The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Old Folks. Cold here this morning 30's.

 

[getaclue]

Cap, I'm sure it won't be cheap, but there is an upside to it. Due to the age of the unit, it's not very energy efficient.

In addition, back then, they did duct work very different from how they do it now. The current duct work is undersized. They ran one main duct from the front of the house, to the back, then tied in all the rooms to the one main line, all the way down as they came to them. The front of the house cools down in the summer, but the back does not. Regardless, due to the smaller size of the duct work, it's constraining the flow, and still very inefficient overall.

To further the problem, the way they set the air handler, it was impossible to properly attach the main duct. They taped the duct onto it, before they set the air handler into it's permanent location. Now, years later, the tape has loosened, so there is an air leak. The only way to re-tape it is to unbolt, and move the air handler, so you can get to that area, tape it, then set the air handler back into place, and bolt it back in.

With new duct work, that is the proper size, and running 2 main ducts instead of 1, 1 main duct to the front of the house, and a second main duct to the back, it will deliver the air efficiently to the back of the house too, so it won't be so warm back there.

Currently we are paying a whopping electric bill for AC. It's Florida, so we run AC here steadily for at least 9.5 months out of the year. Being very conservative, we should be able to save, at the very least, $200.00 a month on electric. The AC people are saying we will save more than that. I believe it. With Dh being retired, it benefits us to get our monthly outgo in check. Why give all that money to the electric company, without full benefit of an efficient AC system? I'd rather put the money into an efficient AC system, that benefits us, instead of the electric company.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We just had a 300 dollar electric bill this last month.

 

[getaclue]

Penny, We'd love having an electric bill that low, or lower. That's the point of us replacing the AC unit.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have PUD's out here sure can tell when we do not have fires in the stove

 

[CSolis]

I heard a strange tapping under the house. It's enclosed except for a few small areas animals have dug out for entrance. So I got my flashlight to take a look see.. WOW, What appears to be a kestrel or like type bird has decided to make a nest up under the house. I certainly don't mind since it will eat mice, rats, squirrels, snakes or whatever critter decides to take up residence under the house. What might they bird be, and I was unaware they would make a nest in an area so low.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Certain snakes could eat the bird and the eggs

 

[CSolis]

Certain snakes could eat the bird and the eggs

Well that be true as well. But those same snakes (rat snakes mostly) are very adept at tree climbing too.

 

[CSolis]

I'm just watching and waiting. Where ever Gator is Tiny is nearby... Just waiting for Tiny to lay down next to Gator. Came in the house and they were less than 2' apart. Gator eats, Tiny watches, Gator lays down, Tiny is nearby grazing.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I heard a strange tapping under the house. It's enclosed except for a few small areas animals have dug out for entrance. So I got my flashlight to take a look see.. WOW, What appears to be a kestrel or like type bird has decided to make a nest up under the house. I certainly don't mind since it will eat mice, rats, squirrels, snakes or whatever critter decides to take up residence under the house. What might they bird be, and I was unaware they would make a nest in an area so low.

We had house wrens nest under the workshop!