AHI in AR

Thanks to all for the replies.

Long time, no see here but I have a question. Came across something I have not seen previously. New construction with three heat pumps, the outdoor units all had the form factor you expect for mini splits. However, they were hooked to conventional air handlers and ducting inside. I'm not sure if this is the face of the future, or if somebody did something a little outside of the box. My question has to do with temperature differentials. Should I expect the same temperature differential with these and the "old school" style big boxes outside?

The steepness doesn't help when you account for wind load...

Nicely done. You didn't come off as the least bit nervous and you injected a little humor into what is obviously a pretty dry topic.

I think I can help, Jim. Your problem is that you only have one but they are intended to be placed in pairs. Bad feng shui.

OK...I'll bite. I know it's an old thread but I haven't visited in quite a while. That said, I just HAVE to know just what the horrid "boob lights" are that you refer to. Do they sag? Have some sort of stretch marks? Point in semi-random directions? Are they present in oddly mismatched pairs?

Hi everyone-- Not that anyone likely noticed, but I've been busy so no posts for a long time. However, my stepson is buying a home in Orlando. FL and he asked for inspector recommendations. I've seen the home online, and it was built in 1992, one level measuring something like 2500 square feet. This came up suddenly, so my first (and only) advice has been to be wary of using the inspector the agent might recommend. He currently lives in Nashville, so I'm sure he doesn't truly know the agent. So do any of you personally know someone I could feel safe sending him to? Thanks in advance if so.

Sometimes referred to around here as a drip cap. Unfortunately, not always sloped as it should be in newer homes.

I haven't been here much for several months due to heavy workload, but my stepdaughter is buying a home in Denver and so I need a recommendation for an inspector in the area. I'm too many states away to do it! She's impulsive, and my recommendations to check online for a good inspector have been met with something less than enthusiasm. She's leaning towards going with the agent's recommendation. Any of you guys work that area or know someone who does? Thanks in advance.

My son and other scouts were told to look for lint in their pants pockets when in Boy Scouts and trying to get a campfire started. PS: Mike, you might wanna take a closer look at the spelling in the closing credits!

I had a woman tell me that when she was a kid they had a dryer fire caused by a mouse nest in the vent (presumably) constructed while they were on vacation. Don't newer dryers have thermal fuses to prevent this?

Just curious... I've seen problems with single wall pipe, but has anyone ever seen problems with double wall (B vent) piping closer than 1" to combustibles? Honestly, in 17 years I can't recall that I ever have.

You mentioned that the attic lights didn't work. If you haven't done so, I suggest you look in the attic. It's a dumb place to put one, but I once found a GFCI in one after two hours of searching. (and a garage freezer not working for that time)

I came across a panel in an early 1960's house yesterday with the brand name of Continental embossed on it. Unfortunately, the homeowner had nailed a one by four across it for a closet rod and I couldn't get the cover off. The breaker handles looked like the old GE style. I been doing this almost 18 years and I've never seen this brand before. Are there any known issues with this brand? Has anyone else ever even heard of Continental?

As I recall, the extent of the problem is heavily dependent on the free chlorine levels in the local water supply, and it affected the plastic fitting far more than the poly itself. Especially on the hot water lines. The fittings were a different type of plastic. Delrin, maybe? I don't recall now but they aren't poly. Copper fittings per se aren't a problem. I don't see much poly here.

From what I can see, the interior details look nice. Personally, I like a simple, minimalist look if the other architectural details support it. But as Jim hinted, SYP doesn't play well with temperature and (especially) moisture exposure/changes. I suspect that the siding will be doing the "twist and shout" and working it's way off the home shortly. 30-80 year old cedar or cypress looks better around here in a similar climate than 5 year old pine--even if was carefully back primed and painted.

Amazing. Down here south of the Mason Dixon line they don't work when installed on their sides!

Not when it includes the word "butt"

I'd really like the 2nd photo if it were a monochrome image with, say, actual Linoleum on one side and an exterior wood porch floor on the other. That might symbolize the beginning of a journey... As is, I just see a dirty foot and old flooring materials. Then again, I've never been blessed with any semblance of artistic vision.

I do pull the blade and spade type disconnects, and I look for problems with loose connections but don't often see them. With a lot of the discos I see here, that has to be done anyway to get the interior cover off to look at the wiring itself. And while I have seen plenty of cases of single wires overheated, I have never seen a case like this with all 4 of them nuked. The owners are not accusing me of missing anything or causing this, just trying to figure out how it happened. Some nitwit told them that the entire house was pulling over a 300 amp load through a 200 amp service and that caused this problem!

This is a photo of the disconnect at an air handler taken recently. I was told it was discovered after the HVAC system failed to work properly. I inspected the home this is in two years ago in January of 2014 and this looked fine. I tested the system in heating mode and it performed properly as a heat pump. My only comment was to recommend changing out the basic thermostat for a heat pump type with an emergency heat setting. Other than someone removing the disconnect and not getting it back in firmly, I can't come up with a plausible explanation as to why this happened. Any of you guys have a better explanation? Click to Enlarge 380.59 KB

Just to be clear, The Duradek folks do make a product for use under tile: https://www.duradek.com/tiledek/

Thanks for the replies. As I stated, I would prefer tile. I need to be able to move furniture around, not worry about staining anything, etc. Freezing isn't a big problem in central Arkansas but in any case I'm well aware of the need for proper tile selection for exterior use. I looked into Duradek and they make a product to use with tile. Unfortunately, there are no licensed applicators in the state. Looks like I'll be looking more into the Schluter products.

I'm getting ready to build a house for myself which will incorporate a fairly sizable screened porch (400s.f. or so) with a garage below. I'm looking for suggestions as to the most budget friendlybut truly effective way to waterproof the floor. Ideally, I would like a tile floor surface or something that looks more "finished" than what I'd have simply putting down pressure-treated wood on sleepers above a membrane roof. The area will really be more like an outdoor living room than a more simple, rustic screened porch. I'm not only concerned with water that might blow in, I want to hose the thing off to deal with pollen season, etc. I have looked at some of the Schluter products online but don't have any personal experience with any of them. Any products/techniques that ya'll have seen that work well? Or products to avoid? TIA