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3398 Washington Road
Atlanta, GA 30344
USA
773.398.5288
corbett@buildingperformanceworkshop.com
Advanced residential construction and home improvement consulting and owner's advocacy in Atlanta, using the latest building performance diagnostic and modeling techniques and tools. Airtightness, insulation, HVAC, ventilation, moisture, and air quality and EMF consulting for homeowners and building professionals alike.
Home performance articles and stories from the field with internationally respected building forensics guru Corbett Lunsford at the Building Performance Workshop. Hear new episodes of the Building Performance Podcast, see new videos from the Home Performance YouTube channel, and learn all about how diagnostic testing (more than an 'Energy Audit') can make home improvement and new home construction a proven process!
Filtering by Tag: design
This is mathy, but it’s not anything too difficult for anyone to understand I think. There are lots of nuances and caveats, which I think make the whole thing more interesting! Ideal absolute humidity range is ~35-65 grains per pound.
∆Gr/lb = Inside gr/lb - Outside gr/lb
Gr/hr = ∆Gr/lb x CFM x 4.5
Lb/hr = Gr/hr / 7000
Lb/day = Lb/hr x 24
Gal/day = Lb/day x 0.12
Pints/day = Gal/day x 8
The 3 rules are: don't blow make up air on people, don't blow it on surfaces, and keep the circuit short.
See our own full kitchen exhaust and make up system at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkvCn1sGvk
See a demo of the calculators for sizing and selecting make up air at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmwDGxtlHU
I only recommend ERVs for very airtight homes (less than 2 ACH50), and in those cases balanced ventilation is the ONLY way to exhaust from bathrooms. More coming on that for those who are scratching their heads. If you DO need an ERV or HRV (hear the difference at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOe4lluGwCg) then where do you put the supply and exhaust ports? How many CFM should they each push and pull? Here's my simple breakdown of what you'll need to consider.
Learn more about home ventilation at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/ventilation
There are so many simple tricks you can incorporate into a home's layout that will improve performance, including closet orientations, bathtub and toilet locations, mechanical shafts, room arrangements, and useful buffer spaces.
I'm pretty sure the awesome folks who created Manual J (like Hank Rutkowski- hear my interview with him here), and the softwares we use to run the calculations (Elite RHVAC, used here, and Wrightsoft) do not have a lot of personal experience with the test dynamics of home enclosures, and may never have actually used a blower door before. Here's a demonstration of why it's so important to respect the blower door if you're doing HVAC design for residential construction or home improvement.
Learn to perform and analyze Blower Door and Duct Tightness Tests in my 1 Day Training at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/det-verifier
There are two blower door brands, both available at: https://www.trutechtools.com/system-blower-doors-and-duct-testers.html
See a tour of a full Manual J report below:
My friends, DO NOT DO THIS. Friends don't let friends put HVAC grilles, especially the central return grille, anywhere a couch might end up backing up against it. Ceilings, great. High wall, fine. Floor, not so great but probably better than this. Learn more about HVAC performance by subscribing to our channel and joining our Patreon membership: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
Picking up where we left off in Part 1 (https://youtu.be/LEKEMI05dJE), Alex Meaney shows a design where a 3.5 ton, a 4 ton, and a 5 ton air conditioner all match a Manual J load, and explores the fine points of practical applications of the 3 rules of Manual S: 1. Select equipment that can handle 100% of the humidity load (latent heat) at minimum 2. Select equipment that does not exceed cooling load by too much (15% for single stage equip, 20% for 2-stage, 30% for variable capacity) 3. Select equipment that does not exceed total capacity by too much (but this rule must be broken in some cases)
Check out Alex Meaney's trainings: https://MeanHVAC.com
Watch Matt Risinger's video on the Build Show about my Manual J report tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL-_VjlYnD0
Ductwork is more than just supplies and returns- the entire home enclosure is actually part of the ductwork. Here’s a quick demonstration of how to use room arrangements to direct airflow. From Season 2 episode 9 of 'Home Diagnosis' on PBS.
Watch all the episodes for free right now: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv
Become a member and help make this show! https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
https://youtu.be/8NyKSkx7yPA
Now that Grace's journey learning the science of landscaping in the mastermind permaculture course Regenerative Backyard Blueprint (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IynM_7gPBfg), and the extensive site visit and measurement process by Shades of Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o9YfuWwjko), the final grand plan is ready! Review the species, planting arrangement, timeline and budget ideas for our 3 acre property in Atlanta, GA with Rebecca Baxter of Shades of Green Permaculture.
Check out Shades of Green's mastermind course and their consulting: https://shadesofgreenpermaculture.com/
Learn more about this homestead: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq4YgAoFaG-F6xvGT1MKwt-u
Learn more about our TinyLab: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq51-6Gwm3m7HXjRhgt9X7RK
#shadesofgreenpermaculture #permaculture #permacultureatlanta #growdontmow #pollinators #pollinator #pollinatorgarden #pollinatorfriendly #pollinatorhabitat #pollinatorparade #pollinatorswelcome #pollinatorsandflowers #organicgardening #organicgarden #organicgardener #organicgardeningmethods #organicgardens
At the end of our South Central Tour for Home Diagnosis Season 3, we stayed in a nice new hotel that I just couldn't help but show you. We've stayed in dozens exactly like this, but it's just too many times to refrain from making fun of these bozos anymore.
See how you design and install bath fans like a grown up here: https://youtu.be/YAi9rJ31wqU
See 'Home Diagnosis' episodes at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv
HVAC technicians will someday be the masters of the science of homes, but right now it's not looking too hot. Hear from Jim Bergmann, one of the world's HVAC legends, why most HVAC installs are wrong from the minute the load calculations are started using Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D without using a blower door first.
Watch the show at https://HomeDiagnosis.tv
Support our work changing the building industry: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
Start testing your HVAC installs with: https://measurequick.com/
Get your blower door at: https://www.trutechtools.com/system-blower-doors-and-duct-testers.html
In our practice of diagnostics, inspections, computer modeling, load calculations, and verifying that healthy home targets have been achieved, we use a very simple approach, and here it is. From season 2 of Home Diagnosis: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv