AHI in AR

I can't claim to have any personal experience with unions, but I fully admit that when they came upon the scene over a century ago they were desperately needed. However, to the detriment of the American economy as a whole, I think it became a case of the tail wagging the dog. Just look at the Detroit auto industry as an example. As a homebuilder for 25 years in a non-union state, I have to say that the best brick mason I ever had was an Australian gentleman. No contest whatsoever. He came to Arkansas after having worked for a union in another state. He quickly became very frustrated with the union system, knowing that he could do better on his own. As he related the situation to me, the unions had a productivity quota that you didn't dare exceed. Nor did you grab so much as a single concrete block yourself--you had to let the unskilled labor do that for you. Even if it slowed you down to do so. As an extremely talented mason, he had often laid his quota of block or brick by shortly after lunch. He was expected to sit on his hands for the rest of the afternoon. It didn't take him too long to figure out he could make more money working for himself in a right to work state. This guy did undeniably beautiful work. Head joints all perfectly aligned, bed joints of consistent thickness, and absolutely plumb corners. AND he knew how to slope a window sill properly! He kept TWO laborers hopping while working solo. Most crews here work on the opposite ratio. I can't tell you how much I hated to see him go back home.

Maybe y'all are missing the point. The furnace is designed to be installed vertically, or horizontally on one side or the other. NOT on its back. The burners are firing downward.

Only the furnace is on its back; the evap coil is mounted normally.

Yep...it's installed on its back. And it's been here since 1993! Click to Enlarge 44.01 KB

Multi-tasking. Diverting rainwater and cleaning your floor mat at the same time. Brilliant!

Looks like there are water stains on the pipe. Are you sure that it isn't simply leaking at the roof flashing?

Hey, Les...here's a thought. Ever consider volunteer work where you bitch for others who are lacking the time, spinal fortitude, or maybe just an adequate vocabulary to do it themselves?

Geez, Jim... How about you tell us how you really feel instead of camouflaging it with all that flowery language? []

Kurt... Sorry to disappoint anyone, but the post was in the interiors and appliances forum. Just exactly what were you expecting?

Oven, that is. The house had been owned by an elderly bachelor. He bought it in 1987 and NEVER used the oven. Racks and instructions were still in plastic. I can't confirm it, but the cook top and vent hood looked similarly pristine as though they'd never been used. In a related story, the original built-in microwave was absolutely worn out... Click to Enlarge 45.86 KB

I don't see hail damage. At least not just hail damage. In the last photo with the heavy damage, is that in an area where it was likely that someone would set up a ladder and routinely access the roof? For Christmas lights, routine maintenance, or other reasons?

There is never a need for a trap on the "inlet line". All condensate drains out of the collector box. The only trap should be connected to the collector box. I have never seen a sanitary tee on a furnace exhaust - I'd remember something that odd. I found a similar unit's installation instructions online. The trap is listed by the MFR as an "optional combustion air inlet trap" and the tee goes ahead of the trap. Definitely not on the exhaust.

The "white thingy" is part of the condensate drain--it's a condensing furnace. And the cover isn't louvered. It's solid. Combustion air should come in through the non-removed knockout to the left of the exhaust. The furnace can be installed horizontally or vertically, and with a left or right side orientation. The appropriate inlet needs to be knocked out. And if installed inside conditioned space or a closed area (this wasn't) you may need a separate pipe to bring combustion air in directly. The exhaust vent should pitch upward. The condensation that occurs in the vent drains out through a rubber hose in the fan housing, and from there it ties into the pvc drain system shared with the evaporator coil.

Okay boys and girls, today's question relates to the installation of a Heil high efficiency gas furnace. It was located in a well ventilated attic. First of all, since we are in primarily a cooling climate here I don't see a whole lot of high efficiency furnaces. Secondly, the installation instructions are a bit confusing, especially when sitting in a 130? attic. Lastly, I'm under a severe time crunch since these folks thoughtfully informed me that they had to have the report tonight instead of tomorrow as I originally promised when booking the job. Anyway, the exhaust vent on this thing looks to be AFU. I think they used the condensate trap intended to go on the inlet line and installed it on the exhaust. And then there's the fact that the exhaust slopes the wrong way, and ties into a tee which is oriented improperly. I think the installer confused the inlet and outlet pipe configurations. And he didn't remove the knockout for combustion air. What do y'all think? edit: Sorry, forgot to attach pic. It's been a long day. Click to Enlarge 49.82 KB

Back when I was a homebuilder the average subcontractor had the mindset that real men didn't need/ read instructions. It's obvious that same attitude prevails elsewhere also.

http://photosilke.blogspot.com/2013/03/ ... tored.html

Looks like insect droppings to me.

I collect old tools also. But after having been mildly chastised by a much older gentleman -- and I'm 53 -- for using the term "ruler" I quit using the term. What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body. But they built them well back then, huh?

Well, since no one else has said it, I will. I didn't even look at the picture, but putting all of the kitchen and bathroom circuits on one breaker is just stupid, regardless of whether or not the particular wire nut used is designed for that many wires. I think adding a sub panel would be a good idea given the scenario you outlined where there aren't available slots. But then again, that wasn't your question, was it?

My dad was a home builder and I cleaned thousands of brick like that as a kid in the summers of the late 60's and very early 70's as old buildings were torn down. Sittin' in the sun with a trowel and a mason's hammer. What fun! The brick was simply called "used" back then and it was cheap; now it's highly sought after. I'm pretty real sure that's used brick you've got. Look closely and you can see old mortar still on it. You will probably find some old splotches of paint and roofing tar elsewhere on the house. In a Southern climate it deteriorates pretty slowly. You can find any number of houses around here that are 40 years old or more that look just like that. Honestly, what concerns me most is the last photo of the horizontal crack. Looks like the wall is buckling outward.

I found this in a home built in 1925. The item on the right appears to be some sort of jack for an antenna, but it was hard to tell because the center of it was full of paint. There were two terminals on the back of it with very light gauge wiring attached. Probably about an 18 gauge or so. So what is it? Click to Enlarge 37.85 KB

It's from an amusement park--you walk through it while it spins

You mentioned that there had been a flood, so I'm going to jump to the conclusion that it is near water. Are there slots that we can't see where smaller materials would fall out of the cylinder? Is it to mine minerals from a stream bed? Is it a huge industrial washing machine? Was Jimmy Hoffa in there? Are the ring and pinion gears from a '28 model A? As you can guess, I don't have a clue. In any case, the halogen lights are an anachronism.

Les-- The water swirled around and drained as is normal. But instead of simply filling back up it filled up quickly and then flushed again just as soon as it was through filling. The bowl then refilled as it should with no more flushing. All 3 toilets in the home were identical. This was the only one doing this so it wasn't a mismatched bowl/tank issue.

I dunno. By my admittedly unscientific approach of simply watching all three toilets flush I'd have to say that the amount of water that went out with the first flush matched that of the other 2 toilets in the home.