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AHI in AR

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  1. I vaguely remember seeing something like this show up once before here but I've slept since then. Today's 1928 home had several of these still in place. Company name on the front was Rodale. What's with the two slots opposite each other horizontally? Yes, there was power to these. Click to Enlarge 57.72 KB
  2. Clearly they were not professional carpenters. Any REAL carpenter would know that having their wood stretcher on the truck would eliminate the need to buy specific lengths of four-by-two's. Amateurs...
  3. I've seen more cases like this in the last 15 years or so than I care to think about where a one piece flashing was installed before the brick went on. (I'm not sure what good step flashing could possibly do if installed as described.) Almost invariably, there is no kickout at the bottom to divert water from behind the brick veneer. The roof deck is preserved, but the wall framing gets destroyed below the gutter line on the main floor. Without any kickout flashing, that's where the water drains. And when there is a kickout flashing, the masons damn near always defeat the purpose of it by packing the joint full of mortar.
  4. I agree with Gary and Marc that sometimes you just gotta step up and help out your client. I've done it, and I'm sure a lot of you have also. In addition to simply feeling like the right thing to do, the time spent on things like this pays dividends multiple times over in additional business later down the road. People love it when they think you are really working only for them. As Marc mentioned, this was a young couple. Not only will they likely buy additional homes in the future, it's almost a given that they know other younger people who will be buying homes.
  5. Then if the last 3 digits of SN are 304 as they appear to me I would think that '83 is correct also. Definitely an older style unit. (And by "overall photo" I meant the unit itself, not the tag.)
  6. I can't tell much from the overall photo but GE sold out to Trane in the 80's. My guess is somewhere in the mid 80's based on what I can see. Was there an ANSI date? It was a pilot light unit, right? What's the age of the home?
  7. In case it wasn't clear, by "legitimate hunting" I was referring to hunting for food. I don't understand the appeal of hunting just to kill something. I suspect that those who line their walls with this many reminders of their kills don't do it just for food.
  8. Nuthin' screams "I have more testosterone than you!" than a room full of dead critters and selected parts thereof. Right? For the record, I'm not philosophically opposed to legitimate hunting but I don't "get" the whole excessive trophy display thing.
  9. This was new construction with a digital stat. Similar installations I've found didn't behave this way where a two degree bump triggered aux heat. In this case, a 1 degree bump on the stat didn't trigger the unit to come on at all. So how do you tell if the heat pump works solo w/o heat strips?
  10. Bill, why would that be the case on a "warm" day? It certainly isn't what I normally see here. Normally I can bump up the temperature two or 3 degrees without the heat strips coming on. More than that, and they do. Less than a two degree bump and the system won't come on at all. With a relatively warm outside temperature and a scant 2? increase in interior temperature desired why would the auxiliary heat kick in?
  11. I tested a heat pump today on a job where outside temperatures were in the mid-50's. When I set the thermostat to a desired temperature only 2 degrees higher than the interior temp shown on the t'stat, I was surprised to find that the heat strips kicked in also. In other words, I couldn't get the unit to kick on without the heat strips coming on also. Clearly there's a problem. Is this a wiring issue? Heat pumps only comprise about 5% of what I see so I am not thoroughly versed in the nuances of their operation. I realize that telling the client why this is happening isn't something I need to do but I want to know. What do you guys say about this?
  12. 3/4" T&G interior paneling was popular locally in the 1960's and early 70's that looked just like that. It was made of cypress and referred to as "pecky cypress" for reasons I never bothered to learn.
  13. My guess is that it's used as a big ol' junction box. Not exactly lovely work, is it?
  14. Presumably the neon Busch sign simulates a distant mountain range. One that casts an odd glow o'er the little town, that is...
  15. Perhaps they get paid per foot of tape they apply. Or they wanted to practice using a metal brake and 90 degree bends...
  16. I like the first one. I think it would lend itself to some creative effects.
  17. The bunny must have been dragged from elsewhere. No pink snow.
  18. I think we have all seen conventional filter grills where there is a lot of residue on the inside edge of the grill behind the filter. Obviously a lot of dirt bypasses the filter itself because it fits loosely in the opening. I may be a little bit obsessive about it, but I have installed compressible peel and stick weatherstripping in this area to make sure that when I close the door on the filter it fits tightly into the opening, but not so tightly that the filter is crushed. If your intake ductwork is very leaky it won't make a huge difference. But if your return is fairly well sealed it really helps. But back to the original question: I know that many returns which I see are undersized if you go by the book. Adding an excessively restrictive filter can create other problems -- just like you have a dirty filter.
  19. You can easily see through the really cheap filters. It doesn't take too much thinking to realize that they don't trap much more than the relatively large chunks of stuff passing through them. By going to a pleated design, the surface area can be expanded and filtration effectiveness increased without reducing flow too much--but only up to a point. The really dense medium used in some filters is problematic with regard to air flow. I happen to think that some of the Filtrete filters are too restrictive unless you oversize your return(s) to allow for the reduced airflow.
  20. Some expensive types designed to be ultra effective at micro particle filtration are. But your inexpensive $3 types are effective without being too restrictive. I wouldn't use the cheapo fiberglass types unless there's no other option available.
  21. Yeah it is, but is it possible that the wiring has a grounding conductor but the electrician simply installed ungrounded-type receptacles for his own goofy reasons? In either case I'd go with the GFCI protection.
  22. I received notice that I could elect to keep my existing policy thru the end of 2014 or choose the closest ACA compliant one with a corresponding premium increase of exactly 47%. The only "benefit" to choosing the ACA policy would be a decrease of $500 in my annual deductible. Oh yeah...I also got maternity coverage for my 54 year-old male and single self. I was decidedly not impressed.
  23. Whatsamatter? You don't know what a yacusy is? Or a fornes? Seriously though, if we assume that the electrician actually DID label the panel and is truly that illiterate we can also only assume that understanding something as complex as code books is WAY out of his reach. Is it possible that a non-native speaker of English owned the home and labeled the panel?
  24. I suggest that you ask everyone in the home to quit breathing for half an hour out of every 2 hours or so. Repeat as needed. See if that diminishes the moisture in the home enough to help...[]
  25. And this is why I am more than a bit nervous about potluck-type dinners...
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