HVAC in the attic?

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Bird, per your advice about a year ago, I put our new doublewide on our land. (Mostly to avoid high taxes here)

I went with a full slab and had it cinderblocked in and backfilled with a french drain. I paid an extra $400 for a 12 SEER unit over a 10. Last months electric bill was $199. I'm all electric with over 2100 sq ft. I'm pretty happy considering my previous house was 1760 ft sq standard construction with $150 electric bills (everything possible was gas). I'm really happy considering I'm saving $250 a month over my previous tax assessment. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But here's 1 more issue you may not be thinking of. With the ductwork underneath(as compared to attic ducting), the first 15 seconds of air that blows when unit kicks on is not as hot. This depends on the attic temps which optimally should be close to outside air temp.

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue"> But here's 1 more issue you may not be thinking of. With the ductwork underneath(as compared to attic ducting), </font>

One of the biggest headaches that our techs used to see came from flooded ductwork in the early spring when the ground was saturated. The water would get to the point of almost completely blocking airflow and would add excessive amounts of humidity to the dwelling. This doesn't by any means happen to all counterflow systems with underground ductwork but it can be a problem nevertheless.

A condensate pump placed in the lowest part of the ductwork normally made an effective repair in this type of problem area as it would automatically start if and when the water started to rise.

 

[Bird]

Kyle, for two years we've been living in this here in town. We've got a contract on a little house now, so want to sell the mobile home. When we were down in the country and bought a new double wide custom built the way we wanted it, I specified having the ductwork in the ceiling instead of the floor, but of course this little one has it in the floor. To me, the trouble with having it in the floor is that it limits where you can place furniture. And you're saving $250 a month in taxes, while with this little trailer I have no property taxes to pay and I'm looking at moving to where I'll have to start paying again. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[kenmac]

Bird, I have installed several ac units as well as water heaters in attics. There is a float switch that I install in the large emergency drain pan that is wired to the a/c unit .I f water gets high enough in this pan it turns the a/c unit off.

 

[Birdhunter1]

What I use to do was if we did out one in the attic it always had a pan and a completely separate drain line from the primary drain.

The alternate drain went to a place like right above the entrance to their door, or right above where the homeowners would park their car in their attached garage, or somewhere where they woudl notice a puddle of water if that pan happened to get a bunch of water in it.

 

[sneaky_pete]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Don's problem scares me bad enough, but at least any house I buy will not be two story, so maybe it won't be as bad as yours, Pete. )</font>

I'm tired of two-story houses myself, but this one came with the shop. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Cowboyjg]

Bird....As a builder I go to considerable lengths to keep from putting the ac equipment in the attic. I think all of the reasons and supporting horror stories have been mentioned in the thread. From water damage potential to serviceability there is just no real good reason to do it. On the other hand, circumstances sometime dictate that as the only viable option. I do a considerable amount of remodel and restoration work and have found myself, on more than one occasion, having no other option in order to accomplish the task at hand. Because there is no utopia (contrary to the wishful thinking of many... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) all you can do is be prudent and take what precautions you can. Regular inspections are helpful and just become one more thing to add to the homeowner maintenance list.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Regular inspections are helpful )</font>

Before we finalize the deal to buy that house, naturally, I wanted to do a pretty thorough inspection, and I've done most of it. However, the owner has already moved a couple of hundred miles from here, but he left a pickup truck in the garage blocking the access to the attic. I know a little bit about HVAC systems, but not nearly enough, and no personal experience with heat pumps, although a couple of relatives have them and like them. The outdoor components look good; a Rheem "High Efficiency" heat pump. And of course I don't know whether that's really good or not.

 

[bczoom]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The outdoor components look good; a Rheem "High Efficiency" heat pump. And of course I don't know whether that's really good or not. )</font>

Bird,

Not enought time right now to read back through the thread to see if info already posted so I apologize if this has already been covered.

If you want more info on the heat pump, open the access panel on the heat pump. There will be a decal inside giving all the info on it. Year of mfgr, capacity... "High Efficiency" was true at the time but may be "Low Efficiency" by what's available today. Can't speak for TX, but around here, they last about 15 years.

Brian

 

[Bird]

Brian, it had that "High Efficiency" label (whatever that means) on top and the attached data decal on the outside.