HVAC Tips
Noise-Indexed System Layout: Mike’s Quiet-Home Design Rules for 4-Ton AC Condensers
A 4-ton AC condenser is a workhorse. It can cool large homes, open layouts, and energy-hungry spaces. But without smart system design, it can also ...
Coil & Combustion Harmony: Mike’s Guide to Synchronizing a Vertical Coil With a High-Output 80% Furnace
In most homes, the furnace and evaporator coil sit right on top of each other, stacked like pancakes. Simple, right?
Not if you want the system to ...
The Supply-Return Grid: How Mike Builds Pressure-Neutral Homes That Feel Cooler at Higher Thermostat Settings
Most homeowners think comfort comes from the thermostat setting.
Mike Sanders thinks comfort comes from pressure balance.
In his view, the thermost...
Attic Thermal Draft Control: Mike’s Strategy for Stopping “Unconditioned Air Cascades
Ask any homeowner where their heating and cooling problems come from, and they’ll point to the furnace, the AC unit, or “bad ductwork.”
Ask Mike Sa...
Furnace-First Airflow Planning: Why Mike Sizes Ducts Around the 120k BTU Heat Cycle, Not the AC Load
Most homeowners think ductwork is sized for the air conditioner. Most contractors still design around the cooling tonnage. But Mike Sanders — who h...
The R-32 Integration Matrix: Mike’s Rules for Pairing Next-Gen Refrigerant Systems With Legacy Ductwork
R-32 is shaking up the HVAC world. It’s more efficient, lower-GWP, easier to charge accurately, and gives homeowners cooler air using less energy. ...
The Comfort Envelope Blueprint: How Mike Maps Heat Loads Before Touching a Thermostat
When most people think of “home comfort,” they picture the thermostat: the sleek little puck that tells the HVAC system what to do. But thermostats...
Energy Zones & Smart Placement: Mike’s Guide to Designing Homes for Lower Operating Costs
If you’ve ever wondered why one home has low energy bills and stays perfectly comfortable, while another—same size, same system—costs a fortune to ...
Noise-Smart System Design: Mike’s Layout Rules for Whisper-Quiet PTAC Operation
If there’s one thing homeowners complain about more than uneven temperatures, it’s noise.
“That PTAC is too loud.”“The hum keeps me up.”“The vibrat...
Dead Zone Elimination Plan: Mike’s Tricks for Turning Awkward Rooms Into Even-Temp Spaces
Every home has that one room that never feels right.
Hot corner. Cold nook. A stagnant pocket right where you sit. A draft that seems to come out o...
Thermal Footprint Planning: How Mike Matches BTUs to Room Geometry Instead of Square Footage Alone
Most people size HVAC equipment using the simplest rule in the book:
“20 BTUs per square foot.”
That rule works okay for perfect rooms with perfect...
The Install Triangle: Mike’s Three-Point Check for Clearance, Power & Drainage Before Picking the Wall
Ask any pro HVAC installer what causes most botched PTAC and through-the-wall AC installations, and they’ll give you the same answer:
“Wrong wall, ...