We bought our home in the spring. It was a cool spring, but the heat of summer was just around the corner and I am a total wimp when it comes to heat. I simply shut down, can’t help it. At the opposite end of the spectrum, my Hero loves the heat and humidity of summer and hates the cold. Somewhere, for a brief glorious time during spring and fall, we are both comfortable.
With the installation of central air and heat a priority we immediately lined up several companies, interviewing each with the same question, “So, just how do you recommend we run duct work?” Not everyone had a good answer, and only one got it right.
With the installation of central air and heat a priority we immediately lined up several companies, interviewing each with the same question, “So, just how do you recommend we run duct work?” Not everyone had a good answer, and only one got it right.
Just in case you've never had this problem, or are facing these issues, old houses are typically not great candidates for big, long runs of air ducts, or air return vents or air outlet vents. Let alone where on earth do you put a big clunky (and not esthetically pleasing) air handler and furnace when you don't have a basement, or attic, and only one real closet?
Upstairs, by opening up the knee-wall, there was just enough room to lay the air handle on its side (yeah, I didn't know you could do that either) and fit it along with the gas backup furnace into the attic eave.
Duct work could then be run through the eaves feeding vents through both the upstairs knee-walls and the downstairs ceilings down both sides of the house.
A LOT of dust and noise and workmen in and out for days on end, but when the first wafts of chilled air moved through the house on the first hot day of spring (timing truly is everything) it was all worth every moment of getting there. And you can just imagine how happy my Hero was with the toasty warm gas heat during the winter.
Now that we had resolved the heating/cooling issues, we needed to find a way to keep the Kitty Boys from exploring where they had no business being. Again. One of the workmen failed to completely block the ductwork just once and of course Barley took that as a great invitation to check it all out. Fortunately the unit wasn't running and we got him out before he got himself into trouble. Cats! Next step – The Great Cover-Up, it really turned out to be a great solution.
HUGS!
Cindy
A LOT of dust and noise and workmen in and out for days on end, but when the first wafts of chilled air moved through the house on the first hot day of spring (timing truly is everything) it was all worth every moment of getting there. And you can just imagine how happy my Hero was with the toasty warm gas heat during the winter.
Now that we had resolved the heating/cooling issues, we needed to find a way to keep the Kitty Boys from exploring where they had no business being. Again. One of the workmen failed to completely block the ductwork just once and of course Barley took that as a great invitation to check it all out. Fortunately the unit wasn't running and we got him out before he got himself into trouble. Cats! Next step – The Great Cover-Up, it really turned out to be a great solution.
HUGS!
Cindy