Lifes a Train wreck

Finally! The attic-a-thon is done, and the insulating is complete. I do have to go back in after a few days to be sure all of the string tape held up on the insulation so that it is still sealed up tight, but with luck the worst is over.

Now I go back into the timing and testing mode and fine tune the system. Right now the system is running to efficiently, as strangely as that sounds, and cools too quickly. I need to slow it down and make it run longer than six minutes to hold the temp in the cooling mode.

Not running long enough can cause black mold to grow, and I really do not want that. My first attempt to fix it will be slowing the blower down a step at a time to force the system to lengthen its cooling cycle.

I jerry rigged the drain system for now, or at least until I finish tuning the system before it really gets hot out.

I am having indexing woes with the latest article for AC again, so I am posting here to try and help it out.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1685551/propane_conversions_a_must_when_appliances.html

Time to get on with it…

Tom

I still have a little insulating to do in the attic today. The ol’ body does not like turning into a pretzel and squirming into tight spots anymore….

Not only do I have to crawl in between all the flex runs I made I have to stay on the rafters doing it. A piece of plywood comes in handy for this as long as there are no wires in the way, or laying across a rafter where you want the plywood to go.

It takes alot of special string reinforced tape to seal the insulation and all holes and connections have to be taped shut. I have the box (plenum) that all the flex runs come out of to finish, and it is 90% done. Unfortunately, the worst parts to get to are all that is left. If I could walk right up to it and tape it all I would need is twenty minutes or so, but it will take the better part of the day getting in and out and settling the cramps….

We watched Chuck and Julian leave “Dancing with the Stars” last night in the first results show where there really wasn’t anyone we wished would get the boot.

“Fringe” was great as usual and well worth watching if you get the chance!

Time to go get sweaty and itchy!

Tom

I should be able to finish it today, with a little luck! I spent the day on Monday sweating in the attic tying up the flex runs and insulating.

There is still a bit of insulating to do up there, but it should be completed today, and just in time as it is starting to heat up! It is still cooling off a bit at night so it hasn’t been anything a fan couldn’t handle so far.

It has gotten hot enough so I cannot stay in the attic non-stop to finish. Breaks are mandatory to dry off, rest up and hydrate.

Spring is in full swing here with the little fish swirling the water and the larger and larger fish chasing… I haven’t seen any of the really big ones yet, but they will show eventually.

If you haven’t watched “Castle” yet, I highly recommend it! It airs on Monday nights after “Dancing with the Stars”. It’s a murder mystery with some very good comic relief, well worth a look.

Time to get hot again…

Tom

Finally I can continue on with the central air system! The rental is out of my hair for the time being, and I took Sunday off to rest. Exhaustion had set in and I had no energy at all.

I hope to complete the insulation of the piping today so that we can use the ac tonight! Florida is heating up, though not badly yet, and the humidity has not risen beyond baring.

My page view average at Associated Content is rising! it passed 211 today and is still climbing. I have yet to find a topic that really takes off like some, but I may yet find the golden goose. I probably never will catch some of the writers with PVA’s in the thousands however….

After having converted that stove over to propane from natural gas, and doing a little research for the topic on the Web; I found it prudent to write an article informing the public that they do have to be converted. There were alot of people asking questions that were never answered!

Now that the house has one less occupant for the summer my writing mojo seems to be returning and with a little luck I can bring the old imagination back from the nether regions it escaped to… maybe I can even work on a story or two.

Time to go insulate, yay!

Tom

Well I wasted a full day installing a stove in the rental house yesterday… what a pain in the rear!

If you are on propane (LP gas) and buy any gas fired appliance, you must convert it from natural gas to propane! The two gases are very different, and the appliance will not function properly if not converted to the proper fuel type. Not to mention it is dangerous…

The stove was a pain to convert. All the burners, the oven burner, the pilot, thermostat, and the gas regulator had to be converted to LP. I had to add a shut off valve to the gas line since it is an old house and never had one to the stove.

If I had known how little fun this stove would be I would have found another one for certain! It also has three pilot lights… and a near total dis-assembly is needed to light them all and convert to propane fuel.

Including the trips to the supply house it took me nearly seven hours to complete the process. Needless to say I did not get any more done on this house.

I collapsed into a chair and watched “the Island” and a couple of episodes of the fourth season of “Smallville” on DVD.

It is beginning to heat up down here, and it made it into the eighties by afternoon. I really need to finish this AC system now….

Tom

The central air system is roughed in, and the county inspector came by yesterday to check it out! He passed it with flying colors….

I still have to finish the insulation up (The inspector has to be able to see that you are sealing the piping and that it is installed correctly!) Until I finish the insulation I cannot use the cooling as it will condensate and I really don’t want water running in my attic!

Florida is warming up, so I need to get this finished. I ran the system on fan only to check my air flow and test the system out. Everything looks good to go.

Yesterday we had to pick up a new gas stove for the mom-in-laws rental house. Home Depot sold us what we needed and upon getting it home I found that the stove was heavily damaged when I opened the box. The box didn’nt even have a scratch on it!

They took it back instantly and even unpacked the replacement for me. Today I have to convert it to propane as they come set up for natural gas, and install it.

Tom

I was able to finish off three of the four runs I had started yesterday. The fourth is in a bad place up against the eve, and in pretty tight quarters, requiring me to lay on a board, working stretched out, arms over my head.

I am hoping that the kitchen will not be as bad to install the ducting into as I think it will be… the kitchen is an addition, coming off the eve with little room to pass between the two.

Moving around inside the attic is getting harder as each run uses up more of what little space there is available to maneuver around in. Hard pipe and flex crisscross the main access path under the ridge line.

Now there are only three runs left to install and one left to finish, and then the inspection. Once that is done I can complete my insulation and build the cover for the outside piping, and repair the broken Sheetrock.

Time to get back at it!

Tom

I hate working in an attic, especially this one, although I have seen much worse….

The supply and return trunk lines are done, with the exception of a little insulation.

The thermostat is wired in and attached to the wall and now I am starting the individual runs into each room.

There will be seven drops, or runs, with one more possibly needed to heat and cool this house. I cut four supply grilles in the ceiling this morning so far, and will concentrate on completing those before cutting any more. Once those are in I can call for my inspection to be finalized!

I am really glad to be nearly done before the summer hits here in Florida. High temperatures and high humidity would make this job far worse than it already is….

We watched “Dancing with the Stars” and “Heroes” last night, but did not manage to get “Castle watched” though it is on the DVR.

Well I had better get back at it,

Tom

Saturday was fairly productive, or at least it was until I put my knee through the ceiling in the living room… It slipped off a joist.

So now I also have to patch the ceiling when the central air is in. The supply run is complete to the mixing plenum except for a bit of insulation. The return is missing a short piece of pipe at the grille.

Today I can start running the flex runs and cutting in register boxes to the rooms of the house!

Robert and I moved the Bronco from out front down into the property, closer to the house, so we can work on it without having to carry everything all the way over to where it was. Another plus is I don’t have to use a hundred foot extension cord to get electricity to it for charging the battery, etc.

Sunday was a lazy day, other than moving the Bronco. My truck just about would not pull it out of the spot it has sat in for several years, spinning, and sliding sideways before we got it to move.

Time to get back to work on the house!

Tom

The random act of kindness day is a very special event indeed, inspired by the love of a mother for a baby whom she was never able to hold.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1659687/please_honor_my_baby_on_april_20th.html

I can in no way imagine having to make that decision! All of our love and thoughts will be centered on Rissa, and her baby, on the 20th of each April for as long as my thoughts are mine to give. Please join us on this day and help make the world a better place.

 Tom