Neal Lewis
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Everything posted by Neal Lewis
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I've messed around with alot of the balsam wool in my house from the 20's. It's nasty stuff to work with and really sticks to your skin if you have worked up a sweat. I'd rather deal with seaweed!
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Rob C, Not all condensers have the crankcase heater. Inspected a house today for the owner of a large HVAC/mechanical contractor. The first thing he did was turn on the AC, even though the temp was maybe 55 and cold overnight. Both condensers were builder grade, so no crankcase heater. He said it would do no harm.
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Numerous threads at HVAC-talk about these systems. The consensus is that the SEER is lowered at by at least 1 point , and the capacity is also reduced.
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So how long does it take for the exterior copper to turn green? Fifty years?
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Mike, Look for a serial/date code stamped on the gas valve or on the side of the pressuretrol, although both of these components could have been replaced. I have a light green Peerless steamer in my house from 1986.I believe the date would be somewhere on the label if it was 1994. Was there a Energyguide on the boiler; they first appeared about the early to mid 80's Sometimes, the old style cast iron LWCO can make a boiler look older than it is.
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Pete, The in-line diverter takes the place of the draft hood, so only one is needed. I would also call out the incorrect pitch. Neal
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Old Galvanized Steel & Lead Pipes
Neal Lewis replied to Brian G's topic in Inspecting/Appreciating Old Homes
Lead leaching from the lead supply piping generally isn't a problem in a public water system due to the ph being maintained aroud 7.0 If the water sample is a first draw, after the water is not used for a few hours, there is more likelihood of finding lead in the water. -
I see lots of crooked chimneys in old house attics, which were built intentionally leaning. I was told today by a chimney sweep that the chimneys were built this way to keep byproducts of burning coal from sloughing off the interior and clogging the flue. Sounds kinda suspect to me. I always thought old chimneys were built leaning to exit at the ridge for better drafting and to minimize the exposed area above the roof. Any other opinions out there? Neal
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Darren, I just saw one the other day on an oil fired steam boiler. It was a cube about 16" by 16".I warned about soot buildup, but the draft seemed OK.
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Douglas, I hope you are not saying that it is OK to insulate on top of the K&T??
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I saw a water heater the other day where the internal flue baffle was dislodged where it hangs at the top of the tank. It must of have been blocking the internal flue; it produced the same discoloration. This is uncommon but worth checking.
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If money were no object, I would go with the Weathershield true divided light double hungs or the Eagle windows; both are very high quality. The new Andersen 200 tilt series seems pretty cheap and I don't think it is Low E. FWIW I have two new Narroline units almost side by side. One is Low E (high performance) and the other is standard glass , due to sizing/ availablity. The surface of the Low E window is almost ten degress warmer when measured with a Raytek.