The List of HVAC Installers Who Respect Science and Math

Welcome to The List. It's free to view, free to be listed on, I have no interest in stealing anyone's information or making a few bucks on a kickback:

https://homediagnosis.tv/hvac-installers

I've had people from Alaska to Manhattan asking where to find an HVAC installer who even understands how to read a Manual J calculation, and just assuring them that 'they're out there' is getting boring. Here is a FREE directory of those people, SELF-SELECTED. I am NOT vetting them. They vet themselves.

Good luck to us all.

Manual J or Not? How to Tell If Your HVAC Design is Bogus

If you ask for the HVAC design calculations for your project, you might get handed literally anything from scratches on a napkin to a 50 page jargon-filled binder. Here’s an example of a calculation that might look legit, but is actually very misleading. Learn more about HVAC Design: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/training Get 1-on-1 help in consultation with Corbett: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/video-consulting

Manual J Deep Dive (and Selecting HVAC Equipment with Manual S)- Part 1 of 2

Alex Meaney is my trainer when I level up on HVAC design calculations, and he came to visit us and share some of his expertise. Alex reveals what the J stands for and why you should never round up the tonnage from your Manual J software, and gives two rules for Manual S: 1. Never use AHRI data 2. Meet the latent load while not going too far over the sensible load (more in part 2) 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 Learn more about the Science of Homes: https://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com Watch the first-ever TV series about the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Roasting the Home HVAC Industry on National TV: Technicians vs. Mechanics

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

Performance Duct Design & Installation: Advanced DIY

In our LONGEST VIDEO YET, get a comprehensive tour of the concepts, design, tools, and install tips that go into building a home's breathing apparatus- the central duct system. Here I get into both the conditioning duct system (heat pump/dehumidifier/filtration loop) and the ERV fresh air ventilation duct system.

Thanks to Neil Comparetto (https://www.facebook.com/comparettocomfortsolutions/) John Semmelhack (http://think-little.com) and Bryan Orr (https://hvacrschool.com) and many other HVAC pro friends for their continual advice and expertise.

I got all my Malco tools used here at: https://TruTechTools.com

Check out my awesome ride, the Aerocreeper: http://aerocreeper.com/

Check out all of Stellar Engraving's duct grilles: https://stellarairdecorativeventcovers.com/

Learn more about the HVAC design process: https://youtu.be/aCIrbSFWD20

Get consulting or training with Corbett: https://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com

Manual J Load Calculations: What, Why, How, When, and Who?

Now that Corbett has been doing HVAC load calcs for almost a decade, he's ready to make this very long (and also much too short) video tutorial about the what, why, how, when, and who of heat load calcs for sizing your HVAC equipment.

Static Pressure Testing Demonstration Galore!

Watch building forensics expert Corbett Lunsford demonstrate Total External Static Pressure testing and pressure drop testing for a residential furnace and air conditioner.  Learn to diagnose pressure problems in supply and return ductwork, filters, evaporator coils, and duct sections in just a few minutes with a minimum of testing tools!

I Turned My A/C Off All Day at 106 Degrees

Dear Corbett:

I thought I would send this your way.  I live in the Central Valley of California.  Yesterday it reached 106 degrees.  I did an experiment with my house.  My 1,883 sq./ft. house had a deep energy upgrade over three years ago.  The heating and cooling unit is a 2 stage/2 ton heat pump with no back-up heat.  The second stage of cooling is disconnected so I am cooling with 1.4 tons.  That is one ton for every 1,345 sq./ft.

Yesterday morning I left the house at 7:40 am.  It was 75 degrees in the house and 75 degrees outside.  I closed all of the blinds, turned the HRV off and turned the Heat Pump off.  In other words, I let the house float.  It got up to 106 degrees in Stockton yesterday.  Luci my bride got home at 5:40 in the afternoon and the house was 78 degrees.  She turned the thermostat back on and it brought the temp back to 75 in 30 minutes.

This stuff really works.
Keep up the GREAT work;
Dick Rome

---

Dear Dick-

You are awesome. I'm not sure I know many other home performance experts who have fixed their own homes- most of our families have to suffer at home while we help other people get comfortable. Thanks so much for sharing the good word!

~Corbett

Engineering a TOURING Tiny House: See the Full Series

Grace and Corbett are building a performance-proven tiny house on wheels called the Tiny Lab! It's going to be built from November to February, and it starts a 16-city US Tour in March of 2016. The Crowd Sourcing Campaign is happening NOW on RocketHub- CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOUR! Here's the full series of four webinars from August 2015 detailing the engineering of a super cool tiny house on wheels!

In #1: SHAPE AND LAYOUT, Corbett and Grace show the 3D sketchup model of the Tiny Lab, and bring engineer John Bergman in for some heavy lifting to do with pinpointing the center of gravity on this 24 ft trailer tiny house.

In #2: AIRSEALING, INSULATION, & WEATHER BARRIERS, tour the process of energy modeling the tiny house to determine the optimal R-values and level of airtightness, and hear about vapor barriers, moisture control, and drainage.

In #3: HEATING, COOLING, AND VENTILATION, you get a taste for how wrong a lot of the discussion goes about homes in general, and tiny homes especially. The HVAC design, including Manual J heat load calculations and hourly solar gain curves are analyzed and used for things as straightforward as deciding which direction to park the tiny house.

In #4: BELLS & WHISTLES, see behind the design of the solar PV kit, formaldehyde-free plywood built-ins, composting toilet, off-grid plumbing challenges, and luxury items that just add that quality of life that tiny house occupants are seeking.

We really hope you'll tune in for the videos of construction- you can subscribe to our YouTube channel right now with one click!

Engineering a TOURING Tiny House: HVAC

Tiny home performance is made even more perfect in our third presentation in this tiny house engineering series! Watch as I walk you through the design and engineering of the heating, cooling, dehumidification, bath and kitchen exhaust, fresh air ventilation, and water heating systems in the Tiny Lab.
If you stay tuned to the end, you get to hear me realize I'm a total idiot! Fun stuff!

Dear Corbett: How Long Should My A/C Ideally Run?

Hi Corbett,
How long should the air conditioner run in a given day?  The upstairs zone was running for 16 hours yesterday, and 10.5 and 11.25 each of the days before.  Is that reasonable amount of time for the A/C to run given the recent summer temperatures?  We are still trying to get the developer in to fix the ductwork, and figured this might be an symptom of the problem.
Thanks,
Graham

Hey Graham!
Great question- your air conditioner is actually designed to run continuously when it's hotter than 89 degrees F outside.
The A/C's job is to both COOL and DRY the air, and if it's too big, it doesn't run long enough to wring the humidity out of the air. This leaves you with a muggy house, where you keep lowering the temperature to try to get comfortable.
So don't be concerned when your air conditioner runs for long periods on hot summer days- that means everything's working the way it's supposed to!
Looking Forward,
Corbett

PODCAST #60 THE BOTTOM LINE: Russell King on HVAC Design & Energy Codes in Real Life

Today Corbett talks with Russell King of Sierra Building Science about the labratory of California, where they've been trying to whip and incentivize efficiency like nobody's business. Are Manual J, Manual D, Manual S, window placements and sizes, and a menu of prescriptive energy code requirements actually leading us toward perfection?

To download this episode or hear more, subscribe in iTunes or visit BuildingPerformancePodcast.com