Help! Should I install A/C in our new renovated basement?
Chinyere
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoRelated Discussions
New construction with radiant, should I install high velocity AC
Comments (5)Hi David Cary. Ionized is right. I have two beach houses, both with unsealed crawl spaces and the a/c ducts are in them. If the crawl space smells bad, the a/c smells bad. I have smart vents in one of the houses so was able to install a high efficiency dehumidifier which has done the job of keeping the moisture low enough to reduce the odor. Also, be careful what kind of insulation is used in the crawl space (between floor joists). In one of our homes, Dow Pink Panther was used and it smells like cat urine when it gets damp! We have high velocity in our city home (retrofit 120 yr old house). We are very happy with it but I wouldn't install it in a new build, It's expensive, loud and not as efficient as a standard system. You can really hear the air rushing out of those small ducts....See MoreNew A/C System For Our Home (northeast Florida)
Comments (15)I'm a little lat to this conversation, but I have a few thoughts. First of all our house was built in 1939 and was remodeled with new wall insulation and double pane windows in 2005. We're in San Antonio so the humidity is significantly lower than at the coast, but still horrible. In San Antonio, as in Florida and all the gulf states, the AC must run 24 hours a day in the summer. 23 years ago we designed and installed a 2-stage (3-ton 2-ton) Carrier system that was supposed to solve the humidity problems. I'm an aerospace engineer and wanted to work with my installer, a mechanical engineer and friend of the family, to design this system. It never worked right. Apparently there was something wrong with our calculations or assumptions, because we had humidity running around 75% inside. We had over designed the system and specified way too much cooling for the house. After about 5 years I went with a custom modified condenser unit from a guy in Houston. The modified unit had solenoids that activated flaps to block the air flow and super cool the coils. The installer was skeptical that the unit would freeze, but in 15 years of use it did not. So that was fine until the condenser finally sprung several leaks. Fortunately Carrier had come up with the Infinity system which, in theory, does everything the kluged condenser did but did it as an integrated system. The 2005 remodel was to add another 800 square feet to the house. Finally the AC started working better with the added square footage. Two years ago I replaced the leaking condenser with the Carrier Infinity condenser, heater/blower, and thermostat. That finally solved my humidity problems. Humidity runs about 45-48% now. It finally feels great in the house. We can keep the thermostat set to 79 in the summer and, because of the low humidity, it feels very cool when you walk inside. If you are thinking of getting a dehumidifier, you need to know that your air conditioner is a dehumidifier. That's all air conditioner's do is dehumidify. Cold air is just a byproduct of the dehumidification process. So if you need a dehumidifier after you get an air conditioner installed, then you are admitting that you didn't put enough thought or money into the AC system to begin with. Or that it isn't performing right. A well designed AC unit should pull your humidity down to the 40s. If it doesn't, then call the installer back to fix it. But if you skimped on the AC design up front, then you have yourself to blame for needing additional dehumidification. All that was to say I think you might be making a mistake going with a Carrier Performance system. Look a little harder at the Carrier Infinity system. It is designed to pull more moisture out of the air....See MoreHelp deciding on new gas furnace and A/C
Comments (55)Oh, no way, a failure by you, someone who's helping folks in your spare time?! No way! (I hope you were joking.) By "not a single person mentioned", I meant like installers when they came to give estimates, not anyone here. No trouble, it's all a learning experience. Yes, I had a media cabinet installed, but it was a Honeywell. I couldn't convince my installer to get the official Ruud cabinet. I wouldn't even call the condensate issue a failure necessarily by my installer, because he is right that my sump pump should work in freezing weather. Just these furnaces still aren't common in my area, so I'm surprised there aren't more words of caution out there. (In fact, my emergency handyman who came out that night cause I thought something had burst -- services rental properties as his full-time job -- turned to me and said "I haven't seen this before but your furnace is discharging water.") My installer is considering a condensate pump and there's a slight issue where the outdoor temp isn't being read. But overall, I'm super happy with my 96% Ruud and EcoNet thermostat. The thermostat tells me whether it's running high or low stage, I've been told I'm spending too much time with it. I can't thank everyone here enough. In the end, I was able to find a great HVAC team. It's been quite the adventure. I'll post pictures soon. The duct work is a masterpiece, everything was turned 90 degrees because otherwise code required I create a service opening in the wall....See MoreNew House! Master Bath Renovation Help. Where Should I Start?
Comments (12)Looks like the past home owners were going for a transitional look, but ended up with a weird hybrid of transitional/eclectic. Nothing inherently wrong with it I guess and looking at it. It doesn't seem you would have to do anything really extensive to get the modern look you are going for. Id start with the cabinets myself. That concrete sink just has to go. Im not sure what the last home owners were thinking with that one. It does not fit well with the current look of the bathroom nor would it fit the modern look you are looking for. Its a Leviathan of a sink that draws the eye away from everything else. The drawer fronts are already flat which is great for the modern look you are going for. I would opt to remove the shaker style cabinet doors though and replace them with flat front doors the same species of wood. Id also re-stain the cabinets to a darker color to give them a little more contrast in the room. If you plan to do it yourself opt for a nice General Finishes or Old Masters Gel stain that can go right over the existing finish. Last but not least for the cabinet door and drawer pulls. Change them out for something longer. 8 to 10 inch bar style pulls will go a long way to updating the look If you are really a stickler for detail and you want to really get into it. Get rid of the block glass around the shower and opt for a frame less plate glass instead. Maybe even add a knee wall where the block glass is between the shower and the toilet. Id also get rid of the mosaic tile on the floor of the shower. It just looks drab. Look for something with the same color variations as the wall tile, but with a little more pop to them. Last but not least for the shower. The shower trim kit to me completely go against the modern look you are going for. The trim can be changed out easily. Just opt for something of the same brand. If you go with a different brand then you will get into having to change the shower and diverter valves which means tearing out wall tile and plumbing. To much of a hassle. Stick with the same brand. Id get rid of that eclectic style ceiling light. For something with a more modern look. That square pot light over the toilet is really hurting the look of the bathroom. The vanity light over the sink is to eclectic and would need to go. The mirror is just to small and the frame around it does not suit the look you are going for. Also the wall mount faucet. Very traditional looking. Nothing wrong with the faucet being wall mounted I would just replace it with something more modern like a the Delta Trinsic wall mount faucet. Just my opinion on what should be done. I am not sure just how for into a remodel you were looking to get though...See MoreUser
3 years agoSammy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoBruce in Northern Virginia
3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoChinyere
3 years agomike_home
3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoworthy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoChinyere
3 years agoworthy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoChinyere
3 years ago
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