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volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
6/4/18 12:49 p.m.

In reply to dculberson :

Careful not to move too much of that cash into non-liquid investments, in case a hot deal comes along and you need some dry powder to move on it quickly.  

Like, you know, an old Jag.  

devil

OK, I'll stop.  

I am speaking somewhat in truth....it's nice to have a little actual cash on hand for things- like, actual cash currency.  Moola.  How much depends on your comfort level and the sort of thing you might buy quickly or spur-of-the-moment, but one or two thousand might be appropriate.  We keep about a month's living expenses in a checking account, as a float for normal operating/ living costs.  Most everything gets charged, so there's a 30 day cycle on that.  Just about everything else is invested in some way or another.  

yupididit
yupididit SuperDork
6/4/18 1:23 p.m.
volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to Driven5 :

Classic Jaguars.  Clearly.  

Excuse me sir. V12 XJS specifically. As long as you can count on both hands and feets! 

Curtis
Curtis GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
6/4/18 3:01 p.m.
frenchyd said:

In reply to Curtis : Curtis, off topic, but I read that you are planning on putting Air Conditioning  in your house.  

Instead of central air why not use window air?   You can buy a great high efficiency A/C  window air unit under $200 and if the room is small enough around $100. Less than $500 should turn your house into a freezer with the latest most efficient units.    Scatter a few around the house with remote controls and if you aren’t using a room turn that needs Air turn it off. 

Spending $1500 for central air means you won’t update it when more efficient units come out  so your electric bill will be higher than it could be.

 Plus if one little unit goes out it’s not a disaster.  

Don’t have enough windows?  Put it in the wall!  It’s real simple carpentry.  ( mount it near the ceiling and let the cold air settle.) 

I’ve got  one right over the master bed and one in the Kitchen.  OK, I have to open the cabinet to use that one  but it blows right over the cups and glasses  cooling things off nicely.  

My house is 5500 sq ft I cool it all summer with three cheap window units. ( only one is in an actual window)  only July Aug  and part of Sept is the electric bill $100 higher than basic electric use. 

My fiancé bought the $1500 central air unit when she moved in with me.  It’s still in the cartons uninstalled. Not once this year has she commented about me doing the install.  Neighbors with their $3-400  a month A/C bills  seem to have convinced her of the logic of my approach.  

 

I think I'll stick with the central air, but thanks for the suggestion.  I don't disagree with you, but as much as I'm away from the house I don't like the idea of people being able to just tip a window unit in and get free access to my house.  Plus they're noisy.  Plus they don't add value to the property.  I have done window units before and they cool just fine, but they just don't condition the air quite as nicely.  They blast out cold, damp air and you have to run a fan to circulate it through the house.

The unit they're putting in is a 1.5T, so operating costs should be low.  Not quite as low as a small window unit, but not much more either.  Plus the added benefit of humidity control and better filtration are really what I'm after.

Curtis
Curtis GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
6/4/18 3:06 p.m.

Ok, so tomorrow I'm looking into Roth IRAs.  I'll maybe put a wee bit toward the mortgage just because it feels good.  The rest I'll split and keep some cash handy and some maybe send to the investments.

Thanks y'all.

frenchyd
frenchyd SuperDork
6/4/18 4:04 p.m.

 That’s fine to select central air.   But please let me correct a few things.  Window air dries just like central air. That’s why if in a window you will see water dripping from them.  When I put them in the wall I need to use a drain tube to carry the moisture outside.  

Second the same ease that can defeat home security is windows by themselves are as vulnerable.  I have new Anderson’s and I can quietly enter any of them just as easy. 

RX Reven'
RX Reven' GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
6/4/18 4:36 p.m.

In reply to Curtis :

Way back on page 1,587 I suggested 25% cash, 25% principle, and 50% Roth…did I win anything???

Curtis
Curtis GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
6/4/18 4:48 p.m.
frenchyd said:

 That’s fine to select central air.   But please let me correct a few things.  Window air dries just like central air. That’s why if in a window you will see water dripping from them.  When I put them in the wall I need to use a drain tube to carry the moisture outside.  

Second the same ease that can defeat home security is windows by themselves are as vulnerable.  I have new Anderson’s and I can quietly enter any of them just as easy. 

I disagree with the humidity.  Yes they both dehumidify as a process of condensation, but window units do so on a much smaller scale.  They get their BTUs with a small evaporator and higher pressure differentials.  They also move a much smaller volume of air.  I've lived in many houses, cabins, and apartments with window units and the difference is very tangible.

An HVAC can circulate the entire volume of air in a house in a matter of an hour or so.  Window units could take days.

Curtis
Curtis GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
6/4/18 4:49 p.m.
RX Reven' said:

In reply to Curtis :

Way back on page 1,587 I suggested 25% cash, 25% principle, and 50% Roth…did I win anything???

Pretty much.  I might do 50% cash and 25/25 for the other two, but spot on.

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
6/4/18 9:25 p.m.

On the HVA/C- we just did a Mitsubishi mini-split system in a guest/ in-law house we're renovating.  The system is dead silent, will make the air nearly any temperature you want it to be, regardless of ambient, dehumidifies like a mo-fo, and seems to use about $20 of electricity per month so far.  Plus our electric provider sent us a $400 check for installing it.  We ended up putting in about 21k btu, so nearly 2 tons of capacity, and the whole thing, installed and everything, was around $7k.  

ProDarwin
ProDarwin PowerDork
6/4/18 9:36 p.m.

When I design/build my own house, I'm leaning toward ductless A/C units.  I like that A) you can easily have multiple systems, so if one fails, you aren't screwed B) its more efficient both from a space standpoint (no ducting to take up space) and from a energy use standpoint (no ducting to push air through or absorb heat through).  You can also create/control zones a lot easier.

 

 

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
6/5/18 6:43 a.m.

In reply to ProDarwin :

They really are amazing.  The zone control, the quiet, the comfort, the efficiency...about the only drawback is there's a thing hanging on your wall in a few rooms.  My wife was skeptical about that aspect of it, thinking they'd be ugly, but since we tend towards lighter/ neutral wall colors the wall units blend in pretty well, and they're above the line of the top of the doors/ windows so not in the usual line of sight.  You don't really notice them unless you're looking for them.  

Besides, like I told her, 100 years ago people were installing giant cast iron behemoths in every room, on the floor, just to get heat.  

frenchyd
frenchyd SuperDork
6/5/18 6:43 a.m.
ProDarwin said:

When I design/build my own house, I'm leaning toward ductless A/C units.  I like that A) you can easily have multiple systems, so if one fails, you aren't screwed B) its more efficient both from a space standpoint (no ducting to take up space) and from a energy use standpoint (no ducting to push air through or absorb heat through).  You can also create/control zones a lot easier.

 

 

That’s the system I’ve got to replace the window units.  I’ve even started to hang the units.  It’s massively easier to run those feed and power lines than do proper duct work for a central unit.  

Yes I realize most use the heat vents but that is a mistake.  Hot air rises, cold air settles. Blowing cold air out of a floor duct is like trying to defy gravity. It can be done but will cost you energy. 

Oh and no you don’t have back ups. At least not the compressor part.  Even when the unit is completely installed I’ll be leaving the  window/ wall units in place as the standby for my central air. 

Of course I have two complete systems for heat as well.  One an older forced air unit designed to offset heat loss from the big window walls in those 30-40 below days. And in floor radiant heat. The most comfortable efficient way to heat a home.  

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