tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25517940869661846862024-02-19T12:04:35.525-05:00ModusModernThis blog is a running commentary about Modernism and Mid-Century Modern design and architecture, in conjunction with my website, ModusModern.com.John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-35006079026456273322011-11-03T06:54:00.000-04:002011-11-03T06:54:25.270-04:00A Few Found ObjectsHad these photos I took sometime during December of last year and thought I would post them with a few comments. All of these items were basically free.<br />
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The first is an Eames knock-off that I found on the curb near my house. Not in bad condition - the shell doesn't have any tears or bad scrapes. The legs are a little rusty but I think this chair has spent the last few years outside. We've had it a while - it lives near the sliding-glass door that enters the house from the carport.<br />
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Slightly to the left of the chair is the doorway and the original doorbell. I'm not sure if I ever took a photo of it so thought I would post. When we moved into the house the doorbell was painted a matching Kelly green with the trim. It took a bit of scraping to get the original pot metal to show through - I also found an inexpensive doorbell switch to replace what was in there so the button is a new replacement.<br />
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I think it's fairly unusual but definitely vintage and probably the original doorbell for the house.<br />
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Finally, while rooting around in the basement I found the Howard Miller clock - the balls and stems have been hand-painted the hideous blue and the cord needs replacement. The hands are also a little beat-up but I think this clock is entirely restore-able (another project - yeah I know). I'm not sure what the original color of the balls were - welcome to some recommendations?<br />
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It's currently living to the right of the fireplace but will probably get moved. Anyway, that's all for now.<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-44940127551664886702011-10-06T07:07:00.001-04:002011-10-06T07:08:57.946-04:00MODA Exhibit - Passione Italiana - Design of the Italian MotorcycleEarlier this year I hit an exhibit at <strong>MODA</strong> (the Museum of Design Atlanta) - this was in conjunction with a <strong>Yelp</strong> event. <br />
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First a couple of words on each - MODA was formerly the Atlanta International Museum and was located in the Suntrust Towers next to the Marriott Hotel downtown - it occupied two floors with offices and an exhibit hall on one floor and about the same space on another floor. I know a bit about it since I worked on two exhibits there: "Pop Goes the Plastic" (with my now-neighbor John Stephens) and "The Art of the Ndebele" (an exquisite show displaying this South African tribes' Mondrian-ish artistic forms and handmade articles). The last exhibit I saw at the old location featured the design work of Marcel Breuer including furniture pieces and some architectural renderings (plus a model!) - great stuff and of international quality. The new location is right across the street from the High Museum of Art on Peachtree Rd, so if you have time to visit both I would recommend it.<br />
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As you walk up to the new building you get a great view of Midtown and the wonderful Calder mobile in front of the High Museum. MODA occupies the ground floor and seeing this great, little known museum. I love the new space - it's high ceilings and length allow for much larger exhibits than before - the old location used to have to break things up due to being on two floors - now a thing of the past and vastly improved.<br />
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The event I went to was held on April 17th by <strong>Yelp</strong> - if you haven't looked at Yelp yet you should - or you may have and not realized it. Yelp is responsible for much of the localized restaurant review content you see when doing web searches. Basically anyone can go into Yelp and view reviews on just about any restaurant, and many other venues such as retail stores and events. If you register you can post new reviews and let the world know how you feel about a place or experience. Of course many who post are trolls or shills (trolls disparage anything in general - they usually have only one or at most a handful of reviews and you can usually filter them out; shills are paid to either disparage the competition or write "fake" reviews about an establishment - like trolls they usually have very few reviews and they may have recommendations for another establishment - you should also filter those out). As many of you know, I used to be in the restaurant industry so I tend to write reviews of my various "foodie" experiences. Unless a restaurant visit is exceptionally bad or good, I will try a place a couple of times before reviewing (in case my first visit was a fluke - it happens). If you write a lot of reviews you're asked to join the "Yelp Elite" and you get invited to events - like this occasion at MODA - where you can sample things in a private setting among other Yelp members. Besides being in an exceptional venue, there was food to sample provided by local establishments, plus drinks (this night a Martini and Rossi mix that was actually quite good and something I wouldn't normally order). These events are hosted by Kathleen who is the local Yelp mistress/diva.<br />
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Enough already about the venue and Yelp - let's talk about the exhibit "Passione Italiana - Design of the Italian Motorcycle." I've always been a fan of older motorcycles - especially Nortons and Triumphs, so it's not wonder I'd be interested in this exhibit. These were bikes raced by Ducati, some in really amazing condition. The photos I took reflect my interest - I don't think I took photos of every bike that was there, preferring to concentrate on the classic bikes (actually the event was so well attended it was difficult to get shots of most of the bikes without a bunch of people standing in the way). Anyway, I'll let the photos do the talking.<br />
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Sorry that the photos meander a bit - I did one photo pass then came back once some of the attendees started to leave (you know, when the food and drinks are gone!). My favorite bikes were the 1959 Ducati 200 Supersport and the 1964 Agusta 500cc Grand Prix. I also got into the industrial design of some of the motor and suspension parts (why there are close ups of those).<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-7875052524474896282011-09-30T07:09:00.001-04:002011-09-30T07:09:50.753-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 18, the 1953 Porsche 550 Prototype<strong>1953 Porsche 550 Prototype</strong><br />
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This was the first of the racing prototypes built by Porsche that are usually attributed to their sports car market success. This example is the first of two 550 prototypes built and raced (and apparently the only one to survive) - after a year of development starting in 1952, and winning its initial outing in 1953. Most photos you'll see of the 550 are of the spider configuration (this car actually has a removable hardtop - seems they were raced with or without).<br />
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In 1953 the two Porsche 550 Prototypes 550-01 and 550-02 ran for the entire 24 hours of Le Mans exchanging intervals but otherwise running nearly side-by-side, crossing the finish line at basically the same interval from which they started the race. The win was awarded by Le Mans scoring officials to 550-02. The end of the season brought the cars to Mexico where they raced in the 1954 La Carrera Panamericana (the paint and sponsorship reflects that latter period). After that, the cars disappeared with only the original 550-01 appearing in later years in a Mexican warehouse.<br />
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I love the lines of this car - you'll often find the 550 as a kit with fiberglass panels - here you'll see the original that started it all. The top speed was 125 MPH with both cars clocked near the limit during practice sessions at Le Mans.<br />
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Well that's it for the exhibit - glad you've made the journey with me - I was beginning to think I wouldn't ever finish it. Cindi, in this last photo from the museum (odd "log" bench near the coat check) is certainly glad I'm done!<br />
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-- Best, JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-67737593906332082242011-09-19T06:27:00.000-04:002011-09-19T06:28:51.571-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 17, the Ferrari 250 GT Comp Berlinetta<strong>1961 Ferrari 250 GT Comp./ 61 Short-wheelbase Berlinetta</strong><br />
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In the world of automotive racing the Ferrari 250 GT (Gran Turismo) exceeded expections. In an effort to improve handling Enzo Ferrari turned to Pininfarina to design a short wheel-base version which resulted in the 1961 250 GT Comp./ 61 Short-wheelbase Berlinetta (quite a mouthful!). Quite the beauty - sorry about the lack of photos. The High had this one tucked away into a room where I could only get shots from the front. I tried the "wide swing" to get an angle shot and it was just too blurry.<br />
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Next up the last car (at last!): 1953 Porsche 550 PrototypeJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-56805175221204572592011-08-24T06:35:00.000-04:002011-08-24T06:35:10.833-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 16, the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray<strong>1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray</strong><br />
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This was one of my favorite cars in the show - the iconic Corvette Sting Ray concept car. This convertible boasts a 327-cubic-inch (5.4 L), fuel-injected V-8 of 375 hp (280 kW), and was built on a 1957 Corvette SS chassis (the SS was built as a Le Mans contender but the AMA banned manufacturer-sponsored racing so it was used as a test-bed only). Many of the features of the '59 influenced the '63 model. It was also a technical test bed for several features, including the four-speed manual tranny, the de Deon rear suspension and use of aluminum. This car is simply stunning!<br />
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Next up, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Comp./ 61 Short-wheelbase Berlinetta<br />
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-- John<br />
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John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-43920581565562082352011-08-13T07:20:00.000-04:002011-08-13T07:20:34.949-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 15, the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham<strong>1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham</strong><br />
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I can't believe that the '57 Brougham actually made it into production, but at $13,074 — twice the price of any other 1957 Eldorado and slightly more than the Rolls-Royce "Silver Cloud" model of the same year, my thought is that there probably weren't very many made. The most outstanding feature to me is the brushed stainless-steel roof - move over John Delorean! This four-door hardtop also came with rear-hinged rear doors, an air suspension, probably the first ever power seats and just about every feature that GM offered at the time - it even had small bottles of perfume. I also love the bits of chrome used throughout and the slightly understated fin (if you're familiar with later years you'll know what I mean!).<br />
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Next up, the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray.<br />
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-- John<br />
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John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-45649393795425109242011-08-08T07:00:00.002-04:002011-08-08T07:01:30.727-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 14, the Tucker Model 48 Torpedo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>1948 Tucker Model 48 Torpedo</strong><br />
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Looking more appropriate on the set of "Mad Men" than as part of this group of Modernist Automobiles, we continue with another US manufacturer in this entry, the Tucker Model 48 Torpedo. To be honest, I knew very little about this car and history before watching the Jeff Bridges movie "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" released in the late 80s - a fantastic movie by the way and well worth watching. But then again, any movie that also has Martin Landau playing a role is worth watching, right? In any case watch the movie if you want to learn more about this really special car, that had many feature innovations that we totally take for granted today only 30-40 years before the rest of the automotive world caught up to make them commonplace. My apologies for the lack of a whole body shot - the way this car was tucked (pun intended) against the wall prevented me from getting one, especially with the crowds of people.<br />
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Next up, the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-83104960358056785512011-07-27T07:05:00.001-04:002011-07-27T07:05:22.194-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 13, the Dodge Fire Arrow III<strong>1953 Dodge Fire Arrow III</strong><br />
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We finally start getting into some automotive designs by US manufacturers with the Dodge Fire Arrow III. Dodge looked to the Turin, Italy-based firm of Ghia who utilized designs by stylist Luigi Segre for this modernist masterpiece. Powered by a Hemi V8 the Fire Arrow had plenty of steam to impress even the most jaded automotive expert. I'd love to have this as a weekend car for tooling around Atlanta in typical Mad Men style - me wearing the thin lapeled black suite and skinny tie...<br />
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Next up, the 1948 Tucker Model 48 TorpedoJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-33077645727288700252011-07-21T07:13:00.002-04:002011-07-27T06:47:29.081-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 12, the Jaguar XK-SS Roadster<strong>1957 Jaguar XK-SS Roadster</strong><br />
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I've always had something of a soft-heart for Jaguars - one of my dream cars is an early model E-Type roadster and at one point I owned and restored a Jaguar MK2S (long gone now but not forgotten). In any case the XK-SS sort of heralded the modern Jag's appearance along with the D-Type (precursor to the E-Type) - this example was really stunning. I wish I had gotten better images but most came out too blurred to publish (and my apologies for the inferior images I've posted here - they really don't provide justice to this fine lady).<br />
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Next up, the 1953 Dodge Fire Arrow III.<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-28350896982229686742011-07-14T08:47:00.002-04:002011-07-14T08:49:01.261-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 11, the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR<strong>1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR</strong><br />
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One of nine SLR roadsters designed by Rudolph Uhlenhaut, the MB 300 SLR was created to compete in the World Sports Car Championship and won it handily in 1955. Sadly Daimler-Benz decided to withdraw completely from racing the following year after a 300 SLR crashed in the 1955 LeMans 24-Hour race, killing eighty spectators.<br />
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This is the first roadster version of the famous 300 SLR gull-wing coup I've ever seen - the coup is often listed in the coveted "Dream Car" category and yes, the doors are cool - however to me the roadster has the streamline modern lines that pull it away from the pack - what a beauty! I had the privilege of doing some body-work on a 190SLR - there's very little comparison to that more common model.<br />
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Next up, the 1957 Jaguar XK-SS Roadster<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-14430807970374729692011-07-06T08:38:00.000-04:002011-07-06T08:38:36.759-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 10, the Aston Martin Zagato<strong>1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-01.jpg" width="320" /></a>Designed via a partnership between Aston Martin owner John Wyer and Italian coach builder Gianni Zagato, the DB4GT was intended for competition, as revealed through this stunning design by Ercole <span style="color: black;">Spada.</span> It's evident that the design mimics Ferrari's successful 250 GT Berlinetta - this example as been "dressed up" with bumpers and some additional chrome. Of the nineteen built, only six were left-hand drive.<br />
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If the car looks a bit familiar, it's younger brother the DB5 was made famous in Ian Flemming's Thunderball with Sean Connery at the wheel (and behind the switches for all the gadgetry).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AstonMartinZagato-09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next up, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-78378523031158192082011-06-30T10:48:00.001-04:002011-06-30T10:50:26.227-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 9, Porsche Type 64<strong>1938-1939 Porsche Type 64</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-02.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is a rather unusual specimen for an exhibit - it's actually a recreation of the Type 64 chassis, based on plans of what's thought of as the first Porsche, the VW Aerocoupe. Sort of the missing-link between the VW (the Type 60) and the later Porsche 356, the body design was made by Porsche Büro after wind tunnel tests for a race car that was never built. Only three Type 64s were made, hand-shaped in aluminum by the bodywork company Reutter - only one survived the war. I consider this model to be a prime example of both industrial and streamline design in automobile manufacturing. If you squint a bit you can see the VW origin (squash a VW a bit and narrow the drivers compartment, then smooth out and extend the fenders and you're there). I like the way they have it displayed - seems to be floating in mid air (reminds you of Earth vs the Saucer Men).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/PorscheType64-04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Tough taking photos of the chassis - the High had it tucked into a corner so there was only about 20 feet along one edge where I could find a vantage point.<br />
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Next up, the 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT ZagatoJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-28816054399818145692011-06-24T09:57:00.000-04:002011-06-24T09:57:03.701-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 8, the Bugatti Atalante<strong>1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is pretty much awesomeness, personified and a very strong offering by Bugatti. Jean Bugatti designed the Atlante as a production Grand Tourer on the Type 57 chassis. This is one of about forty built before World War II which halted all production. This example was restored in 1996 to its original color scheme, placing second in its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in that year.<br />
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The placard notes: "Ettore Bugatti was a mildly eccentric and utterly brilliant Italian engineer who, from 1911 to 1939, built automobiles of uncompromising elegance and sporting competence. Bugatti's cars were expensive, temperamental, technically complex, and - in the case of this example - hauntingly beautiful."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-08.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/BugattiAtalante-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My favorite bits on this beautiful car are the heavily distended front fenders, the rounded rear and the utterly awesome tail-pipes - we should all have 6 come out back there...<br />
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Next up, the 1938-1939 Porsche Type 64<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-5044018684817929322011-06-21T11:02:00.000-04:002011-06-21T11:02:14.848-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 7, the Delage D8-120s<strong>1937 Delage D8-120S</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-02.jpg" width="320" /></a>French automaker Delage used Parisian coachbuilder Marcel Purtout and stylist Georges Paulin to create this fluid, streamlined masterpiece, the D8-120S. This was one of the first automobiles to be first tested using a scale model in a wind tunnel, now a common practice but unheard of in the 30s. My favorite features are the teardrop-shaped fenders, steel artillery-spoked wheels and lack of bumpers and parking lights. And we're once again treated to the Batmobile-invoking rear.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Delage-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next up, the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-36736621663367846702011-06-15T09:17:00.001-04:002011-06-16T20:04:55.567-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 6, the Xenia<strong>1937 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H-6C "Xenia."</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-02.jpg" width="320" /></a>There's a lot to like about this Dubonnet creation - the epitome of avant-garde streamline, the graceful curves and airplane fuselage-inspired tail lend itself well to being copied by current manufacturers' attempts at a concept car. I particularly like the sliding doors which I believe was a unique feature for the time. I first saw the rear of this beautiful creation as I turned the demising wall at the High (behind the "showcase" car) - it really just knocked my socks off.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/DubonnetHispano-09.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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Next up, 1937 Delage D8-120S<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-4733489341273859632011-06-09T12:10:00.001-04:002011-06-15T09:18:25.117-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 5, the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Touring Berlinetta<strong>1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Touring Berlinetta</strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AlphaBerlinetta-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/AlphaBerlinetta-01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Another beautiful Italian designed automobile, the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Touring Berlinetta was one of the most sophisticated, technically advanced sports cars of its era, rivaling even Bugatti with its elegant blend of advanced styling and engineering (paraphrased from the gallery placard).<br />
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I thoroughly love the Batman-like styling and modernist sweeping curves - check out those hood lines and louvers on the sides, not to mention the fabulous oval grill. The rear wheel-covers are out-of-this world! And it has to be one of the most beautiful sedans from the rear.<br />
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Next up, the 1937 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H-6C "Xenia."<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-61955728847173494232011-06-07T08:45:00.003-04:002011-06-15T09:18:46.216-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 4, the MB 540K<strong>1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special-Roadster</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/MB-Roadster-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/MB-Roadster-01.jpg" width="320" /></a>Built by <span style="color: black;">Mercedes-Benz</span> from 1935 to 1940, the 540K Special0Roadster the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Geiger" title="Friedrich Geiger"><span style="color: #0645ad;">Friedrich Geiger</span></a> designed car was a development to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_500K" title="Mercedes-Benz 500K"><span style="color: #0645ad;">500K</span></a>, itself a development of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SSK" title="Mercedes-Benz SSK"><span style="color: #0645ad;">SSK</span></a>.<br />
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This is really a spectacular example in pristine condition. According to Wikipedia they only produced 58 of these as roadsters, so this is indeed one of the rarest cars. I love the long lines, sweeping finders, chrome accents and exposed side-exhaust piping. I also love the lines of the rear bumper - they just don't make anything as elegant...<br />
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Next up: 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Touring BerlinettaJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-86670233387902337902010-12-22T09:19:00.006-05:002011-06-16T09:03:14.156-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 3, the Packard LeBaron SpeedsterThe next installment to the Auto Exhibit at the High...<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1934 Packard LeBaron Runabout Speedster</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/LeBaron01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" n4="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/LeBaron01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of 4 build Roundabouts built (of 960 total built V12s mostly coups) - I love the "suicide" doors and pontoon fenders. This car was indeed a thing of rare beauty. Can you imagine tooling around with the top down and visiting all the clubs? I took a lot of photos so bear with me...(some are a little blurred - lots of elbows to joggle the camera). <br />
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Next up, the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special-Roadster....John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-85424413815081444252010-11-21T09:45:00.001-05:002011-06-15T09:19:25.416-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 2, the Pierce-Arrow Silver ArrowContinuing my visit to the High Museum <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Pierce01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" ox="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Pierce01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border: currentColor;">The next car we saw was this Pierce-Arrow - I loved all the red detailing - the wheels, stripes, etc. You can sort of see the bicycle manufacturing heritage of the original founding George Pierce. As one of only three survivors of this model, it was indeed a treat to view it in-person. Notice the beautiful woods used in the interior - makes the woodworker in me giddy...</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Next up, 1934 Packard LeBaron Runabout Speedster</div>John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-19442495139127274322010-08-14T19:56:00.001-04:002011-06-15T09:19:47.704-04:00The Allure of the Automobile Exhibit at the High Part 1, the Duesenberg JN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Allure01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Allure01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I had the opportunity to visit the High Museum in Atlanta while "The Allure of the Automobile" was exhibiting. If you know me personally, you'll also know that besides modernism I have a fondness borderline-ing obsession with classic automobiles. This exhibit brought both of my interests together and resulted in my taking a rather excessive number of photos, which I'll feature as separate articles in my ModusModern blog.<br />
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From the High Museum of Art pamphlet:<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Allure002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Allure002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border: currentColor;"><strong>The Allure of the Automobile</strong></div><div style="border: currentColor;">March 21 - Jun 20, 2010</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Built from the 1930s to the mid-1960s, the eighteen rare and limited-edition cars in this exhibition represent the best of the best - luxurious, one-of-a-kind designs from legendary car makers such as Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Cadillac, Duesenberg, Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Porsche, and Tucker. Former owners of some of these award-winning autos include Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Steve McQueen.</div><br />
I attended the exhibit on 2010.06.20 - it had been extended by a week or so. The exhibit was quite crowded so it was very challenging to get photos of everything I would have liked (counting back through my photos I seem to have missed on car) - I hardly got any photos of some cars like the Tucker 48. I took many photos of others as I had more opportunity to get unobstructed views. You'll find that I have an afinity for certain details and the justaposition of shapes - there are several close-ups. I also tried to take images of the display plackards but the glare from the lighting made it difficult - I don't believe most can be read (I've included those that are nearly legible). Enjoy!<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>1935 Duesenberg JN Roadster</strong></span></div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Duesenberg01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" ox="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Duesenberg01.jpg" width="320" /></a>Walking into the main hall the first automobile you see is the 1935 Duesenberg JN Roadster. I believe this is the car mentioned in exhibit literature that was a gift to Clark Gable from his wife Carole Lombard. I took many photos of this car as it is quite beautiful. There's also a YouTube video I found and added at the end of artist Alan Johnson who applied pin-striping during the restoration.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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Next up: 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-2639713609578223582010-05-14T19:35:00.002-04:002010-05-14T19:48:55.883-04:00Robert Green's Gould House<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1147/4600550113_45e2c70374_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1147/4600550113_45e2c70374_o.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was contacted sometime in February 2010 regarding the upcoming sale of a Robert Green property. The email was from the listing agent, who provided a couple of images but not much else in detail. Using the images I determined that the home was the Gould House, and from my copy of the RG website (<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/RobertGreen">http://www.modusmodern.com/RobertGreen</a>) deduced the location by back-tracking the hint regarding its location on Lake Phoebe (I had to do a bit of sleuthing as the lake is only known as Lake Phoebe by the residents, it's actually now known as Silverlake). Using the floor-plan and images I looked at homes around the lake via aerial photos on Google Maps. A couple of weeks later my guess was confirmed. The home is one of the most well-maintained examples of an RG structure I've seen to date - probably because the family it was built for owned and lived in the residence until recently.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have some images up from the original RG website here:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/robertgreen/gould.asp">http://www.modusmodern.com/robertgreen/gould.asp</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/robertgreen/images/gouldblw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/robertgreen/images/gouldblw.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a>Note the intentional resemblance in the floor-plan to the well-documented Hanna House in Palo Alto, done by the master himself. When we first pulled up to the drive I knew we were in for a treat - the roofline from the road, the natural stone, and great fireplace all provided hints of a wonderful structure. I took a few moments looking around the empty house before entering, as evidenced by the photographs in my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnyapollo/sets/72157623921313155/">flickr gallery</a>. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The entryway was simply wonderful, with a custom-made door that was heavier than it first appeared. The short foyer opens into a hallway to the right (where the baths and bedrooms are) and a kitchen to the left - ahead lies the large living room. The home is similar to the Arrow Head House in many ways, only with the living room more centralized. The entire back of the house is glass and provides a magnificant view of the lake below. I spent some time taking photos, probably more than many of you will ever want to see, but I wanted to take the opportunity to document the house through photos as I wasn't sure if there would ever be another chance.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/4600550357_7f70105ca3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/4600550357_7f70105ca3_o.jpg" width="150" wt="true" /></a>The bedrooms and bathrooms, with the exception of the master, are small, featuring built-in dressers (the drawers are often built as parallelograms to match the angles of the walls. The beds and nightstands for the most part are also built-in. The spaces all take as much advantage of the view as possible by providing floor-to-ceiling windows and utilizing the remaining space as efficiently as possible. The master has an additional private room with balcony which is overlooked by the bed, which is surrounded by built-in shelves. There are many areas providing natural light both in the walls and ceiling via skylights.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The living area is one of the best I've seen by Green, slightly sunk-in with a two-sided fireplace that comes to an acute point (the other side services an angular seating room). Built-in cabinets cascade down a short flight of stairs to a small end-table. There's provision for television sets, stereo and speakers, all built-in.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The kitchen is expansive, running around the outside of the angular seating room - it features an amazing amount of counter space and what appears to be all original appliances. The floors throughout are the red-stained concrete in triangular motif or carpet. All I can say is, what a fantastic home. Please visit my gallery to look at all the photos - I don't think you'll be disappointed. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For my previous Robert Green posts, follow this link or click Robert Green in my Tag Cloud to the right:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://modusmodern.blogspot.com/search/label/Robert%20Green">http://modusmodern.blogspot.com/search/label/Robert%20Green</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">-- John</div><img height="66" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/robertgreen/images/gouldblw.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 590px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 263px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-37567915204863129752010-01-28T12:22:00.004-05:002010-01-28T12:33:16.205-05:00Restoring Metal Carport Posts<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts01.jpg" width="320" /></a>I recently was tasked with replacing two metal carport posts and thought I'd share the experience. While at first this might seem a bit daunting, I think you'll find as you read that it's not as bad as it sounds. Most of the homes in our Northcrest neighborhood have metal posts supporting the 4" x 8" douglas fir support beams that are exposed in the carport and the front patio (if the home has one). This was a very common building practice by P&H Home Builders and is the norm for all the tri-level modern homes in this neighborhood, and those homes built by P&H in Northwoods and other local communities. Howard Hardrath's brother, Buddy, continued with this practice in his version of the P&H Split in Lilburn, Stone Mountain and other areas. It was also used by very many other modern builders in the area, although the pipe diameter may vary a bit.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Let's talk a bit about the construction. These posts are mostly made of 2 1/2" diameter steel pipe welded to a 1/4" thick metal plate with dimensions of about 3" x 6", offset (meaning the pipe is welded to one end of a rectangle). I've found the plate to vary a bit in length, with a minimum of about 5" and getting up to about 5 1/2" at a maximum - the plate always has four holes drilled at the corners where nails were pounded into the beam above for stability. The pipe used provided almost 1/2" of additional diameter provided a total diameter of around 3" (metal pipe is measured by the inside diameter so in order to get 3" on the outside, you buy 2 1/2" pipe, which has a wall thickness of slightly less than 1/4" providing the total diameter). What I find interesting is that almost all of the original posts in the neighborhood only have a plate and are attached at the top - the bottom is the open pipe, usually sitting flat on the concrete pad or brick wall below. I'm not sure if you can get away with this method in modern construction - seems non-code to me. I think this method was used for a practical reason, rather than as a cost-savings one - as the home expands and contracts with weather, there's some movement in the wood - by "floating" the bottom post it's possible to allow for this movement - however this is conjecture on my part. Some of the posts I've seen also have a bottom plate, but strangely they aren't attached either (no nails, lags, etc) so that's not really a clue.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts09.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In any case, as with any metal and especially metal that touches concrete, over time and with repeated exposure to weather produced rain water, the bottoms frequently "rot out" - usually it's the posts closest to one end of the building's side or front. With this home it was the two to the outside of the carport, which would have the most access to rain. Normally a little pitting or rust can just be treated - but these posts each had quite a bit of rotting - one was actually hanging from the beam above and both could easily be moved around by kicking around the bottom. (as an aside, if you want to just treat the posts a bit of sanding or grinding of any rust, body filler if there's only some slight pitting, and a bit of good metal primer and paint will go a long way to preserving what's there).<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts02.jpg" width="320" /></a>My first task was to determine the width - I initially did this with a good tri-square ruler to determine the general diameter - I later confirmed using an outside-caliper - these posts were just slightly under 3." The next task was to source the goods - there are many good steel fabricators around the area - I got a list of three that were north of here from a friend who used to build homes in Forsyth and Cherokee County. I decided to go with a local shop near Tucker, Dekalb Steel. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">You'll need to determine the actual length of the post (make sure you include the plate thickness) by measuring the actual distance from the beam to the floor (concrete or brick) - this can be off by a bit if you think the beam has sagged with the deterioration of the post - just make sure you go over-sized and not under-sized! It's also good to provide a small sketch of the construction for the plate - I did this by going into SketchUp and producing a nice 3-D rendering, and then making a jpg image to fax to Dekalb Steel. By doing this and showing the location of the drill holes, you'll get something closer to what you're asking for - welders produce good results when giving good images and instructions. <br />
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<div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It can take anywhere for a couple of days to about a week to turn around the fabrication. If you have access to a good metal shop you could do the task yourself - just make sure you can get a good 90 degree cut on the ends so they're "square" - this typically takes a metal bandsaw. Drill the end plate before welding so you can use a drill-press. Unless you specify otherwise, the post will come "raw" - complete with surface rust and any marks used by the handlers - you can have them paint it but it'll cost more and they usually just spray some paint on it, meaning that there's not much effort involved in doing the prep before painting so you may get mixed results (sometimes the rust and/or clay or wax scrawl on the metal bleeds through - other times the paint may flake off as there may be some oily or waxy residue on the metal). I chose to get the post bare and do the prep myself. The prep involved a light sanding followed by two coats of metal primer. It was about 16 degrees outside when I started the install so I spent a day doing the sanding and priming the posts on saw-horses, to give the primer a chance to set up. This was done in the sun so that helped harden up the paint. Usually it's too cold to do this type of work but I've found primer to be an exception to the "too cold" rule - later I'll relate how I got the black paint to dry in this type of cold.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts07.jpg" width="240" /></a>The next step is to remove the old posts and replace with the primered new. To do so there are various methods, but as I had an extra screw-type jack-post I decided to use it. I nailed a short tubafor to the bean near the first post - with a bit of the nail-heads left proud of the surface for easy later removal. Next the post was adjusted so there was plenty of threading left to lift the head of the post (the head is a plate that can be screwed to the tubafor to help keep it from slipping off) - there's a flat threaded collar that can wrenched on, which drives the threaded part of the post up or down, lifting whatever weight is above it. I wrenched up until the old post easily cleared the concrete below - about a half inch. I then measured, cut and placed a forbafor post next to the jack - this was a little added insurance as I don't completely trust the post - probably not necessary but I wanted a bit extra for piece of mind.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Prying the old post off was relatively easy, as was attaching the new post. You'll want to use along level to make sure the post is plumb, holding it in place as you turn the jack screw the opposite direction to bring the beam/roof down. Before taking everything apart, check for plumb again and make any adjustments if you need to. I then repeated for the second post (this one involved the removal and later reattachment of a gutter).<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts13.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mt="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/NewPosts11.jpg" width="240" /></a>The final steps were to float some concrete along the bottom (there was a depression in the existing concrete where the old posts had "drilled" into the substrate below) and paint the post. I waited until it was a bit warmer to do both of these, as concrete does not set up well in freezing temperatures. I used an oil-based enamel Rustoleum product in gloss black - being the closest color to the existing posts. Because of the cold I added a cap-full of Japan dryer to the paint in a paper cup. Japan dryer is a mix of chemicals (mostly naptha) that accelerates the evaporation of the paint's solvents - in this case the paint was dry to the touch in about an hour and completely hard in a day or two. The hazard of painting oil paints in cold weather is that they just wont harden - there isn't enough temperature for the solvents to evaporate so they remain tacky. Using the dryer is an old painter's trick - just make sure you mix enough to do the whole project and throw out any remaining in the mixing cup instead of pouring it back into the can. A little clean up and I was done.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">-- John<br />
</div>John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-62981927133501796722010-01-01T11:49:00.003-05:002011-04-07T21:51:21.138-04:00Installing Whole House Surge Suppression<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/SEP-200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" ps="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/SEP-200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I recently installed a whole house surge suppressor in my electrical panel and thought I would relate the experience. In all it wasn't a difficult install, however it involved some planning, especially to determine how I would make room in an already crowded panel. As with anything that is involved with electricity this is one install where I'd recommend a certified electrician if you're not confident of doing the work yourself.<br />
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<strong>Why Surge Suppression?</strong><br />
Surge suppressors, also called surge protectors, stop voltage spikes from harming your electronic appliances in the home. One type connects to the main electric panel off a circuit breaker or directly between the meter and panel, while the more common type are point-of-use surge protectors for electronics such as computers, telephones, printers, etc. You often see the latter integrated into office-style strip outlets or better yet, back up battery devices (like those made by APC). We have several of these that our computer systems and TV/Stereo systems plug into - a few years ago a broken electrical pole next to the house sent a spike through the cable system frying the cables and knocking out the suppressor on the TV - since we were out of town when it happened all the computers, modems, etc were off so they weren't affected. The suppressor on the TV/Stereo protected all those components as the cable fed into it, saving us a bit of money in replacement costs (or at least the deductible on an insurance claim). Not to mention the threat of a fire - having suppressors just makes good sense.<br />
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Electrical disruptions in power are real and they are becoming more of a threat to electronic equipment regardless of whether or not you live in a new home and constant fluctuations happen all the time in my neighborhood. A voltage surge or spike caused by a blown transformer (which happened just a few days ago on my street), downed power lines (ditto last year), lightning, electric power grid switching, etc. are all examples of what can happen to affect your home's systems and appliances. Additionally, over 50 percent of the power surges your electronic equipment will experience are created within your own home when appliances with large motors (air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, compressors, etc.) turn on and off. What's more, most electronic devices manufactured today contains micro-processing chips that are sensitive to voltage spikes - even your light bulbs are affected. If your light bulbs seem to wear out quickly then you're probably already experiencing fluctuations that the whole house suppressor can help smooth-out. You need surge protection and lots of it if you want to protect everything connected to your house grid.<br />
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The focus of this post is a whole house surge suppressor (I'm hoping most of you already have the type that connects between your more expensive equipment and the outlet). These devices are designed to stop harmful surges and spikes before they can travel towards the electronic equipment in your home. They are not DIY friendly so my recommendation is for a professional, licensed electrician to install a whole house suppressor. A good electrician can complete the task in less than one half hour in most cases and the suppressors are affordable as there are several in the $200 range (figure in about an hour of an electrician's time and you'll see it's not out-of-reach). When calling around you may want to note what type of panel you have (it's usually marked on the panel or you may be able to find a manufacturer on a breaker) as it could reduce the costs of the unit - there are some that install directly in the panel where the first couple of breakers sit in the box. <br />
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<strong>My Electrical Panel</strong><br />
In my case our home has a 150 amp Cutler Hammer panel with corresponding breakers. I mention that as it's unusual in Northcrest to have 150 AMPS and an original panel from 1964 (when the house was built) - most homes on my street built around the same time have 80 amp fuse boxes or have at some point been upgraded to a 100 amp panel. Apparently the original homeowner of my house sprung for the additional costs - this is both a boon (as the larger panel makes changing things more flexible) and a curse (Cutler Hammer breakers are a great deal more expensive than other manufacturers for some reason, so it can be difficult locating what is needed, especially at a reasonable price). I went through all this last year when I started building out a workshop in the basement - first adding a 100 amp sub-panel dedicated to the equipment, and then finding tandem breakers (those are breakers that make two switches available in the same slot as one - allowing me to move circuits down to make room for the larger, two-pole breakers necessary to power the sub-panel). Once again I needed to move things around to make room for the 30 amp two-pole breaker needed to power the surge suppressor. While in the panel I freed up the first two slots for the breaker required for the suppressor, which hangs off the side of the panel. Finding two tandem breakers wasn't difficult - but at $25 each rather expensive. I found a seller on eBay that had four new tandem breakers for $25 shipped - much more reasonable (as a comparison a single comparable SquareD tandem breaker is $7 at Home Depot).<br />
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<strong>Choosing a Surge Suppression Unit</strong><br />
There are a variety of units available but in general there are a few things you need to look for:<br />
<ol><li>Joule ratings of 1,900 or greater - Suppressors work the way they do through the use of sacrificial metal oxide varistors (MOVs). Small surges that enter your home over time slowly destroy the MOVs. A large surge can cause instantaneous destruction of all of the MOVs in an instant (you want the MOVs to take the load instead of your appliances and components). The MOVs ability to block surges is measured in joules (how electricity is measured, also called a Newton-Meter). Purchase a surge suppressor that has a high joule rating - 1,900 or more if possible.</li>
<li>Clamping voltage is the next thing to consider - This rating tells you when the surge suppressor will react to a surge. High quality suppressors have low clamping voltages - the suppressor should have a clamping voltage of 330 volts or less. The package will have a Underwriters Laboratory (UL) UL-1449 voltage rating - this is the true measure of clamping voltage.</li>
<li>Warning Lights - Because surge suppressors wear out (due to the MOVs being constantly worked), look for a unit that has lights and/or audible alarms that tell you when the MOVs have worn out. Both the whole house and point-of-use surge suppressors are available with this feature.</li>
<li>Replacement Warranties - Look for suppressors that come with connected equipment and total replacement warranties. Numerous manufacturers will send you a free replacement suppressor when and if yours fails - so the initial cost of the unit pays for itself the first time it fails (provided it happens during the warranty period - most warranty for 5 years or so) - some will pay up to $100 towards the electrician's repair bill when your whole house suppressor needs to be replaced. The better units I researched will also cover repairs of appliances and/or devices if the unit fails to stop the surge.</li>
</ol>The unit I selected is made by <a href="http://www.panamax.com/Products/Other/SEP-200.aspx">Panamax - the SEP-200</a>. If you'll look at the stats you'll see it complies with the 4 items above - I also have a bit of brand loyalty to Panamax as it was a Panamax suppressor that saved my TV and stereo equipment when power was forced into my cable lines (see above). If you're into HiFi you'll probably already know about Panamax as they've been a top-tier provider for surge suppression - one of the only providers that guarantees against lightning strikes - they also provide up to $10,000 in appliance replacement costs if the unit fails. This unit can be installed inside our outside of the home, attached to the panel (using a 30 amp two-pole breaker) or between the meter and the panel (not an install I'd recommend to a DIYer unless you're a qualified electrician). I chose to wire it into a breaker - something within my level of confidence to do. Since these units eventually wear out, I wanted something that would be easy to replace when the time comes - another consideration<br />
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<strong>The Install</strong><br />
I tackled the install in three phases (being the anal-retentive that I am, I actually wrote up a short project plan).<br />
<ol><li>Examine the panel and make a plan, including picking up all components and parts</li>
<li>Rework the panel to have room and prepare all components</li>
<li>Install the unit and test.</li>
</ol>The first part was one of the more crucial - I took off the panel cover and sub-cover (my panel has an extra cover that protects the breakers) and examined what I had to do to free up the first two slots. This is where I determined I could combine four 15 amp single slot breakers into two 15 amp tandem breakers. I then sourced the breakers from an eBay seller - who incidentally also sold me the 30 amp breaker necessary for the install of the surge suppressing unit - buy buying it all together I additionally saved on tax (not to mention the tandem breakers were half what I would have paid for a single at Home Depot). Turn around time was less than a week. I did all this stuff before tackling Allen's Tankless Water Heater install (see previous posts).<br />
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The second part I tackled one evening while there wasn't anything going on that would require power - I like to disable the entire panel by turning off the main switch while in the box. I'm still very careful as there's still power coming into the panel - but this way I'm not inadvertently taking any risks. I moved circuits around and combined into the tandems to leave the first two slots free. This took about 30 minutes or so of careful striping, wiring and the screwing of clamps (in the breakers)<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;"><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/SEP-200-Install.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ps="true" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/SEP-200-Install.jpg" width="320" /></a>The third part required that I remove a "knockout" from the side of the panel (the panel has cuts in the sides so you can knock out holes for wires to feed through) - I also removed an unused wire that formerly occupied the same space (went to the steam shower heater which I'm removing). I attached the unit directly to the pane using a spin-clamp - the wires were fed in and tied to the 30 amp breaker and ground/neutral bus (in my panel they are the same - in newer panel they may be separate bars). There's plenty of force in the clamp to hold the unit to the side of the panel - in your install you may want to screw the unit to the wall or extend the box slightly using some conduit. I then tested the unit by turning on the power - everything lighted up just fine. I replaced the two panel covers and was done. Total time about another 30 minutes or so.</div><br />
A couple of days after the install I was at Allen and Susan's house - it had been raining most of the day and there were several people over for Christmas dinner. Suddenly there was an explosion that caused us all to rush to the front window. Subsequent explosions literally lit up the sky - the transformer right in front of his house (he's about 3 doors down from my house) had been hit by a falling limb - luckily the wet ground prevented any of the flaming embers from igniting anything. It took several hours for Georgia Power to restore power to this portion of the neighborhood. All I could think about was how fortunate I was that the Surge Suppressor was already installed at the house - it provided a level of piece-of-mind that I wouldn't otherwise have felt. Returning home later I found everything to be fine - the unit worked flawlessly.<br />
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-- JohnJohn Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-58732010819229226292009-12-26T14:20:00.002-05:002018-08-08T14:34:44.357-04:00Installing a Tankless Water Heater Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://modusmodern.blogspot.com/2009/12/installing-tankless-water-heater-part-1.html">Continuing from the previous post.</a></div>
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Day two basically began with the previous 19 point list. However as we got into the panel there were a few things that "added on" to the list of tasks. The initial reason we did some mods to the electrical was to ensure there was plenty of juice going to the outlet that both the washer and water heater would share. Looking at the amp loads there should be plenty on the existing 15 amp circuit - however I discovered that the outlet was wired with 12-2 Romex which would allow a 20 amp breaker without much modification so I suggested that change to Allen - it would also allow us to more easily move the outlet to a more convenient spot. A "radiused" piece of conduit was the ticket, and to make things more flexible we inserted a tandem breaker (allows for two 20 amp circuits) into an empty slot - the extra is for the future expansion of an extra circuit and the cost difference between a single and tandem is negligible. The box used for the outlet was also expanded to a two-gang (allows for four outlets) and the outlets were also upgraded to 20 amp - that way if Allen or Susan needed an outlet in that area they wouldn't be taxing the existing circuit - say for a shop vac or power tool.</div>
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While in the box I also suggested to Allen that moving the dryer 2-pole receptacle up a bit would make it easier to reach, so that was also done. Everything electrical was done to current codes - meaning the appropriate wire, clamps, etc. were all used so the house would pass inspection if ever sold in the future. If you're not sure about codes or not experienced working in an electrical panel I strongly recommend that you leave this stuff to a professional electrician - it's just not a good place to do something wrong as there's a possibility of electrocution or fire.</div>
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless5.jpg" height="320" ps="true" width="240" /></a>Once the electrical was tidied up the next task was to locate where to knock out a hole for the exhaust vent. The exhaust vent was hand-fit to the top of the unit so we could make sure that there would be clearance. You can see the initial location drawn by Allen on the block wall (image in Part 1)- I suggested that it be moved over one vertical course to ensure it wasn't in-line with the bath vent (I wasn't sure if it would really be an issue but I didn't want any obstructions, especially when attaching the outside flashing) - that exposed a conflict with the current placement of the water supplies (both the existing copper lines and legacy galvanized steel supplies) for the washer/dryer hook-ups - those would have to be moved. This was done - we also added a "laundry box" kit so the valves would be easy to identify and have a stationary mount. The new Pex pipe was tied into the existing copper using a Sharkbite fitting (more on those later - see image below). </div>
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless9.jpg" height="240" ps="true" width="320" /></a>The valve kit was carefully threaded onto the bottom of the unit (follow the directions as the pressure relief valve is attached to the hot water valve before placement on the unit). Next the unit was hung and sited along the level. There are brackets to the top and bottom that hold the unit to the wall, with the majority of the weight transferring to the wall itself. The venting was attached piecemeal until secured with the supplied screws and some towels were stuffed into the remaining opening in the block to keep out bugs or curious animals (mostly a piece-of-mind thing). Now that the unit was in place some of the serious work can take place. The idea with all plumbing is to be as efficient as possible when assembling pipe, trying to keep down waste from miss-cut pipe and also providing enough clearance so none of the piping is snagged when walking through the space. I had already mapped out a couple of paths for the water lines - we decided to re-use the existing water heater attachment points so it was a matter of piping over the space as tight to the ceiling as possible while using as few fittings as can be accomplished.</div>
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Now a few thoughts on Pex pipe - it's certainly more expensive that PVC, however it's less expensive than Copper. The real benefit comes in its flexibility and ease of installation. Pex uses a black coated, copper crimp ring, tightened to fittings to form a joint. You cut the pipe to length using plumbing cutters (these are the same as what you typically use when plumbing PVC or CPVC). You next slide a crimp over the end before pushing the "nipple" of the fitting into the tube. The ring is then slipped over the fitting "nipple" and a crimping tool is applied to the ring, which applies even pressure inward. If the crimp is successful the joint won't leak when water is pressured back into the system. Crimping can be a bit tricky - if the ring isn't on straight or if the action of the crimping tool is precise, the ring can be twisted a bit on the fitting. It's my experience that usually these poorly crimped fittings won't leak, however you do increase the chance of leaks as there's less surface area for the ring to apply consistent pressure on the "nipple" of the fitting - you're basically taking a chance with these when improperly crimped. The solution is to cut off a little of the end of the hose, grab a new fitting and try again. You can carefully remove the bad crimp by cutting and re-crimp, however once the Pex tube has been compressed it becomes suspect, so you may as well cut off and start with fresh.<br />
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Some of the other advantages of Pex - once a 90 degree joint is made the pipe can still be twisted without causing a leak - something you can't do with CPVC without adding additional fittings and pipe (or cutting and re-placing the rotation angle with a slip coupling). Another advantage has to do with the flexibility of the pipe itself - it can be carefully bent to go around obstacles and the material won't split if the water in the lines freezes - making it an appropriate replacement pipe for a supply line out to your meter. If you've ever dealt with copper piping you know there's preparation involved in sweating the joint with solder - and if you aren't successful in making the joint it becomes problematic after water has been added to the line. With CPVC you have to deal with primers and glues that can get a bit messy (don't spill the primer on a good linoleum floor - ask me sometimes how I know). With Pex it's all about the line, the crimps and the fittings. There's some additional cost involved with the crimping tool - I bought one that has both the 1/2" and 2/4" in the same tool - it was purchased while I was working on my own plumbing so I was grateful for the opportunity to use it again - I think it cost about $65 or so.<br />
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All the Pex was run back from the unit back to the location of the supply line (cold water) and system tie-in for the hot. By reusing the existing we didn't have to worry about blocking off the old hot water and making a connection elsewhere - however you may want to rethink that based on your own circumstances. If you can tie-in closer to the unit you will probably have a faster delivery time for the hot water, depending on the placement of the spigot. All the water lines were run and any additional parts, bits or pieces were noted. Next careful measurements were made to run the gas line to the unit. This is where it can get tricky - since the gas line has to be 3/4" all the way to the unit you need to find that size pipe to tie-into - also you can't use the flexible connecting pipe as it reduces the line size to 5/8" or smaller (there is commercial flex line available but it's a bit expensive). Since it all runs through galvanized pipe the measurements need to be very precise. Also you'll need a slip-coupling or two to make sure you have room to place the final couple of pieces - the slip-coupling uses a compressed o-ring so you can turn either end of a pipe with a wrench, providing some flexibility in install. We saved the gas-pipe install and actually connection to the house for the third day after making a list of all the fittings we thought we'd need - we also added plenty of extra to prevent an extra trip or two.<br />
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On the third day we purchased everything we'd need to complete the job at Home Depot - we also made sure to buy extra nipples (in plumbing the short pieces of pipe that are threaded on either end are called nipples - don't ask me why) in various sizes in case we needed them. One tip - if you buy this stuff at Home Depot - use the same credit card for all purchases on the project - when you're done you can take back anything unused without a receipt - the do a reverse look up based on the credit card number - it makes it much faster and convenient and you don't have to hunt down receipts (I believe they keep these records for several months which is real handy when your projects get extended for whatever reason).<br />
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<a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless15.jpg" height="320" ps="true" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.modusmodern.com/blog/Tankless13.jpg" height="320" ps="true" width="240" /></a>Preparing to tie-in the gas line the supply was turned off outside of the house after turning off all gas appliances like the furnace and old water heater. This time we started piping from the house and worked backward to the unit. A cut off was added near the beginning so that if something caused a delay in the install the new pipe could be isolated from the old and the old water heater be used. Everything was done with this is mind so that Allen and Susan wouldn't be inconvenienced with the lack of hot water. The pipes were carefully threaded together using pipe-threading compound - basically a Teflon paste that seals everything up once dried. The pipes went up-over just like the water lines and then down the wall, across and up to the gas supply valve on the unit. This actually went together very well. Once together the system was tested for leaks. There are a couple of methods to doing so - With all the supplies to other appliances cut off using supply valves, you can look at the gas meter to see if there's any movement. If none it's a fairly good indication that the system is air-tight. We went further and added a few drops of soapy water to each joint to see if any bubbles appeared - we got lucky - no leaks on the first try! Perhaps a better way to check is to pressurize the line with 30-40 pounds of air using a compressor - any leaks are very noticeable.</div>
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There was one additional task before hooking up the water - the control pad was mounted to the wall and tied-in (there's an image above that shows the control pad mounted). I found it interesting that extra pads could be added and placed about the house providing some heating customization depending on the task - basically if you want the water to be hotter for the dishwasher, for instance, you can add a control to the kitchen so that the water temperature can be adjusted just before use. That's something you can't do with a tanked water heater.<br />
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Finally the Pex was tied into the house lines using Sharkbite fittings. I mentioned these before - Sharkbites are a product that allows for the connection of dissimilar piping. I discovered these while working on my own home - I had Pex coming from one direction where it needed to attach to 1/2" CPVC at a right angle and Copper going straight out. The Sharkbite allows for the end of each pipe to come together as one connection. In Allen's home the majority of the piping is copper - using the Sharkbites allowed the Pex to tie-in directly to the copper. If you've ever had to do this in the past it usually takes several screw-fittings and a sweat joint (if copper) so the Sharkbite cuts down on install time and works great. <br />
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The last task was to fit up the water filter that was recommended to Allen - apparently if you filter out as much as you can before water enters the unit you save having to descale the unit (water in Atlanta has quite a high level of mineral content) - this serves to extend the life of several parts. The filter was added between the cold water supply, extending outward as there will be a wall added to section off the home's systems from the rest of the basement. Finally, we turned on the water and checked for leaks - surprisingly there weren't any (rare when doing any plumbing) - the gas was turned on at the unit and the power was set to "on" - the final test was to go to a sink and turn on the hot water. I think the most amazing thing was in how quiet the unit is - you can only hear it when standing right next to it. <br />
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Here's an image of the final install - note that the drain line for the pressure relief valve was moved to the front - it was a bit too stiff to be workable in the back and still make it into the washer drain. Allen set the temperature to 120 degrees (see the read out) which seemed to be optimal for their household. In all, the installation wasn't too bad - I can totally see why the installers charge so much though - lot's to think about here and many systems that need to be "touched." If you aren't a very handy person I'd leave the install to the pros - of if you feel confident on parts of the install you could do what you know and bring in someone to do those bits that are uncomfortable to you. On a scale of 1-10 I'd call this about an 8. . I'll update again once the unit has been in a while to reveal how it's working out for Allen and Susan. <br />
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-- John</div>
John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551794086966184686.post-23932809156814865382009-12-17T13:42:00.002-05:002018-08-08T14:33:54.462-04:00Installing a Tankless Water Heater Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been researching the Tankless Water Heater for a bit over a year as I have an old tanked unit - the current energy tax credit makes it very desirable - however being the conservative that I am, I'm waiting for the old unit to kick-the-bucket as it were. My current hot water heater is over ten years old so it should be getting close, right? In any case, I've been looking at this stuff for a while in preparation for my own install. It's interesting when you research products on the web - the first thing you find are all the things that people don't like about something. You also learn what people have done that incurred the wrath of the pros - mostly improper installs. I'll get into that later as it's all good information and stuff you'll want to know if you consider doing this yourself. All this came to a head when my neighbor Allen across the street told me that his old tank was leaking and that he was about to put one in - he was asking me questions about the install. I told him I hadn't done a tankless install yet (I have done the old-fashioned tank though) and was willing to help him put his in, as I'd like to get some practice in before tackling my own.<br />
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About my own experiences - I was a general contractor many years ago (over 10 years) before getting into software design. As such I worked with several other contractors that allowed me to practice plumbing, electrical, HVAC, building and other disciples that helped to increase my confidence level in tackling various building and/or remodeling tasks. Luckily the contractors I worked with were very good and up to and enforced the various building codes - they also instilled in me a desire to do good, neat work that both complied with codes and also incorporated the latest in best practices. Doing an install of this nature incorporates many disciplines so if you want to try part or all of this, I suggest you bone up on: electrical installation, plumbing installation and gas (in this case Natural Gas) piping installation. After reading this if you feel unconfortable with any part, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL! I can't stress this more - if you wish to proceed, read everything in the install manuals several times before and during the work. Also, if at any time you're not sure, stop and do some additional research. This isn't something for the weekender to attempt. More on this as we proceed.<br />
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<b>First on the Tankless Water Heater:</b><br />
The technology has been around for many decades - so there's been plenty of time to perfect the technology. One of the oldest producers that's availabe in the US is Bosch (most have heard of them as a tool manufacturer but they've been making and selling their tankless water heater in the US for many years). Most of Europe and a good bit of Asia have had tankless systems for a very long time - the US is way behind, mostly because cheap energy has been available here for so many years that the cheaper "big tank" units are simply easier to install and incur the least materials cost. This has all been changing with energy fuel costs all over the place.<br />
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There are basically a few considerations - first is the unit to be inside or outside? Second, what is the type of fuel or energy you're going to use to power it? In the Atlanta most will place the unit inside and in the Northcrest community, most will have the unit in the basement where all the house systems tend to congregate (most Northcrest homes have a single room in the basement that's home to the electrical panel, furnace, water heater and often the washer and dryer hook-ups). Natural Gas is plentiful and cheap in this region, it's also probably the most efficient and cost effective to use, so the focus will be on that install. The other options are LP/Propane and Electric. Solar doesn't generate enough amperage (I don't believe) so it's not an option (however if you're in Florida or one of the states that gets more than its share of sunlight, you might want to consider a solar water heater - but that's an entirely different animal). Outside tankless units are usually used on cabins or otherwise in installations where space is a premium.<br />
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<b>Available Tankless Water Heater Options:</b><br />
I read quite a bit about the various options, who to purchase from and where to source. There are a lot of opinions, and I'm sure the list will change by the time I eventually buy one for my own home. I had pretty much selected either the Bosch or Rheem units. Another manufacturer that is highly recommended is Rennai - however you have to be a certified Rennai installer to purchase one. In this case Allen purchased a Rheem unit at the Home Depot (Rheem EcoSense On Demand 6.6 GPM Natural Gas Indoor Direct Vent Tankless Water Heater Model # ECO-180DVN). With this kit he also purchased the venting kit (3 In. x 5 In. Concentric Direct Vent Kit for Rheem EcoSense Tankless Direct Vent Units Model # RTG20147-1) and the valve kit (Tankless Water Heater Installation Valves Model # TWH-FT-HCN).<br />
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<b>What you need and a comparison of costs:</b><br />
AT 6.6 GPM the unit is sufficient for most homes in the 3 bedroom, 2 bath range. You may want to consider something larger (7.4 GPM) if you often have two people bathing at the same time the dishwasher or washer is running - for both Allen and my own home, this is not the case. The vent kit is necessary as you cannot use the existing B-vent. It's simply not rated for the bursts of heated air that the tankless produces - also the new kit is stainless steel and vents directly through the wall to the outside - you'll need to use the right kit for the manufacturer's warranties to apply. Finally the valve kit just makes the install a bit easier - it's not necessary but it does make things more efficient by providing the parts/pieces that you'll need for the required configuration. The extras add about $300 to the price of the heater. Along with all this we ended up buying about $300 worth of pipe fittings (water and gas), valves, electrical supplies and a water filter (more on that later). The unit was about $1k so a total of about $1600 in parts. Most installs of this type are going to cost in excess of $3000 with labor so you end up saving about half. To compare to a tanked unit - you can re-use most of the existing bits that currently hook up your tanked water heater, so there's very little material cost with the exception of the tank. A 60 gallon GE unit is $678 (anything smaller makes it hard to fill the tub - if you have a jacuzzi you may need something even bigger). With the tax credit of about 30% on the tankless you'll get back about $480 (not sure if you can get a credit on all the bits/parts so this may vary). So it's about $700 for the tanked unit compared to about $1100 on the tankless, give or take. The $400 difference will probably be offset by the energy savings within 5 years or so (probably less, I'm being conservative but it depends on your hot water usage - if you have a family it will be more).<br />
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<b>The Gotchas:</b><br />
While doing research there are some very good posts on what went wrong - there's also a huge share of posts basically slamming the various units for one reason or another. For one, it can take 20-30 seconds longer for hot water to flow, depending on how far from the unit the tap is. There are also several posts by professional installers providing insight into the various units. The Bosch unit, for instance, is highly recommended, however it has a wear part that's about $300 compared to the comparable part for the Rheem that's about $80. Something to consider. Also, most who complain and have had to have a pro come in and fix and installation did one of the following:<br />
<ol>
<li>Improper plumbing installation. This usually involves the size of the pipe coming into the unit. A 3/4" supply line is requried - this doesn't mean you can connect to a 1/2" line with a larger 3/4" line and everything will be fine. This is all about capacity -when it's time for the water to be heated enough has to enter the unit to fulfill the units requirement - if there's a pressure drop the unit will red-flag and not produce enough hot water - it can cause the unit to be less efficient and certainly may reduce the life of the unit. There are many safety features in the tankless units to account for fluctuations so it may not shut down, however it could produce a condition that isn't conducive to producing the desired amount of hot water when needed.</li>
<li>Improper gas installation. This unit requires a 3/4" line coming in with natural gas. As with the water line above, if the available gas line capacity is not great enough to power the unit, at minimum you wont get the hot water desired, and at worst it may cause the unit to fail. As I've stated previously, make sure you read the entire install manual and prepare to make any changes necessary for the unit install - if your pipes keep reducing until they come to where you need to place the unit, you'll need to tie-in earlier (closer to where the pipes come into the home) where larger piping is available. Another issue comes from re-using the flexible gas supply line commonly used on furnaces, appliances and water heater tanks - this line may have a 3/4" fitting on either end, but is usually 5/8" in actual tube diameter which may cause issues (most home flex is rated at about 110 BTUs - the tankless unit requires 160 BTUs or more so they aren't rated for this application). The best solution is to tie your piping directly to the bottom of the unit.</li>
<li>Improper venting. These units produce short bursts of heat that far exceed the rating of the current B-vent that goes through your roof (what your old hot water heater and furnace tie-into). When you tie into the existing it produces a lot of heat and back-pressure at the unit, usually resulting in a shut down - the result is you don't get enough hot water. It can also kill the longevity of your unit as a worst case scenario and will void your warranty. Along those same lines, you must use venting that's rated for this application (stainless steel) and follow all the manufacturer's directions as to proper install.</li>
<li>Electrical: These units have to be powered, so there needs to be an outlet available - at about 2 amps the needs aren't high, but don't tie the unit into a heavily used circuit where there are many peaks in amperage or this could affect the units ability to work effectively.</li>
</ol>
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<b>Starting the Project</b><br />
So the first think we looked at was where Allen wanted to place the unit. A place on an outside wall opposite the furnace was proposed. As the washer and dryer are beneath we needed to make sure there was space with the vent kit above, and the valves and connections below. This required that the vent kit be loosely placed on the unit and the valve set below. When doing this, make sure that there aren't any obstructions on the outside (for instance there's a vent cover for the bathroom exhaust fan that made one location undesirable - it's better to not have the exhaust for the unit in direct line with anything above; on the other side of the panel the electrical meter is mounted on the outside wall, precluding that area from being available for the install). Another consideration is future planning - Allen wants to wall up the room holding the furnace, washer/dryer and tankless unit, so we tried to maximize space usage. This would require the removal of some legacy steel plumbing pipes (no longer in use) and the move of the washer/dryer supply lines. Note the image above - this was the initial placement - after reviewing that there's a vent above that location it was moved over to the right (which necessitated the move of the supply lines for the washer).<br />
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Another consideration on the placement was the availability of a circuit - currently there's a 15 amp single outlet for the washer - we decided to upgrade to 20 amps (there was already 12 gauge romex) and place a two gang box on the end of some shielded piping. While at it I suggested that the outlet for the dryer be moved up to make it more convenient. Next I took a look at where the best places for hooking up the water and gas would be and started loosely maping out the best routs to the new tankless unit. I drew up on a large piece of paper all the drops, changes of direction and connections needed - we choose to use Pex piping which I've recently done a bit of work with - since I felt really comfortable with it and also owned the crimping tools, we based all the fittings for water on Pex. After laying everything out we worked on an initial project plan. Whenever there are lots of dependencies it's good to make a list of the order for getting things done. It went something like this:<br />
<ol>
<li>Shut off power at panel</li>
<li>Move electrical circuits, upgrade to 2 gang box, feed into new 20 amp breaker</li>
<li>Power on panel and check new electrical fixtures for good grounds, etc.</li>
<li>Locate hole for venting kit, break through and secure venting piping</li>
<li>Prepare tankless unit for install</li>
<ol>
<li>Mount inlet valve set</li>
<li>Mount outlet valve set</li>
<li>Mount gas shut-off (supplied)</li>
</ol>
<li>Mount unit to wall</li>
<li>Pipe water inlet backwards to a source pipe (we chose to pipe back to the supply lines for the original Water Heater - this would provide a convenient location for the in-filter).</li>
<li>Pipe water outlet backwards to ti-in pipe (once again it was easier to tie-in back at the original Water Heater outlet point since we would have had to address the open line there anyway.</li>
<li>Turn off gas</li>
<li>Add a "T" style connection to the gas system, along with gate valves back to the unit.</li>
<li>Turn on gas</li>
<li>Check all Gas lines for leaks and correct if necessary</li>
<li>Turn off water</li>
<li>Do final connection to inlet filter and water supply</li>
<li>Do final connection to outlet to supply home hot water lines.</li>
<li>Turn on water and check for leaks</li>
<li>Mount electrical control unit and plug in unit<br />
</li>
<li>Turn on tankless unit</li>
<li>Test</li>
</ol>
We made some modifications as we went along, however the above is what we came up with the first day. We both went on to further read and study the installation manual and met up the next day. At this point there was more than a small leak to his original tank so it was imperative that we get the job done. However we still didn't rush. The next day was set aside for the majority of the install. The goal was to get the unit hung and the water mostly plumbed. Day three would be for system tests and final hook-ups. More on the next post.<br />
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<a href="http://modusmodern.blogspot.com/2009/12/installing-tankless-water-heater-part-2.html">Continued in Part 2</a><br />
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-- John</div>
John Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00040215463441470962noreply@blogger.com7