I’ve talked about the stack effect several times on this blog, but have never written a post dedicated to the subject. Stack effect is present in every home. Older, less air sealed homes (like mine) will usually have a more air exchanges due to stack effect. Continue reading “Building Science-Stack Effect”
Building Science-Ghosting
Indoor air quality can effect a lot of things, of course the biggest is people’s health. How do you know if you have poor indoor air quality? One possible indicator is a phenomenon known as ghosting. Continue reading “Building Science-Ghosting”
Construction Design-Fixing Ice Dams from the Interior, Part 1
Today, I’m starting a 2 part series on how I plan on fixing the ice damming on the roof of my 1952 Cape. This first part is going to show photos of my neighborhood, which has many houses suffering from the same condition as mine. Continue reading “Construction Design-Fixing Ice Dams from the Interior, Part 1”
Building Science-What does an air leak look like?
The past few weeks I’ve been discussing air leaks and the need for fresh air in our homes. (It’s best if your fresh air doesn’t come from uncontrolled air leaks.) This week we will see what an air leak looks like and what can be an outcome of these leaks. Continue reading “Building Science-What does an air leak look like?”
Building Science-Air Changes
My last posting I talked about air changes at 50 Pascals (ACH50) and air changes natural (ACHnat). This week I’m going to discuss how much fresh air a home needs in a northern climate and a couple of the codes Minnesota has in force that work well. One of these codes, the requirement for balanced ventilation, helps add durability to our structures. Continue reading “Building Science-Air Changes”
Building Science-ACH50/ACHnat
I’ve written several times on this blog about the importance of blower door testing in new construction or during some remodels. In this blog posting I would like to dive deeper into air changes per hour at 50 Pascals and air changes per hour natural. Continue reading “Building Science-ACH50/ACHnat”
Building Science-Continuing Education
In a few weeks, I will be teaching my first building science class during a continuing education contractor expo in my area. Continue reading “Building Science-Continuing Education”
Building Science-Heat Movement in Pictures
I’ve talked a few times on this blog about how a home can lose heat in a cold climate. Thermodynamics tells us heat moves from a warm space to a cold one by one of three methods; convection, conduction or radiation. This blog is going to show visually how a structure loses heat by way of several thermal images photographs. Continue reading “Building Science-Heat Movement in Pictures”
Construction Materials-Vapor Retarders
I recently wrote a blog post titled Building Science-Building Shell Layers-Vapor Control Layer. This blog is going to expand on that discussion with information on several choices of vapor retarders. Continue reading “Construction Materials-Vapor Retarders”
Building Science-Building Shell Layers-Thermal Control Layer
Last week we talked about interior moisture drive through the building shell, the vapor control layer. This week we will continue with the building shell layers discussion, number 4 on our list is the thermal barrier. Continue reading “Building Science-Building Shell Layers-Thermal Control Layer”