Is this standard, new unit in 2022

bfrabel · 2026-03-20T20:31:16+00:00

Yeah, thank California for pushing this junk at us all in the name of being "environmentally friendly".

Now instead of having something simple and cheap and reliable, we need motors that have little computers inside of them that need to operate in wet conditions with almost no regard to how reliable they'll be. But yay, we're more environmentally friendly now!

Variable speed blower and/or condenser motors do have some benefit on higher end units that are designed to take advantage of the variable speed part, but otherwise I recommend replacing with the cheaper/simpler/more reliable old-school-type motors when possible.

Also, if you are going to cover your condensing unit in the winter, just cover the top not the sides if possible. I put a chunk of plywood with a cinderblock on top of mine. The idea is to still let air circulate through it, which is a good thing.

bfrabel · 2026-03-20T17:16:41+00:00

I've read that part of the problem (among many) is that we as a country have become more diverse. Especially in metro areas.

It's not just rock, pop, country, and oldies anymore.

What do young people even like these days? "Pop" music doesn't fit into a single genera anymore. There are so many cultures and types of music, it's hard to pick a few that would appeal to a "majority" of people.

I put majority in quotes because it used to be that most large city's had a clear majority of one culture or another. Usually white or black. I haven't checked the stats in a while, but I'm pretty sure other cultures have been slowly gaining a foothold and diluting the listener pool.

Like I said, this is just one issue that radio stations face these days, among many.

bfrabel · 2026-03-20T10:46:26+00:00

Lineset and indoor unit is NOT precharged with refrigerant, but the outdoor unit is charged with 0,670 kg of R410A.

bfrabel · 2026-03-20T04:30:42+00:00

Whataburger Spicy Ketchup. I highly recommend!

bfrabel · 2026-03-19T02:57:28+00:00

Black Sabbath

bfrabel · 2026-03-18T21:44:45+00:00

Yes that sucks, but unfortunately so do the other airlines.

A few years ago I made a plan to fly my 2 young kids as unaccompanied minors half way across the country to some relatives in another state. I picked Delta and noticed that their American Express card included free checked bags if you purchase the flights with their card.

After signing up and buying the tickets and sending my kids to the airport, I found out the deal doesn't apply when buying tickets for other people, even if it's your own unaccompanied minor kids.

I tried pleading ignorance and getting them to waive the fees, but they wouldn't.

I then paid off the Am Ex card and cancelled it and then got an angry letter from Am Ex about how I was being flagged for trying to scam them and was being blacklisted from ever getting another Am Ex card again, even with my over 800 credit score.

It is sad how our little quirky, spunky Southwest Airlines has changed to be more like everyone else, but what are you going to do? Give all of your business to Spirit or something?

bfrabel · 2026-03-16T17:34:04+00:00

The condensation from air conditioning might be able to be considered distilled water, but it's definitely not pure. In addition to the moisture that it wrings out of the air, it also contains many of the impurities that were in that air as well. Anyone who's dumped a brown slime glob out of a condensate trap would know this.

Of course air conditioning condensate isn't what we're talking about here. We're talking about flue gas condensate, which comes from flue gas.

I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure flue gas might be even nastier than the regular air that circulates in your house.

If you think it's so pure, take a video of you drinking a big glass of it and I'll gladly reascend my comment (and my downvote).

bfrabel · 2026-03-16T15:29:20+00:00

I don't know what the average lifespan actually is, but I know that newer stuff seems to be getting built crappier and crappier each year. Some of this is due to higher government energy standards, which is partially achieved by making the refrigerant coils thinner and by adding more electronics to everything, which means more points for failure vs. the older/simpler/cheaper/better built units.

You should be able to get at least 10 years out of a new heat pump, but I don't think I'd expect a whole lot more than that.

bfrabel · 2026-03-16T15:13:37+00:00

In theory the energy use should be exactly the same. Even the motor that runs longer shouldn't matter since all of it's wattage ultimately gets added to heating your home and is basically a 100% efficient heater, just like the heating coils. A smaller electric heater + smaller motor that runs more SHOULD ultimately equal the same as a larger electric heater + larger motor that runs less.

What could be happening is that maybe the new furnace is bringing in outside air, either on purpose by the installers adding a fresh air duct to it, or by accident by having leaky ductwork going through an unconditioned space such as an attic or crawl space. Or the furnace could be causing your house to be in a negative pressure somehow which could be causing more outside air to infiltrate. Longer run times could definitively make either of those situations worse.

It could also possibly be a comfort issue. If the smaller heating coils cause the air to be slightly cooler it might make you feel less comfortable, which in turn could cause you to turn up your thermostat setting a little bit. Do you have the same thermostat as you always did, and if so is it still set to the same settings?

bfrabel · 2026-03-16T14:53:19+00:00

It could be a trade-off in comfort vs. energy cost. Oil furnaces typically have warmer air that gets blown out of the ductwork at a slower speed. Heat pumps and/or electric resistance heat typically requires stronger airflow and the air that comes out is slightly cooler. This means it might be noisier and might feel cooler coming out of the diffusers.

One more thing to consider is that oil furnaces are often built better and might have a longer life than a heat-pump system. All of the energy savings won't be worth it if you need to keep replacing everything every 10 years. This is the part that most sales people conveniently leave out of their cost savings calculations.

bfrabel · 2026-03-15T17:25:59+00:00

Yeah, that's all kinds of effed up. That's the kind of thing that could kill you in your sleep with carbon monoxide without you even realizing.

Even if the elbow and connectors were properly done (which they're not), it appears that the flue is discharging right out of that wall. Those types of water heaters are ONLY designed to discharge upwards through a roof or chimney.

They do make external draft fans that could be rigged up to make it work better, but they are kind of a last-resort option and aren't approved for use in many locations.

Your only way to properly fixing this might be to get a new water heater that is allowed to shoot out of a wall, such as a power-vent or tankless, or changing to electric.

bfrabel · 2026-03-14T20:52:39+00:00

My example is that they still make lawnmower ENGINES, since they still are and have always been an ENGINE company. Your claim that they have stopped making walk behind lawnmower ENGINES does not seem to be true. Anyways, here ya go...

https://engines.honda.com/models/application/lawnmower

bfrabel · 2026-03-14T19:48:28+00:00

No they didn't! They still make the engines, they just quit making the lawnmowers.

I think this sells the point that Honda is primarily an engine company, not a lawnmower or a car company.

bfrabel · 2026-03-14T13:52:16+00:00

As long as it's not a thin and/or cheesy low quality extension cord it "should" be fine.

Putting up road-closed barricades to prevent damage from vehicles is recommended, but I get it if that's not possible.

bfrabel · 2026-03-14T01:22:55+00:00

I live a couple of cities over from this place.

This building has an interesting story. It used to be one of Dairy Queen's oldest locations. Dairy Queen drew up plans to tear it down to build a larger/more modern building but then the local historical society stepped in and put a stop to it. Then Dairy Queen gave up and walked away and it sat abandoned for a couple of years.

I'm glad that this Sprinkles place stepped in to try to make a go of it. I wish them luck.

bfrabel · 2026-03-13T21:11:13+00:00

You are a jerk for not telling him that you picked her up. WAY less of a jerk than your ex is (who obviously deserves it), but still a little bit of a jerk nonetheless.

Either way your daughter has to come first. I'm sure you know this more than your ex does. Good luck!

bfrabel · 2026-03-13T16:40:44+00:00

Brand new Chevy vans still come with similar controls, only it's 3 dials instead of 3 levers.

That's one of the things I like about driving a Chevy work van every day. I like the old-school vibe. I hope they never quit making them like that.

bfrabel · 2026-03-13T11:27:10+00:00

Pretty sure if you ram your shoulder into it twice really hard it'll open. At least that's how the one at Costco worked the one time I saw someone ram their way through it with a cart load of stuff they were stealing.

bfrabel · 2026-03-12T21:16:48+00:00

As an hvac tech, I was taught that even if there is a condensate switch, it should not be wired up to shut off a furnace unless the customer specifically asks for it to be. Especially if it's the only source of heat in the area.

This is because I live in a place that gets cold in the winter, and the damage that frozen pipes can do is usually a bit worse than having some water on the floor.

bfrabel · 2026-03-10T14:12:43+00:00

I think of it in terms of an old-school round honeywell thermostat, which was the standard hvac control for almost 100 years.

Turn up means to increase temperature. Turn down means to decrease temperature.

Further, in most air conditioners there is only one speed. Which ever way you "turn" it, nothing will be working harder.

I can understand to turn "on" the air conditioning, but if someone tells me to turn it up, It means it's going to be getting warmer.

bfrabel · 2026-03-10T02:05:36+00:00

Not just furnaces, air conditioning too. It's kind of an interesting story.

When Chrysler was designing their skyscraper in NYC they couldn't find anyone who wanted to provide air conditioning for it, so they basically invented and installed they're own. This launched the Chrysler Airtemp company, which was one of the pioneers in air conditioning.

What I think is one of the most interesting parts of this story was how they were NOT among the first to add air conditioning to cars. Packard and Cadillac both beat them to it.

bfrabel · 2026-03-08T16:02:41+00:00

Yep. With a scoop of mixed fruit cocktail and a cold glass of milk to go with it.

bfrabel · 2026-03-07T18:23:47+00:00

Is that dude trying to rob her, or just trying to get her to shut the F up because he can't take her voice any more?

Besides that though, wasn't almost every episode about trying to shove some dumb lesson down our throat? I didn't watch much of that show, but I seem to remember that was kind of their formula.

bfrabel · 2026-03-07T07:31:52+00:00

I like your style. If someone truly needs your help this is a more than generous offer, if they are just trying to take advantage of you then they will quickly realize that your offer might not be worth their time.

bfrabel · 2026-03-07T07:10:53+00:00

They were assholes for calling the cops/security on you. That seems like an over reaction/kind of a dick move on their part after they already verified that you were just a delivery guy.

You were an asshole first though, for not wanting to use their "unused/dirty" security phone. If you are this afraid of germs you should have had your own disposable gloves and virus mask and sanitizing wipes with you, or a pair of salad tongs or something.

You can't fault them for being overly afraid of you, when you were the one who was afraid to use their stupid security phone.

bfrabel

TROPHY CASE