I think I have found a capable Water Furnace dealer in my area. He wants to do a load calculation for my house, and he asked me for a set of house plans. The house was built 16 years ago, and I loaned the only set I have to a dealer who came by to make a bid several months ago and never got back to me. I have called him twice to try to get them back- the first time he said he'd bring them to me(he didn't show up), and the second time he said he'd mail them. That was two weeks ago, so I guess they're in the mail. Right! Is there a way to do the calculations without the house plans? Butch
Yes Use the full scale plans, ie: the house. I try not to do this as it takes awhile and I like to do them in my underwear. LOL
Full scale plans Butch: I was not making fun of you or treating the loss of your last hard copy of the plans for your home lightly. I was just trying to let you know all was not lost. It is a plus that Dewayne found the image unforgettable. My point is there are ways around things and that heat loss calcs take some time. There are cheap, but accurate DIY programs available that you could use to determine your home's heat loss and give you a "one up" on your bidders. Mark
If someone had the only set of plans to my house and seemed reluctant to return them, I'd be on his doorstep, cops in tow. I've done a few load calcs later in the evening, mouse in one hand, beer in the other. I'll leave up to readers' imagination what I wear during those times. Load calcs worked off drawings are generally adequate; a field trip helps produce more accurate results. However, the dress code for load calcs done in the field at clients' homes goes a bit beyond just underwear...
Thanks to all for the replies. This project is not moving along very fast, and that is the current holdup. Butch
If not having a print is something that a prospective bidder can't overcome, you need a new bidder. Recently looking at a customers log home that was purchased from a bank, the question arose as to ceiling insulation. Without prior knowledge or a print, one could only guess right?........A quick trip to the building authority that inspected the home when it was built yielded prints and a 4'' foam ceiling insulation. I find measuring a built home often easier to wrap my head around than a 2D print. Better yet a calculation based on actual fuel consumption is a good way to verify load.
Thanks, Joe. I believe you are right. I have sent a message to my bidder, but I haven't heard from him in a couple of weeks. He may have all the work he wants. Butch
house plans have you tried the planning dept at your county building dept? they require min 2 sets for records in most local depts, usually they can help, good luck, jagpappy
Thanks for the suggestion, jagpappy. I live in the country, though, and our county does not have any requirements for buildings other than septic systems in new construction projects. Butch
Really? no building inspectors. I never knew such a place existed which part of the country are you located?
Fifty miles northeast of Dallas, TX. It is a highly deregulated place, and people build things any way they want to.
Historically building codes are established after disaster strikes........kinda like stop lights. Let's hope your county acts pre-emptively.
I certainly agree. But in the meantime, we have structures of all ranges of durability going up. It seems like there are a lot of imposters in the trades in Texas, even though there are also a lot of excellent tradesmen and honest dealers. Butch
