Heating, Air Conditioning, Fridge, HVAC/Expert Profile

Expertise

I can't help you if your whatsis won't work, people (Especially if it's a refrigerator); I have no experience with appliances, and I haven't been involved with H&AC service and repair since March 08, 1996 (Thank the Lord); I always send a "standard" reply to appliance questions and H&AC "Service and Repair" questions (about 20 a month), so if you want to know why your whatsis isn't working like it used to, ask someone else. A lot of my answers aren’t read by the questioners; in that event, I always send reminders to read the answers for a month or more (the word "idiots" comes to mind - actually there's another more appropriate word, but discretion prevents its use here). If you have questions about how big a unit you need, if one room's warmer than the others, if you want an opinion oas to scope of work on bids received, etc. just ask. Do visit www.askweldin.com, there's a lot of good information on sizing, ductwork, efficiency, as well as some techniques accomplished DIY-ers can use to troubleshoot and improve their H&AC. Finally, I want to thank all of the kind, serious people whom I meet here: I enjoy working with you. My wife says I'm "snarky" from time to time; as for you others, please use your imagination as to the responses swirling on the snarky side of my brain when I read your questions.

Experience in the area

53 years in the business. See www.askweldin.com

Organizations

ASHRAE, ICC.

Education/Credentials

B of ME U of D 1965, numerous classes, seminars and a lot of "Hands On" learning since.

What do you like about this subject?

Helping homeowners who've gotten a raw deal. Really.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I would love to be put out of work because the industry cleans up its act.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Contractors frequently (deliberately?) misdiagnose ductwork problems as insufficient cooling: Some rooms are not cooling, so the system must be too small; it's good business for a contractor. In fact, I've never seen an undersized residential system; the most frequent problem is "Too Much Equipment, Too Little Ductwork". I normally reduce cooling capacity when I develop an Improvement Plan.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Installing ductwork is a labor intensive operation, and many contractors profit by doing it too quickly. The end result is energy intensive: Conditioned air leaks to/from unconditioned spaces, too much heat is gained/lost because of improper insulation, rooms are overheated/overcooled because the system can't be balanced, etc.