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We are moving from CA to CT. I have found a home that I love built in 1775. My questions are:
Does anyone have a generator that turns on automatically when the power goes out? Is this something I should consider installing? It seems like a handy thing to have. Are they expensive?
I would also like to install central heat and air. Is this a complicated process? Is it a hefty investment?
Depending on the size of the generator, you can expect to pay anywhere from $3500 to $7500. Installation could be as much or more than the unit itself depending on fuel source, amount of trenching required, etc.
I assume you feel you'd need a unit like this in Connecticut in case of a power outage in winter. A wood stove and a small, portable gen set might prove to more practical and considerably cheaper.
So your dream house doesn't have central heat? Bad deal.
Putting in a forced-air system that will handle both heat and AC will require the installation of duct work through the walls and floors. That's going to call for some serious wall patching and redecorating. $$$$
Cornerguy - thanks for responding!! I was curious about the generator because one house we looked at had one already installed, and it seemed like a nice idea. I am not sure that weather along the CT shore gets that bad, but to me, coming from CA, it might not be a bad idea...the cost is about what I had thought. Regarding the heat and air, the house does have heat already installed - sorry for the lack of clarity. I know that I saw radiators in the different rooms. I am assuming that if that's the case, when they put the air in they use the existing pipes? Where does the air come out (can you tell I am from CA or what??? I am embarrassed to admit that I am also blonde...oh well ) Thanks so much for the help. I really appreciate it!
Cornerguy - thanks for responding!! I was curious about the generator because one house we looked at had one already installed, and it seemed like a nice idea. I am not sure that weather along the CT shore gets that bad, but to me, coming from CA, it might not be a bad idea...the cost is about what I had thought. Regarding the heat and air, the house does have heat already installed - sorry for the lack of clarity. I know that I saw radiators in the different rooms. I am assuming that if that's the case, when they put the air in they use the existing pipes? Where does the air come out (can you tell I am from CA or what??? I am embarrassed to admit that I am also blonde...oh well ) Thanks so much for the help. I really appreciate it!
Radiators don't use air ducts. They generally have a boiler and hot water goes through the pipes which heat up and warm up the air around it.
If you install forced air heating system and air conditioning, you'll need to put in new duct work. The contractor will probably need to install duct work in the basement (and for two-story, attic space) and walls and it's quite expensive/extensive.
I was afraid of that..I can't imagine wanting to rip out the walls etc for the duct installation. Am I then reduced to a window unit for air? What about those fans in the attic that draw off warm air for use in the summer?
If the house is a single story with an attic, it's possible to install a central air conditioning unit with the duct work placed in the attic space. The AC vents can be placed in the ceilings of the rooms below. This actually work quite well due to the fact that cold air tends to sink to the floor.
If you're dealling with a multi-story dwelling, it may be possible to install first-floor ducts in the floors with the ducting being run in the basement or crawl space. The upper floor ducting could be run in the attic.
If central air is a definite must for you, talk to an experienced installer about your options and the cost factors involved.
Thermostaticly-controlled vent fans located in the attic space help reduce heat build up by drawing cooler air in through the vented soffit and expelling heated air through an exit close to the peak of the roof. They are not a replacement for AC.
Cornerguy1, thanks for the suggestions. I have never had central air in CA, where I am coming from, but sometimes the heat/humidty in CT seems oppressive and I wanted to know my options. I appreciate your response.
Drouzin, I know! It's funny to come from CA, where my home at 1910 is considered very old by everyone I know, but back there, my house is almost considered new! haha. Anyway, I love the oldness of this home I am looking at - to me the imperfections make it all the more charming, although I gather from the realtor this is not the opinion of most people who look at it. They all want to overmodernize it, but I am not one who thinks everything that is old needs to be redone. Not every kitchen needs a center island, you know?
You should probably keep your radiators as a heat source and then just look into the option of running duct work or piping for central air. You reference an attic fan which we currently have. It does help some, but it really can't replace the AC's ability to remove the humidity in the summer. It does help this time of year when the night air is cool and less humid it takes us less than an hour to get out house down to a comfortable level. Next house will have central air though :-)
If you have radiators you've either got low-pressure steam or hot water. Either one is fine. There's some maintenance you have to tend to regularly but they are excellent heating systems. Find a local hot-water/steam guy - try this as a resource Home Heating Systems - HeatingHelp.com. It's a website for a guy named Dan Holohan who's from someplace in the NE and knows steam and hotwater inside out. Once you find a good hot-water/steam guy have him go through the system and TEACH YOU how to operate and do basic maintenance. It isn't that hard...I've handled our hot-water system fro 25 years and a steam system in a commercial building we own. Big problems need professional help - but most of it is routine and owner friendly!
Now, on to air conditioning. You can install A/C in an antique home tastefully and with reasonable cost. Our 1910 house has hot water heat and A/C ducted from a central unit in the attic. We have good chases that lent themselves to easy, traditional ducting. I've seen other installations using a high pressure system that employs very small ducts - as little as 3" or so across. Those can be snaked in most anyplace. They work amazingly well, moving lots of air and doing a good job of cooling even with such little ducts.
KEEP IN MIND - you're moving into an old, drafty house with plenty of air leaks. It will be expensive to heat and cool and you'll have cold spots in the winter and warm spots in the summer. That's, by and large, just one of the joys of old house living. My family tells me it's just part of being connected with nature - if we wanted it to be 70 all the time we'd have to move to Hawaii!
One caution: Often the HVAC [heating ventilating air conditioning] guy will try and convince you to abandon the hot-water or steam heating system. He wants to sell a whole heating and A/C job. Read the aforementioned heatinghelp.com closely on hydronic [hot-water]/steam heat versus "scorched air." Don't let the "scorched air" guys talk you into wrecking a perfectly good and long lived hydronic system!
Good Luck!
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) Thanks so much for the help. I really appreciate it!
