Author: Randy

Posted on

Construction Education-International Builders Show

This blog originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor’s Website.

2023 was my fifth trip to the International Builders Show and third time attending in Las Vegas.  The Las Vegas Convention Center was the location for the event, which took place January 31 through February 2nd.  This year, the International Builders Show was spread out over three different halls with a fourth outside location.  According to IBS, 2023 had 70,000 people in attendance with more than 1,300 exhibitors (these totals did not include the Kitchens and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the hardware show or the surfaces show (countertops and floor coverings), all of which also took place over the same dates.)

Continue reading “Construction Education-International Builders Show”

Posted on

Building Diagnostic-Service Panel Corrosion

The following post is a copy of the report I sent to the owners of this home having severe corrosion of their electrical service panels.

I was asked to investigate the source of corrosion and rust in the electrical service panels for a couple living in Northern Minnesota.  The original service panels were replaced in 2022.  Deterioration of the replacements has warranted a third set of electrical panels. 

Continue reading “Building Diagnostic-Service Panel Corrosion”

Posted on

Window R-Values

This blog post originally appeared on the Alpen Window’s website.  https://thinkalpen.com/.  I had the opportunity to tour the Alpen plant recently and was very impressed with the windows they make.  There will be more content featuring Alpen Windows in the near future.

Heat is a funny thing; it wants to move from someplace warm to someplace cold, (the opposite of being a snowbird) and it’ll continue to move until it has reached equilibrium.  In the heat of the summer or cold of winter, that means if we can’t slow the movement of heat, the temperature of the outside will be the same as the temperature of the inside.  This might be 110°F or -25°F, neither is appealing.  Of course, we heat and cool our buildings to maintain comfort, but these systems work best when we’re able to slow this constant march of heat leaving or entering the building, we do this with insulation.

Continue reading “Window R-Values”

Posted on

Windows-Water and Air Sealing

I’m going to make a statement that not everyone will agree with, windows leak water.  Not all are leaking now, some will develop the leak later, as the window and the sealing products used to install the window age.  The leak may be an error or failure in the installation, or it could be the window itself that is leaking.  It could be a design error, water funneling off a roof over a window, such as in the photo.  The leak may only be an incidental amount of water, or it could be a major bulk water concern.  The leak may also only be active during the once every ten-year major rain fall event.  The point is windows will leak water.

Photo by Eric Strommer-Strommer Home Improvements

Continue reading “Windows-Water and Air Sealing”

Posted on

The Thermal Bridge

Thermal imaging is an awesome tool, it can be used to find areas of missing insulation and other temperature anomalies in the building shell.  It can help us find issues with electrical, plumbing and heating systems.  And when used in conjunction with a blower door, we can often “see” the air leaks.  The photo below was taken without the assistance of a blower door, I was at this new home to conduct a blower door, but the test hadn’t begun at the time this photo was taken, can you say thermal bridge!

Continue reading “The Thermal Bridge”

Posted on

The Diminishing Return of Insulation

Insulation and R-value go together like hard work and sweat.  R-value is, of course, the resistance to heat flow.  We’ve been taught to think more is better, which is true to a point.  I’m changing the insulation in the wall of my home from R-7, originally installed in 1952, to R-15, and I’m excited to see how much more comfortable my home becomes.  There is an argument that at a certain level, more insulation will cost dollars to save pennies.    At what point do we reach diminishing returns?

Continue reading “The Diminishing Return of Insulation”

Posted on

What is R-Value?

This is the first in a series of blogs I’ve written for Rockwool and the R-Class Builder Program.  If you are not already a member, you can join at this link, Rockwool R-Class.  The R-Class program is free.

What is R-value?  I write often about different insulations, how they perform, where they should and shouldn’t be used.  I think this blog post should go back to the basics and talk about what is R-value, how it is calculated, and how much is needed.

This concrete foundation is not insulated, concrete has a much lower resistance to heat flow (R-Value) than the insulated wall. This becomes evident when using thermal imaging. Heat is leaving this structure through the concrete. Insulation will slow this heat loss.

Continue reading “What is R-Value?”

Posted on

Indoor Air Quality and Building Diagnostics

The post originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.

I recently purchased the CPS IAQ PRO SmartAir professional indoor air quality meter to use during energy audits and building diagnostics/investigations.  My intent with the purchase was two-fold, first to learn more about indoor air quality metrics by testing homes in my market, and second, to have a more accurate temperature/humidity/dew point estimation inside these homes.  I recently had the opportunity to use the tool on a building investigation, I’ll outline this case study later in this post.  First let’s talk about the features of the CPS IAQ PRO SmartAir.

Continue reading “Indoor Air Quality and Building Diagnostics”

Posted on

Why You Need Blower Door Testing

This article first appeared in issue 304 of Fine Homebuilding Magazine.

I bought my first blower door in 2009, back when new construction was in a downturn and energy auditing and weatherization projects were on the rise.  I took a 40-hour energy auditing training course at a local college which included hands-on training on how to use a blower door.  It took many tests before I became comfortable in its operation and understood the information it was providing.  Though one of the more expensive tools I own, I’ve been able to keep it busy and add this specialized testing to my business’s income stream.

Continue reading “Why You Need Blower Door Testing”

Posted on

Duct Tightness Testing

This post originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.

Testing air leakage in ductwork used for forced air heating and cooling systems has been required since the 2012 IRC code.  The 2012 through the 2018 code allowed a testing exemption for all ductwork located inside the building envelope.  In other words, if you kept all ductwork inside the thermal and air boundary of the building, no testing was required.  That has changed for the 2021 energy code.

Continue reading “Duct Tightness Testing”