Manual J Default Air Leakage Inputs vs. Blower Door Test ACH50

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:

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

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

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

Static Pressure Testing for Home HVAC: What, Why, and How in 2 Minutes

If the ductwork of an HVAC system is not designed, installed, and maintained properly, your home may start to have problems in comfort, humidity control, dust, noise, and equipment failure. Here's the basics you should understand before asking your HVAC installer or service tech to run static pressure testing. From 'Home Diagnosis' episode 209- watch the whole episode: https://homediagnosis.tv/episode-209-opening-the-ice-box-cooling-and-drying

Join our Patreon membership and get behind the scenes with us making the next season of the show! https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Tools used are Retrotec DM-32 gauge and Minneapolis 300 blower door, available at: https://TruTechTools.com

Duct Leakage Test: Pass or Fail?

When you build a duct system, if you want it to work correctly you run a tightness test. See how Corbett did on his home’s first of 5 duct systems for different purposes. Using a Retrotec Duc Tester 300 with DM-32 manometer, available at: https://trutechtools.com

Watch the whole episode, and the whole season: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Disasters & Resilience with Matt Risinger: Building Readiness into Homes

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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

Tiny House Dehumidifiers and Cold Storage Moisture Control

Our consumer-grade standalone dehumidifiers were on their last legs, and we needed a more permanent, more versatile solution- and we found ECOR Pro's EPD50 and EPD30 (https://ecor-pro.com/).

These unusual, compact dehumidifiers are quiet and efficient in cooler conditions, AND can be ducted to create circulation in spaces with interior partition walls or floors.

We also demonstrate temp/humidity measurement with a Testo 400 series kit, and depressurization with a TEC DG-8, both available from TruTech Tools: https://www.trutechtools.com/tec-minneapolis-dg-8-digital-pressure-gauge-kit.html

How Hard is our ERV Working? Testing the Chemical Exhaust, Dust Samples, Rugs, and Formaldehyde

Corbett is testing his family's new high performance home for chemicals- in the dust of the floor, in potential allergens in the (very nice) used rugs they're getting, and even in the exhaust of their energy recovery ventilator (ERV). Thanks to Prism Analytical (http://pati-air.com) for being ready to give us the full rundown of what the results mean next month- don't forget that ANYONE can do these tests in any scenario- it's not rocket science. Subscribe to Healthy Indoors Magazine and join the online community: https://HealthyIndoors.com This ERV is the SER150 from: http://Fantech.net Join our Patreon members for behind-the-scenes access and to support our work: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV See the first-ever TV series about the Science of Homes: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv

HVAC IAQ Mythbusting with Dr. Jeffrey Siegel: Building Performance Podcast #90

Today we talk with Dr. Jeffrey Siegel about research on residential HVAC, filters, UV lights, electronic air cleaners, mini-splits, humidifiers, and ventilation abroad. For anyone who's interested in HVAC even a little bit. You'll thank yourself if you stay tuned to the end! For more podcasts: http://BuildingPerformancePodcast.com

For those of you who prefer audio only:

Testing Our Home's ERV: Ventilation Airflow, Dewpoint Performance, and Grill Balancing

Using a Testo hotwire anemometer and hygrometer, Retrotec FlowBox, and CPS EasyHood, we commission this Fantech SER150 energy recovery ventilator and tune it to our high performance home's (and our family's) needs.

I get all my test tools from the awesome people at: https://TruTechTools.com

Learn more about this ventilation system: http://Fantech.net

Training Week in Advanced Home Performance Testing and DET Verifier Certification

I'm so excited to start training in our new state of the art house! Here are the details on how I'm running live trainings- hope you'll join us. Get in touch if you have any questions, either by commenting below or contacting me directly via this website.

Day 1: Ventilation Design and Installation Techniques (4 hours)

Day 2: Advanced HVAC Diagnostics (4 hours)

Day 3: 1-Day Blower Door and Duct Testing Certification - DET Verifier (8 hours)

Day 4: Advanced Envelope Diagnostics (4 hours)

Save your seat for the upcoming trainings at: http://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com/training

Headaches of HOMEChem: Chemistry and Microbiology of Homes

In partnership with Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, we're spreading the word on the intense dynamics going on in homes around the world. I keep it short and sweet in this 45-minute class on indoor chemistry, and you'll learn lots about chemicals, reactions, particles, and microbes, and the relationship to them of humidity and ventilation.

Come train with me in Atlanta, or online: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/training

Learn more from Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire: https://www.santa-fe-products.com/about-us/santa-fe-ultra-aire-webinar/