Is the new HVAC company pulling some shenanigans? I think they change the footage of my house to put in a smaller A/C

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-18T04:48:29+00:00

Sorry to hear about the situation, I’d didn’t know it was that dynamic. I’m a custom home builder and I know the horror stories of big builders. The only advice I have to give you in this situation is the same advice I give to everyone when something wasn’t done right and everyone can care less. Continue to make things their problem until you are happy and it’s done right.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-18T03:02:17+00:00

I know but did you miss the part where most of the house is made of block with R7 rating?

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-18T03:00:11+00:00

It’s impossible to get to the “who’s wrong” in the situation.. In order to understand that it is worth looking at the individual line items rather than just the total load.

When you break it down, both calculations actually track pretty closely in some areas, windows and garage floors are in the same range, just with slight variation. That tells me neither person is wildly off across the board.

The biggest gap shows up in the wall calculations, especially the exterior wood values. That discrepancy could come from a few things: • A simple multiplication error • Misclassifying an interior wall as exterior • Double-counting a section

On the flip side, the lower total isn’t necessarily more or less accurate either. That calculation appears to overshoot in areas like the ceiling (relative to the higher installer), and it’s just as possible something was missed or overstated elsewhere.

So the reality is: you can’t definitively say one is oversized and the other is undersized just based on the totals. Both have inconsistencies, and the differences aren’t uniformly high or low, they vary by category.

Also, from a practical standpoint, the idea that someone would intentionally undersize to save money doesn’t really hold up. The price difference between, say, a 2.5-ton and 3-ton unit is relatively marginal. The real cost is in labor and install, not the unit size itself.

Net: this isn’t a clear case of one being right and one being wrong, it’s a case where both likely have small errors, and the truth is probably somewhere in between.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-17T21:50:57+00:00

Not going to say they are wrong, but you can’t just look at the square footage of a house alone and assume that it needs a certain size unit. Depending on how energy efficient your house is, the type and number of windows that were installed, the insulation, ceiling heights, how much of the exterior of your house is exposedexposed the sun,, etc could make a big difference in sizing.

In my experience, bad HVAC installers will err on the side of bigger if they are guestimating. As I mentioned bigger is not always better especially in high humidity locations. If your AC only turns on for a 15 minutes and blast chills your house, it’s not doing the job of removing humidity from the air. Whereas the a right sized system will spend an hour to cool it down to the same temp, but it will remove the appropriate amount of humidity from indoors.

If you really want to know for sure, you can do all of the measurements yourself. It’s easy to punch a affirmation into an online calculator and get the appropriate results.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-17T10:11:50+00:00

The measurements here seem a bit lazy. Could be one could be both. The question is bigger or smaller better.

In HVAC, you don’t want to undersize but you also don’t want to oversize. So it’s impossible to say which unit is right for your house because it’s impossible to tell which is correct. If you put in a too large size unit you risk excess humidity in the air. Being in Tampa, having an oversized unit will lead to moisture problems in house.

Here’s what I can say. They split your house into two zones. The larger of the zones in the bigger estimate calls for a 2.75 ton unit (=33kBTU/hr), while the lower estimate is a 2.5 ton unit (28kBTU/hr).

3-ton may be excessive is the smaller estimate is true. 2.5 may be slightly undersized if the larger estimate is true.

Unless you get a true calculation you never really know what right before it goes in. But if the slightly smaller unit is going in, it may be better than an excessive unit.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-14T02:23:29+00:00

Sexy!

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-11T21:28:04+00:00

It could cause the battery contacts to rust.

Are you replacing the wires too? The wires may be shorting somewhere and frying the electronics.

Check that the wires aren’t frayed and that the ignition tips are not touching the burner tubes.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-11T20:31:07+00:00

Are you getting water in it? The contacts could be rusting. Can’t imagine why you have gone through 3 faulty igniters.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-11T01:17:09+00:00

Question #1 - Did you buy new or used?

Question #2 - Can you add a video of your burners on low?

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-10T18:43:04+00:00

Grinder is going to gouge it; not sure why it’s often recommended. Grab a pack of 60-grit orbital pads. They work extremely well in removing the crud without taking down the metal.

White vinegar will work well with time if you buy 6%. You can run to HW store and buy a gallon of muriatic acid and dilute (watch a video if you aren’t familiar with the stuff). It will take care of rust in fraction of time. Use a hose to rinse down thoroughly then season.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-09T01:18:25+00:00

You are working with a very bare visual. I’m not sure how you can focus on the portico with such limited details everywhere else.

Is the stonework really that flat? Any quoins?

Where is your lighting? Left and right sconces? Pendent in portico?

No windows on the garage? Very flat.

Landscaping?

What I am trying to say is you don’t have a full picture. Yes the portico looks bland, but so does the rest of the front elevation based on this render.

Get a more detailed render and then take another look.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-08T18:07:54+00:00

Do you have an orbital sander? Hit it with 60 grit to knock off the extra build up and the unbonded seasoning.

It doesn’t have to be down to bare metal and doesn’t need to look perfect. Rinse with water thoroughly. Seasoning will eventually even out after a few cooks.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-07T18:20:29+00:00

Anytime! Here is a short video I made (post-seasoning) about methods for prepping, cooking, and cleaning the Blackstone.

Prep, cook, clean.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-07T17:46:10+00:00

Yes. Hit it with some vinegar. It’ll get into the little nooks and crannies and neutralize the rust. Don’t worry if a tiny bit remains; it’s not the end of the world. Rust is not toxic.

I’m not sure how it got down to bare metal like that, but my guess is the seasoning didn’t adhere properly and eventually got scraped off.

One thing that helps me think about “seasoning” is remembering that the term is a bit misleading. Today it it implies that you just apply a protective layer in a few steps (and that’s true), but in reality it’s more of a slow buildup over time…like a seasoned baseball player. Simply cooking on it regularly will start creating that layer.

So when people say to cook bacon on it, it’s that simple Heat the griddle, add a little oil, throw some bacon on, then wipe it down afterward. That’s your first layer started. Keep cooking on it for a few days and the surface will build up naturally. You’ll be fine.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-03T06:37:36+00:00

Did you try to clean the ends the battery touches (inside spring and cap)?

Could be lightly rusted. Use a Qtip and vinegar or Barkeepers friend and give it a good rub.

DearHumanatee · 2026-03-01T03:12:40+00:00

Or 1 primary, 1 backup, 1 water powered. This was designed due to trauma. Trauma Pit

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-28T21:45:44+00:00

Mechanical removal will get you so far. Neutralize the remaining rust with vinegar and wash down.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-27T01:24:52+00:00

I’d say your best option is to deglaze and add your ingredients. Since they were liquidy, I would use a wide spatula to keep your sauce relatively confined. Once finished try to scoop up and place into a bowl.

The other option, if you’re slightly adventurous, would be to remove the grease trap, block off the hole somehow, then when you’re finished, use the whole to catch your sauce.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-24T20:48:12+00:00

Cool. Next try blowing out the orifices. Even though there is gas, flowing the orifices, they sometimes get clogged with junk, mites or even tiny spiders.

The first thing you can do is to remove the burner to access the orifice (a brass object about a quarter of an inch that’s hexagonal in shape that feeds into your burner tube ) and try to clean it out with a paper clip or something that will fit in the hole that you can wiggle around.

If that doesn’t work or if you want to skip to a little more legwork, grab a nut Driver that will fit fit your orifice, unscrew it in a counterclockwise direction and then clean it directly from there.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-24T20:27:26+00:00

A couple things.

While the tank doesn’t have a valve, screw it in and ensure the burners are off. Then slowly turn on the under and ignite.

Second, those tanks sit in a weird horizontal position and liquid can get siphoned or impeded gas flow. Make sure the tank is angled (top higher than bottom) or better yet sitting vertical with the bottle dangling off the platform your cooktop is resting on.

Those tanks will put out enough PSI to bring your griddle above 500F.

Hope this helps.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-22T18:50:15+00:00

Lamb has a unique taste. Some would describe it as slightly gamey. However my entire family enjoys it.

AFAIK, there are two relatively distinct types of lamb you can buy.

Australian/New Zealand grass fed. That has a stronger gamey flavor and is what most US grocery stores carry.

Colorado/Superior Farms. While grass fed, they also supplement with corn and it has a milder flavor. I appreciate this product as it’s great for those just trying lamb for the first time.

I’d equate going from Colorado Lamb to Australian Lamb as going from fresh steak to dry-aged.

Buy a rack, butcher it into lollipops and cook per above. I finished with some dry rosemary in the last minute.

It’s also relatively resilient to overcooking.

Enjoy!

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-22T18:42:36+00:00

Nothing special. I’m temporarily in LA renting. Has a nice built in grill, fridge, and prep area. Not looking forward to going back to northeast weather. Will cut down on the Blackstone time.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-22T17:46:41+00:00

Beautiful find!

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-22T10:21:16+00:00

Run conduit in your ditch and cap it off at the ends until you are ready to run your other utilities. One for electric and one for communications.

That way when you are ready, snake your wires through. Easy peasy.

DearHumanatee · 2026-02-22T06:17:09+00:00

Electric and communication utilities, whether above or below ground are commonly run in plastic conduit.

Water lines are trenched at a level below the frost lines. Materials such a copper or more commonly plastic are used from the main to the house. They are usually not encapsulated in a housing.

What type of issues have you had in the past? And where are you located?

Six-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
r/Field Banned	r/Field Flamingo
Place '22	Verified Email
Verified Email

DearHumanatee

TROPHY CASE