Purchased house they took everything (HVAC)

[Phantom]

So long story short I just signed the papers for a manufactured home (double wide) on a piece of property attached to mt tree farm. The house was foreclosed on and the last owner told me some one stole the AC. Turns out it was not just the outside unit but the full HVAC (not including the ducts and vents).

Now I need to start deciding on what options to go with for heating and cooling, we are located in northern KY close to Cincinnati OH. The house 56x36ft has a full walk out basement and is wired for only electric appliances. Insulation is R40 roof R22 floor and R11 in the walls.

Need to purchase:
Full HVAC
Hot water heater
Washer/Dryer
Stove
Fridge
Dishwasher

My main reason for this post is to document the progress on the house and to get opinions on heating and cooling options. We want to keep the cost lower since we will be building on on farm in the next few years and will rent the house to family or use an office/business location for the farm.

We like the thought of hydronic heat but do not know if it would be worth it having to pull down the insulation under the floor or float a cement floor over the existing floor (we are removing all the carpet regardless). The other issue is having to still have the air handler set up for AC to cool.

I would like to add a propane pig and run the stove, Dryer, hot water, and heat from it.

Thanks for any input I look forward to posting/visiting here more again now that I'm interested in updating and creating my home again and not just living in what I have till I move to the farm. I will post some Pics of the house when I get the chance and they are pics you can tell what you're looking at.

[oil pan 4]

No natural gas?

[ecomodded]

My parents use a GSHP with a duct system it works well for bigger houses as your place has ducts in place it might make fiscal sense to use one.

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

No natural gas?

No natural gas. No sewer.

City water was added to the road about 17yrs ago.

Originally Posted by ecomodded

My parents use a GSHP with a duct system it works well for bigger houses as your place has ducts in place it might make fiscal sense to use one.

I forgot about GSHPs I will have to get a quote for that. I think that the install drilling might make it a bit more expensive.

[where2]

Since you're not looking for extended term use out of many of these appliances, I'd wander through the Cincinnati Craigslist. We've been equipping our Maine farmhouse with random appliances we pluck out of South Florida.

Examples of appliances I've snagged:
Samsung dryer: $60 (it is white and included a pedestal). When I got it home, I replaced the belt, the rollers, and the heating element. (So basically, it's functionally new inside now). Tack on the parts, and I have about $120 in the dryer. It did cost me a 240 mile round trip to get it, but I got to have dinner with my sister and her family.

Samsung front load washer: $400, 15 months old! (This was part of an $1800 set. Matching dryer to this washer had issues, seller had the original retailer buy back the dryer after multiple issues arose. She dumped the washer cheap on CL to move it and get a new matching set in a different brand. Her loss, my gain, it was white and easy to match!)

Miele 24" stainless convection wall oven: $95 (ReStore located near a high end residential community with many high net worth seasonal residents. These residents change homes and appliances more often than I change light bulbs.)

Gaggenau 30" smooth surface drop in range: $100 (Found this at a different ReStore, with a different pricing structure. I let this one sit on the shelf and get down to $125 before I suggested it to my wife. I snagged it for $100 because I showed up on the day it was due to drop in price again!). Having cats, my wife didn't want a modern touch control smooth surface cooktop. The Gaggenau European styling with 1" knobs is functional, but cat-safe.

GE Profile black double wall oven $200. Scored this for a friend in Maine. He wasn't picky, and I snagged him a knob-less, modern design, pre-loved oven at a substantial discount over retail. He cared more about big and functional over color and brand.

Stoves/dishwashers: figure out which local big box gets the scratch and dent appliances, and check that store frequently. (Bought the Samsung Washer & Dryer we have used for 8+ years in our permanent home along with the pedestals as scratch & dent or clearance items at our local Lowes. Bought my sister a dryer there, a friend bought his Bosch dishwasher there, his mom got a Bosch washer there. Every one of these items was scratch/dent/clearance and priced to move). My wife scored an open box refrigerator for our farm this summer at the Lowes nearest the farm. Finding it conveniently coincided with having a 16' moving truck to deliver it herself. Since our farm is 80 miles one-way from the nearest big box hardware retailers, we don't qualify for "free delivery". We have a 5x8 flatbed utility trailer we use in the way most people use a pickup truck.

If you haven't figured out, I'm incredibly handy fixing things, which is why I'll drive 240 miles to go snag a non-working $60 dryer sitting on a pedestal. The $95 convection oven looked like it had been cooked in less than a dozen times. After I finished thoroughly cleaning it on my living room floor, it looked showroom new inside.

[jeff5may]

I concur with Where2, and I know for a fact that deals like he cited exist in the Louisville market. Craig's list and Facebook marketplace are both gold mines to be extracted of treasures. The two best deals I found this summer: a 2 ton heat pump outdoor unit for $50 from a guy in Hillview and a matching front load washer and dryer set (Kenmore HE3) for $100 near the LG&E power plant. It is very common to find front loaders with something minor wrong with them for $50.

Just this week, I picked up two washers. The first one, a Whirlpool Duet Sport, has a bad impeller in the drain pump. The other, a Kenmore HE2 plus (equivalent/brother model to the first), has a broken door lock switch. I swapped each other's good parts for bad to verify operation yesterday and today to verify operation, and they both worked. I'll be ordering parts this weekend, and they will be made whole, listed, and sold for a profit by the end of the week. The guy with the Whirlpool had a top load washer sitting on the front porch, that I know either had a broken belt or stripped out coupling (motor humming but no tub movement or grinding sounds when energized), and I would've taken it home for $20, but I was running short on time. I tried to contact him about it later, but so far I haven't gotten a reply back.Maybe he fixed it himself...

One thing you didn't say about the trailer is what kind of system was the original HVAC? They come with either package units (big supply and return ducts) or split systems (closet in the home for the air handler) equipped. The replacement would vary widely depending on what actually existed before.

[Phantom]

I'm not to worried about the appliances between the few ReStores and BargenHunt I will only pay a max of $300 per item. I have a truck but it sits high so it could be a little hard to load depending on the location, I guess I will be making a ramp for the bed.

Originally Posted by jeff5may

One thing you didn't say about the trailer is what kind of system was the original HVAC? They come with either package units (big supply and return ducts) or split systems (closet in the home for the air handler) equipped. The replacement would vary widely depending on what actually existed before.

I'm not sure what it had before. There is a mounting point outside for the AC condenser, in the utility room there is a closet where the air handler was. The closet I would guess it 2.5ft x2.5ft it has the duct under the floor and the hookup is just a large square hole in the floor. I'm assuming that it was a traditional electric forced air system.


The good news is power was turned on today but I will not be up there till Thursday. That's when I start removing the carpet, and check to see if the hot water is still there tank is hidden behind the wall in the master closet.

[DEnd]

If you can swing it financially I would not hesitate to switch to dustless minisplits for your heat and cooling. No duct losses, energy use that matches or beats most ground source heat-pumps except on the coldest of days, they are a great option. The downside to them is they will likely cost more than a straight retrofit, though you can get ducted options as well, but you'll spend more on energy due to duct losses. For me the tipping point on if to go ducted or ductless is where the ducts are located. If the ducts are inside the air barrier envelope of the house then i'd just try to retrofit a ducted minisplit, otherwise if the ducts are in the attic or under the house I'd seal up the holes and put in the ductless option. The other downside to them is they cost more to repair and due to the PCBs you may run into parts availability issues 15-20 years down the road.

[Phantom]

The ducts are located in the unconditioned basement and are sleeved with about 4in of fiberglass insulation. With ductless I would need a minimum of 5 heads to condition the space with the layout.

Strange thing is there is an furnace in the house now. On Monday the old owner and an insurance agent came out. The former owner claims that the hvac and appliances were stolen after he left. The next day my Dad went back to the house he then noticed that in the utility closet there was a piece of equipment. So some one broke in (possibly a window or the old lock in the basement) and installed a furnace.

All the locks have been replaced now and the windows are locked along with the riding mower blocking the basement door from the inside.

What was installed.
Mobile Modular Home Electric Furnace E4EB-012H E4EB012H 12 KW

[ecomodded]

Nice to have heat while your figuring things out winter is fast approaching.

Due to pricing I would use two ASHP with two indoor units each. A good effect with using two outdoor units is the economy of zone control and the added winter output is there and available when needed.