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Replaced the capacitor today and everything is nice and cool. Thanks again, dudes.
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Mar 29, 2020 05:49
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zenintrude posted:Alright an issue I’ve been stressing about for months and months just occurred to me there might be a SA thread for it... Looking at the EPA charts for 1% cooling, there is no Florida city with that temp over 94, so it running 75% or so of the time at 86 isn't unexpected, if properly sized it'll be running 100% or close to it at the 1% temp. The 15-20 degree number is not outside/inside but rather supply vs return air in the house, so the air coming out of the vents should be 15-20 degrees cooler than the ambient temp. It's possible the unit is undersized but man, that would be a rarity.
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Mar 30, 2020 00:51
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About 6 months ago I had my downstairs package unit serviced for a reason I don't recall right now and it's worked fine, until I tried to turn on the AC for the first time this year. The blower motor turns on but the compressor kind of clicks occasionally and never starts. "Capacitor" is always the word you hear when the service guy comes so I figured I'd check that first. If I'm looking at this right, the compressor isn't even connected??? There's two leads on Common and two on Fan and thats it According to the wiring diagram the yellow wire is supposed to go to the Herm term, would I be wrong to just swap it over? I tested capacitance and everything checks out fine. Forum Hussy fucked around with this message at 08:11 on Apr 3, 2020 |
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Apr 3, 2020 04:23
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Herm is short for hermetically sealed compressor, so yeah, if the compressor is the problem and you've got a wiring diagram that shows it should be connected elsewhere that's probably the issue. The only thing I can think of why it would be that way is for some reason both the fan and compressor motors need the same value capacitor and all the service guy had is a dual but that would be.... odd
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Apr 3, 2020 15:00
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I switched it over and turned everything back on, the compressor kicked on but the condenser fan didn't. I checked the capacitance values with a voltmeter and they were within spec the first time, then I couldn't get a reading from the fan side after that. I'm going to replace the capacitor and hope I don't have to get the fan motor swapped out too
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Apr 5, 2020 00:00
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Cartoon Man posted:https://i.imgur.com/BU6ta5o.mp4
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Apr 11, 2020 06:45
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I love it when the blanket pulls off in one piece. Picking it off bit by bit or using a brush takes forever.
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Apr 11, 2020 14:26
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Most of the guys I know use compressed air or a garden hose with a high pressure nozzle to blast it off from the other side. Reminds me, I gotta do that soon...
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Apr 11, 2020 16:24
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compressed air works, but I usually don't have a compressor. getting it wet just makes it harder to get out of the corners.
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Apr 11, 2020 16:34
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Just bought a (1937, well kept up, northern New Jersey) house. Planning to get a contractor in but figured I'd bounce some questions off y'all first. Still educating myself on all this  There are two (but largely conjoined, no door) expansion rooms not part of the house's central air. I'd like to install a mini split heat pump. Would cool+heat as we plan to rip out these room's baseboards (separate from rest of house, which is radiators) for reasons. Smaller of the two is 12' x 12' (x ~11' - ceilings are high and oddly shaped - so ~1600 cubic ft), larger is 12' x 20' (x ~10' = ~2400 cubic ft). Given NJ sees temps from ~0º-100ºF, how many BTUs would you estimate I need? Online calculators give me everything from 14k to 42k, depending on temperature differential (eg if it's 10º out and I want to be 68º, that's more energy than eg cooling from 85 to 70). Related: will non-"low ambient" heat pumps still function well in cold snaps (just at lower efficiency) or should I consider getting a low ambient model? And is there an equivalent for heatwaves? haven't seen mention of "high ambient" anywhere. For the rest of the house: central air is a Trane XR13 (3.0 ton / 36k BTU) from 2006 using (now phased out) R-22. How likely is it that this thing will croak on me during the anticipated hotter than average summer approaching, especially if I can't readily get its refrigerant topped off? And assuming it needs replacing in a few years regardless, will it need a full replacement or is there a chance the attic-based air handler and evaporator could work with a newer exterior condensor/compressor and R-410? Seems unlikely but figured I'd ask. I also wonder if it's feasible (or smart) to replace it with a heat pump (presumably still leveraging the ductwork, not going full ductless), in case we find the (also starting to age) radiator boiler wants replacing down the line.
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Apr 11, 2020 18:29
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Hoping the passage of time means double posting ain't so bad: curious if I can start a short brand war here between Carrier and the Japanese minisplit makers like Fujitsu and Mitsubishi? When one looks up mini splits online (or asks friends, etc) everyone only seems to like, or have, the Japanese brands. However one contractor I am talking to clearly partners with Carrier as that's what they're pushing as being "more efficient". Is this guy just wanting to work with what he knows or will I really get more bang for my buck despite the brand seeming much less widespread (== harder to find parts/service)?
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Apr 15, 2020 12:21
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He is pushing carrier because his margins are higher, end of story. Hvac busines is similar to car dealerships in that you franchise with a manufacturer and get access to better pricing, training, and other resources with the expectation you will go and sell their product. Also mitsu made a deal with trane so we will see how poo poo they get in the future. Edit: i have had endless problems with budget category carrier minis, but thats anecdotal and often because they were being used incorrectly.
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Apr 15, 2020 12:58
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Forgot to ask last night: for the conjoined rooms I mentioned earlier, I'm getting mixed input on whether a 1 or 2 zone system makes more sense. One contractor said two heads makes more sense due to the space layout & one room being lower than the other (so in winter the hot air would migrate out of it). Other says one head is better because two would "fight each other" which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Unless a two head system would be so overpowered that even a variable speed inverter driven compressor can't crank down far enough to avoid problems, I'm leaning two zones to make sure I'm comfortable enough. MRC48B posted:He is pushing carrier because his margins are higher, end of story. Also a bit odd that company A gave me a quote after 15 minutes of being on the phone with hq, but company B requires a couple days for a followup call to present their quote. Either A is slapdash and B is thorough, or A is efficient and B takes forever?  quote:Also mitsu made a deal with trane so we will see how poo poo they get in the future.
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Apr 15, 2020 14:54
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bitprophet posted:Hoping the passage of time means double posting ain't so bad: curious if I can start a short brand war here between Carrier and the Japanese minisplit makers like Fujitsu and Mitsubishi? When one looks up mini splits online (or asks friends, etc) everyone only seems to like, or have, the Japanese brands. I wound up buying what I'm sure Fujitsu will call a black market Halcyon unit and having a random HVAC contractor install it. I'm pretty sure the cost spread between my unit and having a "~certified~" installer do it means I need to get 5 years out of it before replacing it would be break even. My dad also has like 6 of the units across his 3 properties, no clue on if he used a "certified" installer or not.
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Apr 15, 2020 15:16
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Sorry, I'm bitching again. Trane equipment is fine. Trane can suck to deal with as a non-franchised contractor. they love proprietary stuff and parts you can only get through them. Mitsu has previously been pretty open with documentation and training. I am worried that trane will do the obvious and jack prices for mitsu parts and equipment even higher, and close off documentation access, because gently caress you. Two zone systems fight each other if you place them up poorly, and have occupants that incessantly mess with the setpoint.
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Apr 15, 2020 15:23
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I hope York is decent because dude is here putting it in. It seems to at least be nice to have 5yr of labor too.
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Apr 15, 2020 16:17
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MRC48B posted:Sorry, I'm bitching again. quote:Two zone systems fight each other if you place them up poorly, and have occupants that incessantly mess with the setpoint. Nah this would all be for little ol me in my spacious two room “suite” of a home office, so I’d expect to set the two heads to complementary temperatures, whatever that ends up being. My worry with a single head setup is it would make the two spaces uneven, eg the smaller space would get too hot before the larger one received enough warm air to be comfortable.
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Apr 15, 2020 19:21
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I would trust Japanese brands of minisplit systems way more than American ones, predominantly because minisplit systems are way more commonplace in Asia. Carrier is much more recent in terms of rolling out products for minisplits, so I would not use them. Between Fujitsu and Mitsubishi, the latter is more expensive but considered slightly higher quality. I don't really think it may be worth the difference in cost though, since both are probably about as reliable.
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Apr 15, 2020 21:20
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bitprophet posted:Nah this would all be for little ol me in my spacious two room “suite” of a home office, so I’d expect to set the two heads to complementary temperatures, whatever that ends up being. How many square feet and how are they connected? Is it just a door between them or a wider space? Well insulated walls and windows? Lots of sun? Minimum temperature? For a "1 ton"ish system something like this in theory would work: https://www.supplyhouse.com/LG-14K-2Z-22S-14000-BTU-22-SEER-Ductless-Dual-Zone-Heat-Pump-Package https://www.ecomfort.com/Fujitsu-F2H18W07070000/p65937.html
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Apr 15, 2020 21:37
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bitprophet posted:Thanks, and condolences. It depends on a lot of things. How free is air movement between the two spaces How good/bad is the insulation between the two spaces, and again between each space and any unconditioned spaces (aka outside walls?) Windows? Uneven solar loads? If any of these are a concern and you Must have good temp control in both areas, then two heads is what you want.
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Apr 15, 2020 21:41
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The two rooms are joined by a wide (don't have measurement to hand but it's got to be at least 6'), non doored 'doorway', with the smaller room an extra foot or so deeper (as in the ceiling is the same level as the larger room, but the floor is down a couple steps). I'm likely to bounce between the rooms somewhat randomly so I'm considering myself as "occupying" both, re: comfort levels. Small room is 12x12 feet, ceiling slopes from 9' high to 12', so by my reckoning that's 1,512 cubic feet. Larger room is 12x20, ceiling slopes from 7.5' high to 11', giving 2,220 cubic feet. The rooms are on the south end of the house and have a decent amount of windows and a sliding door in the smaller room; however that smaller room has heavy wooden blinds on all of the glass. No idea on the wall insulation but these rooms were added probably somewhere in the 70s-90s (vs 1930s for rest of house) so I'd expect it to be "okayish". Posted a 3-image imgur album with the layout (up is southwest) and some lovely shots of the rooms/doorway from when we first saw the place, for context. Also ran through eComfort's little calculator again with as many details as I can cram into it (last time I did this exercise I had fewer measurements/observations, so this time I was able to pick the right things re: windows, doors, exact facings, insulation guess, exposure, etc) and it thinks the small room wants 6100 cooling BTU and 5600 heating; the large room 4500 cooling and 5600 heating. Guessing the smaller room needs more cooling due to higher ceiling and windows+sliding door. So that would very roughly jive with H110Hawk's suggestion of 2x7k BTU. The first contractor was pitching a 9k+12k two-header...real interested now to see what the second one is going to say (esp as she has like 2 days to run the numbers). Thanks for all the feedback; going to see what low-ambient Mitsu/Fujitsu I can scrounge up to throw model numbers at the first guy.
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Apr 15, 2020 22:41
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There's an HVAC thread? Cool! I have a question about my AC unit before I call building maintenance. I live in an apartment that has independent AC units per apartment on the roof for central AC. There's no building-wide system, it's all per unit. Furnace and blower in the unit and AC unit on the roof. The other day I noticed that the floor outside my furnace/bower room was quite cold. I think its because the coil was frozen and the cold air from ice on the coil was falling to the floor and out the door. I turned off my AC (at the thermostat) for 6ish hours to let it melt and everything was fine after that...for two days. Yesterday I noticed the same thing. So I turned off the AC (at the thermostat) and about 12 hours later I walked passed it and the floor was still cold and I can hear what I think sounds like gas expanding in the cooling coil. It kind of sounds like a valve or a pump is still running. I turned on the fan and could hear ice cracking. Probably not good. Any advice on what's causing this so I can tell the building maintenance team and for my own knowledge? I also can not access the furnace/blower or AC unit. The AC unit is on the roof and the doors to the roof are locked, and the furnace in my own apartment is in a locked closet that I also don't have the key for. So no physical access. I know I need to have the maintenance look at it, but with everyone in self-isolation, I'm waiting until that's absolutely necessary. Edit: I turned off the AC (not the furnace, I want the condensate pump to keep running when its needed) at the breaker panel and the noise I heard that I think was the gas expanding or a pump or a stuck valve or something, stopped. IndianaZoidberg fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Apr 17, 2020 |
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Apr 17, 2020 09:00
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I'm not in Hvac.... but a good question that may help diagnose.. What is the outside temp and what is your set temp. Every spring/ summer my apartment's newsletter reminds everyone to not set their ac below 68° F because the coils may freeze causing issues.
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Apr 17, 2020 12:54
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IndianaZoidberg posted:There's an HVAC thread? Cool! Not an HVAC person, but when my previous system was running low on refrigerant, the coil would freeze up. So in my experience a freezing coil indicates a low refrigerant charge. I replaced the coil at my previous house that was leaking due to formicary corrosion and the issue went away.
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Apr 17, 2020 21:35
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skipdogg posted:Not an HVAC person, but when my previous system was running low on refrigerant, the coil would freeze up. So in my experience a freezing coil indicates a low refrigerant charge. I replaced the coil at my previous house that was leaking due to formicary corrosion and the issue went away. Low refrigerant and low airflow are the common culprits here. (change your filters!)
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Apr 17, 2020 22:22
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If you cannot access either outside or indoor unit, the answer is complain to your complex management until they fix it.
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Apr 17, 2020 22:36
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Has anyone had any experience or have any thoughts on the Trane FreshEffects? I've been thinking of having one installed to help with house air exchange, but haven't been able to find many user experiences for it.
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Apr 20, 2020 16:58
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Maybe the wrong thread, but can you set a Nest up so that it doesn't run during a set hour period automatically, or do you need to manually create a calendar to cool to a specified temperature and hope it doesn't creep above that during your peak cost time? I poked around a bit in the app and didn't really find what I was looking for. I'm on this plan:  e: I figured it out BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Apr 25, 2020 |
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Apr 23, 2020 20:00
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IndianaZoidberg posted:Edit: I turned off the AC (not the furnace, I want the condensate pump to keep running when its needed) at the breaker panel and the noise I heard that I think was the gas expanding or a pump or a stuck valve or something, stopped. Sounds like maybe the outside unit is running non-stop, instead of shutting off with the thermostat?
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Apr 25, 2020 11:13
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For a new house with forced air heating is almost $10,000 a sane price for a new install 4 ton AC unit in any state? (but more importantly, in California).
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Apr 28, 2020 02:35
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Depends, what brand? My Midea 3 ton split unit was $2500 in parts and shipping, but expect probably another few hundred to a thousand in materials and installation (since you already have central air) and the rest is gonna be their labor rate plus whatever brand and size difference costs.
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Apr 28, 2020 03:00
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Aquila posted:For a new house with forced air heating is almost $10,000 a sane price for a new install 4 ton AC unit in any state? (but more importantly, in California). I mean who knows in Cali, but in Mississippi I just got a 4 ton AC installed for $6,000 so that seems expensive. But it def could depend on SEER and brand.
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Apr 28, 2020 04:49
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BonoMan posted:I mean who knows in Cali, but in Mississippi I just got a 4 ton AC installed for $6,000 so that seems expensive. But it def could depend on SEER and brand. That sounds about right for a replacement of an existing AC unit. I was quoted similar at my old house. I’d want clarification from OP though, the words “new install” might mean the house didn’t have central air before so ductwork, extra labor, etc are involved which would make 10k more reasonable Brand, features, etc also make a difference. Hard to say without more specifics. 10k for a basic 13 seer Goodman unit might be outrageous, but a fancier variable speed high seer system not so much
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Apr 28, 2020 05:32
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I mean they said new house with forced air heating so all the ducting should be there I would think. As long as there's a suitably large spot to retrofit the evap unit or coil into the ducting I don't see how it's more than like a one or maybe two day install.
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Apr 28, 2020 05:56
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kastein posted:Depends, what brand? My Midea 3 ton split unit was $2500 in parts and shipping, but expect probably another few hundred to a thousand in materials and installation (since you already have central air) and the rest is gonna be their labor rate plus whatever brand and size difference costs. Lennox EL16XC1-048 (mid range, 16 seer, single speed). skipdogg posted:That sounds about right for a replacement of an existing AC unit. I was quoted similar at my old house. So my house does have forced air heating (gas furnace), but is not "plumbed"/ac ready. This means they'll need to run the power to the condenser and the coolant lines to the coil. Vents should be good, air handler I don't know.
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Apr 28, 2020 06:12
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Yeah, Lennox is going to be more expensive, but if they need to run power, lineset, etc for the new condenser and evap, than $10000 is pretty reasonable for a new install.
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Apr 28, 2020 20:56
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It looks like my question was basically just answered. 1700ish SF house built in 1979. The central air isn't currently working. I want the whole system replaced as it's over 15 years old at least. Shade on the house only in the early morning and evening. Mostly old windows. Cool roof comp shingle replaced within the last 5 years. I just had one company come out to give me a qoute today so I'm waiting for that. Anyone in the San Fernando Valley, CA want to come out and give me a qoute too? If the price doesn't scare me away I'm doing new heat and ducting too. Anything specific I should be looking at or asking when I receive the estimate?
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Apr 29, 2020 03:04
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ExplodingSims posted:Yeah, Lennox is going to be more expensive, but if they need to run power, lineset, etc for the new condenser and evap, than $10000 is pretty reasonable for a new install. After running all the numbers more carefully it now stands: $7,000 Carrier 3 ton SEER 14, $7,400 Airtemp 4 ton SEER 14, $8,900 Airtemp 4 ton SEER 16, $8,000 Lennox 4 ton SEER 16. I've asked for a 4 ton Carrier quote for apples to apples.
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Apr 29, 2020 20:50
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I need to get a new heating and AC system in my house. My old ac (which was replaced roughly sometime in 2007) went (the fan and capacitor went on the outside unit), and the heater (which is 30 years old) has a cracked heat exchanger. I've gotten 2 quotes. One from Horizon (who is a local place that advertises all over). It's kind of the "anderson replacement windows" of the area. The other is from a local guy. My house is 2500 feet, 2 stories, in the Philly suburbs. Horizon's quote: Lennox SL280V 135 variable speed furnace with a Lennox EL16xC1 ac CX35 Coil (17 Seer) - $15,000 10 Part/ 10 labor Local guy: York TM87 800% two stage variable speed furnace with a York YCS60 AC and cf60B coil (14.25 seer) - $6,800 10 part/5 labor I knew horizon was going to be high, but this is absurdly high. I realize the 17 Seer is going to be more efficient, but I'm not crazy in going with the local guy, right? Motronic posted:Somebody's got to pay to keep those ads on the zamboni. Or the planes at the beach, or the billboards, or the scoreboards... AFewBricksShy fucked around with this message at 17:33 on May 7, 2020 |
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May 7, 2020 17:08
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AFewBricksShy posted:I knew horizon was going to be high, but this is absurdly high. Somebody's got to pay to keep those ads on the zamboni.
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May 7, 2020 17:32
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