| HEATING AND COOLING |
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(November 2011) This summer (late
June), we discovered water on the floor of the basement around/under
the hot water heater and furnace. The water heater is pretty
old and we have figured we'd need to be replacing it sooner than
later, so we assumed that was the reason for the water on the
floor. I called the plumber and, luckily for us, they had another
job out our way, so they sent their man to our place the same
day I called. He agreed that the water heater was nearing the
end... but, lo and behold, it wasn't the reason for the water.
Nope, instead it was the Air Conditioning. Due to low freon,
our coil froze and the water was the result of it thawing out.
That means we must have a leak somewhere. Unfortunately, we were
not in a position to replace the AC or even spend the money to
find the leak and have it repaired. So, while it pained me to
do it, we had him recharge the system and just had to live with
a leak for the time being.
OK, we knew the next BIG project to tackle would be the Heating
and Cooling. We were simply hoping to have another couple of
years to find the money and/or sponsors.
I started researching and called the person I trust the most
when it comes to Heating
and Cooling: Eric Kjelshus (http://ericsenergy.com/). Since
I really just wanted to pick his brain... I left a message for
Eric and asked him to call me when he had time to chat. He called
me back and we talked for a while (mostly I rambled, I'm pretty
sure) about new problem, the PHGBP, and whatnot.
Eric offered to come out and evaluate the house. And that is
what he did on July 16... one of the hottest days of the year.
He brought his energy audit equipment and did a blower door test,
used the hood to check the supply and return, and even had his
infrared camera.
Long story made a little shorter... the house performed a bit
better than it had originally, but in order to get an adequately
sealed house and effective ductwork, it still needed:
After my research, Eric's visit and talking with the hubby,
it became more and more apparent that it didn't make sense for
us to spend a bunch of money to do a partial solution.
Thankfully, there are several rebate/tax incentive programs
in place through our electric company, State and Federal programs
that will help us recoup a small portion of our upfront expenses.
I have always wanted to go with a geothermal system (ground-source
heat pump). We priced the difference between an air-source and
ground-source system and figured in the various incentives for
each. Either way, we would have to take out a loan to pay for
the thing, so we decided to get what we want and spend a little
more upfront so as to save more in the long run with the geothermal
system.
We investigated several financing options... this is
a bit of a sore subject for me. I won't get on my soapbox now,
but will delve into that in a blog post sometime. What we ended
up doing (**and I don't recommend it if you can avoid it**)
was to take a withdrawal from my IRA. We had to pay the income
tax due on the amount plus a 10% penalty tax for the early withdrawal.
The plus side is that we won't have to make monthly payments
on accruing interest which (depending on the loan) could
be about the same amount in the end.
First though, the insulation and venting improvements had to
be done in order to get the full benefits of the new heating
and cooling equipment.
As much as I like to spread the work around... I was SO happy
with the job Eric Butler from Comfort Solutions did for us with
the attic insulation, I opted to contract with him to do the
rest.
After we got rid of the water in the crawlspace under the master
bedroom (visit Plumbing Project
page for that story), Eric sprayed the closed
cell foam on the crawlspace exterior walls (from the
wood floor above to the concrete floor below) and on the rim
joist in the basement. Then he came back another day and filled
the cavity between the old concrete floor and the wood floor
of the front hall with dense packed cellulose (high borax content
to eliminate any critter infiltration). (Visit
the Insulation Project page for more.)
Next the trench was dug, the tubing laid and the holes drilled
through the foundation walls (and sealed again after the tubing
was inserted, of course). This part of the project was SO fascinating
to me... there are LOTS of pictures, but I've tried to restrain
myself for the sake of loading time. Because we have LOTS of
land to work with, our installation was very straigtforward and
simple. Do not be discouraged if you have much less land to work
with... it is possible to put in a geothermal system almost anywhere
these days due to advanced drilling and trenching techniques.
Get a few quotes and find out what is possible for you!
Lastly, Eric's crew came out and fixed the duct work and installed
the equipment.
The propane company (Magruders) came and picked up the propane
tank. We are officially all-electric now... just a matter of
time before we can harvest our electricity from the sun and wind. |
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Ductwork, Correct
Old and Install New (October 2011) |
Like with the PEX plumbing project... you
can't really get good pictures of ductwork corrections in
progress. I don't even have before pictures to compare with
after pictures. So, I'll just have to tell you about it and
put a couple of pictures here. The crew member in charge
of the duct work was George. (He's the tall guy with the
smooth head in the pictures of the furnace).
After hauling in boxes of sheet metal and tools, etc., George
went to work shaping the metal into an extension of the main
return to add the return vent from the master bedroom. We
had him put it in the wall between the bedroom and the living
room where we knew it would not be affected by future remodeling.
The top 2 photos are of the new return: from the basement
view and from the master bedroom where he had to block up
the wall cavity. Luckily it happens to be where the access
to the crawlspace is, making that a bit easier (I hope).
Then he had to cut through the rim joist between the crawlspace
and the basement to get enough space to add the three separate
runs of ducting to the three supply registers. (Previously,
there was one run with a "T" to divide the supply
to one register in the bathroom and the two registers [using
a 2nd "T"] in the bedroom. See
the water in the crawlspace pictures.)
He then added the round metal runs in the basement that
go into the space made for them. On the other side of that
wall (in the crawlspace), he used insulated flexible tubing
to each register. One complete run for each register off
the main supply in the basement. The flexible tubing was
hung from the floor joists.
Once everything was connected and done, George sealed everything
using a special caulk designed specifically for sealing ductwork.
We can certainly tell the difference in the air supplied
to the master bedroom now! |
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After the propane water heater was removed
(it was left in place as they installed the furnace and removed
just before putting in the electric water heater tanks),
the chase where the vent stack went up to the roof was available
to turn into an additional return duct from the second floor.
George went up into the attic and capped the vent stack from
inside. Normally, they would cap in on the outside, but with
our TPO roof, I don't want anyone but the roofers to mess
around up there. I'll have the roofers remove the vent, plug
the hole and "repair" the roof at a later date.
Since the chase is open not only to the attic (photo at
left), but the wall cavity and space between each floor as
well; they inserted an insulated flexible tube and put a
boot at the vent (like you would a supply register) so that
it would work as a return correctly. That was connected to
a metal duct that connected into the main return in the basement.
(bottom picture at left)
Once everything was connected and done, George sealed everything
using a special caulk designed specifically for sealing ductwork. |
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| Install
Geothermal Tubing (October 2011) |
| Anytime you are going to be digging in your yard, you
should be sure to find out where any buried utilities
are located. In Missouri, if you do not do this and you
break through a utility's lines/property, you are not
only responsible to the utilities for the damage, but
can be prosecuted by the State as well. To help prevent
this, Missouri has a "Call Before You Dig"
service. |
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Since we are out in the country,
I was unsure if we needed to do this... the answer is a resounding
YES! (Besides which, the system is entering our house
very close to the electric meter, so knowing the exact location
of the line is critical.)
First I tried to use the on-line form, but our project
requires hiring contractors with heavy equipment, so I ended
up contacting them by phone. In addition to needing to know
where the digging would occur, they wanted the name of the
company doing the digging, what kind of equipment they use,
how deep they would dig and when the project would start.
You have to call a week to 10 days ahead to give the utilities
time to be contacted and get their lines marked.
The geothermal tubing is layed 6 feet down so that it is
well below the freeze line (around 3-1/2 to 4 feet in our
area).
In our case, the utilities involved are: 1) electric,
2) phone (although we have never had it connected, we still
don't want to interfere with the line), and 3) water. We
have a septic waste system and know where that pipe is (not
close to the digging). The previous owner had a satellite
dish (which we do not use and have just never removed) and
we already know the line from it has been cut.
All the lines were marked within three days... plenty of
time before the digging started. |
A few days later the digging company arrived.
Eric sub-contracted Paul Werning (Higginsville, MO) to dig
the trench and lay the tubing. I really enjoyed talking with
Paul (and Dennis) and learning about making trenches and putting
in the tubing.
Paul was AMAZING to watch using with the Ditch Witch! At
first it made me nervous seeing how close he had the bucket
to the foundation, but that fear soon disappeared. He is
truly a master! |
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He moved the bulk of dirt out of the way, but there was
still some hand work to uncover the holes.
The theme appeared to be along the lines of:
don't disturb more dirt than you need to.
(It's more cost effective, safer and smart.)
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As Paul unloaded outside, Dennis went work
inside. That is one powerful drill (and noisy). He drilled
both holes before heading outside to work with Paul.
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While Dennis was digging, Paul turned the
machine around so he could use the trencher. Like a chain
saw for dirt, it cut that 6 ft. trench with clean sides slowly
but surely; leaving a small mound of dirt on either side.
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See how Paul avoids both the electric line (on the left)
and the Persimmon seedlings (to the right). |
| Because of the small area near to
the house, the electric line and our trees and fencing, they
dug a single trench along the north side of the fenced yard.
The two lengths of tubing share that trench (with about a
foot of dirt between them to insulate the one from the other)
and will branch off into their own trenches heading south along
(and past) the fenced yard. |
The tubing is tightly wound and acts very much like a spring,
so the manufacturers bind it so that the first half can be
unrolled before the second half is released. |
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After the first section was inserted into one
of the holes, it was unwound into the trench by unrolling it
as they walked along the edge.
At left, you see Dennis pushing dirt into the trench on
top of the first section of tubing (in addition to his foot,
they also used a shovel) before rolling the secnd section
of tubing in the trench.
Ideally, the two sections would have their own trenches
from where they enter the foundation. But the world is not
ideal, so we do the best we can with what we have. |
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Once the tubing is inserted through the foundation
(with several inches showing on the inside), cement is
packed in around each one as far as it can be. This special
cement adheres to both the concrete and the plastic tubing
to form a solid seal. It cures quickly and expands a
bit as it cures. |
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After the cement has cured enough, tar is painted
over the disturbed foundation. One more barrier to keep
out water. |
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This section of trench ends about ten feet beyond
the fenced yard. At this point, Paul turned the machine
again to use the bucket to make a corner large enough
for the tubing to change direction and also so he can
cut two trenches from it without either of them collapsing
on the other.
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Paul then turns the machine around and
makes the first trench heading south (for 450+/- feet).
Once the trench is long enough, Paul turns the
machine and uses the blade to pour half
of the dirt removed from
the trench onto the
tubing that has already been layed... as he heads back to
the split.
There he turns again and makes the second trench (carefully
not damaging the tubing in the first trench).
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Dennis manuevers the tubing so it makes the turn without
being damaged. |
Then he uses the forked 2x4 to makes sure it stays at
the bottom of the trench. |
Finally, he shovels some dirt over the tubing (in the
new trench to hold it in place while he continues unrolling
it. |
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As Paul continues making the second trench, Dennis
repeats the process at the corner... unrolling and manuevering
the tubing, pressing it into place with the forked 2x4,
and shoveling dirt over it to hold it in place
while he continues unrolling the rest of the section.
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There is more trench than tubing at this point and so
they have to connect more.
Here is a close-up of the connector. |
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First, the outside and end of the tubing is
heated at the same as the inside and end of the connector.
The special channel lock both protects Paul's
hand and shows how far the heater inserts into the tubing.
In this example, they are attaching the connector to the
new roll first. Below left: heating the connector in Paul's
right hand and the tubing in his left.
Below right: the unrolled
tubing is in his right hand and the connector/new roll is
in his left. |
Dennis removes the heater and Paul quickly pushes the pieces
together as shown in the photo below.
They cool quickly and
become one. |
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Once all the necessary tubing has been connected
and rolled into the trenches, it is time to connect the two
trenches to make one loop.
Below you see that Paul has set up the Ditch Witch to use
the bucket. I wish I had used the video camera, because this
was amazing to watch... stills would not do it justice. He
was able to connect these two trenches without collapsing
them at all. If you haven't seen this done, you will not
understand no matter how hard I try to explain it.
There was still a bit of work to do with the sharp shooter
shovel and the hoe and then it was time to connect the tubing
again, but in a 6 ft hole. |
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Once connected, the forked 2x4 helped
to manuever it into
the bottom
of the
trench and it was time to fill everything
in.
First using the blade on the Ditch Witch
and then by hand. |
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When it was all done, we were
left with a single mound on top of each trench (like in the
above right photo. Paul instructed us to NOT try to compact
it, but to let it settle all winter, that way the rain and
snow will compress it from the bottom up. To do otherwise
could leave air trapped in pockets and that could make the
loop less effective. We certainly want our system to be as
effective, efficient and money saving as possible! So, for
the winter, it looks like we've had a REALLY big mole (hee
hee hee).
Paul also suggested that we document exactly where
the tubing is so in the unlikely event we have to dig it
up, we will know where to dig. And, for that matter, where
NOT to dig for other purposes.
p.s. I was so excited about getting the geothermal system,
I completely forgot there are peony bushes next to the fence
where they dug by the house. You can see one of them near
the end of Dennis' shovel that got pulled out entirely. We
have it wrapped and stored in the garage to be planted in
the early spring... it needs to be divided anyway. |
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| Install Ground
Source Heat Pump and Water Heater (October 2011) |
I am not at all technically minded
when it comes to heating and cooling. When Ken Riead and I
co-authored "The
Green Building Decision Kit", you can be assured
that Ken wrote all the technical information in that area.
I have a basic understanding of how things are supposed to
work and I know how to talk with the people who know what they
are doing; but other than that, I'm pretty clueless. SO, just
like anyone else, I had to make sure I was hiring people
I trust to do the best job possible.
Here are links to information about ground source
heat pumps:
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That being said, I really can't tell you what
they did to make it work.
I can tell you that the J.R. (and
George) hauled in the equipment... connected everything mechanical,
electrical, etc... installed the two water heaters... filled
the tubing with the water/glycol mixture... installed the
new (programmable) thermostat... check and double checked
everything... tested everything... fine tuned stuff...
and
VIOLA! we have a working heating and cooling system that
also gives us hot water! |
Removing the old Air Conditioner (electric). |
Removing the old Furnace (propane). |
Out with the OLD... In with the NEW! |
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For once, something goes well... it fits! The unit sits
on a plastic (recycled, no less) base and it fits where the
old furnace did! That means they can use the metal part above
it with just some minor corrections.
FYI, they waited to take out the propane water heater until
they were ready to plumb the new electric ones. |
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Working hard!
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All done! |
Isn't it just BEE-U-TEE-FULL!!!
All the tubes and plumbing
insulated, wire encased, water heater and desuperheater insulated. |
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This system takes a special (really big) custom filter,
but the cost is about the same as a quality filter and
they don't have to changed as often (about every 3 months).
Eric is going to order us some so we can keep a stock
handy.
They installed a separate circuit breaker for the auxilliary
heater (it's strip heat for if we get colder temps than
the heat pump can manage. It's expensive to use, so we
will consciously have to flip the breaker to activate
it. Thanks, Eric! |
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This is the thermostat we now use. It took a
little longer to get used to than I expected, but that's probably
because it can be programmed for more detail than we have used
in the past. It's also nice to see what the outside temp is...
we made sure they put the outside sensor in a sheltered spot
on the north side of the house so we get
an accurate reading.
Another nice thing that Eric recommended is this timer for
our water heater. When we use electricity to heat the water
(as in when we aren't using the furnace or air conditioning),
we can now set what time(s) we need the water hot and not
heat it when we don't. We are still experimenting with what
times are best for us.
UPDATE: 12-28-11. We have settled on having the water heater on for about 12 hours each day... 6 hours in the morning and another 6 hours in the evening. Here is the link to the Intermatic website to learn more about the water heater timer.
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Below is one of the tests they
did on the equipment for those of you who know what this
means:
the photo on the left is when it was running in the
first stage,
the photo on the right is when it was running
in the second stage.
Eric was VERY HAPPY. (It's all mumbo jumo to me, LOL.) |
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| They did a blower door test and measured the air flow
at each of the supply and return vents to compare
with the tests they did before all the duct and system changes. I'll post the
results when I get them. |
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| Remove Propane Tank (October 2011) |
Once the propane was turned off
outside the house and all the old propane equipment replaced
with the new electric components, I called our propane supplier
to schedule the removal of the propane tank. They came out
a few days later and picked up the tank (Photos below). The
following week we received a check for the propane that was
still in the tank.
Here is a shameless plug for Magruder
Propane in Odessa, MO. What terrific people they are! They have a vast network
of contacts in this area and were happy to recommend good
people and businesses. They pointed me to the mason who fixed
our chimney, for example.
I may not be a customer any more,
but I hope there will be other reasons to talk to and work
with them again. |
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Loading the tank into the truck. |
Digging down some to crimp and cut off the line.
We decided
to leave the line in the ground. |
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