Handy-Man Corner

[Iowanian]

I'm tired of bad Chiefs news.....


I thought it would be a good idea for a thread on the Handy-Man.

Do you have any Home remedies, gadgets you've made, advice on car repair, home maint, sollutions to kill weeds in your yard, bugs in your garden?

Use Coke to clean your batteries? That type of stuff.
Home made floor dry?

[Stewie]

BTW... Pop-up drains are different. They don't rely on a metal to metal seal like the olden days. It's a gasket that seals the drain. Way better. The pretty chrome top is just for appearances.

[lewdog]

We have AC units with 15 year warranties. They are 3 years old.

The maintenance tech today said the ac blower motors is dirty and needs cleaning and it’s $800 total to do both units. He says the warranty requires ac blower motor cleaning every 2-5 years, depending on how dirty they get. In Phoenix we use ac 8 months of the year so they get dirtier quicker. Aren’t ac systems closed units or is this really necessary maintenance?

[Boise_Chief]

The blower motor is not in the closed part of the system. Better filters help but yes they need cleaned

[kcfan75]

$800 to blow out some fan dust with a compressor? I'm in the wrong business.....

[Boise_Chief]

Well it's 400 each for 2 units but at that price it should be more than just cleaning blower motors. It may also include the condenser coils

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

Well it's 400 each for 2 units but at that price it should be more than just cleaning blower motors. It may also include the condenser coils

It's not so much about the motors themselves, it's the squirrel cage that really gets dirty. But if you don't smoke, don't have pets, and haven't done any serious remodeling in the home, I really doubt that they need it done.

Have the guy show you pictures of them. Or go look at them yourself and judge.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

The blower motor is not in the closed part of the system. Better filters help but yes they need cleaned

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

Well it's 400 each for 2 units but at that price it should be more than just cleaning blower motors. It may also include the condenser coils

Originally Posted by Bugeater

It's not so much about the motors themselves, it's the squirrel cage that really gets dirty. But if you don't smoke, don't have pets, and haven't done any serious remodeling in the home, I really doubt that they need it done.

Have the guy show you pictures of them. Or go look at them yourself and judge.

Thanks. They do clean to condenser coils when they come out already.

We have a cat but nothing else you mention. This is Phoenix though and I still wonder if running the AC for 8 months straight just means it's going to get dirtier here, plus it's dusty.

I also use the cheap filters and just change them every 30 days. I am wondering if I should step up to a slightly better filter with a MERV 8 rating. I know you don't want super restrictive filters as it makes it hard on the system but maybe these cheap Merv 1 fiberglass filters just aren't cutting it!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/AAF-AAF-F...hoCf9cQAvD_BwE

He just sent us pictures and while it's not super dirty, he did clean off one of the blades and it's noticeably metal looking compared to all the rest that are brown. I think since we have 15 year warranties on these units through this company, they are making sure they're running at optimal efficiency, so it doesn't feel like a total money grab I guess. I also don't think I have much choice as they will void the warranty if we don't get these cleaned. I just think that sounds stupid expensive for what the work is.

[crayzkirk]

They make cleaning solutions for A/C units. Mix it up in a garden sprayer and clean it yourself. It's really easy. Get some goggles, gloves and go for it. The motors and units are sealed; just pull the plug on the outside and use no metal tools inside.

The blower motor in the furnace unit is behind the filter so it really shouldn't get that dirty.

[ReynardMuldrake]

I re-grouted the shower in my new house last week. I mixed it way too thick and the shit was like working with peanut butter. If I have to do that again I would mix it way thinner next time.

Also some asshole tried patching with caulking on top of the grout. It was a pain in the ass to remove just before I could get started.

[tmax63]

Originally Posted by lewdog

We have AC units with 15 year warranties. They are 3 years old.

The maintenance tech today said the ac blower motors is dirty and needs cleaning and it’s $800 total to do both units. He says the warranty requires ac blower motor cleaning every 2-5 years, depending on how dirty they get. In Phoenix we use ac 8 months of the year so they get dirtier quicker. Aren’t ac systems closed units or is this really necessary maintenance?

My 2 cents: living where you do, keeping your system running at peak efficiency might save enough to pay for itself. Quality maintainence prevents headaches down the road. But I would get a 2nd estimate or 3.

[kcfan75]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

I re-grouted the shower in my new house last week. I mixed it way too thick and the shit was like working with peanut butter. If I have to do that again I would mix it way thinner next time.

Also some asshole tried patching with caulking on top of the grout. It was a pain in the ass to remove just before I could get started.

Screw that, I would rather retile than extract grout...... I feel bad for you having to do that. I have the grout removing dremel bit and still wouldn't want to do it.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by crayzkirk

They make cleaning solutions for A/C units. Mix it up in a garden sprayer and clean it yourself. It's really easy. Get some goggles, gloves and go for it. The motors and units are sealed; just pull the plug on the outside and use no metal tools inside.

The blower motor in the furnace unit is behind the filter so it really shouldn't get that dirty.

This ^^^

The condenser coils on the outside unit is important to keep clean and easy to DIY. Never heard of the necessity to clean the forced air furnace fan motor blades. The cheap filters should be catching it before its reaches the home ducting. That price sounds steep but how accessible can effect price.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by kcfan75

Screw that, I would rather retile than extract grout...... I feel bad for you having to do that. I have the tile removing dremel bit and still wouldn't want to do it.

I didn't completely remove it, I just scraped the top layer off with a grout saw. Still a ton of work though.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

The blower motor is not in the closed part of the system. Better filters help but yes they need cleaned

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

Well it's 400 each for 2 units but at that price it should be more than just cleaning blower motors. It may also include the condenser coils

Originally Posted by Bugeater

It's not so much about the motors themselves, it's the squirrel cage that really gets dirty. But if you don't smoke, don't have pets, and haven't done any serious remodeling in the home, I really doubt that they need it done.

Have the guy show you pictures of them. Or go look at them yourself and judge.

So they recommend installing 4" media cabinet filters to help keep the equipment cleaner. This would eliminate filters at the return and you would just change these media cabinet filters every 6-12 months. These filters are installed before the blower motor so dirt/dust is trapped before the equipment and before it enters your house. Would keep equipment cleaner and the house air cleaner too from what I researched, is that correct?

[Boise_Chief]

Yes I think so. I'm not a hvac guy but am a big believer in good filters. I have had issues when I was younger with poor filters and now am vigilant on upkeep