High Performance HVAC Pads

To hold up our world-class HVAC systems outside the house, I searched and found Hercules Equipment Pads, which are high density foam insulation with a super-rugged coating. They are vibration dampeners, and moisture resistant, and we’ll make a nice gravel bed to put them on soon. Stay tuned to our ‘home performance’ youtube channel to see the HVAC installs.

Also, you can make this material into any shape you like, for example stairs for a Tiny House on wheels- so guess what we made!

Central Vacuum System Component Confusion

Having to special order parts for construction is always a bit of a gamble- I always seem to run out of something, and have too many of something else when all is said and done. This central vacuum system from Nutone is a little tricky since the guidance on these systems is very sketchy at the advanced level (the install manual isn’t all you need for sure, and even generally helpful online resources aren’t answering all my questions), so I’m using what I know about heat flow, pressure and flow, moisture, and contaminants to customize our system with more immediately available materials!

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.

How to Plan and Prep Ductwork

For our family's performance-tuned home, I’m giving you a deep-dive into the beginning stage of the heating/cooling and ventilation ducting throughout the house. See assembly, fastening, sealing with mastic (the good stuff, not the cheap stuff) for duct boot stacks and outdoor vent hood terminations.

For more on this house, check out: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

To support our educational videos, become a member at: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Advanced Ventilation Techniques: ERV + HEPA Filtration

Our family-designed and -built forever home has some unique arrangements and ventilation flows. Here's a how-to on using a Fantech SER150 ERV in conjunction with a separately-ducted C3000 HEPA filtration system to achieve a wide range of control over a mixed use space.

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

Check out these and other advanced ventilation devices at: http://fantech.net

More on this build at: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Building Our Forever Home DIY: Lessons Learned

What have we learned designing and building our own forever home? Well, kind of a lot. But we tried to keep it short, so here’s a 40-minute long tour through our brains while we’re still under construction.

We’d LOVE your support to keep bringing all this free education to the world. You can support us for as little as $5/month at: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

The Science of Homes in Hawaii

Hawaii might seem like a perfect place to live at first glance, and a terrible place to set up a home performance consulting company. But Blake Reid has found lots of opportunity built into the vacation destination's natural geography and climate that make home building and maintenance a real challenge.

Check out Blake's excellent blog at: https://terrawatthome.com/blog

Watch this entire series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq4I_Bjpvmb1Z39Y0uEMGEC9

Join the Building Performance Association: http://building-performance.org

Check out the Building Performance Journal: http://homeenergy.org

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

Plumbing Tour: Efficient Drain and Water Planning

Plumbing is not boring- it’s terrifying. Hear what the drain line install was like, and see the elegant PEX plumbing layout I’ll be installing myself. Interesting bits include water purification elements from Elite Water Systems of Texas, and 5 point-of-use water heaters from Chronomite.

More on this build at: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

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

Lighting Design 101: Lumens, Footcandles, Colors, etc with Kichler's Jeff Dross

Jeff Dross is the Director of Education and Industry Trends for Kichler Lighting, and he's been lighting homes for 45 of that company's 82 years. A lot's changed in lighting, but here are some universal basics, along with the latest innovations to consider when planning the lighting system for any house, addition, or room.

See our favorites among the thousands of lighting options we're swimming through HERE

More on this build at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

How to Bug-Proof the Ventilation Gap: Cor-A-Vent SV5

Using Cor-A-Vent SV5, a utility knife, and ForceField Seam Tape, Corbett finishes the rain screen on his family's house to make it ready for cladding with Thermory wood siding.

Check out Cor-a-Vent ventilation products at: http://cor-a-vent.com

More on this build at: http://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Advanced Home Ventilation: Harnessing Pressure Imbalances

Using his family's home as an example, 'Home Diagnosis' co-host Corbett Lunsford demonstrates several options for configuring the air purification systems and explains how he chose the best setup for his family. Using the Fantech VER200, HEPA filter unit, and Mitsubishi FH09 series mini-split.

More on this build at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead