Terence McCann

http://www.novavisioninc.com/pages/prd_ ... _tape.html I tape the basement windows.

Thanks Kyle. Any offical wording you can get would be very helpful in the justification of the removal of FP boxes.

I ask all my perspective clients if they would like a Radon test performed as well as the home inspection. I would say that approximately 70% ask "what's Radon? (topic for another discussion). I guess my point is, as a specialist in a particular industry, shouldn't we/they know about these things and advise accordingly and are we liable if we don't? WJ?

Radon levels could be high in one house and low in the house right next to it. That is why the EPA recommends testing every home. As Bill said, the builder might be liable if he tested the home and then did not inform the buyers about high Radon levels. I wonder though, if a builder is building in area that is known to have high Radon concentration if he then has a responsibility to inform buyers of this. Then the buyers can choose to have a Radon mitigation system installed or not. I'm not sure a builder can say "I've never heard of Radon" like many homeowners can. Building a safe house is their responsibility.

No. The explosive part of poo and sewage is methane. (Wonder if the methane actually comes from the pee or the poo?) I can neither confirm nor deny but I have heard that you can light a fart on fire.

I can't imagine how emotionally devastated his parents are.

For those that belong to ASHI they also have a checklist for inspecting installed Radon mitigation systems. It can be found on their web site.

Call your local Rheem dealer and refer to the installation instructions. You can also try doing a Google search for them.

Steve, is there an induced draft fan on that boiler? Reason I ask is that the boiler is sidewall vented and I'm wondering if it's rated for that. On a side note, is it kosher to tee the TP valve on the hot water tank and run a supply line out of it?

Reply deleted due to it's flippant nature (no banana for Terry). As Neal said: Print a copy of the EPA standards, which are the guidelines we follow, and give them to all parties involved - not any more complicated than that.

That's not quite right. A heat load calc determines how much air the room will need, to maintain design criteria, followed by what size of duct will deliver the needed CFM. Adding up all the rooms will determine the size of the furnace (or you can wag at X cfm per square foot).

Get a Trane Ductulator http://www.professionalequipment.com/du ... KNC-Google They're kinda neat to play around with anyway. First you need to know the CFM of the furnace - on high speed if you have central air and a two speed blower. The main duct should be big enough to handle the total CFM of the furnace and is typically rectangle in shape. Then as you keep running branch lines to feed the rooms the main duct can be reduced accordingly ie. 800 CFM=10x12 main duct, 1st branch line is 6" round @ 200 CFM, then the main duct goes down to the corresponding size for 600 CFM. These numbers are pulled out of the air but you get the point. If you're looking at gaining head room you can play with the rectangle shape to adjust for headroom. In your case with removing duct work you have also decreased the load. If you did the remodel after the furnace change the furnace is now over-sized. While this may not affect the furnace in heating choking back on air flow will come back to bite you in the cooling mode. Shutting down airflow =ice on the evap. It's not complicated to figure out but is really best left to an HVAC contractor or sheet metal company.

They were doing that around here as well.

It's actually quite magnificent. I'd relocate it outdoors and proceed with the inspection.

Yup, that's one fugly install however I'm still laughing. You should collect all of our "Oh my God" pictures Mike and publish a book. Make a great addition to the coffee table.

It's a wise man who knows his limitations. If you don't want to burn your house down call a professional.

Kurt - I uploaded a pdf for a Trane 2 1/2 Ton Split System Cooling — 1 Phase 2TTX5030A condensing unit. It should be in the files section for download. From the PDF file: General The 2TTX5 shall be fully charged from the factory for matched indoor section and up to 15 feet of piping. This unit is designed to operate at outdoor ambient temperatures as high as 115°F. Cooling capacities are matched with a wide selection of air handlers and furnace coils that are ARI certified. The unit is UL listed. Exterior is designed for outdoor application. Hope this helps.

Kurt, a few questions. Is the installation new/newer? The installing contractor still in business? What have they said about the project? Is it plan & spec or design build? Plan & spec would put the onus on the design engineer, design build would put the onus on the mechanical contractor. I lived for these types of problems when I was in the contracting business. There was nothing that compared to being challenged with a very nasty problem and finding a solution (as long as it wasn't your company that caused the problem). It was my drug of choice. You're a lucky dog.

The link to the text in my first post is here http://www.microcool.com/cooling/brochu ... ooling.pdf Here is a link to an actual Carrier spec sheet however it is from a rooftop package unit. In this spec they say 125º - 2.1.8.3 Operating Characteristics A. Unit shall be capable of starting and running at 125°F ambient outdoor temperature per maximum load criteria of ARI Standard 360. B. Unit with standard controls will operate in cooling down to an outdoor ambient temperature of 0°F (-17.8°C). C. Unit shall be provided with fan time delay to prevent cold air delivery. D. Size 15, 18, and 20-ton units shall have 3 fully independent refrigerant circuits to allow for 33% loading. Here's a link to HVAC Partners I've got a call in to my contact at our local Trane dealer for a link to actual Trane literature. You need to be a Trane employee to access some of this information (why it's under lock and key I'll never know). I called my friend with Carrier and he said 115-125 is the rule of thumb. We use to figure 30º over ambient for reading head pressure (I think that has dropped with higher efficiency units) so as an example: R-22 at 125º ambient with 30º over gives you a head pressure of 405# - yikes! That's the pressure where most fusible plugs let go. You have a hornets nest with that project. They ever look into the possibility of two fans, one to push and one to pull air through that space? It would be noisy as hell with all the condensing units singing and two good sized fans moving air but from the looks of it your options are limited. One trick we use when a condenser fan would die is to run a lawn sprinkler over the condensing unit however this is very short term due to the fact that constant city water on the fins eats them alive. I have to go now, I've given myself a headache. Good luck!

Never heard the term "bank barn". Splain.

Good question. Obviously there are maximum ambient temperatures however I don't think I've ever seen this published from the manufactures (that's not to say manufactures never publish this information). The one picture you posted of the apartment building with all the condensing units is a good example of exceeding design conditions. After a short Google ride I found this: Trane Co. equipment data indicates proper unit operation up to a maximum ambient temperature of 115°F (46°C). Problems should be expected only at temperatures above 115°F (46°C). This is a typical limitation for an air-cooled DX packaged unit. Over-sizing the unit cannot be an answer to the problem. The only solution to the problem is reducing the condenser intake air temperatures by means of pre-cooling. This effectively will increase the condenser capacity. Installation of a pre-cooling system for the condenser intake air will have an additional benefit of reducing the power consumption by the refrigeration compressors.

Hi Mark: I'm licensed in Ohio to perform Radon testing. If you want, PM me and we can hook up on the phone to discuss. OK, I can not hold it in any longer........ why Iggy Pop?

http://www.contractingbusiness.com/25/I ... 3002/Issue Good info on Flame Rectification.

First off the new ritetemp t/stat is a heat pump t/stat. You have a boiler system - it is single stage of heat only. I'd take the thermostat back to where you got it and buy an electronic thermostat for a conventional system, not a heat pump. IF the person that wired it originally did it correctly then your Red wire goes to R on the thermostat, the W wire goes to the W terminal and the G wire goes to the G terminal. R = 24V Hot W = Heat G = FAN This is for a conventional forced hot air system. With the boiler system you obviously do not have a fan so, I assume that the installer ran a three color t/stat wire but the G wire would go to the C terminal of the thermostat. C is the common of the 24V transformer. When you took the old thermostat apart did you note which terminals the wires went to? Was the G wire even hooked up? The old one may have just connected the R and W wire. I'd would think that there were just two wires connected to the old stat. Hope this helps.

A few questions then: Has the flue gas eaten away any of the mortar/brick where the gap in the lining is? What do you guys write when you find it? Do you recommend repair? Does anyone have a picture of something Bill hasn't seen?