For years we have been getting together locally to talk building science. And now we are bringing it to the whole country with our online discussion group / panelist format. We hope you enjoy all the building science content!
31:00 Re. code standards changing with time. Some may not be aware but the 2024 IRC will probably push insulation requirements back to the 2018 version, in other words, stepping back from the increases of 2021.
Anyone building on the East Coast that's willing to let me try installing their hydronic heat pump? I install solar/batteries/generators/smart panels on the daily as well as Zehnder ERV systems and would be highly negotiable on pricing! If using hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar panels and thermal energy storage, I would literally take vacation to come install yours for free.
Would be good to get someone to talk about cascade heat pumps, if there's a monoblock version of those that output much hotter water, and what combination of refrigerants might be involved. Would also be good to understand how much of an impact a ground loop has versus an air source.
Hi from the UK (Isle of Wight) Can I ask John a question regarding his books. Is there much difference in the content between the modern hydronic heating and cooling and heating with renewable energy? I’ve just today received my copy of the fourth edition modern hydronic heating and cooling, looks very informative indeed.
Spray foam is a joke and dangerous. What do fire departments say about spray foam. And some insurance companies will not insure a house with spray foam.
I’m just curious as to the solar vapor drying issue, at least in a residential setting would it be possible to close the doors in each area for long enough to complete a full air exchange and test the rooms separately with a hygrometer? See what areas may fall outside of their own bell curve of measurements.
29:47 It's surprising we aren't all already dead. There's lots of good information in this video but also what sounds like a fair amount of fear mongering. One part per billion of arsenic in our water is a problem? Is it even technologically possible to remove that one part?
If I am seeking a double-pane high gain glass for zone 5a, what SHGC am I looking for? Right around 0.5?? And looking for the same VT. And I heard Innotech, what were the two other manufacturers Enrico mentioned?
What these systems have in common is the frustration involved with near perfect grading of course compacted aggregate. The problem with leveling stone to even 1/4" tolerance is that every compaction pass or footprint restarts the leveling process; there are no tradesman on the planet that are going to love this work. OTOH, I can see a very patient, cost conscience DIY'r who might be tempted to try this in lieu of a traditional concrete slab. These schemes would benefit from 1"-2" of low PSI self-leveling sand-crete, or even pourable gypsum placed on top of the vapor barrier. A pourable gypsum leveler would require moisture barrier perfection, pourable Portland sand-crete is quite moisture tolerant. Self-leveling Portland concrete will most likely shrink crack, but it doesn't really matter because it's only function is leveling. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vfi4HO_iy-s.html
Lots of general info, very little specific and concrete info. This is a show for home builders, half of this show should have been about plumbing and treatment for new home construction, treatment suggestions for common water issues, and maybe what not to do for common issues. Very interesting show, lots of interesting discussion, but very light on factual information. When you have a subject matter expert at your disposal you should be asking top-tier questions.
There was a lot of concrete info and advice. We relayed the questions the audience was asking and ones we had ourselves. We aim to reach a broad audience with a range of information. If you want more advanced content you probably need to pay for it.
@@michaelmaines103 I definitely appreciate what was covered, I just think some more specific information would have been in order. She’s obviously very experienced with water situations, so even a list of specific situations and their solutions would have been nice. Anyway, keep up the good work and inviting top-tier guests to the show! 👍
@@michaelmaines103 I mean it would have been nice if she covered examples of real water issue cases. This was the issue identified, this is the research we did, this was the solution we implemented which resulted in these objectively better test results. I know there’s a risk in people taking that info and perhaps incorrectly applying it to their situation, but I think builders (and building geeks) would be wise enough not to do that.
From the slide with the %RH throught the year at 45:40, you can see that throught the year it can go down to about 20 %RH. The best system would require a dehumidifier AND an humidifier for the dryer month. Am I correct?
Agreed, square footage to the outside is for tax purposes, not actuality. If you can maximize space usage concepts including some that are in tiny house design thinking (code application limits withstanding) and apply to 'regular' houses. Love the dimensional designing and appropriately sized overhangs. Steve, are you venting your roof assemblies? Living further north makes it more difficult to deceive oneself to ignore nature(actuality) since you'll die faster from the cold than the heat in the south.
I like BS&B, but this conversation was almost useless. It contained virtually no practical information useful to even a fraction of 1% of residential projects. It seems like a major focus on the extreme fringe narrow set of projects (rammed earth foundation...?...), it would seem that the opportunity to have the biggest overall impact would be via small impacts on a broader set of projects (i.e. instead of no concrete or foam, more focus on less concrete or wood as an alternative, as was very briefly touched on, and most efficient insulating strategies).
I am planning a vented roof, and a cold roof over the entire roof with ventilation at the rafter tails and the Ridge vent. What kind of vapor barrier should I have on the first roof deck? 15lbs felt? Over the second roof deck, the cold roof, I plan ice and water shield over the entire roof deck. This is in a Zone 5b.
Great episode! I’m really torn what to do for our home gym. Rubber is the standard because it can handle impact from weightlifting equipment - are there any alternatives that are non-toxic? I hate the idea of building an eco home and then putting down a bunch of toxic rubber flooring!
Looks like paper manufacturing minus the bleach and drying to a different state. I love paper plants. Did we run out of paper to recycle into cellulose? I guess paper demand is down and this just skips that part.
Jessica is impressive! Question: Without the profile on the edge of the board product, how do you prevent air/vapor leaks? Do you have to install 2 layers staggered? Now open a mfg plant in the Southeastern USA so I can work there! :)
I enjoy the candidness of people like doc Joe. Its the reason I logged in to this episode. He's got enough tenure and clout that he can be open, insightful, and entertaining. I'd love to see the outcome of BS+Beer+barbituates. Just sayin...
My issue with building with standard sheet sizes is that those materials were manufactured to be used this way. Now we have completely lost the proportion systems that are pleasing to the human form. 1:2 is a very ugly proportion. Why do we like old European villages? Colonial homes? It's the relationship between the source of the material and it's proportion to the human scale.
If osb manufacturers would laminate a plastic film and make their products part of the air barrier it could be another incremental step in the right direction. Builders think air doesn’t blow through it.
I have a question My question, challenge even ! I come from building out my Van (Sprinter) I insulated with 3M Thinsulate, foil / 5mm closed cell foam sheet insulation, and 6mm Plywood. There is much debate in the van life forums To use a vapour barrier or not. What are your thoughts ? My view is try to stop as much living space air reaching the vans inside metal skin, but don't try to seal off with a vapour barrier. It's impossible in a van. While I did sort of try to seal off using the 5mm closed cell foam with foil on both sides behind the plywood walls and ceiling, then 3M Thinsulate thats more a air barrier so my 2 Maxx Air Roof fans can run or be open 24/7 to exchange the vans air and flush moist living space air. Thoughts ?
Great comments by Alexandra about communicating with the builder. As a GC I often accused architects of drawing pretty pictures and even MC Escher unbuildable columns.
Preceding the technologies intro to Europe by several thousand years, the Koreans had ondols (a type of hypocaust) and the Chinese had kang beds (heated sleeping platforms). The ancient Greeks used hypocausts as did the Romans, *ALL* thousands of years before King Gustov! It is fascinating this technology keeps being rediscovered! Right until today, where most North America don’t even know it exists 😁
Great information. I have built 2 houses with a recirculation loop and pump on a timer. Works great . Just push the button for 5 minutes and you have hot water to the fixtures in a short time. It's on demand so you don't waste energy continually circulating water when you're not using it. The smart pumps seem like a complex way to solve a simple problem.
if you can, calculate the travel time for water from the water heater to the shower/sinks loop and just set the recirc pump time to that. Good chance might be less than 5min. Waste not, want not, lol
It certainly does. Latent: 1. potentially existing but not presently evident or realized Although YOU can feel it, there is no effect on the temperature of the space. The thermostat ONLY looks at the sensible load. That is a key here and good on you for pointing this out. Thermostat is simply a switch that turns off power to the HVAC system once the sensible load has been handled. That’s whether the latent load has been addressed or not. Ideally, a professional designs the HVAC systems for the building enclosure it is meant to condition. When true, the system will run close to 100% during design conditions. Meaning at the worst 1% of the year. Dehumidification will occur during longer runtimes. But during the 99%, the HVAC system runs less. That’s on a gradient. At 98, 97, etc, you aren’t going to feel the inefficiency. But the further away you get from design conditions, the more it matters. It really matters during the extreme ends of that gradient during spring and fall (colloquially known as shoulder seasons), when the air conditioning is not running at all, but it isn’t time for heating season to begin. And that leads to part-load humidity problems. And that is where supplemental dehumidification really shines.
This is a fantastic show, I'm a 68 year old guy living in the redwoods of Northern California originally from the Boston area. I've been building my own home for the past 12 years and have been studying every type of fireplace, wood stove and masonry stove for a for a long time, I want to put the most perfect unit in. I only came upon masonry heaters about 8 years ago. I am ready to start building. Where can I find links to your 2 guests? Thanks again for an absolute brilliant show, these guys are definitely stars in their field. I need to get in touch with them.
