The Lodge - High-end Installation

Location: Portland, Oregon

Software:
- The contractor used Elite SW
- CoolCalc.

Manual-D
- Designed for 900FPS.
- 2000 CFM (not 2250, given horz. application, 100k BTU, C-box)
- 3 main trunks - 16", 12", 12"
- each 12" feeds 9"+8"+8", all 6x14 regs
- the 16" feeds a bunch of ducts - 6", 4", 2x10", 9", 8", then tapers to 12" for 2x9"
- 3 returns - all 14x20, all 14", two branch from 16"
- auto-airflow sizing says 66%, 39%, 38%...my calcs suggest 100% (if dampers fully open on 2x10" - they are about 70% now), 38%, 38% for zones 1,2,3 respectively using .1 friction loss.

- Manual-J + Manual-S: Massive wall of South facing windows (double-pane only) with cathedral ceilings with 4 large skylights, 16' tall ceilings. Called for a 5-ton system.
Both S/W packages suggest 4.5-5 tons...Interestingly, double vs. triple pane windows accounted for 1.5 tons of that.

Constraints
- Must be "horrible horizontal".
- Unit in attic - I know that sucks, but it is what it is.
- Must go up through 21.5" opening; removal of attic stairs necessary

Equipment:
- American Standard Platinum S9V2 100k BTU, 5 ton
- American Standard Platinum XV19 low-profile heat-pump WITH COATED COILS (special order)
- 3 zone configuration - static in both discharge+return, temp is discharge today, adding return temp sensor soon.
- Adding air connections for Testo 510 static monitoring
- IQ Air Perfect 16
- All new ducting - all 26ga round, trunk design, mastic every joint, pano everything, etc.
- 3-5' flex used to minimize noise at boot connections - master return was about 10' of flex, given proximity to equipment.
- ~200' of ducting used for large home, 3 new supply registers added, 1 new return added (total 3)
- Metal duct hangers
- Ducting insulation - "big bubble" reflectix w/spacers for R-8 (I hate fiberglass), taped with foil tape
- Initially specified quick-sling hangers, but they are no longer in production. Used lots of Gripple 02s instead
- Stainless steel custom pan with separate condensate run
- Custom plenums to IQAir, return, supply for each of the 3 zones, various connections
- Clearvue P-trap
- Airmfg complete system
- Surge protected condenser shutoff switch
- Insulated (both liquid/suction), single-run lineset
- All new shoemaker registers - 600s for returns, 903s, 945s
- 1050 control, 2x 1040s (new), zone controller, relay controller
- Concentric vent through my cement tile roof (done by specialty roofing company)
- Gas shutoff
- EQ flex for gas
- overflow for condensate (but not currently using the secondary overflow for the coil)

Install Features
- Internal gravity drained to dirty water drain (laundry discharge)
- Lineset, electrical, drainage, etc. compensating for walkways in attic
- Work areas around equipment, had to remove attic stairs for much of the work

Install
- 4 guys for 8.5 days
- Took quite a bit of time...the ductwork was extensive. It was pretty relaxed for the first week, then became a bit frantic

Overall
- I think it is an outstanding job. What do you think?
- I do have some nitpicks that I can elaborate on later.

1. Design conditions were std. Elite SW for PDX.

Latitude: 45 degrees
Elevation: 851ft
Altitude factor: .970

Winter outdoor dry bulb: 24
Winter outdoor wet bulb: 22.35
Winter outdoor rel hum: n/a
Winter indoor rel hum: 30%
Winter indoor dry bulb 70
Winter grain diff: 18.5

Summer outdoor dry bulb: 88
Summer outdoor wet bulb: 69
Summer outdoor rel hum: 39%
Summer indoor rel hum: 50%
Summer indoor dry bulb 70
Summer grain diff: 23

2. It does get below freezing here in PDX - in fact, right now it is 34 degrees outside, and 45 degrees (I monitor with Netatmo) in my attic. It usually takes some sustained time below freezing (we should see that Tues and Wed) to get the attic below 32.
a. Does this imply that the venting duct should be insulated?
b. Also, I noticed they didn't install heat tape - but had it as part of the supplies - should they have put that on the condensate lines?

3. They had to notch the top of the pan to get slope on the condensate lines - the drain is at the bottom, and there is some distance from the top of the drain hole to the bottom of the notch - it is a 3" tall pan - all stainless steel - notch is 1/2" or 2.5" up from the bottom, the line is a 3/4" line at the bottom of the pan, so there is ~1.75" of gap from the top of the pan drain condensate to the bottom of the notch.