First, I figured you would not answer any questions and about 8 years ago I did have a blower test and ESP test done and the manual J performed and none of them would show me the results except to say, I needed a 4.5 ton unit which is on the fence, right? And all said they would have used the same duct work and the blower test was 34 out of like 50 (whatever that value is, I just don't remember). He said not bad and usually sees a lot worse, but could be better and they wanted to gut my duct system and go to all metal duct and both companies pricing was about $6,000 to $7,000 again, about 8 years ago. I had other estimates too, but I don't trust most A/C companies around here as I used to do the repair business years ago and it was mainly window units back then and I know how this business overall operates and you and others online are the exception rather than the rule in residential work. Which is great, but surely you know how bad it is? It is way too competitive and other things I know, I'll just say is very embarrassing to say the least. So, as I do the manual J and D calculations myself I am coming up with between 4 and 4.5 ton system, which you are right, so I see it is going to be oversized. But, I will say we had upper 80 degree days last week and the humiditiy was in the mid 40 percent range in my home as did my 4 ton unit performed and was still comfortable. But, I understand the tighter I make the system, doing as designed will bring the temperature down more quickly and will not be able to control the humidity as well and may become more uncomfortable and cycle more often making it less efficient. Your link is what has made me do what I am doing so far and I thank you for sharing some of your knowledge to the public, I wished I had seen it before I made this move. I know this is not a good excuse, but we had two 14,000 btu portable units in the house this summer and still couldn't keep the temperatue in the house from climbing to 80 degrees during peak outdoor temperature and the central system still would run until midnight before it would shut down briefly. I understand between the leaks and being undersized on return I was losing ground from day one as we bought this model home new. It just seems these portable units would have helped a little bit in keeping the temperature reasonable in our home. I even had a third unit ready to install, but we sweated it out through the end of the cooling season and so, how many would it have taken, 5, 6, or 7 units? Thanks.

Hi, I did the same thing when I was new at making soap. I poured my lye water through a metal strainer which disolved the metal right into the middle of my soap oils. I had no choice but to throw my entire batch away. In your case, I am not 100% sure but here's what I would try. I would slice the sides and bottom of the soap off -- everywhere it touched the metal. If there are no signs that metal has leeched into the middle of the soap, I would let it cure for 3 - 4 weeks. If it doesn't look odd or have an odd smell after curing, I would test a bar on a small patch of skin. If there's no reaction, you may be able to use the soap. On the other hand if there is anything unusual about your soap in the middle, I would throw it away. I've probably tossed out several batches of good soap that I was uncomfortable with for various reasons. If it looks and smells OK inside, then it probably is OK. Trust your feelings and don't worry. Every soaper makes many mistakes in the process of learning. Best of luck. Jan

Properly installed ducts will not sweat regardless of how humid surrounding air is. One red flag in your discription is "cheap tape was used". Flex duct is best secured with Zip-ties. The linner is normally taped to boot then insulation and outside cover pulled over linner and secured with Zip-tie. If you reconnect ducts to boots,buy the special tensioning tool to pull Zip-ties tight. It sounds like conditioned air is finding it's way out of the spirial wire linner then flowing against outside cover. There might be holes in linner or linner might be disconnected from boots. Another possibility is that duct is simply not well enough insulated.

I wasn't being sarcastic. That hole looks way too small for a squirrel or rat. But I was thinking energy only. A cat can get through an opening just 3 inches wide. A squirrel needs only 1½ inches. A raccoon can get through a space 4 inches wide. The reason this seems so improbable is that their bodies just look too darn big to fit. But that’s all show — a lot of hair or fur covering a very scrawny little body. Now here comes the part that could give some people nightmares. Mice need a hole only about a quarter-inch wide and young, slender rats can zip through a space as small as a half inch. We’re talking the size of a dime for mice and a quarter for rats. Not all rats can fit through a space that small. Older, plumper rats need a about an inch. Some people say rats and mice are so good at this because they can collapse their rib cages, but that’s a myth. These animals simply are sleek, cylindrical creatures accustomed to navigating narrow spaces. And as with other animals, if their heads fit, their bodies will follow. (reference: https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/11/27/morris-big-creatures-fit-through-tiny-openings/ ) A vented attic has daylight all over. True. However, these openings are covered with vent screens... if not you're asking for trouble.