John Dirks Jr

Steam systems are certainly more rare. Guys that know steam systems well are almost always very good with hot water systems too. But many guys that are adept with water systems may not be good with steam. Some older steam systems may have been converted to water. If you find any evidence that it was a converted system, Id still recommend a steam specialist. The experts at steam systems can handle just about anything.

It's a huge cooling tower on the roof of the building. It cools water and circulates it throughout the building to all the individual condo units. The water passes through coils in the exchanger which is located in the air handler. The air handler blows air across the coils which cools the air. I'm curious, how would they individually meter a system like this to determine how much the energy bill for cooling each condo unit is?

But I think so. It has water piping as the exchanger in the air handler of the condo unit.

Not sure.

I'm looking for articles, tutorials or video clips / animations on how cooling towers work to provide HVAC for individual living units in larger condo buildings. If anyone can share anything it would be greatly appreciated. I have a client who would like me to give detailed explanation of exactly how these systems work. Thanks in advance.

Its not a flue pipe, its a vent connector.

Let us say I saw a wood burning masonry fireplace and chimney and it looked pretty good to me. I tell the client it looks good and I don't recommend a Level II inspection. Then, for whatever reason the property owner gets a Level II inspection at some point recently thereafter. The chimney pro tells the owner $4000 of repairs are needed. I suspect I shouldn't be surprised if I got a phone call from the owner asking me to pay the bill. As much as I hate to give a scam artist a chance to rip somebody off, I would hate it even more to be the one paying the bill. I plan to continue recommending Level II inspections to prevent finding myself in this situation. I can only hope that the client hire an honest person.

As I recall, DDT is not particularly hazardous to humans. It's still used today in many countries. The problem was that it devastated bird populations by causing their eggshells to become thin. It's possible that the only reason we still have bald eagles is because of the ban on DDT. Given that malaria is not a big problem in the U.S. the ban here is probably an unequivocal good thing. How would bald eagles become exposed to DDT? Was the stuff used in wilderness areas that these birds thrive in?

Is it true that more people died of malaria than would have been harmed by DDT? IE - the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

In a mid Atlantic state like Maryland, do you think a ground source heat exchange system (if properly set up) would be more beneficial in the heating mode or cooling mode?

Thanks for the help. So far I'll correct my terminology, recommend they seek information on energy consumption both prior to and after the system installation and recommend a specialist be hired to do a thorough evaluation.

I'll be inspecting a house with geothermal heat exchange. I understand the general concepts of these systems but would like information on inspecting them. Other than typical air handler and distribution issues, what should I be looking for? Are there any specific procedures I should perform, or avoid performing? Thanks in advance for any input.

Your topic title says Level I inspection. If the property is transferring ownership, it should be a Level II inspection. I recommend Level II on just about every wood burning fire place with masonry chimney. I do this regardless of how much I can see, how good it looks or how much it appears to have been used. I write up mis-aligned flue liner sections when I see them. There can be parts of the chimney that intersect with house components and are not visible. CO gas can move through gaps in the chimney and into the structure in areas that are hidden from view by simply looking up or down the chimney. Creosote can build up in liner gaps and result in fire hazards.

For stuff like that, I use Permatex anti seize made for brakes. Thick enough to spread it on with a small brush. It will stay put and keep the threads in good shape. http://www.permatex.com/products-2/prod ... ant-detail

When did the downspouts get extended? Once that is done, it can take some time for residual water from previous rains to dry out. Were you discovering the moisture before the gutter downspouts were extended? Does the exterior grade on all sides of the house have sufficient slope away from the foundation walls?

I actually picked up the radon test this afternoon. There is no Humiditrol system. I'll be amending the report to reflect that the AC was running when the system was in heat mode and that all related systems need to be checked for proper configuration and function.

Lots of loose connections at breakers and conductors lodged at the side of the terminal screws instead of clamped underneath them. Click to Enlarge 48.06 KB Click to Enlarge 32.21 KB Breakers smashed under knockouts that were not removed. Click to Enlarge 45.03 KB All kinds of misspelled and incorrect labeling. Click to Enlarge 40.17 KB Click to Enlarge 32.93 KB Click to Enlarge 35.87 KB And the AHJ has signed off approving the whole mess.

For this and about 50 other things. Rough framing is horrific, rough plumbing is worse and they cut through a 14 inch lvl to run heat. The windows in the the bedrooms are 28 inches by 56 inches and they should have been 2' 8" by 5' 6". On a gut feeling, I kicked a shear wall on the garage face and I moved it an inch on the foundation. During the foundation inspection, I made them add all kinds of anchors- I have no idea why the wall wasn't anchored. I ordered the roof covering removed and replaced- no starter strip, no ice and water, no underlayment, stapled not nailed and the shingle offsets were one inch. The installer racked the roof so, with the one inch offsets it's almost like not having a roof at three foot intervals. I called the owner and told him to find a new contractor. I reminded him that I told him the house couldn't be built for the contract price and that I said at that time his contractor was a thief, an idiot or both. To make matters worse, even though th contractor took his draws, he never paid for any of the materials. The owner is out almost a hundred grand, the house has a hundred in liens against it and there might be 50 grand worth of asset there. That sucks! But it's nice to see you're kickin' some ass. Nice job Chad!

I'm going to check again when I go back for radon pickup. It's weird you know. Sometimes one misses obvious things that we generally are not looking for. For instance, I don't pay much attention to most low voltage wiring. But you would be surprised how many clients ask me about it. They see it but my mind just automatically bypasses it since I'm not looking for it.

A reversing valve was the first thing I looked for and I did not see one. At the Lennox website, they list the 13ACX as compatible with Humiditrol. Go to the link below, click on the features button and scroll down. It says "Designed to work with the Humiditrol? whole-home dehumidification system" http://www.lennox.com/products/air-conditioners/13ACX/

I'd like to have a number for a rep in Maryland. I see a fair share of in slab Transite in one of my areas.

Me either obviously. And if you have not seen it, I don't feel like a dummy for not understanding initially.

Luckily I get to return to the property to recover a radon monitor on Wednesday. I'll take a closer look to see if I missed a Humiditrol system which might explain the AC compressor running during the heat mode.

Maybe this is it. The AC could be part of a Humiditrol system. The features button at this site says the 13ACX is compatible with such a system. Perhaps the unit was responding to a humidity adjustment and had nothing to do with the heat setting. http://www.lennox.com/products/air-conditioners/13ACX/ If not, any help in understanding would be appreciated.

Todays inspection was a new home with gas fueled condensing furnace. I had not yet begun to inspect HVAC but while I was on exterior portion I noticed the Lennox 13ACX air conditioner running. Outside temps were 40 degrees so I thought it not good for the unit to be running. I went inside assuming that the buyer or agent had been fiddling with the thermostat. I was planning on telling them to turn off the AC since it was cold outside. But to my surprise, the thermostat was actually in the heat mode. I know about hybrid systems but isnt this Lennox 13ACX and air conditioning unit only? What would cause it to be running during the heat mode? Both of the refrigerant lines were insulated when normally I only see the low side insulated. While this thing was running, the low line (fat one) was warm and the high line (skinny one) was cold. I turned the thermostat to the off position and let it wait a while. When I turned it back to heat the gas furnace fired up and I could not duplicate the AC running during heat mode. Is the Lennox 13ACX AC only or heat pump? The Lennox site indicates AC. I don't understand what's happening here. Help me understand please.