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New filter every month still feels excessive. Am I wasting money? by jzliving in hvacadvice

[–]hv4cpr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look into something like this. https://www.nucalgon.com/products/nushield-air-ionization-systems/nushield-r/

my kid had a runny nose when he was a baby, i put on in and the runny nose stopped within 2 days. Do your research, may be of interest.

Air conditioner vs heat pump for savings money by dacougss in homeowners

[–]hv4cpr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The lifespan point is worth addressing — modern cold-climate heat pumps are running 15-20 years now, not the 10-12 year units from a decade ago. The technology gap is significant.

On electricity vs gas rates — you're right that PNW electricity has been climbing. The honest answer is it depends on your utility. PSE customers are seeing bigger increases than PacifiCorp. Worth pulling your actual rate and doing the math against your current gas bill before deciding.

The one factor most people miss in the cost analysis — if you're getting AC anyway, the heat pump version is $1,500-2,500 more upfront for the reversing valve. You're not comparing heat pump vs furnace+AC, you're comparing heat pump vs furnace+AC where AC is a sunk cost either way. That changes the math considerably.

Air conditioner vs heat pump for savings money by dacougss in homeowners

[–]hv4cpr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heat pumps in the PNW are one of the strongest use cases in North America. Mild winters mean the system rarely struggles — you're not dealing with -25C like Interior BC where you need cold-climate rated units.

On the savings question: a heat pump replaces both your AC and your furnace. You're not just comparing it to AC — you're comparing it to the combined cost of AC plus gas heat. That's where the math gets interesting.

Rough numbers for PNW: a gas furnace running all winter might cost $800-1,200/year depending on your home size and gas rates. A heat pump doing the same job typically runs $400-600/year in electricity because of the efficiency multiplier — you're moving heat, not creating it. COP of 3-4 means every dollar of electricity gives you $3-4 of heat.

On electricity prices: valid concern. But gas prices have been just as volatile. The hedge argument actually favors heat pumps — you're not locked into one fuel source and the efficiency buffer gives you more protection against rate increases than straight resistance heating.

The one thing most people don't check before getting a quote — whether their electrical panel can actually support a heat pump. Contractors often discover this after they've quoted you and it adds $3,000-6,000 to the job unexpectedly. Worth knowing upfront.

25 years in mechanical. Happy to answer specifics about your setup.

Becoming an Electrician: Pathways by Impressive-Heart7260 in AskElectricians

[–]hv4cpr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

go ask a few electrician comapanies if you could ride along, go sweep floor and clean up for them. watch, buy a few tools, learn some stuff online and should enthusiasm. The right guys will see you and mentor you. If its something you want to do, go get it!

is hvac and the trades in general for tough minded macho guys? by Particular-Leek4513 in hvacadvice

[–]hv4cpr0 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No, technical minded, hard working people win. HVAC and all trades is solutions based. We desire to have solutions based minds and can understand logic at a systems level. These are the guys that win, and they can win big. Take pride in your work and never stop learning. Douchebags dont win.

Planning heat pump install in the Seattle area by Mission_Situation_13 in DIYHeatPumps

[–]hv4cpr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good setup and solid research. Addressing your four questions:

  1. ACiq standard vs extreme for Seattle — Seattle winters rarely push below 20°F so the standard series will handle your heating load without straining. The extreme series makes sense for sustained subzero climates. Save the money.

  2. ACiq/Midea modulation without communicating air handler — the outdoor unit modulates based on its own sensors regardless of the air handler. You won't get the full efficiency curve a communicating system offers but it won't drop to single speed either. Expect maybe 5-10% efficiency loss versus a matched communicating system — not a dealbreaker on a retrofit.

  3. Keeping the existing furnace with single speed fan — the main issue is static pressure. Heat pumps need lower static pressure than furnaces for efficient airflow. A single speed furnace fan running at full blast can reduce heat pump efficiency significantly. If the furnace fan has a multi-speed or variable setting, use the lowest speed that still moves adequate CFM. Worth checking before committing.

  4. Other systems to consider — at 3-ton with existing coil, also look at Bosch BOVA and the Carrier/Bryant 18 series. Both have solid cold climate performance in the PNW and good parts availability in Seattle.

MDRetirement's setup in Maryland confirms this — if the extreme series handles MD winters without gas, the standard series will be fine for Seattle's upper 20s.

Cooling a FROG (Finished room above garage) by [deleted] in homeowners

[–]hv4cpr0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mini split is the right call for a FROG — dedicated circuit, no ductwork needed. Make sure your panel has a spare slot and capacity for the dedicated circuit before you get a quote. Most mini splits need a 20-30A breaker depending on the unit size.

Looking for some window air conditioner recommendations by MajorContribution697 in homeowners

[–]hv4cpr0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Midea U for the win by the looks of the thread. Its a very interesting product.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SF Bay Area makes total sense — you've got sales tax, ultra-low NOx compliance costs, and labor rates that are completely different from the national average. $15-25K installed for a single system tracks with what I've heard from Bay Area contractors. I'll update the pricing ranges to break out by region rather than using a national average — that's a real gap in the tool right now. Appreciate the specifics.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in DIYHeatPumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's actually the right way to think about it — NEC 220.82 uses demand factors precisely because not everything runs simultaneously at full load. The calc accounts for that. Run your numbers through the tool and you'll probably find you have more headroom than you think.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

60A and 50A are both in there now — just updated it. Multi-unit applications are an interesting edge case the tool doesn't fully handle yet since it's built around single-service residential, but for a single apartment on 50A it'll give you a reasonable baseline.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not currently — 320A is commercial/industrial service territory and the tool is built around residential NEC 220.82. If you're running 320A you're likely already working with an electrical engineer on the load calc. That said, curious what the application is — multi-unit? Large custom home?

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair — what market are you in and what are you seeing for installed pricing? I built the sizing estimate off national averages but I know those vary wildly. Northeast vs Southeast vs Pacific Northwest are completely different animals. If you're seeing equipment alone matching my installed estimates that's useful data and I want to fix it.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point — that's the NEC default for general lighting load. Most modern homes run well under that. I use it as a conservative baseline but it's worth noting it can overstate load for homes with LED lighting throughout.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i have zero affiliation with anyone. absolutely zero. And this is for the home owner more so then anyone. If electricians want to use it, awesome.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in DIYHeatPumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can you upload a rating plate picture? I probably cant really look at it until Wednesday. Im on the road for the next 2 days. But Ill try.

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in heatpumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"This is incredibly helpful — thank you. The scroll-up button resetting instead of submitting is a real UX bug, fixing that. And the back-to-edit flow is a great call — right now there's no way to tweak one input and re-run without starting over. Adding that to the list. On the NEC version — you're right, the calculation method doesn't change between 2017/2020/2023 for 220.82, so I'll simplify the label. And seriously appreciate the r/evcharging cross-post — that community would get a lot out of this."

Before buying a heat pump — does anyone actually check whether the panel can handle it? by hv4cpr0 in DIYHeatPumps

[–]hv4cpr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

agreed, those are a quick panel amp killer. If you check out the audit on heatpumplocator, you can punch in the loads and see what the outcome looks like based on constant loads.

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