I don't think that this work was done by an electrician, and it looks like there may have been no permit secured or the benefit of an inspection here in Boston on North street!

What about the vent here? Anything to discuss concerning the proximity to the unit?

Is that white box the disconnect?. Also,wonder why he left all that flex coiled up?

It is the disconnect, some of the weather-proof enclosures (for this purpose), that I have seen have tiny drain holes in the bottom and are constructed so water will not enter the top, but will drain out the bottom. Laying the enclosure on its side defeats this. Not to mention other code issues. But I don't think the disconnect and flex are the big danger here.

The unit is a heat exchanger, there is no transfer of air into the building. I don't think the proximity of the vents is a problem except possibly the combustion vent could be hot and pose a hazard to the service person.

Could that be a sewer line vent? Stinky...

(Or is that vent part of the HVAC system?Still, it seems too close to the unit.)

[This message has been edited by ThinkGood (edited 11-17-2003).]

There should be a receptacle within 25 feet for maintenence persons to plug in to.

Is the puddle from condensation or from rain? How deep can the water get? Should the unit be raised up on blocks?

The vent loks like the sort used to vent a gas water heater, space heater, etc. As such, it may include an inner sleeve for "out" and an outer sleeve for "fresh air in."

That coiled flex and "Bell" box look to be some design to allow the equipment to be operated fron some distance away. Is there another unit nearby that might work together with this one, and for which a serviceman might want to control from one point?

The elect whips come extra long and coiled up like that. It saves an extra step by not cutting it to length. The disconnect box was probably mounted on the unit at one time but the service person had to remove it to gain access to the controls.

Vent pipe is not a problem.

Obviously the owner doesn't care because there was no permit pulled and the equipment looks like a cheap piece of scratch & dent. A lot of rental apartments are this way and worse. But see the employees of the property managers are exempt from regulation in most states

This unit looks like it was just thrown on the roof. It should sitting atop a structural member that will hold the additional weight.
The Liquidtite, as in any other conduit, can't have >360° of bend between pull points, much less remain coiled.
(We actually know a guy that lives on North Street in Boston I can't imagine him letting this remain in his neighborhood!)...S

I guess some people just don't believe in "workmanlike manner"

Monday I am going to a job with a contractor who is bidding on work. Part of scope is replacing the A/C rooftop units. I have been there in the summer (lots of bees) and now I will get to take pictures of the 'mess' with snow on the roof. The units look a lot like this photo.

Pierre

I think what Joe was referring to was the proximity of the condenser unit to the vent in relationship to disruption of air flow.
Being that close, it may be possible for the volume of air being pulled in the side of the unit, and the air discharged out the top, may interfere with the proper operation of the vent. Per IRC 2426.6.5 and UMC 806.4 the vent has to be 2 feet above anything that is within 8 feet of the vent. If the vent was there first, then the condenser unit was installed too close.

Am I on the right track Joe?

Mean Gene
isn't that the condensor?

I went to the job to look at the rooftop A/C units. I got some good pictures of the units covered in snow to go with the summer pictures I took. Now I will try to send both to Joe so you can see the two scenes.

Pierre

Mean Gene:


Yes, I was wondering about the vent and its discharge.

Pierre, I will look forward to the pictures.

That is a condensor unit, and does not suck air into the living space. How would the location of the vent otherwise affect the installation?

Pierre

I think they are saying the condensor installation may affect the performance of the vent. Turbulance, positive pressure, or blowing back down the stack could hider it's ability to function properly.

But why would that be any different than a windy day?

Well, I was presuming that the reason that the building codes said the vent had to be 2 feet higher than anything withing 8 feet of it was for proper air flow/operation of the vent.