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Northern Built

Northern Built

A Cold Climate Construction and Energy Blog

Category: Building Science

Posted on November 28, 2020

Building Science-How to Test a Bath Fan.

Recently I was at a house conducting an energy audit when the homeowner indicated they were experiencing high humidity in the master bathroom.  The windows were fogging up and they had some mold growing in one of the ceiling corners.  They operate a bath fan regularly but it didn’t seem to remove any moisture.  Continue reading “Building Science-How to Test a Bath Fan.”

Posted on August 23, 2020November 3, 2020

Building Science-A Visual for Blower Door Testing

I recently tested the Code Minimum House for air tightness at the rough framing stage.  We ended up where I was hoping at this first test, .55 ACH50, 140 CFM.  Given the volume of the home, the leakage area is equal to approximately 15 square inches.  Continue reading “Building Science-A Visual for Blower Door Testing”

Posted on April 24, 2020

Building Science-Custom Shower

Wait…What?  Building science and a custom shower?  Yep!  As some of you may know from my Instagram feed, I can’t stay busy doing energy audit, assessments and building diagnostics or residential energy design in my area. Continue reading “Building Science-Custom Shower”

Posted on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020

Building Science-Resources

A few months ago on Instagram, I posted my favorite resources.  I spend about an hour every morning looking at several websites and Instagram feeds to see what’s new and hopefully gain knowledge. Continue reading “Building Science-Resources”

Posted on July 15, 2019

Building Science-Stack Effect

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”

Posted on May 20, 2019

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”

Posted on March 10, 2019

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”

Posted on February 3, 2019

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?”

Posted on January 27, 2019January 27, 2019

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”

Posted on January 20, 2019

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”

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Welcome to Northern Built, where we discuss building science, construction techniques, and energy for homes built in a cold climate.

Reach me at: northernbuiltpro1969@gmail.com

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  • Construction Materials-ThermalTight February 7, 2021
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  • Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures December 18, 2020

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