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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: exhaust

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

Airtight Home Ventilation: Where to Place ERV Exhaust and Supply Grilles

Corbett Lunsford

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

Whole Home Depressurization: Worst Case 'Thanksgiving Day' Scenario for Pressure Imbalances

Corbett Lunsford

From 'Home Diagnosis' Season 2 ep7: It's important to test how much suction your home can create with the machines and duct systems built into it- is it sucking hard enough to create unhealthy contaminant or moisture problems for your family? Here's a quick look at the 'Thanksgiving Day scenario' we worry about in homes new and old. See this entire episode: https://homediagnosis.tv/episode-207-slow-burn

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

How Air Pressure Can Screw Up Your Home: the House of Pressure

Corbett Lunsford

Take a tour of the dynamics of home pressure with Jake Nuckolls at the Building Performance Center in Bellingham, WA. This training tool has made the invisible visible for thousands of home performance professionals, and we thought everybody else should get to see it in action too!

Thanks to Jake and the BPC- check them out at: https://buildingperformancecenter.org/

Become a member and help support our work exploring the science of homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Watch the first ever TV series about the science of homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Best Place to Put a Bath Exhaust Fan

Corbett Lunsford

From 'Home Diagnosis' Season 2 Episode 9- most bathrooms are not designed for performance, let's admit it. If your mirror gets fogged up, if it takes 30 minutes to exhaust all the steam, if your ceiling drips or your walls have streaks on them, you can do better. Most of this, insanely, has to do with WHERE the bath exhaust fan is located. Here's your quick crash course to help you school all the builders, remodelers, and mechanical engineers in the world.

See the whole episode at: https://homediagnosis.tv/episode-209-opening-the-ice-box-cooling-and-drying

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

How to Install a Fantech Kitchen Exhaust Hood Liner

Corbett Lunsford

As a preview of the full kitchen exhaust system demonstration, here's a how-to on the hood liner, silencer, and wiring alone. As a first-time installer, I had quite a learning curve, but Fantech's tech support knows my name by now- thanks to Daniel over there for being patient with me.

Learn the basics of how to select your kitchen exhaust in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08HOnzafM8

Check out this system: https://www.fantech.net/our-solutions/kitchen/exhaust-air-system/

How to Design, Install, and Test a Perfect Kitchen Exhaust and Make Up Air System

Corbett Lunsford

Using Fantech's hood liner system (https://www.fantech.net/our-solutions/kitchen/exhaust-air-system/) and active make up air system (https://www.fantech.net/our-solutions/kitchen/makeup-air-systems/) with custom grilles from Stellar Air Vents (https://stellarairdecorativeventcovers.com/), we made our home a test lab for tuning indoor chemistry with state of the art ventilation. Thanks to LBNL’s Brett Singer for helping me get in high gear on this topic.

Get a quick and easy crash course in how your kitchen exhaust should work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08HOnzafM8

See the first-ever TV show about the science of homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Become a member and support our work sharing this info: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

How to Design and Install Kitchen Exhaust and Make Up Air Ventilation (Case Study)

Corbett Lunsford

Another installment in a series with Healthy Indoors Magazine (http://HealthyIndoors.com) follows the real-life, gritty planning and installation of the make up air system in a 1950's ranch over a crawlspace. The goal here is to install effective ventilation for the kitchen range with an exhaust hood AND make up air that will hopefully be the path of least resistance. We're using a Broan exhaust hood paired with an Aprilaire KV make up air damper, or an 8144NC (in an experimental application, as explained in the video). This house is not airtight by any means, and some might think make up air is overkill in an older home, but obviously we disagree enough to suffer through this.

Learn more about making your home healthier at: http://HealthyIndoors.com

Become a member and support our work educating people about the Science of Homes: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Get training or consulting with Corbett directly: http://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com

Whole House Fan Mythbusting

Corbett Lunsford

You know what I don’t like? When people try selling one product across America with pseudoscience or vague claims about benefits in home physics, chemistry, or microbiology. Here’s my rebuke to one specific instance of this kind of over-stated marketing in the world of ‘cooling your house as cheaply as humanly possible’.

Bath Exhaust Fans: What You Need to Know

Corbett Lunsford

'Home Diagnosis' TV hosts Grace and Corbett Lunsford give a crash course in picking, placing, testing, and controlling bath exhaust fans. Learn what Home Ventilating Institute certification, sone ratings, Energy Star stickers and duct installs are all about, and make your home healthier. Learn more at: http://Broan.com/learn Watch 'Home Diagnosis' episodes at: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Testing a Radon Mitigation System

Corbett Lunsford

Corbett teams up with Fantech's aerospace engineer and radon system expert Hamid Massali to prove the radon mitigation field works, and find out how much airflow the radon fan will need to exhaust to maintain safe air quality indoors.

More on this PFEDK system at: https://shop.fantech.net/en-US/pfedk--rn--diagnostic--tool--kit/p401891

More on radon's health impacts at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/radon/radon-fact-sheet

Corbett and Grace are not joking around- they will diagnose the crap out of the forever home they're building. Here's another example of creative testing that can tell us secrets about predicting and preventing failures in the indoor physics, chemistry, and microbiology of homes. Check out the Cirrus smoke tool, and others demo'd here: https://www.trutechtools.com/Cirrus-CWI200-Wind-Indicator

More on this house and the TV show at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead