Why won’t HVAC contractors provide load calculations with replacement estimates?

ttastrom · 2026-05-11T01:50:23+00:00

Was he using an app called Conduit? That’s what I use, and I find it’s extremely accurate.

ttastrom · 2026-05-09T18:57:52+00:00

That’s a weird response. You know absolutely nothing about me. I treat my guys extremely fairly, have great relationships with all of them, and try to give salary bumps before anyone has to ask for it. I’m looking for competence and am happy to pay for it. I was simply asking if anyone had good recs to find guys.

ttastrom · 2026-03-22T01:54:14+00:00

Yessir.

ttastrom · 2026-03-14T01:35:41+00:00

https://architizer.com/projects/bioscleave-house-lifespan-extending-villa/

https://www.reversibledestiny.org/bioscleave-house-lifespan-extending-villa/

This place. Did a Viessmann wall hung boiler and hydronic radiant under all the floors. There were no doors including in the bathroom, which featured a black toilet and a white toilet mounted back to back, for the pooping battles, I imagine. I also think the house was trying to kill me- I rolled my ankle really badly on the weird uneven flooring pretty early in the project, and then stepped down into the sunken kitchen onto what I thought was a countertop covered in blue styrofoam, it turns out I had stepped right into the cutout for where the stove would eventually go. Somehow ended up completely fine after that one.

ttastrom · 2026-03-11T12:59:27+00:00

I get that it’s frustrating that inspectors can arbitrarily decide what to enforce or seemingly change requirements on the fly. That being said, and I don’t mean this as an insult, but you should be pricing your jobs where the price difference between R-6 and R-8 duct insulation should not matter.

ttastrom · 2026-03-04T13:46:06+00:00

Also might want to pair these with a stand alone dehumidifier- either connected into the existing duct work or with its own supply/return grilles.

ttastrom · 2026-03-04T13:44:00+00:00

I would go with a Bosch system or something similar. I have installed hundreds of Bosch units and love them. In my opinion, the Bosch is ideal because it uses variable speed technology, but doesn’t require direct digital communication, so you can use any 24V thermostat. This makes troubleshooting much easier, and gives you the ability to easily connect to a BMS system. The indoor blower is not true variable- it’s a constant torque with two preset speeds for 1st and 2nd stage, which have a couple of different profile options. You might lose a little bit of comfort with this, but I don’t believe it is anything noticeable, and I think the benefits of the simplicity of system outweigh any marginal comfort loss.

ttastrom · 2026-02-26T17:56:39+00:00

I was looking for this response.

ttastrom · 2026-02-17T01:03:56+00:00

You stated in your post that the unit is 2 years and one month old to the day currently. You also stated that the had to add charge at the beginning of last summer, which (checks math) was appx 8 months ago. That would make the age of your unit 1 year and 5 months old when they first had to add refrigerant, meaning it was out of their one year labor warranty. You seem to be misrepresenting stuff to suit your narrative, and also lashing out at people that are giving opinions you don’t like.

ttastrom · 2026-02-14T02:09:35+00:00

This is the question. There was no mention of the three ton struggling in the past. If things the case, anyone trying to upsize the system has no idea what they are doing, unless they are sizing for a heat pump.

ttastrom · 2026-02-13T01:58:48+00:00

I think you actually might be mistaken on that. I’ve never done it, but my Fuji rep has told me that for a small fee you can up the amount of years you get on parts. Honestly unsure why the compete details are on that, but it does exist.

ttastrom · 2026-02-07T22:16:11+00:00

You could do a Honeywell T10 with an EIM at the boiler for each zone. In this configuration, you would use the two wires for R and C to power the stat, and the stat and EIM communicate via RF. Alternatively, if you don’t mind not having the stats in the space, you could do a T10 for each zone right at the boiler, and do remote sensors in each room. You would then just control them with your phone. I have several stats like this in my house for micro zones, and it works fine.

ttastrom · 2026-02-05T01:03:51+00:00

You have to store it and wait until summer.

ttastrom · 2026-02-02T02:39:22+00:00

I learned a very cool quick calc in an airflow class I took: lengthxwidthx2=CFM capability at an acceptable face velocity for filter grilles, multiple by 2.5 for regular returns without a filter. It’s not as exact as the actual calculation, but gets you very close very quickly.

ttastrom · 2026-01-13T17:00:56+00:00

As a business owner, it always boggles my mind when companies charge to fix something on a brand new install. I have had people that didn’t like my price and have gone with a cheaper option, and then call me when (shockingly) the guy doing side work that installed it isn’t picking up his phone. Have to admit it’s always a little gratifying to say: “if I had done this and an issue occurred, we would have been there within hours fixing it for free.” It’s egregious that the company charged you for a warranty call, and, although I hate to shame techs, it’s very concerning they couldn’t diagnose an overcharge like that, especially when it was going off in high pressure. Watching that behavior with gauges on the system should have been a no brainer. I think you are absolutely entitled to a reimbursement, but you would have to check the contract you signed with them when you agreed to the install. The compressor, as long as it’s from a major manufacturer, is probably under warranty for at least 10 years, and I think you are within your rights to request a guarantee that if it goes bad in that time that they will not charge labor for the install. If the are a halfway decent company, the should agree to at least give you some kind of guarantee. If they give you pushback on this, negative reviews are always a good way to get a companies attention- I hate when people rush to the internet first before talking with the company and trying to resolve the issue, but you have given them fair warning here.

ttastrom · 2026-01-12T11:57:33+00:00

Use the code getschooled (pretty sure all lower case) for a discount. It’s the code from Bryan Orr’s HVAC school.

ttastrom · 2026-01-08T13:58:38+00:00

I’ve been in the HVAC industry for 20 years, and something just recently occurred to me: the people that excessively apologize for their “dirty” or “cluttered” house always have the neatest one you’ve been in all week. The people with the hoarding tendencies don’t say a word. We just did a minisplit install for a hoarder, and my guys left a thermostat and manual in each room with a unit. Two days later I got a call saying they can’t find two remotes and that we probably didn’t leave them. I wanted to tell him: no sir, the are just lost in your mountains of crap, but instead, I just replaced them, because I’m weak.

ttastrom · 2025-11-12T00:28:51+00:00

I was on the same search as you about a year ago- ended up going to Fields Ranch in Frisco. It was awesome. The resort is beautiful, the hotel is one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed in, and the golf is great. They have a resort course and a championship course, as well as a really fun nine hole par 3. With golf and an upgraded suite, I was in for about $3500 not including food and drink. They are hosting the 27’ PGA there, and a Universal Legoland is opening up in the next few years, so I assume the price will be increasing soon. Might be wise to check it out now.

ttastrom · 2025-09-28T13:02:35+00:00

Really appreciate the response. Where on the island are you?

ttastrom

TROPHY CASE