u/theeric5315

Looking for feedback on performance of my HVAC system and potential short cycling.

Background:

• Live in Northern Virginia (about 1 yr in the house)
• Approximately 2,300 sqft two floor house (lower floor is partial daylight) built in mid 70s
• Approximately 5 year old 3 ton Trane system
• System is in lower floor with returns on both floors
• Attic recently air sealed and new blow in to R49
• Windows are vinyl and newish
• Thermostat (programmable Trane) is right under the large return on the upper floor

So I've always been worried about insulation and heating/cooling efficiency since moving in a little over a year ago. I feel like both AC and heat run a lot and often. Attic was air sealed and new insulation blown in, but the photos the techs shared when they were finished were a joke. They gave me 5 or 6 blurry pics and nothing showing insulation depth so maybe I got ripped off. Attic is vented with ridge vent and gable end vents so there should be some air flow. The new insulation had little to no noticeable affect on how often or how long AC or heat run. So I'm obviously worried about how well my house is insulated and how my HVAC system is performing. I do have one other cheap indoor thermometer that's about halfway across the house from the thermostat and it's usually 3-4 degrees hotter than the thermostat.

Today I had the temp set to 77 and when the AC finally came on this afternoon (it was about 88 outside) it only ran for about 7 minutes. It turned off and then was back on again, again for only about 7 minutes. That cycle continued over the next few hours with the on time ranging from just over 6 minutes to about 8 minutes. After a few hours the off times got much longer. Does that sound like short cycling?

At night I also feel like it struggles as well. We usually set the overnight temp to 75 degrees (I'm a hot sleeper), but even on nights where the outside temp drops below that, the AC still runs, and in the morning the thermostat only reads 1 or 2 degrees under its set temp. I guess that means my house retains heat and even though outside temp is lower, inside still stays around 75-74?

A few other random things. There is no door between the two floors. The previous owners were older and installed a chair lift and removed the door between the two floors. There are two openings in the upper floor ceiling between the upstairs and the attic. One is a small access panel to get into the attic and the other is a whole house fan. The fan has a grate over it that closes when it's off and I also put a thin insulated/reflective fabric over it with velcro around the edeges. So neither opening is airtight, but even one the hottest days there's no noticible hot air flowing out of either into the house.

So any thoughts or feedback about the performance, potential short cycling, overall house insulation? Should I move the thermostat so it isn't directly underneath the return vent? Should I get rid of the whole house fan and seal the opening?

Thanks!

Looking for thoughts on racing on my Grail Aero.

A few things first. I know about the Inflight. I'm not planning on buying one any time soon. I know there's limited room for shouldering. But I'm a 45 year old amateur. I'm racing for fun, not to make a living. Limited room inside the frame won't be what stops me from making millions and getting sponsors.

Wheels are Reynolds ATR carbon. I know tires are over UCI limit, but again...amateur having fun.

So what do people think? Send it? Years ago at a few races I lined up next to a guy on an aluminum Grail (back then I had a dedicated CX bike).

Hi,

Looking for info on how long it takes to transfer shares from CS to Shwab. Trying to decide whether to eat the fees and sell thru CS or transfer my shares to my Schwab account first. Anyone with unrestricted have experience they can share.

Cheers!

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I'm running Inventor Pro Build 398 Release 2026.3 dated 04/13/26 and 3Dconnexion 10.9.12.735.

I have an RCL-510A pointing at the pool in my backyard. I only really care about detecting people at night while I'm out of town. I turned the vehicle detection sensitivity all the way down (you can't see any streets or vehicles from my back yard), but I keep getting vehicle detection alerts. I look at the video thinking it's a person or an animal, but there's nothing on the recording. Other than turning sensitivity all the way down, is there another way to turn off vehicle detection?

Hello,

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I have restricted shares locked in a Computer Share account until mid September. Is there a way to trade options on those shares with the contracts locked until after the restriction ends and I transfer them into my Schwab account? I'm already able to trade options, so I don't need to worry about that. Just a question regarding the timing of the options contact.

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Thanks.

I'll be installing a crown race on a new Pike fork. Are there any recommendations for air pressure, rebound, damping, etc while hammering the race? Don't want to damage my new fork.