver in the vent and spun the fan and it kicked on, so that may be enough functionality to buy me shipping time if y'all think that that part will fix it.

I would turn off power to that unit until you get another cap. The compressor probably isn't running, or if running slow and hot.

I'm also in SC and have had luck with Baker Brothers and McCalls doing counter sales. If you act like you know what you're doing they won't say anything, SC is full of fly-by-night amateur hour service techs anyway. Don't bother with the Trane p/n - you just need a generic dual run/start cap of the same size and shape of the old one which is what you linked.

Just FYI you can't get Trane specific parts, so for instance if the defrost control board dies you're gonna have to order it from an online supplier. Trane has their local supply chain locked down and the chains don't carry anything specific.

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

Quote edit sigh

MRC48B
Apr 2, 2012

angryrobots posted:

- you just need a generic dual run/start cap of the same size and shape of the old one which is what you linked.


you need one of the same capacitance values. size and shape don't matter. and pay attention when you remove the old one to which wires go where. the markings are often hard to see and corroded away.

if you're lucky it's just the cap and not the start winding.

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

JFC of course it needs to be the same rating, that's what I meant by size. It also needs to be the right shape to fit in the space given - it's a lot easier to reuse the stock bracket and be able to put the door back on.

The Human Cow
May 24, 2004

hurry up
I took a bunch of pictures of the wires' configuration on top, but I can't find any kind of markings because of all of the rust. Thanks for all of the advice! I'll report back in once I've got a replacement installed

testtubebaby
Apr 7, 2008

Where we're going,
we won't need eyes to see.


Alright an issue I’ve been stressing about for months and months just occurred to me there might be a SA thread for it...

Here’s the situation:

- 1000 sqft South Florida house built in the late 50s
- Year old 2.5 ton 16 seer Trane, handler installed in attic (only place to have it installed in such a small place I guess)
- Dark colored asphalt (not gabled, not flat) roof with full ridge vent
- Brand new blown in insulation
- Brand new low-E impact glass windows and doors
- Recently ripped out the old, painted over and debris clogged soffit vents... what remains is a 1.5~ inch wide hole that runs around 3/4 of the house and a series of smallish (2.5 inch) vent holes on 1/4 of the house




Especially now that I’m home all the time I’m really noticing how much the AC is running during the day simply trying to get down to a normal temperature (73 - 74) when it’s not that ridiculously hot outside (84 - 86 at peak recently). For example, here’s yesterday:



Everything I read seems to indicate that an AC should be able to cool 15 - 20 degrees below the outside temps and I’m not really seeing that here and it’s kinda driving me nuts.

That said what should I be looking into? Spray foam insulation? Radiant barriers? Bigger soffit vents? At this point I’ll try anything as I’m fearing what this is going to look like once we start hitting hotter temps.

testtubebaby fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Mar 29, 2020

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GWBBQ
Jan 2, 2005


That doesn't seem right for a newly insulated house. If you know anyone locally who has a thermal camera, it might shed some light on your situation. I have a 1950s house that was apparently built before insulation was invented and I can pretty much see through my exterior walls with it.

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