All Forum Posts by: Tom W.

Steve Graves I've been in the HVAC business for a long time. I have run across a few of the electric radiant heat systems you are describing but non of them have ever been functional by the time I was brought in to work on the houses. Apparently these systems were being installed back in the day prior to the use of drywall. Metal mesh was being attached to the studs and then plastered over to create the finished walls and ceilings. The electric radiant heat was another metal mesh that was attached to the plaster mesh and then the whole assembly was buried in about an inch of plaster. When it worked it would warm the entire surface of the wall or ceiling. The problem with those systems was that no one would know they were there. Anytime a hole needed to be cut in the wall for a repair or remodeling project the heating system was destroyed. In addition the plaster itself was a lot like concrete and eventually the chemicals in it would eat through the heating mesh or wiring connections. There are newer modern electric radiant systems that I have seen but have no personal experience with. I believe those systems are only designed to be installed below tile flooring on a small scale. There may be others on this forum who can give more info on that.

@Diane G. I have been installing and servicing HVAC equipment for 40 years now and I can say, based on experience, there is very little difference between brands. They all have good points and bad points but there is no bright shining star that stands out above the rest. The biggest factor by far in how reliable a piece of equipment will be is the installing contractor. I have seen a lot of good equipment installed poorly that has failed prematurely. Duct systems, piping systems, flues, combustion air inlets and maintenance can be much more important than furnace brand. Finding a quality contractor is key but unfortunately, for investment purposes, he will probably not be the cheapest. BTU output of the furnace should be determined by your contractor. A heat loss calculation of the building should be performed to determine the proper unit size. The days of taking a guess based on square footage of the space are over. Most towns will require a copy of the calculations when issuing permits. Costs will vary depending on what is required. If it’s just the furnace that needs to be replaced that will obviously be less expensive than if you need duct modifications or air conditioning replacement as well. One hint to keep your costs down however, stay with standard efficiency equipment. The extra cost of purchasing and installing high efficiency equipment is rarely, if ever, regained by the fuel cost savings. The number of years needed to break even is usually longer than the equipment will last. Additionally, the cost of repair parts for high efficiency equipment can sometimes run as much as three times the cost of standard efficiency parts. One service call for emergency repair could wipe out any energy cost savings, present and future.

I’m not an expert in this by any means but in the research I’ve done it seems best to put each property in a separate LLC. If someone were to be injured on one property they could sue and conceivably reach inside the LLC to take all properties owned by that LLC.

Mike Dorneman Winterized means that all water should have been drained from the house and antifreeze poured into the toilet and sink traps. How well any of that was done is an unknown. Unless the piping was blown out with compressed air, there’s a possibility of water pockets that could have frozen and split the pipes. The bigger unknown and possibly the most damaging is the length of time the house has been empty. Bank owned properties can sometimes sit empty for years. All that time with no heat in the winter and no air conditioning or ventilation in summer can cause moisture to form in the structure due to condensation build up. Temperature swings and moisture can cause all types of problems from buckled hardwood floors to mold. Be attentive to any staining or cracking of drywall. Roof leaks can go undetected for a long time in bank owned properties so inspect attics and ceilings

Ben C. An inspector will never do that because that would put all liability on him in the event that something goes wrong. It’s an architect’s responsibility to design per code and the contractor’s to build per design and bring any code discrepancies found during construction to the architect for clarification. It’s the inspector’s job to verify that code has been followed per design but it is outside of his scope to give advice.

This sounds more like a contractor problem than an architect problem. Contractors know that footings have to be inspected before covering them up. Now that he’s had to go back and break up the concrete flooring to allow the inspection, the column isn’t installed properly. This isn’t an inspector trying to make a name for himself. He’s just doing his job properly and probably trying to teach the contractor a lesson in the process. I would suggest having your contractor try to work this out for you since it seems he was the one who caused the problem in the first place.

The only permanent fix is replacement. The extent of that work depends on exactly what you're dealing with. If you only have piping penetrating the exterior walls it's a fairly small job. If you're talking about piping buried in slab floors it has the potential of being very costly.

@Eric Winters If they are copper pipes exposed to concrete then yes, it will become a nightmare at some point. The pipes will eventually weaken and begin to leak. In my experience, once they begin leaking in one place, it's usually just a short period of time before they are leaking in multiple places and need to be abandoned.

@David K.

No doubt you can get it done cheaper. It depends on the type of contractor you plan on using and the type of boiler you install. 

Low efficiency units that still use the old chimney are less expensive and take less labor to install. Newer high efficiency units that vent through the wall are more expensive to buy and more labor intensive to install. Your call on which way to go largely depending, I would imagine, on who foots the fuel bill.

Contractor costs can vary widely in different parts of the country. I'm in NJ where labor rates and markups are higher than a lot of other areas due to our higher costs of doing business. Reputable contractors are definitely going to cost you more than handymen or fly-by-nighters. Permits, insurance, warranties and responsive service when problems arise come at a higher cost. Again, your call on which way to go but I have seen a lot of "bargain" installations cost way more in the long run. 

@David K Dependent on efficiency level of the new boiler being installed I would budget $5000 - $6000 ea. That should cover the cost of the new boiler, circulator, expansion tank, pressure reducing valve, necessary piping and labor for a complete install.