What are important questions I should be asking builder about HVAC?
Vle inc
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builder giving me the mcds dollar menu hvac system?
Comments (8)Thanks for the replies guys. After reading countless threads on this great forum, I think I've determined I've been looking at this the wrong way. My builder gave me the model numbers above and with prices for upgrades. Duel Fuel, increased AFUE, variable speed fan, etc.... I've been trying to crank up the AFUE without looking at what type of system would benefit me in my climate area. So I guess I need help from you all on determining if I should go for a high AFUE furnace like the XV95 or Duel Fuel and utilize the heat pump as much as possible since our winters don't have too many days below 40 here. I know I saw a calculator to determine this with what gas and ac costs are in my area, but I'm a noob and could definitely be pointed in the right direction. Here are some specifics of my house, my builder did not provide me with a J load calculation either. Can they provide that on a NEW house being built? I just don't know these things and what I should be asking for. I just don't want the builder to get over on me and charge me crazy prices for upgrades. I've asked the builder to let me talk to the HVAC guy, IMO they should be telling me what type of system would be the best in my area, no? They're the ones who are the experts and can recommend what type of system based on energy costs would be the best. Am I asking too much? 3412 sq. feet 1 story house, 28 windows(all LowE366), 1/2 inch spray foam on all walls with R13 batting over it. He wants to do dual zone with the 1st zone covering about 1400 sq. feet and the 2nd zone covering the rest(2000). The house is being built in Southeastern Virginia near the coast. Thanks for any help you guys can provide, Dale...See MoreHVAC installed wrong humidifier what should I do?
Comments (8)I think what I meant to say was I wanted one that would run without the furnance actively heating. The humidifier will run if I turn the fan from Auto to On right? I tried to research both brands online and the cost of the units themselves are very similar a nominal difference. Since I don't know the technology I really can't tell the difference between the two units. I don't have a digital humidistat which I may call and ask for him to replace instead of the entire unit. I just wish he had been more honest with me and stop acting like he forgot. My husband talked to him and then I called him back with more questions and he was inside the house. He didn't give me a written bid because he said he had to call Aprilair he called me back and gave me a verbal bid. I won't ever use this company again....See MoreIs my HVAC high limit switch working or not? Two HVAC pros said it is.
Comments (25)WHAT IS A HIGH LIMIT SWITCH? https://www.newcentralairconditioner.com/ The high limit switch in your gas furnace is a small part with two very important jobs. This switch plays a role in the normal operation of your furnace. Turning the fan motor on and off is the high limit switch’s main job. This is the role it plays in every cycle of your furnace’s normal operation. But that’s not the only thing that the high limit switch does. It’s also safety device that helps prevent your furnace from overheating. The high limit switch consists of a long temperature-sensing probe attached to a metal mounting plate. From the mounting plate, the switch is wired to the blower fan motor and to the gas valve. The switch is generally located just past the heat exchanger. This is so that it can detect the temperature of the supply air. In other words, the air that’s about to be blown into your home....See MoreHave you switched from traditional HVAC to Geothermal HVAC?
Comments (19)I'm disappointed that what had at first seemed a very balanced comment was followed by what seems to be misinformation and misdirection. People buy ground source heat pump equipment because they want to and can afford it. Or decide they need to in their locations. They're hugely more expensive than alternatives, which is why they're still not very common. "When’s the payback on a Tesla? People still choose to buy them for reasons other than the ‘bottom line’." Not a comparable. A false analogy. "I would not choose natural gas or propane for reasons relating to the environment, safety, IAQ & paying for yet another utility hookup for an energy source that might not even be used for months on end during the year." What effect having a gas furnace has on indoor air quality. Another hookup? Most people prefer gas cooking appliances and besides, the OP is talking about an existing home, he either has gas service or he doesn't. "Rather than spending perhaps tens of thousands of dollars on a Solar Array, I would sooner invest that same money, hopefully less, in a ground loop for a Geothermal system." Sure you would, that's the business you're in. The ground source heat pump market is not growing as expected by those in the industry, which suggests that your opinion isn't widely held or easily sellable. In many parts of the country, solar panels can have a quick payback. Not so ground source heat pumps. "I often hear about Solar Panels when geothermal is mentioned, as an alternative way to save money by creating energy." In a place like Texas, where electricity is cheap (other than during cold weather crises as they just experienced) there's likely no payback from a solar panel installation. People do it as a personal statement, call it for environmental or other personal reasons. Like buying the Tesla, not a financial decision. An HVAC system blows warm air when it's cold, cool air when it's hot. It's one of those things people don't care about - either it works or it doesn't work. Spending extra money for an exotic system doesn't equate to extra payback when the home is sold. Neither owners, nor visitors, nor people passing by, nor anyone else, concern themselves with what's doing the work. It's equipment that doesn't produce an experience for someone in the house if it's working. In the US, there are vast areas where electricity is cheap. It will remain so for some time. People don't spend money today to potentially save money 10 years out when market conditions may or may be different. I suspect you could build a house with mahogany or teak framing. Or you could paint the framing bright colors. Why bother, you can spend less money and effort and get something else that will do the same job. "We almost never use setbacks at our home - even when going on vacation for weeks on end with no one home, our geothermal just runs." You're combining two different things to produce confusion. Thermostats that have a setback feature ALL are set up to provide lower overnight temperatures to have more comfortable sleeping conditions and then a recovery in the morning before wakeup time. As sleep specialists recommend. That in demand comfort features isn't possible with ground source heat pumps because the warm up period from a setback is too slow to be convenient to use, absent triggering a secondary heating source (like a furnace) to help. THAT'S why you don't "believe" in setbacks with a heat pump - they don't work. Turning down a thermostat during heating season when the home will be unoccupied is not a "setback" as that word is most commonly used. It's done to save money, why heat a vacant house? No setback thermostat is needed, even a dumb 50 year old analog thermostat can be turned down....See Morecatbuilder
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