Mega millions coffee 3-31-12

Yeah ... figures. Don't know why I even bother buying the tix every time there's a big jackpot. Looks like I won't be enjoying any 70° March nights anytime soon. Woke up to snow this morning! It's up to 37° now, so it's all melted. I'll bet the sanders were out this morning taking a few years off everyone's vehicles ...


Trailers .... yeah, those are illegal in MA too (unless grandfathered). Not kidding!


Nice Navigator Rob! I just put a coolant hose in one last weekend. From the tank to the bottom of the block - nearly impossible to reach. What a pain in the ass. Every vehicle is always great .... until it breaks.

freetown fred wrote: ..... but he can't convince the wife.

Still can't ....

Opening day of trout fishing today in the SE sections PA today. The balance of the state in two weeks. I was out at Lizard Creek in Carbon Co at 0800hrs, didn't do too well. Really nice stream flowing into the Lehigh River. Came home for a an omelet and back out to the canal in Walnutport. Did real well at the canal. Easily caught my limit. But I catch & release.

On Weds I came home to no electric. Thought maybe PPL shutdown power for tree trimmers out on the main road. But I figured I'd better take a look at the transformer on the pole. And what do I find? A squirrel grabbed hold of the 7200volt line on the primary side of the transformer while standing on the outer case.

Greg, I hope your co-worker makes out okay. I really hate how the news media presents so much of the news we see everyday. Take care everyone.

Nothing like a little fired Squirrel.

Want to notify that the Cherry Springs Star party registration is open.
For motorcycle campers it's a good destination. They have a food vendor on site
24/7. You can camp, do day trips, and see some great equipment and stars at night.
You don't need to bring equipment to qualify, just register. I've been there a few times.
The weather is unpredictable and always cool at night, but I recommend it. The rest roon
is also first class, but no showers.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherry-Sp ... 8413801517
I do not belong to any astronomical society, I just leech off them.
http://www.astrohbg.org/CSSP/Information.html

Well we didn't win the lottery either - or at least the one worth all that money. We did win the lottery of life which put us being born in this country and in a family that instilled the American dream of working hard and reaping the rewards of our labor. What more could we ask for?

I am coming to you from North GA where I'm visiting my parents over springbreak. As many of you know Dad suffers from dementia and that's not going to get any better. My Mom is his primary caregiver and thankfully she continues to be testing clear of her breast cancer. Her strength is returning but dealing with everything is mind numbing. My sisters live in the area and try to help but like everyone they have their challenges, too. We'll continue to "endure to the end" as the scriptures instruct us and hopefully learn something in the process.

My bee class is over and not surprisingly we all earned "Bs." Mine should be arriving at the end of the month. DK is offering a reward for "Bee puns" if anyone has one. He will give double the reward if the pun refers to both bees and coal. What a deal! I have the hive site picked out and just have a few things left to do. I painted the hive a nice aqua marine that I got off the "oops" shelf at Home Depot. It should blend right in with the other greens in the backyard. As an urban beekeeper I plan to practice the "less the neighbors see the better it will be" theory of beekeeping; not that I'm hiding anything but I'm not advertising it either. I did inform the neighbors to my left and right and they are cool with the idea. I bribed them with "local" honey in the spring if the bees make it through the winter.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Have a great day, Lisa

I made a trip to UAE Harmony Mine last Thursday to get 4 tons of anthracite pea coal. Stopped at J.C.'s house first to take a look at his failed central A/C unit. The outside condensing unit fins have flaked off on the lower right hand corner. Looks like winter road salt induced corrosion. The unit is within feet of his driveway. We looked at the attic air handler too. It's a Dunham Bush brand high pressure air handler that's no longer manufactured. It uses small diameter (~2") ducts to the corners of each room. Blows cold air at high velocity. He will need a new outside condensing unit. Anyone have experience matching up new manufactured condensing units with old (likely SEER 10) indoor units?

Dumped the trailer load of coal on my blacktop driveway and moved it to my coal storage shed with my tractor's loader. See photos below. I now have about 7 tons in storage. I'll be making another trip for 4 more tons in a few weeks. I'll be set for 2+ years then. Overcast with light rain at times this weekend. Looks like it's clearing just in time for the new work week.

My HVAC class on a two week Easter break. I've decided to take the next class in the sequence, the Journeyman exam prep course. I don't have the years of HVAC experience but hopefully the state HVAC board will grant me an exception. 35 years of electrical engineering experience must count for something.

Yanche wrote: It's a Dunham Bush brand high pressure air handler that's no longer manufactured. It uses small diameter (~2") ducts to the corners of each room. Blows cold air at high velocity.

York makes these high velocity units. If the upper half is still good, maybe he can get by with just the lower half. Although, I would recommend replacing both units with high-seer units. It should be easy to plumb in, since all the high-velocity hoses are already in place. Tell him I'll drive up to help...

Yanche wrote:My HVAC class on a two week Easter break. I've decided to take the next class in the sequence, the Journeyman exam prep course. I don't have the years of HVAC experience but hopefully the state HVAC board will grant me an exception. 35 years of electrical engineering experience must count for something.

Looks like the HVAC field will be booming with rookies. I just started my 4th semester, only a year left to go!

I'm sitting here avoiding English homework as I type.

Yep, It'll be like doctors & lawyers, how'd that all work out for us.

freetown fred wrote:Yep, It'll be like doctors & lawyers, how'd that all work out for us.

It's like back in the 80's when the new thing was computer programing courses. Now pre schooler know more about computers than me

freetown fred wrote:Yep, It'll be like doctors & lawyers, how'd that all work out for us.

Pretty well for the doctors and lawyers I reckon..

Yanche wrote:I made a trip to UAE Harmony Mine last Thursday to get 4 tons of anthracite pea coal. Stopped at J.C.'s house first to take a look at his failed central A/C unit. The outside condensing unit fins have flaked off on the lower right hand corner. Looks like winter road salt induced corrosion. The unit is within feet of his driveway. We looked at the attic air handler too. It's a Dunham Bush brand high pressure air handler that's no longer manufactured. It uses small diameter (~2") ducts to the corners of each room. Blows cold air at high velocity. He will need a new outside condensing unit. Anyone have experience matching up new manufactured condensing units with old (likely SEER 10) indoor units?

Yanche -

Spacepak and Unico are the two manufacturer's that pioneered the high velocity systems. Check the web for info on these.

Unfortunately the old system is probably R-22. Unless he repairs the old unit, you probably need to replace the entire system (including line sets) with a R-410a system.

R-22 has been outlawed for new installations as of 2010. The gas is still made for service but will be outlawed in 2020. Unit manufacturer's were trying to ship empty systems for field charging to get around the deadline but that was stopped.

My recommendation is to spend the money now for an upgrade. To leave the system as R-22 will result in service difficulties after 2020.

Good luck,

Steamup

Thanks for all the A/C suggestions. I'm going to call Dunham Bush and hopefully they can give me some technical data on what J.C. has. I know it's R22 but don't know if the control is TXV or cap tube. My HVAC instructor thinks it's likely a cap tube control. I'd like to learn the engineering behind matching air handler evaporators and compressor condensing units. In the class HVAC lab we use R134a, because it's what the school can afford. Good enough for learning the principles. Interesting schools are exempt from many of the EPA refrigerant recovery requirements. However, we still do the refrigerant recovery after each experiment.

The fins flaking off of the coil in one area might be from road salt. But when I see that it is usually a male dog has decided it's a great spot to take a wiz. Dog urine will tear up the aluminum fins.

Isn't it possible to match the existing unit with a replacement matching the tonnage? It's likely a 3ton. Is the condenser leaking? Or is it running high head psi? Fan motor? Fan blade good? Non-condensibles? I'd check refrigerant level and head psi before jumping too far.

Back in 2003, I removed two York's condensers, installed two cheap Ducane's purchased from RE Michaels, and the units have been working great since. A 3 ton & a 2.5 ton condensing units. But R22 has just jumped in price. It's up to $390 for a 30# can. Jay's older air handler likely a cap tube. Disconnect the fan motor while watching the the suction pressure. Does it rise? Or easier yet, pull the cover off of the evaporator and inspect!

Only if you feel ambulance chasing is a rightous way to make a living, or suckin blood out of the workin population.

jpete wrote:

freetown fred wrote:Yep, It'll be like doctors & lawyers, how'd that all work out for us.

Pretty well for the doctors and lawyers I reckon..