Need advice on HVAC emergency

[The Daring Dufas]

I sincerely and humbly apologize.

*Whistling and rolling my eyes*

TDD

[sicko]

In fairness to them, I'm sure there are people whose home situation is so bad, so filthy, that infection is a real possibility. In fact a month later on some Sunday morning show about some current medical question, the doctor said something like, We can't really predict how well someone will do until we know more about where he's going after he leaves the hospital.

And my place looks just terrible. And it was enough that the visiting nurse ratted me out, and I think she would have even if we had gotten along well. In fact two separate friends warned me against letting the nurse into my house, for this very reason. But I could still manage to not let the wound touch anything, and I never got any infection, even though my raw innards were showing when the bandage etc. was off. (which was for at most 15 minutes every time I redid it.)

They expect you to do a lot of your own nursing these days. Maybe they always did. Becuase there was stuff I had to do for four months, too disgusting to write about, but I surely wouldn't want to be in the hospital all that time nor could i afford a nurse to come every 5 to 7 days, for what took me only an hour. 30 minutes setting things up, 15 minutes doing it, and 15 minutes putting things back. The visiting nurse said every 3 to 5 days, the supplier said every 5 to 7 days, the doctor told me 9 days were ok, but because I was afraid I would do it wrong and hated doing it, I kept lengthening the time and at the very end I waited 23 days. Everything always looked the same, however.

The second time, just packing the wound every day for a month. I did it every second day, but checked that the packing stayed wet all that time.

[BillGill]

I didn't real all the responses, so I don't know if anybody mentioned this. Here in Tulsa there is a company that relines ductwork. My impression is that they run some kind of spray hose through and spray a sealant on the inside of the ducts. This might help if you can find somebody that does it where you live.

I'm not surprised that you have leaks after this long. When I first heard about running ducts in the slab I thought it was a bad idea.

Bill

[norminn]

It would be real interesting if the OP responded to the many questions posed by others...beginning to think this is ... a troll?

Is the house downhill from the entire neighborhood? Stream running alongside the house? Lot graded so water collects? Downspouts where in relation to the water?

What is exceedingly odd (fishy?) about the situation is that HALF the ducts have air circ. from the furnace, and half have water gurgling. Now, in a slab the ducts aren't very large, but for half to be underwater, something has to be different. Furnace pushing air through water in a duct so that it "gurgles"? I don't think so.

[JIMMIE]

I know the type of installation he is talking about. I am surprized they have lasted this long. The ducts usually rust out long before now. If the house was built in 53 It should have been rusted out by the early 70s. I know of a whole subdivision built like the OP said. Some of the houses had flat roofs without even a crawl space fpr an attic to put ductwork in.

Jimmie

[J. Cameron Davis]

No, this is not a troll question. This is a serious question. Sorry I did not reply before now. I looked around the outside of the house for problems, and I think I found something. There is a sidewalk running up against the house all the way along the back of the house and along half of the front of the house. There is a 1/2" gap between the sidewalks and the house, so I assume that is where water could run in. Also, the gutters leak at the seams, and one joint between sections has separated. So, the gutters are not working as well as they should. There was no rain during the day yesterday, and I found that the water noise in the ducts stopped, and there is air flow through all of the ducts now. So, the water level must have dropped some. What I will do immediately is caulk the gaps along the sidewalks and fix the gutters. Hopefully that will keep some water out. Then I'll have to look into either relining the ducts or moving them. It appears the house is not going to flood anytime soon. Repairing the ducts will have to wait until the summer, for financial reasons. But, before long I won't be using the furnace. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

Camer>> My house is a 2 bedroom ranch style build in 1953. It sits on a concrete

[norminn]

Is the house in bad condition all 'round? Just asking, since you say the downspouts are coming apart and gutters leak. That would be my priority, just from what you have stated and having no details at all about the house or lot. There is special caulk for expansion joints on concrete, which sounds like what you need to use. Fix gutters and downspouts, make sure the downspouts empty a distance away from the house - NOT onto the walk that is against the house. Does the lot slope toward the house or away? Had an unusual amount of rain/snow?

I would inspect the ducts to see if you see standing water - if so, find a way to empty the ducts (pump, wet vac, etc.) If there is still water, I would run the furnace fan only and use dehumidifier, assuming no more water is entering. Have you checked for cracks around footers, for standing water, any especially mushy areas of yard? Check water meter to see if it turns with no faucets running? Got sewer or septic? If you are sincerely trying to correct the situation, you need to identify the problem. A plumber or HVAC contractor would be good for starters. A good homeowners DIY manual would be a good reference if you are totally unfamiliar with repairs....I still can't get over the "gurgling", which would seem to be more likely a sewer line problem...

[Ed Pawlowski]

The fact tht the water went down also means that the ducts are probably rusted out or have big gaps otherwise. You'd do well to consider runnig the ducts up and over if possible as you may also be losing a lot of heat in them. At least now you'll have some time to come up with a solution.

[Don Young]

I have seen this type of construction. If it was/is common in your area your local HVAC, concrete, plumbing, and general contractors may already have a lot of experience with determining the options available to solve your problem. If the ducts cannot be kept dry and clean for whatever reason I would certainly look into flexible or formed-in-place liners. There are a lot of methods available for relining water and sewage lines. It seems a major and expensive problem and you should get the best professional on-site evaluation possible before you make a commitment.

Don't forget that there are other systems for heating and cooling homes that use no ductwork. Don't limit your options. Hope it works out well for you.

Don Young