HVAC Systems
i’m about to buy a brownstone that is in need of renovation, and i was thinking about putting in an HVAC system while i was doing them. has anyone done this? the place is currently radiators and window air conditioners. does anyone have any idea of the costs? this would be a three family building….
i’m about to buy a brownstone that is in need of renovation, and i was thinking about putting in an HVAC system while i was doing them. has anyone done this? the place is currently radiators and window air conditioners. does anyone have any idea of the costs? this would be a three family building.
thanks!
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Regarding Spacepak/Unico systems…I’m in a 3 story house in Ditmas Park. These mini-duct systems are really the only way I could or would install a central air system. And if I could, I definitely would. Besides the practical issue, I definitely think that they’re the least intrusive cosmetically. However, they are pricey. I had a few estimates for each of the two systems and the range was around 27-34K not including any patch work that would need to be done on the plaster. Can’t quite swing that right now, so it’s window units for me. But man, would I love a SpacePak system.
As for heating, I would definitely stick with a Steam system. The real value of adding the heating coil on a Spacepak type system would be for the shoulder months (Spring and Fall) when the boiler has been shut down but you still get some chilly nights.
As for steam, it’s very comfortable when properly balanced, and when properly pitched and vented, very quiet. I too would recommend (as a previous poster has) Dan Halohan as a great resource. He has written another book called “We’ve got Steam Heat” which is incredibly informative as a homeowners resource on how to run a steam system.
http://www.heatinghelp.com/shopcart/product.cfm?category=2-109
Saved me lots of money and countless headaches.
-pk
Steam heat expert’s info:
Jake Myron
(718) 967-7717
If the number doesn’t work (it’s been 4 yrs) post again, and I’ll call Bill Monk to find out the new info if any.
Does anyone have an idea of the cost of a SpacePak installation? I’m satisfied with window units in most of my house but would love a means of getting A/C into windowless areas (bathrrom, interior study) on the top floor.
I got a 3 zone split system for a 3 story brownstone ( 20×45) for 18k.. Palone Bros A/C (e-mail me if you want detailed recommendation on them). I had another bid at 16k, but I heard prices are lower in the off-season (almost there). It works great, and most ducts can go above the original cieling with the moldings. definetely put the units on the roof, not the backyard.
it has a lot of benefits over window units:
you can use the windows,
less noisy,
more energy efficient,
reduce street noise in house,
more comfortable even temp throughout the house.
they offered to throw in heat for an extra 3k, but I chose to keep my hot water radiators.
side note on steam: my old place had the steam radiators, and I agree they are the best! I had banging at one point, and a major boiler cleaning did the trick (it’s called “surging”). I also can recommend an “old world” guy who can help with those type of problems:
Joe (AAL Inc) 718-788-1860 (hopefully he didn’t retire) also, get the right valves in each floor so that the heating is even.
“To the poster with the radiant floor heating…we were going to go with that but our architect warned against it b/c he said that it can cause wood floors to dry out. Have you had any problems like that?”
your architect’s comment is very true. however, I only used radiant under tile floors, hence mainly kitchen and bathrooms. in other rooms that have wood flooring, I use radiator units (which are those thin metal European heating devices).
if you want to have radiant heat, you can go with either electrical (expensive to run and lower btu output), or hydronic (more expensive for initial setup but cheaper to operate and greater heat ouput). in the long run, there were a lot of reasons for changing over from steam to hydronic, especially if radiant heating is part of the package. hydronic heat works very similar to steam heat in that they’re both water based and enjoy similar advantages, and they differ in distribution (one lets out steam while the other works like a water bottle)
and no, I wouldn’t use radiant heat under wood.
Will post contact name/info later on…have to look through my stuff (we did this about 4 yrs ago). We got the expert’s name from Dan Holohan, author of “The Lost Art of Steam Heating”…a great book by the way. My husband was trying to figure out a way to fix the clanking of the radiators in our house himself and he read Dan’s book and called him for advice (yes, out of the blue…I don’t think authors of steam heating books have any problems with crazy groupies). The guy we hired came in and saw that the orig plumber we hired to install a new boiler hooked up all the incoming/outgoing pipes incorrectly. This was causing us problems getting the heat to the top two floors, and would have voided our warranty had anything broken. For this alone, I would recommend the guy. He is not cheap though. If I recall correctly, it was $650 just for him to assess our problem. He then recommended Bill Monk from B&D Plumbing to re-install the boiler pipes, and to re-pitch the pipes and radiators. (I recommended Bill on another thread…we’ve used him ever since). I think steam heat, when it works properly, gives a nice even heat, that doesn’t make the house all stuffy. But this is only my opinion. The other poster had some good reasons for taking a more modern approach. I would try to get an opinion from someone who has the ductless system and then make your decision. I have heard that the ductless system “whistles” when it is on b/c the air is flowing very fast through plastic tubing.
“but we did have an expert come in to make sure that all the pipes were pitched correctly.”
who was the expert? do you recommend him? Can I get contact info?
I posted the “$10k/floor” price…our house is 22×45 so that may be why the price seems high. I resisted getting it, but my husband made me come to my senses. When it is 105 outside, and a comfortable 73 inside, you will think it’s worth it. The a/c also controls the humidity level which makes things alot more comfortable. (good for pianos too).
To the poster with the radiant floor heating…we were going to go with that but our architect warned against it b/c he said that it can cause wood floors to dry out. Have you had any problems like that?