Turning tires when not moving

I had to move my pickup because a crane is coming to put a furnace on a neighbor’s roof tomorrow. I hate to start it up to move it a few feet so I pushed it. I had to turn sharply, did some of the turning when it wasn’t moving. I don’t like the way my tires sound when I do that. How harmful is it?

Probably 70% of people turn their tires while stationary. Sure you might loose a little tire life, not enough to worry about imhop.

I think you should have just started it up and maybe even gone for a drive. If I have to get my snow blower out, I often start the car up and move it a few feet farther in the garage. Been doing it for years.

considering you typically age your tires out instead of wear them out, I don’t think you need to worry about anything. Any “flat spot” you created by turning the wheel while stationary will quickly work itself out when you drive next time. I’ve had to do turn the wheels with the car off before, never created any long term issues with the tires

1 Like

This is not related to cars but why is the furnace being installed on the roof? Every furnace I have had has been in the garage, basement, or utility closet/laundry room. Even the heat pump or A/C unit is on a pad behind the garage. What’s on the roof?

Probably best not to start the engine, the fan might blow dust down the accel pump with the torn boot!

When I bought my home, back in 1996, one of the options was to upgrade from a one-zone HVAC system to a two-zone HVAC system. I did not choose that pricey option, and in retrospect, I was very glad that I passed on it. It turned-out that the furnace for the upstairs zone of the two-zone system was installed in the attic. :grimacing:

My next door neighbor did opt for that system, and to his dismay, he found that he frequently had to climb into the attic in order to relight the pilot light. And, of course, he also had to climb up there every time that he needed to replace the filter.

Even though the basement furnaces in the development are all electronic-ignition units, the ones that were placed in the attic for the two-zone buyers were all pilot-light units. Of course, the central A/C units were all placed on the ground, but in an apparent move to save money on ductwork, the buyers who paid a lot more money wound up with a furnace in their attic.

I assume that RT’s neighbor lives in a home where they also saved money by running shorter HVAC ducts, or that it is a re-purposed commercial building.

Roof installation common in southern California.

1 Like

I have one furnace with three zones. Not expensive at all. A controller opens and closes dampers to let heat/cool in to satisfy the individual thermostats. Being the paranoid self-reliant type, I even bought a spare computer controller for when the old one gives out. Only a few hundred dollars as I recall. Now my BIL has two furnaces instead which is the way to go if the duct work wasn’t originally installed for zones. Yeah if you don’t have basements, I guess the attic/roof is the option.

Sure, but we do have basements, so I have to assume that they were saving money on ductwork by putting the second furnace in the attic. If a furnace such as yours was available, I would have opted for it.

If you live in a bad neighborhood, a rooftop instal makes it more difficult for the copper thieves.

I have a 2-zone HVAC but with ONE furnace and two AC compressors. The heating system is a hydro-air system. It’s a boiler that sends hot water to upstairs exchange unit and the downstairs exchange unit (and hot water to hot water tank). The exchange units have a radiator that the hot water goes into and then there’s a blower that blows hot air through ducts. And during the summer there’s another coil in same exchange for cooling.

This is Albuquerque, where snow isn’t a serious problem (though we do occasionally get some and I had to shovel my walk twice last week.) I have no basement (they’re rare, and because the ground doesn’t freeze unnecessary.) Putting it on the roof saves a bit of real estate, and a lot of duct work: the intake is directly beneath it. Many people have evaporative coolers, which have to be on the roof, if not in a window. Most people have something on the roof, least in the poor section.

Albuquerque has a lot of copper thieves. When they put in a new light pole they wire it with alumin(i)um and put a sticker on the cover. I haven’t heard about homes getting hit yet, but it’s a good thought.

I bought a permanent filter and am happy with it. I still have to clean it though.

I have a package unit: a combined furnace and air conditioner. The indoor blower stopped spinning up last month, but would keep spinning if started, so I kept the blower on all the time, bought a new capacitor for $7 - good as new.

In Memphis, they will steal pad mounted compressors and window air units if no one is home. Churches are their favorite targets. They also love those cat converters on the church busses.

We have a two zone system. A gas furnace and traditional AC system service the first two floors and a heat pump services the top floor. My wife likes it because she can set the first two floors at 68 during the winter days and 58 at night, and the top floor at 58 all the time. No pilot light to worry about and the air filter is in the ceiling return. I only go into the attic if I really want to. A house our size would be inefficient with a single zone system.

My furnace was replaced under the 10 year warranty but it was in December. They worked pretty fast so were only without heat for a day and a half and it wasn’t below zero for luck. I have mine checked every year though along with the air to try and make sure I don’t have a problem in the winter.

Well this time the thing would not start and the guy determined it could not draw intake air. Thought birds nest or something. Cleaned it out but still didn’t draw right, so think we will need to replace it this Summer. I put a new fan motor in a couple years ago but it is 16 years old now and the winter can get long and cold.

Check for dirty (restricted) heat exchanger. Or replace 16 year old. Probably almost out of life anyways.