A/C unit slab isn't level - how to level it?
veruca
The problem is that the previous owner (a real dumbass) never bothered to
put drainage on his washing machine, which was installed in a 'mud room'
attached to the back of the house.
The washer was draining right by the outside a/c unit, and eroded the soil
to the point where the a/c unit's concrete slab was developing a
noticeable slant. (This may also be why the owner had to fork out 10K for
foundation repairs before my mortage lender would finance the place.)
I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
leveling the cement slab the a/c unit's sitting on? It's a pretty bigass
unit. And is this important, or is a certain degree of slope okay? My
understanding is that most appliances get unhappy if they're not level.
Terry Kennedy
> I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
> leveling the cement slab the a/c unit's sitting on? It's a pretty bigass
> unit. And is this important, or is a certain degree of slope okay? My
> understanding is that most appliances get unhappy if they're not level.
How big is the slab? The solution for much-larger slabs is "mud jacking"
or ripping it out and re-pouring it.
OTOH, a friend of mine just had a Carrier system installed about 15 months
ago, and the installer just brought out some sort of concrete-sprayed styro-
foam "insta-slab" and plopped the unit on that. The installing company does
a very large amount of commercial business in New York City, so I doubt they
are too clueless.
One other caution - since your washer was draining there, does your dryer
vent anywhere near it? Dryer lint is excellent at clogging the coils up, as
well as causing fan motors to seize up.
Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing
te...@spcvxa.spc.edu St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
+1 201 915 9381 (voice) +1 201 435-3662 (FAX)
Camlawnman
>
>I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
>leveling the cement slab the a/c unit's sitting on?
try mud jacking,a company comes out drills some holes, pumps the sucker right
up with some muddy stuff,had my driveway done 2 yrs ago hasnt fallen yet.
"My first,my last,my everything"Cam99
veruca
But it won't be difficult to move it.
V.
In article <FAu67...@spcuna.spc.edu>, Terry Kennedy
<te...@spcunb.spc.edu> wrote:
> veruca <ver...@usa.net> writes:
> > I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
John Gilmer
a new septic system (and then replacing the utility lines cut by the septic
system contractor) left the heat pump looking like it was going to slide
down the hill.
I just used a shovel to lift the slip a corner at a time and placed
temporaty wood wedges and then bricks. As I get around to it I am
replacing the wedges and bricks with mortor. I only made a small amount of
mortor at a time but the unit is almost level so it is OK.
If your A/C unit is just AC it can be dead level. If it is a heat pump it
needs a definite slope. You may find the amount of slope on the outside
on inside nameplace (you may have to remove an access papel to see the
later. If you can't find instructions, slope it 3/4" away from the house
and down grade. The idea is that in heat pump mode you want to give the
condensate a chance to drain.
Use common sense: the only danger is stressing the lines that go to the
inside air handler. Wedge and/or remove dirt in such a way that minimizes
rotation and level change of these lines. Go slow and have plenty of
wedges handy.
IMO, you are better off doing this without help so you aren't under any
pressure to rush things.
Finally, you might want to have an A/C man check out your unit before you
start moving things. If you already have a leak, you can move the unit with
the lines disconnected for awhile. If you don't have a leak, the A/C man
can give your more precise guidance on how the unit should end up.
JLG
veruca <ver...@usa.net> wrote in message
news:4ED24C7C6D97426D.9B0F772E...@library-proxy.airnew
s.net...
> I recently bought an older house with a fairly new Carrier a/c system.
> The problem is that the previous owner (a real dumbass) never bothered to
> put drainage on his washing machine, which was installed in a 'mud room'
> attached to the back of the house.
>
> The washer was draining right by the outside a/c unit, and eroded the soil
> to the point where the a/c unit's concrete slab was developing a
> noticeable slant. (This may also be why the owner had to fork out 10K for
> foundation repairs before my mortage lender would finance the place.)
>
> I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
> leveling the cement slab the a/c unit's sitting on? It's a pretty bigass
> unit. And is this important, or is a certain degree of slope okay? My
> understanding is that most appliances get unhappy if they're not level.
>
Walt Conner
raised the slab a little above level, threw dry sand under the low end and
leveled the sand with a thin stick, lower and recheck. May have to do it a
couple of times to get it to stay level.
Walt Conner
Camlawnman <camla...@aol.common> wrote in article
<19990427161855...@ng-da1.aol.com>...
> >From: veruca@
> >
> >I've already plumbed in the washer properly, now what can I do about
> >leveling the cement slab the a/c unit's sitting on?
>
rebe...@my-dejanews.com
Terry Kennedy <te...@spcunb.spc.edu> wrote:
> OTOH, a friend of mine just had a Carrier system installed about 15 months
> ago, and the installer just brought out some sort of concrete-sprayed styro-
> foam "insta-slab" and plopped the unit on that. The installing company does
> a very large amount of commercial business in New York City, so I doubt they
> are too clueless.
That is exactly what the American Standard installer did to mine 2 1/2 years
ago. When I questioned the installer how long it would take to install my A/C
since he would have to wait for the concrete slab to setup first, he said he
would be bringing a ready-maid slab so he could do the job in a day. I didn't
realize that he meant a styrofoam pad to put the unit on, until I got home
from work after he was long gone. It was easy to rock my A/C around since it
wasn't attached to the slab, and the slab was so light and setting on a bunch
of 4"-6" river rocks that bordered my house. It was by no means level, but it
didn't seem to affect it's operation though. I did have to hose off the coils
facing the house though every month to get rid of the dryer lint that
constantly blew on it.
Robert
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Rich Webb
wrote:
> OTOH, a friend of mine just had a Carrier system installed about 15 months
>ago, and the installer just brought out some sort of concrete-sprayed styro-
>foam "insta-slab" and plopped the unit on that. The installing company does
>a very large amount of commercial business in New York City, so I doubt they
>are too clueless.
Another pseudo-crete slablette here, although the installer was a small
2-3 man local operation. It's a couple of years old now and other than
having to be careful with the weed trimmer it seems okay.
A possible advantage this type of pad may provide is better thermal
insulation (it's a combined gas furnace and A/C unit) and less moisture
penetration as compared to a concrete slab.
--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
raw...@erols.com
Daniel Hicks
>
> I recently bought an older house with a fairly new Carrier a/c system.
> The problem is that the previous owner (a real dumbass) never bothered to
> put drainage on his washing machine, which was installed in a 'mud room'
> attached to the back of the house.
>
> The washer was draining right by the outside a/c unit, and eroded the soil
> to the point where the a/c unit's concrete slab was developing a
> noticeable slant. (This may also be why the owner had to fork out 10K for
> foundation repairs before my mortage lender would finance the place.)
>
> unit. And is this important, or is a certain degree of slope okay? My
> understanding is that most appliances get unhappy if they're not level.
Level is good, but many units seem to survive being fairly well aslant.
Assuming that this is either a fairly small poured-in-place slab, or a
prefab slab, you should be able to work a lever under one edge and lift
it up. When you do, work gravel underneath.
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TinMan1332
>
>Assuming that this is either a fairly small poured-in-place slab, or a
>prefab slab, you should be able to work a lever under one edge and lift
>it up. When you do, work gravel underneath.
Or you could mix up a bag of concrete mix and pack that under the unit's slab.
The latter works better in soft sandy soils
J.P.
Hamm4fun
I dug a footing around mine about as deep and wide as the shovel head. Used a
pry bar to lift the slab and put some pieces of rock under it to hold it in
place. I then poured the footing. Also used this time to put the control wires
in conduit and extend the drain away from the house(piped it over to my fig
tree).