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3398 Washington Road
Atlanta, GA 30344
USA

773.398.5288

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.

Videos/Podcasts/Articles

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: building science

ERV for Bath Exhaust & in Cold Climates: FAIL or WIN from the Ventilation Manufacturers

Corbett Lunsford

Hear it from the people who manufacture fresh air systems, not just from me. ERVs are for very airtight homes (under 2ach50) to balance the exhaust air from pollution sources inside. Download our universal ventilation layout concept at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/s/BPW-PerformanceVentilationLayout.pdf

Thanks to:
Nick Agopian, Renewaire (https://Renewaire.com)
Travis Rasch, Broan-Nutone (https://Broan.com)
Bruno Poitras, Fantech (https://Fantech.net)
Ken Nelson, Panasonic (https://Panasonic.com)
Szabi Fekete, Zehnder (https://ZehnderAmerica.com)

1:16 Continuity of Balanced Ventilation
2:23 Sizing Considerations
3:36 International Mechanical Code Minimum for Continuous Ventilation Airflow
5:04 Boost Mode
6:27 ERVs in Cold Climates
10:12 ERV vs. Dehumidifier

Watch the first-ever TV series about the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Join our Patreon membership for exclusive access and behind-the-scenes discussions! https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Outdoor Pollution Reacting in Your Home (Water Toxins, Smog, Wildfire Smoke) HOME DIAGNOSIS Ep 310

Corbett Lunsford

Can we ever truly be safe living in a bubble? Physics, chemistry, and microbiology teach us that it's impossible to avoid dealing with industrial and traffic pollution, water contaminants, sewer system upgrades (whoa that part), your workplace, fast fashion, and wildfire smoke (plus third-hand smoke, which you might not even have heard of yet). And what happens when the outdoor world and our indoor world meet and react?

Join our team and keep this show independent: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts: 

Miriam Diamond, Environmental Chemist at University of Toronto

Marianne Hatzopoulou, Air Quality Researcher at University of Toronto

Sarah Henderson, Indoor Air Researcher at British Columbia Centers for Disease Control

Elliott Gall, Air Quality Researcher at Portland State University

Delphine Farmer, Atmospheric Chemist at Colorado State University

Andrew Whelton, Water Safety Researcher at Purdue University

Mike Marquez, Water Filtration Technician

Jeffrey Siegel, Indoor Air Quality Researcher at University of Toronto

Lauren Garofalo, Atmospheric Chemist at Colorado State University

Michael Link, Analytical Chemist at NIST

Also featuring UrbanScanner (https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/the-urbanscanner-project-mobile-monitoring-of-air-pollution-in-cities/), the Center for Plumbing Safety (https://engineering.purdue.edu/PlumbingSafety) and their research on Cured-In-Place Pipe technology (see the list of accidents happening across the US here: https://engineering.purdue.edu/CIPPSafety/resources/incidents), the art of chemistry visualization by our friend Kamil Czapiga (https://Cosmodernism.com) and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.  

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-310-outside-sneaking-in

HOW TO NOT GET SCREWED: Advice for Renters/Mobile Homes/Insurance/Lawsuits: Ep 311 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

Corbett Lunsford

Are we doing a good job preparing for, and recovering from disasters? Whether it’s a personal disaster with physics, chemistry or microbiology in your own home, or floods and fires that cross state lines, it’s become clear to us the answer is: we could do better. There are some problems baked into the system of disaster preparedness and recovery itself- in renting vs. owning property, insurance claims, lawsuits and even mobile home construction standards (sounds boring, is definitely not). Let’s talk about why the problems exist, how to avoid them, and what to do if you need to fight for your family’s future in a safe and healthy home.

Join our team and keep this show independent: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts: 

Lori Peek, Social Scientist at University of Colorado- Boulder

Andrew Whelton, Water Safety Researcher at Purdue University

Elaina Sutley, Disaster Resilience Researcher at Kansas State University

Jennifer Bridge, Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Florida

Bill Lazar, Executive Director at St. Johns Housing Partnership (https://www.sjhp.org/)

Susan Giddens, Affordable Rehab Manager at St. Johns Housing Partnership

Anil Mittal, Moldy Home Survivor in Houston TX

Trey Flournoy, Property Insurance Attorney

Also featuring lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.  

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-311-equal-opportunity-disaster

Home Disasters: Earthquakes, Landslides, Sinkholes, and What To Do- Ep 306 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

Corbett Lunsford

An exploration of the natural phenomena around our homes that are unexpectedly hard or soft- hail, landslides, liquefaction of the ground during earthquakes, and the research around all of these.

Join our Patreon team and be part of the exploration of the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts:
Joseph Wartman- Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Washington
Elaina Sutley- Disaster Resilience Researcher at Kansas State University
Ian Robertson- Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Hawaii
Koorosh Lotfizadeh- Earthquake Researcher at UC San Diego
Pedro Lomonaco- Coastal Engineering Researcher at Oregon State University
Dan Wilson- Geotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Ross Boulanger- Geotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Jason DeJong- Biogeotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Anne Cope- Chief Engineer at IBHS
Trey Flournoy- Property Insurance Attorney

Also featuring the UCSD Shake Table (https://se.ucsd.edu/facilities/englekirk-structural-engineering-center), the UC Davis Centrifuge (https://cgm.engr.ucdavis.edu/facility/9-m-centrifuge/), and IBHS (https://ibhs.org), and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-306-rock-hard

Beware of Air Purifiers, Miracle Products, & Quick Fixes- Ep 305 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

Corbett Lunsford

In trying to fix our problems, are we actually just rearranging them? For every product advertised to fix something in your home, there is its shadow- the byproduct you might not suspect. Every home is a system, and all the parts interact through physics, chemistry, and microbiology- but since we can’t predict the specific combination of products in your home, we can’t predict their interactions. But there are ways to buy, and even build, in a less chaotic way, that gives us more control over the hazards we face every day.
Join our Patreon team and become part of the frontier of the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts:
Jeffrey Siegel- Air Quality Researcher at University of Toronto
Rich Corsi- OG Indoor Air Quality Researcher, now at UC Davis
Scott True- Homebuilder at Dimora Homes (https://dimorahomes.com/)
Sheridan Reed- Owner of a high performance Dimora Home
Lisa Ng- Building Scientist at NIST
Karen Dannemiller- Environmental Engineer at Ohio State University
Elliott Gall- Air Quality Researcher at Portland State University
Arthur Chan- Environmental Researcher at University of Toronto
Rob Krug- Cybersecurity Engineer

Also featuring lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons licensing on Flickr and from the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-305-there-i-fixed-it

TEASER for 'Home Diagnosis' Season 3: Accidents Happen

Corbett Lunsford

We can't wait to share season 3 of our PBS series 'Home Diagnosis' with you all! Coming this winter, see lots more at: https://homediagnosis.tv/season-3

Be part of our team and get exclusive access to us as we finish out the show: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Photos by Peter Essick: https://www.peteressick.com/aerials

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Home Disasters & Resilience: SciPub Q&A on 'Home Diagnosis' Season 3

Corbett Lunsford

Join Grace and Corbett Lunsford, creators of 'Home Diagnosis' on PBS, at a SciPub live audience discussion led by Nancy Scales-Coddington about disasters and resilience in homes at Cornell University. Season 3 of the series is called 'Accidents Happen', and explores disasters both natural and human-made (like adding ozone generators, skipping air sealing, putting plastic vapor barriers in the wrong places), and dives into the science behind them in physics, chemistry, and microbiology. Learn more from WSKG's SciPub series at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkEiFS5w2pdm-95WA4ak2xXsFMxF2NWIm

Thanks again to Wise Home Energy's Jeff Flaherty who came out and demonstrated tools and answered questions for the crowd too: https://www.wisehomeenergy.com/

Learn more at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Support the making of 'Home Diagnosis' and our YouTube channel for as little as $5/month at: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Home Improvement FAILS: Things to Avoid Wasting Money On

Corbett Lunsford

From 'Home Diagnosis' Seaon 2 Ep 6: lots of companies are selling you lots of things that will 'make your home better'. As we all know, marketing and science are not the same thing- so here are a few tricks to watch out for: new windows, water heater insulation wrap, heat strips, and attic fans. Watch the whole episode: https://homediagnosis.tv/episode-206-windbreakers-air-sealing-and-insulation

Join our Patreon team for as little as $5/month and be part of our exploration of the science of homes! https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

How Our Family of 5 is Making Season 3 of 'Home Diagnosis' TV

Corbett Lunsford

We need your help- with feedback, support, and video content from home disasters! For those who'd like to chip in as little as $5/month, here's where you can join our team: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Watch the upcoming season and meet the sponsors who are stepping up to help keep this first-ever series about the science of homes going: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/season-3

We are deep into filming Season 3 of Home Diagnosis, and we wanted to let you know where we're at- we've got a bunch of videos in the pipeline. You might not know, but Corbett edits them himself and so we've got a list of more than a dozen that we're gonna have coming your way.

But we wanted to say a special shout out to our Patreon supporters for being involved, and helping us have a team while we're like so deep into the edit.

The truth is making a TV show is not easy. Especially because funding isn't easy.

And even though we have some companies that really love us, just this coming year there's not funding in their budget for the TV show. So the Patreon members are a huge help, both mentally and financially. And we hang out with them every two weeks, so if you want to get more behind the scenes info on what we just did going through the South Central US, and what we're about to do that Grace is putting the finishing touches on in the Pacific Northwest with our family (we're taking all three of our kids), or going to New York, Toronto, the Carolinas, Miami, Nebraska (the middle of Nebraska- wait till you see what's out there, it's crazy)… anyhow there's a lot that's coming up, and there's a lot of costs that are coming up. So again, thank you so much for being on board with us.

Enjoy these little behind-the-scenes from our Texas trip, and if you want in more deeply, please join us at patreon.com/homediagnosistv.

Season 3 is called ‘Accidents Happen’ and we're going to go back and forth between natural disasters and man-made building science disasters- and sometimes even critters.

Last thing: we have put this call out to our Patreon members, as far as individual homes and the stories that get woven into Season 3, but if you are a home performance professional- and that includes pest control by the way- we're looking for more video content that nobody has ever seen before.

So if you have videos of crazy crawl spaces or attics, or animal problems, or mold, or fill in the blank, please do get in touch with us, and we will credit you and include the footage on Home Diagnosis Season 3 if it can be woven into the story.

So thanks for being on the adventure in general with us on this channel and at HomeDiagnosis.tv- make sure that you comment, if you have things to add or questions to ask, like and subscribe, and tune in next time.

Best of 2022 Nat'l Home Performance Conference

Corbett Lunsford

We were deep into this year's National Home Performance Conference in Nashville, and in addition to giving classes on ventilation, advanced testing, and a screening of 'Home Diagnosis', we checked out what's cool and new on the trade show floor. Here are our favorites:

Broan Ventilation Components: https://Broan.com

Rockwool Insulation: https://rockwool.com

AirCycler Ventilation Controls and Sensors: https://aircycler.com

Retrotec Instruments: https://retrotec.com

TruTech Tools: https://trutechtools.com

TEC Instruments: https://energyconservatory.com

Check out 'Home Diagnosis' and the other incredible companies who are investing in educating the public on building science: https://homediagnosis.tv/season-3

Disasters & Resilience with Matt Risinger: Building Readiness into Homes

Corbett Lunsford

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On our tour shooting 'Home Diagnosis' Season 3, we visited Matt Risinger's Build Show Studio in Austin TX to talk about a recent disaster domino effect, and how he builds resilience into the homes his team builds.

Subscribe to Matt's channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCTrfb1JUJjs3Im8OZDtBw

Check out the Build Show at: http://TheBuildShow.com

Texas freeze footage courtesy of 'Boots and Bonnets with Chris & Christy': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikg0e87-ipk

ISS footage courtesy of NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/content/ultra-high-definition-video-gallery

Hotel Bathroom Wrecked (by Design)

Corbett Lunsford

How Not to Design Ventilation with a Bath Exhaust Fan

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