How are you faring in this heat?

[PS Paul]

Here in Puget sound area of WA State, it's a beautifully sunny day with temps supposedly reaching 90 today and 95 or so on Monday. For this part of the country, that is uncomfortably warm for most of the folk who live on the West part. Hotter in the Eastern (drier) part of the State....

I'm a little concerned for some of those who live inland and in the SW. A friend from the forum is in AZ near Tucson and I heard 110 to 120 in those parts? He has a big family and some amount of goats and dogs, so those temps are a concern.

So, any of you have any remedies to share with your battles to beat the heat? One of our members near riverside CA was going out shooting this morning before it reached 105 or more...... I'm shooting tomorrow, but it's an outside and covered range with a lot of trees surrounding, so it will be comfortable and I LOVE the heat.
PSP

[oneokie]

Heat index here has been above 100 for the past several days. All out side chores are done early in the mornings or at sundown.

[Love Life]

Hydrate, use sunscreen, utilize shade.

[ph4570]

Very hot for my mountain region -- 103.5 at the moment in the backyard shade.

I am wet tumbling 5.56 and 7.62 all day today. To the range tomorrow with the M1A and cast loads.

My only comfort to the heat is a margarita about 5PM and then a nap. Upon wakening the temp should be down a bit.

[sparkz]

Man it's Hotter then a two Dollar Pistol here in Eastern Kentucky and about 100% Humidity with out rain in sight, we get rain at night and it cooks off into crazy hot,
I / We Live in the Hardwoods so that our relief we get up in the woods and its cooler, we are taking the Horses out, my son and I are doing a shooting day camping trip, Sean and I have loaded for a week so We are gona spend some rounds,
so should take some of the sweat of us and be great fun
haha makes me feel like I am 15 again haha


Patrick
Lost Creek, Kentucky

[jmort]

I'm not far from Riverside and it is 97 or so and at 4,000 ft elevation warmer than usual. Humidity is real low so swap cooler is working like a champ.

[Nortex]

105 in San Antonio...but only 100 up in the hills to the NW! At least its humid.

Was at the range at 8:00am, done by 10:30...peaked to early, now what? Oh wait, so glad my Dillon is inside in the a/c...time to get to work.

[PS Paul]

Well, so far it looks like Mr. Sparkz in KY has the best idea of all of us. Shootin' and horseback riding in the mountains? Man, what fun!

Love Life, IIRC you live in the Sierra Nevada mountains? Pretty gorgeous as I recall.

Me and the family are heading to Father In Law's condo to go swimming for a little bit. Usually a couple of gorgeous babes for me to quickly glance at (my beautiful wife ain't so bad in a bikini either. he he) who hang out there too since it's a ritzy part of the area.

Have fun, fellas!!
PSP

[grumman581]

Current temperature is 103F, supposedly a high of 104F today... They *say* that the humidity is *only* 33% right now, but it feels worse... Heat Index is 110F currently... Wish I was back in Florida so that I could go jump in one of the nice 72F springs to cool down...

[JeffinNZ]

Another frost this morning. Doing fine.

[SteveUSP]

117 at my house, makes the swimming pool the best investment ever.

[waksupi]

It hasn't got as hot as forecast here, yet. That's fine with me.
I went up the mountain early this morning to shoot my flint smoothbore before it started heating up. When I was headed back down the mountain, I found six adults, and two kids, with brand new Crickets. I stopped to talk and watch for awhile.
Then, with full evil intent in my heart, I innocently asked if any of them would like to shoot a flintlock?
I think I dragged a couple more into the dark folds of muzzleloaders.
(Insert evil laugh here.)

[dragon813gt]

It was in the low to mid 90s all week. Some wicked thunderstorms every night as well. It's currently 84 w/ 45% relative humidity so today is average for this time of year. It's a semitropical climate here so high temps and humidity are the norm. Thunderstorms tend to break out before we reach 100.

[opos]

I'm in the Eastern part of San Diego and it's plenty warm for us...90's+....Always get a kick out of the weather report for San Diego...it almost always shows daytimes in the 70's and nights in the 60's...what they don't report is that the weather bureau takes it's readings right along the bay where the temp never varies more than a few degrees any time other than on very rare occasions. Where I live it's "Baja with irrigation" and it get's plenty hot...the valleys and mountains east of San Diego often run in the high 90's and low triple digits...we can have times of almost no humidity and that's when we get the massive fires...some very hot dry winds and a spark and it's a real mess...Reloading can be a bit of a challenge if you don't want to reload in very low humidity...and I don't...if the humidity is under abour 20% I won't touch powder and primers.
Glad for air conditioning and it's not all that bad...maybe 90 or so right now

[scottiemom]

I stay in the house and don't come out until October. I'm a wimp. I admit it.

[grumman581]

I stay in the house and don't come out until October. I'm a wimp. I admit it.

I'm waiting on the next Ice Age so that it will finally be a *temperate* climate around here... :(

[Down South]

Car thermometer said 103 when I was driving back in to Houston from south La a while ago. I checked that against the weather station and it is correct. It's about 10 deg cooler in Louisiana where I live on adverage than Houston year round.

[Dale in Louisiana]

97 with a heat index of 112 here thirty miles from the Gulf of Mexico and twenty miles east of Texas. Humidity is 52%. If you sweat, it just sticks to you.

Summertime is months of scurrying from one air-conditioned haven to another.

dale in Louisiana

[Bzcraig]

Another frost this morning. Doing fine.

That ain't even right Jeff!

105 in my back yard and predictions are 106-111 for the next 7 days. Heard Death Valley may break record hitting in the 130's.

[jaydub in wi]

Had 85 a couple of days ago. 73 right now with a nice north wind. Weatherman calling for 56 tonite. We will pay for this nice weather come January though;-)

[GRUMPA]

Right now on the patio it's 102.2 with a hazy day out, wildfire somewhere. We try and do things as early as we can and sit it out till the sun goes down. We do have a swamp cooler and the humidity is at 29% but we can usually have it on till an hour after sunset. Living on solar ain't all that bad till it hits our monsoon season and our 9yr old generator just went belly up.

Building a DC generator next week with an AC generator being shipped and due here Monday. Hopefully that will solve some of our power issues after the sun goes down. Trees seem to dry out kind of fast, along with the heat there's the wind and wreaks havoc with the leaves, went through over 1100gal water and I only got half the trees watered and trying to get water back in the water tank isn't easy with intermittent clouds and solar.

[10-x]

High 80's down here on the coast+ high humidity, we catch a break with a breeze once in while. Do everything inside the shop with AC.

[PS Paul]

Grumpa, I just took a look at Concho and surrounding areas. looks like a neat little area to live? Is Concho Lake more than a mudhole? or is it good fishing at all?
Inquiring minds wants to know......

[Coyote3]

It's 115o here right now, but the humidity is only 7%. Supposed to be a little bit warmer tomorrow.

Not a problem, I'll just hangout by the pool. :kidding:

74891

[jmort]

"...Concho and surrounding areas. looks like a neat little area to live?"

It do look real nice

[Rick N Bama]

We've been in the high 80's & low 90's for several weeks now. I try to get my outside work done early then relax in the house the rest of the day. The humidity has been so high that the grass doesn't dry off until about mid afternoon so I wait until late to do my mowing and in this weather that's about every 10 days or so.

When I worked I used a towel hung around my neck & shoulders that I kept wet. That provided me with some welcomed relief

Rick

[texassako]

We get a cold front for tomorrow, supposed to stay in the 80's a few days. Sat on the couch neck sizing and expanding a bunch of cases with a 310 tool while watching a movie with my kid this afternoon.

[azrednek]

and I LOVE the heat.
PSP

Want to trade places??
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/P1010048-Copy_zpsaf940387.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/dnisbet/media/P1010048-Copy_zpsaf940387.jpg.html)

Just as bad today, peaked at 120.9

[Love Life]

99 degrees today. A little warm to be at 4,500 ft.

[quilbilly]

I have friends down in Mesquite, Nv and as of this writing (Saturday at 5 pm) it is 117 there. They wrote me last week about one of their great mysteries of life. Why do they get house guests (empty nest retired friends who could travel anytime) who insist on dropping by right now in the hottest part of the year when they could easily travel between October and April?

[slim1836]

It's all Bush's' fault, thanks to Gore I can stay inside on the internet.

[Down South]

I know there are hotter places than Houston but when you combine the humidity we have here it becomes unbearable. The breezes this time of year during mid day feel like someone holding a blow dryer on you.
I see the weak pasture behind my RV is burnt up from the dry weather and heat.
I had to increase the auto watering system on my "pot" plants to twice a day for 12 minutes each watering. My "pot" plants consists of my tomatoes and other vegetables. But the heat will soon get to them even with plenty of water.

[Love Life]

PS Paul- You are correct on my location. I am in the Sierra Nevadas over in Wellington, NV. I have been way hotter than this (138 degrees in one place), and not having high humidity is a blessing. This time of year it is very important to cut back on the sugary drinks, booze (if you drink), and drink way more water with a Gatorade thrown in every now and then. I keep water, tarps, and lengths of rope in all vehicles in case of a break down in the middle of nowhere. It is perfectly fine to get out and do physical activities, just be careful and smart about it.

[GRUMPA]

Grumpa, I just took a look at Concho and surrounding areas. looks like a neat little area to live? Is Concho Lake more than a mudhole? or is it good fishing at all?
Inquiring minds wants to know......

Nope, you got the mud hole part right, and don't ask me about fishing either. The way I think I'll get it at the market when it goes on sale. I would recommend Concho for the ambitious and the capable with a thorough knowledge of home repair. Although it seems drinking is the national past time up here.

74896

[GOPHER SLAYER]

It is almost 6:00PM and it is 106 on my patio in the shade. It hit 110% here today. I don"t handle it like I did when I was a yewt.

[bangerjim]

offiicial temp hit 117. Car temp said 120. Shop temp said 117 in the shade outside. (inside it AC!)

Pool very nice. Almost cold when you get out! Monsoon not here yet....dewpoint still below 50.

Too hot out to work, so stay inside!

Hottest temp in history in PHX was in 1990 when it hit 125 at airport and they shut it down due to not calcs on lift factor! Was in Yellowstone then and it hit 106!

But cooler weather is comming this week.

bangerjim

[BRobertson]

It is raining, and about 65* here , anything over about 60* is too warm for me!!

You folks can have the hot weather!!!

Bob

[EdZ KG6UTS]

I live about 2 1/2 blocks off the Pacific Ocean in San Diego. We were overcast most of the day here on the coast and in the 70's. Inland? Hot in triple digits. Last weekend we were at our desert place to make sure the watering was working etc.

EdZ KG6UTS
San Diego/Borrego Springs, CA

[gbrown]

A cold front is coming in on Monday, should be cooler Tuesday-Friday, like 92 or 93. We've been averaging about 97 last couple of days, heat index about 105 to 110. It's summertime in S.E. TX. Get used to it, is all I can say. Love Life hit it on the head. Go outside, sit in shade, cool breeze blowing, sweat and get sticky. Grandson had a ballgame tonight, all the mothers complaining about the heat, 10 year olds playing hard, didn't notice a thing. Get over it, it's summertime--what do you expect?

[Artful]

It is almost 6:00PM and it is 106 on my patio in the shade. It hit 110% here today. I don"t handle it like I did when I was a yewt.

102 at 9:46 per my computer app - 118 was supposed to be the high but I came in by 10 am and hid in the A/C

Talked to the greeter at Walmart after 7pm - seems they had a grocery cart wrangler that started today - and quit today, Not a good day to be outside all day if your not used too it.

[azrednek]

This time of year it is very important to cut back on the sugary drinks, booze (if you drink), and drink way more water with a Gatorade thrown in every now and then. I keep water, tarps, and lengths of rope in all vehicles in case of a break down in the middle of nowhere. It is perfectly fine to get out and do physical activities, just be careful and smart about it.

I'm in 100% agreement. I spent nearly 20 years delivering mail in the heat. The best bet is to drink as much water as possible until your urine is clear. Dark urine while working in the heat is a warning of possible dehydration.




Hottest temp in history in PHX was in 1990 when it hit 125 at airport and they shut it down due to not calcs on lift factor!

bangerjim

The record setting day was a bit exaggerated due to some asphalt paving near the US Weather Bureau probes at Sky Harbor Airport. The official temp was later lowered to 122 after making an adjustment after the weather bureau moved the probes to another area. Stranded a bunch of travelers at the airport that day. At the time all commercial passenger airlines were tested at 120 degrees. The FAA would not let a plane leave until the temps dropped to 119.

As bad as the temps were for those two days in a row over 120. The humidity was something like 5% and it wasn't that unbearable. About a month after the record setting days I drove through Missouri. It was 90 degrees with 90+ per cent humidity and it felt considerably more miserable.

[LynC2]

I was going to complain, but our record setting 105 the other day seems pretty mild compared to some here! Thank God the predictions are for rain and temps in the 80's next week. [smilie=w:

[Lloyd Smale]

sitting here at about 6am and my furnace just kicked on. Its been below average here every day lately.

[dg31872]

New record of 107 yesterday here in Central Texas. Could be worse, probably will be.

[marlin39a]

It was 102 here in Paulden yesterday. Winds picked up in afternoon, along with monsoon activity. No rain for me though. More record heat for today. Getting ready to go up to Seligman for some early morning P-dog shooting. We'll be done by 11. Taking plenty of ammo and water.

[Jim]

At 6:30 this mornin', we had 68*. Digital thermometer in the boolit shop yesterday about 3 PM went up to 88*. Having spent most of my life on the S/E coast of SC, not only am I not complainin', I'm happy!

No gnats, no skeeters, only moderate humidity and very comfortable in the late afternoons. Thank ya', Lord, for my 3.6 in the mountains!

[Matt_G]

The NWS has posted an excessive heat warning for Northwest AZ., Southeast CA., and Southern Nevada.
They are saying it may last thru the fourth.
At 2:00 am this morning, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, it was 105. :holysheep
I'd say there is a good chance their low temp didn't get below 100.
The forecast high for today at Furnace Creek is 130.
That's just nuts...

[sparkz]

I know there are hotter places than Houston but when you combine the humidity we have here it becomes unbearable. The breezes this time of year during mid day feel like someone holding a blow dryer on you.
I see the weak pasture behind my RV is burnt up from the dry weather and heat.
I had to increase the auto watering system on my "pot" plants to twice a day for 12 minutes each watering. My "pot" plants consists of my tomatoes and other vegetables. But the heat will soon get to them even with plenty of water.


hahaha,, But Downsouth, How do ya Keep the Tomatoes Lit when smokin them?, haha

[sparkz]

Right now on the patio it's 102.2 with a hazy day out, wildfire somewhere. We try and do things as early as we can and sit it out till the sun goes down. We do have a swamp cooler and the humidity is at 29% but we can usually have it on till an hour after sunset. Living on solar ain't all that bad till it hits our monsoon season and our 9yr old generator just went belly up.

Building a DC generator next week with an AC generator being shipped and due here Monday. Hopefully that will solve some of our power issues after the sun goes down. Trees seem to dry out kind of fast, along with the heat there's the wind and wreaks havoc with the leaves, went through over 1100gal water and I only got half the trees watered and trying to get water back in the water tank isn't easy with intermittent clouds and solar.


You have one of the best Solar set-ups I have seen, I am a retired Electrical Contractor from NE. Illinois, and Have wanted for years to do a solar hot water system with solar 24volt control here at our Kentucky house for years (so some hydro heat would run even with Grid system down)
I love the west but hate the heat, esp those temps your having now..
Stay Cool8-).. Patrick


I need to figure out how to get all the quotes on one post?
humm, time to read up on that,, Okay I am stupid just found it...

[grumman581]

The NWS has posted an excessive heat warning for Northwest AZ., Southeast CA., and Southern Nevada.
They are saying it may last thru the fourth.
At 2:00 am this morning, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, it was 105. :holysheep
I'd say there is a good chance their low temp didn't get below 100.
The forecast high for today at Furnace Creek is 130.
That's just nuts...

I wonder what the soil temperature is at various depths with that sort of surface temperature. Given the average (http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/upload/Weather%20and%20Climate.pdf) surface temperatures throughout the year, I'm thinking that the best you could hope for at depth would be 76F.

[Larry Gibson]

Not sure what the "official" temp here was yesterday but it should be 120+. My home weather station recorded 125 at about 1630. Swimming pool hit 90 and was still very comfortable, actually quite cool when you get out as the humidity is down in the low 20s so the water evaporates fast and cools you. It's livable with the AC at 85 in the house, cold marguerite's, cold beer and lots of cold water. Was warmer in Iraq for a few weeks when I was there in '05.

It's 94 at 0630 this morning so I'm looking forward to another beautiful day in paradise as it beats the h*ll out of the 90+ with humidity to match up in Washington where I used to live. I find it much more comfortable here at 100+ than up there at 80+. Been in a lot of steamy jungles, temperate areas and deserts around the world, personally I prefer the dry desert heat, especially in the winter but it isn't bad now:D

Larry Gibson

[wch]

The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg began at 7 AM today: forecast is for 85 degrees, high humidity, possible thunderstorms.
Crowds, wool uniforms, lightning and black powder- sounds like a possible bad mix.

[Hickory]

Only had a few warm days here in the swamp, mid 80's. 62° right now.

[Artful]

It's 94 at 0630 this morning so I'm looking forward to another beautiful day in paradise as it beats the h*ll out of the 90+ with humidity to match up in Washington where I used to live.
Larry Gibson

you got me bet - Scottsdale showing 89 at 7:00am

[zidave]

Crazy. The southeast is cooling off and the southwest is scorching.

High of 89 here in Tuscaloosa. Forecasted to be even cooler the next few days

[Dale in Louisiana]

I belong up north. It's easier to build a fire than an air conditioner.

dale in Louisiana

[km101]

New record of 107 yesterday here in Central Texas. Could be worse, probably will be.

And that's not even taking the heat index into consideration! But a cool front is here now. Temp right now is 89 and it's only supposed to get to 91 today! With temps in the high 80's to low 90's all this week!

We needed a little relief. All last week my AC would come on about 11:00am and would run almost constantly until about 10:00pm. I really dread getting my electric bill! But you cant do without AC around here.

We move from one air conditioned spot to the next and try to avoid letting vehicles sit out in the sun too long! Temps can reach 140 is a closed car in the sun. Makes it rather painful when you sit down in the car.

Hydrate, spend a lot of time in the pool, stay close to the AC! Best advice I can give.

[9.3X62AL]

I live about 80 miles west of Furnace Creek/Death Valley, as the crow flies. 130* out there wouldn't surprise me. Supposed to be 113* here today, it was 97* at midnight......THAT is unusual. Lots of water, all day long--and I'll be into and out of the garage on reloading projects throughout the day. Range day? You gotta be kidding me.

Low humidity still hanging around, and no monsoon-type pattern emerging as in AZ. I have some 223 cast booliting I want to test-drive at the range, but that can wait until the furnace shuts down some.

[slim1836]

Hit 100.4 yesterday in my neighborhood south of Fort Worth, TX. Currently 93.
I am fortunate, but somehow don't feel it when outside.

Slim

[Rick N Bama]

Want to trade places??
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/P1010048-Copy_zpsaf940387.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/dnisbet/media/P1010048-Copy_zpsaf940387.jpg.html)

Just as bad today, peaked at 120.9

I think you need a new thermometer.

My high today has been 83, but the nice weather lady said that this time last year we were in the triple digits.

Rick

[MtGun44]

Cool here in eastern Kansas.

Many decades of observing the weather, often very closely as I flew through it, I can say
this :

The weather varies a lot.
Beyond that, you are spinning your wheels.

Stay cool folks. I gotta go mow.

Bill

[Echo]

One Oh Two on my patio as I type (well, hunt and peck), and the official will probably be somewhat higher. I have a marginal AC in my outside reloading/casting room, and did some stuff there today, but am staying mainly inside where the AC is NOT marginal. And decided not to go to range today - always windy out there, and heat AND wind are disturbing. And the humidity is coming up, so we can't say "It's a Dry Heat", as we usually do... Monsoon starts soon, TG...

[Bent Ramrod]

It got up to just short of 116 here today by my thermometer. We're one valley over from Death Valley.

We always get a big shot of heat as summer starts, but haven't had a protracted period of hot weather for 15 years or so. "Hot weather" being defined as over 105 every day for weeks, or over 100 every day for months.

Humidity is so low here that even 100 isn't oppressive, but over 110, nothing really helps. You can see why Lawrence of Arabia and his pals wore those robes and headpieces; once you get to a certain temperature, the absolute heat is nothing compared to that weird sensation that your skin is frying like bacon in the sun. The dermatologists coin money out here.

We've had comparatively mild summers in previous years while the TV talked about people gasping and expiring in St Louis or the NYC area. It eventually had to come around to our part of the country again. Being able to go out in short sleeves or a light jacket and shoot in the winter makes it worthwhile, and I can do it in the summer with some water and shade. The only real problem is barrel heating with black powder rifles. You push a wet patch through the bore after a shot and what comes out is a dry patch and steam.:mrgreen:

[9.3X62AL]

Glad to see that you're holding up all right, B/R. Us too.

[WILCO]

Hydrate, use sunscreen, utilize shade.

Good answer. I'm doing well enough. I start the fans running in the windows before sun up, and keep the shades drawn and lights out during the day. Most cooking done outdoors and the basement is always cool when loading ammo.

[Bent Ramrod]

Good to hear you are holding up too, Al. I can understand that the TV weather babes need to have something to talk about, but this is just another China Lake summer as far as I'm concerned. According to tradition, the ice doesn't break up on China Lake until the thermometer hits 100 degrees anyway.

[Down South]

We had a cool snap come through last night. It's currently 88 Deg and 36% humidity. If all of summer was like this, it would be nice.

[TXGunNut]

Only 80's here on my spot on the prairie, rather odd. Had a few triple digit days and pretty sure we have a few more. Pretty bearable outside today, almost pleasant in the shade. Just as well, not doing well in the extreme heat this year.

[9.3X62AL]

According to tradition, the ice doesn't break up on China Lake until the thermometer hits 100 degrees anyway.

That's one worth remembering. This is our sixth summer here, Marie and I both agree that Ridgecrest summers are identical to Redlands and Highland summers during our childhoods--before all the water from up north arrived and turned both places into steamy swamps. For my part, I hope the talking heads on TV and their tales of massive heat waves keep the AFOs down south and outta here.

(AFO--a California perjorative, and an acronym--stands for "Angelenus Fornicatus Omnia", or "city dweller that screws up everything").

[Down South]

I actually casted a 20 lb pot full today in Houston outside under my gazebo and didn't break a sweat. This is nice and it appears we may have about a week of it.
Tomorrow, I lubrisize what I casted today.

[Ed Barrett]

Set some records around here,but in the opposite direction. It was 55 degrees this morning at 6:00 am. On the news they said that Joplin MO set a record low for this date. Supposed to get up to 79 today. looks like we get a little break for a while. Hope you westerners get a break soon.

[KCSO]

80's in the day time 60's at night this is the coolest summer we have had in a long time. I feel sorry for my daugher in Arizona though, not only hot but she lost friends to the fire.

[Bent Ramrod]

Well, perhaps my equanimity was premature. We just had a lot of lightning, a few drops of water, and a lot of wind and dust. The back fence between my yard and my neighbor's is down and some of the roofing is off the overhang on my back porch and in the street in front of the house.

Usually such violent windstorms happen out in the desert away from built up areas, but there were four or five real "microbursts" here, each about five minutes duration with five minutes of calm in between. The wood fence was held up by 4 x 4's and they were snapped like carrots down at ground level. The visibility was just about across the street at the maximum.

Anybody have the number for FEMA?:mrgreen: I could probably use a hug from a selection of prominent politician/celebrities, too. But I'll settle for my homeowner's insurance and my local contractor's guys.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

It got to 114 in the shade on our patio yesterday, about the same in my workshop. No time to try and lube/size all the bullets I cast last week.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Naturally my air conditioner chose the peak of a heat wave to act up. Sunday night the A-coil was frozen solid. I know the tricks. I killed the compressor and let the fan run to thaw the coil out, then put the compressor back on line to keep the house livable until morning.

One of my co-workers has an A/C license, so I borrowed his manifold and a jug of R-22 to top my system off. Silly thing has been in service since 2006. Needed a little Freon, is all.

Things are good now.

dale in Louisiana

[grumman581]

Naturally my air conditioner chose the peak of a heat wave to act up. Sunday night the A-coil was frozen solid. I know the tricks. I killed the compressor and let the fan run to thaw the coil out, then put the compressor back on line to keep the house livable until morning.

One of my co-workers has an A/C license, so I borrowed his manifold and a jug of R-22 to top my system off. Silly thing has been in service since 2006. Needed a little Freon, is all.

Air conditioners are a closed system and if you are needing Freon (refrigerant), then you have a leak *somewhere*. It might cost more to fix than to just periodically add refrigerant, but you still have a leak there.

I keep a spare window unit air-conditioner that can be run by a generator for when the power is off due to hurricanes or other extended power outages, so if my central air is out, I can just set up the window unit and keep the master bedroom and bathroom area of the house comfortable enough to sleep in at night and during the day reduce the humidity of the house enough where it is not *too* bad.

I just got back from a bit over a week in South Korea (mainly near Songtan). The weather there was not as extremely hot as it was in Houston prior to my departure, but I sweat a lot more and it felt more uncomfortable. Probably because of the fact that their buildings are not necessarily as well air-conditioned as we have around here and you get to experience the heat a lot more. Having to rely upon the trains and not a private car also meant that I was outside quite a bit more. And even the hotels that do have good air-conditioning in the rooms often do not even bother to air-condition the common areas (halls, stairways, elevator area, lobby, etc). An Army guy that I know over at Osan Air Base mentioned that the Air Force would not even fix the discrepancies (with the air-conditioning, electricity, and such) that they had at their barracks, even though that since they were Air Force buildings, the Air Force was supposed to be maintaining them. He said that it was especially irritating since if he had his tools from home, he could just fix it himself. I guess the Air Force personnel are too busy playing golf.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Yesterday it was 105 deg F with 38 percent humidity in NE Kansas. Ugh.

[grumman581]

Yesterday it was 105 deg F with 38 percent humidity in NE Kansas. Ugh.

Too bad you can't average it with your winters, right? :)

[10-x]

Around 90 here and high humidity, but I can deal with the heat better than the cold.

[azrednek]

Too bad you can't average it with your winters, right? :)

Come winter time I can rub it in. Chances are good Nov-Jan Phx has ideal temps for the outdoor range. A bit hot today but at least it is bearable, none of the 120+ we had a week or so ago.

Takes about a mile of driving for my SUV to cool down. Last week I had to start up the vehicle, let it idle and run the AC for at least 5 or more minutes without feeling like I was crawling into a steamy sauna. I keep a roll of paper towels within hand's reach to wipe my brow while driving. Myself and most Phx residents carry a gallon or 2 of bottled water in case we break down. At intersections during rush-hour many stick it into neutral and rev up the engine to keep the AC blowing cool awaiting the light to change.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/P1010054_zps9b8186bd.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/dnisbet/media/P1010054_zps9b8186bd.jpg.html)

I know!! Changed batteries and have simply been to lazy to set the calendar.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Air conditioners are a closed system and if you are needing Freon (refrigerant), then you have a leak *somewhere*. It might cost more to fix than to just periodically add refrigerant, but you still have a leak there.

I keep a spare window unit air-conditioner that can be run by a generator for when the power is off due to hurricanes or other extended power outages, so if my central air is out, I can just set up the window unit and keep the master bedroom and bathroom area of the house comfortable enough to sleep in at night and during the day reduce the humidity of the house enough where it is not *too* bad.

I just got back from a bit over a week in South Korea (mainly near Songtan). The weather there was not as extremely hot as it was in Houston prior to my departure, but I sweat a lot more and it felt more uncomfortable. Probably because of the fact that their buildings are not necessarily as well air-conditioned as we have around here and you get to experience the heat a lot more. Having to rely upon the trains and not a private car also meant that I was outside quite a bit more. And even the hotels that do have good air-conditioning in the rooms often do not even bother to air-condition the common areas (halls, stairways, elevator area, lobby, etc). An Army guy that I know over at Osan Air Base mentioned that the Air Force would not even fix the discrepancies (with the air-conditioning, electricity, and such) that they had at their barracks, even though that since they were Air Force buildings, the Air Force was supposed to be maintaining them. He said that it was especially irritating since if he had his tools from home, he could just fix it himself. I guess the Air Force personnel are too busy playing golf.

THe unit was installed in 2006 and had not received a service since then. It's possible it has a slow leak. I'm keeping an eye on it.

I spent a Korean summer in 1970 at scenic Camp Rose, outside Munsan. I gave my houseboy a few bucks and he bought me a fan. In 1970 there was no such thing as 'air conditioning' there. The fan made life bearable while we were in the compound. Out in the field it was pretty grim, and we spent a lot of time in the field.

dale in Louisiana

[Jeff Michel]

89 F, 100% humidity rain 18 out the last 19 days. 6 inches in the last 24 hours. What's not to like about Ohio?:)

[10-x]

Hey, we'll get Chantel by Saturday, like we haven't had enough rain, think I'll buy a pontoon boat....

[mroliver77]

90 deg today with 100% humidity then a 2" little shower with 50mph wind. I love Ohio!
J


89 F, 100% humidity rain 18 out the last 19 days. 6 inches in the last 24 hours. What's not to like about Ohio?:)

[PS Paul]

Been out of town on vacation and this is the first time I've checked back on the thread since I posted.....

MAN, some of you fellas live in SMOKIN' HOT places! Been pretty comfortable around this part of the country. Pushin' into the '80's the past few days, but only about 70 right now....

I guess I wouldn't "love" the heat some of you fellas are suffering. I went to the range today for three hours of very comfortable shootin'. It was overcast and just about 72 the whole time until the sun broke through.

Well, it appears a lot of you all have a little break from some of the scorching temps earlier. I just found a new long-handled smelting ladle with a LARGE cup at an antique store with my wife this afternoon, so i'm gonna smelt down some SPD range lead in about ten minutes. Should be nice since it'll get a bit chilly once the sun starts goin' down.

Stay cool and happy shootin'!!

PSP

[Down South]

My eyes are kinda blurred. When I read the title of the thread, It looked like it said "How are you passing gas in this heat?"
I thought about saying, Very easy.

[wallenba]

I complain about the winters here, but when I see your summer numbers I shut up fast. I have trouble with 90 when it's real humid, which is likely here due to lakes. I can't imagine what it's like in Louisiana, Florida, Texas or the other gulf states. I lived on Tyndall AFB Florida (1958-1962) when I was a kid. My daily attire was a pair of shorts and sneakers. The beach made it bearable when it was open. Otherwise I'd grab a T-shirt and hang out in the base library for the A/C. I accidentally learned stuff too. Dad got transferred to the U.P. of Michigan in 1963, Kincheloe AFB was heaven. Fish and all kinds of critters, nice temps.

[olereb]

Naturally my air conditioner chose the peak of a heat wave to act up. Sunday night the A-coil was frozen solid. I know the tricks. I killed the compressor and let the fan run to thaw the coil out, then put the compressor back on line to keep the house livable until morning.

One of my co-workers has an A/C license, so I borrowed his manifold and a jug of R-22 to top my system off. Silly thing has been in service since 2006. Needed a little Freon, is all.

Things are good now.

dale in Louisiana

Most likely you do have a leak in your evap coil,it could be a slow leak if it doesn't freeze often but if it happens every year its a decent leak. If its a 2006 model a/c it might still be under warranty,if so you could get the evap coil replaced free,usually just pay the labor fee. Just need to have a quick leak search done to verify where the leak is,just thought i'd mention this incase it would help. I'm a A/C tech in FL.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Most likely you do have a leak in your evap coil,it could be a slow leak if it doesn't freeze often but if it happens every year its a decent leak. If its a 2006 model a/c it might still be under warranty,if so you could get the evap coil replaced free,usually just pay the labor fee. Just need to have a quick leak search done to verify where the leak is,just thought i'd mention this incase it would help. I'm a A/C tech in FL.

Thanks for the advice.

Tech here pointed to the Schrader valves, said ditch the plastic caps that came with the unit and put brass ones on. Said the valves always leak a little, but the brass caps slow that way down.

I can grab a manifold and a bottle of gas and add a pound or two every six years.

Dale in Louisiana

[grumman581]

Thanks for the advice.

Tech here pointed to the Schrader valves, said ditch the plastic caps that came with the unit and put brass ones on. Said the valves always leak a little, but the brass caps slow that way down.

I can grab a manifold and a bottle of gas and add a pound or two every six years.


You might just need to replace the cores in the Schrader valves. Of course, the process of doing that will cause a loss of gas, so it has to be done rather quickly.

[starmac]

Just come in from up north, one valley I drove through was down to 44 degrees. It felt pretty good after the heat wave we had a week ago or so.

[pdawg_shooter]

A red shop towel dipped in ice water and wrapped around the neck under the shirt collar gets me by. Repeat as needed. Dipping your ball cap in ice water helps a lot too.

[starbits]

Got home from a trip at 8pm last night and it was 86 in the house. The heatpump has gone out. With the windows open it was still 85 at 4am. Sitting here now waiting on the AC tech. Replaced the compressor last summer so hopefully that is not the problem.

Starbits

[williamwaco]

Heat?

It's only 103.

I will let you know when August gets here.

[Down South]

A red shop towel dipped in ice water and wrapped around the neck under the shirt collar gets me by. Repeat as needed. Dipping your ball cap in ice water helps a lot too.
When I was still pulling wrenches out in the Gulf, It could get unbearably hot. But with work to do and equipment down, I had to get it running.
A large wet towel with ice rolled up in it and wrapped around my neck made the difference many a time. You would be impressed how well that works on cooling yourself down if you have never tried it.

[Cosmiceyes]

Really badly the central air unit died. Replacement is 20K.Looking at several of the mini units(not window units) as we only have 1400 sq ft.May not last as long,but heat an cool less than 4K.I take several cold showers a day.(just think me at the ****** age)I don't dry off,and have fans on me.Works OK.

[jmort]

I use a swamp cooler. Cost very little to run. Makes things comfortable and adds some humidity. Probably get a decent sized one for the same price as a window unit and way more effective/efficient.

[dragon813gt]

Swamp coolers only work in certain climates. Adding humidity is the last thing I want to do. It's a struggle to keep it at 50% when the dewpoint is above 70 degrees. Even though I'm a HVAC tech and have ductwork in my home. I still use window units. A 113yo all brick three story half a double w/ all southern exposure is a large cooling load. It's cheaper for me to run a few window shakers then try to cool the entire home. One day I will get around to install zoning and upgrading my electric panel so I can install a condenser and coil.

[jmort]

That is an unfortunate fact of life, but if you live in dry/desert climate a swamp cooler is a beautiful thing.

Just checked, humidity is at 22% right now.

[Cosmiceyes]

I use a swamp cooler. Cost very little to run. Makes things comfortable and adds some humidity. Probably get a decent sized one for the same price as a window unit and way more effective/efficient.
No not with these 1950 metal swing out windows.I called unit is cheap.Labor is 2000. So we just made a deal with Sears,A Carrier unit installed bigger than the one we have for 6400.00.We would have no heat without this type of unit.I live up near Azuza Canyon where temps get to freezing for a couple of nights a year.

[grumman581]

No not with these 1950 metal swing out windows.I called unit is cheap.Labor is 2000. So we just made a deal with Sears,A Carrier unit installed bigger than the one we have for 6400.00.We would have no heat without this type of unit.I live up near Azuza Canyon where temps get to freezing for a couple of nights a year.

I just got back from Korea and noticed that it seems like all the air-conditioning units for the apartments are some sort of balcony / wall mounted split unit system. They don't seem to have the forced air ductwork systems over there. The installation for them seems minimal though -- basically just a couple of small holes in the wall to run the lines through.

http://di1-3.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/32/77/78/53748472-260x260-0-0_LG+LS122HE.jpg

They're not as cheap or as easy to install as window units, but if your house has a type of window other than a vertically sliding type, you might as well get prepared to spend a bit more on a window / wall mounted air-conditioner.

Depending upon how your exterior walls are constructed, it can be easy to just install a window unit in a custom hole in the wall. If you have wood siding, it is fairly easy to cut a hole in the wall and frame out an opening to install the cheaper window unit -- definitely a DIY project if you are halfway competent with tools. If the walls are brick, not so easy....

[Love Life]

I've been drinking copius amounts of water, and have been running every day. What heat?

[dragon813gt]

So we just made a deal with Sears,A Carrier unit installed bigger than the one we have for 6400.00.
Please tell me they did a Manual J load calculation before selling you a bigger unit. Over sized air conditioners don't dehumidify because they short cycle. The space becomes cold and clammy because of this. Bigger is not better in the world of air conditioning. Now if your previous unit was undersized then you should notice a drastic difference. But the only way to know is to perform a load calculation.


Depending upon how your exterior walls are constructed, it can be easy to just install a window unit in a custom hole in the wall. If you have wood siding, it is fairly easy to cut a hole in the wall and frame out an opening to install the cheaper window unit -- definitely a DIY project if you are halfway competent with tools. If the walls are brick, not so easy....

That's a minisplit. And it's not a DIY project unless you have a vacuum pump and gauges. Technically you should not be able to buy one unless you have your EPA license. But thanks to the power of the Internet they sell them to homeowners. I've lost count of how many I've gone out to because a homeowner installed one and just opened the valves w/out pulling a vacuum first. They never work right after that.

[blackthorn]

Well now, after reading the posts on this thread so far, I feel a lot better about paying $5K (instaled) for the replacement we had to put in this spring! What does aggravate me is that replacement was MY fault! In the fall of 2011 we put on a new metal roof. The winter of 2011/12 was normal for snow and it sort of falls/melts/falls---- Last winter 2012/13, we had a long strech where the temperature sort of stayed JUST around freezing. The result was that we got about a foot and a half build-up of snow/ice on the roof and one day it warmed up and all that c*** slid off at once! YEP--right on top of the AC unit that is free standing alongside of the house! Squashed it beyond repair. It never occurred to me that snow/ice would all just let go off the metal like it was greased! Should have but didn't---expensive lesson! For sure there will be a protective roof built over the AC unit before fall this year!

[grumman581]

That's a minisplit. And it's not a DIY project unless you have a vacuum pump and gauges. Technically you should not be able to buy one unless you have your EPA license. But thanks to the power of the Internet they sell them to homeowners. I've lost count of how many I've gone out to because a homeowner installed one and just opened the valves w/out pulling a vacuum first. They never work right after that.

Correct, the mini-split units are not exactly a DIY project. I was talking about the window / wall mount single piece units when I said that it was a DIY project. The mini-splits might be a semi-DIY project in that you could do the wiring and mount the unit and let someone with the proper HVAC tools do the connections.

For whatever reason, we don't seem to see the mini-split units here in the US that much. Maybe it's because our houses are larger and the mini-split systems aren't big enough or that they cool one room where the air has to move by other means to the other rooms whereas with the central air type system, there is ductwork and air handling that moves the air throughout the house. There are probably a few advantages of the mini-split systems:

independent temperature control of multiple zones in the house with each mini-split acting as a separate zone
ability to run the air-conditioning at a reduced capacity off a smaller generator during an emergency by only running a single unit
potentially increased efficiency since the ductwork and air handlers are not in the extremely overheated attic space


I had a problem a couple of years ago with the central air-conditioner on a house that I own that I rent out. Didn't have a tenant in it at the time, so I figured that I would see if it was something that I could fix. To keep the house from being too hot while I was over there working, I put an 8000 BTU window unit in one window and a 5000 BTU window unit in another window. It's a small house (only about 1200 sq-ft), so they would not get the house down cold very quickly, but they would remove the humidity (since they were running constantly) and they could keep it at around 75-77F. I like a house to be 72F, but when there is no humidity, even 77F is comfortable.

One of the things that I hate about central-air systems though is that if the condensate line gets stopped up and the drain pan overflows, you get a ceiling damage when the water soaks through the insulation and into the sheetrock. I have to think that the mini-split units would be a little better about this not happening since they are not installed in an attic and as such there is less chance of attic insulation dust accumulating and stopping up the drain line.

[dragon813gt]

You should never have water come through the ceiling. The secondary pan should have a float switch to shut any water maker off. And you can purchase EZ traps that are traps w/ a built in float switch that will shut the water makers off. It has nothing to do w/ the type of system. It has everything to do w/ the install.

MiniSplits are very abundant in the US. They just might not be in your area. The company I work for has been installing Mitsubishi units since they hit our shores. We order over $250,000 of their equipment per year. Now mind you that is our cost. Not the installation cost ;)

There are also true soft start kits for a typical condenser. They days of having to upsize a generator are over. Unfortunately no electricians are aware if this. And the only HVAC firms that are aware would have to be selling Water Furnace equipment. The kit they use can be adapted to any compressor which we've done at a lot of homes over the past two or three years.

[turmech]

The mini splits are more and more common these days. I install several each year. I am not really a big fan. They are fairly pricey and in a lot of cases I could install a conventional system for the same cost.

Pros are:
fit in some locations where ducts are not possible, energy efficiencies are off the charts reaching at or above 20 SEER in many cases. Really perfect for sun rooms or the high rise condo they were designed for overseas.

Cons:

Disposable most failures require parts which cost as much as the unit its self. Just a few weeks ago I had a unit which ended up with 3 circuit board bad. After 30 min on the phone with tech services, admittedly with there help, we had that diagnosis. They are more like working on a TV, VCR, or computer than an AC unit. The parts were with in $50 of the outsides units cost.

All but one brand has no back up resistance heat. The brand with resistance heat (Sanyo) is even more expensive. They use inverter technology which is better a making heat at low ambient temperatures but it is a heat pump and back up heat would be good.

As far a water drainage. In my opinion I can design a condensate system of a conventional much more bullet proof than the min split set up. For conventional have an overflow pan elevated off the attic floor to allow fall for the drain. Run a separate drain termination that is obvious if it overflows (like above a window or door). Install a safety float in the overflow pan. And last a E-Z trap in the main drain which shuts the unit off if it clogs. If at that point water overflows into your ceiling it was Gods will.

The min split is know to overflow as well. There is not much fall to the drain until it leaves the unit. It does not go far before it leaves the unit/home, but a lot is going on right there at that point.

[dragon813gt]

3 boards bad.....never seen that before :laugh:
I'm guessing it was a Mitsubishi and it got hit w/ a power spike. They need to have surge protection installed to protect the board. The zinger diodes can only take so much. And while the board are expensive they are nowhere near the cost of the unit. The supply house is ripping you off if that's the case.

[Cosmiceyes]

Post 100 I have paid for,and I am waiting on Sears to come,and install a 2 1/2 ton central system in to replace the one I have.He inspected the home,and all we need is just the unit,and no lines,duct work or electrical.Cut the bill in half. Just 10 days till they get here.The unit you posted is what I am going to put in my garage.It is a Carrier MVQ Comfort Series 115 volt 20 amp.

I just got back from Korea and noticed that it seems like all the air-conditioning units for the apartments are some sort of balcony / wall mounted split unit system. They don't seem to have the forced air ductwork systems over there. The installation for them seems minimal though -- basically just a couple of small holes in the wall to run the lines through.

http://di1-3.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/32/77/78/53748472-260x260-0-0_LG+LS122HE.jpg

They're not as cheap or as easy to install as window units, but if your house has a type of window other than a vertically sliding type, you might as well get prepared to spend a bit more on a window / wall mounted air-conditioner.

Depending upon how your exterior walls are constructed, it can be easy to just install a window unit in a custom hole in the wall. If you have wood siding, it is fairly easy to cut a hole in the wall and frame out an opening to install the cheaper window unit -- definitely a DIY project if you are halfway competent with tools. If the walls are brick, not so easy....

[turmech]

Don't quote me, but I think the Carrier mini split is made by LG same as the one in the pic.

[grumman581]

Don't quote me, but I think the Carrier mini split is made by LG same as the one in the pic.

I wouldn't be surprised. While in Korea, I saw both and I would be surprised to find the Carrier one made in the US and imported there and still be competitive with the Korean made ones.

I had some relatives when I was a kid who had window unit air-conditioners throughout their house -- pretty much one in every bedroom, one in the living room, and one in the dining room. These were the old 220V units that took up so much of the window that you didn't even need the slide panels to fill the gaps. That house was always cold, even on the hottest Gulf Coast days.

From what I've gathered, some of the central air type air-conditioners can use propane (LPG) as a refrigerant instead of Freon. I believe that it is a substitute for R22 refrigerant. That would be a factor that you might want to consider if you want to work on your own unit without involving a HVAC licensed technician.

[tinsnips]

I install Samsung mini split systems all summer long my wholesaler refers to them as disposable . Don't loose a compressor it is not worth the cost of the repair if this happens. We have a lot of trouble with lighting so we loose a lot of boards. When they work they work great.

[turmech]

From what I've gathered, some of the central air type air-conditioners can use propane (LPG) as a refrigerant instead of Freon. I believe that it is a substitute for R22 refrigerant. That would be a factor that you might want to consider if you want to work on your own unit without involving a HVAC licensed technician.

Propane is mostly used in RV campers (only place I have seen it anyway). It is used in the RV's for the refrigerators. This is done to lessen the electrical power needed. The propane boils a liquid and takes the pace of a compressor. I don't think the propane is the actual refrigerant.

Any liquid really can be a refrigerant it is just about the change in state of the liquid and thus the absorbing and rejection of heat. All liquids have a different pressure temperature relationship based on the boiling point and saturation temperature. This pressure temperature relationship dictates efficiency of the liquid as a refrigerant. This relationship is why there are many different types of refrigerant depending on the desired temperature of the space being cooled (house, refrigerator, car , freezer.) Ammonia, for example, is one of the best refrigerants just not the safest. I don't think you will see propane replacing R-22 or the newer 410A for your home use.

[Cosmiceyes]

76119
It's a Toshiba Carrier,and as Carrier is the largest air conditioning company in the world they actually make everyone elses stuff.Carrier make Kenmore,Bryant,Maytag,Fedders,and so on.In America the only rated competitor is Lennox.Lennox has a good 50 million a year business,but Carrier has a 500 Billion world wide market.

Don't quote me, but I think the Carrier mini split is made by LG same as the one in the pic.

[grumman581]

Propane is mostly used in RV campers (only place I have seen it anyway). It is used in the RV's for the refrigerators. This is done to lessen the electrical power needed. The propane boils a liquid and takes the pace of a compressor. I don't think the propane is the actual refrigerant..

I believe that the propane used in those is as a heat source for an ammonia based refrigerant.

[grumman581]

It's a Toshiba Carrier,and as Carrier is the largest air conditioning company in the world they actually make everyone elses stuff.Carrier make Kenmore,Bryant,Maytag,Fedders,and so on.In America the only rated competitor is Lennox.Lennox has a good 50 million a year business,but Carrier has a 500 Billion world wide market.

500 BILLION? Holy <excrement>, Batman! That's a lot... That's more than there are people on the planet... Are you sure about that?

[dragon813gt]

76119
It's a Toshiba Carrier,and as Carrier is the largest air conditioning company in the world they actually make everyone elses stuff.Carrier make Kenmore,Bryant,Maytag,Fedders,and so on.In America the only rated competitor is Lennox.Lennox has a good 50 million a year business,but Carrier has a 500 Billion world wide market.

Your way off base on a lot. Yes Carrier is a very large company w/ a big worldwide footprint. But most of the brands they make that are just brands. It's rebadged Carrier equipment. Which is a good thing for the consumer. Why pay for the Carrier name when you can buy Payne for a lot less. It's the same exact piece of equipment.

Lennox also has a decreasing market share. That $50 million is a ridiculously low number. They would not be around if that's all they made. And you failed to mention Carrier's largest domestic competitor, Trane. Commercially they are their biggest competitor in the chiller and rooftop market. And they are also a direct competitor residentially. I happen to be a Trane dealer. The way it works is Carrier and Trane innovate. The rest follow and value engineer their products. Both are under the umbrella of even larger companies. UTI owns Carrier and IngersollRand owns Trane.

[Down South]

I didn't fare to well yesterday. I made a range trip and called it quits about 3:00.

[WilliamDahl]

Your way off base on a lot. Yes Carrier is a very large company w/ a big worldwide footprint. But most of the brands they make that are just brands. It's rebadged Carrier equipment. Which is a good thing for the consumer. Why pay for the Carrier name when you can buy Payne for a lot less. It's the same exact piece of equipment.

Lennox also has a decreasing market share. That $50 million is a ridiculously low number. They would not be around if that's all they made. And you failed to mention Carrier's largest domestic competitor, Trane. Commercially they are their biggest competitor in the chiller and rooftop market. And they are also a direct competitor residentially. I happen to be a Trane dealer. The way it works is Carrier and Trane innovate. The rest follow and value engineer their products. Both are under the umbrella of even larger companies. UTI owns Carrier and IngersollRand owns Trane.

I interpreted his post to mean 50 million units and 500 billion units instead of dollars. Don't know about ya'll, but that made me think that the 500 billion might be a bit high, although 50 million units might be not that far off.

If I look at the stock market financials for Lennox (LII (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=LII+Key+Statistics)), I find they have $3B in revenue. Carrier is part of UTX and the total UTX (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=UTX+Key+Statistics) revenue is $59.69B, so something is probably wrong with either the figures or units of measurement in his quoted figures. I don't feel like digging through their financial reports to find out exactly how much of that $59.69B is Carrier-specific revenue.

When I need to do maintenance on my HVAC system in the attic, I sure wish that the installers had installed it in a place that was more easily accessible. Crawling around in fiberglass insulation during a hot summer day is not my idea of fun. At the very least, they could have raised it off the ceiling joists a couple of feet so that you could access it from a less contorted position.

[grumman581]

That's a minisplit. And it's not a DIY project unless you have a vacuum pump and gauges. Technically you should not be able to buy one unless you have your EPA license. But thanks to the power of the Internet they sell them to homeowners. I've lost count of how many I've gone out to because a homeowner installed one and just opened the valves w/out pulling a vacuum first. They never work right after that.

I just noticed that this particular (http://www.air-n-water.com/product/au-018.htm) mini-split system has quick-connect fittings, so it *might* actually be a DIY project for those without a vacuum pump.

[Cosmiceyes]

I interpreted his post to mean 50 million units and 500 billion units instead of dollars. Don't know about ya'll, but that made me think that the 500 billion might be a bit high, although 50 million units might be not that far off.

If I look at the stock market financials for Lennox (LII (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=LII+Key+Statistics)), I find they have $3B in revenue. Carrier is part of UTX and the total UTX (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=UTX+Key+Statistics) revenue is $59.69B, so something is probably wrong with either the figures or units of measurement in his quoted figures. I don't feel like digging through their financial reports to find out exactly how much of that $59.69B is Carrier-specific revenue.

When I need to do maintenance on my HVAC system in the attic, I sure wish that the installers had installed it in a place that was more easily accessible. Crawling around in fiberglass insulation during a hot summer day is not my idea of fun. At the very least, they could have raised it off the ceiling joists a couple of feet so that you could access it from a less contorted position.

It's the worth as a whole in dollars,not units. It was brought to us by a Sears representative as he went through our system to see how it was to be repaired.As he said if you took all the other companies,and added up their value together. The total wouldn't be half the value of carrier. As for Carrier and Lennox they are made in America.Trane is made in Korea or China. I think we got lucky with a 6000.00 whole replace system. The man who came out to service the old one quoted me 20,000.00. My neighbor just paid 16,000.00. This tuesday they'll be here. Yea! [smilie=l:

[Cosmiceyes]

I am great. The new system was installed yesterday! It has been so cool today that I haven't turned it on! Well if I don't need it for awhile better for the energy budget. We didn't have heat this past winter as that part of our system broke first.Now we will! :)'s