Heating Help

Ductless is perfect for

@ June 19, 2013 8:22 PM in Bridging the gap Hydronics to AC

your hydronic customers since they dont have any duct in the house.
It keeps me busy all summer long.
I use to handle Fujitsu but what I have found is that after several years the Fujitsu plastic really yellows.
So as of the last few years I have been installing Comfort star and Samsung.
The Comfort stars work really well and internally are identical to Samsung but they only come in white.
The Samsung Vivace is mirror black just like the TV.
I find you don't need gauges since the txv is inside the condenser unit. That is why you insulate both lines. What you do need is a good automatic scale and a small reclaimer.
I also just purchased a UNIWELD 2 stage vac pump that weighs 9 pounds. I also keep a 300 ft tank of nitrogen in the shop and refill my 10 ft tank after each job. No sense in dragging around a 35 lb vac pump and a large tank of nitrogen for a mini split.
You will be drilling a lot of 3 inch holes through a lot of different materials, so be prepared with an assortment of bits.
I have also found in homes with pets and some without that the squirrel cage blower will have to be cleaned after a couple of years. After watching guys struggle with a bottle brush or making a mess on the wall I have found it is best to remove the blower wheel and use a garden hose to clean it. It is not that complicated but I would recommend taking your first one apart on a bench in your shop until you become familiar with it. Long magnetic screwdrivers really help as does a small magnetic dish.
Also after taking them apart you will find they all roll off the same Chinese assembly line using the same parts.
You will also need a few adapters( 5/16 OR 1/2x20 UNF)  core remover and a 5/16 low loss x 1/4 flare adp. Also because there is no low and high side you will need a dye injector and you will need another 5/16 low loss x 1/4 adapter for that.
I love installing ductless and my customers  love it even more.

Your right Johnny

@ June 13, 2013 6:42 PM in How the Europeans do it?

Here is a short clip on how most "Europeans" feel about Germany
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvl9N9GdraQ

Its called Conscription, Steamhead

@ June 13, 2013 6:30 PM in How the Europeans do it?

very popular in countries like North Kore and China. What they do to deserters is arrest their  family.

Thats quite a statement Chris

@ June 13, 2013 9:07 AM in How the Europeans do it?

How were you going to enforce that rule? Beatings, jail time....LOL

Ugly hidden truth

@ June 12, 2013 9:34 PM in How the Europeans do it?

I don't know about that Mark. I don't feel college degrees are as important in our field as is natural intelligence.
In many fields especially ones where facts and figures need to be repeated to the point of nausea , a college degree can be beneficial. Probably a photographic memory even better.  But in our situation where everyday brings new places with new situations the ability for critical thinking is more desirable.
Personally I find the best apprentices(not always) have a n IQ of 120 or better( no higher than 140 or they detach) a mechanical aptitude of 95% or better with high scores in spacial relations.
This criteria is much more desirable in our field than a run of the mill college degree.
So why shouldn't someone with high natural intelligence make more money than a simple college degree? Many MENSA members are high school dropouts.

Thanks

@ May 31, 2013 4:19 PM in How critical is this new 410a flare

I guess Ill let go of the hundred bucks. 

this is the model I have now

@ May 29, 2013 8:51 PM in How critical is this new 410a flare

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YELLOW-JACKET-60280-FLARING-TOOL-HVAC-/130917225304?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7b465358

I agree it is an excellent tool, I just want to know what is the difference between this and the new one. Cant seem to get a clear answer on this.

How critical is this new 410a flare

@ May 29, 2013 5:02 PM in How critical is this new 410a flare

I have an older yellow jacket deluxe flare tool that I have been using for many years.
I can honestly say I have never had a leak in one of my flares. But I keep hearing that you must use the new deluxe flaring tool on the new mini splits.
I have even taken my older unit to the supplier and made a flare with mine and then with their newer unit. I am really hard pressed to see a difference in the two.
What is the difference between the Two and how critical is this? Who here has already purchased the new tool and can really attest to it working better?

http://www.yellowjacket.com/product/854

Here are the rules

@ May 28, 2013 8:15 PM in propane tank location

read it, there are exceptions in the text

You got to start acting like a Keynesian Hot Rod

@ May 19, 2013 8:30 AM in Longest lasting indirects

If you break something, then you stimulate the economy by hiring people to fix it.
Start thinking Water Conditioning systems and Graphene base RO systems.

Heres what I use

@ May 13, 2013 7:00 PM in duct sizing

It works well and is quick and easy. Its in PDF so print all you want.

I missed that part

@ May 13, 2013 6:39 PM in Hot water recirculation do they save money?

about being tankless LOL

Easy to calculate

@ May 13, 2013 4:58 PM in Hot water recirculation do they save money?

the energy your consuming with a circulator.
Turn on your water heater until it goes off and dont use any hot water at this point.
Place a temperature probe against the side of the tank(inside of the insulation) and read temperature. Turn on your circulator and time out for 1 hour and record your temperature drop. Take your size of your tank in gallons x 8.3 will give you pounds of water x temp drop will give you BTUs lost per hour.
Now do it without the circulator to get a base mark to compare.
Once you have this info it is easy to compare it to the fuel your using.
Dont forget to also add the wattage of the pump to the cost.

Heres another

@ May 12, 2013 9:23 AM in Exporting natural gas looks like a Bad Idea

http://news.yahoo.com/plans-export-us-natural-gas-084538021.html

This will be an interesting next decade.

Paul48

@ May 10, 2013 11:13 PM in Polypropylene vents becoming the way to go

I don't know how long you have been doing this but I piped in my first Hydropulse when I was 20. I'm 51 now and have lived through a lot of the APPROVED CRAP the industry has laid on us.
I still have the install manual from the first Weil HE boilers that instructed you to silicone the seam in the galv pipe.
I installed hundreds of feet of approved Ultravent and Plexvent and then removed it under the careful eye of manufacturers trying to dictate my hourly fee.
In that time I have installed countless warm air furnaces over 90%, cleaned and inspected them and ultimately removed them over their lifetime.
I just don't see it!
You say....being told....... by Who. The same people that approved all this other crap.
Lets get real. If they really want to make these gas systems safer they could start by outlawing the CSST tubing. That has smoked more homes and lives than PVC Venting ever did. I used it but when the facts were presented to me  I changed back to steel pipe. Do you still use CSST?

Yes

@ May 5, 2013 10:51 PM in Condensate

it will.

Condensate PH

@ May 5, 2013 10:52 AM in Condensate

The acid in condensate is from co2. If you let it sit it will remove itself just like a can of soda goes flat so does condensate, the warmer the faster. This is why a well with acid water will always eat out the cold copper, the water heater will usually cook the co2 out . I have a Navien tankless in my house that I still haven't hooked up to a pump. So I always have a five gallon bucket of condensate to test. I have a solar prefeed so it hasn't really been a big hassle. LOL
Because the code requires a neutralizer I will usually tie in a tub drum trap with the plug up and a 2 foot standpipe and fill it 1/2 way with calcite.They hold enough calcite for several years and work fine.
Some jobs I have to dump outside, I remove the duckbill check from my condensate pipe and use it as a drain back system, it works well just don't dump it on a sidewalk.
I believe it is going to be a short time till the sewer administration realizes there are millions of gallons of unmetered condensate going down the sewer. Being the money hungry fools they are and to pay for pensions for people who haven't worked in 40 years, they will find a way to tax condensing furnaces and boilers. Then getting rid of condensate onsite will make alot more sense.

You may want to reconsider those toilets

@ May 4, 2013 7:01 PM in Lesson learned NEVER let the wife tag along to the home show

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/20/161501413/for-best-toilet-health-squat-or-sit

The high toilets just compound this problem. Google this topic and you will see

I learned that along time ago

@ May 3, 2013 10:28 AM in Lesson learned NEVER let the wife tag along to the home show

I only take her to bike shows. That way the only thing for her to buy is bike parts and bikes.... and I have no problem with that.LOL

If anyone deserves it

@ May 2, 2013 4:41 PM in Mark Eatherton to lead RPA

You do Mark. Congratulations! 

Your body radiates heat

@ May 1, 2013 10:58 PM in Lay out

to cold surfaces. The window having the lowest r value will be the coldest surface in the room. If you dont install the radiators under the windows to provide a warm air curtain, you will  be more likely to feel the effects of cold 70.
Remember, the more radiation you add, the lower the temperature water you can use but you must add it equally in each room.

I dont know exactly who

@ May 1, 2013 10:19 AM in Taking out a 3 yr old Navian..

the Europeans are, Germans , French, Greeks, Italians. But I do know that if we are talking about Germans, they still use a significant amount of Buderus cast iron boilers.