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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 Category: From the Field
Lots to see at this HVAC trade conference, here are my favorite pertinent bits to what we're seeing evolve within heating, cooling, ventilation, and testing.
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
Corbett finds an atmospheric draft water heater that's spilling its combustion gases into the home's basement. See the inspection and testing that go into the analysis of how to solve the issue, and learn to protect your clients and your own family in the process. Using a Wohler A450 combustion analyzer, Retrotec DM-32 and Cirrus Wind Indicator, all from https://TruTechTools.com.
See the 'Home Diagnosis' television series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv
Subscribe to Healthy Indoors and join the worldwide community: http://HealthyIndoors.com
I've tested hundreds of combustion-fueled heating appliances, and this is way more common than you'd hope. Watch my friend Wade Thompson of Utah's amazing Intermountain Weatherization Training Center give a quick demonstration of how easy it is to pass and fail this important home health test.
See way more about Wade's work in Season 2 of Home Diagnosis: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv
Check out Wade's organization: http://iwtcutah.org/
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
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/
Demo is starting soon on this 1920's home in Atlanta, and as an introduction we test the most important aspect- air leakage. This turned out to be the leakiest house I've ever tested (the test DOES include all attic spaces, since we're wanting to compare the same test before and after, and these attics will be a lot less confused when they're officially inside the house).
Check out the work of Matt Hoots at Sawhorse Design-Build:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1JqnAmtx8YqF-pzp1Pmdfg
https://sawhorse.net/
Check out the work of Chris and Jodi at LG Squared Architects:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sJ6CQzqJ3DdeP7acjPRrg
https://www.lgsquaredinc.com/
We're about to embark on our next great leap forward in our understanding of the science of homes, with the study of the physics, chemistry, and microbiology of the outdoors. Stick with us as Grace takes a 12-week Mastermind course in understanding permaculture with Atlanta's own Shades of Green (http://ShadesOfGreenPermaculture.com) and starts transforming the system of our outdoor environment for the better. More to come soon.
Join us to support our educational content and get exclusive access to us and our behind-the-scenes life: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
One of the few truly DIY projects that will improve your home's performance- learn why we picked the fans we did, and how to install them. Model shown is the Fanimation Wrap Custom, but you may find similar features and installation tricks for other brands and models.
Check out the specs on this fan: https://fanimation.com/products/fans/damp-rated/wrap-custom-84/
See the full list of ENERGY STAR Most Efficient products: https://www.energystar.gov/products/most_efficient
From the upcoming Season Two of 'Home Diagnosis': through a 5-day recording of temperature, humidity, and dewpoint with a datalogger, see the actual performance curves of five built environments on our property. Watch the evolution of primitive to advanced built environments, from an open-air workshop to a lived-in high performance home- the effect of air sealing and insulation alone is pretty incredible when you see it like this.
Become a member and help support this show: http://patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
See more about Home Diagnosis TV series: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv
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
Loads of people have had nightmares with cracked tile or rotting from leaks- but it doesn't have to be that way. There are techniques and tools out there to help you build a 100-year tile bathroom floor and shower. Check out our adventure with the Custom Building Products system in our family's forever home. We demonstrate installation details (and inspection tips) for RedGard membrane and Uncoupling Mat, Multi-Surface Bonding Primer, ProLite mortar and Wonderboard. All lighting you see in our house is from Kichler, by the way, if you love it too.
Become a member and support our work exploring the science of homes: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV
Learn more about this unique performance-tuned house at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead
Hire Corbett to consult on your own home: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/video-consulting