Jim Katen

How vertical does a heat pump scroll compressor need to be? Is there a specification for this?

I don't know the answer, but I recall that Lennox used to actually recommend installing their outdoor units at a slope of 2 inches over 5 feet for drainage, so I doubt that such a low slope would hurt anything.

Sounds like a question for Copeland.

Rodents.

ICC documents and prescribes very well in this category...but their material is copyrighted...there are ways to get such docs online posted by those among us who think that, if documents are to be adopted as laws, then they should be available without charge...without posting url just google seal of approval, you should be able to find your way to prescriptive resources without charge...

The ICC has an online library that anyone can use. It's just awkward to click on one section at a time.

I've never made that kind of repair myself, but I've seen it done and it seems to work fine as long as the backer board joint isn't at the same place as the old tile/new tile joint.

And the wife says, "Can we move that table about a foot to the left?"

I don't see how the two sinks are related to one another. Each separately looks like it could use a plumbing 101 p-trap.

Yes, note the qualifying phrase, "who's familiar with hydro-air systems."

An average heating tech won't have a clue.

Appreciate the response Jim. The plumber "guessing" about the specs was a poor choice of words on my part. The plumber is concerned about selecting the right water heater for hydroheating 1,500sq ft. since he'd never seen an Apollo system until I showed him mine. He did recommend an A O Smith Promax Plus Series 100/101 with side connection based on the Energy Guide yellow sticker from the Apollo heater; which was First Hour rating 98 / 50 65.0NQRT8 5FJ (which I'm guessing is short 50 gal. with 65,000 BTU.)

You might want to consider finding a heating contractor who's familiar with hydro-air systems. Otherwise you're paying for this guys tuition.

First, there's no problem with mentioning model numbers and that sort of thing on this forum. Go for it.

Why is your plumber guessing about the specs of the existing heater? It should be labeled.

That said, the specs you list ought to be fine for a little house in Prescott.

I've watched Penn shoot a gun at Teller and Teller caught the bullet in his teeth. I've tried everything I can think of and I can't puzzle it out. But one thing I know for sure is that Penn didn't actually fire a bullet at Teller . . .

I'd measure the voltages between the phases and between each phase and the neutral and then just describe it as a xxx amp, xxx/xxx volt three-phase load center.

The schematic would tell the story of the bus configuration, but I suspect that Marc is right about the three phases alternating all the way down the bus.

I've had spooky experiences, but they were in my head, not in the world.

There's a plain, everyday, real-world explanation for what you saw. Just because you can't figure it out doesn't mean that it's paranormal.

Thanks everyone, I contacted the Hardie rep. he said he was on the fence about it. He said it would probably be ok but try to fix the really extra tight joints if possible.

How, exactly, is one supposed to "fix" the extra tight joints?

My opinion is that screwing around with it is going to make it worse than it is now.

I don't see how it could be right. Temperatures have been moderate in Oregon City lately. With the joints butted tightly like that, problems may arise when it warms up in the summer.

Marc

I think it'll be the opposite. We don't get hot & humid here. It's either cold & damp or hot & dry. If the seams are tight now, they'll tend to open up in the summer. At least that's what they do on my house.

Hi Everyone,

I just had a question on hardie plank and the proper installation. A home inspector brought to my attention some very tight joints on a brand new hardie plank install on a property I am selling. Do the joints in this picture look too tight and how much does Hardie Plank expand? Would this cause issues down the road?

Thank you for anyone's input on this discussion!

Click to Enlarge

57.83 KB

The instructions say to install the planks "in moderate contact," whatever that means. So far, I have yet to see tightly butted joints cause problems. As long as there's flashing behind the joint, I predict that the joints will be just fine.

The gap, which Hardie used to recommend, was there to accommodate a caulk joint, not to leave room for expansion and contraction. Hardieplank does expand and contract, but not much. In your installation, the movement will happen at the ends.

I'd guess Woodruff as well. The time period is right.

. . . I'm still fascinated with the idea of standing in the same place for 1 1/2 hours, then moving somewhere else and standing there for another hour or so, moving....another hour, etc.

What's the client do when one stands in the same place for an hour?

As you suspect, there's a story involved. A long story. I'll just share that it began when I noticed bats roosting on the other side of the window, *inside* the house. . .

What's the client to do? Talk and talk, and talk.

This owner is having to replace evaporator coils on two units(1 split system and one package system) and has had the coils leaking on refrigerator in their home. I have ruled out problematic drywall. Also has electrical outlets and switches to stop working, I don't think this is related. This home was built in 2006.

In this home I counted 17 plug-in (oil type) air fresheners throughout the home. All of the copper was shiny and clean in the panel and at light switches. No corrosion to other metals like hinges, screw heads, faucets, door stops, etc?

My SWAG is that the air fresheners are killing the coils on the a/c and the refrigerators.

Has anyone ever come across this or have any other ideas?

I doubt that it's anything in the environment. Perhaps both the split system and the package system were charged by the same lazy tech who didn't bother to evacuate the system thoroughly at the time of installation. A bit of moisture in the refrigerant can work wonders over 9 years.

As for the refrigerator, chalk it up to coincidence. Aren't refrigerator coils made from steel? If so, they wouldn't necessarily be affected the same as copper would when exposed to a contaminant.

The home actually sits approximately 60 miles inland so the salt water corrosion factor isn't really a issue. Biloxi was just the nearest recognizable city.

It is a single story home.

@Kurt

They are definitely formed with a bend. It's very uniform on all the lintels except the front 3 that are just angle iron and were very rusty. On the ones with the hump I was describing there was only very minor surface rust. It looks like they are formed with a slight bend downwards as if to drain moisture downwards where as angle just sits flat.

Click to Enlarge

50.29 KB

That's not angle iron. The weasels used flat stock.

Jim, the first photo is pretty good. The rust spot is right at the weld seam. It looks like there is pitting in around much of the same corrugation. I'd suggest sending that photo to the manufacturer. Maybe they will have input. If not, they should see this.

Do you think a lightening strike could have caused the hole and the corrosion is the result of impurities in the gas?

It was 5 years ago.

I doubt that it was from a lightning strike. If it was a direct strike, then the whole thing would have blown up. If it was a nearby strike, then wouldn't there have to be something nearby for the CSST to arc to? There was nothing particularly close to this for it to arc to.

They are giving me a 2 1/2 hr limit, I googled the address and thankfully its only 1200 sq. ft. Forgot to mention I cribbed basements for 2 seasons ( that was long enough).

I can't remember the last time I did an inspection in 2-1/2 hours.

If that's Gastite it's not installed correctly. The jacket should run all the way into the fitting with Gastite. Other CSST fittings don't have this feature. The hole is probably caused by chloride pitting corrosion to which stainless is vulnerable. Chloride is in sea salt, as in NaCl, sodium chloride, or table salt. If chlorides are present, either don't use CSST, use Gastite correctly, or wrap the ends in F4 tape.

Good observations. But there was plain old steel all over the place in this attic and none of it was corroding. If there was an environmental explanation, like corrosion from chloride, why was the plain non-stainless steel in the attic not showing the least sign of rust or decay? Nail heads, nail tips, Simpson fasteners, truss gang plates, furnace jacket - all corrosion free.

Pick a spot to start. Stand there an note down all of the problems that you see before you take a step. Repeat until you've gone through the entire house.

I one spend an hour and half standing in one spot before I took the next step.

Aside from rust & the lack of fasteners, sure.

The conductors inside should be listed for use in wet locations and derating should apply to them for the heat. If the conduit is being used as the grounding conductor, then it'll be important that it not have any breaks.

But, at the most basic level, there's nothing wrong with using EMT on a roof.

Jim,

Thanks for responding.

Do you have any recommendations other than tearing out the lintels and replacing?

If the cracking is minor, just repair the cracks. At some point, the cracking will become quite severe and, at that point, the only real solution will be to replace the lintels.

I have weep holes around the bottom of the house but none around the lintels. Would it be advisable to add weeping holes?

Weep holes won't do any good without flashing. The flashing should cover the lintels and direct the water into the weep holes.

First and foremost I want to avoid creating a larger issue.

We just finished up painting all the lintels more as cosmetic fix. It's odd because the front two window lintels and the large lintel that spans the garage door appear to be just angle iron. These had light rust over the entire surface of the lintel. It was actually dripping rusty water down on the garage door trim and one of the front windows.

The rest of the house has lintels that have a slight hump in the middle if that makes any sense at all. They aren't flat. These appear to have a layer of black primer/paint and have light rust here and there.

As Kurt said, they're all just angle iron. If some of them have a hump, then it's because the angle is distorted.