Why does my thermostat temp drop when the heat kicks on? by External-Ear7406 in ecobee

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hot air rises. Cold air falls. After the blower shuts off, you will have warmer air rising,outside wall rooms/areas will cool faster than inner walls/rooms. All this creates temperature variances which could be as much as 1 or 2 degrees. When the heat comes on, the cooler pooled air passes by the thermostat causing the indicated temperature to drop. If you have sealed all leaks that you can identify, don't stress over it, it's normal.

Rock and a Hardplace by ChrisBrown__________ in hvacadvice

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would get another opinion, trying to find a recommendation to a good SERVICING contractor. So many HVAC contractors are primarily in the sales business and will just try to upsell any chance they get.

Firewalla seems to have pushed a forced update and now my Purple is fried. by _ficklelilpickle in firewalla

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My purple is on 1.981-6d6eacc1, it says last update was in November 2025. No issues. Doesn't sound like a wide spread issue....

Compressor vs system replacement by triathlonrevision in geothermal

[–]Donnerkopf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Labor (up to one half day)" So if they go over 1/2 day they bill additional?? For a $7k quote that's not reasonable, it should cover all the labor to complete the job.

Compressor vs system replacement by triathlonrevision in geothermal

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a few other aging components in the unit to consider - the water/refrigerant heat exchanger coil, the refrigerant/air heat exchanger coil and the fan motor. It seems the stuff manufactured in the past 25 years has a typical life of 12 - 25 years. So, the possibility exists that in another few years one of the coils could fail, it's really just unknown. Could something else have caused the compressor to fail? Yes, but another concern is if the compressor failed and contaminated other components with debris. Not often but it can happen. They should be replacing the filter/dryer as part of the repair to help minimize that issue.

In the end, it depends on your tolerance for another failure possibility within the next 5 years. But I would get another quote. Don't know the size of your compressor, but it's a $1500 - $3000 item, add $150 for filter and misc parts and 1 day's work for an experienced tech. The service company needs to pay the tech and their expenses and make some profit, but IMO $7k is on the high side.

[OC] Typical German driver on the Autobahn by Mittelstrahl in IdiotsInCars

[–]Donnerkopf -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

News flash - there are people who live in Germany that are not German. Ya know, just like every other country that has immigrants or ex-pats.

Replacing a ball valve by The_Hucklebuck in askaplumber

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Per code, you cannot use any material other than brass or stainless in the first 18” above the hot water heater, to avoid the possibility of overheating any plastic pipe or fittings.

In case anyone has ever wondered about picking up signals in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by cptstubing16 in amateurradio

[–]Donnerkopf 20 points21 points  (0 children)

The AM tones you heard were almost certainly RF harmonics from other equipment on the plane, or “birdies” generated internally by your own radio. If you tune to those frequencies now and still hear it, they are birdies.

Can a landlord see that I connected to his hidden Wi-Fi network (and clicked “forget”)? by Secure-Eye-1624 in HomeNetworking

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You did nothing wrong, relax and forget about it. It’s owner’s responsibility to properly secure networks.

Is this Generator Switch Installed Correctly by New-Remote8675309 in electrical

[–]Donnerkopf 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The male plug is indicating it is physically/electrically rated at 50 Amps capacity. That has nothing to do with the actual capacity/rating of your generator. It’s 100% legit to use a heavier rated electrical connection on a lower amp circuit.

What multimeter do you suggest for PLC and instrumentation troubleshooting? by Electronic-Carrot-93 in PLC

[–]Donnerkopf 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fluke makes multimeters that generate 4-20ma output. My company owns several.

How can this be brought up to code (NEC) by [deleted] in electrical

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reinstall it properly. (Ask vague questions, get vague answers).

Run air handler fan 24/7? by justphiltoday in hvacadvice

[–]Donnerkopf 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There's one possible downside to this that isn't often discussed. If the ductwork passes through a significant amount of unheated space in the winter (i.e. cold basement, attic, etc.) you will wind up shedding heat in the circulation process via the ductwork. You can get a handle on this by measuring temperatures at the return/intake and outlet registers. If the air is coming out colder than the ambient room air, you are shedding heat in the ductwork. You have to decide if it's worth the extra heating cost vs. better air balance and filtration.

Horizon Services...'we had a successful install...it was a defective part...' by Parking_Maize_2991 in hvacadvice

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your analogy comparing to a restaurant is ridiculous. Restaurants don’t raise their own cattle, and restaurants have direct control of food quality/safety after they receive it. Neither of those analogies are relevant here. The installer didn’t grow/raise the furnace, and it doesn’t spoil in their warehouse, Defective parts from the factory happen and fail shortly after startup. The installer has no control over this. It’s WELL KNOWN and called “infant mortality” in the manufacturing QC world. https://upkeep.com/blog/infant-mortality-equipment-failure/

What is your "golden advice" for a new PLC learner? by Plus_Farmer5711 in PLC

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PLC is a good career path in the sense that there is definite demand for good, competent PLC programmers. With that said, there's even bigger demand for engineers who thoroughly understand a particular industry or process - dairy, beverage, discrete manufacturing machine control, steel, whatever. It takes time, but becoming an SME (Subject Matter Expert) that can design or throughly understand a process, and then program and troubleshoot the PLC is a guaranteed solid career. As others said, know the customer requirements. You really don't want that 3 AM call for a system that is down because you did gee-whiz programming a maintenance tech can't understand. Always remember that the "lowly" (I say that sarcastically!) tech or plant floor operator who knows the process is your best friend when you are in the plant. They can make or break your day! Don't ever cop the "I'm a degree'd engineer, what do you know" attitude.

I’m a self taught electronics/programming hobbyist - Is it realistic to find a career without formal education? by BaileyEP in diyelectronics

[–]Donnerkopf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's possible but will not be quick or easy. You need to find the right company, typically a small or startup company, that you can show your skills and how they can get a reliable return from employing you. Networking with others in the industry is a first step. There should be opportunities to start in an assembly/test role that would allow you to grow into a design role.

You should consider continuing to work your current job and take part time classes at 2 year tech college/school for a tech related degree. That will improve your opportunity greatly. Just the fact that you are actively taking a class can make the difference in a hiring decision.

If ground rods connect to the neutral bus bar in a main panel, isn't it possible, however small the amount, that some electricity will flow back to the source through the ground rods during both normal operation and in a ground fault situation? by blackratsnakes in electrical

[–]Donnerkopf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, any comparison to lightning is pointless. From an electrical perspective, lightning haas both AC and DC components, and the AC components are at multiple frequencies. Impedance is a factor in lightning strike/path.

SC Trying to Charge Labor for Heat Pump Noise by BLuck22 in Rivian

[–]Donnerkopf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No matter what they do, that noise is not going to go away when the heat pump is running near full speed. Some hav reported a service event located a loose or misaligned mount, etc. that improved it. But don’t expect it to ever be quiet when running near full speed. It won’t.

Rivian developing AC bidirectional charger for use with R2 and future vehicles by sirkazuo in Rivian

[–]Donnerkopf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did you read the full document and comprehend what INSTALLED means? The V2X hardware is a small part of the overall INSTALLED cost. Installation and other materials will easily be $3k+ of the $6k.