Terence McCann

Broke a promise to myself - sorry Marc.

Once you put an item on ebay AND there is a bid on it you can't pull it off.

The tech will have a few tricks in his bag for running a/c when it is cold, like blocking off part of the condenser, however your problem is electrical and just shows up when the unit first starts. Shouldn't take him long to narrow the problem down.

I think I remember those from my youth but my memory is a bit fuzzy.

As Bill stated the flue gas, from the furnace, is condensing and dripping back down the flue and leaking out at the connections. It looks like it may be due to an over sized flue. With regards to the indoor blower starting,stopping and then restarting - this is not a good situation especially if the outside condensing unit is doing the same thing. It's not good for electric motors to bang on and off. There is no way someone can troubleshoot this problem without actually looking at your system and testing the electrical circuitry. Let us know what the tech finds.

How much a sq. ft. Kurt?

Why just the supply ducts then Mike? The guy has a pretty big workbench and likes to tinker. I have to pickup the Radon monitor on Wednesday so I'll poke around a bit to see if there might be chemicals he has been working with.

Anyone know what the white stuff on the duct work is or how it got there? It's similar to the chalking you get on paint that has been out in the sun to long. I was thinking the ducts were sweating but it's a stretch. It's located mainly on the supply ducts in the basement. The returns are pretty clean but still a bit of the white stuff here and there. Click to Enlarge 52.87?KB Click to Enlarge 51.91?KB

Truly.

I take it that we're looking at the front of the evap with the steel beam over it on the left hand side? Then it looks like the supply plenum hugs the beam yes? Now there is an offset from the outlet of the evap to the supply plenum. It also looks like they put sheet metal over the bottom part of the supply plenum where it use to line up but is now capped off. Was there a reason they couldn't line everything up? If what I've said is correct about the installation then they have dramatically changed the air flow pattern around the evap. The end result will be air stratification and most likely freezing the part of the coil that isn't seeing correct air flow. Low superheat because of bad airflow & liquid coming back is a possibility. You'd need gauges and a few strap on t/stats the see how the system is functioning. Last, but not least, is how much air flow has been cut down? If you have a duct-o-lator, you can get the cfm for the original size of the plenum then get the new dimensions to see exactly how many cfm they're now losing. It's incorrect no matter how you slice it. edit: I doubt a manufactures warranty would hold up if they saw how it was installed. When systems are installed incorrectly, as this one is, they are a nightmare until ripped out and installed correctly.

Dear Terence, The Examining Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI) is inviting you to participate in an important survey. This survey, a role delineation survey, is a part of the process of defining the evolving role and responsibilities of a professional home inspector. The information that you provide will provide the basis for determining the content and structure of the National Home Inspector Examination?. In preparing this role delineation survey, a task force of your peers has identified the knowledge that is potentially required by minimally qualified candidates. This survey will provide feedback from professional home inspectors regarding their daily roles. This is standard for test development and provides the basis for our exam to be both legally defensible and psychometrically sound. We respect and value your time and commitment. The survey will take approximately 60 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential. No individual responses will be released. Reports generated are aggregated totals of those who respond. If you are not able to complete the entire survey in one sitting, you will be able to log out of the system and return as often as you need. Your participation in this effort is invaluable in defining professional home inspection for the next five years. This is your opportunity to ensure what you do as a professional home inspector is included. Please take the time to participate in your profession. The survey will open August 30, 2012. Please respond by September 16, 2012. To begin the survey, please click on the link below:

It's not going to hurt anything.

On commercial 1 cfm per sq ft with 400 cfm per ton always worked. With older residential 650 cfm per ton is a good rule of thumb - 1600 sf / 650 = 2.5 ton (rounded up). Newer homes are a lot more energy efficient so lower tonnage is expected. I would think that this has been kicked around before here. What I look for is something that seems really out of whack for the structure. A greenhorn in the HVAC field will always oversize thinking that a bigger unit will always be assured of keeping the structure cool. Just my opinion.

Is the home big enough for a 5 ton unit?

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