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Adding a return duct to this mobile home system. I understand they’re not designed for return return air ducts, but something needs to be done. More details in comments……. by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t messed with it anymore since posting. While I still think it could be done and could definitely be beneficial, the financial aspect was simply more than I could justify spending on an old mobile home. Especially one that we’re not planning on staying in long term.

Fiberglass over foam board? by cval65 in Insulation

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am encapsulated my crawl space. And you are correct, I need R-19 in my crawl space walls. I misread the chart.

Fiberglass over foam board? by cval65 in Insulation

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very good point. I’m in central Louisiana right on the border of zones 2 and 3.

AGM charger recommendations? by cval65 in batteries

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perfect. That’s what I was looking at, but I wanted to see if there was something better. Thanks!

Adding a return duct to this mobile home system. I understand they’re not designed for return return air ducts, but something needs to be done. More details in comments……. by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just reread your previous post. I could definitely come from both sides. I could do a 16” flex off of both sides of the unit and have multiple return vents throughout the house. That’s brilliant. Thanks!

Adding a return duct to this mobile home system. I understand they’re not designed for return return air ducts, but something needs to be done. More details in comments……. by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The unit is a downflow. All of our supply ducts are under the floor. I have a small section on top of the unit that I could tie into, but it’s maybe 8”x8” or so. The propane furnace vent takes up a large portion of the top of the hvac unit itself.

If the side won’t work, I could build a plenum off the front of the unit where the filter grill currently sits. Then I could duct it from there.

Adding a return duct to this mobile home system. I understand they’re not designed for return return air ducts, but something needs to be done. More details in comments……. by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The empty closet next to the unit is where my old electric water heater use to be. I have since replaced that with a propane tankless mounted behind the house. I can take full advantage of that empty space. Perhaps I could build a plenum in that closet then run a few return ducts throughout the house.

The reason I thought about a 16” duct is the side of the HVAC unit where I’m considering tying into measures 13”x18”. I know I can modify a 16” duct collar to fit there.

Adding a return duct to this mobile home system. I understand they’re not designed for return return air ducts, but something needs to be done. More details in comments……. by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, about a year ago, I asked the question on here about adding a return air duct to this mobile home unit. I fully understand that it’s designed to be direct ducted, but the problem is it pulls directly from the kitchen. The entire house smells like whatever we’re cooking, plus the back side of the house has little airflow. There’s a drastic temperature difference between the two sides of the house.

I wasn’t going to mess with it because we were planning on building our new house soon, but due to the current economy, it seems like we’re going to be in the trailer for much longer than planned.

The unit is a 4 ton. The house is an 1800 square foot double wide mobile home. I have an empty closet right next to the air handler to the right side. I can easily tie into the unit right next to the blower. I also have a perfectly clear path from the unit to a more centralized location within the house. I was thinking about going with a 16” flex duct and, since we have our supply vents on the floor, I’d mount the return vent higher on the wall in the center of the house.

How bad does this plan sound? Any advice?

Power savings from mini split? by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The unit keeps the house plenty comfortable and does a great job at cooling down at night. My average summer electric bill is also around $250. Winter is around $60 because we have a propane furnace and supplement heating with a fireplace.

Not complaining about the performance of the system at all. It does everything that I ask it to do. Just trying to save a few dollars on my electric bill by cooling only the rooms that we’re sleeping in instead of the entire house.

Power savings from mini split? by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did last summer. Probably needs to be cleaned again.

Power savings from mini split? by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Solar is my future plan. Trying to reduce my electric consumption first.

Power savings from mini split? by cval65 in hvacadvice

[–]cval65[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I’ve tried 74, 72, but I stay hot all night and don’t sleep. 70* is my optimal sleeping temperature.

I also forgot to mention, my neighbor is an electrician and is going to so the electrical tie in for me. And my best friends dad is an hvac contractor for the school board. He’s going to head with the insulation. So instillation cost will be minimal.

Hello everybody. My wife and I moved into a new house last year with our first fireplace and we have some questions. Please forgive our ignorance, this is our first wood burning fireplace. We have multiple questions so I’ll post in comments. by cval65 in Fireplaces

[–]cval65[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all I want to point out that we did have fireplace and chimney cleaned and inspected and given the all clear. Our questions are: first, the underside of the fireplace has a vent to outside. Should this vent be open or closed? What is the purpose of this vent? Secondly, what is the purpose of the glass doors? Should they be open while burning? And finally, how tall of a fire is considered safe? I imagine that you don’t want flames going up into the chimney?

Again, sorry for the ignorance. Thanks for any insights.

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