Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - HVAC contractor walked off job

Please help. Our hvac contractor is not finished and is not coming back. We have the main trunk lines for return and supply in place, and boots for the connections. How do I tell which lines are for supply and which ones are for returns (every room has at least one return). There is an Aprilaire filter on one side of the unit. We found all of the flex duct was left in the house, so far we have found that there are 6" flex ducts 8" flex ducts and 10" flex ducts. The trunk lines appear to be 90% insulated. None of the flex ducts for supply (?) have been connected to a trunk line and none of the return air duct lines have been installed. The trunk lines don't offer any clues as to which one is return air and which one is supply. I'm not even sure what brand we have, I do know that it is a heat pump with propane emergency heat and there is an Aprilaire filter on the main unit. All equipment is in the attic. At this point, we cannot afford to call in another contractor and need to get this work finished for inspections. Any help is appreciated!

Why did he walk off the job?

He's a relative.

Being a relative still doesn't answer the question as to why he walked off the job. Please tell us more ---Bill

He has been working 2 weeks at one time about 6 hours south. When he comes home on the weekends, he has other obligations. His plans are booked up to the end of the summer, and we just can't wait any longer. Technically, I suppose he hasn't walked off the job... his work schedule is just too slow for us (it's going on 4 years now since he started). So, can you offer any help??? We have a ranch house, 2250 sf, hip roof, cold air returns in every room, scheduled for a 5 ton unit, 14.0 SEER, the interior dual-fuel unit is located in the attic along with the main trunk lines (there are two distinct lines that connect back into the unit, one at each end with one filter on the south end of the unit) the supply vent boots are located in the ceiling, there is one room in the basement (24x20) with the supply and return already chased to the rough opening. Let me know if you need further details.

4 years to put in a residential HVAC system is beyond comprehension! Break down, get some money and pay a HVAC pro to finish the system in less than 3 DAYS! Reminds me of the guy who was a perfectionist and spent 15 years building his own sailboat to go around the world. 2 months later after finishing the boat and without ever sailing it ,he drops dead of a heart attack. ---Bill

ratboy69, you have stumbled on to yet another one of our problems. We investigated hiring companies to come out and complete the work starting back two years ago, and every 8 months or so up until last month. None of the reputable companies will complete a job that has been started by someone else, they say they don't need/want the liability issue, and new construction around here is keeping them way too busy, they barely have enough time for service calls on existing systems, the lists/excuses go on and on. So what can be done now short of hiring "my friends cousin who used to work for the big name supplier until he got laid off last week" type of people?????? In my mind, all I need to find out is which of the trunk lines is for supply, which is for the return air, and I can finish, take the hit when the inspector comes out, and hire the reputable company to finish the inspector's punch list since a couple of local companies said they will gladly complete the county inspector's deficiency list for us, they just won't work on it up to that point since it has already been started by someone else. I can take digital pictures of the unit in the attic if that will help.

If the ducts are connected to the furnace it should be easy to figure out which one is the return and which one is the heat duct.

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to hook up flex dect, its pretty straight forward.
You supplys will be along outside walls. I do 6 inch unless it goes to a second floor then i use 7 inch.
Your returns will be 8 inch and along the interior walls.

None of the ducts are connected yet, if they were, I feel reasonably sure that I could figure that one out myself. Only the main trunk lines have been installed. Yes, I know I can connect the flex ducts fairly easily myself, I am not afraid of the work. Do I just pick a trunk line and decide that it will be for the return air connections, thus making the remaining trunk line the supply side???????

are you? email me, address is in profile