Sovereign of the Seas May 15th

eagleforest · February 11, 2006

Oh how I know that H & C can set you back some serious $$$.

After I moved into our 1940 model home. I think we were in here for 4 years and when the heat would kick on the front panel kept coming off the furnace.

When I say coming off.. I would hear a BOOM in the basement and then once I got down the stairs the panel would be 15 feet away from the unit.

I called in one company and they said your gas is not properly set.

Well it kept happening.

So I called in one of my FIL's neighbors.

He opened it up and said "see this" I had huge and I mean HUGE holes in the manifold.

He said do not use it.

I called the other company back and the supervisor came out and then he called the young guy that serviced my unit the week before.

He said that should have been caught on the initial inspection.

I still had to pay $50 as they said he did adjust my gas.

Well I had 4 different companies come in for estimates. Dang I did not want to buy a piece of the companies.. The friend of my FIL had some associates that do sheet metal work and on the side they sell and install furnaces and air.

They had a TRANE with Air but it had a dent in one panel. I'm like its in the basement who cares. So I got a real good deal on it. I can't believe people care if the furnace has a scratch or a dent. And they get them for serious discounts.

They said I could save money on it if I would haul the old one out. They tore it apart and I did haul it up stairs. And then off to work it went and into the dumpster.

And then they asked if I had an electrician to wire it.

I asked what needed to be wired?

I wrote it all down and between my FIL and myself we had it wired up for them. I know enough about electrical that if its in my house I can do it .

My FIL was the best as he would help out whenever possible. He is dearly missed.

But I thank him for everything he ever did for us.

From what the other companies were asking for H & C it was like half the price. So I did good.

SKAOLboy · February 11, 2006

I have to agree with you on two things: HAVC work is VERY expensive, so people you better be changing those air filters monthly ( i know they say longer, but whats a filter cost compared to a Hermetic compressor ( in air conditioning unit & 1-2 ton blower fan in a furnace? it's worth the investment)

And finding an HVAC guy who will do the work on the side is a major money saver- only thing i can't wrap my mind around is why didn't they wire it, my guess is someone was being a little lazy. i do alot of side work and i throw in wiring into the price i do for people.

the only thing "bad" is throwing away that old fernace, back then those things were built like tanks! and lasted forever!. TRANE is one of the top brands, but i would recommend a carrier or york they are also top brands. the only thing people don't know is this:

the highest efficeny rating on a fernace is a marketing ploy, buy the time you actually "save" in heating bills, you'll be buying a new fernace. which now a days only last 15- 20 years(that says something about the actual savings). I tell people this but they don't belive me. It has to do with how the fernace "recycles" un-used gas. This does this buy sucking heated air back in (which is moist) and there is a dryer on it, which will slowly rust out, due to the added moister in the air. So i tell people who are worried about cost is go with a mid efficency rating, since it lacks the dryers on the super expensive ones, as the saying goes, less parts, less mantance. And will actually last alot longer (20-30 years)

Belive it or not, i get alot of the same requests when im on company install jobs they want a flawless looking heating unit, which only seems to happen mostly in the upscale customers. Like it would be the talk of the town if they had a dent in a $10,000 boiler unit! i usually buy up ones that are "damaged" from the company and install them on side install jobs and people couldn't be happier.

SKAOLboy · February 11, 2006

side note: wiring i hope you used colors (for the wire) that were posted inside the fernace panal. If you didn't, i wouldn't bother the next tech who comes to check out your system when if ever it decides to take a dump. lol

eagleforest · February 12, 2006

Don't worry about the color coding I may not have my license but I did get a degree in Electronics when I was in college. I should have went for an Electrician but just to get the license you better be working for someone. The board can be picky. I have a friend and his son took the test 3 times and they kept saying no you did not pass. The kid had worked for his dad for years but he did not put it on the form. When his dad went with him on the 4th test they said, Well dang he never said a thing. He passed.

The company that put it in did not have an electrician in town that week. They used a guy on the side but they said if you want to save a few more dollars then you can have someone else wire it.

Is it time to cruise yet?

3 months 3 days 1 hour 25 minutes 55 seconds

loveysbydesign · February 13, 2006

1st timer cruisers here!!!!! We'll be on the SOS on the 15th....HOORAY!! me, dh and kiddos, 7 and 3 1/2 y.o! Anyone been on her before and have pics of the cabins with the bunks that fold down from the wall?

eagleforest · February 13, 2006

Welcome, as far as pictures of the fold down bunks.

I now have a mission to find you a picture.

Give me at least 24 hours to track them down.

My wife Laura and I will be on this cruise. We were suppose to be on it Feb 6th but it was chilly.

No really medical reasons forced me to push it up.

My wife and I were on the sister ship Majesty we can't wait

I will return with the pics

Arvids

eagleforest · February 13, 2006

sorry it took so long but here are a few pics

http://community.webshots.com/photo/530137...083498365dWxYuW

http://community.webshots.com/photo/429449...071026429tFdnqm

http://community.webshots.com/photo/422393...076078665WCuSTT

http://community.webshots.com/photo/422393...076078665QgoLCi

http://community.webshots.com/photo/957976...010482777gjvRFl

I'm not sure which cabin you have but this should give you an idea.

Mind you the twin beds on the bottom can be pushed together to form a queen.

SKAOLboy · February 13, 2006

I hear ya on the electric stuff, if you don't know someone or in a union, your pretty much SOL. Only good thing about this industry is your exams are administered through the EPA, you need a license (universal) just to touch coolent, though there is stupid things like you need another exam for car coolent and stuff, and another to use flex piping, so on. Soon those exams will be givin online, so if you got a spare 100 dollar bill, it might be a good investment, no more calls to get ur coolent recharged! ( if that happens btw, you either got a leak or a bad control)

great pics! i scowred the net for decent once, the RCCL site isn't much help, the 360 tour isn't speific enough for me.

6mths till i sail on her! considering i booked it in sept, each month that goes by, i get more phyched!