Home Improvement Today?

Now I know. Normally I would have taken his offer, but the balance sheet said no. Maybe next time.

 

i know the feeling. just got a $300 electric bill(normally $100-ish) from a/c usage.

considering my a/c is somewhere near original to the house built in 1972, it's time to update.

i normally multiply material cost estimates by 2 to get the rough parts/labor cost. so a $5,000 hvac system means i'll need to pay $10,000 to have them install it.. or i can do the install myself, deal with their bickering, and save $4,000 after the service call for them to charge the system...

 

Yeah, get a heat pump to replace it, high efficiency.

If you got the skill to install, I would do the same. Keep an eye on the warranty conditions.

 

I just installed a mini split in my caboose. Under $1k to buy the system…lowest quote we got to install was over $6k.

The DIY install voided the warranty, but…I could replace it every year until the warranty would have expired and still come out ahead.

 

is that a euphemism, or do you actually have a train car caboose!?

labor is always the expensive part. well, labor and refrigerant. as with anything, the choice is to either pay through the nose for someone else to do it, or take the time to do it yourself. i'm not made of money, so the second one gets used more than i'd prefer. at least until i find that winning lottery ticket...

yeah, i'm ok voiding a few warranties as long as i know i can still get the parts without needing official channels. right now, i'm trying to figure out if that ACIQ is an ok brand, or if i pay extra for a GoodMan.. i'm an experienced parts-swapper, i just don't have the capabilities to test, vacuum, or pressurize the lineset within the system. i understand the process, but am looking at close to $1k in tool investment to do myself, where i can just pay less or equal for a service call for it to be done properly without the weekend hassle it'll cost me.

 

i just plain don't trust heat pumps for my climate. being in the midwest, it can be -20 at the low end, or 110 on the high end. there are 'hybrid' heat pumps that are gas-fired that i'm looking into, but the temp variation can still be difficult.

 

Both?

Bought this and moved it onto our property a few months ago. Just got it officially open for business this weekend.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1389498045891210302

 

you can charge it yourself for pretty inexpensively. I think i did mine for under $750 but that included buying a new two stage vacuum pump and a nicer scale. Even if you dont do it yourself...try to provide the refrigerant yourself. I got my R-410A 10lb bottle for under $250. The HVAC company by me was going to charge ~$500 for the same. (plus labor and all that)

For what its worth I deal with the same situation temp wise. We have a mini split (not totally the same as a heat pump) and it has done great it all temps above -14F (its rated temp). On the hot days its never had an issue. On those cold days it does lose efficiency as it gets to that -14F but still kept the rooms at temp. Once it got below -14F it would eventually stop working all together. Luckily for us those cold temps are usually at night and during the day it would warm up enough for the unit to work again. But we have forced air too so isnt a big deal for us. Just based on the mini split, we plan on going a heat pump route with gas back up when/if our A/C goes out.

 

We lived in WV and had the hybrid system (propane) and loved it. Set the propane side to come on in the low 30's, worked like a champ. We had it installed back in 2012, cost was around $7K if I remember correctly. It replaced the original heat pump that was a cold air/spin the electric meter pump below 30.

 

It is a high efficiency furnace. It is highly efficient at turning money into waste heat going up the flue.
The furnace and water heater are on their last legs. Money is tight for them right now so its temporary solutions for the time being.

I just put the water heater back to the way it was installed originally. The previous DIY home owner has a signature shoddy workmanship that stands out like a smear of black grease on white upholstery. I don't know which is first for them, a new water heater or furnace/AC. Whatever it is will require a new venting solution.

 

...take Google reviews for what they are worth.......not hard to 'pad' your stats, or to make bad reviews go away....

 

Progress on the sauna. Exterior burning going well! Control module in, and dimmer for COB lighting. You can’t have a light switch inside sauna and I’ve never seen an outdoor dimmer setup… this was my only idea… thoughts?

 

Wow nice even burning. How did you do that?

I'm okay with the switch there.

 

When you say you're ok with the switch location and method, you're reassuring me cause you're an electrician?? Please say yes.. LOL
I do have help electric wise from my electrician cousin and friend, they have yet to approve this... lol

One of these, SO FUN!

 

Very nice effect and looks great.

I'm not an electrician, and I'm unfamiliar with codes, sorry for any misrepresentation. It just seems logical to put in that location, slightly open door, reach around, reset temp/light... sit back down for another 20 minutes of heated steamy bliss.

 

HAHA much appreciated, it's fun, fast and non-toxic.. My cousin just approved, and yes, only logical location..

 

Building a new house, one board at a time.
Decided that the floor joists were just too far gone to leave, so ripped out everything and did all new. Tomorrow, taking out the kitchen/bedroom wall and floor to access to old joists for replacement and moving the wall to make the bedroom shorter but fatter.
The stud stacks are to hold up the porch roof and the house roof. Previously, it had so little support, it was heavily sagging. With the stacks, it provides support and enough meat to put in corbels. I actually lifted the roof line 3 inches in the right corner in the picture, that's how rotten an unsupported it was.

Edit: French doors will be going where the fireplace is to be and the new H.E. wood burning stove will be going against the wall between where the kitchen will be and the living room.

 

The sideways cover is not compliant. It needs to be a vertically opening cover so that the top and sides are sealed(not the bottom, so any water that does enter has an escape path). also needs to be gfi protected.

if you're planning on this being a rental, i would also avoid the direct dimmer setup. more things for people to fuss with, and at lower lighting levels, increased fall/trip liabilities for you as the landlord. far better to have an on/off switch go to the led driver, and then add an inline low voltage dimmer by the driver to dial in the level of lighting you want people to have.

i would suggest either of these. the decora style is newer, so i'm not entirely familiar with it's outdoor survivabillity, but it does look a lot nicer.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerc...hoppingads&locale=en-US&gStoreCode=1937&gQT=1

i've used thousands of these. the big advantage is that it's entirely pvc components, so there's nothing to corrode or rot on the outside of it. dis advantage is that the screw placement is very specific to outdoor-rated pvc or metal boxes.

$6 Hubbell-Bell PTC100GY Weatherproof Vertical Box Mount Nonmetallic Toggle Cover, 1-Gang, Gray

https://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-Bell-PTC100GY-Weatherproof-Vertical-Nonmetallic/dp/B002MYF1GA

these are my least-favorite outside switch. it's all metal, so it corrodes. it's also a really big pain to set up with the switch spacing to get the right amount of movement.

$9 Hubbell-Bell 5121-5 One Gang Switch Cover Gray

https://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-Bell-5121-5-Gang-Switch-Cover/dp/B00004WZ2R

 

Thanks for the input. Ive already explored all the ugly, NON dimming options... And no, not a rental anytime soon. I'll explore the vertical opening lid but didn't see an option anywhere. Also, the inline driver with dimmer for the COB light setup was a no because I don't want a remote in the sauna to control lights... The lighting I have purchased is 120V system without the need for a driver, hardwired direct to the switch. I live in a desert and the switch is well covered by the big overhang. Guess we will see..... Thank you!!

Ordering up one of these tanks.