c/home-improvement-hvac

New filter saved me $40 on my electric bill last month

Swapped my old MERV 8 for a MERV 5 in my unit in Austin and the airflow is way better now, how low do you guys go on filters?

2 comments

schmidt.grace•10d ago

Three duct boots installed backwards on a new build in Phoenix

Walked a house yesterday where the installer put the boots in upside down so the airflow hits the back of the drywall before the register. Took me 20 minutes to fix each one and the homeowner paid for a "professional" install. How do these guys pass inspection without testing static pressure?

2 comments

derek99•11d ago

Fixed my whole house air balance with a $20 damper and a thermometer

I was at a hardware store in Nashville last spring, complaining to a guy in the ductwork aisle about how my upstairs bedrooms were always 10 degrees hotter than the living room. He just looked at me and said 'you ever check your branch dampers?' I told him I didn't even know those existed on a residential system. He walked me over to the manual damper section and showed me how to cut one into a run. I spent that Saturday crawling through my attic, found the flex duct for the upstairs zone, cut it and installed that $20 damper. Then I used a simple meat thermometer stuck in a vent to dial it back until the airflow matched the downstairs. Total cost was less than a service call and my bedroom temps dropped from 78 to 72 on hot afternoons. Has anyone else actually messed with adjusting dampers or do most people just call a tech for that?

2 comments

christopher_lopez76•2mo ago

Quotes from Signature and Daniel's for a multi-zone mini-split. Who would you choose?

Hey everyone, I'm looking to get a ductless mini-split system installed before the heat really kicks in. I need to cover my main living room, the primary bedroom, and ideally my home office if the budget allows. So far I've had both Signature and Daniel's come out for estimates. Signature's quote was honestly pretty high, though they seem super professional. Daniel's was more reasonable but the tech who came out didn't really explain the zoning options very well, which makes me a bit nervous. Has anyone used either of these for a multi-room setup? Or is there another company I should be calling before making a decision?

3 comments