CHICAGO | General Developments

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

inside... the spacepac ac units... I've seen these in other new builds recently as well. I guess the tech is cheap enough to make it a favorable option, or perhaps the building code changed in some way?

Well, it's not a bad way to cool smaller apartments, plus it's cheaper than a full blown (no pun intended) central AC condenser.

[Kngkyle]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Well, it's not a bad way to cool smaller apartments, plus it's cheaper than a full blown (no pun intended) central AC condenser.

Not only cheaper to install, but also cheaper to operate. My unit has these and I don't see a real downside to them. You can run the A/C or heat in only the rooms you are actually using when you are using them. Sure, you can close the vents if you have a central system but doing that repeatedly is not as easy as just hitting a switch. They also make it easier to set different temperatures in different rooms.

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Not only cheaper to install, but also cheaper to operate. My unit has these and I don't see a real downside to them. You can run the A/C or heat in only the rooms you are actually using when you are using them. Sure, you can close the vents if you have a central system but doing that repeatedly is not as easy as just hitting a switch. They also make it easier to set different temperatures in different rooms.

You see these in common use all over the world. They seem efficient enough, and provide zoning by default. I do think they're a bit unsightly, but certainly cost effective.

[Skyguy_7]

That’s called a VRF system. Multiple wall-mounted blowers can be fed by a single large condenser. It is more efficient and conserves quite a bit of space (no ductwork risers/trunk lines/ large Air Handling Units or mechanical rooms), but not as nice as central air.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Jim in Chicago

You see these in common use all over the world. They seem efficient enough, and provide zoning by default. I do think they're a bit unsightly, but certainly cost effective.

This.

[bnk]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Not only cheaper to install, but also cheaper to operate. My unit has these and I don't see a real downside to them. You can run the A/C or heat in only the rooms you are actually using when you are using them. Sure, you can close the vents if you have a central system but doing that repeatedly is not as easy as just hitting a switch. They also make it easier to set different temperatures in different rooms.

Don't you still have to send the exhaust heat from the unit vented somewhere to the outside of the condo or apartment and the water too from the de-humidifier component?

[LouisVanDerWright]

They are basically a giant ductless Mini-split system like you see in Europe. They are fed with coolant lines like you would see between your normal central air and your condenser outside. Instead of one central air and a small condenser these are dozens or hundreds of small self contained units that use a heat pump of coolant with a single giant condenser on the roof.

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

They are basically a giant ductless Mini-split system like you see in Europe. They are fed with coolant lines like you would see between your normal central air and your condenser outside. Instead of one central air and a small condenser these are dozens or hundreds of small self contained units that use a heat pump of coolant with a single giant condenser on the roof.

If you watch the House Hunter episodes, rather than a single unit on the roof you'll often see individual condenser units on the balconies, especially in Asia. I always laugh at this - what's the point of having a balcony if you're squeezed next to a noisy condenser unit that takes up most of the space?

[harryc]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

They are basically a giant ductless Mini-split system like you see in Europe. They are fed with coolant lines like you would see between your normal central air and your condenser outside. Instead of one central air and a small condenser these are dozens or hundreds of small self contained units that use a heat pump of coolant with a single giant condenser on the roof.

Is that the same as this ? ( 435 Park / LOWES )

LOWES by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Near North Resident

are those wall AC units? Those look ridiculous and what a cheap solution... for what they are going to charge you'd think they would do a better job than that!

If/when I have to replace my Central A/C, I will seriously consider going that route. They are far more efficient, with the added benefit of being able to zone by room by design, something that is difficult to do with regular forced air Central A/C.

In places with big thermal differences between rooms it is a superior, not a "cheap" solution. The windows in my photo there are all North-facing, so on the summer solstice they will be in light. My windows, being South-facing, get a lot of solar heat, meaning for my living room to be 74 degrees, my back rooms end up being on the mid-60s. I'd love to be able to adjust that more finely.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Yes, mini split are a great solution that Americans hardly ever use. They are particularly useful in converting old buildings where you don't want to destroy the original walls and trim. You can literally just run the coolant lines through an attic or even along the exterior and pop them through a 2" hole in the wall right into the unit.

I actually installed a two zone system myself in my attic of my first two flat. Was going to do the first two floors too, but they are well protected and shaded between larger buildings to each side so a single window unit can keep each of those floors cool even on a 100 degree day so I never bothered. That just goes to show the benefits of a ductless system, I only run the system to cool the areas I am using. I turn it on about 2 hours before I go to bed each night and it brings the temperature down from "sweltering attic" to "fall night with the windows open" in about an hour.

Originally Posted by harryc

Is that the same as this ? ( 435 Park / LOWES )

LOWES by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Yup, you can tell those are coolant lines by the color of the sweating. These copper pipes have not been sweated together with lead, they have been sweated with a solder that has a much higher silver content that needs to be heated to a higher temperature. That's what makes the really messy looking burn marks where they were joined. There is actually a different word for soldering with silver, but I forget what it's called. It's a lot more difficult than doing lead for a liquid tight seal, airtight is much more touchy.

Edit: Technique is called "brazing" so you "sweat" copper pipe with lead and you "braze" copper coolant lines with silver.

[Busy Bee]

I could be wrong but any sweating of copper that is still being done with solder containing lead is news to me.

[harryc]

Oct 1

[Randomguy34]

Street View HD is finally on Chicago's Google Maps. I'm in awe at how great the quality is

[SolarWind]

October 4, 2018

[SolarWind]

October 4, 2018

[SolarWind]

Originally Posted by spyguy

730 W Randolph will apparently be an 8 story building by Hirsch Associates.

October 4, 2018



https://www.730randolph.com/

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by SolarWind

October 4, 2018

Yes! Love the grey brick here!!

[PittsburghPA]

Walked past Nobu this afternoon. In pictures and in person the brick looks so much better than Hoxton. Unless you're right up against the building, Hoxton doesn't look like real brick work unfortunately. It just looks like a singular black facade.

[bnk]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...004-story.html


Navy Pier Flyover could be partly done by end of 2018









Chicago could have a partly completed Navy Pier Flyover as a Christmas present.

A spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation said that by the end of the year, part of the long-awaited bike and pedestrian path will be open over Grand Avenue and Illinois Street and the Ogden Slip, a narrow body of water south of Illinois and north of the Chicago River. The city recently received its first shipment of structural steel for the project and crews are expected to start installing the steel spine in mid-October, said CDOT’s Michael Claffey.




“This will eliminate the at-grade crossing at Grand and Illinois and make the Lakefront Trail easier and safer for all users,” Claffey said.

It has been a long time coming. The pedestrian and bicycle bridge, which will stretch from the Ohio Street Beach to the south side of the Chicago River, was started in 2014 after more than a decade of planning.

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