I'd start on the left side then work my way to the right. Slowly but surely placing each floor in parallel to the last. I'd apply the grout ever so lovingling, caressing the seem between floors. I'd fill the gaps with a mortar and pastel slowly working the tool into the floor until it is satisfied. I would say to the floor "there is no other way" as I get it wet with my mop, spraying every inch of it with thick sprays of soap. The floor would know it was wrong but love it too much to care. The floor and I would lay in a heap our bodies intertwined and pulsing in post flooring bliss.
Usually you want the long side to go against the longest wall, this is to minimize cuts. But it's really a matter of personal preference, there is no "wrong way" as long as you leave expansion room on the edges and have a way to cover any rough edges around the doors and transitions. Also from experience make the offsets between rows somewhat random, even a three row pattern can be seen.
The text in the body of your post literally says “I’d do it like this” and then your picture indicates that you’d start in the middle. You might see how I came to such a conclusion, as a result.
#1 - What direction are the floor joists running, you would typically run perpendicular to the joists to minimize waviness on the floor.
#2 - You would typically run it longways past the door, so the sun shining in doesn't go along the board length.
#3 - There's really no WRONG way to do this, because the LVP flooring doesn't have much structure to it, and it'll just follow the contouring of the subfloor. So whatever way you think looks best, go for it.
#4 - If the walls are really out of square, you can also go at a 45 degree angle to hide that. It'll use up a LOT more flooring, but it also looks pretty cool when it's all done.
edit: Picture #2 would be the more "right" way to do it, but again, if that's not what you like, then it's up to you. Also, not sure if this was just the way you are demonstrating, but you're also going to want to have a little more randomness in the board ends, don't have them alternate in a pattern like you have it.
If you are set on not having someone look at it, at least take a look at your condensation line. It will be a PVC pipe coming off your inside unit and going to a drain. It probaby also has a u-shaped trap so that it can operate under negative pressure.
The issue is that algae can build up over time and cause water to back up and drain in places you don't want. A service person doing a tune up would take of this task... But at a price higher than what you'd want to pay.
I've never heard of or had a HVAC "tune-up." If it's a standard air-to-air heat pump, you likely do not need one. You just need to change or clean the filters regularly, and maybe clean the coils once a year at most. I'm guessing that's what the mean by "tune-up?" Modern cars do not need "tune-ups" either.
Never, do not let anyone touch it if it's working. The furnace, yes...the outdoor unit, NO. Even then, the furnace would just need filter changes, and maybe checking gas pressures for heat and heat exchanger cracks or whatever..
It's a closed loop system. Zero reason to even look at it unless it stops working.the more it gets worked on, the higher changlce it won't be working the same after.
Also not an expert in that field even if I am an electrician. As far as I know a heat pump is really just a way to say A/C unit that can also run in reverse. If everything is set up correctly it should probably just work and not need a service or "tune up" for a long time. It may just be that whoever installed the one you are using now wants to ensure that it's working correctly and as it should. Or... They may be trying to find something to upsell.
Not an expert but these systems are fairly self-contained and robust. A few things that can be checked easily is that the fan spins, the radiator is free of debris and some compressors might have a sight glass for the oil level.
Any other checks regarding performance of the system, leaks and refrigerant level require you to perform a full refrigerant discharge and recharge. That takes special equipment and some time so no one in their right mind would do that for free, unless they can then force/guide you into some kind of upsell situation.
Larger systems might have some kind of oil filter/catch-can that you might be able to check easily but I'm not too sure on that.
After all heat pumps are just plain old A/C units with a reversible cycle.
You’ll need to pickup 608 type I certification to legally buy most refrigerants. It’s inexpensive, the exam is open book, and takes an afternoon to complete.
The “textbook” used is actually a useful reference if you’re just starting out. The material familiarizes you with common terminology, regulations technicians must follow, and the procedural basics for typical jobs, but the emphasis overall is how to handle refrigerants safely and avoid venting them into the atmosphere.
I started looking into that and if the price is right, it's not that far-fetched. (After all, I did get my ham radio license mainly so I could legally transmit up to 1000W in some cases....)
HVAC repair seems to be a lucrative business so it may be something to do on the side. The certification would be a great way to start that, actually.
Sure thing! Yeah the type I cert is an easy choice, same as 609 MVAC. If you’re considering the trade, you might choose universal (I, II, III) to save time. Exam is longer, closed book, and proctored, but not hard.
Among skilled trades, HVAC is notoriously demanding physically (especially residential, where you’ll spend a lot of time in attics and crawl spaces in hot weather) but consensus on hvac forums is that pay’s good and you’ll never be out of a job as long as you take care of your body.
I think you can get refrigerant from most gas supply stores, usually the same business sells welding supplies. I know you can exchange full bottles for empty there but I don't know about the reverse.
If you live in the US you cannot legally purchase most domestic refrigerant without EPA Section 608 certification. Most supply houses will ask to see your cert card if they don't recognize you.
The refrigerant recovery machine is around $500 entry level, you also need the correct tank and a good scale. That's on top of the manifold, new refrigerant, vacuum pump, etc. I don't know much about it but I looked into it once upon a time for automotive DIY and decided it was too costly to mess with.
Not a professional but Ive DIYed it. So the following may be oversimplified and/or not best practice.
You'll need a gauge set so you can watch both the high and low side pressures. Your unit probably does not have ports to attach the gauges but they make some adapters that bolt on and pierce the lines. These work ok but will probably be another spot for leaks down the road.
You'll need to figure out what refrigerant your unit has in it, there's usually a metal placard somewhere that tells you this. This is how you'll look up where your pressures need to be.
Finally you'll need to source said refrigerant, which you likely cannot buy without a license or bribing someone.
The actual charging procedure I would look around on youtube for. It may vary depending on your type of unit but it's usually pretty straightforward.
I have no experience whatsoever with heat pumps. I think they do some black magic with reversing the refrigerant flow; so there is probably a whole other set of specs and procedures for those.
If the concept of a reversing valve is wholly alien to you, I cannot recommend you DIY your issue. Just hire someone, it goes beyond convenience or annoying risks, it's your safety that I'm questioning. Frostbite, electrical shock, poisoning, risk of explosion, severe burns, suffocation, there are so many ways that trained techs get hurt or killed when they don't respect the safety element. No way in hell am I going to tell a stranger on the internet to take that risk for themself or someone around them.
Please just hire someone.
Edit: just realized you're not the OP. Still gonna leave this up. This kind of work is simply not suited to being done by non-professionals.
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