Relocating Comfort
The carriage house has a 2-zone HVAC system. Zone 1 is in the basement, and offers comfort for the first floor and, nominally, the basement. The return duct was the craziest thing I have ever seen and was cobbled together out of sheet metal bits. The fan/coil unit (adjacent) was also not ideally placed.
It is all gone now. Hi, Ryan!
In the contract, only the ducting to the south side of the house was to be redone. After the fan/coil unit was down, Ryan said that I should also replace the trunk line for the north side of the house.
With fear in my eyes, I replied: “Ryan, I’m already overwhelmed with the cost of all this. I can’t possibly spend any more.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“It’s true! I can’t afford more work!”
Ryan again raised an eyebrow, pointed to the now open duct, and said: “Look inside.”
I did. And gasped. Before me was a dark tunnel clearly filled with mold and collapsed insulating panels. HOW did air travel through this obstacle course?
With horror in my eyes, I turned back to Ryan. “Please! PLEASE! I’m begging’ ya’! PLEASE make all this OK!”
Ryan smiled. A hint of triumph in his expression.
He then explained that such insulated ducting made sense in a hot attic but was the very worst thing to install in a basement. Plus, as was obvious, the insulated panels (inside the duct) had fallen away from the metal here and there.
And, so, RIP to the north trunk line.
The newly repositioned fan/coil unit. To the bottom right is the new super-duper filter. It will soon mate with a new return duct.
When all the work is done. The system will cool MUCH better, be vastly more efficient, and cost WAY less to operate.
To pay for it all though I will have to tell the cats to go find jobs.
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Can’t wait for Cody to officially arrive. You will list more lights, thus sell more, and more progress on the house!
Ha! And you think the cats will listen to you?!? You are so witty! They will expect dinner at the usual time. 🙂
Laurie: if the cats model for a cat food, the meowsers might be more agreeable? If… Ross can convince them to wake from their nap.
Leigh: rouse from a nap? Only for food! LOL 🙂
How about a Cats of Cross House calendar? All proceeds go toward helping restore Cross House while blog regulars get to see photos of the frisky felines?