House Building Questions
- Thread starter Krich
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OK, so after doing more reading about heat pumps, I was unaware that there are other options other than digging a long 5 foot trench to bury the coolant line. Apparently this method is more common up north in colder climates.
In warmer climates they recommend heat pumps where the outside unit is similar to the outside unit of a regular air conditioner. So, glad I learned about this cause now I'm looking at this again rather than regular AC
Here's a quote from one site I was on about this:
It sounds like I need heat pump with Variable Speed Controls with Back-Up Burners (fueled with propane) since occasionally down south it's gets veddy veddy cold and I'll need the heat to work
Now I just need to find a reliable unit for my barndo.
I found this unit by Me Cool at
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ce...mps+with+back-up+burners,aps,1690&sr=8-8&th=1
Not sure if this unit has back up burners or not.
Is this a good brand known for reliability? If not, what other brand should I be looking at
In warmer climates they recommend heat pumps where the outside unit is similar to the outside unit of a regular air conditioner. So, glad I learned about this cause now I'm looking at this again rather than regular AC
Here's a quote from one site I was on about this:
It sounds like I need heat pump with Variable Speed Controls with Back-Up Burners (fueled with propane) since occasionally down south it's gets veddy veddy cold and I'll need the heat to work
Now I just need to find a reliable unit for my barndo.
I found this unit by Me Cool at
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ce...mps+with+back-up+burners,aps,1690&sr=8-8&th=1
Not sure if this unit has back up burners or not.
Is this a good brand known for reliability? If not, what other brand should I be looking at
Here's a good article about Hybrid Heating Systems
https://hvac-boss.com/faq/can-you-have-a-gas-furnace-and-heat-pump
https://hvac-boss.com/faq/can-you-have-a-gas-furnace-and-heat-pump
I posted a question on Amazon asking if Mr Cool had heat pumps that also had back up burners and I got this reply from someone:
"These units will hold 70° inside down to -10° outside with no backup heat, so 75% of Americans"
Is this true? If it is, then I don't need back a up burner in the system cause the colest we ever get in maybe in the upper teens and that's only once every few years,
Our normal cold duting the winter is in the low 30s / upper 20s and even at that it's not for very long at a time before temps get back to upper 30s or in the 40s. We normally have fairly mild winters.
"These units will hold 70° inside down to -10° outside with no backup heat, so 75% of Americans"
Is this true? If it is, then I don't need back a up burner in the system cause the colest we ever get in maybe in the upper teens and that's only once every few years,
Our normal cold duting the winter is in the low 30s / upper 20s and even at that it's not for very long at a time before temps get back to upper 30s or in the 40s. We normally have fairly mild winters.
Have you priced heat pumps yet? I asked a contractor about them while working on our addition plan. He said they install geothermal systems but to put it in perspective he said for a traditional HVAC system for a 2000 sf home runs about $10,000 - $15,000 and a geothermal system would be $35,000 - $40,000. Plus if I wanted a gas supplemental burner rather than electric it would add $4,000 - $5,000 more. We will be sticking with propane.
On your stove vent I would definitely use an outside vent unit. It helps take heat out as mush as smoke or odors. I installed a 900 cfm good. Another thing to remember is many places its code to have a outside make up air system that opens when the hood is turned up high enough. It keeps from back drafting gas appliances (furnace & water heater mainly) and putting CO in the house. If you have no gas burning appliances you may not be required to have the make up air system.
On your stove vent I would definitely use an outside vent unit. It helps take heat out as mush as smoke or odors. I installed a 900 cfm good. Another thing to remember is many places its code to have a outside make up air system that opens when the hood is turned up high enough. It keeps from back drafting gas appliances (furnace & water heater mainly) and putting CO in the house. If you have no gas burning appliances you may not be required to have the make up air system.
You must be talking about the version where they run coolant lines in to the ground which is common for up north and is more expensive
As noted in my previous post, I'm down sound and a regular heat pump will work just fine for me and is far less expense than whoever is giving you pricing
Here's one for just $3,589.00 on Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ce...urners,aps,1690&sr=8-8&th=1&tag=forumyield-20
Sounds like your contractor is looking to make a BIG payday!
As noted in my previous post, I'm down sound and a regular heat pump will work just fine for me and is far less expense than whoever is giving you pricing
Here's one for just $3,589.00 on Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ce...urners,aps,1690&sr=8-8&th=1&tag=forumyield-20
Sounds like your contractor is looking to make a BIG payday!
BvilleBound
Well-Known Member
First, newer air-source heat pumps are efficient down to zero and units designed for cold weather will function down to -10. 'Getothermal' heat pumps are much more costly to install due to excavation of a deep and long trench. After the recent cold spell in the northeast, the Boston Globe contacted a number of air-source heat pump owners to see how their units fared. The results were positive; see: Heat pumps had their first major local test last weekend. Here’s how it went. - The Boston Globe
Mitsubishi is one of the best brands. Mr. Cool apparently buys parts from China and assembles their products in the USA. Both sell systems that use 'head' units that you install on a wall, or units that are installed in a standard ducted system. So if you already have ducted heat or AC, this is the best option.
Mitsubishi is one of the best brands. Mr. Cool apparently buys parts from China and assembles their products in the USA. Both sell systems that use 'head' units that you install on a wall, or units that are installed in a standard ducted system. So if you already have ducted heat or AC, this is the best option.
Great! I can check off from list list what to do about my HVAC system.
I'll have one unit for the house, and another one for the shop since I won't need to keep the shop as cold in summer / warm in winter as the house will need to be.
I'll have to check out the Mitsubishi units and compare their prices with Mt Cool.
At least the Mr Cool units are assembled in the US. I'd image if they built the whole thing in the US the cost would be much higher
I'll have one unit for the house, and another one for the shop since I won't need to keep the shop as cold in summer / warm in winter as the house will need to be.
I'll have to check out the Mitsubishi units and compare their prices with Mt Cool.
At least the Mr Cool units are assembled in the US. I'd image if they built the whole thing in the US the cost would be much higher
Here's a fire place kit I think I'll go with... come with instructions and I can use a metal chimney which will work great with a merchant building
Indoor Conventional Fireplace
https://www.firerock.us/products/masonry-fireplace-kit/indoor/conventional
Metal Chimney System for Masonry Fireplaces
https://www.firerock.us/products/masonry-fireplace-kit/accessories/metal-chimney-system
FireRock manufactures the most advanced masonry fireplace system available and
costs 50-70% less than traditionally constructed site-built fireplaces. Using
patented engineering, experts designed our fireplaces to draw efficiently and
maximize heat reflection. Leading third party agencies test and list our
fireplaces under applicable standards, such as UL 127. We’ve done all the work
to provide the best masonry fireplace solution: high performing, safe, and
affordable. Plus it comes with a 20 year warranty.
Indoor Conventional Fireplace
https://www.firerock.us/products/masonry-fireplace-kit/indoor/conventional
Metal Chimney System for Masonry Fireplaces
https://www.firerock.us/products/masonry-fireplace-kit/accessories/metal-chimney-system
FireRock manufactures the most advanced masonry fireplace system available and
costs 50-70% less than traditionally constructed site-built fireplaces. Using
patented engineering, experts designed our fireplaces to draw efficiently and
maximize heat reflection. Leading third party agencies test and list our
fireplaces under applicable standards, such as UL 127. We’ve done all the work
to provide the best masonry fireplace solution: high performing, safe, and
affordable. Plus it comes with a 20 year warranty.
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I'm in the midst of a plastic-pipe situation which is causing a delimma to a number of folks. I am having a 500 gal LP tank buried and one of the gas lines supplying our to-be-installed tankless water heater is yellow-plastic pipe. I had the gas company rep here a few days ago to do some other work and he pointed out that the yellow pipe is ONLY to be used underground, period, end of story. Unfortunately, in my application, the yellow line surfaces above ground and is routed behind an inside wall. There is a gas fitting in that wall which is also only permitted underground. So, as he described it, two violations - yellow plastic line above ground and improper fittings concealed in a wall. Oh yeah, at the time he saw it, the installation had already inspected and passed by the AHJ. Oh yeah, the gas rep says knowing what he knows now about the non-compliance, he can't/won't fill my tank with LP.
I am madly searching the North Carolina Gas Code, as well as other codes (ICC Gas 404.17, etc.), to see if there is an exemption which would permit this installation to go forward. It appears the gas rep is correct. It's a delimma for the inspector who missed this, for the plumber who installed it, for the general contractor who trusted the subcontracting plumber, for the gas rep, and for me. Lots of concrete over that yellow piping and drywall over those fittings. I'm not particularly popular with the GC and plumber right now for flagging this issue, but even if it has an approved inspection, I'm sure it would not pass when I get around to doing the additional gas extension in a few months. The GC suggests I not get my future work permitted. In the event of a fire, I'm sure my insurance company will not care whether the AHJ approved it, only that these were violations. Meanwhile, this week I expect to hear jackhammers tearing out that concrete next week. Despite the approval, I think I'm on good grounds for not paying for the additional work to correct the problem.
If it comes to this, the the general contractor can simply not bill you for fixing all this.
One of the local friendly lawyers can explain in more detail how/why this should NOT before your expense.
If your state allows for you to record your phone calls, your conversations without notifying the other party you are recording... I'd recommended you have a meeting with the general contractor and their plumber responsible for all this and talk about all this... and get it on a recording.
That way, if all this has to go to court you'll have them dead to rights and they cannot screw you on this deal cause it sounds like they will throw you and your project under the bus to protect their own reputation.
That's what most people do nowadays when they cause trouble... they figure out a way to NOT be responsible at any cost.
We had a large yellow plastic gas line coming into our plant at work. Think it was a 2" or 3" I can't recall but it stubbed up out of the ground about 6" - 12" and then had a fitting to transition steel pipe. It had to be steel to protect against mechanical damage. Seems like having a burried fitting of that type would sort of negate the benefit of non-corrosive pipe in the ground. Unless the fitting is stainless or bronze or something it's going to corrode. I can see maybe not allowing the plastic into the bulding, probably out of concerns that maybe some would drive a screw in it or something. Are you sure you can't transition just above grade. I don't quite understand what you're hammering out that is above grade.
Codes vary by admin. I've installed several in the LA/OC, CA. and they all required an 18" galv. riser, after which an interrupter could be installed.
The metal riser mitigates all those damages that can occur with flexible products.
In my practice, where there wasn't an available stable to clamp to, I drove a 5/8 or 3/4" steel rod to clamp to.
Preferably the riser was continued in galv. to the delivery side of the meter, and clamped to the structure.
In my practice, where there wasn't an available stable to clamp to, I drove a 5/8 or 3/4" steel rod to clamp to.
Preferably the riser was continued in galv. to the delivery side of the meter, and clamped to the structure.
OK, I get it now... flexible being under ground or in the slab is OK because it's unlikely that it would be punctured.
While above the slab a much harder housing is used out of an abundance of caution to help prevent a rupture that could result in gas leaking.
Makes sense, although I'd think they would allow a little bit of the flexible line to be above the slab as long as some protective housing is placed around it. Seems like that would be reasonable and achieve the same safeguarding.
With that being said, the fella above that has the exposed flexible line should be allow to put a steel protective housing around that area as this would still help prevent the flex line from being damaged.
Maybe they'll give him opportunity to do that so they don't have to cut a section out of the foundation to fix this.
While above the slab a much harder housing is used out of an abundance of caution to help prevent a rupture that could result in gas leaking.
Makes sense, although I'd think they would allow a little bit of the flexible line to be above the slab as long as some protective housing is placed around it. Seems like that would be reasonable and achieve the same safeguarding.
With that being said, the fella above that has the exposed flexible line should be allow to put a steel protective housing around that area as this would still help prevent the flex line from being damaged.
Maybe they'll give him opportunity to do that so they don't have to cut a section out of the foundation to fix this.
In 45yrs of practice, I've never poured around anything other than metal piping, the exceptions being EMT & copper, without sleeving it first.
You see, there is this recently authored AXIOM, perhaps you're familiar with, "WHAT CAN GO WRONG, WILL".
You see, there is this recently authored AXIOM, perhaps you're familiar with, "WHAT CAN GO WRONG, WILL".
Yeah, I'm aware of the glass half empty / glass half full theory and how those that always see the glass as half empty are far more likely to experience things going awry than those the see the glass as half full.
I heard somewhere that so called "mental health professionals" have studied this and in most cases it plays out to be true that people get what they expect.
That's why I like to do things better than they have to be so I can have the expectation of things going right!
I heard somewhere that so called "mental health professionals" have studied this and in most cases it plays out to be true that people get what they expect.
That's why I like to do things better than they have to be so I can have the expectation of things going right!
Interestingly, I've never viewed things from a 1/2 empty, or full, perspective, you see, I warrant all my work, except equipment failures, for as long as the dwelling owner, contracted with, occupies that dwelling.
The only call-backs were from failures of subs, and were they to fail to respond, I did the repair, and never referred, or used that sub again.
The only call-backs were from failures of subs, and were they to fail to respond, I did the repair, and never referred, or used that sub again.
