8.7kW system coming Orange County, SoCal

[aaleong]

Same Situation

I am sure their schedule has been impacted because of the heat. But who are the companies that quoted you; I obtained quotes from 3 that were much higher.

[NESTCAFE]

Installation Schedule

I learned quite a lot from reading this particular threads. I also recently signed with Company B based on the recommendation and my own research after getting multiple quotes. And I still see people inquiring about the suggested vendor. They are fairly booked up especially with the hot weather recently. So, need to set your expectation right with the installation schedule.

[aaleong]

Same Situation

can you provide me the names of the quoted companies; the quotes i have received are much high for a similar system in north orange county.

[bwhite505]

Could you also PM the vendors that you used?

[s_man]

s_man: could you please PM me the vendors that you received quotes from? I'm in the same area and trying to put together a list of companies to contact. Thank you.

Pm sent

[s_man]

I spoke with Dave, and told him of your concerns with your install.

He is going to get involved, with getting your project finished to your satisfaction.

Bob

Thanks Bob!

[Alisobob]

A lesson learned; don't trust any vendor to take care of your interest better than yourself!

I spoke with Dave, and told him of your concerns with your install.

He is going to get involved, with getting your project finished to your satisfaction.

Bob

[tracksyde]

s_man: could you please PM me the vendors that you received quotes from? I'm in the same area and trying to put together a list of companies to contact. Thank you.

[J.P.M.]

Yes... I used an inexpensive differential temp relay to make sure the fan wouldn't come on if outside was warmer than inside. Playing around with different combinations of window and doors open and closed to direct the circulation was sort of fun, but probably not all that productive. The house isn't truly tight, but probably the best lesson I learned out of it is that just because there is no A/C, doesn't mean the windows/doors should be open all day. A tight house can be a comfortable house. Now, if I could just convince my wife...

Understood. @ least on most of that including the spouse thing.

[posplayr]

Yes... I used an inexpensive differential temp relay to make sure the fan wouldn't come on if outside was warmer than inside. Playing around with different combinations of window and doors open and closed to direct the circulation was sort of fun, but probably not all that productive. The house isn't truly tight, but probably the best lesson I learned out of it is that just because there is no A/C, doesn't mean the windows/doors should be open all day. A tight house can be a comfortable house. Now, if I could just convince my wife...

Yes it seems that keeping the house closed before noon it stays cooler. Then as the roof gets hot and the heat builds up in the house, you have to open some doors to get the radiated heat form the roof to blow out the house. But in my case trying to blow out the attic probably helped some but at the cost of running the fans for several hours?? It certainly was not real effective is cooling the roof.

Most of my air inlet was from the north end of the house that by afternoon was shaded by tall trees. While it may not have been much different that the temp in the house, the north side air was certainly going to be cooler than the air in the attic. Turning on thermostatically based on a fixed temperature, I don't think it is possible for the ambient temp to be more than the attic temp for temps above 85 degF.

In your case as well, ambient might have been more than inside the house for a while, but it is always less than the attic air temperature which is what is heating the house in the first place.

[sensij]

When you did that, if the outside ambient was warmer than the inside, you wound up adding heat to the dwelling. If you have a tight dwelling and didn't crack a window or open a door, the tactic was less than optimally effective. If not warmer outside, the tactic cooled the interior and the attic, especially with a cracked/opened window/door.

Yes... I used an inexpensive differential temp relay to make sure the fan wouldn't come on if outside was warmer than inside. Playing around with different combinations of window and doors open and closed to direct the circulation was sort of fun, but probably not all that productive. The house isn't truly tight, but probably the best lesson I learned out of it is that just because there is no A/C, doesn't mean the windows/doors should be open all day. A tight house can be a comfortable house. Now, if I could just convince my wife...

[J.P.M.]

Great reading material. Thanks J.P.M! Thinking back, I regret just let them come and do it on their schedule and Icould not be there. A lesson learned; don't trust any vendor to take care of your interest better than yourself!

You're welcome. Take it for what its worth or less.

[J.P.M.]

Yeah, that makes sense. I don't have A/C either... when I had my powered attic fan running, I would open the hatch to the attic and intentionally draw some of the warmer air out of the house and create some circulation, like a poorly implemented whole house fan. It was better than nothing, although more ceiling insulation is the right next step at this point, I think.


Edit: Sorry for the tangent.

When you did that, if the outside ambient was warmer than the inside, you wound up adding heat to the dwelling. If you have a tight dwelling and didn't crack a window or open a door, the tactic was less than optimally effective. If not warmer outside, the tactic cooled the interior and the attic, especially with a cracked/opened window/door.

On the ceiling insulation, don't forget the vapor barrier and remember that when sealing, details and attention to them are king. Not so much around here, but in colder climates for other readers, condensation from air leaks can be a long term nightmare.

[sensij]

In Santa Barbara, within 1 mile of the coast it is pretty moderate weather/temperatures (75-80 deg) ; nobody has AC. I'd me more worried about dust.

Yeah, that makes sense. I don't have A/C either... when I had my powered attic fan running, I would open the hatch to the attic and intentionally draw some of the warmer air out of the house and create some circulation, like a poorly implemented whole house fan. It was better than nothing, although more ceiling insulation is the right next step at this point, I think.


Edit: Sorry for the tangent.

[posplayr]

The downside to intentionally creating a low pressure zone is that if the interior ceiling/attic floor is not perfectly sealed (or if there are other paths through the wall spaces) there will be a tendency to pull the conditioned air into the attic. Balancing the push and pull is probably a better design practice, when workable.

FWIW, when I redid my roof ahead of my PV installation, I took out a powered fan and dormer vents and replaced it with a full ridge vent. I haven't increased the soffit vents yet to match, kind of waiting to see how things go when the Santa Ana's kick up in next couple months. So far, it has been comfortable, but the weather hasn't been bad, and the reflective shingles + the shade from the array are probably helping too.

In Santa Barbara, within 1 mile of the coast it is pretty moderate weather/temperatures (75-80 deg) ; nobody has AC. I'd me more worried about dust.