Hi, I am hoping to find some info on our situation. We are currently working with the State Inspector to sort out issues but it's taking a while and I am getting a little impatient. I would like some outside info if possible. No other HVAC company in the area will help with info because they're worried about liability.
I'll try to keep this as short as I can. In winter 2010, our HVAC return caught on fire. We had to have a full replacement of our split unit. It was a 2.5 ton Rheem. The company we went with came out and told us we needed a 3.5 ton Carrier package unit. We live in a 1350 square foot 1984 Manufactured Home. They installed the unit and tied into the existing ductwork. From the beginning, the unit never worked well in the spring, summer and fall. The heat works fine, but we never set it over 66 degrees. for 6 years, the company came out each month of the spring summer and fall multiple times trying to figure out why the air wouldn't keep up. It would be normal for it to be 85 degrees inside the home on a 90 degree day. At one point in 2014 we realized that during the summer, heat was radiating off the wall where the return was. We called the company in and they found that they hadn't constructed or sealed the return. It was pulling air from the outside and causing the air to blow into the wall. Once that was fixed our problems got worse. in summer of 2015, condensation started seeping from the ceilings and walls. The company recommended we run ceiling fans, bathroom fans and keep all doors to the outside closed at all times. We did as they asked and had to repaint the entire home in the fall of 2015 to cover the water stains. In summer of 2016, same issues. Condensation was as bad as before.
We contacted another HVAC company to come out and evaluate with the issue was because the current company said that there was nothing they could do because it seemed like our house wasn't insulated enough and that was the big issue. The other company came out and said the ductwork was failing and needed to be replaced. All of it. The new that was tied in and the existing.
They also said that the unit itself was oversized and the home should probably only need a 2 or 2.5 ton. In summer of 2017 we called and said something had to be done and the company sent out a new designer to take a look. He realized that the return wasn't working to full capacity and decided to add a second one, right across from the current return. He made changes to the ductwork they installed and repaired some issues that needed work. He also added two new floor registers, requested that we add an attic fan in the end of our home where a carport was built on in 1990. We did that. They requested we install a vapor barrier in the crawlspace and we did. They also suggested that we not call them back once the corrections were made because they had done all they could to help fix the issue. If it wasn't fixed, it was now our problem, not theirs. Unfortunatly, they came and make these changes in October. We wouldn't know if the changes helped until the next summer.
In May of 2018 the unit wasn't working well and we the other company to come out. They fixed the issue. June of 2018, we woke up to water leaking from the light fixtures, condensation buildup on floor registers, windows, doors and water running down the walls. We called the other companyagain to come out but it took them two days to get there. By that time, we had serious damage to the house. They found that the main trunk line from the new/additional return had fallen down and cold air was filling the crawl space of the home. They again told us that the ductwork was failing despite the changes that were made in 2017.
We dealt with continued moisture issues in 2019 but things got much worse in 2020. We started finding mold growing, what we though was a roof leak. Two roofers came out and advised that it was not a roof issue. One got under the house and said our ductwork was lying on the ground and there was pools of water under them. We again called the other company and they came out and told us they couldn't be responsible for working on the unit and that we would have to start using someone else.
We called a third company who came out, immediatly told us the unit was oversized, short cycling and needed to be replaced. They also said the ductwork was in terrible shape. They advised us to call the state inspector. We did. Because we had work done in 2017 he accepted our case and has given the original company a chance to fix things.
They installed a whole house dehumidifier two weeks ago. When they installed the new humidistat/thermostat that is "state of the art" it read for a week that we have 90% humidity. Now that the weather has cooled we are between 45% and 65% depending on the unpredictible southern weather. They also work on the duct work multiple times. The county inspector came out and wouldn't pass their work because it's still unacceptable. There is 6/8ft of extra duct and the whole system looks like "spaghetti runnning under the house" according to the inspector. He's also not happy with the way they installed the dehumidifier.
We are waiting to hear back from the state inspector on what happens next. In the meantime, the original company has done a duct leakage test and found that the original ducts they tied into leak at 20%, our house is in negative pressure and we need to pay them to replace the original ductwork. We won't be paying them to do anything.
At this point, we aren't sure what to do. No other company will come out and install a new unit because of libality. The state inspector is working to solve the problem but is giving the company many chances to no avail. Does anyone have any advice or help? We are more than willing to pay a company to uninstall and reinstall but no one will.
Questions:
Is 20% leakage that big of a deal? We have no clue. Also, is the negative pressure caused from the leakage or is it because this is a manufactured home from 1984 and is just old?
Because the company that installed is sticking to the fact that the unit isn't oversized, is there any way to regulate it so that it'll work properly and not short cycle?
I'll try to keep this as short as I can. In winter 2010, our HVAC return caught on fire. We had to have a full replacement of our split unit. It was a 2.5 ton Rheem. The company we went with came out and told us we needed a 3.5 ton Carrier package unit. We live in a 1350 square foot 1984 Manufactured Home. They installed the unit and tied into the existing ductwork. From the beginning, the unit never worked well in the spring, summer and fall. The heat works fine, but we never set it over 66 degrees. for 6 years, the company came out each month of the spring summer and fall multiple times trying to figure out why the air wouldn't keep up. It would be normal for it to be 85 degrees inside the home on a 90 degree day. At one point in 2014 we realized that during the summer, heat was radiating off the wall where the return was. We called the company in and they found that they hadn't constructed or sealed the return. It was pulling air from the outside and causing the air to blow into the wall. Once that was fixed our problems got worse. in summer of 2015, condensation started seeping from the ceilings and walls. The company recommended we run ceiling fans, bathroom fans and keep all doors to the outside closed at all times. We did as they asked and had to repaint the entire home in the fall of 2015 to cover the water stains. In summer of 2016, same issues. Condensation was as bad as before.
We contacted another HVAC company to come out and evaluate with the issue was because the current company said that there was nothing they could do because it seemed like our house wasn't insulated enough and that was the big issue. The other company came out and said the ductwork was failing and needed to be replaced. All of it. The new that was tied in and the existing.
They also said that the unit itself was oversized and the home should probably only need a 2 or 2.5 ton. In summer of 2017 we called and said something had to be done and the company sent out a new designer to take a look. He realized that the return wasn't working to full capacity and decided to add a second one, right across from the current return. He made changes to the ductwork they installed and repaired some issues that needed work. He also added two new floor registers, requested that we add an attic fan in the end of our home where a carport was built on in 1990. We did that. They requested we install a vapor barrier in the crawlspace and we did. They also suggested that we not call them back once the corrections were made because they had done all they could to help fix the issue. If it wasn't fixed, it was now our problem, not theirs. Unfortunatly, they came and make these changes in October. We wouldn't know if the changes helped until the next summer.
In May of 2018 the unit wasn't working well and we the other company to come out. They fixed the issue. June of 2018, we woke up to water leaking from the light fixtures, condensation buildup on floor registers, windows, doors and water running down the walls. We called the other companyagain to come out but it took them two days to get there. By that time, we had serious damage to the house. They found that the main trunk line from the new/additional return had fallen down and cold air was filling the crawl space of the home. They again told us that the ductwork was failing despite the changes that were made in 2017.
We dealt with continued moisture issues in 2019 but things got much worse in 2020. We started finding mold growing, what we though was a roof leak. Two roofers came out and advised that it was not a roof issue. One got under the house and said our ductwork was lying on the ground and there was pools of water under them. We again called the other company and they came out and told us they couldn't be responsible for working on the unit and that we would have to start using someone else.
We called a third company who came out, immediatly told us the unit was oversized, short cycling and needed to be replaced. They also said the ductwork was in terrible shape. They advised us to call the state inspector. We did. Because we had work done in 2017 he accepted our case and has given the original company a chance to fix things.
They installed a whole house dehumidifier two weeks ago. When they installed the new humidistat/thermostat that is "state of the art" it read for a week that we have 90% humidity. Now that the weather has cooled we are between 45% and 65% depending on the unpredictible southern weather. They also work on the duct work multiple times. The county inspector came out and wouldn't pass their work because it's still unacceptable. There is 6/8ft of extra duct and the whole system looks like "spaghetti runnning under the house" according to the inspector. He's also not happy with the way they installed the dehumidifier.
We are waiting to hear back from the state inspector on what happens next. In the meantime, the original company has done a duct leakage test and found that the original ducts they tied into leak at 20%, our house is in negative pressure and we need to pay them to replace the original ductwork. We won't be paying them to do anything.
At this point, we aren't sure what to do. No other company will come out and install a new unit because of libality. The state inspector is working to solve the problem but is giving the company many chances to no avail. Does anyone have any advice or help? We are more than willing to pay a company to uninstall and reinstall but no one will.
Questions:
Is 20% leakage that big of a deal? We have no clue. Also, is the negative pressure caused from the leakage or is it because this is a manufactured home from 1984 and is just old?
Because the company that installed is sticking to the fact that the unit isn't oversized, is there any way to regulate it so that it'll work properly and not short cycle?
source https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?2223658-Too-large-unit-causing-high-humidity-Short-cycling&goto=newpost
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