Finally starting an addition on our shed

[EddieWalker]

That sounds pretty impressive. I just have the one filter and I think having another would be even better!!! I'll have to look into that when I replace this unit. I'm at 12 years right now, so it's just a matter of time until it dies on me.

 

[STx]

The Trane heat pumps in our last house were 22 years old and both were still working great when we sold. Annual checkups and keeping it clean will make it last a long time.

I was worried we'd have to replace those, 2 5 ton units but, taking good care of them kept them running long enough for us.

We didn't ever use the heat function on them though, we had gas furnaces.

 

[fried1765]

Yes, we're putting in a deck and I am doing the ledger board before the siding. My plan is the through bolt it while I can get to both sides.

I put a piece of OSB on the ceiling joists to install the AC stuff, it's spread across 4 joists. It's not very heavy and we will put insulation in underneath it once the drywall is in.

We have 2 filters, the regular cheap filter in the returns that are mainly to catch big stuff like pet hair and the high efficiency MERV 14 at the unit. The one at the unit is a 4" cabinet filter and is for fine dust. The return grill filters get changed monthly, the cabinet filter every 6-12 months, depending on the environment. We have a lot of fine silt in the soil here so it'll need to be changed on the shorter interval. The cabinet filter media is about $40/ea, they're meant for longer run times. They are in a zig zag inside the cabinet so it creates a lot of surface area while still allowing high air flow. It's basically a high flow HEPA filter. We've put them on the AC units in every house we've had, they make a big difference in keeping the dust down in the house and keeping the evaporator coil clean so the unit can run more efficiently. They run about $300, or around $500 installed on an existing unit but, I think they save at least that much in cleaning time and unit efficiency.

As one who has ridden a (nailed only) second story deck to the ground, I highly recommend thru bolting!
Rot can form along the threads of lag bolts, but thru bolts with big washers are a MUCH better idea!
15 of us rode that deck to the ground....thirteen were hospitalized.....fortunately, no life threatening injuries.

 

[geblackwell]

I live near Wentzville Mo and decks now require "lateral load connectors" as well as thru bolts or ledger locs.

 

[jrdepew]

For the deck ledger connection, check these out:

Maine Building Materials; The Maine Deck Bracket Company; Minot, Maine

I used them on a deck for a house with vinyl siding and think they are great. Makes flashing for the deck connection a lot easier, smaller, and simpler. The ledger is held away from the structure so water has an easier path down. I can't think of any downsides to them as long as you through-bolt them good and ensure you are hitting something substantial.

Place is looking great! Keep after it.

-Joe

 

[EddieWalker]

Isn't it time for an update on your latest progress?

 

[STx]

I've been sidetracked by paying work again. I was hoping to get it dried in by Christmas but, I'm doubtful now. I've got a lot of traps to get built.

We did get snow though.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sorry to hear about the snow. That stuff just creates mud that never goes away!!!! Nothing worse then when it happens here.

Nice to hear the traps are selling. Do you go the the Hunting Conventions like Dallas Safari Club next month?

 

[STx]

I finally got an opportunity to work on this again, got the last window done and the door installed earlier this week. Today I had a friend here to help and we trimmed out all the windows in 2x4 and got the j channel up that we had. I have enough total length of j channel but, a ton of waste so I'm short, I was expecting it to be in 20' pieces and it came in 10'. I could scab it together but, I don't want the seams so I'll get more Monday.

We got one more long piece of siding up this afternoon but, I just sent him to the stand to try and kill a spike we need gone. In the morning, we're going to get the siding done as far as we can being short on trim, it'll get almost all the full pieces done so I'll be able to get some more done by myself during the week after the trim is on and I'll pin one of the neighbors down to help with the last of the full.sheets and the roof. I should for real have it dried in this week, FINALLY.

 

[EddieWalker]

Progress is good, and spikes are tasty!!!


I just noticed your attic vent on your gable. You might have mentioned it, and I'm sure it's there if I look hard enough, but what type of roof are you putting on? Not that it matters too much, because I would strongly, VERY STRONGLY, suggest you abandon that little gable vent and use a ridge vent. While the gable vent will accomplish the task of letting the hot air out of the attic, it's not 100 percent and over a short amount of time, there will be signs of heat build up at the peak, and just a little lower down from the peak in the center area of the roof. On metal, the hot air will find a way out through the seams and discolor the metal, turning it black along the edges, and then more so over time. On shingles, they will dry out and curl on your faster then the other shingles. The heat build up at the peak in summer is unreal!!! Ridge vents are the only way to deal with this.