My HVAC guy told me today that he needs a 90amp #2 run to his air handler! This is only a 3 ton unit, is this really necessary? We are dealing with a 2 story 1500 SF house here…not trying to heat Wal-Mart!
The most I have ever seen run to a residential air handler is 30 amp….is he crazy….or me?
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Replies
60 A of that is resistance heat backup. Unless you are somewhere it gets down to -10F and you got no insulation, just run a 30 A amp tell your HVAC guy to leave the backup heat disconnected (or don't buy that add-on in the first place) . You will get a cold air blast during defrost cycles (swithces to air conditioning for a minute or 2 to melt the frost off the outside coil) but save a lot of bucks for a cold draft every hour or so.
That sounds GOOD to me. This is for a house we are flipping anyway, so cost IS important.I just called the HVAC guy and he says he already ordered the unit with backup heat and that he WILL NOT install one without it beacuase he has to put HIS name on it. I am in central Virginia which is a fairly mild climate. All the units I have dealt with/seen before ran on 30.I do not want to pass off anything shoddy, but if something costs an extra $1k and deosn't raise the house value $1k + it is money lost.
Edited 12/16/2004 7:17 pm ET by Carter
I'm sure the next owners will appreciate it your attention to FINE homebuilding.
MERC.
IMO, if the future owners find they need the backup heat, they can add it on. I do not have it and I get by just fine.I cannot pay for things that are not going to pay me back.How many home ads have you read that state "backup heat" in the listing.I am renovating a 95 yr old house that has been abandoned for years instead of knocking it down. I am not going to spend 6 months of my time and tie up $200k of my money to not make a profit.The existing heat system is a huge oil burning furnace in the middle of the dining room with a hole in the ceiling to heat the upstairs. I think anything will be an improvement.I also have to tie in to the city sewer and water supply as it has probably been contaminating the environment for the last 30 yrs.
Yeah, I was just jabbing you a little. I understand the dynamics and economics of flipping a house. Many people don't know good, bad, or great. I happen to know a lot about building which is why I either directly do my own work or directly hire it out. I know exactly what I'm after and why.
Good luck with it and I hope I didn't offend.
MERC.
No offense taken. I actually do everything myself BUT the HVAC and carpet.
As someone whose flipped houses in the past, i'd like to ask, Is a sound structure profitable? How about an up to date smoke dectection system? New insulation?
I dont mean to be rude but i've seen some real hacks flipping houses that do things just plain dangerously. I know not installing a cable rated for a potential upgrade to an air handler is not a safety issue but how close is your margin? When I flip a house I obviously try to make a profit, but I also try to put some convienient features in my houses.
I have been a GC for over 10yrs on some very big projects, I do know the industry.You are comparing NECESSITIES against unwarranted extras. Having been in this business all of my life I do know that subs will try to kill you with extras.I am only talking about staying within the standards of practice, not "hackin'" up a house to make a buck.Because of the quality of work I turn out I have to turn away work almost daily. I have never advertised in any form. For years I have been told that I need to renovate houses for myself instead of letting others make the profits.
Touche, I didnt mean to but your chops, but the wording of your first post did (to my eyes) have the look of corner cutting. Like I said i've flipped houses and seen others that do the same thing, and i've just seen some real hack jobs. Didnt mean to imply that you were a hack.
Peace
Actually, when I went back and read MY post, it kinda sounded that way to me too =^)That's the prob with the cyberworld, lots of things get lost in translation when they are not accompanied by expression and tone.I definitely do see the point in trying to stop people from doing hack jobs here; I have had to straighten out quite a few of them myself over the years.
To further clarify my original post based on some subsequent posts: for the HPs I installed on my own house, a son's house, and my Mother's house, was not looking for any return on investment except for family comfort.
Son's house has gas backup to HP, so did not install the electrical backup.
On my and my Mother's house, did install the backup heat as it was part of the HP package I bought (Only $100 delta wholesale), but I provided a cutout/override switch next to the thermostat to DISABLE the backup resistance heat at all tlimes unless it was really needed. I have NEVER (except for intial test) used or operated the electrical resistance heat on my own house.
You would be doing whever bought the house a favor by installing a 30 A circuit for the HP functions and a separate 60A circuit for the backup (Most air handlers have 2 breakers to start with) and telling them to always leave the 60A breaker off unless the HP can't keep the house at 65F or so.
From often frequenting HVAC discussion sites, there are an awful lot of HVAC folks who think they are little gods, so concur with comments on it is just the bucks.
That sounds like a good idea! I think that they were developed by the power company anyway. Looks like a GOOD way to double your power bill to me.
>>This is for a house we are flipping anyway, so cost IS important.So you don't care if you sell something substandard? That's how that statement sounds, anyway.I can understand cost control, and I don't know your climate or if what is being proposed is adequate, but you might want to take a hint from your HVAC guy: he won't put his name on it ....And you'd be surprised how many times a flipper or other homeseller cuts some corner like that and later the same contractor gets called by the buyer to fix the problem and the contractor announces: "I told him not to do this ...."Makes for a lot of unpleasantness.(And if an HI gets caught in the bitching cycle, your name will get spread pretty quickly and you can be sure the rest of your sales will get checked pretty darned closely. As they say, don't pizz off the HI or the proctologist.)I don't know about yours, but my church isn't a hotel for the holy, it's a hospital for sinners
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
I can see how it could seem that way, but I did say I didn't want to pass off anything shoddy.I'm not going out buying a used heat pump and paying labor-pro guys to run the ducts.As far as him not putting his name on it, I think that has more to do with him making the extra $ than anything else. It is not a code requirement here and it is not typically done, even on new homes.There is a difference between cutting corners and doing unnecessary work that does not add to the value of a home. If all I was doing was trying to cut corners and save $ I would not have come here to poll opinions, I would have automatically taken the cheapest route.Any project I do is going to be top notch, or I am not going to do it, but I will not line anyone elses pocket buying unnecessary items.Tomorrow I will call the city Mech inspector and get his opinion on the subject.
OK,It just sounded that way to me, thanks for clarifyingI don't know about yours, but my church isn't a hotel for the holy, it's a hospital for sinners
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace