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Thread Number: 83104
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
HVAC Woes |
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| Post# 1073972 5/23/2020 at 18:26 (1,432 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
so a few weeks ago, we were in our garage and noticed water coming from a white PVC pip from the wall. Water never came out of that before. I got into the attic and noticed water in a big black plastic drain pan that the air handler sits in. So I guess if water gets in that pain, they have it drain through a pipe from a pan into the garage to alert user that something isn't right with HVAC as there should be no wanter in the pan.
So I called a company to come out (a reputable company). First guy unclogged the drain line......and left. This was during a time that it was not really warm out enough for the AC to run a lot. Shortly after he left, it got really cool for more than a week. It's not necessarily hot now, but I'll bump the AC on to get out the humidity. Since we keep our T stat on 70, it runs a bit even if it's 75 outside. We noticed water again, so a second HVAC tech came out (same company) this time no charge. He checked and vacuumed out the drain pan inside the air handler, took all the water out of the overflow drain pan. Both HVAC techs were super nice and didn't seem incompentent at all. Now that it's humid and warm, we've been running the AC and the pan is full of water AGAIN! Dripping out into the garage. The AC works beautifully keeping us nice and cool, but this water thing is a mystery. He said he checked for cracks in the drain pan and didn't see any. Now that I call back, they said they would call back to schedule to fix since they are getting a lot of no cool calls and since we have AC and it's draining in garage that it's not considered emergency. I wonder why the hell they can't find the clog or the problem? | ||
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Post# 1073976 , Reply# 1 5/23/2020 at 18:35 (1,432 days old) by DADoES  (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 1073993 , Reply# 2 5/23/2020 at 19:43 (1,432 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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More than once I've found "gunk" in the "A" frame drain pan drain line connector. The gunk builds up and the "A" frame pan over flows into your air handler or furnace and then, into your safety back-up catch pan.
In my case the air handler was on a cement floor and there was no pan so it ran onto the floor and made a mess. Now you or someone just needs to trace the "A" frame drain It's a reasonably easy and cheap fix. Be grateful you've got conditioned air.
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Post# 1073999 , Reply# 3 5/23/2020 at 19:59 (1,432 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 1074000 , Reply# 4 5/23/2020 at 20:04 (1,432 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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| Post# 1074021 , Reply# 6 5/23/2020 at 22:21 (1,432 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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sounds like a nightmare
with mine, I keep going up to the attic every few hours because the AC is running, just to check the level of water in the pan. It's staying about the same..with a fast drip in the garage...I guess I'm paranoid that whatever water is going to overcome the speed of draining into the garage.
Here's a pic of my air handler. I tried to post a minute ago and it didn't show up. So I'll repost. It's a Trane all-electric heat pump XR11 from 2004
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Post# 1074023 , Reply# 7 5/23/2020 at 22:26 (1,432 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I'm not 100% sure, but isn't one of the objectives of AC to reduce indoor humidity? And doesn't that moisture have to go somewhere? Yes, most of it probably gets shoved outside through the exhaust vent along with hot indoor air... but if I'm not mistaken, even a window AC unit needs a way to get rid of moisture that isn't completely sent out through the exhaust...
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Post# 1074035 , Reply# 9 5/24/2020 at 00:11 (1,432 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Rich, yes of course, air conditioning removes humidity. It normally drains away somewhere unseen into the household plumbing (leastwise that's the method 'round here). The air handler / cooling coil sits in a secondary overflow pan in case the primary drain clogs and condensate overflows out of the air handler. The secondary pan is purposely plumbed to drain somewhere within sight of the homeowner as a signal that there's a problem with the primary. The secondary drain pan should be fitted with a float that shuts the system off if its drain line is clogged. | ||
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Post# 1074040 , Reply# 11 5/24/2020 at 01:00 (1,432 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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That looks like a nice set up. A little tight with the trusses, but you have a floor to work on thats good.
That white pipe is what is supposed to be taking away the condensate that's leaking somewhere. You need to make sure the line is clear and woull be a good idea to find out WHERE is ends up, FYI. Does it end up in a utility sink, outside, connected to a drainline somewhere?
The heavy ink on the air handler is the approx. "A" frame shape and location inside the handler. Gaining access by removing a panel or panels would be necessary to see where that white pipe connects and to see what may be blocking the line inside the "A" frame drain pan.
Because there is a lot of air flow through these and because there is dust and lint in our air, the lint can attach to the moist surfaces and then accumulate in the pan.
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| Post# 1074045 , Reply# 12 5/24/2020 at 01:29 (1,432 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Wow thanks
The condensate drains outside......the PVC pipe sticks out the side of the house. One thing I should mention.....both times they were here, it was too cold for the AC to even be running. Hopefully when they come this time, it will be running so they can actually try to figure out where the clog is. Being up in that attic is freaky. It's hotter than hell and almost to the point where I feel claustrophobic. It's not an elaborate setup really. Just a single story 1375 sq ft house.
Anyway, it's crazy to me how the PVC pipes almost look level. When I look at them I wonder how the hell the water goes from the air handler to the outside with pipes that basically look level. I'm sure they are not level as there must be some slight angle to them. | ||
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Post# 1074047 , Reply# 13 5/24/2020 at 01:49 (1,432 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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You're correct about the level pipes. They shouldn't be level. They should slant down hill from the pan 1/4" per foot. Level pipes can be a cause of clogs.
You can check those yourself with a simple level.
And check to see that they aren't at any point slanted the WRONG way. That's a major issue.
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| Post# 1074048 , Reply# 14 5/24/2020 at 01:53 (1,432 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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ya | ||
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Post# 1074053 , Reply# 15 5/24/2020 at 02:37 (1,432 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Glenn,
Thanks for the explanation. This location is mild enough that most homes don't have central A/C. Some have window units that they might run on the hottest days. I bought a couple of cheap 5500 BTU window unit 20 years ago, and ran them briefly, but it was sort of a hassle putting them in and then removing them each year. Then I got a free standing "portable" unit (DeLonghi) which exhausts to the outdoors. It does have a little drip tray that I have to monitor and dump when it gets too full. But generally hot days around here are also low humidity, so it's not a big problem, and I haven't had to plumb the thing outside. In fact, I don't think I ran it at all last year. It's not as efficient as the window units because its intake air for the condenser is drawn from indoors. (I didn't spring for the more expensive dual hose version). But it works well enough. Although it's warmer here than in SF, we still have what Herb Caen used to call "natural air conditioning", which would be usual cool nights even when the days are warm to hot. For about a week or two a year it stops cooling at night though, due to the "offshore breezes" (our version of the Santa Ana winds of LA), and that is when I might fire up the portable. On most the hot summer days when I don't run the A/C, I just seal up the house in the morning, closing all the windows and doors. The attic is well insulated so that helps a lot. Then at night after the outdoor temp drops lower than the indoor temp, I run more or more window fans to draw cool night air in to cool down the house. If that fails, I'll hook up and run the DeLonghi. | ||
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Post# 1074065 , Reply# 16 5/24/2020 at 07:36 (1,432 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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Jim, You are right. One season is the timespan for the tablets. | ||
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Post# 1074072 , Reply# 17 5/24/2020 at 09:04 (1,432 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Not unreasonable that a few gallons of condensate can be produced on a hot humid day. My system is horizontal in the attic. Can't get to the other side without climbing over it. The edge of the overflow pan is in the perfect location to be stepped upon when climbing over and/or back. I stepped on it again when taking these pics this morning, gahhhh. Pics 2, 3, 4 show the primary drain path, I assume to the vent stack. I was chastised when I mentioned that drain route on an HVAC forum on point that sewer gas could be pulled in ... I didn't design it that way, and I haven't yet been assfixiated or sickened in 15+ years. Pic 6 is the overflow outlet. The primary drain clogged in Sept 2014. The overflow pan was sagging/warped enough that IT overflowed from the corner in back by the primary drain line, and was *NOT* dripping from the outlet. I adjusted the pan after the incident. The primary drain clogged again couple years ago but the secondary worked, I saw it dripping outside. I see from the Pic 1 that the pan is still sagging a bit on the left side ... must further adjust it. Pic 8 the ceiling wasn't fully dry after the leak. It's less noticeable now. | ||
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Post# 1074074 , Reply# 18 5/24/2020 at 09:17 (1,432 days old) by eronie (Flushing Michigan) |
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Reply #11 goes outside? Is water coming out of it? If not the p trap is pluged with dirt. Use a shop vac to suck it out, very common. Should have been the first thing the service Guy did very easy he probably didnt have a vacuum. Try it yourself. Good luck. | ||
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Post# 1074094 , Reply# 19 5/24/2020 at 13:05 (1,431 days old) by littlegreeny (Milwaukee, WI) |
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Post# 1074098 , Reply# 20 5/24/2020 at 13:58 (1,431 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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With all due respect, that's a bad install.
The AC unit is installed basically in the middle of a sea of loose fill insulation with no access. Plus the access panels are positioned in the furthest away location requiring awkward and dangerous maneuvering to check the machine. There's also uninsulated plenums which cuts efficiency.
Regardless of where ones air handlers or furnaces are installed, the prospect of inspecting them should not make one wince with dread.
If it were me and the air handler is still good, I would reposition it AFTER building at least a 2' wide raised above the insulation walkway from the attic hatch to a 8x8' raised platform for where the unit would go.
I would install the unit vertical, given the situation.
But that's just my opinion.
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Post# 1074099 , Reply# 21 5/24/2020 at 14:06 (1,431 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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And what in the world is going on here?
Why is there no insulation? Is this over a porch or lanai?
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You'll need something like Zinsser to seal that drywall, then paint to match. | ||
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Post# 1074106 , Reply# 22 5/24/2020 at 14:36 (1,431 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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I agree it's not a good installation but it is what it is until the system needs replacement ... which may not be too far away being that it's 16yo. There are only two HVAC outfits in town. One has been operating for *years* and is accordingly expen$ive. They take care of the systems at work, and a couple of their techs are kinda goofy. They've called me while onsite to ask my opinion on what's wrong, LOL. The other is somewhat newer and more rea$onable but also questionable on skills. They installed new systems (none exited prior) at two of RJ's rental refurbs. One install they shorted the backup heat strip capacity vs. what was contracted. RJ caught on to it after-the-fact, required they correct the situation. They had to run larger wiring so it clearly wasn't an oversight kind of mistake. The other install they didn't configure the thermostat to be programmable as he asked, which I fixed after downloading the Installer Manual. They installed a replacement system for my parents and told dad some completely wrong details about the thermostat. | ||
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Post# 1074112 , Reply# 23 5/24/2020 at 15:40 (1,431 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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Ours is also horizontal...
Damn, I hesitate to post a picture cuz this is a tough crowd. LOL. We bought the house two years ago and this was all here. The pan under ours has a leak sensor in it which I didn't know. So last summer we had an issue where it would start and run for a few minutes and shut off. When they guy came out he noticed the pan had a little water in it and he thought the hose was clogged a little bit. He cleaned out the pipe, dried out the pan and it's been fine.
He said given how humid it is here its not unusual to have condensation run in the pan and it would normally run out and then dry but this had built up to may 1/8 inch or so. It wasn't much but just enough to trip the sensor and shut everything down. This post was last edited 05/24/2020 at 16:13 | ||
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Post# 1074114 , Reply# 24 5/24/2020 at 15:54 (1,431 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 1074116 , Reply# 25 5/24/2020 at 16:06 (1,431 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington NC) |
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Ralph! Your response was in another language! Greek? | ||
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Post# 1074119 , Reply# 26 5/24/2020 at 16:14 (1,431 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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Must the the font I chose | ||
| Post# 1074128 , Reply# 27 5/24/2020 at 17:40 (1,431 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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reply # 19
My ac is not freezing up. A coil looked fine (not frozen). From what I understand that's not the problem because the AC itself is working beautifully
He did put a vacuum from the outside the first visit because I heard the vacuum outside. The 2nd trip he actually cleaned all the water out of the overflow pan and cleaned the main drain pan with a vacuum. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think he checked the p trap. | ||
| Post# 1074134 , Reply# 28 5/24/2020 at 18:38 (1,431 days old) by Xraytech (Rural southwest Pennsylvania ) | ||
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| Post# 1074136 , Reply# 29 5/24/2020 at 18:46 (1,431 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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I know
Isn't that the STUPIDEST thing? Also, the dryer vents through the roof!! But there is no cellar here. It's just a concret slab. It freaks me out when we have bad storms because there is absolutely no place to go other than the most interior section of the house. And get this, in 2004, when my house was being built, the concrete slab was laid, the house directly beside mine was almost built and we had a tornado and the house beside mine had to be torn down. The tornado started right at our area and went across the street into the next subdivision and did all kinds of damage.
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Post# 1074138 , Reply# 30 5/24/2020 at 18:48 (1,431 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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Not too many basements here. | ||
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Post# 1074139 , Reply# 31 5/24/2020 at 18:58 (1,431 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 1074146 , Reply# 33 5/24/2020 at 20:10 (1,431 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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| Post# 1074151 , Reply# 34 5/24/2020 at 20:50 (1,431 days old) by Xraytech (Rural southwest Pennsylvania ) | ||
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| Post# 1074154 , Reply# 35 5/24/2020 at 21:02 (1,431 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Just now, bumped the AC down to 68 so it would run a bit.....about 10 min later walked around to side of the house.....It's a very SLOW drip coming out the pipe. Like a drip every 15 seconds vs the garage where it's a super fast drip. Sounds like a clog somewhere to me for sure. I could be wrong, but I think a very little bit of water may be getting around the clog where it will drip slowly. It should be dripping like it is now in the garage. I've seen it drip fast when the AC is running in the past. But this....this is a very slow drip.
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Post# 1074160 , Reply# 36 5/24/2020 at 21:44 (1,431 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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Basement vs Attic
1. They put the climate control appliance you use the most in the place where it will distribute the easiest. Heat rises, cooled air falls. That is basic science. So in warm climate AC in the attic makes sense. In ares like New England and Midwest, where a minimum crawlspace is really necessary for comfort and foundation, you'd put your heat source under the house because the heat rises. 2. No body apparently really wants a basement, but especially in cold regions a basement or crawlspace is necessary for the foundation. They also cost more. We can understand why contractors would not want to spend the money and extra time building them. (I like them) Also, some regions in the south and in earthquake prone regions, a typical basement won't work. In Fla., the ground water table is often only a couple of feet under ground so a basement would just fill with water permanently. In earthquake areas with ground constantly shifting it would be a joke. (About as funny a joke of pouring a slab on shifting soils but....) 3. def. no water heaters in the attic in earthquake prone areas. Surely we can see why that wouldn't work. As it is now, it's law that those ridiculous tanks need to be thoroughly 'seat belted in" so they will be less likely to fall over. The idea of having a 40, 50, 80 gallon water heater in a standard residential home is just ridiculous. A tankless is so much more efficient and safe. Sure, go ahead, strap that mongo heat producing gas water heater in so it doesn't tip over. lol. Never ever would I put up with gas appliances in an earthquake prone home, nor would I want to live on a slab in such an area.
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Post# 1074163 , Reply# 37 5/24/2020 at 22:01 (1,431 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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LOL
In 1986 when I lived in the LA area for the first time I went new house shopping. I went to a new house developement East of L.A. by what was then called Kaufman & Broad homes or better known today by KB homes. They were nice 2500 s.f. homes, most were 2 story and the subdivision was almost done. The sales office said they had one home that was almost done but ran into a snag and wasn't available for sale. It was a very nice 2 story with 4 bedrooms and a curved (1/2 circle) shaped stairs up (non-freestanding) But it wasn't open to view. I went and looked in the windows anyway. It was almost done with no carpet but you could see in the sun light shining on the floor from the back windows a huge crack that had raised on one side and separated and it ran from the back of the house all the way to in front of those nice stairs in the foyer. It's like, what do you do with it? How do you fix that. That's crazy. It could just be the beginning of the earths movement under the home. And that can happen to any home in an earthquake affected area. At least when you have a basement or crawlspace or a mobile home, you can work under neath the unit. You can even move it. But when the foundation floor is part of the living quarters you're rather screwed.
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Post# 1074167 , Reply# 38 5/24/2020 at 22:36 (1,431 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area) |
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It only makes sense to install HVAC equipment in an attic if said attic is the "conditioned" type. Otherwise a cooling system in an attic has to work harder to overcome ambient heat, and heating equipment to overcome the cold environment. | ||
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Post# 1074170 , Reply# 39 5/24/2020 at 22:46 (1,431 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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That slab crack easily could be from settlement, not from quakes.
I have a much more narrow crack running the length of the 1,000 sq ft workshop building on the property. It hasn't got any larger that I can tell, and we've had some moderate tremors since I acquired it. I believe it's from settlement, because the neighboring property (the workshop building in in the corner of the lot about six feet from the property line) drops off about five feet. There is a concrete retaining wall along the short side, but the long side had a decaying wood barrier. The condo association there shored it up with a new wooden retaining wall, but there is still a drop-off. So I planted a row of fast growing trees along the chainlink fence. I believe the roots are helping to stabilize the soil there. At some point I'm going to fill the slab crack with grout or cement or whatever is recommended. The building itself is all wood and doesn't appear to be suffering from the movement. I suspect with non-pre-stressed slabs around here, there are those who have cracked, and those who are going to crack. There also could be some heaving under the workshop. I dunno. Once I fill the crack, I suppose any protruding edges could be ground down, as is done with sidewalk cracks (which are numerous around here). I do not share your aversion to gas appliances in California. I don't have an operating gas oven here, but if I did I'd vent it up through the roof. The gas cooktop is vented by the range hood. The forced air furnace in the crawl is vented through roof, as is the gas fired water heater in the enclosed patio. Nothing is guaranteed. Even electricity can kill you. And, remember the big fire up north that killed scores of people? That wiped out an entire mountain community? That was started by... electric power... And I still don't understand the logic, if any, or putting a water heater in the attic. Seems like it's just asking for trouble, regardless of how it's powered. | ||
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Post# 1074173 , Reply# 40 5/24/2020 at 23:10 (1,431 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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There are some, very few, places without basements up here on a slab, mostly modular and mobile homes. They are very cold in the winter on the floor. Most with basements have a furnace and water heater or some like me have a boiler for heat and hot water and I have 2 oil tanks in my basement. Those on a slab have to have an outside oil tank and pay dearly for kerosene in the dead of the winter as regular heating oil will always jell and mess the lines up. If they happen to be where they might be able to get natural gas,chances are very slim, but no chance of ever getting natural gas here where I am and propane sure aint cheap either. Some have put in those mini-split built heat/AC units and they seem to work ok, but in the winter the electric resistance costs them alot more. Alot of people still just burn wood here but I dont want to mess with that any more. I have never seen anyone other than businesses with central a/c around here. Usually its just a window unit for July and August and on with heat in September. A week and half ago we had SNOW and we hit 88 yesterday, go figure.
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Post# 1074183 , Reply# 41 5/24/2020 at 23:50 (1,431 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Well, until I was 11 we lived near New Haven in a little tract house (it seemed huge to me) that had a full basement. The furnace oil was delivered to a spout - I think it was on the side of the house - to a big black oil tank in the basement. From there the oil was (pumped, probably) to an oil furnace more or less in the middle of the basement, which heated via passive radiators. The heat was good until the last year when we ran out of funds and had to crowd around a single electric space heater in the living room. Then in the spring we hightailed to San Francisco where my new life began. The rest, as they say, is history, LOL. But down in that Connecticut basement we had a Bendix front loader on a riser, as well as a spare fridge (our old GE), a work bench (from which I was eventually banned, LOL), and of course a set of slanted storm doors with steps leading up to them out of the basement. I remember the basement flooded once, which made the risers for the furnace, washer, and fridge make sense. I think every house in that neighborhood, which was built post-war, had a basement.
In the San Francisco area, only much older homes (like 1900's) had basements. Some had little basements that were about 8'x10'. And often a home built on a hill had a garage under the house and the excavation beyond that created a sort of half-basement. I've only lived in places that had crawl spaces or garages/half basements under the living quarters. I know of some slab construction that has hot water heating via pipes embedded in the slab. I understand that can be very nice until the pipes fail. Other places might have a thick layer of insulating foam under the wall to wall carpeting. | ||
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Post# 1074185 , Reply# 42 5/25/2020 at 00:09 (1,431 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Keep in mind it's not unusual here to run cooling in Sep, Oct, Nov, Mar, and Apr. Occasionally in Dec. Usually not Jan and Feb. Regards to heating, there were only a few instances of a few hours of early-morn 30°F to 32°F for the 2019-2020 "winter" season. On-slab being the normal construction, air distribution through the floor doesn't happen except for mobile homes. HVAC blower/coils installed in closets isn't unusual but the distribution ductwork still runs through the attic. | ||
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Post# 1074195 , Reply# 43 5/25/2020 at 01:00 (1,431 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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RE reply 26: No basements are why you southerners have so many fewer classic appliances. | ||
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Post# 1074202 , Reply# 44 5/25/2020 at 03:16 (1,431 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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"And I still don't understand the logic, if any, or putting a water heater in the attic. Seems like it's just asking for trouble,"
I agree with you that it doesn't seem like the best choice, given the propensity for leaks. Plus they are heavy. From a space consideration it would makes sense. And that would also save money. Also, it's in a hot attic which would help save heating costs. And it's outside the thermal envelope making it safer than being in the house. California certainly has it's share of homes with the w. heater outside the home on a porch or in a special lean-to cabinet which is a good idea. Especially if it's gas. I remember the day in 1989 turning on the tv and watching the coverage of the Loma Prieta quake and they talked about the homes that were built on mushy landfill and how those homes easily caught fire because of broken gas lines. That just scares me. Earthquakes can happen without warning and be over in a second, but the damages can be deadly. ---- "No basements are why you southerners have so many fewer classic appliances." True, as well as other good stuff. However, I'm learning we still have our hoarders. See people people with musty but protected basements in the North and midwest can collect stuff in their basements and just forget about it, for generations perhaps. Here, there are people who deliberately hoard if they have the space. Its a little bit different. Also, there is probably less mid century stuff down here in the first place. Look at history. How did the U.S. look in it's various regions in 1960 for example? North East, Mid-west, the South, West Coast, Mountain states? South was generally poor (and it still is in a lot of areas), Midwest had the manufacturing and thus people were better off, they bought stuff and tended to be thrifty and held onto stuff, Northeast had money and could afford anything, California and West and Mountain states were just booming and thus could afford stuff too but the needs and wants were different and more trendy than say the midwest. Things are changing and people who are moving South don't tend to bring with them their large appliances and furniture. They come to "retire" so all the "good" stuff gets left behind and auctioned or is made available for people in the Northern areas.
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Post# 1074221 , Reply# 45 5/25/2020 at 08:39 (1,431 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Spent a few days last year July 4th camped in a friend's walk-out basement in KC, KS. Local-born girl, moved there years ago. Known them for 36 years. Older bro & sis were on the first crew when the theater opened, she also worked there later. Charming 95yo house. A/C (set on 76°F) was cold as hell down there, not so much on the upper level. System needs airflow balancing. 1 - Condensate handled by a small pump that sends it to a sump in the corner behind the air mattress (where I camped). 2 - Baseboard registers. 3 - Laundry (GE washer). Bathroom/shower behind the door. 4 - Rand (her bro), Susan, Dan (her BF) @ Royals game. 5 - Rand's camping corner. Her roommate/boarder has a room behind the door. 6 - Jameson (named after one of her favorite beverages). 7 - Trip stats. | ||
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Post# 1074230 , Reply# 46 5/25/2020 at 10:38 (1,431 days old) by eronie (Flushing Michigan) |
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My basement | ||
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Post# 1074231 , Reply# 47 5/25/2020 at 10:47 (1,431 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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I’d love that. | ||
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Post# 1074244 , Reply# 48 5/25/2020 at 11:48 (1,430 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area) |
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Basementless Arkansas Ralph, what is there about your area that precludes homes having basements? It's not near the coast; is the water table unusually high there?
While basements are rarely found in southern and central Mississippi, I've seen them in houses in the northern part of the state. | ||
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Post# 1074263 , Reply# 49 5/25/2020 at 13:37 (1,430 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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The Water Table
Hi Tom,
Yes it's the water table being too high. There are very few homes here with basements. One of our hobbies is going to estate sales (or was until all this mess) so we go into a lot of houses. When we stumble on one with a basement they are generally much older homes and so musty you can't really spend much time down there. We do see houses that are more like a split level and depending how much of the lower level is below ground, they may be musty without a dehumidifier but with one they are tolerable and sometimes not musty at all.
I would love a basement. We always had one growing up. | ||
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Post# 1074264 , Reply# 50 5/25/2020 at 13:38 (1,430 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Coincidentally, the tenant at RJ's rental where the HVAC outfit initially installed the wrong heat strips reported yesterday that they were gone for a couple days and came home to water dripping from the ceiling. They looked in the attic and found that the secondary pan is ... not level and overflowing. This is the second time the primary drain there has clogged but the first time for a ceiling drip AFAIK. Presumably the secondary worked on the first incident to provide a visible outside drip so I'm not clear on why that didn't happen this time regards to the pan now being askew. They apparently are aware-enough to fix the primary clog but the secondary pan situation needs to be fixed properly, and the ceiling may need some repairs (I haven't seen it). | ||
| Post# 1074282 , Reply# 51 5/25/2020 at 15:32 (1,430 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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84 | ||
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Post# 1074303 , Reply# 52 5/25/2020 at 17:43 (1,430 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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basement Tony #46 Goals
OMG, Tony, your basement is awesome. Sunny pastel 60s yellow walls with a relatively fresh painted dove gray floor you can walk on with clean white socks. And full basements tend to be so peaceful because the ground is a natural sound deadening material so you can be down there and feel like you're in your own world.
When I build my house I want to have a large "activities room" that looks like this with floor joists and 6" furnace ducts on the ceiling, tiny basement windows high up on the wall, a surface mounted electric box, a fake gas furnace and 30 gallon water heater, a few random water pipes, and of course a plethora of washer, dryers and other basementy type stuff. lol.
---- Ralph. Two words.
Adorable poodle.
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Post# 1074353 , Reply# 53 5/26/2020 at 03:27 (1,430 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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Reply #52 | ||
| Post# 1074378 , Reply# 54 5/26/2020 at 12:33 (1,429 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan) | ||
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A condesnate pump can be installed to take the water away from the pan, and drain it out the side of the roof eve, or gable. They have a holding tank. Thats another line you must keep clean though. | ||
| Post# 1074445 , Reply# 55 5/26/2020 at 21:02 (1,429 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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He called me back
wanted to come today but he couldn't because we are changing ISP's to Metronet. So they were in the attic running fiber. So he's coming tomorrow around noon to check again, hopefully it will be fixed this time. But damn, I've never had internet this fast. They have 4 plans 100/100... 200/200......500/500...or 1000/1000. We got 200/200
CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark_wpduet's LINK | ||
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Post# 1074690 , Reply# 57 5/28/2020 at 10:29 (1,428 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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An automotive blade-type fuse on the thermostat transformer circuit. 5 and 5a probably are the same ... the "a" was just not included on the labeling? Color indicates amperage rating. Tan is 5 amp, orange is much larger 40 amp. That's a large disparity. Maybe the orange fuses were discolored tan or non-standard coloring? CLICK HERE TO GO TO DADoES's LINK | ||
| Post# 1074811 , Reply# 58 5/29/2020 at 03:29 (1,427 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Finally fixed!!
The compay came back Wednesday......only this time the owner made the tech call him so they could discuss different things. I'm not sure what he did......but he got the clog. No water coming into the garage anymore. The outside had a very slow drip and now it's much faster when the AC is running. I was so tired when he was here because I hadn't slept for 2 days...it was all such a blur. It's so nice to have a dry garage floor again and not having to worry about a pan full of water in the attic damaging something.
I now know more about AC condensate that I knew before. I always knew they created water.......I just never realized it was THAT MUCH water! I've never experienced a condensate clog before. Anyway I do have a question. Those Algae tabs that you can buy..where exactly do they go in my Air handler? I know there's a filter door...it's very thin. I think the when you open the filter door, the A coil is ABOVE that and the pan below it.... could I just drop a tab in there through the filter door? | ||
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Post# 1074834 , Reply# 59 5/29/2020 at 08:45 (1,427 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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You'll need to make sure they land in the pan. Having the access door removable will be necessary.
The slot is for the filter. The tablets sit inside the pan and gradually dissolve in the water. Follow the instructions on package.
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