My compressor also went 1 1/2 weeks ago. I was not too upset at first because I was leaving to go to the Cape. However, I cannot stand the heat since coming back and I finally broke down and had a HVAC guy come out. It is the compressor as we thought. The freeon is full. The label on the outside says it was made in 1989 so I guess at 22 years old it lasted well. We bought this house 2 years ago and it seems everything has recently started to need to be replaced. We will be having our roof done soon. Anyways, my question is also whether I should just replace the compressor or update to a new energy efficient a.c.. The a.c. we have now is a HEIL. My furnace (oil) is a thermo pride and I believe it was replaced in 2007. The house was built in 1984. It is a raised ranch with a up and down in-law that does not run off this furnace (it has its own gas furnace). There is also a lower level apt. that is also seperate with it's own furnace (oil). However, my apt. space and the lower level tenant share the same oil tank. We only have central air. The in-law and lower apt. do not. I think my a.c. unit is a 1 ton. The service man quoted me $800 inclusive to put in a new compressor. He also said he had an old ? 6 years model a.c. (not just the compressor)that he recently took out of someones place when they updated theirs for a more energy efficient one. He said he'd give me a 1 year warranty and it would cost $5oo.oo for this used one. I did not ask for a quote on a new one because we need the money for the new roof He is suppose to be calling me back to let me know for sure the age of the old unit. Any advise would be appreciated. Sue

Here are some features I think are important: - ability to set at least 4 temperature time periods per day - 7 day programing - temporary temperature override - true 2-stage control (if getting a 2-stage furnace/AC) - AC powered with battery back up - dehumidify on demand (if getting a variable speed furnace) I have the Infinity controller, here are some features which may not be present in other thermostats - static pressure reading - filter change alert - outside temperaure display - fault code display and logging - fan RPM display - maintenance reminder - installer diagnostic settings I believe the Trane TCONT900 is a good thermostat from what I have read. I don't see it listed on the Trane web site so I don't know if it is an older model. The XL900 seems to have the features you would want if you are getting a 2-stage furnace and AC. If you are getting the Infinity furnace then you need to get the Infinity controller. I own Carrier equipment and have been pleased so far with the comfort and performance. The Trane equipment is a good alternative.

I maintain 700 gallons of aquariums in my loft apartment (I'm obsessed, I know.) The water in our building is poor due to the building's age, so I have always used RO water which I remineralize manually. I have a 165g storage tank with a well pump to account for the slow RO production rate. My system was originally a 4-stage: 1. sediment filter 2. pre-filter 3. 50GPD RO 4. Permeate pump 5. Water tank 6. Polishing filter 7. Output I wanted increased output, so I was sold a 75GPD module and a boost pump. The boost pump went between the sediment and pre-filter. I removed the flow restrictor from the 50GPD unit and connected the waste line to the input of the 75GPD unit, then placed the flow restrictor on that module's waste line. The RO membranes have been in use several years (though the other filter elements have been changed several times) and flow had dropped off considerably, So it was time to change them. I saw no reason not to upgrade them to 100GPD membranes. For good measure, I decided I would add a third membrane. I was never sure whether the RO membranes should be daisy chained or run in parallel. Most diagrams online have them in series, but it seems like the downstream units would see dirtier water and be likely to wear out faster. I also don't know what the flow restrictor rate should be. If you're feeding three 100GPD units, a single 1000mL flow restrictor that is meant for one 100GPD unit doesn't seem appropriate, but 3000mL doesn't seem right either. So I decided to do it in parallel. I put check valves on the good water lines and have 1000mL flow restrictors on each waste line. I left off the pressure storage tank since I should get decent flow in this system and it doesn't get to fill much of the time anyway. And I left the permeate pump out because it says it's limited to 120GPD and I wasn't sure what would happen if I drove it at a higher rate. I did find this http://www.permeate-pump.com/doublepump_systems.htm which describes using dual permeate pumps and says it's capable of using two 150GPD units to drive it so it should work in my scenario. But I need to get a second permeate pump if I want to do that. The other problem is it recommends using 3/8" input and waste lines. While I could get a larger source line and the boost pump has 3/8" connectors stepped down to 1/4", the sediment and pre-filter modules have 1/4" connectors and that doesn't seem to be replaceable without replacing the whole module. The membrane housings are also 1/4" connectors, but by then it may not need to be 3/8". I could get 3/8" line for it to empty into, but the saddle connector I have for the sink drain line is 1/4". It works, but it doesn't seem to be any faster than one unit alone. Also, if I turn off the faucet, it continues to run, never seeming to turn off the boost pump. If I run a single RO membrane it shuts off as expected. It also seems like if I turn off the faucet, the waste water output increases which I guess is to be expected. I bought a hydraulic switch to stop waste water output as I didn't have one previously. It's compatible with a permeate pump but I need to go to the store for a connector before I can add it. I do notice that in the link above, when they put a boost pump in the system, they don't use a hydraulic valve. I didn't have one before. Perhaps the permeate pump served that purpose? I figured it couldn't hurt to add one, but it may not work in this system. I can't tell if all the air is bled from the system yet, so I think tomorrow I will get valves to allow turning off individual units so I can prime each. Or maybe someone will tell me to go to the series arrangement instead. Or perhaps I should try two membrances instead of 3. Can I let one dry out without ruining it? I could use one as a second stage, but I don't think the water needs to be cleaner for my use. I thought I had it figured out, but between discovering the Permeate pump couldn't handle the rate (though I'm not sure what will happen if I try) and it not functioning as expected without the permeate pump, I'm kind of stuck. Any help would be appreciated. Michael Here is a link that might be useful: Dual permeate pumps to increase efficiency

No, don't go through the builder. As noted by millworkman it can be done right after closing by using a water softener vendor directly. The builder mark ups range from huge to enormous - and you get the worst product for the most money.