MPdesign

Thank you Bill, What is that training called? I made a search for it, but I am not having any luck. And is there an age lookup list so that I will know other dates? i.e. 1998 = IH 1999= ? etc

Actually, the roof on one of the additions to my house looks almost exactly like this except that I have felt. It has a small leak but I actually think it is because some of the old OSB sheathing between 2x4 rafters has sunken a little causing a "flat" area that may be pooling. What do you gentlemen think of the *new to me* waterproofing layers?

This is a new age format (for me)! Thank you for your insight. Click to Enlarge 20.74 KB

That is a good point. I do still worry about clogs at fittings, elbows, and valves. The clogs seem to move periodically as well. They are completely remodeling most of the remaining areas - so the piping - and fixture - replacements would not be as costly as in other finished areas. They are already planning fixture replacements in most areas.

Separately I have recommended to add water treatment to the domestic hot water loop. Copper. They have a slew of issues that I did not want to muddy the water here with such as: 2,200 gallon steam to hot water heater storage tank with 1,000 gallon storage tank with a pump between that has not worked for over 4 yrs; never any hot water loop treatment, a city water main charcoal filter broke about 8 years ago and that was distributed throughout causing all of the toilet flapper valves to be replaced - but they did not do a thurough job - only replaced what stopped working, many shower mixing valve issues...

It would have to be flushed in sections. Flushing will probably not solve the problem though...

I vote for uncultured marble. [:-bigeyes

The PROOF: First off - goto Amazon and find the nicest most highly rated top 5. Now look further into the ratings and you will see, even on the best rated, that 30-40% of the people HATE them (leave 1-2 ratings). I do have one and I like it. Todo: Make sure that the load does not overload the panel with spikes. I have seen many complaints that they dim the lights if the panel is not large enough and you are talking about 150A of draw. That is substantial. I did install one in my house and I am happy with it; but there are issues. I could set my old tank at 130 degrees because it was undersized and I knew that I needed to do that in order to be able to take showers. I could not do that, if needed, with the tankless. That is not because it won't let me, it can be set that high; but it it is not a perfect system. It is close to putting out the right temp, but sometimes it gets wonky for a few seconds. That is ok if I have it set on 109 degrees and it goes to 115 for a few seconds; but if it was set way higher - and the temp varied for a few seconds, it could really hurt you. So - if you undersize it, don't plan on turning up the temp to compensate... I have a small 1400 SF house with 2 showers with low flow heads. Just my wife and I and ours is fine. No more waiting 30 minutes between showers. I bought a Stiebel Eltron Tempra 20 Plus Electric Tankless Whole House Water Heater, 240 V, 19.2 kW

Gentlemen, I have a hotel circa 1980s with domestic hot water loop piping that is not leaking (because although the sidewall is likely fairly still thick enough), but they have not treated the water and it is clogged everywhere - no hot water. They have been trying to fix it for a long time. I am recommending piping replacement, but as a first step, I would recommend the following: System should be flushed, filters added, filters checked & cleaned weekly for 3 weeks, then flushed again. Is this proper? They do not have leaks - just clogs This sounds proper and it is what I would do if it were at my home, but what is really proper - This is not my specialty! Thank you for your insight!

Hey guys, I have an apartment complex with Stab-lok panels. They are fed overhead. I could not find a main for any panel & the maintenance guy there for 3 years did not know of one. Any ideas? I have never seen a unit without a main. By the way, they also have 3 prong receptacles with only 2 wires going to them. AND... what does the knob in the middle of the panel do? Click to Enlarge 42.61 KB Click to Enlarge 40.4 KB

As long as ALL wires (especially the feeder) are correctly sized for the breaker feeding them, then there is no safety issue. For example, some 100 amp panels have space for 24 @ 2 pole 40 amp breakers. The panel will be overloaded and the main for the panel will trip, but it will not be unsafe. Accurate panel loading should be made doing normal NEC calcs and using the correct diversity factor. Or you could WAG it using something like this http://wireyourownhouse.com/tools/housecalc.html If all wire is correctly sized, I would say that it is all ok. I would tell, not write, the owner that he could add it himself but it will probably trip the breaker from time to time & if that is a problem, he should definitely upsize - and he should really have an electrician recheck. I like to look at different scenarios because sometimes I am looking at a ritzy establishment and sometimes... not.

I am worried that whitish at the copper joint are the start of pinhole leaks. I am just now learning about these and seeing more of these. Any more insights and thoughts would be appreciated.

What exactly is this?

Looking at the attached copper joint. It appears that it is starting to develop some leaks. What are your thoughts on this? Is this impending failure? How long do they have? Or is this not that big of a problem? Click to Enlarge 29.42 KB

I hope that this is in the right forum. I thought this was more water than structural foundation issue! Anyway, note the attached detail. The basement has an existing membrane and existing drain mat. In some areas, the drain mat is not extended all of the way up so that it would be under the sheet metal (in other words, the existing drain mat is not that tall - or stops at grade). In the field I am seeing that the detail has been installed correctly but the drain mat is not actually adhered to the sidewall and is "loose". This leaves an area for dirt and water to make it come further away from the building and fail. Am I overthinking - or should we change the detail on future buildings so that the drain mat is adhered to the new membrane? Perhaps the addition of more drain mat over the existing up to the point under the sheet metal? What are your thoughts? Waterproofing is NOT my specialty. Thank you for your insight! Download Attachment: _Detail1.jpg 117.37 KB

Please forgive me because I have not been installing plumbing for many years. Why are people installing ABS instead of white PVC these days for drain piping? Is it just cheaper? I thought that most PVC was DWV rated. Thank you!

I know the coils need replacement for R-410a because the pressure is too high. What I am asking is, are R-410a retrofit coils made for almost all existing furnaces?

I think another of the things nagging my brain deep down is whether or not the coils can be replaced in almost all systems. That makes a big price difference. Can they?

What is the current best direction for R-22 split system future repairs and replacements. As an example, an apartment complex with 200 units, all R-22. What do they need to plan for as replacements

Yes - that is it - low voltage condensing unit control wiring. I don't usually call that out - but this site has so much that I thought that I should get some additional opinions.

Here is an easy one. What are your thoughts on split system control wiring which is wire nutted together about 2 feet from the CU - exposed to rain and outside conditions.

I looked at a facility that has 140 psi water pressure but it has at least 2 pressure regulators and the water pressure is still 140 psi. any ideas?

Thank you gentlemen, this is actually a hotel with booster pump with control issues, when that is controlled properly, the pressure problem will be solved - but I am worried about what I need to do for this water heater that is leaking now. I guess I am looking for more input on whether you would think the leak is really because of the overpressure or if that would not be the problem - and the leak would be from somewhere else. Of course this all hypothetical based upon experience because I am not taking the unit apart. You are all a great help! Thank you! I always appreciate your insight.

Water pressure too high causing water heater leaks? I have an instance of water pressure varying from 120 to 140 psi into the water heater (installed new in 2012 - State brand commercial) - the water heater is leaking - reportedly from the heating element seals. Once I was back home, I started to think that these are pressure vessels and if there were a true overpressure (enough to cause leaks), then it exit through the pressure relief valve. What are your thoughts?

The piping is insulated. The rear of the boiler is radiating a fair amount of heat. Click to Enlarge 45.54 KB