All Forum Posts by: Tom W.

@ Robert Lasko Residential air conditioning systems are not designed to maintain indoor temperatures of 64 - 68 degrees. Those temperatures are usually only required in commercial applications such as computer rooms and require the use of specialized HVAC equipment. If you allow your tenant to continue operating things this way, you are most likely going to end up with a mold problem within the house or damaged HVAC equipment. The only question is which will come first. Typical residential HVAC system design calls for equipment to be sized to maintain a 20 degree temperature difference inside the home at a specific outdoor temperature. In my area of the country, outdoor design temperature is 95 degrees. Your area may be slightly higher. That makes indoor design somewhere around 75 degrees. Since the energy codes require HVAC contractors to design systems under these parameters, I don't believe there should be any legal issues with installing a thermostat for your tenant that will prevent her from dropping the set points to such low limits

Andresa Lobrace Would you install a recirculating fan in your bathroom? I doubt it! Why not? Because you want to remove the contaminated air from the house. The same goes for venting a microwave. Recirculation does absolutely nothing to remove odors, smoke or steam. The proper way to do it is to vent outside.

Loretta Ratica Costs will vary dependent on how the existing system is piped and how easily those pipes can be accessed. The process could be as simple as just adding two motorized zone valves, a second thermostat and a little low voltage wiring. Cost would be under $2000.00. Inaccessible piping or pipe configurations that don't lend themselves easily to the up/down split could cost substantially more. The only way to know is to have an HVAC or plumbing contractor investigate.

Loretta Ratica What type of HVAC system is installed in this property? If it's a heating only, hot water system, adding zone control so both tenants have their own thermostat is not too much of a project. Other type systems, especially with air conditioning, present more of a challenge.

Dave Francis Where are the footings for the structure? If they are at or slightly below the 5ft level, you are going to be in for a world of trouble if you dig 3ft below them. You will be removing the stability of the foundation possibly causing the structure to sag or collapse.

Christos Philippou I think you might be referring to ductless split systems since traditional split systems do require ductwork. Ductless split systems save on the cost of installing ductwork but that savings is usually offset by the need to install more equipment with ductless systems. Most homes are not usually just a wide open space so there is a need to evenly distribute the conditioned air throughout the structure. If this is going to be done with a ductless system it will require more indoor units. In addition to the cost of the equipment there is also cost of all the extra refrigeration piping, drain piping and electric to each piece of equipment as well as the labor to install it all.

Gerald Swanson Circuit breakers for HVAC units very rarely trip unless there is some problem with the equipment. The only time it would happen without there being a mechanical problem is if there was a voltage drop in the power coming in from the street. Penalizing your tenant because they didn't reset the breakers themselves may end up costing you a lot more than a $75 service call the next time it happens. In the interest of saving themselves $50 the next time it happens, they will continue to reset it until either the equipment fails completely or the house burns to the ground. Either way you're out thousands. Let the professionals evaluate why the breaker tripped. Don't depend on a tenant to know or care how much damage they could be causing.

@Virginia Jones There are multiple reasons why an air conditioning system can freeze up. The most common problem is low airflow caused by dirty filters but there are other reasons, such as problems with the supply fan, clogged coils or low refrigerant levels. Routine maintenance done on a regular basis is very important and will usually turn up these issues before they become emergencies. At this point, any cost estimate would be a wild guess without knowing the true cause of the problem. 

Art Maydan If you know who the original installing HVAC contractor is then I would contact them direct. They would be your best bet. Any other contractor will be hesitant to get involved with warranty issues.

@Art Maydan I would call your installing contractor and explain what's going on. This should be a warranty issue that will cost you nothing. It's not uncommon for a system that was installed in Fall or Winter to have not been started. It may have been your contractor's full intention to return and start the system in the Spring but sometimes these things fall through the cracks. Start up of a new install is definitely not a DIY project.