PennSilverTaco's HVAC BS MegaThread!

The portable ones are a nice supplement! I will tell you the first time I learned the "ton" rating of an AC unit I was a little taken back, crude rating from where it's name came from but I guess the standard stuck LOL

 

How many sqft is your parents house? Even in the south, I only have a 2.5 ton that cools the whole 1700sqft house more than adequately. Rule of thumb is something like 600sqft / ton / 12000btu for cooling, and if you're in the north east the insulation rate should be more than enough to allow for proper cooling of 2700sqft with 4.5 tons cooling capacity.

 

Zillow says my parents' house is 3,352 square feet, but I think that's overstated. Zillow also says that my parents' house has 3.5 bathrooms when it actually has 2.5 bathrooms. I believe it's like just under 3,000 square feet...?

 

My personal best is 13 birds from a Lennox Pulse. PB by weight would be a Duck from an oil furnace lol. Nastiest by far was a squirrel, I got most of it anyways.

 

Were any of these animals still alive? I heard of a baby owl getting pulled out of a flue pipe here in PA not only alive but unhurt...

 

There were no survivors.

 

I've also heard of squirrels getting into ductless mini-splits, snacking on the inverters, and getting their teeth welded together by the heat and voltage...

 

I should say the squirrel was in the furnace flue long enough for the cat to become extremely interested in central heat according to the homeowner. By the time I showed up in the fall once the home had no heat, it was far too late.

 

I've pulled more rodents out of Heat pumps than I can count. Best one was one with no critters, but said critters had stripped every single bit of insulation from the wires, high and low voltage, and the unit was still working lol. That was a mess, but I had to admire the fact that it was still in operable condition.

Mouse piss is worse than dead mice IMO.

 

Does your furnace look like this? My parents' house has the 1st floor unit located in the basement and the 2nd floor unit located in the attic...

 

That's a crappy install job. That humidifier leaks, it is going to drop water all over the furnace. So stupid. No reason the humidifier couldn't be mounted on the return and the bypass to the supply and eliminate the risk altogether.

 

Just about a twin

 

Did that come with the house or did you pay to have it installed?

 

Welcome to the world of tract homes, and what's infuriating is that my parents paid extra for the humidifier...

 

Original to the house, circa 2008 time frame.

 

For some reason I thought your house was older. Are you in a subdivision?

 

negative, just a single lot.

 

But you bought it new?

 

no sir, second owner i bought in 2015