Originally Posted By: jmichalski This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
This is probably acceptable, but I can’t imagine why the builder chose to do it this way…
Is there a reason that I am missing that the refrigerant lines run across the ceiling, down the finshed wall, and then through to the exterior? It works fine, but it looks like hell in a room that the buyer has envisioned as a home office.
[ Image:http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/usrimages/1/100_1089.JPG ]
Any suggestions for alternatives at this point? (The buyer is pretty upset).
Originally Posted By: jcockerel This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The first house I had built I told the builder to put the unit on the left side of the house. He put it in the rear. I told him again to move it. He put it on the right side of the house. The third time he got it right.
Is this a slab house? Where is the inside unit located? If it has a crawl space I would have the builder come back and relocate the condenser.
Originally Posted By: jmichalski This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Yes, it has passed inspection. This area is located in an area of the basement that is supposed to be a finished office (a special add-on that they builder has not completed - yet another source of angst.) The slope of the property is steep - level on the left side of the home at the base of the first floor, and sloping downhill so that the right side of the home is level with the base of the basement, allowing a straight walk-out.
The buyer is justifiably upset that the line to the condenser unit runs through the interior of his finished space (as opposed to hidden beneath the sheetrock or on the exterior.
The consender units were located here originally, and the interior unit is in the center of the home.
My question is: if the condensors remain in place, it seems reasonable that the builder should have to move the lines to the interior of the wall cavity - no?
I know he probably wouldn't be required to (and it has passed code) but given that he has dropped the ball on this room to begin with, he may be willing to accomodate on this. Just looking for more opinions...
Originally Posted By: John Bowman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Joseph,
Believe it or not, I think the builder did the homebuyer a big favor. By not placing the lines within the interior finshed walls he has allowed for easy and inexpensive replacement or repair of refrigerant lines in the future.
Obviously there will be a drop ceiling. A simple 1 x 6 or appropriate sized box chase would conceal this line nicely. He could make further use of this chase with cable, computer, and or telephone lines if they were not already ran.
Originally Posted By: dedwards This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
What John and David said,
I would build a small chase around the line set and enclose it. This would be an easy and inexpensive fix and like John said would allow access for any future repairs or replacement of the line set. Having the line set for the HVAC running down the exterior would look just as bad and then becomes suseptible to the Armaflex insulation breaking down from the UV exposure. I see this quite often here in Florida on older homes that have been retrofitted with AC placed inside the attic with the line set run down the exterior walls. There it becomes exposed to the heat, cold and nefarious individuals with Weed wackers.
Originally Posted By: dandersen This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Building a chase box around the line set is a good option.
Installation of the existing line set appears adequate (even though it is exposed). I've seen much worse. There are no major droops and sags in the line set which causes oil traps.
But in my opinion, if I was personally going to make this repair, I would put it inside the wall behind the sheetrock. You can easily cut a 16 inch opening between studs, install and properly secure refrigerant lines inside the wall and replace the 16 inch piece of sheetrock with the piece removed, mud the joints and paint. Outside of paint and sheetrock paste/tape no additional materials are needed.
It is quite obvious that the HVAC unit was installed after the sheetrock was installed. The contractor is just trying to save 30 minutes of additional work by allowing this installation. The HVAC contractor also may have been the source of the original problem.
"It passed code" was stated several times on this thread. Just because someone didn't make it a law, doesn't mean it's right. Passing code is the minimum requirement in construction standards. You wanna buy a car built to a minimum standard and pay GMC prices?
Last week I had a general contractor and an HVAC contractor refused to install a return air grill on a second-level bonus room over the garage (there was no other second-floor area). The HVAC unit was located in the attic on the adjacent interior wall of the bonus room. It would take one return grill and an 8 foot section of return air duct to correct the situation. The optimum solution would be to put in a separate unit or an electronically controlled zoning system , which costs almost as much as an AC unit. The contractors still refused this less costly option. The client was an engineer and stood his ground. I stood my ground and insisted that due to the laws of thermodynamics, this system would not function properly. The HVAC contractor stated he would install the duct as an add-on for $800. This was ridiculous and not acceptable. I was told that "it passed code inspection". I informed the contractor there is no mechanical code inspection in this state. The HVAC contractor insisted that the existing design would work. I advise my client to get this in writing and then I advised the general contractor that when summertime rolled around in six months I would be back with psychometric evaluation results and they could put the zoned system in then. They then agreed to the initial proposal to put in the air duct in grill.
The interesting thing about this scenario is that the general contractor re-poured the concrete driveway because there was ponding water on the driveway (vs. just grading the yard) but would not have the HVAC contractor install a piece of flex duct. Overall, the house was constructed well and cosmetically pleasing. They just couldn't grasp the fact that hot air will not go downstairs!
Generally I try to refrain from dictating how any repair should be made. However, when it is apparent that the solution to the issue is not going to be addressed by the proposed (or refusal to) repair the situation, it must be addressed. The contractor has a job to do, the client has expectations. When I hear "it passed code" I advise my client that "they are the code". There is no enforcement but the client does not have to purchase the property.
Originally Posted By: jmichalski This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thanks guys!
The buyer paid over $600K for the home, and the original design called for two AC condensor units right where they are now. His upgrade to finished office space at the front of the basement instead of a storage area, obviously wasn't taken into consideration when the lines were placed. (I also think the HVAC guy got there after the drywalling crew).
The buyer wants to know if he can make the builder enclose the lines, and I was pretty sure he couldn;t be forced to, but it sure looks bad and I wouldn't to look at it in my home office I just paid $600K for.