Recent content by mikeinkirkland

All good info. Thanks to all those who have posted advice. I like the idea of detecting when the level is low in the casing but not yet to the point of the well running dry. Given what I know about motors and pumps, if a device can accurately monitor the current, that point should be fairly...

No. If it had a full time internet connection, or even phone line, I know I could do a remote system to heat up the tank prior to visiting. But these days everyone in the area just uses their cell phones for voice and data. But that won't work for remote access. But thanks for the answers. It's...

Thanks for the answers. The problem is it's a vacation home and the usage won't follow any consistent schedule. It's a big waste to heat 40 or 50 gallons of water routinely on some schedule when nobody will be there to use it. If there was enough electrical service to run a big enough tankless I...

Thanks to all for the advice. I'm only just learning about wells so this is all good info. The Pumptec unit seems like a good safety backup regardless. But, ideally, I wouldn't want it triggering routinely if I could help it. Obviously "throttling" the flow, and using the lowest HP pump...

I second most of Dana's comments (and learned some things from them myself about construction techniques). Ductless systems have many advantages and deliver amazing performance even with outdoor temps down around 20F. They're widely used nearly everywhere else in the world where energy rates are...

You have really cheap gas! We're paying about $1.07/therm. Depending on your electric rate you should probably be using gas below 45 or even 50F. A Therm is 100,000 BTU/H. With a 82% furnace that's 82,000 output or 24 KW/H of electricity. At .08 per KWH that's $1.92 for the same amount of...

A heat pump over central A/C is a really minor upgrade. With most modern systems it's literally a $10 (mfg cost) valve and a couple of control circuits to reverse the system for heating. Modern heat pumps have huge benefits over resistance heating (of any sort, furnace, baseboard, portable...

They're cheap. I've put a couple in rental houses. One has been great the other has had multiple problems. I generally agree with gplumb above but caution the warranties are often subject to the units being installed/maintained by an authorized dealer, being used with the correct indoor coil...

I'm not sure where I should have posted it, but I have a question if it's code legal to put a small tankless electric hot water heater in series after a tank heater to supply the entire house. It's a vacation home and the idea is to not keep the tank hot all the time but still have at least some...

In a vacation home that's only used a weekend or two a month, a tankless makes a lot of sense. But, in this case, the only fuel options are propane and electric. And, due to the electric service, the biggest electric tankless is probably limited to a 7.5KW unit which is relatively small...

I'm curious if anyone here has experience with a low producing well (i.e. under 1 Gal/min in well tests)? Some say if you use a large 500 - 1000 gallon (usually underground) storage tank they work fine with the right hardware and equipment. But I'm curious how you deal with the well "running...

We have three non-Sanigloss Toto Drakes. When we bought them, you couldn't get Sanigloss, ADA height, and an extended bowl with the Drake's relatively clog-free flush system. First off, I have to say the bowl cleaning above the water line is pretty sad on all three toilets. I'd say the water...