All Forum Posts by: Tom W.
Tom W. has started 2 posts and replied 103 times.
Post: Do you replace 13 year HVAC system with R22 refrigerant?

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
As an HVAC contractor, I can tell you that dealing with refrigerant leaks are one of the worst situations that we have to deal with. The leak can be located in the outdoor unit, the indoor unit or in the piping anywhere in between. Refrigerant is colorless and odorless and the leaks can be very small. At least half of the interconnecting refrigerant piping is covered in insulation. Sometimes our electronic leak detectors will pick up the leak, sometimes not. Sometimes we have to add colored dye to the system to try and visually locate the leak. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't. Sometimes we use soap bubbles on suspected leaking components. Again not a sure thing. Sometimes we will spend hours trying to find a leak, turn up nothing then have to disconnect the indoor and outdoor sections to pressurize each individually in an attempt to isolate the problem. All of this adds up to large labor bills.
The suggestions that have been put forward here to just replace certain components because they are the ones that "usually leak" are laughable. Charging a customer to replace components on a guess without having proof would be totally irresponsible on the contractor's part. Would you expect your doctor to remove your appendix without doing further testing just because that's what usually causes pain in the lower abdomen? I don't think so.
The cold hard truth in HVAC these days is that R-22 is going away. R-22 equipment is no longer being manufactured and sold except on a very limited basis in which the equipment is being shipped without the refrigerant. The amount of R-22 being manufactured has been reduced and will continue to be reduced until it is totally phased out over the next several years. Due to this reduction the price has been climbing exponentially. I was just informed last week that the price I pay has nearly doubled so far this year. Because of this skyrocketing cost, I advise customers to replace over repair whenever possible when it comes to leaking systems. The cost is going to be more than anyone wants to pay, either way. At least the replacement gives a longer life span to the equipment and reduced energy consumption due to higher efficiency levels.
Post: Steam heating to electric baseboard conversion

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
Post: Oil Tank Seriousness: Northern NJ Older Home

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
Post: Oil Tank Seriousness: Northern NJ Older Home

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
Post: Installing an HVAC System and Electrical Box

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
Specialty tools and material needed to remove and install an new HVAC system:
Refrigerant recovery machine - $750
Refrigerant recovery tank - $100
Cost to dispose of recovered refrigerant - up to $10,000 fine if not done properly - You will have to find a refrigerant reclaiming facility to work with you if you are not certified
Vacuum pump - $350
25 lb tank R-410A refrigerant ( if you can find someone to sell it to you without proper cert ) $250
Micron gauge - $150
Refrigeration gauges ( cheap set ) - $100
Nitrogen tank and regulator - $350
These things alone put you over $2000 additional and that's assuming you already have the other necessities such as a torch, brazing supplies and piping tools.
Keep in mind that if you don't know how to properly install a refrigeration piping system the result will be shortened equipment life. I have seen equipment that has been installed improperly fail within months. The cost to replace a failed compressor can be about 50% of the original equipment price. Clogged refrigeration systems due to improper brazing can result in complete equipment replacement. Bottom line - this isn't rocket science, anyone who is mechanically inclined can do it. The problem comes with lack of experience and that shortcoming could end up costing you thousands.
Post: New Steam Boiler - Automatic Feed Issue

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
When it comes to sizing replacement steam boilers, the Net Steam Sq Ft is the important number. This relates directly to the size and quantity of the radiators. Each radiator has a specific free internal area to hold the steam. There are charts that show various types and styles of radiators that give the calculated area per radiator section. This number is multiplied by the number of sections to give the area per radiator then multiplied by the number of radiators for the total sq footage of steam required. The replacement boiler must be sized so that it's net steam square footage output is at least as large as the calculated number. If the boiler's output is too low it will run out of water before the radiation system is completely filled with steam. This will cause the autofeeder to kick on and add additional water. When the steam in the system condenses back to water and makes its way back to the boiler it will flood the boiler.
Unfortunately, I don't know what your radiators look like so I can't really help you on the sizing at this point. If your contractor didn't take a walk through the house and inspect each of the radiators then he probably did not size the replacement boiler that way. Very often contractors will size the replacement boiler based on the size of the old one. This will usually not cause any operational problems but sometimes results in the new boiler being larger than it needs to be. Back in the day when these old boilers were installed, energy efficiency was not a prime concern so the thinking was that bigger is better.
From your description it sounds as though the skimming procedure has solved your problem. With a 1500 sq ft house, which I assume is older with less than ideal insulation, a boiler with a net 61,000 BTU steam output is probably just about right. If the water level in the glass remains fairly stable during operation and does not continually drop low enough to activate the autofeeder when firing then I think its safe to say you will be ok.
Post: New Steam Boiler - Automatic Feed Issue

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95
Post: How would you save this $120?

- Oak Ridge, NJ
- Posts 103
- Votes 95