Manual J/Blower Door/Duct Testing

[scooterfj62]

boy this just isn't my week is it?
diy the air sealing duct sealing per findings of the blower
door duct testing.

while allowing the duct sealing to be done by hvac company,
the blower door will show leakage areas in the house.
some you address from attic..others from inside the house.
are you willing to diy the caulking from inside the house?

hopefully you'll share your testing results with us.

best of luck.

Will leave the duct sealing to the pros, attic is a little tricky and they have insurance incase of a fall!!! Would be comfortable with the calking and probably take on that job.

Will absolutely share results and should be interesting to see the difference in the Man J from the original quote and the one from the rater who is doing the blower/duct testing.

Thanks for all the advice.

[jtrammel]

Look forward to seeing the results. Keep us posted

[HVAC/Stud]

Jason,is all you do is stay on this hvac-talk?
Do you not work any more?
You give some good info, you are a good hvac tech.
When are we going to do lunch?

Stud

[jtrammel]

I just got time to kill while supervising... Lol. keeps me sharp too

[jtrammel]

I'll admit I'm kinda addicted

[udarrell]

resnet.org is another source for an energy rater; we aren't called auditors.

blower door using subtraction method can measure duct leakage.
blower door measures house leakage also. different steps..same equipment.

resnet raters use duct blaster or pressure pans to test
ductwork you would have to request if you chose to test differently.

usually houses are pressurized to get leakage amount.
if you pressurize you can feel the air leaking out of ductwork
so you know exactly where to seal.

sealing house leakage means less of the great outdoors to heat and cool
sealing ducts means all of air you pay to condition comes into the space
where you live. return should also be tested.

sealing both leakage areas (house & duct) can change how many
tons of hvac is required.
manual J would have to reflect reduced infiltration numbers.
best of luck.

I have severe carpal tunnel in my hands & using a tape measuring rooms is difficult. What 50 foot laser ultrasound measuring tools do you or anyone on here recommend?

I believe everyone ought to use the latest tools & instruments including computer software that will speedup the job of energy rating & load calcs; these days (mostly retired) it's taking me too long to do the job.

Lot of figuring & paper work involved without good programed software.

This one any good? http://www.calculated.com/prd329/Las...l#.UGSU3mJ-nRQ

[udarrell]

A laser I really liked was the 40-6001 Johnson; probably be pricey though; will have to check... or the EXTECH DT300 Distance Meter -view its video there too.

It does a lot of things we want performed for us & at a much longer distance than the linked laser; just play its video when the initial video finishes. Anyone have one?

[54regcab]

Fix the obvious leaks, install the equipment based on low leakage. If there are other leaks and the AC can't keep up then go back and fix them. Never install larger AC units to compensate for a leaky house of poor ductwork.

[udarrell]

Fix the obvious leaks, install the equipment based on low leakage.

If there are other leaks and the AC can't keep up then go back and fix them.

Never install larger AC units to compensate for a leaky house with poor ductwork.

I second that; that is excellent advice but not enough are doing it!

[54regcab]

It boggles my mind how people are totally OK with installing a larger HVAC systems instead of fixing the house/ductwork. Adding insult to injury they even install large high SEER systems on leaky houses !!!

[energy_rater_La]

I have a rolling tape measure.
most of my measuring is outside to make drawing of house to
enter in software. lasers don't work outside..as they need
a solid surface to measure to.
indoors I just roll out rooms..or count ceiling tiles LOL.

tried laser measures a few years ago..but I'm too old school
to trust what I don't physically measure.
tips or teddkidd might have info to share??

sorry Udarrel. carpal tunnel is a pita. have you thought about
the surgery for it? I've heard it is a sucessful surgery.

[energy star]

Fluke makes a laser tape.
Size the system for it's size and window area.

[tedkidd]

I've been told the sonic ones don't work well. I got the Ryobi laser from hd - very happy with it, amazingly accurate. Pita to use outside as erla suggests. Wheels are nice for that, unless you are very confident in your pace.

Draw sketch on graph paper (I like the type with thicker lines every 10), if lines come together your measurements are on. Not much fun missing a measurement and finding out off site.

[udarrell]

I have a rolling tape measure.
most of my measuring is outside to make drawing of house to
enter in software. lasers don't work outside..as they need
a solid surface to measure to.
indoors I just roll out rooms..or count ceiling tiles LOL.

tried laser measures a few years ago..but I'm too old school
to trust what I don't physically measure.
tips or teddkidd might have info to share??

sorry Udarrell. carpal tunnel is a pita. have you thought about
the surgery for it? I've heard it is a successful surgery.

Well, guess I need to just give up, but as you know countless people need help with whole house efficiency & load calcs...

Everywhere I went they couldn't get a reading using their electric current nerve conduction tests - due too my body lurching; well, only one surgeon would do it, but I was warned by a friend that he messed some patents up.

My left arm was ran into a washing machine ringer by my older brother, when I was still practically a baby. Back then, it was gas engine powered & my mother panicked & the ringer rollers did horrific damage to my left arm before she finally got me out of it.

I came close to losing my arm. Then when I was about 8 yrs old I was skiing in the barn yard where there was little snow & a steep grade with cattle rough frozen hard ridges; my brother jumped on my skies behind me grabbed my shoulders & then part way down the grade fell on top of me braking the same left arm three places in the elbow.

I went three days not being able to bend it at all; so had to have it set but there were bone chips popping when I bend it.

That explains my acute left hand problems...hand & finger pains plus mobility problems for over a decade.

Due to the left wrist having irregular problems I had the right hand operated on first to see if it would help; problem is I kind of flirted with the nurses & when the nurse went to ask the surgeon if we could switch to the right hand I think she told him so when he was nearly done he probed into the median nerve which left my right hand with no feeling at all for a number of weeks, finally got some feeling back, but could no longer bend my trigger finger & my hand was compromised big-time.

They completely deaden your entire arm so you feel nothing; but when he severed that main median nerve it stung & burned big-time, he even asked me if it did that, - confirming what he had done.

I was a far typist, a skill I learned in college; now I use the eraser ends of pencils & hunt & pick.

If we don't reduce our use of Oil based fuels one day oil fuels will become unaffordable tanking our global economy; so I preach & try to help the cause for our youth & future generations.

Hey everybody, keep-up the good work; explain to customers that by far the safest most secure plus most cost effective first priority investment anyone can make is home energy efficiency.

[tedkidd]

Ughh. Good writing, MY arm is in pain after reading that.

The peak oil thing has me concerned too.

Im using voice on my phone more and more. You can get Dragon Dictate to do the same thing on the computer.

[energy_rater_La]

I hear that nerve conduction test in painful. I have ruptured discs
in neck & lower back. the ones in my neck press on nerves
for my fingers..its a real challange some days to do the work.

power tools are harder to operate, aside from the fact that the
handgrips are for folks with larger hands.

you & I Udarrel..we will be keeping on keeping on until we physically
can't anymore. for me, I figure there are worse things in life!
keep pecking away & giving good information/advice.

[scooterfj62]

Had the energy survey done last week and received the report yesterday along with the contractors recommendations for new systems. They did a Manual J, duct and insulation inspection, blower door, etc. House received a Hers of 114. Made the usual recommendations of adding insulation and sealing the ducts, etc.

Have had 2 full blown Manual J's done, 4 different contractors and 5 different recommendations. The J's came up with slightly different results and thus different recommendations. What the heck is a homeowner to do, all contractors are well respected in the area and have been around each for 20 plus years.

Will post the J's here tomorrow and I guess start a new thread with all the recommendations.

[scooterfj62]

So here is what I have received from the various contractors by way of Manual J's and Energy Survey. Should I start another thread about what recommendations I have received or keep this going here?

[tedkidd]

I see one uses Phil's software. Did they true up the model to your actual energy use? I believe it overstates out of the gate, but if you plug in your actual consumption you get pretty good numbers.

[scooterfj62]

I see one uses Phil's software. Did they true up the model to your actual energy use? I believe it overstates out of the gate, but if you plug in your actual consumption you get pretty good numbers.

Not sure, but the group that did the energy survey asked for and was given a 12 month energy usage summary. The group that used the Elite software did not, nor did they revise the numbers when I provided them with the Blower Door results. I guess they did not want our business.