Terence McCann

Hi Joe: Best to check with you local codes in regards to placement of oil tanks. As far as IAQ is concerned; Oil fired homes have a very distinct odor, I don't believe that it is harmful but then again I don't profess to be a health expert. There shouldn't be any oily film in the home except for the tank, furnace & this would be in older homes - whenever you service an oil furnace it's a dirty job, there are filters and spray nozzles to change - a little mess after a while it to be expected. Firing rate is also very important, make sure there is no flame impingement on the back of the fire box which leads to warping, cracking etc. I always recommend to owners of oil fired equipment to seek out a licensed HVAC contractor and to secure a PM agreement on their equipment ASAP. George would be a good source for oil fired equipment, I believe he has rasseled with a few of these in his day.

Hi Chad: I punt when it comes to septic tanks. I confess that I do not have the proper knowledge or tools to do the customer justice. Maybe someday but I have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Pumping of septic tank and visual inspection are methods used to check septic tank condition. Probing in the area of a tank is not recommended; the probe may damage fiberglass and steel tanks. Steel tanks last 20-25 years, rust, and collapse. Since steel tank tops may be replaced while leaving the old tank in place, the condition of the top is not a reliable indication of tank age/condition. Concrete and fiberglass tanks may crack; baffles may be damaged allowing solids into the absorption field. When property ownership is changing, it is highly recommended that the septic tank be pumped and visually inspected after the dye testing but prior to closing. For what it's worth, your mileage may vary.

Hi Ellen: Regarding your first post with pictures; I really like the measuring device in the attic. Insulation measuring stick? To alert Ma & Pa Kettle that junior had outgrown the attic? High flood water mark? Getting close???

Hi George: I’ll be 50 in 2k5. My wife and I were just interviewed by our MetroPark Systems due to the fact that we left them in our will. They asked why we would leave part of our estate (all $2.25) to the MetroParks and I replied that: I use to play hockey with my friends when the creek froze. It was a never ending source of adventure, finding toads, salamanders and the like. I smoked my first cigarette in the park. I held hands and kissed my first girlfriend in the park. It was a great place to discover. Although I am way past the “newâ€

Jerry: That was some picture. Electrolysis of some sort? I'll wait for Doug to weigh in.

I love this place. Thanks Mike.

As long as it isn't over 30'. Personally I would rather see it in a garage where a weeping valve would be noticed.

Hello Mr. G: Four 90s. http://www.wattsreg.com/default.htm?/t& ... lation.htm or http://66.132.184.14:8080/~ashi/upload/T&P.pdf

I have a Goodman, model# GMP 075-3 in our condo. It can be installed upright, sideways or upside down. It is forced draft and you have to change the position of the ventor motor depending on how it was installed. When I first saw it with the stickers upside down I must admit I had a raised eyebrow!

Janitrol was into the self contained, through-the-wall units. These were found in apartments, now gone condo, mid 70's? These were a vertical, gas fired, electric ac unit. I tried to Google some info for you but Google wasn't in the mood. I see that Goodman now reps the line but that web site didn't show much either. If I come across more information I will post it here. Perhaps George has some info tucked away somewhere?

Aye, Mike. Should have known, but thanks for the link. I am off now Mike, mush you Yaks! If there's one thing I hate more than a Yak, it's two Yaks.

Hello all: I am in the process of putting together our monthly newsletter and I'm looking for: 1) A web site that explains K&T for the novice. 2) An insurance companies stand on not covering K&T. Thanks in advance!

One of my first jobs was working with the Cleveland Public School System. I worked in the schools in the maintenance department. All the older schools had those boilers, fire tube and a few big water tube boilers on the bigger high schools. Use to shovel a hellava lot of coal not to mention pulling the ashes. Punching the tubes and cleaning the breaching was one nasty job as well! It would take you a week to get the soot out of the pores of your skin.

Do you guys really think that a web site is worth it? I've had computers since '86 so it not a technology thing, I just have a hard time buying into the ROI on a web site. What software are you guys using?

Nice explanation George! If I might add, a lack of make up air is directly proportional to a lack of combustion air. In our condo, for example, the hot water heater, dryer and furnace is in the same little room. There are two, 6" round ducts, placed high and low, in this room. These are really needed to supply the necessary makeup air/replacement air for combustion/dryer venting. To tell the truth though I've never broken out the slide rule to see if the free area was sufficient enough to take care of the needs with the utility room door closed. I took the easy path, just left the door open.

Thanks Mr. O. Found it....

Snort......[] I love the look next door part..... Nope, still laughing... OK.. now for the question, striking a line through it was the Coup de Gras. How did you get the line strike? I thought I was the only [8] here.

Hi Danny: Good call. Gas fired water heaters are prohibited in bedrooms, bathrooms, clothes closets etc... Regarding the flue, IRC code 2426.6.4 "bends, 45 degree max except one 60 degree". I would say from your pic that doesn't cut it either. Any shut off valve on the cold water line? Pardon me, pointless question - it's like trying to quantify how illegal is illegal. Last but not least, why on earth someone would want a nasty dryer vent discharging into their bedroom closet is beyond me. I hope that was installed before the remodel. Even still, I find those dryer vent bypasses offensive.

Hi Chad: How old is the home? When I see that on ducts in older homes I state that it "appears to be asbestos material and recommend further testing" Regarding the beam that was cut, 5" is over the limit. I've attached a small picture from codecheck. Download Attachment: beam.jpg 29.6 KB

I can see dad talking to his daughter "Honey, watch you hair around that fan, it took us 2 hours to untangle it last time!"

Gentlemen Jim: The rotary tuner needs some bumping/jiggling upon occasion and I'm finding it increasing difficult to find a tube testing machine in our local drug store but you can't beat watching Jack Paar on it. BTW, you sound like you were reciting from the Carrier brochure - soft start etc. [:-thumbu] OK, I need to ramp-up a little on technology.

Well…. The wife and I went to the NARI home improvement show at the IX center yesterday and I stopped by the Carrier booth and talked to one of the tech’s about the VAV furnace. Carrier calls their technology the “Thermidistatâ€

Chad: The bigger the evap surface area the more moisture removal you could expect. It was vogue to size the evap coil 1/2 ton larger than the size of the condensing unit for better dehumidification - not sure if they still do that though. Having said that, if you slow down the air across the coil it will lower the dew point and allow more moisture to be removed from the air also, the leaving air temp will be colder. This however, doesn't mean you cool the room any quicker, lack of air flow. If you speed the fan up it will remove less moisture and the leaving air temp will be higher. The big problem with slowing down evaporator fans is ice buildup. I'll give Nick a call with York to pick his brain a little. I'm curious about control sequence. Thanks for the # Norm.

Thanks Norm! Never heard of that before. [:-boggled] I will have to research further. Sounds like it's a device for controlling RH%, interesting!

Hello Norm: As I was thinking about the VAV systems some of the higher end homes - 600k & up might have a zoned system which could be thought of as a VAV (of sorts). They also have VVT systems but again those are mostly commercial applications. For cookie cutter residential applications up here we always see constant volume. I'm curious as to why they would choose VAV in your neck of the woods? What is the advantage? What do they do for evap controls etc? Do they zone or is the main AHU VAV? What controls the speed of the fan - are they controlling to static pressure? The best known up here was the Carrier Modu-Line system in which the used perimeter heat on an indoor/outdoor reset and supplied 55 degree air to the modu-line VAV boxes. Worked great. Heat the skin and cool the interior but again this was commercial grade. During the late 80's they stated to make a shift to fan powered mixing boxes with either electric heat or h/w coils in the box. They used a frequency drive on the main AHU. Sorry for the barrage of questions but it has really peaked my interest. Thanks!