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Terence McCann

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Everything posted by Terence McCann

  1. True true. [^]
  2. Reminds me of the first day of Circuits 1 class back in my freshman year of college. I do hear a lot of people (including some home inspectors) say that "current flows in a circuit" which is not accurate. "Current" is actually the movement of something like "a river's current". Charge is what actually flows in an electrical circuit. Just saying.. Isn't that what it is saying though? I'm not sure if you agree with the wording or disagree.
  3. Is this "in your experience," or do you have a specific reference to back it up? Lol... wise guy [] My name is McCann, not Volta (although I wish it were Warren Buffett Jr.) The ARRL Handbook 2010, hardbound edition, Chapter 2 page 2.2. All kidding aside I think it's important to know how certain things work to see big picture. Believe it or not I do a lot more reading than posting.
  4. Units of measurement: To measure electrical quantities, certain definitions have been adopted. Charge is a measurement in coulombs © and represented by q in equations. One coulomb is equal to 6.5 X 1018 electrons (or protons). Current, the flow of charge, is measured in amperes (A) and represented by i or I in equations. One ampere represents one coulomb of charge flowing past a point in one second and so amperes can also be expressed as coulombs per second. Electromotive force is measured in volts (V) and represented by e, E, v or V in equations. One volt is defined as the electromotive force between two points required to cause one ampere of current to do one joule (measured as energy) of work in flowing between two points. Voltage can also be expressed as joules per coulomb. And that's the rest of the story.
  5. Where do these people come from? I know by writing this I'm feeding the fire but holy cow - I don't get it.
  6. That's the silliest thing I've heard in a long time. When you pen a non-fiction book or one that discusses things of a technical nature you always include foot notes that points to a study or documentation that backs up your claims, anything less is hearsay and fodder for Jerry Springer. I have to say though that I did have a good chuckle, thanks.
  7. No they don't. The old ones perhaps but that goes way way back - perhaps as far back as the Honeywell Cronotherm?? I put a White Rogers in one of my homes back in 1991 that didn't need a common. All you should need is a Red, Green, White & Yellow for proper operation (5th wire if you have a heat pump).
  8. You sound pretty capable of working on it. Before you buy any parts try jumping out the various limit controls, one at a time, for process of elimination. If the induced draft motor starts and then the hsi starts to glow and then everything shut down it sounds like the differential pressure switch that proves induced draft motor operation - this can be jumped out as well. If the flame rod is crapping out the burners will light for 30 seconds or so and then shut down. Good luck! BTW, don't forget to remove the jumpers [:-magnify
  9. Which fan, the main blower that delivers air to the home or the little fan that is in the burner compartment above the burners? If the main blower starts as soon as the t/stat calls for heat something is not wired correctly. Sounds like there is an unintentional feedback energizing the main blower through the control circuit. This could also be producing unpredictable conditions as you're seeing. Perhaps when they installed the a/c they boffed the control circuit wiring some how.
  10. What safety switch were you pressing? I take it then you had blow back when the gas valve first opened. Most likely a gas pressure problem. Could be too high coming into the house too. When the gas valve opens you get a surge until the pressure regulator starts to clamp down. When my Goodman furnace took a dump that would happen when the main blower started. Only reason I found it was the burners were short cycling during the heating cycle so I went to see what was wrong. Cracked heat-x.
  11. When did that roll out occur, upon 1st ignition or when the main blower started?
  12. Anyone bring the hot dogs?
  13. I use Monires Solutions which is an ASHI affiliate (FWIW). Pretty simple, call the 800 number and follow the prompts. You get instant verification on the payment being processed. It's only MC or VISA. There have been numerous times when the client has forgotten their check book but still carry the plastic. Goes along with my "no accounts receivables" policy.
  14. I still advise clients to shut these off inside and open them up outside in the winter. I had one freeze on my home. I must say though that I don't make a point of showing the client where to shut these off and I should.
  15. They're junk. Goodman, Coleman, Junkatrol = crap [:-thumbd] The GMP model was one of the worst. This was the model I had in my home and the heat exchanger failed after 13 years of service. When it was working, and I use that term loosely, I would have to replace at least a few parts during heating season to keep it going. When the heat exchanger failed I was stuck with a induced draft assembly, two flame rods, two hot surface igniter's and numerous safety limits. Contractors use to love them because they were dirt cheap - with good reason. Our condos were built in '96 and there are 52 homes with these furnaces installed. At least half of the home owners have had to replace theirs. Google GMP furnace problems. If memory serves we discussed this once before here.
  16. Are these furnaces twinned? Might they have replaced older 95% furnaces with newer (relatively speaking) furnaces? Reason I ask is that quite often you'll see drain lines on a 90 exiting the furnace flue gas discharge line. We see where the plastic tubing is in the furnace but were does the other end go to? Any humidifiers on the furnaces - or use to be? I must say that it is odd that a tech would leave them if they were not needed anymore (unless it was cousin Billy-Bob that was the tech).
  17. Looks just like the stuff you see when flue gas is condensing in the chimney.
  18. Have you looked into Sun Nuclear Joe?
  19. I've had the best results from Duracell however I'm still not impressed. I'm amazed that Scott gets that type of performance out of Enegizer batteries as I can only squeeze one inspection out of a charge (on a good day).
  20. I'll take the one with the different colored LEDs - reminds me of the 70's and disco. On second though, I'll pass on that one.
  21. Would you explain the procedure a little more Kevin? I take it your are using this company to book and schedule your inspections? How do they digitally sign the contract?
  22. I love this one: But the judge found that Toth did not give the couple sufficient time to read the contract and did not do enough to highlight the clause limiting his liability. Please sign the contract here and now please sign this document that states that you read the other document. Now, lets all go to the bank and ask the nice lady to notarize the document stating that you read the other document. Just another case were no one is responsible for their own actions anymore. Got to be someones fault - just ask any attorney.
  23. http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.html#Q5 Google ARRL RF Exposure to gain additional info. I must have a screw loose (or several) but I dig antennas. Be careful though as RF burns are a real hazard. This fellow was on to something - it's just a shame that he didn't live long enough to see the fruits of his labor come to fruition .
  24. Why does my refrigerator need to be on a grounded outlet? My home inspector said my automatic garage door opener should be on a grounded outlet. Is it OK to install a ground rod outside the garage and then just run a green wire into the garage?
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