Sanity Check my Design Ideas
8 years ago
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Math Madness with GeoThermal vs Hybrid - sanity check please.
Comments (28)"The trench would be about 7 feet deep and 1 foot wide, thus, the average depth of the coil would be about 5 feet." This tells me that they would install a vertical Slinky, probably with a backhoe. A chain trencher, 'Witch Ditch' would probably be narrower than 1 foot wide and would be a faster install, unless soil conditions do not permit this technique. Avg. depth of 5 feet could mean that the loops are 4 feet in diameter meaning the top of the loop may be only 3 feet below the surface. If this is so, then this may not ideal. Top of the loop should be at least 4 feet deep (minimum) or deeper. Digging should be contracted to someone with the right equipment (chain trencher, 'Witch Ditch'). Even then this may be less than ideal in that it's harder to flush a vertical slinky (standing up) than a horizontal slinky (laying flat) in that any trapped air will reside at the tops of these vertical loops. This trapped air could be a serious impediment to liquid flow as it may form an air lock thus shortening or short-circuiting the entire loop. Bottom line in plain English, it will work - if properly designed, installed, purged and FLUSHED! SR...See MoreSanity Check on layout - possibly ordering cabinets this week
Comments (5)Thanks for the kind words Robotropolis! Smiling, I agree about the fridge. But I'd rather have it close to my cooking action. I make the trip from that top right corner to the fridge a lot while I'm cooking/preparing food. Sparklingwater, I saw someone who put their cutting boards to the side of a lazy susan and I'm kind of hoping I can do that. I won't really know until everything is installed though. Anyone else?...See MoreSanity check, please
Comments (16)Thanks for all the good feedback! I think you're all correct about the corner kitchen not being a good idea, for all the reasons you've stated. I hadn't thought about the dishwasher issue, but you're right. Space there with the door open would be very tight or non-existent. I just finished changing my SketchUp model to put the fridge over on the bottom wall, and it looks much better that way. Here's a screen shot of the new drawing. The big diagonal line near the lower right is a beam that will be holding up the roof. That's pretty close to a design I could live with, I think. (At least in the broad outlines -- I was sloppy with dimensions and took various other shortcuts, so don't laugh. :-) It has well-separated prep and cleanup areas, and the oven is close to the end of the island so that could be a nice baking area. The big, tall oven on the wall by the dining area is still slightly annoying, both because it looks odd from the dining area (though hollysprings's hutch idea might allleviate that) and because it makes the kitchen area feel a bit boxed in with big appliances on each end. I left some room in the drawing for a hutch or shelves or some such. I haven't thought of a good way to get both big appliances on the other wall. I could eliminate the problem by going with a range instead of a wall oven, but I really don't like ranges because you have to bend over to get at the oven. I much prefer having the oven up at a good working height. If anyone has ideas on what, if anything, to do here, let me know. @maries120: Having a counter next to the fridge is definitely a good idea. I'd been thinking of using the island behind the fridge as its "landing zone", but that's awkward. In my latest drawing with the fridge at the left end of that 'bottom' wall, there's about 30 inches of counter to the left of the fridge. (That's with a 36" cooktop centered on that counter.) @buehl: I think you're right about my architect not being so good at kitchen design, especially from a functional point of view. I'm not sure he actually cooks. :-) And it's definitely after a "work of art" with all the funny angles and corner windows. Fortunately our tastes coincide on that part. Even if I can't get rid of the whole wall of tall, moving the fridge away from that wall (and keeping the oven) lets me slide the window a couple of feet to the left. That should make it feel like a more central part of that wall and light up the kitchen better, rather than having it half hidden in the corner. And the window could conceivably be expanded by a foot or so in either / both directions. If it got any larger than that wall wouldn't quality as a shear wall, which is important since I'm ~30 miles from the San Andreas fault. The segment that looks like a window on the bottom wall of the plan......See MoreDual fuel heat pump efficiency - need a sanity check in my logic
Comments (9)Ok, you've confused efficiency with actual cost. Very easy to do. Gas will always be the least efficient, because some of the heat is exhausted out thru the flue of the home. When natural gas is burned properly, the exhaust is carbon dioxide and more efficient furnaces will also produce some condensation along with that carbon dioxide. (CO2) When there is improper combustion the furnace can produce carbon monoxide. (CO) In most instances of this there is a lack of combustion air, improper installation etc. A heat pump will never produce any exhaust 'at the home' of which it is installed. Heat Pump efficiency: there is no exhaust 'at your home' to run the heat pump. Depending on how the electricity is produced in your state. Some power plants use natural gas for power production... so in reality there is 'efficiency' losses thru waste or exhaust fumes. Dual fuel options: Prices change over time and thru various times gas costs can run higher. But with large recent discoveries natural gas will likely be the cheaper option, especially for areas that have average daily temperatures below 32 degrees. A heat pump loses efficiency due to running defrost mode when temperatures are less than 32 degrees out side. If your electric rate is high in your area then you would likely pay more to run a heat pump than you would a natural gas furnace. Heat pumps mainly exist for those who do not have gas available in their area, as compared to electric strip heat the cost effectiveness can pay for the heat pump within a few seasons. Typically in a electric strip set up for an average home you could have 4 heat strips that run 20 amps per strip. Under full load that is 80 amps. In comparison a modern day heat pump running in heat mode may use 10-15 amps under full load. Those operational savings in comparison to electric strip heat add up quick....See MoreRelated Professionals
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