- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
CrawDude
| Favorite team: | LSU  |
| Location: | Baton Rouge |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | Home, Garden, Hunting, Fishing, LSU Sports, Politics |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 5960 |
| Registered on: | 4/5/2019 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
Recent Posts
Message
quote:
The battery for my Ego blower is no longer taking a charge
Out of curiosity, how old is the EGO battery that failed?
1
quote:
So I walk up there after I get home from work and turn it on, and since it is so old if it runs for over an hour or so it will start to ice up.
Understood.
So, the icing up of the upstairs heat pump could be a air flow issue - blower motor not moving enough air across the evaporator coil or the unit is a bit low on R-22 refrigerant (20 year old unit is likely R-22). I’ll assume your air filter is not dirty/clogged. Have those been checked by a HVAC tech? I understand you’d need an old school tech who diagnoses and fix things, as most companies would just want to sell you a new system. But I routinely watch YouTube videos of older techs who fix 20 year old + HVACs. But finding one who will…..
But a couple window units/portable units could likely still be cheaper than an upstairs HVAC repair.
Having 1 large unit to try to cool 2 floors properly without zoning is difficult, as you well know from experience on your house.
You mentioned the house was built in the 60’s, so what R value insulation do you think you have in the attic? Maybe R-19 (hypothetical) when adding to R-36 might solve your issue.
Out of curiosity, what size (tonnage) heat pump do you have cooling the 800 sq ft second floor? You indicated the situation is not extreme, so is it a situation where you might set the thermostat upstairs to 74 F but when outside temps exceeds 90 F, during much of afternoon temperature exceeds set point, like rising to 77-78 F? Just trying to assess if some added attic insulation and tweaking of the heat pump might help with the issue without purchasing portable or window units.
But since you appear to be looking for a short-term solution, window units or portable might be the easiest solution, and b/c you have a working HVAC and just need to supplement, the portables might be a practical solution.
Out of curiosity, what size (tonnage) heat pump do you have cooling the 800 sq ft second floor? You indicated the situation is not extreme, so is it a situation where you might set the thermostat upstairs to 74 F but when outside temps exceeds 90 F, during much of afternoon temperature exceeds set point, like rising to 77-78 F? Just trying to assess if some added attic insulation and tweaking of the heat pump might help with the issue without purchasing portable or window units.
But since you appear to be looking for a short-term solution, window units or portable might be the easiest solution, and b/c you have a working HVAC and just need to supplement, the portables might be a practical solution.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 7/3/26 at 8:37 am to DukeSilver
quote:
Ended up going with a 16 Seer variable speed Ruud full replacement. He came down on his price a little to where it wasn't that much more over the 14 so figured might as well.
Good choice.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 7/1/26 at 11:42 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
14 would be single speed and 16 variable. Although I’ve read the 14 these days are more like 14.8 and motors these days are almost a small version of variable? I’m not moving. Both would have 10 year parts and labor. Just not sure the price difference is justifiable since they’re all prob gonna go out shortly after that 10 year mark. Unlike the older ones that seemed to be able to go 20 years.
Like everything in life there are pros & cons to each. Before my change out I considered all options single speed, two speed, multi-stage/variable capacity, priced them all. Bottom line with a change out I decided to stay with single speed - simplicity has its advantages, but the multistage/variable capacity can provide unparalleled comfort when installed properly. With a new build I would have gone in a different direction. As far as I’m concerned there is no right or wrong answer to your choice.
It’s been stated the average life of a well maintained HVAC in the Deep South is 13-15 years, but I agree with these new units I wouldn’t count on it.
Usually two-speed units have a higher SEER rating than 16. Is that a 2 speed compressor & blower motor in the furnace/air handler? EMC blower motors in the air handler or furnace are constant torque or variable speed - so they have many advantages over the old PSC blower motor motors.
Of course having a 10 year labor warranty adds $2 to 3K to cost of the unit - it’s built into the price structure. I also have a 10 year labor warranty, but that is not the norm.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 7/1/26 at 7:19 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
Thoughts on Ruud as a brand? Also thoughts on 14 seer vs 16 seer. Googling it seems pretty conflicted on if the extra money for the 16 is actually worth it or not.
Rudd=Rheem is as good as the other major manufacturers Trane=American Standard, Carrier=Byrant, Daikin=Goodman=Amana, etc. The most important factor is the quality of the install, attention to detail, by the HVAC company you choose. Shop the installer more so than the name brand of the equipment.
SEER - obviously higher SEER, better efficiency, lower cost to operate, but at a higher up front cost. But just one significant repair not covered by warranty will offset any long-term savings from energy efficiency. If this your forever house maybe consider SEER 16. If you think you may move in 5 years or so, go with SEER 14.
Another option, use the difference in cost between a SEER 14 & SEER 16, and apply it towards improving the air sealing the house, more attic insulation etc. which are permanent improvements to the house that should result in better overall comfort.
Here are a couple cost savings calculator on SEER you can play around with.
LINK
LINK
quote:
on this topic - I've always been a little nervous to drop a few hundred $ on flowering annuals for my flower beds and plant into a preen treated flowerbed in the spring. I know it's pre-emergent so shouldn't harm the plants, but still makes me nervous that I nuke thenew plants and start from scratch. Is this valid or am I trippin?
To be honest, I’ve wondered the same thing, particularly for “young” transplants. I don’t think it will damage them per se, but I could see it “slowing them down” temporarily. I base this solely on label restriction as to not use pre-emergent herbicides on new sodded lawns until they have rooted in and are established. But I don’t recall seeing that type of statement on a pre-emergent label as it relates to transplanting annual flowers in a landscape bed.
I need to touch base with horticultural specialists/faculty with the LSU AgCenter and ask that question.
quote:
Preen Extended Control definitely helps with the chamberbitter as a pre-emergent
Yes - that product contains Isoxaben which is one of the better pre-emergent herbicides for Chamberbitter. Also Gallery pre-emergent herbicide (Isoxaben) is a good one. But those those products are usually used in landscape beds and not the lawn.
quote:
It’s 2026 - it’s time to upgrade your thermostat.
Certainly an idea worth looking into - upgrade your thermostat to one that offers a “circulate” mode where the fan will run for a designated amount of time every hour when there is no call for cooling.
What I don’t is how much programming flexibility, is provided in “circulate” mode among those thermostats. My smart thermostat (Honeywell) has that circulate function though I never use it. Ecobee, Honeywell, Sensi - all good smart thermostats - have models with that function.
quote:
Craw, I’ve got some dove weed creeping in. It’s not much, would pulling by hand work? My 3 go to herbicides are Quinclorac, MSM Turf, and Sedgehammer, but none are labeled for dove weed. Celsius and Blindside would work but are kind of pricey. What would you do?
It’s is an annual and only spreads-proliferates by seed, and it is easy to pull so you can clearly do that-give it a shot.
What do I do? I use Specticle Flo (Indaziflam) as a pre-emergent, applied in mid-April, before soil temp hit 70 F - germination temp for Doveweed seed. The other pre-emergent herbicides appear to have little efficacy on Doveweed. Indaziflam is great and is the biggest game changer for Doveweed control in my lawn. And for what I miss I use Celsius post-emergent. Doveweed in my lawn led me to those two herbicides, but of course they are great for so many other lawn weeds.
You can try the granular Bayer pre-emergent herbicide containing Indaziflam if you only need to treat a small area (see my earlier post in this thread) on the cost comparison. Celsius is expensive, but it last soooooo…long, seriously I still use a bottle I bought in 2018, and it’s effective on so many other lawn weeds. But I understand you have Bermudagrass and you can use Quinchlorac for that purpose other than for Doveweed. Never used Blindside but familiar with it.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 6/30/26 at 1:05 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
I have the typical shiny flexible ducts, is that good enough as long as its not torn up and the insulation is in good order? Or did you upgrade to something better?
Yes flex duct is fine as long as it’s in good shape. My house was built in 1993 so I have rigid ducts. I had a chance to look inside them when the replacement HVAC was installed as the supply plenum was also replaced and they were clean as a whistle.
I also had another company do a pressurized duct leakage test before the changeout and air leakage from ducts was minimal (5% leakage if I recall from memory, which was very good, and the duct testing guys told me they routinely see 20%+ duct leakage in many homes, which on a 5 ton system is equivalent to losing 1 ton of conditioned air into the attic). I did this to make sure I had no major duct issues that needed to be addressed while doing the equipment changeout. When the HVAC crew added a second, new return air duct, as I specified, flex duct was used, which I was fine with.
quote:
Yes…that is elderberry. I cut several volunteer elder berry and mulberry trees out of my figs just the is past weekend. I plan to spray glyphosate on them as soon as they sprout back out. I should be able to terminate them by summer’s end that way.
Cutting them at the base, and then “painting” the fresh cut with trichlopyr might be a better option.
re: My pre-emergent doesn't work
Posted by CrawDude on 6/30/26 at 12:38 pm to GonzalesTiger
quote:
Is the first picture not Dallisgrass that is not fully grown?
I don’t think so. If ronk enters the thread he can weigh in.
So many grassy weeds look similar when immature, and when growing in the lawn where you only see the blade and not the base of the plant or leaf orientation.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 6/30/26 at 11:38 am to DukeSilver
quote:
So this test should be done after install (and additional return is added) to confirm everything is flowing properly? Also is there anything I need to look out for in regards to the ducting and room registers other than making sure the ducts are well insulated and hung properly with no sharp turns or is there anything else to it? Anything to look out for with the registers in each room?
Ideally yes - it would be great to know the TESP, before and after installation of a additional air return duct, if no more than to determine if your duct work is properly sized, both on the return & supply sides, so you can know if you are getting all the air flow that 5-ton unit unit is designed to provide you. And of course it’s always a good idea to check duct insulation, if they are hung properly, no sharp 90 degree elbows, check for crushed or kinked ducts, etc. Registers - pretty standard, can’t think of anything off hand.
On a professional HVAC message board I peruse, one of the techs that answers question has this statement in his avatar “the equipment just cools and heats the air, and removes humidity, but the duct work provides comfort”. Simple but true - likely most homeowners focus on equipment - is it too big, too small, do I need another unit, etc - when duct work is as important, and in most cases more important, as it relates to home comfort issues.
re: My pre-emergent doesn't work
Posted by CrawDude on 6/30/26 at 10:50 am to CatfishJohn
quote:
Is the first image not a type of crabgrass?
Could be crabgrass - hard to tell from those photos.
OP - when did you apply the pre-emergent herbicide? In it the South, pre-emergent herbicide has an efficacy of about 3 months, regardless what says on the bag/container, like “works up to 6 months”.
And of course if you applied it more recently, but the weed seeds had already germinated, then you’d have the same result.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 6/30/26 at 10:38 am to DukeSilver
Yes, from everything I’ve read on ducting, having return air volume in excess of required by the unit, within reason, is no issue and sometimes recommended by those who really understand duct work sizing in HVAC. It’s very rare for HVAC ductwork to be oversized, and far too common for it to be undersized.
Yes, I think so, in your case as you’ve explained it, the 2 grill sizes would not matter, as they are connected, and not independent of each other. So in your case, measure the size/dimension of that 1, single return air connection (whether it’s is round - rigid pipe or flex, or square/rectangular) at the return air plenum, and then use the table to estimate the volume of return air your HVAC system is receiving.
As an aside, just so you’ll know, a very knowledgeable HVAC tech would use a total external static pressure (TESP) to estimate the volume of air flow. Static pressure is a measure of resistance to air flow, and it equivalent to measuring blood pressure in a human - too high is not good. Simple measurement, using a manometer and drilling 2 holes, 1 in the return air plenum, and another on the supply side - takes 10 min max. If the return air static pressure is excessively high, then the return air volume is too low, ditto for the supply side. Here short video to help explain LINK
In some states/jurisdictions building code for HVAC require that a return air duct be placed in each room that has a supply air duct - though more costly, that set up provides best overall comfort.
quote:
Which if it is just one connection to the handler, should that connection be the only thing calculated since they share it? Would the 2 grill sizes then not matter?
Yes, I think so, in your case as you’ve explained it, the 2 grill sizes would not matter, as they are connected, and not independent of each other. So in your case, measure the size/dimension of that 1, single return air connection (whether it’s is round - rigid pipe or flex, or square/rectangular) at the return air plenum, and then use the table to estimate the volume of return air your HVAC system is receiving.
As an aside, just so you’ll know, a very knowledgeable HVAC tech would use a total external static pressure (TESP) to estimate the volume of air flow. Static pressure is a measure of resistance to air flow, and it equivalent to measuring blood pressure in a human - too high is not good. Simple measurement, using a manometer and drilling 2 holes, 1 in the return air plenum, and another on the supply side - takes 10 min max. If the return air static pressure is excessively high, then the return air volume is too low, ditto for the supply side. Here short video to help explain LINK
In some states/jurisdictions building code for HVAC require that a return air duct be placed in each room that has a supply air duct - though more costly, that set up provides best overall comfort.
re: AC replacement (AC board pros)
Posted by CrawDude on 6/29/26 at 11:04 pm to DukeSilver
5 ton unit at a nominal air flow rate of 400 cfm per ton = 2000 cfm air flow. Thus your return air ducting should be sized to provide at least 2000 cfm.
Use this table to determine how much return air is being provided by the two existing return air grills. You may have square/rectangular return air grills on the ceiling but with round air ducts attached to them to send air back to the air handler/furnace, so take that into account when calculating.
So for example, if you had a 20 inch diameter flex duct attached to the filter grill, it would would send 1300 cfm air back to the air handler/furnace. Now, from the the formula at the top left of the table, if you had, for example, a 24 x 24 in return air grill, with filter, with 24 x 24 square return air duct back to the air handler/furnace then 1152 cfm of return air would be supplied to the air handler/furnace (24 x 24 x 2).
Using this, calculate how much return air your 2 air returns are supplying. If you are short of 2000 cfm, then add the 3 return grill- duct on the other side of the house to make up the shortfall. It’s OK to over-size the return air volume - it’s not an issue. So even if your 2 air returns provide the 2000 cfm, it would OK to add a 3rd return on the other side of the house, say another 500 cfm, to help aid with comfort.
I did this 3 years with a HVAC changeout. I was 500 cfm short on return air for my 4 ton system (1600 cfm required, 24 x 24 return duct provided 1152 cfm, so I was 448 cfm short). When the new unit was added I had them add another return air duct on the other side of the house to provide ~ 500 cfm (14 inch dia round flex duct attached to a rectangular air return grill with filter) of additional return air. It has improved comfort on that side of the house.
Use this table to determine how much return air is being provided by the two existing return air grills. You may have square/rectangular return air grills on the ceiling but with round air ducts attached to them to send air back to the air handler/furnace, so take that into account when calculating.
So for example, if you had a 20 inch diameter flex duct attached to the filter grill, it would would send 1300 cfm air back to the air handler/furnace. Now, from the the formula at the top left of the table, if you had, for example, a 24 x 24 in return air grill, with filter, with 24 x 24 square return air duct back to the air handler/furnace then 1152 cfm of return air would be supplied to the air handler/furnace (24 x 24 x 2).
Using this, calculate how much return air your 2 air returns are supplying. If you are short of 2000 cfm, then add the 3 return grill- duct on the other side of the house to make up the shortfall. It’s OK to over-size the return air volume - it’s not an issue. So even if your 2 air returns provide the 2000 cfm, it would OK to add a 3rd return on the other side of the house, say another 500 cfm, to help aid with comfort.
I did this 3 years with a HVAC changeout. I was 500 cfm short on return air for my 4 ton system (1600 cfm required, 24 x 24 return duct provided 1152 cfm, so I was 448 cfm short). When the new unit was added I had them add another return air duct on the other side of the house to provide ~ 500 cfm (14 inch dia round flex duct attached to a rectangular air return grill with filter) of additional return air. It has improved comfort on that side of the house.
quote:
The flowers are from a nearby Crape Myrtle, not associated with the weed.
AOK - not Doveweed. Hard to ID without seedhead.
In the second photo, is that small purple-pinkish flowers associated with that weed? Does that area of the lawn have a tendency to remain wet at times? If so, could be Doveweed. As mentioned, 3rd photo chamberbitter.
Pre-emergents prevent most, but not all weed seeds from germinating.
Doveweed is best controlled with Specticle (indaziflam) pre-emergent herbicide. The upfront cost is high at $300 for a 18 oz bottle (Specticle Flo), but one can get 12 applications (4 years on 3 applications per year) on 10,000 sq ft of lawn. Equates to about $2.75 per 1000 sq ft per application. Indaziflam is a great overall pre-emergent herbicide, but it is pricey compared to the others.
Doveweed germinates at a soil temp of 70 F, so normally an application of pre-emergent is required in late April-early May (in south LA), b/c the late winter application (mid Feb) for crabgrass, etc will have lost its efficacy. You can adjust dates for your area of GA based on soil temperatures.
Woodsorrel (oxalis) is a perennial weed in the South, so pre-emergent will have limited affect on it as it also spreads by rhizomes in addition to seeds. Specticle should control violets.
There is a granular Bayer pre-emergent herbicide containing indaziflam for about $23 to 29 per bag that treats 4000 sq ft or $5.75 -7.25 per 1000 sq ft if you’d like try that as a cheaper upfront option for an application or 2 for a year to see how it works for you before committing to a $300 bottle.
Pre-emergents prevent most, but not all weed seeds from germinating.
Doveweed is best controlled with Specticle (indaziflam) pre-emergent herbicide. The upfront cost is high at $300 for a 18 oz bottle (Specticle Flo), but one can get 12 applications (4 years on 3 applications per year) on 10,000 sq ft of lawn. Equates to about $2.75 per 1000 sq ft per application. Indaziflam is a great overall pre-emergent herbicide, but it is pricey compared to the others.
Doveweed germinates at a soil temp of 70 F, so normally an application of pre-emergent is required in late April-early May (in south LA), b/c the late winter application (mid Feb) for crabgrass, etc will have lost its efficacy. You can adjust dates for your area of GA based on soil temperatures.
Woodsorrel (oxalis) is a perennial weed in the South, so pre-emergent will have limited affect on it as it also spreads by rhizomes in addition to seeds. Specticle should control violets.
There is a granular Bayer pre-emergent herbicide containing indaziflam for about $23 to 29 per bag that treats 4000 sq ft or $5.75 -7.25 per 1000 sq ft if you’d like try that as a cheaper upfront option for an application or 2 for a year to see how it works for you before committing to a $300 bottle.
quote:
wish I never would have sold my 06 Tundra double cab...
Still sporting my 05 Tundra double cab (original owner)……seems like 1st generation Tundras have become cult classics…..
re: Have you tried to buy a gas self-propelled lawn mower at Home Depot lately?
Posted by CrawDude on 6/28/26 at 5:09 pm to In The Know
quote:
Get a Honda gas mower and you’ll thank me. Self propelled monster that sips gas and never breaks.
Would be great if Honda still made gasoline mowers, but since they don’t he’d be looking at used but that OK as well. As far as never breaking, my Honda mower engine threw a rod a few months ago so though it might be rare, but it can happen. My replacement mower - EGO battery powered and I can say, so far, I’m not disappointed in it performance, cutting ability and power. But I did buy a used Honda engine off eBay to fix my old mower as a backup……lol.
Popular
36
