Home Construction Discussion

[Farhan Lalji]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

[BCExpat]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

I'll be the first to admit it - this thread is not for everyone. But if you own a home, and you need some advice on an issue that you have with it, there's nothing wrong with a little discussion on the boards with people who are into this. There seems to be a few trades people here, etc. - they are a good resource.

[rats19]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

totally with ya farhan...however every once in a while my wife says...HEY...not everything is about you....lol



*mutters well it should be*

[Corb]

I have a question on air conditioners. I have a place down in Phoenix, it's about 12 years old. The air conditioner still works well, but, I had it checked out this winter and the guy told me that it will only last a couple of years at best.

So, my question - should I just replace it with another air conditioner? or should I go with a heat pump? Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from? Are there any recommended brands? Thanks.

I'd say heat pump. Or save your $$ and hire Rick Joy to design you a nice passive rammed earth home..........

[Robert]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

So you're saying you've got plenty of hot air already?

[Robert]

How's the economy in Arizona? Is someone trying to sell you something? If that thing works, then just use it, they last a long time.

Come back when it's done.

[Farhan Lalji]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

I'll be the first to admit it - this thread is not for everyone. But if you own a home, and you need some advice on an issue that you have with it, there's nothing wrong with a little discussion on the boards with people who are into this. There seems to be a few trades people here, etc. - they are a good resource.

Loll, I know. I just felt like saying something, anything, in this thread.

[BCExpat]

How's the economy in Arizona? Is someone trying to sell you something? If that thing works, then just use it, they last a long time.

Come back when it's done.

The economy in Arizona is in the toilet. That's why it's a good time to buy down there for us Canadians.

No - nobody was trying to sell me anything. The guy that checked it out just mentioned that it will probably last another couple of years. One thing - since we bought the place 1 1/2 years ago, the air conditioning isn't used much during the summer (as we are only there in the winter). So, it's not getting the heavy use that it got when people were living in the house all year around. That'll probably add a few years to it's life.

[BCExpat]

I have absolutely no interest in this thread whatsoever.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

totally with ya farhan...however every once in a while my wife says...HEY...not everything is about you....lol



*mutters well it should be*

Rats - surely you must have the odd thing to do around the house on your ranch down there -

[rats19]

Just cuz i have to doesnt mean i am interested..lol

[CFP!]

I have a question on air conditioners. I have a place down in Phoenix, it's about 12 years old. The air conditioner still works well, but, I had it checked out this winter and the guy told me that it will only last a couple of years at best.

So, my question - should I just replace it with another air conditioner? or should I go with a heat pump? Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from? Are there any recommended brands? Thanks.

I'd say heat pump. Or save your $$ and hire Rick Joy to design you a nice passive rammed earth home..........

I'd tend to agree if you wanted to spend $5-13K CAN (<---see wot).

If you are happy with your output and the system itself and performance replacing the unit now isn't going to make you any money. Our company only uses American Standard. Not Lennox, Not Trane, etc. A heat pump is like another appliance in your house. You're not going to buy a no name brand if you want it to last 10+ years or more.

Heat pumps are great and much more efficient however there are even more efficient versions of that type of system, but like I said - if your happy with your system and your heating/cooling in your place then a new HP really isn't worth the money.

What type of AC do you have?

[CFP!]

Anyone have any exp with one of those blown insulation machines you can rent?

I was thinking of bulking up my attics and the insulation in there ATM looks like someone took the insulation and placed into a food processor and then spread it around. At first I thought it could have been a leak, but the roof was just replaced two yrs ago and the whole attic space is covered in the same density of what I'll call blown insulation.

Couple of q's:

Do I have to remove the old insulation, or can I spray right over?
What R-rating in attics is needed for best insulating factor (40?)
And how thick would blown insulation need to be to meet code?

[Chef Boi RD]

Anyone have any exp with one of those blown insulation machines you can rent?

I was thinking of bulking up my attics and the insulation in there ATM looks like someone took the insulation and placed into a food processor and then spread it around. At first I thought it could have been a leak, but the roof was just replaced two yrs ago and the whole attic space is covered in the same density of what I'll call blown insulation.

Couple of q's:

Do I have to remove the old insulation, or can I spray right over?
What R-rating in attics is needed for best insulating factor (40?)
And how thick would blown insulation need to be to meet code?

I've never rented a blown insulation machine, always had Insulation companies do it for me. When it comes to insulation I'd rather have someone else do it, it's not that expensive to have a company do it for you. Then again, I've seen chicks rent those machines on those home shows and do it themselves so it can't be that hard, no offense to the woman half of the human species. I myself, just can't stand insulating.

Do you have to remove old insulation? Well, if it's vermiculite I wouldn't but not all vermiculite contains asbestos. I believe blown-in insulation has to be 18 inches up from attic floor. R-40 is the standard for attic insulation. Kind of tricky if you are blowing in above existing insulation to know what depth would be acceptable. I guess find out what the R-value of your current attic insulation is. Is the current blow in stuff, dark gray/black in color? Probably rock wool. that stuff is the worse for removing. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

[BCExpat]

Re: blown insulation - you can get a couple of different types - the most common are cellulose fibre (which is basically treated paper, or fiberglass loose fill). The RSI value per 25 mm - 0.67 to 0.68, which is about R 3.9 per inch.

As RD pointed out, if the insulation is Zonolite, it may contain asbestos - it depends on when the house was built and it depends on where the Zonolite came from. The Zonolite with the asbestos in it, usually came from Montana. So, if you are up there installing new insulation above the old insulation, be sure not to disturb the old Zonolite, and at the very least, make sure you wear a proper respirator. If it were my house, I would remove a small quantity and have it tested. If it were my house, and the tests came back positive for asbestos, I would have a specialist company remove the insulation. It might cost a bit, but, when you go to sell the house later on, you can show a certificate indicating that the insulation with the asbestos in it have been removed. If you don't do this, and you are going to sell the house, and the perspective buyer has a home inspection done, and they find asbestos - you will have a problem.

One other thing that you need to make sure of, is that you don't want to block off the soffit ventilation. You should have a space of around 3" between the top of the insulation and the underside of the plywood roof sheathing at the eave edge, to ensure that you get adequate ventilation. If you do block off the ventilation, then you will introduce a host of problems, including your shingles "cooking - ie - they'll curl and lose granules prematurely, you could end up with mold in your attic, etc. So, make sure you have proper ventilation at the eave edge. You can get premanufactured items which act as insulation stops, and will maintain the gap to maintain your ventilation.

[BCExpat]

I have a question on air conditioners. I have a place down in Phoenix, it's about 12 years old. The air conditioner still works well, but, I had it checked out this winter and the guy told me that it will only last a couple of years at best.

So, my question - should I just replace it with another air conditioner? or should I go with a heat pump? Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from? Are there any recommended brands? Thanks.

I'd say heat pump. Or save your $$ and hire Rick Joy to design you a nice passive rammed earth home..........

I'd tend to agree if you wanted to spend $5-13K CAN (<---see wot).

If you are happy with your output and the system itself and performance replacing the unit now isn't going to make you any money. Our company only uses American Standard. Not Lennox, Not Trane, etc. A heat pump is like another appliance in your house. You're not going to buy a no name brand if you want it to last 10+ years or more.

Heat pumps are great and much more efficient however there are even more efficient versions of that type of system, but like I said - if your happy with your system and your heating/cooling in your place then a new HP really isn't worth the money.

What type of AC do you have?

I think it's a Trane AC unit. I am happy with it's performance, although it is a bit loud. It's located away from the bed rooms, so it really doesn't disturb us, but when I get a new one, I want to make sure it isn't as loud as this one is. Thanks for advice - I'll just replace it with another AC unit. Do you pay much of a premium for and American Standard AC unit over a Trane or Lennox unit? I though Trane and Lennox were good brands (what do I know - I'm not a HVAC guy )