Comments on: Money No Concern? See These HVAC Recommendations for Your Older Home http://www.constantcraftsman.com/craftsman-archives/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/ Resurrecting the Craft of Simple and Healthy Living On A Small Farm Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:46:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: bemis humidifier http://www.constantcraftsman.com/craftsman-archives/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-35635 bemis humidifier Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:06:29 +0000 http://constantcraftsman.com/building-our-home/mechanicals/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-35635 Nice post and your are correct in most of what you said. Could you however care to elaborate more on the last point you made? I'll be bookmarking your site and coming back later. Nice post and your are correct in most of what you said. Could you however care to elaborate more on the last point you made? I’ll be bookmarking your site and coming back later.

]]> By: thecraftsman http://www.constantcraftsman.com/craftsman-archives/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-71 thecraftsman Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:47:43 +0000 http://constantcraftsman.com/building-our-home/mechanicals/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-71 The HVAC guy's response: Removing a beast such as an octopus style furnace can be a challenge but is sounds as if you are up to it. If you suspect that there is asbestos insulation on the ductwork, then I suggest that you have a sample tested. It is not possible to be 100% sure if a substance is asbestos simply by looking at it with the naked eye. If you don't have a contractor or lab in your area that is qualified to perform testing for you; it is possible for you to gather a sample and sent it to a lab for testing. According to the US EPA, here is one method of safely collecting a sample: * Shut down any heating or cooling systems to minimize the spread of any released fibers. * Do not disturb the material any more than is needed to take a small sample. * Wet the material using a fine mist of water containing a few drops of detergent before taking the sample. The water/detergent mist will reduce the possibility of releasing asbestos fibers. * Carefully cut a piece from the entire depth of the material using, for example, a small knife, corer, or other sharp object. * Cut only a small piece of the material. All materials can be grouped into two categories: friable, i.e. the material can be crushed into powder by hand, and nonfriable. These amounts are adequate for testing: Friable: 1 teaspoon Non-friable: 1 square inch * Place the small piece into a clean container (for example, a ZipLock bag). Tightly seal the container after the sample is in it. * Use a damp paper towel to clean up any material on the outside of the container or around the area sampled. * Label the container with an ID number (for example, Sample #1) * Submit the sample(s) for testing If it turns out that your samples are asbestos containing material (ACM) you should have a qualified contractor remove the ACM for you. Next comes the heavy work for you and hopefully a friend. I suggest disconnecting the electrical and gas utilities and then cutting up the unit with a demolition saw (saws-all). If it's heavy steel or iron you may be able to recycle it for cash. Maybe that cash will offset some of the heavy lifting you have ahead of you. The HVAC guy’s response:

Removing a beast such as an octopus style furnace can be a challenge but is sounds as if you are up to it. If you suspect that there is asbestos insulation on the ductwork, then I suggest that you have a sample tested. It is not possible to be 100% sure if a substance is asbestos simply by looking at it with the naked eye. If you don’t have a contractor or lab in your area that is qualified to perform testing for you; it is possible for you to gather a sample and sent it to a lab for testing. According to the US EPA, here is one method of safely collecting a sample:

* Shut down any heating or cooling systems to minimize the spread of any released fibers.

* Do not disturb the material any more than is needed to take a small sample.

* Wet the material using a fine mist of water containing a few drops of detergent before taking the sample. The water/detergent mist will reduce the possibility of releasing asbestos fibers.

* Carefully cut a piece from the entire depth of the material using, for example, a small knife, corer, or other sharp object.

* Cut only a small piece of the material. All materials can be grouped into two categories: friable, i.e. the material can be crushed into powder by hand, and nonfriable. These amounts are adequate for testing:

Friable: 1 teaspoon

Non-friable: 1 square inch

* Place the small piece into a clean container (for example, a ZipLock bag). Tightly seal the container after the sample is in it.

* Use a damp paper towel to clean up any material on the outside of the container or around the area sampled.

* Label the container with an ID number (for example, Sample #1)

* Submit the sample(s) for testing

If it turns out that your samples are asbestos containing material (ACM) you should have a qualified contractor remove the ACM for you. Next comes the heavy work for you and hopefully a friend. I suggest disconnecting the electrical and gas utilities and then cutting up the unit with a demolition saw (saws-all). If it’s heavy steel or iron you may be able to recycle it for cash. Maybe that cash will offset some of the heavy lifting you have ahead of you.

]]> By: thecraftsman http://www.constantcraftsman.com/craftsman-archives/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-70 thecraftsman Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:41:25 +0000 http://constantcraftsman.com/building-our-home/mechanicals/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-70 Len, I don't envy your situation by any means! My neighborly engineer should be responding to your question soon. Stay tuned. Len, I don’t envy your situation by any means! My neighborly engineer should be responding to your question soon. Stay tuned.

]]> By: Len Zimmerman http://www.constantcraftsman.com/craftsman-archives/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-69 Len Zimmerman Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:23:57 +0000 http://constantcraftsman.com/building-our-home/mechanicals/money-no-concern-see-these-hvac-recommendations-for-your-older-home/#comment-69 I have a Rybolt gravity-style furnace that's been converted to natural gas, complete with asbestos-wrapped ductwork. My house was built in 1900. I would like to remove & replace the ancient "octopus" with a modern, forced-air gas furnace. We can install the new furnace & ductwork ourselves, but we are concerned about removing the old dinosaur. Any advice? The inside of the original combustion chamber looks to be multiple pieces that might slide together, but even if we disassemble everything possible, some of the parts could weigh hundreds of pounds. I'm also concerned about the asbestos. Should I hire a hazardous-waste approved contractor to remove the ductwork? I have a Rybolt gravity-style furnace that’s been converted to natural gas, complete with asbestos-wrapped ductwork. My house was built in 1900. I would like to remove & replace the ancient “octopus” with a modern, forced-air gas furnace. We can install the new furnace & ductwork ourselves, but we are concerned about removing the old dinosaur. Any advice? The inside of the original combustion chamber looks to be multiple pieces that might slide together, but even if we disassemble everything possible, some of the parts could weigh hundreds of pounds. I’m also concerned about the asbestos. Should I hire a hazardous-waste approved contractor to remove the ductwork?

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