Behind the Scenes of 'Home Diagnosis' Season 2

We took our sponsors and supporters behind the cameras in June 2020 when we shot episodes 8-9 of Season Two, and they loved it so much we're sharing it with you too. Please consider supporting this FIRST-EVER TV show about the Science of Homes at: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

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.

Good, Cheap, and Quick Air Cleaning Trick

Here’s a quick tip to keep your indoor air healthy- filter out all the particles you can with a simple contraption made from a $30 box fan and a $20 MERV 8 or MERV 13 20” x 20” filter.

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

Attic Hatch Fix: First Steps

There should not be insulation fibers spilling out around your attic hatch or ladder. Here’s the first thing your contractor SHOULD have done, which is easy to do yourself. Attic insulation jobs have a reputation for being sloppy- they call them ‘blow and go’ contractors, and you should avoid those guys. Plenty of high quality insulation contractors out there who can even test their work with a blower door and infrared camera.

Air Purifiers: Safe vs. Experimental

'Home Diagnosis' season 2 will show people the safe and potentially dangerous methods for air purification- here's our simple stance on the issue: a fan and a filter is all you need. If you’re looking at any other technology, including Ozone generation (my god, please no), UV light, electrostatic filters, or other ionization-related new gadgets, they create all kinds of funny chemical reactions that it’s almost impossible to track, predict, or prevent side effects from.

Subscribe at: http://HealthyIndoors.com

Support at: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

HOMEChem playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq7fRE6q0uWx-2F_EqBd4S_n

Home Diagnosis TV Series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Electrical Wiring for our High Performance Home

This video will probably raise more questions they didn't know they had for most people, but we wanted to at least take a shot at showing you some of the fascinating things about the electrical wiring system in our forever home. Thanks to Bulldog Electrical Contractors for being the kind of contractors that everyone should aspire to be.

For more on this build, visit: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Water Purification System Unboxing

Here's the unboxing of the system that Elite Water Systems of Texas has helped us design! Thanks to Erik Bernal and his team, we now understand a lot more about how this whole-house charcoal filtration and water softening, kitchen-only reverse osmosis and even chilled/carbonated beverage station works.

Become a member and help us spread the word on the science of homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

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

Whole House Fan Mythbusting

You know what I don’t like? When people try selling one product across America with pseudoscience or vague claims about benefits in home physics, chemistry, or microbiology. Here’s my rebuke to one specific instance of this kind of over-stated marketing in the world of ‘cooling your house as cheaply as humanly possible’.

Thermally-Modified Wood Siding

We chose Thermory cladding and decking for our forever home. Drift Platinum and Ignite Dragonskin for the siding, and Kodiak decking. Here's a deep dive into the science that created it, the performance we'll get from it, and installation details.

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

Mask Denials vs. Actual Science

Have you heard that face masks cannot filter something the size of a virus? Do you know how dumb that is? Would you like to know?

Viruses do not fly around by themselves- they’ll fly as part of a larger particle in the air, which you then inhale. Amazingly, it’s not just when people around you cough or sneeze that these particles are aspirated- they come out of your mouth when you breathe or laugh too.