Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Had a nesting pair up in NY, and happy to see a pair down here. Frequent visitors to the birdbath.

 

Burned last weekend and capped the exhaust and intake Tuesday night before the humidity comes in next few days. Done till fall......I think

This morning AC went in.

Thats New England for ya. Latest burn and earliest AC all within 6 days of each other

Add that the older I get the more I say screw it-use the ac and heat so there's that side of it

 

X3

 

Did the annual "should I replace the ac units" dance this morning.

I have 2 8000 btu Maytag window units-one for the first floor that stays put in the window till fall and one for the bedroom that gets put in and removed as needed -I hate the noise and would rather have open windows than AC at night. Bedroom unit generally gets used only a few times a year in high humidity.

These units are probably 20 years old but once again, the downstairs unit went in the window and still blowing cold as can be. I know the new ones are lighter (easier to carry up from the basement in spring) and suppose to be more efficient but the old R12 units are still kicking azz so............

I my get a quieter one for the bedroom though, but until these stop working I dont see the need to replace with something that will likely break down for downstairs

 

If they are still doing their job, run them till they die is my motto. Well, as long as it isn't killing you to put them in place. I guess I can understand noise in the bedroom - that just isn't one of my considerations. Helps that I rarely sleep in the bedroom, so don't have one rattling in my ear. You can always sell that bedroom unit on CL if you get a newer one.

 

We have a big window ac that needs two people to move. The kids are gone now, so last winter I just left it in the window. I bought a cover for the outside, a cover for the inside, and used that 3m plastic shrink wrap stuff on the inside to close up any drafts. Last week, took all the covers off and cranked it up, no problems.

 

Same here. As long as the older appliances still work-use em. The new ones wont work as well or as long.

Ive had these thoughts for the last five springs and same result. Keep the old units.

People say "new ones are more efficient". So I have to spend over 400 to gain maybe 50 a year in elect saving? That doesnt add up either.

 

That is why I wouldnt consider anything bigger than 8K BTU.

My brother in Kingston installed 2 mini splits last year. Talked to him yesterday morning-just a flip of a switch for him now.

 

Mini splits are something we've been looking at too. I wonder how long I can keep hauling bags of pellets in and lifting them up to fill the P43 as I get older. And as the main heat is electric baseboard, the mini splits would be a better alternative. Would probably replace the P43 with a small wood stove for if the power went out.

sam

 

Yeah, when he lived in Rowley, MA he went from wood stove to pellet stove and on the move to Kingston NH, to no stove.

As he has forced hot air in Kingston, the installing co suggested central AC, but he wanted the mini splits for supplemental heat in specific areas.

He had to retire from USPS a bit earlier than expected due to severe knee issues-that the USPS says was not due to walking his routes with stairs upon stairs (not a rural route) for over 20 years.........

 

Third day in a row of over 90 (94 today). The poor window and portable A/Cs were knocking themselves out while the inside temps went as high as 79 (bedrooms). Mini split units were in by 4:30 yesterday afternoon and the place was cooled down to 70 (72 in the bedrooms) by 5:15. I was cold so set the temp up to 72. These things are so quiet! And, now there isn't a big temperature differential between sitting level and standing up (office area would be a difference of 5*).

I turned off the office head overnight as an experiment. Yep, glad I put an extra one in there as that room is running at 75 without the electronics going overnight. I'll turn it on shortly before I start work.

 

What did you put in for mini splits? Brand, how many units outside and inside, BTU?

If I were to do them i dont know how they would run the inside piping if not on outside wall as there is no access to an attic space.

 

That’s too bad about the tree.

When I go camping nearly all the wood is from eab ash trees.

 

Saw a truck at the bottom of our street , had Icon Telecommunications on the side, obviously a subcontractor for Consolidated Communications, this morning. Tech had a big black cable/tube with 3 white cables/tubes/? inside out on the ground. Not sure what he was actually doing (I'm guessing the Phase 3-Splicing) but it looks like work is progressing. Saw a couple CC vans in town too on my way to run errands.

sam