A Cold Climate Construction and Energy Blog
As I’m writing this blog post, a very cold air mass typically found at the North Pole has begun to move southward, into more temperate climates. This latest polar vortex is forecast to affect much of the continental US with below average temperatures.
Here’s a question, what effect does that very cold air have on our homes? Well, it depends!
Continue reading “What Happens to Your Home in Extreme Cold?”
The first time I used a self-adhered water resistive barrier was in 2019, on my own home. I had recently purchased a 1950’s vintage Cape Cod design fixer upper that was built using board sheathing covered by 15 lb. asphalt impregnated felt. I knew I wanted to improve the water management and air tightness of the structure but didn’t want to upgrade the sheathing. I had been researching self-adhered WRB’s and decided that option would be the best fit based on what I was trying to accomplish.
Continue reading “How to install a Window When Using a Self-Adhered WRB”
Missing a detail when working through an unfamiliar assembly can be easy to do. Getting your head around the movement of water, air, and the thermal boundary with all of the parts and pieces that are required to make the structure often requires more information than can be shown in a simple plan or elevation. I often find myself drawing in 3-D using a modeling software or even going as far as building a mock-up of the assembly. Sometimes both are needed.
If you are an architect, which I am not, you’ll have the software tools to make professional, photo realistic drawings. I do have some formal training in drafting, but that was decades ago, CAD was new, and my instructor believed in drawing by hand first, then move to the computer. Some of my past designs were simply done on paper or with an inexpensive CAD program, which can work, but not very impressive when trying to sell a client on a design.
Testing the air barrier or air control layer of a home has traditionally been done using artificial pressure created by a fan, commonly referred to as a blower door test. Why You Need Blower Door Testing – Northern Built The advantage of using an air pressure differential testing is twofold, we can quantify the building tightness (CFM50, ACH50 or CFM/ft² of surface area) and locate deficiencies in the air barrier. Finding the air leaks can be done by watching for fluttering drapery or spiderwebs, feeling for air leaks, using synthetic smoke created by smoke generating tools, by thermal imaging, or measuring pressure differentials between spaces inside the building enclosure using a manometer.
Continue reading “A New Tool to Find Air Leaks in Buildings Using Sound”
Continue reading “Considerations When Adding Exhausting Equipment to an Existing Home” The building science community talks a lot about control layers. I’ve written on the topic several times, basic overview of these principles which can be found at: A Crash Course on the Four Control Layers. Let’s take a deeper look at water resistive barriers (WRB) and how windows and doors need to be integrated into the WRB.
Continue reading “How to Integrate a Window into a Water Resistive Barrier”
As builders and homeowners, we are interested in how a window or door performs, their longevity and durability, and how easily they install, and of course the cost. Have you ever given thought to how a window or door is tested by the manufacturer?
I recently had the opportunity to tour Andersen Windows and Doors research and development department, a place called the Garofalo Center for Research, Development and Innovation. This is the facility where, in the words of Andersen, they “test to failure”. Stated in another way, they don’t test to see if a product simply passes a required testing standard, Andersen wants to know at what point their products fail. Continue reading “How a Window Manufacturer Tests Thier Products”
What is an energy code? Energy codes are part of the building code that regulates how heat and energy are used in a building. By now, most builders understand there are minimum insulation levels, in walls, floors and ceilings. There are also requirements in how windows and doors perform. Air tightness testing and mechanical system performance (both in space heating and water heating) are also part of the energy codes. Local jurisdictions adopt (sometimes modify) and enforce these codes. Updated energy codes are released every three years. The 2024 IECC has been released, but most jurisdictions are looking to adopt the 2021 version, which you can read here: 2021 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE (IECC) | ICC DIGITAL CODES (iccsafe.org)
I purchased my first thermal imaging camera back in 2009, it was an Extech i3 (made by Flir). The $1200 camera had a resolution of 60×60, total pixels of 3,600 and shot photos only in thermal (no digital photo overlay). If you don’t understand any of those terms, that’s okay, you will have a basic understanding of how thermal imaging works by the end of this article. Oh, and by the way, you can now purchase more than twice the camera I had in 2009 with half the cost.
Continue reading “What You Need to Know About Thermal Imaging Cameras”
This post first appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.
I was a builder for more than 10 years before I attempted my first above code building project. There was an order in the way I built early in my career that usually kept my projects moving smoothly. That schedule went out the window with my first attempt at constructing a higher performing home.
Integrating high levels of air tightness, greater R-values, along with other elements to improve performance can result in assemblies and installation details going out of order from traditional construction practices. The easiest and most logical construction schedules often need adjustments.
Continue reading “What to Know About Construction Sequencing in High Performance Projects”