Why Traditional HVAC in Texas Homes - Suck
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- Опубликовано: 15 апр 2013
- @MattRisinger I'll give you two reasons why most HVAC systems in Texas homes suck (air that is). Then, I'll point you in the right direction on how to do it right. Join me for some geeky HVAC talk. -Matt Risinger - Risinger Homes in Austin, TX www.risinger.blogspot.com
Bill, thanks for commenting. Yes retrofit can be tricky/pricey. That's why I'm advocating doing it right the first time. I also highly recommend converting to a conditioned attic while doing a major remodel on a house. When doing a down to the studs remodel, it's not a big cost differential to convert a house from a vented traditional attic to a conditioned attic. Best, Matt Risinger
Amen brother. See this mistake all the time in Florida. Houses built in Southern/high humidity states have been built wrong for a long time. It's good to see high quality builders like yourself do it the right way. Retrofitting older houses is usually cost prohibitive, but the engineer in me still wants to do it. :)
Great question. Actually quite the opposite. You want an energy rater to model your house to verify this, but most houses can drop .25 to 1 ton from their AC size by converting from a standard attic to a conditioned attic. The ducts running through conditioned space will significantly decrease your load and it severely limits the depressurization issue from running ducts outside your conditioned space. Thanks for commenting, Matt
Great video !!! Thanks a lot for educating the folks out there .
Same here in Arizona. Obviously, if the house was not blessed with basement, then HVAC gonna live in attic. I've been told various reasons why basements are the thing of the past, few of those being 1) bumps up construction cost dramatically - think about flood protection, digging hard rock soil etc. 2) Health concerns cause radioactive gas Radon tends to gather in lower spaces which makes basements radioactive place to visit, especially in states where there's high underground Uranium concentration. It all makes sense, though I don't know if that's only reason.
Wow you got some valid points. Having bought a home in texas and checked out my hvac system I realized how many flaws it has, in the attic, air leaks, dirty etc. I am an electrician by trade and hope to offer services above a lot of sub par work that I've seen in homes around here like you provide for HVAC. Keep up the good work. Def keep this info in mind when we hopefully build our own home sometime in the near future.
Yes, you want ZERO vents to the outside. This sealed & conditioned attic is the same as another room in your house, except that you won't put an AC outlet in the attic. The small amount of leakage from your duct system will cool sufficiently to keep the attic temp only a few degrees hotter than the rooms below. Hope that answers your question. Best, Matt
About how much open foam insulation does it take to get these results? Are there any other key components needed in addition to the insulation?
H
Awesome advice and totally logical. Love it Matt
Yes great point. Condensation can definitely be an issue when you're seeing a temperature delta of 50+ degrees between the inside & outside of the ductwork. I've seen lots of moldy ducts in the houses I remodel due to condensation. Best, Matt
Great advice.
I’m enjoying the intelligence behind your comments who would you recommend rework a house from 2004 in Houston? Every time her air conditioning kicks on the house gets 4° warmer and then works for an hour to get back down to what the thermostat was set at. Also the previous owner converted our two zone system to a 1 zone system in a three-story townhouse it’s not comfortable
Recorded 152deg before tearout of attic, ceiling sheetrock/roll insulation of 2 story duplex after storm roof loss. After tearout of upper ceiling water damage the new air flow created was amazing.....Would suck the curtains inward almost horizontally
Matt, you've really hit your stride. Great video. Just a couple of tweaks, maybe a note to emphasize your point while talking, works well with mobile. Use some annotations in the video to link to other videos and your channel.
Just a fantastic job, informative and moves well. You DAD man.!!
Own a home near Dallas and was blown away when I saw it for the first time.. With all the heat in Texas it's the worst possible place to install it, especially in new Constitution.
Same here! West Texas house with a dark color roof and a couple little vents... attic probably hits 150° in the summer! Looked at installing solar attic fans but dunno how much they’ll actually help! My house is poorly insulated anyways!
Would a ridge vent get rid of a lot of that heat?
Can you recommend a company to do a HVAC System Performance Evaluation in Lewisville TX (North Dallas)?
I have had 3 different HVAC repair contractors over the last decade recommend different solutions for the fact my AC cannot keep up in the summer. I have spent a lot of money on their recommendations without corresponding improvement.
I had been looking into this for a while now but my 14 year A/C system now needs to be replaced. I have had 6 different quotes for replacements. I have asked them all about retro fitting my attic to conditioned space and not one knew what I was talking about, heard of it being done or understand how it would be worth the cost. I'm in the Central Valley of California. My two story 2500 square foot home attic space hits in the high 140's in the summer. It's leading to believe my area is not keeping up with innovations in their field.
I really hope that that crap you were squatting next to isn't a typical duct system in your neck of the woods. I'm in HVAC I've been doing this for almost 20 years I have never in my life put a box on top of a unit and then flexed everywhere it needs to go. Number two if you're going to have a system in the Attic do it out of metal hard pipe tape or mastic all of your joints insulate it have it running across the top of your roof that is below you and then insulate over it
This is very typical for Texas.
Our AC technician accidentally made many holes in the filter rack. So he used those HVAC approved tapes and used mastic sealant top of the tapes inside the filter rack. He told me mastic sealant aren't toxic so it was okay to put it inside but he put so much of it and it covers almost half of the inside filter rack. Now I am concerned for my kids safety because filter rack is where the air travels all the time when ac or heater is turned on. Is it safe?
Originally they were going to just replace the filter rack with new but they said it might cause more damage so they just covered the holes with mastic duct sealant.
I like my high ceilings and the AC works just fine. I did notice a silly number of vents in my roof so the attic doesn’t get that hot, maybe that helps.
If they can dig for pools all over Austin, they can dig for a basement! It needs to be done right, apparently there aren't skilled contractors who have the knowledge down here. Clay, bedrock... it doesn't matter. Funny it's considered a luxury here. Up north it's apart of 85% of homes. The cool air in a basement would help cooling costs here, less need for self storage companies, can be finished off and double your living space.
Don't forget, they are perfect for tornadoes and severe weather!
Matt, when converting an attic to conditioned air space (using spray foam) would you also close off the soffit vents?
Yes absolutely! along with proper blocking and sealing.
Do you have an example of a newly but correctly built house without the ducts in the attic?
by adding spray foam onto the attic ceiling (ie conditioned attic space), would you need a larger HVAC system to condition this attic space?
no if you spray the attic ceiling it keeps a lot of the air house. I do HVAC calculations professionally and encapsulating the attic (spraying foam on attic deck) will drop the a typically house 1/2 ton to 1 ton for the load.
So if my house has attic ducts what’s the best way to improve it. LP radiant barrier is installed for roof installation. Our builder gave us a choice of have a bunch of chased in the basement or have the ducts installed in the attic. We needed the basement space.
its way different in ca. we make less than 5 percent with r8 flex duct and we have to leave our attics properly vented for whole house fans.
I met you last year and you have inspired us to do a couple of youtube videos. check them out. Thanks again for the advise.
Why not add a supply to the Attic? Only for cooling. So when you turn it on on Heating obviously you don't want the attic to heat up when you put it on cooling the attic will cool together with the house. How to do that? Adding a motorized damper only opens when cooling
So mini splits then?
Ya that’s a good thought... I’ve heard good things but never used one or seen the numbers as to how efficient or cost effective they are!
Tract Houses. Nuff said
Can u say black mold
a solar power vent will remove the hot air in attic
I got three attics in my home, all have missing insulation, and two have a/c ducts. I can't go into the attics or I'll fry. I'm thinking about putting at least two solar power vents in each attic. I'm sure it'll make a big difference my a/c air feels.
If your ceiling and top plates are not well sealed, the attic fans will just pull conditioned air into the attic costing you money and efficiency.
i just sealed all my ducts with the great stuff. 35% duct loss down to 5%! estimated.... using equipment over a million years old..... my hands.
What did you seal them with? We have old duct work im being told all need replacement
Dennis what did you use to seal your ducts
I wish he would go back to doing videos like this one. I don't need that "it's the BuildShow" ///
Wonder who the smart guy who thought HVAC duct work, condensers, in an attic space was a good idea. Must have forgotten hot air likes to rise, but hey fuck science am I right lol
There's no where else to put the ductwork when the house is built on a slab, smart ass. Unless you wanna lose a bunch of ceiling space to box in duct work, then it has to go in the attic. That's why all houses should require a crawl space or basement but they do not. Also smart guy, you'll never see a condenser in an attack, maybe an air handler but never a condenser. Condensing units always go OUTSIDE.
I meant attic not attack.
Vinny Mac I think you've created a wonderful sentence. I like thinking about attacking something with an air handler! a very effective but awkward weapon to hold. I also think it would make a great sound while striking someone about the head and face.
Another bad thing is carbon monoxide being pumped back into your home through chimneys.
Look at that ductwork. That's when a helper starts his own business
Upsize a 1/4 ton ? What? Lmfao
Tighe Philbin yeah dude in Texas you have to go a ton or a ton in a half more then normal due to the area we live in really hot
Do you have an example of a newly but correctly built house without the ducts in the attic?