I am thinking of installing 1 Aprilaire E130 units in my 2-story house. The HVAC guy suggests I get 2 dehumidifiers for the house instead of only 1. I was thinking 1 is enough. What do you guys think?

I have a Lennox 2013 year el296df110xv60c. It short cycles if left off for more than about 12 hours on the first call for heat only. If I call for heat, the blower fan stays constantly on but the gas turns off around 100 degrees (measured from the nearest vent) until it gets back down to 65-70 degrees, then gas turns on until it hits 100 degrees or so. This will go on endlessly on the first use of the day only.

If I turn the thermostat down to where it shuts off, it works fine immediately unless left off for 12 hours again or so. Did get an E227 - Low pressure switch open during trial for ignition or run mode error once but that is uncommon

I recently moved into a condo and went about replacing the battery-operated thermostat with a smart thermostat which requires a c-wire. Upon removal of the old plate, I found a blue wire wrapped around the bundle which I assumed to be the c-wire. However, the new thermostat would not power on and I found the c-wire to be dead. I opened up the ceiling panel adjacent to the thermostat to reveal the fan coil unit (hvac system?) along with a bundle of wires. The blue wire is not connected to anything and there's no indication of where it can or should be connected to.

I was told that the system is a hydronic system and the model number of the fan coil is "18RCUA-2HW". I don't see any labeling or indication for "24V" or "C-wire" in the open ceiling area. This is as far as my knowledge goes for this matter.

Is there anywhere that I can connect a c-wire based on the description and photos? If not, I'll probably consider the c-wire adapter, but I find it weird that the wire bundle came with a blue wire that leads to nowhere.

wire bundle in ceiling with blue wire unconnected

fan coil unit in ceiling adjacent to thermostat

old wiring based with blue wire unraveled

July 2022 I installed a Mr. Cool 12k mini split. About a year later, I was finally getting around to putting the drain hose inside some PVC so it wasn't swinging around the side of the house, and found that the extension hose was literally crumbling in my hand. OK, not cool, but not the end of the world. There was still a good 1.5 or so feet of the hose that came preinstalled on the unit sticking out. I put a 3 inch length of 3/4 PVC into the wall with the hose running through it, then gently slid that into a 90 to make the turn down while pushing the short pipe into the hole in the wall. Finally I ran the downward leg of PVC to the ground. Today I go out to finally put a U bracket to keep the PVC from moving out of place and realize the 3 inch piece is sticking out of the wall almost 2 full inches. So I disconnected the down pipe to hold the drain line while I push the first piece of PVC back in, and find the outside of the drain hose itself is wet. And when I apply even the slightest pressure, this is also cracked and crumbling. Is it safe to yank the old drain line at the head unit and replace it with 3/4" ID poly/vinyl tubing and just run that or do I need a special sized factory one from Mr. Cool?

Hi all,

My grandparents are looking to replace their lenox unit. They are wondering what brand they should get and what would be considered an approximate fair price on the unit and install. They are looking for a 4 ton split unit for their 1900 square foot house. I would like for them to have something that is reliable of course as they are old and they live in a hot climate but also something that is modestly priced. They don’t need anything fancy. Any suggestions and tips? Thanks. I appreciate it.

Hi all,

Question in the title. Its a long story, but I have a GC company and we do a lot of remodel work. Much of that is turning a garage (single or double) into a living space. We do everything legit, get permits etc.

But, we have been outsourcing the "mini split unit and instal" to an HVAC sub and we are looking to in house the service, or at least bring the costs down.

My question is two fold:

1. We really want to avoid the electical headache of making a 220 v circuit if we don't have to and I often feel like the 220v mini split units are overkill for what we really need.
2. Given #1 above, can you guys school me on:
   1. What are the downsides to dropping down to 120v circuit and the smaller mini splits?
   2. If you had to choose "the best" mini split that I can go get from home depot or lowes or amazon or other locally sourced option... what would you choose?

I basically want to just get very good at installing these and I would like to use the same make/model/capacity each time so that I can be less dumb and fail less often.

I probably install 3-4 a month.

Bonus question: what do you guys think is a fair "all in" price that you see charged for a standard unit, standard distance away from the house, standard complexity.

THANK YOU

We moved into our house last year and now that we have settled in, I’m looking over the HVAC system. Our first floor has a 3rd gen Nest and a 2 stage 2011 Trane XL80 furnace. There’s a 5 wire line connecting the thermostat to the furnace. The blue line is connected on the thermostat to c but it is wrapped around the cord on the furnace side, so it looks like the Nest is currently working by pulsing the furnace with no issue so far. I checked the furnace and the dip switches are set to run the 2nd stage after 10 minutes of stage 1. I would like for the thermostat to handle control of the 1st and 2nd stage heating.

Wiring at the thermostat

Wiring at the furnace (see the blue wire wrapped around the cord)

This is my current plan:

1. Set up an add a wire to gain a 6th wire between the furnace and the thermostat.
2. Connect the C line so that the Nest is powered properly
3. Wire up W2 from the thermostat to the Furnace so that the thermostat can control the stages of the heater
4. Reconfigure the dip switches on the Furnace to relinquish control of the 2nd stage to the nest.
5. (Possibly in the future) Replace the Nest with an Ecobee

How would I need to set up the dip switches on the furnace so that the thermostat controls the staging?

DIP Switch diagram

Furnace DIP Switch setup

Or…. Seeing as to that the furnace was wired this way for the past 13ish years with apparently no issues..and living in the SF Bay Area where it only goes below freezing two or three times in the winter, do I just leave everything as it is?

Hi everyone. I had a new Ruud 10,000 BTU LP furnace installed mid September, along with some duct corrections, including making the return bigger. A few weeks after installation, I noticed it would make a pinging noise for a minute or so afterwards, but just chalked it up to breaking in the unit and metal contracting and expanding. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed the pinging had stopped but there was a constant mid toned whooo-ing sound that happened during the run cycle. That has now progressed into 2 high pitched (one is higher pitched than the other) sounds that are only noticeable shortly after beginning the second stage. One is pretty constant and vibratory in nature, the other is almost like a dog whistle and sporadic. Any ideas? The unit is brand new. It's a V96 model.

hi all, was hoping someone here could help me get an idea what is wrong with my relatives home AC... they are waiting for the original installer to get back to them but so far no replies, so they may break down and have to call someone else but I'd like to get some idea of what may be the problem beforehand...

they have a Trane system consisting of a Trane Seer2 XR16 outside unit, Trane S8X1 air handler, and a Honeywell SZ311 zoning system w/ the associated dampers... the thermostats (3) are all working because they receive their 24v from the SZ311, but the air handler is offline, it seems totally unpowered and the thermostat wires that leave the air handler (and are hooked into the SZ311) are totally dead, 0v... there are no lit LEDs on the PCB inside air handler and it does not respond to any orders from thermostats.

I have checked the outside unit and at least confirmed that it does have power coming in, I checked the breaker box and every single breaker is reading at 124v so I'm not sure why the air handler is totally offline... I tried to get a reading on the input side of the air handlers PCB and get nothing at the neutral or common wire plug, which leaves me really confused... is there something else that can prohibit the air handler even getting power, aside from a flipped breaker? I'm used to the Trane addrressible system I have at home (TAM8) and it has tons of telemetry available when it goes pear-shaped on me.

there is also a condensate level sensor in the pan but the pan is not filled at all, would a sensor of some sort power down the entire air handler? the Honeywell zoning box seems oblivious to the dead air handler...

is there any interplay between the outside unit and the air handler that could inhibit it from powering up? I don't think so but...

any input or tips would be greatly appreciated friends, thanks in advance..

Title and adding that it sounds like it’s coming from the top of the unit. Brand new HEIL furnace.

Sound is not super loud. It’s also one single thud/tap noise

Hi, I'm thinking about buying an apartment that's over a nail salon in New York City. I see online that they're appear to be ventilation requirements that New York State has set forth. Are there any HVAC professionals who have any insight into NYS regulations and whether it's safe to live over an nail salon regarding vocs? Thanks.

Hi all, I'm trying to figure out the wiring for my zone dampers. I haven't gotten under the house to identify the make/model yet since it's a fairly tight crawlspace, but at the controller each damper has 4 terminals wired like so:

M1 - White

M2 - Red

C - Green

NO - Blue

I believe the dampers are normally-open type. The controller has an indicator for when the damper malfunctions, so I am assuming the wiring is essentially one pair for 24VAC, one wire for input/control and one wire for feedback. I'm just not sure by those labels and wire colors how to determine what's what.

Is this a common color/labelling scheme for dampers?

Thanks for any light you can shed on this for me.

I’m a novice when it comes to hvac in general. Didn’t even know the names of any of the parts until I did a bit of research. My house has been getting no heat since today. The service light blinked two time fast three times slow indicating error 23 (pressure switch). I checked the tubing around it, seemed fine. Whenever I turn the furnace on and off the blower motor turns on for about 30 seconds and turns right back off. Does this mean I need a new pressure switch I have done no other test.

I have a Slant Fin VGH 80 CH boiler for hydronic heat. I would like my upstairs and downstairs to be on different zones.

Is this possible with this model? If so, I’m hoping to DIY. How do I need to deal with pump and thermostat? Absolute novice in HVAC, but I have plenty of DIY experience and experience with wiring pumps and with plumbing due to a former career in brewing.

Hi All,

Have a 25 year old furnace that’s rusted through on the primary heat exchangers.

HVAC contractor is quoting ~$9k for a Rheem furnace and R410a unit… converting over from an old American Standard R22.

The American standard AC is working great, but it’s also 25 years old, and the evaporator is rusting… it’s also survived 2 freeze overs in a year- from blocked intake, and a bad contactor. Seems to not have compressor damage - but you never know.

Is this a good quote for right now? Seems like a good company- have used them for a year now.

Should I get 1-2 more quotes to compare?

Rheem isn’t the best of reps for water heaters, for example. Is it a good brand for HVAC?

Also- with the R32/R454b swap imminent, will I have to change line sets out from R22? It’s buried in walls/ceilings that would have to be demoed. Should I just bite the bullet and do it?

Thanks in advance!

I’ve come to notice over the years since we bought the house new in 2006, that not everything is perfect the way one would expect a new house.

Outlets that jiggle is but one. But for here, vents. I’m not sure if it was bad placement or just “get the job done, cheap.” The majority of vents are in the ceiling (Texas, no crawl space) and over the years when we would paint; I’d take the vent covers off. But putting these little fu….ers back in place is frustrating. They used 2” screws and go straight into the drywall. No anchor, no going into a bit of framing. I mean, c’mon another inch to the right and both screws would anchor into something other than drywall.

Is this common, and just not talked about, or did the building contractor take some shortcuts?

My HVAC will turn on the AC (I think?) for no apparent reason. Thermostat could be set to AC and the temperature is lower than the target, or set to heat with a temperature higher than the target, or simply set to off. The machine will turn on, make some noise similar to if the AC was running (compressor?) but no air is coming out of the vents.

I've had this machine for years, and I have not done anything recently that could have provoked that change, like changing the wiring or the thermostat. It's a very old machine, in case that matters.

I've unplugged it for now, because I'm worried of having the compressor running without the fan.

Any ideas?

Is this reasonable? Northern NJ 3500 sq ft home 1 unit in attic (easily accessible by drop down ladder and one in basement) I have one other quote now at 29k and waiting for one more

You may or may not recall…I posted asking for guidance about having a Carrier Infinity system installed and post install I realized the media cabinet was not the size or brand specified. The claim was the closet was not big enough. The company ended up pulling the system and installed what was specified.

Greetings all,

Thanks for taking your time to help. Being relatively new homeowners, it's our first compressor failure.

Our system is 2 years old. Last week weather was fair so no AC. After a few days without use, upon power on the AC Compressor was suddenly extremely noisy, (in case you enjoy customer states moment: it sounded like a sump pump running dry, just much worse) and we shut it off immediately via thermostat.

However the fan continued spinning at a relatively low speed, such it went unnoticed until the day of the technician's appointment (maybe 36 hours later).

Diagnosis (by installing company) revealed that a single pole contactor was installed. The tech repeatedly remarked on his confusion over why a single instead of dual was used, and outright stated he suspects it caused the compressor to burn up.

Tech tried new single pole, but still 115v was passing and spinning the fan with the unit off (via thermostat control). Installing the dual pole contactor was the only way to stop the fan from spinning.

Technician documented "replaced contactor with double pole contactor" then ohmed out the compressor with "OL with grounded out windings" indicating compressor replacement @ $1100 with part under warranty.

---

Should I press this single instead of dual contactor issue with the installer and insist on their covering some aspect of the service cost? Or an alternate outcome?

Should I get a 2nd HVAC shop to diagnose? and/or to confirm the single pole install was a failure of the original installer?

Trane AC Model # 4TTR3024H1000NA, home is a condo with typical 240 drops and 120 elsewhere. Nothing fancy or modern connected like solar input or electric vehicle charging.

I'm happy to pay for quality service -- just wondering given the technician's remarks, and what I do know about electricity, if the installer made a mistake they might own up to or maybe took a shortcut.

-

Re: Electricity knowledge - the component the tech repeatedly pointed to and called a contactor, to me, looked like a capacitor, and does not look like what I find when searching for contactors, it looks like an AC capacitor.

Thanks very much for taking a look.

Should I replace my current boiler? We’re assuming it was installed when the house was built. Which would make it 58 years old. I recently had some updates done so when the day comes the transition will be less of a hassle. No issues, and generally keep an eye on it, walking by it a couple times a week. Was quoted $9200 for new boiler plus install. Assuming that doesn’t break the bank, would you make the switch now? Generally under the mindset if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, especially the way boilers used to be made. Thanks for any advice.

New homeowner with these ancient steam radiators. Several of them hiss and one clanks a bit (in my LO'S room of course). Can someone tell me what the lower right valve does. I know the air vent is on the left. Any recommendations for servicing them are appreciated!

Hi everyone

I live in an apartment that was built in the 50s or 60s and it has a 2 pipe HVAC system. Obviously, I knew this moving in BUT I didn't realize just how much I would wind up despising it.

After two months and over 200 emails back and forth with building management because the first unit's A/C wasn't working (wouldn't cool below 74 degrees and humidity was consistently near 70%) I finally got them to switch me into a unit with functioning A/C (cooling, to be more specific). It's been LOVELY the past couple of weeks finally being able to sleep again thanks to it actually cooling down to 68 degrees but last night without even notifying us, they made the switch to heating.

The daytime highs here in LA are still in the 70s, and in less than a week it's going to be up in the high 70's again. Due to medical conditions and medications, I am extremely sensitive to heat. Last night I barely slept, and my bed was left with a nice puddle of my own sweat in the morning; plus I have been dealing with an intense migraine all day from lack of sleep and having overheated for the extended period of time overnight.

Because I have cats, and live on a higher-up floor in my building, I can't just open a window. Actually, I don't even have windows I only have sliding doors that lead to a balcony that is open/not enclosed and sadly I was made aware that multiple animals have passed away on my floor due to escaping the units and going over the balcony/falling onto the pool deck below. There ARE screens, but they're incredibly flimsy and already are ridden with holes from the previous tenant's cats; so I don't have any faith in those reliably keeping the cats in. Needless to say, I'm not willing to risk my cats lives even if I'm being extremely negatively affected by the current situation.

What can I do to cope? I know that there's only so much that even can be done since the HVAC system itself can't allow both heating and cooling, but I have to do something otherwise my quality of life will only continue to diminish.

Thanks in advance for any advice or words of wisdom that anyone can share.

The condenser keeps tripping the breaker after it runs for a while. The outdoor unit is 3 ton and the evaporator is a 3 1/2 ton. I know that could potentially cause over amping from the condenser but why would it just now start doing that when it's been installed like that since 2021. Both 410A systems. Piston metering device. Clean coils. Good airflow. Any ideas why it would be tripping the breaker. Thanks!