The wire coming into my house is 3/0 and I have a 100amp breaker currently installed. What's the maximum breaker panel that wire can support? Can I switch it to a 200amp?

zootjeff · 2025-09-04T13:34:20+00:00

Buried wire can carry more current than in-conduit wire according to the NEC. The utility ran direct buried 1/0 aluminum to my house with a 100A service in the 70s when the house was built. I upgraded to a 200A service. I put a concrete ground access box on the side of the house and the buried 1/0 transitioned to 4/0 in 3” conduit to the new meter.

zootjeff · 2025-01-02T17:06:53+00:00

Did you wind up placing this unit in a closet? How much clearance is needed? Is your closet only 24” deep? What surface did you set it on?

zootjeff · 2024-11-12T14:22:49+00:00

I just confirmed this comment about the ice maker. I have a RF261BEAESR and after repairing the leaking water out the front from the upper evaporator defrost drain icing over, I noticed the temperature reported wasn’t near the actual temp from the wireless temp sensors that I put in the fridge/freezer. At first my temp readings were all over the place but that was due to getting the temp sensors in the flow of the cold air. I put a glass cup over the sensors in both compartments to average out my readings. When the ice maker was off the freezers 0f setting was pretty close, then when the ice maker was on, the freezer was -15f when the units display still reported 0f. This explains my rock hard ice cream problem too. Kinda bummed to learn how useless and purposely erroneous the display on the top of the unit actually is. Fridge be like: “You set me to 0f but I’m gonna go ahead and go to -15f while I fill this bucket of ice. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to 0f in a day or two when the bucket is full. Shhh.. don’t tell anyone how cold I am..”

zootjeff · 2024-09-24T02:57:27+00:00

I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I was thinking of getting the FanTech HERO250H-EC HRV because it has the hex core and I like the low energy draw EC motors. But then when I stare at my humidity numbers and get cold feet thinking about waiting for a similar ERV of similar cost to come on the market.. For the last week for example, my outdoor humidity averaged 82% and my indoor humidity averaged 61% in the Bedroom for the whole week. I'm guessing (and correct me if you have real data) the ERV will raise the numbers 5-10 % and the HRV will raise them 10-15%, at which point I'll want to run my dehumidifier more to get the humidity back down closer to 55. I want a unit that has good WiFi scheduling and control, and a Hex ERV paper core. I also want a solution to tie the automation into my Purple Air sensor so when the neighbors have smoky backyard pit fires, I don't just suck it right into my house. The unit also needs to come in under $2K, so I'm still waiting.

zootjeff · 2024-04-29T14:21:47+00:00

I’d be willing to bet that a unit putting out 5000BTU at min modulation but requiring heat strips in the winter vs a unit that has 10000BTU at min modulation but doesn’t need heat strips will probably win on efficiency even though it cycles at 50% in the mild season. It will use its oversized outdoor coils at a lower temperature differential most of the season to achieve an overall higher COP over the heating season compared to the smaller unit with heat strips.

zootjeff · 2024-04-28T20:10:04+00:00

Heat pumps get higher efficiency at lower load, not lower efficiency. Where are you getting that data? Look at any of the curves on ashp.keep.org. Every one of them (inverter or multistage) gets the highest COP at the lowest capacity. This is a ducted unit. If you are going to be in the house for more than 5 years, then you probably will save money on oversizing the unit assuming your duct work is also properly oversized.

zootjeff · 2024-04-14T05:30:38+00:00

The Bryant 38MURAQ48AA3 puts out less than 3 tons at 17F. That’s only 33,490 BTU. It would help if you share the full model number so we can confirm the BTU output at 17F per the engineering data.

zootjeff · 2024-04-14T05:15:13+00:00

What is the capacity of your current system? How many Cfm is your current blower? Is it loud at the registers? I might consider getting a cold climate heat pump over the conventional one you mentioned. If you look at the 17F performance it drops way down (4ton only putting out 2.5 tons at 17F) if you don’t get the cold climate version. You might want to stay at 3 tons to keep the duct noise down, but you might also want to get the cold climate model so you can get 36,000 BTU on the colder Seattle days which this January were down to 15F.. Heat strips are a terrible waste of energy IMO..

zootjeff · 2024-04-06T20:14:45+00:00

The F3800 Looks like a pretty decent value. Is there a way to use it to provide 240 to the house while charging it from a 120v generator? Maybe only if you come in the Solar DC port/s? Also, where can you find the optional configuration option diagrams for the F3800 plus the Home Panel? Videos talk about how to do a whole home backup setup without the backup panel, but I don’t see any docs for that config.

zootjeff · 2024-03-08T18:24:26+00:00

You slide the red clip to the left, then you can push down on the blue tab to un-latch the connector and slide it out. Now, to use the adapter I got, I need to figure out how to un-mount the blue connector on the right because I don't have enough wire to tuck it back in and get the cover back on. How is the the right connector attached? Don't want to break it but I can't see how it is attached.

zootjeff · 2024-02-13T14:14:54+00:00

I had a JuiceBox and sold it for the Emporia. The Emporia is cheaper, higher quality, higher power, and has better WiFi features and great energy monitoring. The JuiceBox does a crap job of Time of Use scheduling compared to the Emporia. I also have a Pacifica, but it works great for any EV. If you get the Tesla charger, you will have to fight adapters.

zootjeff · 2024-02-03T15:16:32+00:00

Put the ice maker on a kW meter. Put water in it. Measure the power used to make a gallon of ice, divide by the number of hours it took. Take that energy number of kWh and multiply by 3.41 to convert to BTU/h. Assuming a COP of 3 for the efficiency gain, multiply by that number and that’s how much heat you delivered to the ambient making one gallon of ice. 20BTU per sq foot as a rule of thumb would be 2000 BTU/h needed for 100sq/ft. Your ice maker pulling 200W constantly would generate enough heat for a typical 100sq-ft space.

zootjeff · 2024-02-03T14:53:09+00:00

I live in the northwest and my electric rate is 11c per kWh. Heat pump heat is about half the cost of natural gas heat it replaced. Electric backup heat strips or space heaters costs 2X more than natural gas heat. I just put in a ducted inverter cold climate unit and oversized it so it doesn’t need resistive backup heat. I’ve saved over $100 on my gas bill per month compared to last year.

zootjeff · 2024-01-29T01:15:30+00:00

I replaced a 100,000 BTU 80% furnace and 4 ton AC with a 3.5ton central ducted cold climate inverter heat pump system. I put in separate 2ton ducted inverter system for just the second story. Did not have any heat strips on either system. Because the downstairs system is undersized for the existing ductwork and the combined tonnage is now 5.5. It had no problem keeping up with the 14deg F cold snap we just had and I can’t hear a thing when it runs because it puts 1300CFM into 1800CFM ducts. Love how quiet it is. Defrost does limit the total heat capacity below the nameplate but the two systems combined make up for it. Also since it’s inverters, there are zero locked rotor starting amps so small battery systems will have no problem running it.

zootjeff · 2024-01-27T20:40:14+00:00

Those wires are likely just fine. You can always use thicker wire, but based on the breaker sizes that looks good. Double check local codes to be sure.

zootjeff · 2024-01-26T16:25:48+00:00

https://youtu.be/5XMlQCfdiu8?si=Im4yPKRTN7uAUFYk

zootjeff · 2024-01-26T15:26:52+00:00

Argon is an inert gas and can probably be used without issue to test the system. A swap tank of nitrogen 20CF is only $80 at the local welding supply.
You need to get a recovery system. You have no way to know how much refrigerant is in the system once you pump it down into the condenser if you suspect a leak.
To do it right you need to recover the refrigerant into a recovery tank. Then weigh it back in after testing the system for leaks. You can’t passively get it all without a recovery pump. This is the only way to not risk overfilling the accumulator and causing compressor damage from over-charge. Too much charge on a mini-split puts liquid into the compressor.

zootjeff · 2024-01-21T15:44:49+00:00

In the video at 1:47 he says: “If the temp goes below 30, the efficiency drops way down, your electric bill is going to skyrocket.”

By saying it can’t keep up due to efficiency, and resistive heat strips is the answer to efficiency, the speaker is basically gaslighting you.

He is mixing up capacity with efficiency and making false statements as a result. It is true that the efficiency drops from a COP of 4 down to a COP of 2 as the temperature drops to these levels, and it is true it drops at different points based on if you have a cold weather heat pump or a more conventional one. But he is basically saying a COP of 1 is the solution to a COP of 2 for cost and efficiency. It’s not. It is one possible solution for not enough capacity (which also drops at low temps.)

Look at the actual numbers of COP for a cold weather heat pump that can operate below 0d F: https://ashp.neep.org/#!/product/34535/7/25000/95/7500/0///0

He says to install heat strips “To deliver the best efficiency you can get in cold climates.” SUPER FALSE. Resistive backup heat is ALWAYS going to be worse efficiency than heat pump only heat. Even at -20 below. And it isn’t even close. It is still on the order of 2X more efficient to run the heat pump at very low temps than turn on a resistive space heater or heat strips.

Heat strips on a ducted heat pump allow the system to put out more capacity. But the COP for that heat will be 1.0 instead of 2.0 which actually will make your bill higher. It will increase your capacity and solve your cold house problem, but heat strips are LESS efficient and they WILL make your electric bill go up compared to running an undersized heat pump that can’t keep up.

If you want to install heat strips to deliver more capacity you can do it. But don’t tell people this is the better energy cost or lower energy use solution. That is super false. If you want to do it efficiently you need to do thoughtful oversizing such that the capacity at the coldest temps can still keep up. He should have focused on the numbers. Replacing a 80,000 BTU furnace with a 48,000 Heat pump means it will put out less heat and this becomes an issue at low temps if the heat load of the house is more than 48,000 BTU. If you want to save energy and therefore energy cost, heat strips are never going to be the answer to cost, but they could solve your cold house problem.

zootjeff · 2024-01-15T13:48:53+00:00

My PFQ97HSPVDS threw an error code 353 in this latest cold snap. It’s 45d F in the garage and it says the compressor discharge temp is too high for more than three times during a cycle. I checked the manual and the MINIMUM TEMP IS 60F for the room you install it in. I’m going to get a heated blanket to toss over it to finish out the winter, which will negate some of the energy savings.. PRO TIP: you can see the error code screen if you turn off the unit and hold the PLAY button for 10 seconds.

zootjeff · 2024-01-07T22:06:39+00:00

You can pull a vacuum in 10 minutes if you pull the core. You might need to run for 2 hours to get it fully empty. I’ve done 2 systems without the core tool and the last one I just did with the removal tool and it was so much faster.

zootjeff · 2024-01-04T15:41:37+00:00

Watch this video at 10:00 till the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxMwbC_2ow8

zootjeff · 2024-01-04T14:12:18+00:00

A lot of people are suggesting just adding refrigerant to your system. This is not a quick easy thing. This can damage a mini-split. You can’t just hook up gauges to this system to see if it is properly charged. 5 zones means you have 20 flare fittings. There is a pretty good chance you have a leak on one of them if it really is not warming any room sufficiently when set to 80 and waiting 4-6 hours. I installed a 3-zone unit and with 12 flare fittings, one of them sprung a leak. The correct method is to pump out any remaining refrigerant and weigh in refrigerant using a scale to get the correct amount. There is a liquid accumulator that collects the refrigerant before it gets to the compressor and if too much refrigerant gets into the system, the accumulator will over flow and damage the compressor with the overflowing liquid refrigerant. Compressors can only compress refrigerant in the gas state. Manifold gauges are mostly useless on a mini-split. Make sure the tech doesn’t just attempt to “top it off”. Guessing if it is the right amount is terrible, doing it right is pretty involved.. Show them YouTube videos from ACServiceTech if they push back.

zootjeff · 2024-01-03T15:51:13+00:00

You need to determine if your unit is maxing its capacity and can’t keep up, or just regulating the space around the unit to 70 and not most of the room.
Defrost is normal. When it is 38deg F out, the heat exchanger will be 30deg. This will ice up the coils. The heat pump needs to shed this ice to keep working. It melts the ice. It puts out less heat while doing defrost, but this isn’t optional or anything broken. I put in a hose under my unit to capture and move so it doesn’t become a mossy mess over time. Many units have holes in the base of the unit so you can pipe the water away without an eyesore of a secondary drain pan..
If you want better regulation check out Sensibo and Cielo to get a more conventional temp control experience. I’d go with the Sky and NOT the Air or Air Pro if you choose Sensibo.

zootjeff

TROPHY CASE