HVAC Covered in Ice
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Condensation on HVAC system in attic
Comments (1)I think that the condensation is more from leaky duct takeoffs & plenum to equipment connections that are poorly sealed rather than a gash in ductwrap. although you don't say how large or where the gash is located on the supply plenum ductwrap. and...no it isn't as easy as it looks...if you do it properly. first remove all duct insulation. seal each duct take off with mastic or Hardcast brand mastic #1402 tape. (surfaces must be clean & dry) paint on mastic will take time to dry, mastic tape must be firmly pressed in place to make seal. paint on mastic should be thickly applied.. like thick as a nickel. you'll have to cut the ductwrap to fit around the duct takeoffs. I usually take ducts off, so that I can put the ductwrap with precut holes for takeoffs. take time to seal plenum to equipment. I find that the mastic tape works best for this. you don't say if plenum is upright or trunk line...so most common would be upright. wrap the ductwrap around the plenum, leaving top for seperate piece. tape covers duct staples. so you'll need a duct stapler, duct staples & fsk tape (foil scrim kraft tape...looks like ductwrap without the insulation) double row of staples, fsk covering staples..and I then staple down fsk. ductwrap is sold in 4' wide rolls. buy R-8 only. one side of the ductwrap is blunt cut...meaning ductwrap and insulation are same...the other side the insulation is cut back less than the insulation...this is the side that is stapled to the ductwrap. staples can't penetrate ductwrap & insulation to attach to the ductwrap under the lap..so any areas to be stapled need to be cut back in the same manner. once you get ductwrap on sides of plenum installed, then cut piece for top cap of plenum. make sure insulation is in full contact with the top cap & make the lips (ductwrap without insulation) about 3" wide. use these lips to staple to wrap on sides of plenum. fsk tape, staple. then re-attach the ducts. insulation of ductwrap has to be in full contact with metal of plenum...or it will continue to condensate. make sure you pull it tight enough to be in full contact but don't compress the insulation. duct & plenum to equipment connections has to be completely sealed or it will continue to condensate. ducts attached to takeoffs on plenum...insulation in full contact with both start collar of takeoff & plenum. inner liner (flex) mastic taped to start collar. outer liner of flex covering insulation at plenum & mastic sealed to plenum. some people use lock ties (pundit straps) be aware that compressing insulation with lock ties will cause condensation, and that lock ties alone on start collars will work loose...even with racheting tool...over time.. I like to mastic seal the outer liner (the vapor barrier of the flex) to the vapor barrier of the ductwrap. for ease of install & to save time...mastic tape. it is a hot, uncomfortable job that requires patience & much attention to detail...or it will condensate. look to spend $100+ for ductwrap $50 for duct stapler plus staple costs $30 for hardcast mastic 1402 tape $20 for a bucket of cci 181 mastic & brushes can't remember price of lockties or tool to tighten as I hardly ever buy lockties or use the tool I've had for years. buy two rolls of Hardcast 1402. this tape seals to many materials as long as they are clean & dry... use the other rolls to seal supply boxes, if you take off a supply grill inside the house, you'll see the oversized cut where the supply box penetrates. keep tape within area covered by supply grill. also take down bath fan covers & use mastic tape to seal those oversized cuts. other tapes don't seal like this particular brand of tape, over the years I've tried them all. hardcast 1042 is what works & lasts. if you hire this out...make sure that the work is done as described above..if you diy & have questions.. post or email me. and if existing ductwrap is cold on the bottom..it is probably wet inside. best of luck....See MoreMeter based surge protection; HVAC not covered!
Comments (14)joed: I re-read my post, and it is ambiguous about the two meters. I am sorry I am late in posting a reply, but I had a real problem logging in as a user today. We have 400 amp service, but it is broken down to two 200 amp circuit breaker boxes each with their own meter. KCP&L then on their bill has "heat energy charge" and "energy" charge since they can read both meters with the total being of course the sum of the two. The meters on the outside of the house are close together on a large box with one post coming up from the ground to the box, and I guess all splitting between the two circuit breaker boxes goes on in the large box. That is all I know. So KCP&L wants to put their surge protector on the meter that reads the "energy" part. The other meter has the HVAC, water heaters, and ejector pump. The question was does the surge protector on the one meter protect everything in the house. KCP&L as of this moment has given me no written statement that it does. Maybe this is a trivial issue to a sophisticated electrician or an electrical engineer, but it is not to me as the average homeowner....See MoreHVAC: I have 2 furnaces & ACs-I want to switch which floors they go to
Comments (10)HVAC equipment is mostly designed to load specifications of the structure. So changing configurations within the home envelope can bring unintended consequences in that the equipment in question is 'over sized' for a specific area. 'Over sized' is a convoluted term because due to variations of the building load --- either hot or cold --- what is considered a properly sized system is actually over sized upwards of 90% of the time. Climate can make all the difference. If you're in a more moderate climate it *may* not make much difference. However, realize this: your systems and the duct work it is attached to is *sized* for the system it is attached to. There are likely differences in duct sizes and possibly number of ducts. If you attach a large system to a duct system that is not properly sized for the equipment --- it won't work for long, if at all. If you attach a small system to a larger duct system the low volume will be low and won't work properly either. The other issue is Humidity. An over abundance of humidity in a basement is *extremely* bad. Because basements can be a haven for mold growth. Over sized AC will not run long enough to pull the humidity out. So you get a renter that has a habit of long hot steamy showers and an over sized AC = recipe for disaster. If you're in a moderate climate the basement may not need AC, but you'll probably want to install a good sized and capable dehumidifier to be safe and even then you could still have trouble....See MoreHow to cover this up more nicely? Coolant pipe from HVAC condenser
Comments (2)Looks like the kind of installation you can expect from a replacement contractor. For new construction installations, I like the Titan GS30 outlets and the EFlex protective covers by Airex products: https://dkstatic.blob.core.windows.net/resources/678637/2465876_SpecSheet.pdf...See Morefleurssauvages
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