Central Air System Must be Replaced?

Hello and thank you in advance for your advice.

First off, I am not looking for DIY advice. Here is my problem. I have an R-22 Trane XE-1000 (mfd year 2001) 2 ton system. I recently had the unit inspected for a suspected leak. My local contractor came out found the leak and told me that I needed to replace my system (outdoor condenser and inside coil, and lines, etc.) due to the leak. He stated that it could not be repaired. I was curious as to how he knew he couldn't repair it when the leak was on the condenser(?) on the outdoor unit. The unit has small Al hairs/fins coming off it which makes the actual leak invisible to the naked eye without removing those fins. Is this SOP for units now, they just need replaced when they break? I ended up peeling the fins back to the leak after he left. There is a crack in the line where the Al tubing was slightly kinked. I noticed though that the line in the coil is definitely Al. Then approx. 4" prior to the crack the line is copper. Obviously at some point Trane was able to join copper to aluminum, but I thought this a fairly delicate procedure. Would cutting this fatigued section out and brazing in a new copper or aluminum line be feasible? Can a swagelok fitting be used at the AL-Cu joint? Can this unit be repaired? I called this guy b/c he was listed on the Trane website, but something just doesn't seem logical about his diagnosis.

I realize that I need to replace my system soon, but not really wanting to do it so soon, with the R-22 phase out. Even if I could limp it along for another 2-3 years would be spectacular.

Again, thank you for your advice.

Restoring interior window finish

I'm in the process of restoring a bunch of double hung windows from the 1920's. Some of the windows aren't painted on the inside and have a clear finish - not sure what it is. Parts of the wood still have a good coating, while other sections don't have much and have turned a darker color. Not really sure how to best approach this. Any recommendations on how to restore this finish?

See the photos for more details

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Rain

Water level at lake Tawakoni has come up, 10.5' ft.
In 3 months. ..[emoji79] will it ever quit raining?

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how to secure sheetrock

As I worked on the walls and discovered loose tile - I find that this corner of sheetrock is moving. It's not really connected at the bottom nor at right. Not that it moves a lot but enough to where I'm concerned about securing the sheetrock up to the tile. You can see in the lower corner where the tile curves in from a poor repair years ago. This is on the plumbing wall, it's about 8 inches between sheetrock on both sides.

I put a clothes hanger wire in the hole but didn't find any stud to either side - I could only get wire in about 4 or 6 inches to the sides. When I checked to the right it sounded like it tapped on bare tile.

Any suggestions for how to secure this corner of the sheetrock?

I greatly appreciate help. I'm waiting to get these repairs completed so I can have my one bathroom back!

Sincerely,
bamakodaker

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Return Capacity compared to Supply Capacity

Hi,
I need some advice so I am informed when the pro comes out for a Man D and J calculation tomorrow.
I have about 1230 cfm of supply capacity (from capacity of ducts, without reduction for friction, etc.).
I have 675 cfm or so of Return capacity (same note).
Also Another 180 cfm of Return capacity (unused return line).

Question: is 600 cfm of return capacity enough, or should we make use of the extra 180 cfm.

All else equal, can there ever be too much return capacity (up to the supply capacity)?

I am tending towards asking that the 180 be added to the new plenum.

Please let me know.

Bat Guano

After 8 years without success our bat house is finally occupied... big time. Does anyone have experience or advice using fresh guano? I know enough to not taste it but should it be aged or composted before use? Is it safe to use it fresh in the veggie and flower garden.

Right now the guano is dropping to the ground about 3 feet from one of my hop plants. It's a established, tough plant so I'm not concerned for it's health but I'd love to expand into bat condo's and time shares to produce more fertilizer and need to learn how to properly handle it.

Deck Stain and Water Putty

This is my first post here. We bought our first home 5 years ago and are finally branching out into fixing up our fixer upper. :) We have an HOA with strict guidelines on stain colors/products, and I submitted an application to use Behr's Antique Oak color. I got a transparent wood stain. After attempting to clean the deck with oxygen bleach (it was too far gone for that level of work) we had it power washed and then took an orbital sander to smooth out the fuzzies and splinters (60 grit for the floor, 80 grit for handrails). The guy at Home Depot, when I was asking about the best application method for stain, told me to get Water Putty to fill in the cracks and knotholes.. We did that this morning, and went to apply the stain and.. it looks awful. :( You can see the water putty right through the stain because it is transparent, and I'm so upset that the "professional" didn't think to ask what kind of stain I was using before recommending that product.

Have any of you used Water Putty before? If I go purchase a solid stain will it cover the puttied spots or will it discolor? Should I go for the deck paint instead? Can I get the color from Behr color-matched for one of the better products like Super Deck?

A moment of clarity.

I should and I think I do know the answer to this:

A furnace board keeps blowing out 3 amp fuses when in cool code. Heat mode works fine. I disconnected the contactor wires to make sure. I don't remember if I jumped the Tstat when I was there two weeks ago.

So for everyone's benefit (especially mine!) does the fuse protect the 24v circuit or the 120v?

People, not raccoons, are the problem in Toronto, city report finds

Committee votes in favour of educational programs, but the goodwill does not extend to mice and rats.

New Trane XV

Just had a new Trane XV20i installed and could not be happier !!
It's super quite, keeping humidity to 44% at a set temp of 78 while 90 outside here in miami,FL
just wondering , the thermostat shows it running at 28% compressor speed sometimes, I thought the minimum it could run was 30%

disconnect fan on switch at t-stat.

I own a Bed and Breakfast Inn with 7 rooms on a zoned forced air HVAC system. Occasionally a guest will set the t-stat to fan on which can alter the comfort of guests in other rooms. I would like to be able to disconnect the fan on switch on the t-stat so that it is always in Auto mode. Currently I have some old round Honeywell stats and some digital stats. I have no interest in programmable as that would just further confuse the average adult. Any suggestions or advice?

Xenta 527 Lock Up

Up front I am the IT for a small school division and am trying to assist your plumber who runs our iNet 7 system.

I have a Xenta 527 that just shuts down the network interface. By that I mean is is working great then all of a sudden the lights go out. So far I have switched port, switched the switch, our contractor has replaced the Xenta. But still to get the unit communicating again I have to reseat the network cable or power cycle either the switch or Xenta.

The switch has broadcast storm configured to 5% and IP precedence set to 7 however I dont believe it to be a network issue.

Is there a log on the Xenta 527 I can see that will tell me why the device is shutting down the network interface?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

No Wax Vinyl Floor Maintenance

Greetings,

I'm perplexed and frustrated. I just got back from the hardware store and looked around the internet, don't know what to think.

I have a "no-wax" vinyl floor in my kitchen and dining room. It's about fifteen years old. I know it won't last forever, but replacing it is a huge hassle, or very expensive, so I try to maintain it properly.

Every few years, I strip it, using straight ammonia, then apply a coat of sealer, such as TreWax Gold Label Sealer Wax. Today, I went to my usual big box hardware store to get more sealer wax. The guy in the flooring department says they don't carry sealer or wax for no-wax vinyl flooring. He says he's worked in the flooring department for several years, he's never heard of it. He added, "Why do you think they are called "no-wax floors"? I thought this was a bit snarky and probably ignorant.

I asked what people use to maintain and protect their vinyl floors. He recommended Armstrong Once N Done. He said it's all I need, and it is the only product recommended by Armstrong for their no-wax vinyl floors.

Chances are, Once N Done is about the same stuff as Mop & Glo. I use Mop & Glo for routine cleaning and finishing, but it seems inadequate for sealing and restoring an older vinyl floor.

Googling around, I find contradictory advice. I can't find sealer wax, of any brand, at any hardware store. I can order it online.

As far as I can tell, it's probably best to strip the floor periodically, apply a coat or two of sealer and then use Once N Done or Mop & Glo for routine cleaning and finishing. But... I've been wrong before.

I wonder if there's an ugly side to this. Maybe Armstrong has decided to put competing products, like TreWax, out of business. And maybe it's decided it can't make money if its vinyl floors last too long.

I'm hoping to get a few expert opinions here. Thanks in advance.

Trane XV

Just wanted to post a positive report on my new Trane XV 4ton system.
It's incredible !!! The system runs at 28 to 62 percent most of the time and we can't even hear it.
we're in miami, FL and it's keeping the humidity to 43% with a set temp. At 78 Inside while it's
90 outside with 70% humidity.
Only odd thing to me is it running as low as 26-28% sometimes, I thought the minimum compressor speed was 30%
thanks and happy Memorial day
Dave

Full removal of Gardiner East comes with health benefits, new report says

Dr. David McKeown is the second city official within a week to offer advice contrary to Mayor John Tory's preference.

Voltage transformer output question

hi All,

got a quick question since I have gave all my AC/DC knowledge back to my high school teacher. for a 1000 Watt voltage transformer, does it mean its output is always at 1000 Watt or depends on the consuming devices plugged in?

thx

How can I be surprised and NOT surprised all at the same time?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/21...d-in-ferguson/ :Faint:

installing new flooring in bathroom and making a change under doors

I want to replace the old sheet vinyl flooring in a bathroom. The room has two doors, one from a hallway and one from the master bedroom. The door from the hallway opens inward (to the bathroom) and the other door opens outward (toward the bedroom). The bedroom has carpeting.

When the builder installed this original flooring, the visual result at the bottom of the two doors is different due to the difference in the way the doors open. So, when closed, the carpet in the hallway does not show at the bottom of the door. The door to the bedroom, on the other hand, does show some carpet at the bottom when closed. The two attached photos show the difference.

I think I would like to eliminate this difference when I replace the flooring by trimming 2-3" of carpet at the doorway to bedroom so that it also does not show the carpet (or whatever future flooring is in the bedroom) when the door is closed. What would you do?

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System is Acidic

We moved in last year. We have a Rheem 5-ton air conditioner, circa 1998. On my spring preventative maintenance service, the tech told me the system probably wouldn't last much longer. Offered to sell me whole new system of course, because it's an R-22 system that "can't be upgraded". He said the system was "acidic" and the compressor was pulling a lot of amps (24.5A). The contactor and dual run capacitor were still "good".

- Would a start capacitor/relay help the system last longer? (unfortunately I've been reading the internet about 5-2-1, supco, etc)
- Can I help by changing my thermostat settings (cycles per hour, e.g)?
- Are there other options besides buying a whole new system?

Also I have an Aprilaire electronic air purifier, plugged into a always-live outlet. Thus, my system is set up for the blower (Trane XV80 variable speed) to run continuously. The house is large with a finished basement and only one HVAC unit/zone. I was told running the blower also helps circulate the cool air from the basement throughout the house.

- Is it the circulation worth the ~1 amp to run the blower all the time?
- Should I have the purifier and blower re-configured to run less often?

Thanks!

maintain pressure in garden hose

I have a very basic irrigation system setup.
200ft of garden hose from an outside tap goes to 3 separate areas:
1st a splitter, where a drip hose system is attached, not open on full so pressure is very low.
2nd area connects to a soaker hose covering 100sq ft garden,
3rd area just nearby is another soaker hose connected to the 1st soaker hose for a 75 sq ft garden.

Obviously the last soaker hose doesn't have much pressure and the garden hose has variable pressure depending on sunshine or not.

How can I maintain the pressure in these hoses over that distance and possible extend it in future?

Heat pump outdoor unit compatability

My church has a heat pump system with a leaking outdoor unit. I'm a former HVAC service tech who has been retired for several years. I would like to replace the unit for the church but I don't know how to determine what outdoor unit would be compatible with the indoor unit. The outdoor unit is a Bryant model number 633aj060. Is there a conversion chart I can use?

American Standard Silver Series SI or Ameristar?

Are these the same? Installing contractor said it was American Standard, but servicing tech later called it Ameristar (on roof and haven't seen it myself).

I thought I was getting a spine fin coil unit until contractor told me otherwise.

Thompson sub machine gun

went sporting clay shooting with my SIL this weekend. Great therapy for a shoulder replacement :eek: :thumbdn: one location had pistol and medium to long range rifle locations. So he took his Thompson. I have never shot a more uncomfortable, super heavy weapon in my life. Did pretty well at 25 yards with a silouette.

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Install challenge. No consensus

I am renovating a home I just purchased in Miami, Florida. The tricky room is a 25'x25' basically all glass(Loe) two story family room with a large opening on the second floor that opens down to the first floor. What makes it tricky is that I have no room for ducts due to the low ceilings on the first floor. I only have a closet for the air handler that connects the first floor with the second floor. I have a 4' wide x 2' space above the air handler closet to install 1 supply. The first floor duct would then connect through to the second floor to provide a similar 4'x2' supply for the second floor. Again it would only be 1 wall supply for the first and one for the second floor.

I have had various Hvac guys run their "numbers", but they have ranged from 2 ton-5 tons with most coming in at around 3-3.5 ton. I have even had some recommend mini splits saying the lack of duct work will not let the conventional system operate well. I don't know what to do at this point. Any help would be appreciated.

looking for a SIMPLE T5 fluorescent dimmer...

I am pretty good in electrical work, both commercial and residential, but, I've run into something that really has me befuddled. Dimming simple T5 fluorescent fixtures. I have a job to build a shadowbox lighting system for a residence. I would have six Lithonia 4 foot, 2 lamp F54T5-HO fixtures on three separate circuits, each with a wall switch / dimmer. I have been looking for a simple self contained wall dimmer that would work with these fluorescent fixtures. I almost seems that all of the companies making dimmers and dimmable ballasts never considered that some small installation might come along. I have looked through catalogs and web sites until I want to scream! All I seem to have to do is to install $50K in modules and processors and build a computer annex on to the house and then I can dim a darned fluorescent light fixture. Oh there are great benefits to all of these systems. I can make the blinds go up and down, control the AC, probably make the toilets flush and the shingles flap, but, I just want to dim the blasted lights. The fixtures have OSRAM Quicktronic Ballasts in them,
(QHE 2x54T5HO/UNV PSN), and I expect that I will have to replace them.

Does anyone know of a simple wall dimmer and 2 lamp F54T5-HO ballast
combination on the market?

Dblknottspy,
Austin, Tx

GE ECM 142 1/3 hp Schematic, drawing, parts list, etc.

I have a Trane unit with a GE fan that is not working. The only information I have found on the fan is here on HVAC-Talk. Can anyone tell me how to get the drawings for the "bell unit" ( CCA and potted assembly beneath it )? Thanks in advance for your help and expertise.

Replacing my torsion springs (Please Help)

Hi,

This is my first time posting here. I bought a torsion spring replacement kit from an online retailer. After installing the springs, it looks like they sent me springs that are both wound in the same direction (right). I tried showing them that they sent me the wrong springs but they keep saying that I have the correct springs. Can somebody verify that I have the wrong springs?

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Starting an apprenticeship in HVAC, wanted to know ofany good resources for learning.

Hi all, I'm not entirely new to HVAC as I've worked with my dad sparsely through the years with helping him with it, but I'm ready to start apprenticing and just wanted to know what are some good online resources or books that I use to help supplement my learning at home. Resources on separate things like electricity, refrigeration, or indoor a/c would be helpful.

Death to bedbugs, cockroaches, spiders!!!

There must exist a better method of ridding our indoor lives with crawling biting pests than blatantly using poisons to further kill our world (and ourselves).

Hohoho... There is !!!

Dry ice

The best & cheapest method to rid ourselves of bedbugs, cockroaches, spiders, and other crawling insects is by using dry ice.

Dry ice is ultra cheap compared to poisons: you don't need a license to purchase it nor do you require a what-if-I-poison-someone emergency response team.

It's carbon dioxide! It kills by removing oxygen from the area. Dry ice kills everything that requires oxygen to live. THINK about it.

Use with extreme caution...'cause you and yourn need oxygen too.

CO2 is heavier than air and oxygen.

Caveat: this guide presumes you are sane and desire to kill just the pests. You cannot hold me or anyone in this forum responsible for your "bonehead" ideas. If you kill something NOT a pest, you deserve incarceration and the death penalty. Fair enough.

Now to the steps:
1) discuss with everyone in the area: your family, your friends, your neighbors this dry ice solution. This does three things:
• informs them that you have a pest problem (they probably have the same problem.)
• alerts them to the dangers of dry ice.
• if they think you're not same they will alert the authorities prior to you taking any action or be held equally responsible by not doing so.

2) seal the room: lock the entry doors, tape beneath the doors other than your exit.

3) lay the block of dry ice on three layers of tough cardboard on top of and in the middle of the bed or table (you want it above the presumed infected area so the carbon dioxide distributes down and across and covers the area).

4) exit the room, tape the bottom of the door.

5) tape a sign to the door saying "DANGER: do not enter!" Make this door impossible to open except by you.

6) After four hours, have a friend or SS (significant squeeze) take the children, dogs, and other human-friendly pets with them to a park or eatery.

7) have a friend chase away the cats and chickens and what you have roaming in and out of your house for an hour.

8) open all the doors and windows.

9) unseal the door, open it

10) if it's a windless day, get or burrow fans to shove air into and out of the "treated" room.

11) unseal all that you previously sealed.

12) go outside front or backyard and help your friend keep animals out of your house.

In an hour the majority if not all of that introduced CO2 will be dispersed.

An hour later, enjoy your bug free room and realize how much safer this method is than lingering deadly poisons!!

Professional protestors complaining about getting paid...

I think this may have been posted already... however do not remember any discussion on it... so here goes:

http://news.investors.com/blogs-capi...tting-paid.htm

I for one would LOVE to see a list of the folks who donated to the fund to pay the professional protestors.
I am willing to bet they are all elitists... who want to reduce the entire working population to servants of their empires.

Poulan lawn tractor does'nt run under load

My Poulan PR185H42ST lawn tractor with a B & S INTEK twin 18.5 HP 2 cylinder engine won't run under any load. I ran it out of gas last fall for the winter and left the switch on. Dead battery so I jumped it to get it started but it dies when I put it in gear. Also dies when I engage the deck. Any load and it dies. Anybody have any ideas?

Trane GAM5 Air Handler

Want to change blower speed, have unplugged unit, removed lower panel. On far right side is numbered 1 thru 5, Red pin is in #3 and Black is in #1 and
just the left is a single push in unit numbered 1 thru 5 with Black in #4, Red in #2 and Blue in #1. The unit seems to be in the lowest blower setting and
I would like to switch wiring to bring it to the middle blower speed. TIA, Paul

Checking windshield wiper fluid 2005 Nissan Sentra

The reservoir is down far in the engine and you can't see the tank. The neck comes up and that's all you can see. In some 2005 Sentra's, there is a warning light. But I don't know if this one has one or not. Is it one of those things where, if we don't have the light, you just kind of have to wait until it runs dry?

New, expanded bus routes to provide ‘reliable’ overnight, weekend service

Mayor John Tory announced changes to 61 TTC bus routes, aimed at moving residents working and studying during off-peak hours

Siren trouble driving me crazy!

I have a GE concord 4 panel everything was working fine up until recently I had a power outage thats when things started acting up. My panel keeps telling me i have a siren trouble.

I have a siren connected to terminal 7 and 8 and doesn't sound off if the alarm gets tripped. Everything else works fine.

things i've tried

I have rebooted the system completely even with the battery backup.

on top of that everyday the panel sounds chirps at 8am 6pm and 9pm

Anyone have any ideas? thank you all in advance

I know... it's my own fault for reading the manual

Wifey wanted me to do a project around the house... So i get to buy a new tool. Picked up a new sawzal (Milwaukee 12 amp from the depot for $99). I started looking at the manual while i was taking a break. The manual calls for a 10awg extension cord for a 50' cord! Well I was using a 16awg 100' cord.

Am I hurting the saw by using the smaller cord or just losing power? I wasn't using the saw hard or for long cuts.

Paver Patio - How to ensure level base - Advice Needed from Expert DIY

I am on patio #2 for my spring projects. the first was a 15' circle patio with a fire pit. given it was my first time ever doing a paver patio I did ok but do have one dip in the patio that is noticeable when it rains.

I am now doing a larger 15' x 24 ' patio and this one runs right up to the side of my house so I need to be darn sure it has a slope away from the house but I also do not want any unevenness.

Looking to see if anyone has suggestions on steps I can take ensure the base has the correct slope yet level across, etc...

Portable AC in storage unit

Hey everyone, new to the forum here. I'm fairly new to the whole portable AC unit deal, and i'm having some troubles.

So here's my problem. I purchased a 300 square foot storage (10ftx30ft) unit to use as a shop for my company. Now I live in South Florida and it can get extremely hot, especially in the unit. I was using fans to cool me off, but it's just too hot during the day to work in there.

I decided to purchase a Portable AC Unit (12000 BTUs) to attempt to cool the area. Here's where it gets technical. The unit has shared airspace with the neighboring units which consists of about 2ft of empty space that goes around the top of the walls in the unit. I stapled and taped visqueen to stop the shared air to keep the cool air in my unit. Now, there's no windows in the unit, so that makes exhausting pretty difficult. Since there is no windows, I placed a custom shelf on the wall where I have the AC unit sitting on now. I routed the exhaust through visqueen so that the exhaust blows into the neighboring units since there is no one there.

The ceiling in the unit isn't insulated so it gets extremely hot. Since the AC in so high up on the shelf, it hits the ceiling before dropping. My guess is that the cold AC possibly gets warm after hitting that ceiling? I was thinking about placing a 2" thick insulation sheet where the AC hits the ceiling so it does't hit the heat.

Any help would be great, even if it's as simple as i'm wasting my time lol. Thanks so much.

What to do with this?

I have been doing some odds and ends at a friends house and he asked me to put a rain cap on his flue and some how seal up the chimney so critters can't get in. The vent is only for a gas water heater. Got the cap on (not in the picture) but I am unsure how to cover up the hole. Put metal mesh screen over it? Do I seal it up with mortar or just leave it open?

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laptop AC power port

Is the AC power port-jack a part of the power unit...? On my Lenovo, I can't connect the AC cord anymore. It's loose and I think the internal pin broke off. Was wondering if I could replace just the jack, or is it part of the power supply unit...?
Thanx Charlie

stuck kwikset lock

I'm hoping someone can help, as we can't get into our garage. On the upside, it's a great excuse not to mow. On the downside, my car is inside.

The lock between our attached garage and house is broken in the locked position. We have removed the handle from the inside, and the outside portion has fallen off. It appears that a piece of the kwikset lock is missing or broken off. The hinges are in the garage. We have no other way to access the garage.

I've tried shimming it with a piece of plastic but couldn't get it to work.

Any suggestions, or tips on better shimming techniques?

Help With Sizing Calculator Based on Manual S

I am in the process of gathering information and trying to get educated prior to beginning the process of soliciting bids for a new heat pump system. Some basic information concerning my situation is as follows: house is located in central SC (very hot and HUMID); existing system is 22 year old 3 ton, two zone, Carrier Tech 2000 with matching air handler; house size is two story 2017 sq.ft. and very well insulated.

The new system I am considering is a 3 ton American Standard Gold 17 heat pump; capacity 36,000; 16 SEER; with two stage compressor. Air handler is ForeFront TAM7; capacity 36,000; with variable speed technology.

Thanks to this great website I obtained a link to a Whole House Load Calculator. I did all of the measurements, plugged in the data, and came up with the following values based on Manual S Load Calculation Data: Cooling Sensible = 27,062 btu; cooling latent = 1698 btu; cooling total = 28,760 btu; heating total = 21,816 btu; Sensible heat ratio = 0.94. Sizing Results indicated: Cooling minimum = 28,760 btu; cooling maximum = 34,512 btu; emergency minimum = 17,616 btu; emergency maximum = 32,451 btu.

The last step in the process is a calculation of "System Performance at Design Temp." This requires information from the manufacturer concerning sensible cooling, latent cooling and heat pump output. I'm having difficulty finding this on the manufacturer's website. Can any of you experienced with this calculation point me in the right direction? Have I presented enough data already for you to form an opinion on my preliminary selection of equipment?

Thanks for your help.

New here. have a couple questions

Hi all. I am just a homeowner basically. I am a really advanced diy. I have 2 projects coming up and would like some opinions. The one coming up this summer, is I will probably be installing a geothermal system for my parents. We have been thinking open loop. There is the water quality issue though. I have seen a few threads on this. I have tested the water and the good news is no iron. I am planning on having a professional test it. Can a lab give me a scaling index number. or will it still just be hardness and ph? I know there are a lot of differing opinions on this, and it is debatable.

Question 2

My next project will be doing a water to water heat pump in my own house. I currently have a water to air heat pump. I have tubing ran in all my floors for in floor heat and I want to get that going. My current heat pump is a 3 ton and it is perfect. I know with the in floor heat. I will loos more heat. (I have a concrete floor poured on sand and 2in HD R-10 foam with poured walls around it) Heat down into the ground. I also plan to heat my hot water with it. I have several questions about setting this up. First is the sizing. Should I go up to a 3.5 ton? or should I use a 3 ton and the one or two times it gets really cold, let the water to air pump kick on? Will that make the water to air pump short cycle too much? I also have a fireplace I try to have going on the days it gets really cold. Next question is, how big of a storage tank should I have to buffer the demand of the heat pump. I have 6 loops of in floor heat all about 275 ft in length. with a total loss of around 33,000 btu plus the domestic hot water. (that wouldn't be including heat loss from the slab into the ground)

Thanks in advance. I look forward to being a member here, I love learning and talking about this stuff.

Cutting and joining wood at an angle for inexperienced woodworker

I want to make a corner "cabinet" (no doors..basically a platform) out of 2"x10" wood with the wood going vertically. I won't go into why I am using 2"x10"s vs. building a real frame and applying wood.

I attached a sketch when looking from the top of the "frame" (the whole thing is really solid vertical 2x10s).

My question is, how do I figure out the angle, cut and attach the lower right corner?

I have a table saw (that can do angles) and compound mitre saw and little woodworking experience. I want to keep it as simple as possible (no biscuits, dovetails, pocket joints).

I assume I need to calculate the angle and set my table saw. I am not sure if I can screw those pieces together themselves or need another interior angled piece of wood to join the corners.

Neatness/strength are not extremely critical to this project.

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Replace: Dip tube/ Anode, too?

I have a A.O.Smith FPSE40-226 that puts out hot water but the temp control knob is all the way up and has been for two years. My wife says she never runs out of hot water but, although the water IS hot, towards the end of my showers, I'm starting to run out of water.

The only thing that I have ever replaced on it was the PRV, about five years ago, bc it was leaking. I drain it to check sediment but have never done a flush.

My question is: Since I'm about to replace the dip tube, would it be wise to change the anode, as well?

Can anyone verify that these are the correct part numbers for the two parts: Inlet tube: 9003903005, Anode: 9006291005

Thank you. Always enjoy finding answers, here.

Homelite 26ss Trimmer Stalls Out after 30 min.

I have a Homelite MightyLite String Trimmer (UT21546). It starts up pretty easily (5 or 6 pulls) and runs fine after warming up. But after around 30 min or so it just dies. If I can get it started again (not guaranteed), it stalls out again in a minute or two. If I try again the next day, same story: start, run, stall after a while. I guess something is overheating but no idea what.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.

Goodman model possibilities

I'm looking for some model numbers for a couple of goodman units without a tag.

They were installed with the coil and furnaces, which are tagged.

2005 R22 Units - The coils are CAPF030B2C and CAPF025B2C.

Not much to go on, I know, but I am trying to find out the units so I can find out what piston they called for.

Any thoughts?

A couple of simple questions.

I try to a good tech and always advise the customer of a solution that is in there best interest. Just pondering a couple of calls ive taken and advised full system replacement.

Call one: compressor not pumping. Ohmed out nicely, no opens or shorts or odd numbers. Checked capacitor and comp terminals as well as voltages. And tried a supco hard start on it it would not pump at all and only pulling .3 amps. Never seen such an issue before and thought ide run it by you guys. This was a 22 year old system.

Call two: bulged capacitor and burnt line voltage wire at contractor terminal. Customer told me the unit was chages a couple of years ago so I checked pressures before making any repairs. The satuation temp was less than the temp indoor and outdoors. I advise after i make the electrical repairs you will likely need a significant amount of charge just to get you cooling for an undisclosed amount of time.

Just thought ide throw this out there for discussion. Ever seen such an issue with a compressor? Or do you use sat-temp to look at a standing system?

220V LED light's?? "oops"

I found some cool little LED lights on Ebay, but I did not notice that they are powered by 220V. I am not sure how to wire them or if I can even use them.

Can I use a Power Converter Adapter AC 110V to 220V step up & down volt transformer to power these lights?

My second question is about the transformer that comes with the lights. It has 2 red wires that supply 220V input to the transformer and 1 black and 1 red wire that supply 250mA/DC2.5V-12V to the LED light. Can I use a 110V to 12V transformer to power these lights? Are the 2 red input wires both hot wires?

My third question is what size wire should I use? I used 12/2 with ground...will that work or should I get some smaller/different wire?

Here are the light's features:


Modle: 3W ceiling downlight
Input Voltage: AC 220V
LED Type: SMD5730
Power: 3W
Colour: Warm White(2800- 3000K); Pure White (5500-6000K)
Dimmable: Yes
Size: 8.7cm x 8.7cm x 2.2cm - 3.42inch x 3.42inch x 0.86inch

Old Faulds deck oven

Need to get access to the guillotine door sprocket bearings. Anyone know how?

I did something really dumb

Alright, I know I am probably going to get made fun of, but I did something extremely dumb. I bought a house that needs some work. By some, I mean a lot. I was in the crawl space working on putting new jacks to support under my hot water heater when I saw two wires coming down to my crawl space that had bare hot wires. Being that I have my first baby on the way I wanted to make the house as safe as possible. So, I do try to fix as many things a possible. So I rewired the two lines. One of these lines went to my furnace, the other went to my air conditioning unit. This is where the stupidity comes. When I went to hook everything back up SOME HOW I crossed the wires. I have no idea how I did that. Therefore, I had 220 going to my furnace and 120 going to my air conditioning unit.

I obviously did damage to my furnace. It will not turn on: heating, air conditioning, or the fan. I have reset the breaker, and the thermostat. I do have power going to the unit and the circuit board (120V now the I switched my wires around). There is no fuse on the circuit board.

I have a WeatherKing Furnace: Model #90TJ10EG501 the Circuit board is the 1012-925A.

I know this is a loaded question, but can anyone tell me anything else to check, or what kind of damage I have caused. It is suppose to be 90 plus degrees here on Monday and I have a 7 month pregnant wife that is NOT happy with me. All I was trying to do is make things better then I messed things up big time!

I did something really dumb

Alright, I know I am probably going to get made fun of, but I did something extremely dumb. I bought a house that needs some work. By some, I mean a lot. I was in the crawl space working on putting new jacks to support under my hot water heater when I saw two wires coming down to my crawl space that had bare hot wires. Being that I have my first baby on the way I wanted to make the house as safe as possible. So, I do try to fix as many things a possible. So I rewired the two lines. One of these lines went to my furnace, the other went to my air conditioning unit. This is where the stupidity comes. When I went to hook everything back up SOME HOW :oops: I crossed the wires. I have no idea how i did that. Therefore, I had 220 going to my furnace and 120 going to my air conditioning unit.

I obviously did damage to my furnace. It will not turn on: heating, air conditioning, or the fan. I have reset the breaker, and the thermostat. I do have power going to the unit and the circuit board (120V now the I switched my wires around). There is no fuse on the circuit board.

I have a WeatherKing Furnace: Model #90TJ10EG501 the Circuit board is the 1012-925A.

I know this is a loaded question, but can anyone tell me anything else to check, or what kind of damage I have caused. It is suppose to be 90 plus degrees here on Monday and I have a 7 month pregnant wife that is NOT happy with me. :beat: All I was trying to do is make things better then I messed things up big time!

baseboard cover clearances?

Believe carpet is to close to bottom of baseboard heater cover to allow air flow in to transfer heat from fin tube hot water exchanger

What is normal height/clearance between carpet and base of exchanger cover?

100% ductwork underground

PVC coated underground metal duct with coated spiral also. Most of our systems go overhead, very rare to have underground return, this one also got supply. Original design was for unico high velocity system, but unico said it would not work as designed, so we had a lot of ductwork under slab. Has anyone else ever had to do this? The unit is a Trane multi position, only the second down flow unit I had installed in new construction.
I have pics of the underground somewhere, still looking for those.

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New/ not Virgin

I'm working on my 1st VAV system. I'm reading the "Variable Volume Manual" by Herb Wendes, P.E. Are here other books that you recommend/prefer ?

Goat Milk

Can anyone suggest anything that can be added to goat's milk so it want be quite as tangy or goaty tasting . it's not that bad just a little tang taste that my wife doesn't like.Thanks for any advice

Wall Heater Gas Valve Replacement Needed

I have a two sided wall heater in which I need to replace the gas valve. The gas valve looks very similar to the one in the attached picture except that the red plastic piece is burnt and missing.

The valve has on the number 18601 A on the bottom with no other distinguishing marks. The two sided wall heater also has no distinguishing marks, and I assume was installed at the time the house was initially built in the 50s or 60s.

Can anyone please identify a suitable replacement valve? Due to cost at this time, I would rather not replace the entire unit. Thanks for your help.

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Five keypads on Vista 20se?

I have a Vista 20se, an ADT branded one, if that matters.

It has two keypads on it. I have two more places in the house I'd like to add keypads. Easy.

However, I'd also like to put an Alarm Decoder AD2PI Network Appliance on the alarm. It plugs in like a keypad, and then offers the information to a computer in a really easily managed format. (Has anyone else tried one of these?)

That would be five keypads.

The manual tells me the Vista 20se supports four. They're all "unaddressed" though.

Can a fifth one work?

split system ac cooling system blows evaporator pc fuse. What can be the cause

replaced 5 amp fuse and turned cooling back on and it blew again. put 10 amp fuse in and ac does not work but heat and fan works. Is it the transformer or could there be other causes.

Need tips for keeping vinyl J-Channel straight

Hello,

I'm using J-channel for my vinyl soffits. I'm nailing into the underside of sub-fascia on a house that is 50+ years old. The sub-fascia is a little bit wavy and the wood fascia is even more wavy. So, I don't have good reference lines. I've tried stretching mason's string an 1/8 off from the nailing flange, but, with the dips in the sub-fascia, the string was too far away to be useful.

Are there any "tricks of the trade" that I could use?

Thanks in advance.

split system ac cooling system blows evaporator pc fuse blows, what can be the cause

replaced 5 amp fuse and turned cooling back on and it blew again. put 10 amp fuse in and ac does not work but heat and fan works. Is it the transformer or could there be other causes.

HVAC power wiring

Hello,first time posting on this site.Thanks in advance for all replies.

I'll start by explaining what i have done.I've replaced my heating unit with a new one from one side of the attick to the other and now i need to extend my power feed about 20 feet.The old unit was feed by a 2 gauge aluminum wire with a 90 amp breaker,but the new unit requires 2 feeds of 30 and 60 amps.What is the best way to extend the power feed?

Muslims on Obama

Egyptians discussing Obama's speech ask, "... Is he insane???? ...".

Egyptians admonish Americans to "... get rid of this ISIS loving President. And start defending America.".

Quote:

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Egyptians Weigh In on Obama’s Characterization of “Climate Change” as Primary Military Threat

No wonder Obama was so infuriated when relatively reasonable Egyptians rose up and overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood maniacs he had helped into power. Look what they are saying about his proclamation that the military needs to focus on the imaginary menace of “climate change”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXodRLLkth4
__________________

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This is a must see video.
__________________

SIEMENS PUMP PANEL with a LOGO 230RC

Would anyone have the info on how to set up and check out this older model controller.
The job was installed in 2005.

The control operates two chilled water pumps. The panel has a flow switch connected to it, but pumps will not change over if one pump fails.

We now have the service contract on the site and I was elected to maintain it.

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What to do with 2 yards of drainage rock?

Yup, I ordered two yards of drainage rock when I meant crushed rock. I use crushed rock for backfill and drainage behind walls, so I end up calling it the wrong thing half the time.

I was in a rush because I really needed the other half of the delivery which is road rock. The extra drainage rock qualified me for free delivery.

These are not crushed rocks. They are the smooth rounded 3/4-1" rocks that you would put in the bottom of a french drain or something. I meant to order crushed rock to use as drainage behind an 16" tall 60' long wall I'm building.

I really have no idea what to do with this stuff. Can I still use it as drainage behind the wall? It looks really uncomfortable to walk on, so I don't want to use it for paths anywhere. Just wondering if anybody has any ideas before I resort to giving it away free on Craigslist or something.

unit never shuts off?

i had a 3 ton goodman installed in my 1756 square foot home.the old unit was the same size,it was installed in october .i live in central florida,now its may and its getting hot(90s) my house wont get below 75 and the unit never shuts off.is the unit undersized?i had a tech out and he checked the system pressures and temps for the unit and the ducts and said all is as it should be.so why doesnt it get cooler and why doesnt it shut off?:gah:

Stone terrace - house joint leaking

Hi,

We purchased a home which has a concrete/stone terrace attached to the exterior brick wall. The joint between the terrace and the house is leaking and water is running down the house wall. This makes the house wall under the terrace wet (inside the house).

There is no drainage on the terrace and it seems to be level (not sloped away from the house). Also, since this is the Northern side of the house, it's cooler and snow seems to be accommodating in that area (judging by images, our first winter there would be next year).

It looks like there is some code that says permanent stone terrace cannot be attached to the house, so there is an inch gap between them filled with some sort of foam (I'm not sure exactly).

Question is what's the best way to waterproof this terrace-house joint or otherwise prevent the water from accumulating in that area and going down.

Thanks a lot,
Mike

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Mp39 or 134a ??? To convert or not

Have a leak- no idea what was in it but judging by the history I'm sure it was mp39, TXV says r12 so... Is med temp walk in air cooled pump down system with headmaster. Here's what makes my decision tough the compressor has been replaced within the last year with a POE oil- After I find my leak I'm thinking of switching to 134a but I just don't see a lot of walk ins with 134 I also know its considered a low capacity gas. So what do you think stay with the mp39 or convert to 134 since it already runs POE?

Switching from PX to HX view on my computer?

Hey everybody,

I was watching a youtube video a couple months ago and the guy was somehow opening mobile graphics on his computer. He would click some program and his desktop would look some what like a ipad and he could then show how the mobile graphics would look and work. I have a presentation to do and was hoping i could do this too. Does anybody know how i can do this?

Hunting Piston?

I just want to verify that I am correct on this.

I have a newer R22 system... 13 SEER with a piston. Watching the gauges (digital) I can watch a fluctuation in the pressures and superheat. The temperature of the suction line fluctuates up and down about 1.5 degrees and the suction pressure fluctuates about 6 to 8 psi. There is movement on the high side, but it is less noticeable.

Scoll compressor with piston metering.

This is either an air pocket or mixed refrigerant, isn't it? Assuming the indoor air flow isn't slowing down and speeding up, that is...

white outdoor replacement blades for BuildersBest (harbor breeze) fan

I need to replace the blades of a Builders Best Fan. I believe it is a Harbor Breeze sold at Lowes.

I am looking for outdoor rated white replacement blades. I found one set here:
Shop Harbor Breeze 5-Pack 52-in White Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan Blade at Lowes.com

Are there others? Universal or compatible brand?

Bho and his wedding ring and watch...

This is interesting... makes one wonder...
Decide for yourself if the evidence demands a verdict.

Wedding ring is in for repair again this year...
Just passing this on with no comment, interesting observation though....

The Wedding ring is in for repair again this year. Since when does a plain wedding band need repairs, along with your watch, for a whole month?
In a press conference last week Obama was not wearing his wedding ring nor was he wearing his watch.
When noticed, his staff said his ring was out for repairs. No reason was given for the missing watch.
So it's just a coincidence that Muslims are forbidden from wearing jewelry during the month of Ramadan...
Can't possibly be that, because although he hasn't gone to a Christian church service since entering the White House,
we know he's a committed Christian "cause he said so during his campaign"
This is the same president that spent the Christmas holidays in Hawaii to avoid religious obligations as president at the White House.
His children do not receive Christmas presents.
Let's just face the facts and quit trying to distort the truth, we have a Muslim for president in the White House, and he has no knowledge of American history.

Northern Idaho/ Spokane area entry level tech

Entry level tech fresh out of the North Idaho College HVAC/R tech program looking for work. Im drug free and have a relatively clean driving record. Have a speeding ticket is all. Have all my basic certs including epa universal. Having trouble finding someone looking for an entry level tech. Any and all help would be appreciated.

info

I have general electric refrigerator model gss20iemdww. when I use to dispenser water it leak water bottom of door. can water line jn the door be replace. it a side by side refrigerator.
thanks for any info

Stains on concrete

We bought this house about 2 years ago. I just notices these stains recently. This wall is the kitchen wall. The sink and dishwasher is in the area, but no indication of water damage in the basement or along the plate. Any ideas? See the two attached pictures. Thanks

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Questions re new Infinity system just installed

Our new Infinity 98 furnace and Infinity a/c was installed yesterday. I'm waiting to hear back from my installer but wanted opinions from here as well.

1. I find that there are several small air leaks around the transition above the coil. To what extent might we expect to have these leaks? Are "a few" acceptable? Shouldn't it be 100% leak free, particularly on a new install? I believe at least one of them could blow out a bic lighter.

2. Right at the very end of the charge process, when they were tightening up some bolts or something down where the lineset connects to the outdoor unit, the installer's hand slipped off the bolt and impacted the little blue canister (is it a filter) right at the end of the line just before it connects to the unit, and a tiny leak sprung at the spot he had just previously soldered. They quickly put the torch to it and added more solder but I'm wondering if the system was corrupted by that event. They didn't re-attach the gauges or reload it, they simply soldered it up again. This was after the pressure test, after evacuation, after the final charge was added. Should I be concerned now?

3. We're not clear on how the de-humidify function works, and I can't locate the setting in the thermostat service area that is described as "airflow control" where you can set "quiet", "normal", and some other setting. The book says for full de-humidify, it must be set to "normal". Current house temp is 71, thermostat is set to "heat to 67" and "cool to 75", and the comfort setting has fan set to "low" and it is running slowly now but the humidity still shows at 62 on our little meter in the basement, and 59 on the thermostat itself. The thermostat humidity itself is set to 48. How does the system remove humidity when it's not actually cooling at the same time?

Thanks.

Transistor Name needed on motherboard (12000 BTU Kenwood AC)

Hi,
This is my first post here !
I hope someone has the same motherboard? it seems to be rare though..
I've a blown transistor that has been physically damaged and i'm unable to get the reading so i can get the exact transistor. can somebody please let me know what exactly the number/name on that transistor?

Motherboard: CE-KFR26GW/Y-M2.D.1.1.1-1 V1.7 (2005.11.08)


The blown transistor is shown here:


Thank you for the help..

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GFCI issue

I have a T5HO fluorescent fixture that I use to grow aquarium plants. When I plug this fixture into the basement GFCI outlet, the GFCI immediately trips. When I plug the same fixture into the kitchen GFCI outlet, the fixture functions flawlessly. This occurs when the fixture is the only device plugged into either outlet.

Why?

Painting white trim after installing onsite finsihed floor - how to tape?

I had bad luck painting the white trim after having a wood floor installed that got finished onsite. The floor was a bit rough towards the edges. I used tape on the wood floor. However, I had some bleeding.

I have now a staircase installed. Before I get started with painting the raisers I wanted to seek out some best practices.
Is there tape that is better suited for such jobs? E.g. I found this frog tape that claims to create better paint edges.

Bryant gas heating/electrical cooling unit madel 589A

My unit was replaced in 2011; it is still under warranty. The evaporator coil is leaking (has a hole?) and I have no freon. I need the coil replaced. The coil price is quoted as $1500 which Bryant will cover. The local company installer is charging me $1500 to replace it. They told me Bryant won't cover labor. Seems to me if it is a faulty coil under warranty then labor should be covered. It sounds like there have been lots of problems with this part. Does this sound reasonable?

I got worms!

Hello all. I'm having an issue in my John Deere room, which is an unfinished downstairs room in my 3.5-year-old walkout basement home. After moderate and heavy rains, I always end up with a handful (5-6) earthworms on the floor of this room. Typically, by the time I get home around 5 they're usually dried up and dead, but occasionally I'll see them still crawling. Every so often one will even make it across the threshold into the carpeted main room. What is the most likely source of entry for these worms? Are they crawling up the concrete slab and then under the door? If so, can someone please recommend the best way to seal these doors (both under and between/around). If you could provide examples of exact products I can go out and buy, that would be extremely helpful, as there are so many different types of seals. Thanks in advance!

Photos:

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