DIY Test Tools with Landus Bennett (Sneak Peek)

Landus Bennett at Watson Springs is one of my heroes. Here's why. See more of Landus's work at: http://watsonsprings.com/

4 Year Old Tests Home Air Leakage

My daughter can find out whether your house will perform well or not- but I got to be her first client. She runs our Retrotec 5000 up to 50Pa and shows off how awesomely airtight our family's forever home will be for the next 100 years.

Get the book on testing homes: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/homeperformancediagnosticsbook

See more about the inner airtightness system: https://foursevenfive.com

More about blower door systems: https://retrotec.com

HOMEChem 101 and the Basic Science of Homes

Presented in partnership with our friends at Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire Dehumidifiers. Understand the underlying dynamics that make a home healthy or unhealthy by learning the basic physics, chemistry, and microbiology happening all around us inside homes.

Get the book at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/homeperformancediagnosticsbook

Watch the TV series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Newest DET Verifier Certified in Georgia!

Never taught a DET Verifier training for one before- this should be interesting!

In a customized 1-on-1 COVID-adapted class, Corbett Lunsford trained, examined and certified Treondras Manning, HVAC technician and Georgia’s newest certified Duct and Envelope Testing (DET) Verifier. As a DET Verifier, Treondras is certified to perform blower door tests and duct tightness testing on new construction and renovations in the state of Georgia. He is also one of Corbett’s Mastermind students, and is helping homeowners in the Atlanta area tune the air quality, comfort, durability and energy efficiency of their homes with his building science and diagnostics expertise.

DET Verifier Trainees are taught the accepted blower door and duct leakage test protocols from the book ‘Home Performance Diagnostics: the Guide to Advanced Testing’ written by trainer Corbett Lunsford

Treondras Manning, right before he received his well-deserved certification as a Georgia certified DET Verifier

Watch DET Verifier Treondras Manning test Corbett’s heat pump cabinet for duct leakage in the high performance house his family is building.

Testing the Air Handler Cabinet Leakage

Mastermind student Treondras and I isolated the air leakage built into my Mitsubishi heat pump’s air handler cabinet using a Retrotec Duc Tester 300 and DM-32 gauge. Turns out I made the right decision with Mitsubishi! Their 5 cfm at 25 Pa beats Neil Comparetto’s 6 cfm record. Good job guys.

Testing Ducts During Construction

My Mastermind student Rashaun joins me to test my custom return filter box plenum with a Retrotec DU300. I used enough mastic to swim a camel, so we’ll see how tight my ductwork is. Sheet metal fabricated with Malco sheet metal tools.

Testing for Toxic Chemicals in Duct Insulation

The question: is what I’m smelling hurting me or not? Explore the material science of insulation that smells like cat pee in this fun chemical deep dive with Dr. Alice Delia, laboratory director at Prism Analytical Technologies.

Do this testing yourself at: http://pati-air.com

Support our work exploring the science of homes at: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Favorite Construction and Testing Tools

Here are my favorite bits of gear for building a high performance home, including my entire brand new Malco sheet metal ductwork toolkit.

Supply Ventilation for Homes: Mythbusting Side Effects

'Home Diagnosis' co-creator and building science trainer Corbett Lunsford has told many students that supply-only ventilation is dangerous for homes in cold climates- but is that scientifically proven? Watch performance testing that will demonstrate exactly what happens (or doesn't happen) when pressurizing a house with supply ventilation from outdoors.

DOWNLOAD Aprilaire’s excellent 2-page ventilation guide at right ———>

See a full installation of the three simplest and most inexpensive ventilation strategies at: https://youtu.be/bfd69xRbQxM

Subscribe to Healthy Indoors Magazine for free at: http://HealthyIndoors.com

Learn more about simple, affordable ventilation strategies at: http://Aprilaire.com

Check out the book on testing homes: http://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com/homeperformancediagnosticsbook

See more about this 1960's home's retrofit process at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq5lgu0U_wVocxzUPoSq_JKM

Become a member and help support this show: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Indoor Chemistry Test: Formaldehyde and VOCs during Construction

Modern homes are built more airtight than ever, and the engineered wood products that make such efficient use of our planet's materials also lean much more heavily on advances in adhesives, curing agents, moisture repellants, etc. Other building materials nowadays incorporate anti-microbial chemicals, anti-fungal and anti-termite compounds, and who knows what else (manufacturers DO NOT have to tell us what's in there, yet). The beyond-passive-house-airtight house we're building in Atlanta is an extreme example of all of this, and we'll happily be the guinea pigs to uncover the evolution of indoor chemistry from rough construction through ventilation activation, and move-in. Hayward Score has introduced us to a serious chemistry lab, Prism Analytical Technologies (http://pati-air.com) where we'll be sending the samples we take in this video. See what we're testing for, why, and how it's done.

Corbett gets serious details about indoor chemistry from Dr. Alice Delia, Laboratory Director at Prism Analytical Technologies (http://pati-air.com) about the test results from 6 samples of formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds taken at the new build and the TinyLab.

Check out Healthy Indoors Magazine: http://HealthyIndoors.com

Become a member and be part of our work! http://patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Assess your home's health with Hayward Score: http://HaywardScore.com

Bubble Experiment with a Blower Door

To try and seal the last nasty little leaks in the Mento 3000 roof membrane, Corbett and his Dad try an experiment using soapy water and a flipped-around Retrotec blower door.

How the rain screen was installed: https://youtu.be/ZTfVb9NXAOc

How the Mento 3000 was installed: https://youtu.be/hOh28nYrCzI

Learn more at: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Testing a Radon Mitigation System

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