Thursday, November 16, 2017

Fence Almost Finished, Roof Replacement Underway, Film At 11.....

Well, not film, but a bunch of pix.

We have an "Energy Audit" crew coming at 1300 to survey the house and give us recommendations. I think it's a waste of $65, but the wife heard the word "REBATES!!!!" and her ears went up.

The baseboard heater in the future Radio Room doesn't work, so it looks like I'll be learning more about baseboard heaters, and how to troubleshoot and repair them. Could be anything from a loose/broken wire on the thermostat to a failed piece of the system. I reset the breakers on GP, but very little heat from that particular unit. We've had all the "basement" heaters off since we moved in because I wanted to see how cold/how fast the downstairs would get. With the moderate temps we've been having, and with all the air leaks from around the sliding windows in the two rooms that have them, the basement got down to 55* before I called off the "experiment". It's NOT good to have unused rooms get too cold because it can cause condensation/moisture problems, so I turned the heaters on and set them to 64* on the dial. The two rooms where the heaters are functional are holding 65*, and Radio is warming up a bit, but I have to get that heater fixed.

The upstairs rooms where the heaters were"off" didn't get any where near that cold, but then heat rises, those windows seal very well, and they're all on the South side of the house, so the get some solar input.

The dog doesn't know what to make of all the banging and noise going on, so she's wandering around the house and looking up a lot!

More to come.....

16 comments:

  1. Good luck with the heater. We have a hot-water circulating system with baseboard heat (no forced air), and one unit seems to have a tiny leak. There's condensation on that bedroom window every morning. Sigh...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are several different types of baseboard heaters, and I have to determine exactly which flavor we have. Since it does get warmer than ambient, it's probably getting power.

      As to why it's not getting hot, that's TBD!

      Delete
  2. Good weather window for the roof replacement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They stripped the roof and installed the synthetic underlayment. They had to leave to go install the underlayment on a new house that has a "naked wood" roof, and that HAS to be sealed before the weather comes in.

      They'll be back at 0800 tomorrow to install the "50 Year, High-Impact, Class 4" shingles, and do the clean up.

      Fortunately, the house has a very simple roof design. Made it MUCH easier to do the tear-off and underlayment installation.

      Delete
  3. I'm sure you will get that baseboard heater sorted out.
    You are accomplishing a lot for such a young fellow.
    I have central heat & air and just had the furnace checked, all good. This house is built stout and is probably over insulated, but my mother never built anything half ass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've worked with high-power stuff like this before (and MUCH bigger stuff, too), so getting the heater repaired should be a simple task, once I have enough of the boxes "down there" unpacked and removed to actually get AT the heater.

      The other house we almost bought had a forced air system with central A/C and a humidifier for those DRY Colorado winters. I prefer that type of system, but we're stuck with what we have.

      We'll probably be installing a couple of "mini-split" units for heating and cooling next year.

      Me? Young? You flatter me, ma'am!

      Delete
  4. Pebbles is a wonder dog. I expect that she's supervising the activity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like a hawk.

      And if I catch her digging after the landscaper is finished.......

      Delete
  5. If you are getting "very little heat" it sounds like the unit is getting 110 instead of 220. If this unit is on its own breaker you might check to see if you are getting power off of both legs...check the connections at the heater but after that it is probably a new unit...haven't messed with them for a good number of years but I don't remember them as being real user friendly to work on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, might have one leg of the circuit open. The breaker itself isn't warm or hot, which is generally good, and the main panel shows no signs of overheating, so checking the connections in the panel dropped down a bit on the list of suspects.

      If all I'm getting is 110 *at the heater*, then I'll go back and check the panel. I've seen double breakers fail "open" on one leg, but it's not too common.

      Delete
  6. A ham friend In upstate New York has a Johnson Viking Killowatt. Says it does a great job heating his shack.
    Interesting guy, radio operator on P2V in the 60’s. “Admired the megaton sunrises at Christmas and Johnson Islands” during Starfish Prime. Also comments that the trailing wire antenna on the P2V worked great on 20 m.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've got a Collins 30L-1 I've been waiting to fire up.

      4 811's might generate a little heat!

      Delete
    2. Sweeeet. Great amp.

      Terry and I hate this new iPad software load.

      Delete
    3. I bought it from the estate of the original owner. Came with an inch-thick binder of the manual, and the schematics and parts lists for a couple of easily reversible mods for remote metering and remote power control.

      I've got one of the available rectifier/filter board upgrades, and that might get put in this winter.

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. I'll probably make up a plywood insert with weatherstripping around it.

      Delete

Keep it civil, please....

Gloomy, Gritty, Grey Day

 At 1700 local it's as described in the headline; 30*F, 88% RH, completely overcast, snowing like crazy (small flakes, but lots of them)...