The problem is the vapor barrier, You have a vapor barrier on the inside by using poly. The wall can't dry. You are getting a vapor drive from the bottom of the footer and that is probabky...
Type: Posts; User: uktra
The problem is the vapor barrier, You have a vapor barrier on the inside by using poly. The wall can't dry. You are getting a vapor drive from the bottom of the footer and that is probabky...
To control humidity in the basement use foam board on the walls. Do not use poly vapor barrier, as it will trap moisture and not let the wall dry. For the fish tank area use a dehumidifyer.
Unless you live in Minn., you should not use poly on the inside of the wall. This prevents the wall assembly form drying. Take off the poly and repace with one of the new varying permeable...
Tundraotto--You are missing the point. The person who started this thread was worried about ice dams, not that he had ice dam problems. Why stick a hole in your roof that uses electricity and can...
Not trying to be a "harper" but pv's have never shown to save energy and usually increase energy use. Pv's are holes in the roof that use electricity, and cause problems. Its amazing how this myth...
Keepitsimplestupid--Your analogy of a fan in the middle of the room does not pertain to a fan on the roof decking plane or a gable vent fan. Your analogy of a window frame fan not pulling air from...
Johnsmitty---you didn't read what I said.
Keepitsimplestupid--Wrong! Need to go back to science class. If pressure is greater on one side of an opening air will go from high pressure to low no matter what size the hole is. Test after test...
newhomeboston---wrong! a fan will place a negative pressure in the attic. It will pull different amounts of air through any hole depending on the size of the hole. One cannot make the attic floor...
Heat does not rise. Heat dissapates in any direction to a lower level of heat. Hot air will rise above lower heat air. Basements per square foot of surface tend to lose less heat to the...
From what you have said, I think you are overly concerned about a problem that won't happen. Ice dams are caused by heat transfer from the rooms below to the attic roof. This normally happens along...
Better yet--get a whole house dehumidifyer to handle the latent load and control humidity all year long.
You have to size heat pumps for both summer and winter loads. 6 ton for your winter load is fine. For the summer load it is oversized. The solution that I use is a 2 stage system. The intial cost...
Fiberglass insulation is for conductive heat loss. It will not stop air (convective heat loss). You must seal the holes from the attic to the rooms below, as well as having adequate insulation...
Most energy auditors can provide this if they have the manual J software program. Just ask.
Ibanda---Quit worrying about the temperature in the attic, and be concerned about the energy transfer from the attic to the rooms below. The best things you can do is seal all the holes from the...
I have a hard time believing heating with Natural gas in Texas is going to be cheaper than a two stage high seer heatpump even now, much less in the future. Natural gas production in North America...
Baldloonie is absolutly correct. Here in Florida, humidity control year around is critical. Your home should be very tight (if the roof is airsealed properly--this is VERY important if you want the...
You need to get an energy audit done. Call your local utility and find the name of a person who can check the whole house. The exam should include a blower door test to see how much air leakage is...
To design a energy efficient and comfortable home with good IAQ, you need to take a "systems approach" to the home. This will provide the largest improvement from the least amount of building cost. ...
Pstu--the article in Home Energy also re-inforces why Lstiburek likes sealed conditioned attics!
Pay to have an independant energy auditor/rater do a load calc. Make sure that person performs a blower door test to check for air infiltration rate (every body else is just guessing-usually wrong)....
Number 1 is incorrect, number 2 is correct. That is why even if you lower the attic temperature to the same as the outside the dominant energy transfer will still take place. There is no question...
Yes, once temperatures decline that will happen. Radiant barriers in Texas in new construction ae cost effective, in existing construction it all depends on cost of install and how long you will be...
jdb52--Insulation does not "unlode heat". It just slows the heat transfer. There are only three ways heat can transfer in an attic assembly. 1. Radiant (the dominant method). 2. Conductive (hot...
Tundraotto--check http://www.buildingscience.com--you will find the answers there.
Xavier--your analogy SUCKS just like power ventilators.
Whirlybirds are a poor way to ventilate an attic assembly. Power vents are a very poor way to ventilate an attic assembly.
pstu--I am not trying to start a flame war either--however, you keep making statements like Pulte is not doing sealed attics anymore to try to prove Lstiburek is wrong, and "I keep looking for a...
Nothing like putting a couple of large holes in your roof during hurricane season here in Florida!
Whirlybirds great for ice dams also. They pull the warm air from rooms below the attic, that...
It also involves how many heating degree days in your location.
pstu--I don't uderstand your "dissatisfacton" with Lstiburek advising what to do with existing home attic construction. Joe is not in the renovation business, he is in the new construction and...
pstu--Joe likes the Aircycler because it is very low cost mechanical ventilation that he can sell to production builders. Does he say that is the only way to mechanically ventillate? No. Does he...
ptsu---the "hobby horse" that you claim Dr. Lstiburek is riding is Secretariat. If you really took the time to study the man, you know that Joe gives several ways to do things depending on climate...
Mdrookie---If you want comfort as well as low utility bills, you must consider the house as a "system". I design energy efficient homes for a living. In your area a single zoned heat pump with...
Attic fans DO NOT save energy--period. Insulation above a non conditioned garage won't lower the temperature in the garage enough to justify the cost.
Majormickey--I can assure you the type of roof makes a world of difference as to how much radiant heat, in summer, is transfered to the insulation below.
That is total B.S. There is no way you can determine energy savings by that method. Way too many variables.
cem-bsee---I don't think the edge you are on is "leading". And since you cannot measure your consumption of electricity with all the variables involved, you don't have a clue about how much energy...
Ed--the scientific evidence of lowering energy use by power ventilators is in homes with little or no insulation in a vented roof that luckily had very few penetrations from attic to the rooms below....
The key is building the house as a "system". Build the thermal envelope correctly to lower hating and cooling loads. For heating, if you build the home right a wood stove will heat it well. Make...
pstu--You did not step on my toe--the remark was not directed to you. The remark was directed to those that claim they save energy, but don't have any scientific data to back it up.
How big is the home?
There is no problem with the amount or accuracy of research on powered ventilators. The huge amount of research clearly shows that code insulated ventilated attics do NOT save energy from power...
The problem with an accurate manual J calc in regarding the two bedrooms over the garage is that the calc will not show the difference in airflow in those two rooms. Also the insulation in the...
Sorry, I just opened your plan. If you have to have airhandler and ducts in the attic, then you should seal the attic with foam. The only problem will be slightly lower shingle life (3-5% less), so...
Is it one story or two above foundation? Where is (are) your airhandler(s) going to be placed?
Are you slab on grade, basement, or do you have a crawl? Are you one story above foundation, or two?
What stage are you in in the process of your new home?
Filters in forced air systems are to keep the airhandler coil clean. The idea that a forced air filter can make a real difference in indoor air quality is a myth. Uv lights are another myth--save...
It's not a question of being too lazy to open windows. As I said before opening windows may do no good and can present problems. The real key here is do you want to control ventilation properly or...