12
votes
Is it a fire hazard to have heating pipes in contact with ceiling tiles?
Pipes to a water-based radiator holds liquid water, water at atmospheric pressures boils at 100°C (212°F) very few things have an ignition point at that temperature unless it's already an ignition ...
- 10.9k
12
votes
Accepted
Why is my indoor HVAC unit dripping water all day long?
When the air conditioning is running, it both cools and dehumidifies the air in the home, so water condensing out of the air is normal and expected. That should be dripping into the drain pretty much ...
- 190k
6
votes
Need advice on HVAC inspection results for a house I'm closing on!
There are a bunch of different issues here. But the bottom line is that much of the system is old, and therefore likely to need replacement in the not-too-distant future, and relatively inefficient. ...
5
votes
What is the difference in efficiency between upflow and downflow furnaces?
The benefit of air rising (not heat*) is negligible in contrast to the powerful fan and the fact that the path of the duct likely has much more elevation change than the duct trunk at the furnace ...
- 126k
4
votes
What is the difference in efficiency between upflow and downflow furnaces?
A person might assert that it's most efficient if the equipment works with natural convection rather than opposing it: blow cold air downward; blow warm air upward. I believe this doesn't really ...
- 26k
4
votes
Need advice on HVAC inspection results for a house I'm closing on!
The key difference here is
It is working right now and you are in control negotiating the prices (not in a hurry)
That will change drastically once the system breaks and you are in the must do now ...
- 16.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Google Nest Causes Furnace to Need Reset
The solution that seems to be working so far is adding a 1kOhm 5W resistor between W and T, that being the call for heat voltage. After contacting Johnson Controls, I was redirected to an engineer at ...
3
votes
Accepted
What caused hvac outside component roar after a quick outage
Momentary power outages can cause some scroll compressors to run backwards while powered. What happens is that in normal operation when the compressor is running the high pressure side has a much ...
- 20.8k
3
votes
What caused hvac outside component roar after a quick outage
The outside part of "HVACs" have a compressor. When the compressor is running normally, it builds up a lot of pressure on the output side. When power is turned off to the compressor, this ...
- 4,524
3
votes
Need advice on HVAC inspection results for a house I'm closing on!
This is an opinion based, so the question may be closed.
Since the specialist found that the system was undersized and most components were quite old, I would recommend a system replacement.
If the ...
- 21.7k
3
votes
How to increase flow without causing cavitation in hydronic heating system
This seems to have been not well set up by whoever designed it. Stock advice on the relationship of pumps and expansion (aka buffer) tanks is (as @Solar Mike already said) that the expansion tank ...
- 190k
3
votes
Does an air conditioner's fan use more power on Max than on Auto?
A faster fan will use more energy for the fan than Auto, and will technically use a little bit more energy for cooling as the fan running at a higher speed will add more heat to the room. In practical ...
- 7,418
2
votes
My direct spark ignition furnace sparks but will not always light the burner?
Like spark plugs in a car, if the electrode gap isn’t correct, the stove burner will misfire. The metal electrode on one of our IKEA (Whirlpool) range top burners was sticking up just a bit more above ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
Whole house dehumidifier with no central air?
You could just put the furnace on "fan" mode and run one dehumidifier anywhere in the house that the air circulates from the central system.
i.e other than perhaps the capacity being low, ...
- 190k
2
votes
HVAC Heat Pump Outage
Possible causes:
the wires in Ecobee on R or C are loose- you can tug on them to check
The 24 Volt transformer died- Located in air handler cabinet- you will need multimeter to test it. One side has ...
- 16.2k
2
votes
24V AC HVAC transformer idle draw
To get accurate power usage you will need to look at the manufacturer specifications, or use a meter to measure the power usage.
In round numbers, though, it's easy to guess that these use two or ...
- 7,418
2
votes
HVAC Heat Pump Outage
It did turn out to be the transformer. Swapped the old one out and new one in, and the 'stat fired up.
- 2,234
2
votes
Entire (Mostly) Home's Lights Flicker when Resistive Loads are Energized
A lost neutral?
Go outside and look at the wire coming from the utility pole to your house. There is a bare carrier wire and two phase wires. Look closely at the carrier wire at both ends. Is it ...
1
vote
How to connect my C wire (blue) to the transformer? HVAC
The transformer (the thing labeled TT104 in your picture) has a blue wire and a green wire coming out. One of those will be connected to at least one wire already going to your thermostat. That is ...
- 21.1k
1
vote
My thermostat is off but the blower on my central air unit is randomly cycling on and off
Get your volt meter and check the fan relay control circuit for intermittent closing and opening. Also check the fan relay to see if the contacts are the problem, opening and closing on their own.
- 76.6k
1
vote
HVAC Heat Pump Outage
Check the condensate drain line. It's probably clogged, and there is usually a float valve wired in to cut power to the system when the float valve is opened by too much condensate.
- 21.1k
1
vote
Zoned HVAC condensation issue
Air circulation problem
Hot an Humid air resizes, in your case it ends up in the pocket at the top of the stairs with nowhere to go.
The air vent next to the stairs blows cold air. When the hot/humid ...
- 16.2k
1
vote
Replacing HVAC System in Dallas
Ask for a reference from the trades, that you could phone up for a chat. Or ask neighbours who they may have used. Or go to the website of the manufacturer, They will have registered dealers/...
- 4,526
1
vote
Replacing HVAC System in Dallas
Consider not going furnace, get a modern heat pump that works down to deep cold.
System should be all new air handler, evaporator, condenser unit, and piping between the two, plus connection to your ...
- 1,437
1
vote
Accepted
Here is our sunroom's dimensions. How many BTUs of a Mitsubishi minisplit AC unit should we get?
You said it is a sun room, means lots of windows, means poor thermal insulation unless you have dual glazed windows.
Just based on square footage (500) you need approximately 15,000 BTU with 4 windows....
- 16.2k
1
vote
Need advice on HVAC inspection results for a house I'm closing on!
Sometimes inspectors' reports have to be taken with a grain of salt. If your inspector had returned a report saying "everything looks great!" and then later a friend of yours asked for an ...
- 26k
1
vote
How to increase flow without causing cavitation in hydronic heating system
So, often the pumps suffer from cavitation due to poor inlet conditions.
Improving the inlet supply will sort this, one method is to have a buffer tank to give adequate supply.
- 26k
1
vote
Pros and cons of installing UV sanitizer light in HVAC
I'm going to ignore the assumption that installing a UV system will improve the air quality of your home (it might or might not).
Buying a new system to have it include a UV system would be a waste of ...
- 1,437
1
vote
Is there a category of ducted HVAC/IAQ parts but sized for what is typical for ductless systems?
You don't run ducts for ductless systems. You run heat-transfer-fluid lines to wall (or, rarely, ceiling) units in the rooms you want to heat or cool directly.
At most, if you're trying to economize, ...
- 25.4k
1
vote
Do I have a C wire (or something I can repurpose)?
Unfortunately you have slightly complicated system that as currently configured will not work well with a smart thermostat.
That Mastertrol Minizone system is a zone controller that takes advantage of ...
- 215
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