I turned the heat off about the 1st of the month and haven't run it since. Probably won't until Sept.
Just when I had conjured the motivation to purchase soffit intake vents, I investigated the attic again and found that another restriction exists in the form of 2"x8" vents, and there's only 11 of them allowing air into the attic. The math tells me that's 176 sq/in of intake capacity, assuming I do something about the 58 sq/in soffit vents; well short of the ~800 sq/in exhaust capacity.
Since the project has become more complex than just adding soffit vents, I ordered 1/8" chicken wire and I'm going to screen the attic access hole, which will add 650 sq/in of intake air. I'll need to crack open the 8' garage door about 7" to feed the attic access hole. This is the reason I don't pay "professionals". A roof builder has 1 job, and they suck beyond belief, and don't know basic arithmetic. I have contempt for the average construction outfit.
Since I have contempt for poor workmanship, I made progress on replacing the rotten steps leading from the basement porch. Steel stringers and stainless steel fasteners. My great, great, great, grandchildren will be including those stairs in their will.
Currently contemplating decking materials. Composite has come a long way. PVC lasts forever but expands a lot and costs more. There's a cement and fiberglass product that's lightweight, cool, and lasts forever, but I don't know pricing yet, it's quite thick, and requires face fasteners which I'm against.
Scrap wood treads until I order decking.
...and I'm back to my humming and hawing about how best to implement AC in the house, and considering a mini-split with ceiling cassettes.
