HVAC Covered in Ice
fleurssauvages
26 days ago
last modified: 26 days ago
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Got Geo/Reg HVAC Quotes, Need Advice re: Equipment, Zones, etc.
Comments (5)Hi, Thanks very much for your responses. - Everyone I've spoken with, and you've confirmed, that one zone per floor makes sense. If I'm missing anything else about "zones", please let me know! - How much should it cost to go from 2 zones to 4? - We are definitely going to put in all new ductwork. Is there anything here that I should be aware about or ask for? Any sites (besides GW) to get more knowledge on this area so I can ensure we get the ducts sized properly? - Good comments on getting more info on the geo wells, piping, etc. Will do. - Can I get a Manual J done even if the house is under construction? Framing is almost done, but the exterior work is not complete, and so it's open to the elements right now. - Yes, we have a natural gas furnace and electric AC in the house. It appears that a NG furnace was installed in 2007. The unit is a Lennox Signature Collection, model CX34-62D-6F. We also have an electric hot water heater, AO Smith ProMax Plus, model FCG 75 300. Does it make sense to re-use these or upgrade? Obviously, the furnace will be out if we go with geo. - Here's a summary of our NG and electricity rates. I hope I'm doing this correctly -- taking the bill amount and dividing by the energy used. Some months may need to be taken out because the numbers are too high/low. Please note that we have not lived in the house, so this is what we were paying for several months before construction commenced. So I would expect actual usage, and thus our bills, to be higher, but I guess that the cost per unit would be somewhat proportional. Natural Gas Monthly Charge / Therms Used / All-In Cost Per Therm $18.06 / 5.1 / $3.54 $16.76 / 5.1 / $3.29 $51.90 / 32.5 / $1.60 $78.53 / 57.7 / $1.36 $339.62 / 314.7 / $1.08 $362.71 / 321.1 / $1.13 $184.41 / 154.8 / $1.19 $81.98 / 60.4 / $1.36 $66.62 / 47.4 / $1.41 $18.45 / 7.1 / $2.60 $16.18 / 5.1 / $3.17 $1.97 average Electricity Monthly Charge / KWH Used / All-In Cost Per KWH $285.18 / 1757 / $0.16 $137.36 / 786 / $0.17 $77.44 / 416 / $0.19 $57.91 / 316 / $0.18 $66.29 / 382 / $0.17 $86.87 / 524 / $0.17 $61.02 / 341 / $0.18 $24.50 / 76 / $0.32 $25.22 / 80 / $0.32 $38.34 / 73 / $0.53 $21.23 / 53 / $0.40 $32.62 / 140 / $0.23 $0.25 average - It must not be code on my state (MD) to have each floor zoned. Our bids have been for two zones (on per system, one system covering basement and first floor, second system covering second and third floors), or for four zones (running off two systems). - Thanks for the heads up on the tax credits. My husband is tracking these, so I'll make sure he knows this. - The addition is on a loggia, not crawl space. So the basement is a walk-out basement, and the loggia will in effect extend the basement, and then the kitchen/family room addition will be above this, and our master bedroom addition above that. It's at the back of the house. Here's an early photo so you get the idea. The house is brick, and the addition will be part brick, part clapboard. - I am trying to learn what an HRV is, so am looking into this. - If it's not a good idea to go with spray foam insulation, let me know! Thanks for the info on what type would be good. - More thoughts on what system to go with, pricing, etc.?? THANKS AGAIN!!...See MoreHVAC Replacement Help
Comments (30)If you get a condensing furnace, I am not sure that relining the way your contractors are describing it is even sufficient. Sometimes that means putting ceramic in previously unlined brick chimneys. Sometimes that means stainless pipe (maybe insulated) as an added flue. There are kits that put concentric, or perhaps individual, plastic pipes up your existing chimney for use with new condensing furnaces and boilers. They are pretty simple to install from what I've seen. The kits have concentric, flexible plastic pipe that is supported by built-in spiders touching the existing flue walls. You can put the intake and flue on separate locations, but I think that care is needed to be sure that wind won't affect overall pressure too much. If the water heater uses the same flue it is problematic. Of course you can't share a plastic flue with a non condensing water heater. The gas is too hot. I don't know the rules for shared flues for condensing equipment either. If this were my home and I faced that plastic flue placement problem, I'd look into this detail. Using your existing flue for an existing gas, low efficiency water heater only is probably going to be problematic in itself because it will be too big for the appliance and cause condensation in cold weather. Google will be your friend here, but others on this board may know the detail as well....See MoreFixing Versus Home Warranty - HVAC Issues
Comments (64)I love that I can count on some good discussion points and varying viewpoints here on Houzz. I am sticking with thinking of a house as a depreciating asset, but you guys made me think about it and try to understand your logic and why you feel it is different than a car. Drive the car off the lot and you lose money. Live in a house for a year and see if it appraises at the same amount that an identical home that is new construction appraises for. Don't sink money into maintaining the house and it will go to pot and the building will be a tear down in 30 years. If I have two homes that have similar floorplans, square footage and finishes on similar lots in the same neighborhood and one is brand new and one is 30 years old the price tag of the brand new home is going to be higher than the price tag of the used home. It may be more than what it originally cost, but if I deduct all the expenses used to maintain the home, the taxes and the cost to insure the home and adjusted for inflation would have I realized a gain? Would I be better off if I had just purchased the land and let it sit for 30 years? What if I put a tiny house on the land and spent far less on maintenance, taxes, insurance? If I minimize the size of the house and maximize the investment into the land (best location I can afford) or get a larger house in a less desirable location? Based on my thinking if the house is appreciating as well as the land I would come out even regardless of location, but I think the smaller house in the more desirable neighborhood will yield a much higher profit. If I don't continue to invest in the house (maintenance) it will yield a loss, not a profit, but the land will still appreciate in value. I just don't see where the building is appreciating faster than inflation less expense. That means it is a depreciating asset. I don't have the data to validate my conclusion, but I do believe that the three most important consideration for a real estate investment are location, location, location....See MoreHow to cover this up more nicely? Coolant pipe from HVAC condenser
Comments (2)Looks like the kind of installation you can expect from a replacement contractor. For new construction installations, I like the Titan GS30 outlets and the EFlex protective covers by Airex products: https://dkstatic.blob.core.windows.net/resources/678637/2465876_SpecSheet.pdf...See Morefleurssauvages
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