HVAC Design Demo: Humidity Control across the USA using Weather Data from ASHRAE-meteo.info

Using my favorite weather data tool (http://ashrae-meteo.info), I demonstrate some of the ins and outs of actual historical humidity data from 'sunny' Florida, 'frigid' Minnesota, 'dry heat' Arizona, and the 'Rocky' Mountains. Hope you enjoy the nerd out as much as I do.

I donated to the guy who runs the site, and I hope you do too!

Join our team and become part of our ongoing conference on applied building science: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Download my print-ready Psychrometric Wheel Calculator at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/ventilation

Here are the specific weather stations we look at in the video:

KEY WEST, FL: http://ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/?lat=24.5537&lng=-81.7879&place=%27%27&wmo=722010&si_ip=IP&ashrae_version=2021

MINNEAPOLIS, MN: http://ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/?lat=45.062&lng=-93.351&place=%27%27&wmo=726575&si_ip=IP&ashrae_version=2021

PHOENIX, AZ: http://ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/?lat=33.417&lng=-112.683&place=%27%27&wmo=720644&si_ip=IP&ashrae_version=2021

BOULDER, CO: http://ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/?lat=40.0354&lng=-105.5409&place=%27%27&wmo=745200&si_ip=IP&ashrae_version=2021

Toxic Chemicals to Avoid at Home: the 6 Classes

Keep it simple- we can't read every label every day. These six big classes of chemicals are a simpler way to avoid chemicals added to products that are proven to be bad for your family's health.

Learn more at https://SixClasses.org

Watch the first ever TV series about the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

HOW TO NOT GET SCREWED: Advice for Renters/Mobile Homes/Insurance/Lawsuits: Ep 311 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

Are we doing a good job preparing for, and recovering from disasters? Whether it’s a personal disaster with physics, chemistry or microbiology in your own home, or floods and fires that cross state lines, it’s become clear to us the answer is: we could do better. There are some problems baked into the system of disaster preparedness and recovery itself- in renting vs. owning property, insurance claims, lawsuits and even mobile home construction standards (sounds boring, is definitely not). Let’s talk about why the problems exist, how to avoid them, and what to do if you need to fight for your family’s future in a safe and healthy home.

Join our team and keep this show independent: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts: 

Lori Peek, Social Scientist at University of Colorado- Boulder

Andrew Whelton, Water Safety Researcher at Purdue University

Elaina Sutley, Disaster Resilience Researcher at Kansas State University

Jennifer Bridge, Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Florida

Bill Lazar, Executive Director at St. Johns Housing Partnership (https://www.sjhp.org/)

Susan Giddens, Affordable Rehab Manager at St. Johns Housing Partnership

Anil Mittal, Moldy Home Survivor in Houston TX

Trey Flournoy, Property Insurance Attorney

Also featuring lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.  

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-311-equal-opportunity-disaster

Kitchen Ventilation System Inspection 3 YEARS IN: Under-Counter Make Up Air & Greasy Duct Silencer

A lot of our audience have been asking about how our high performance forever home in Atlanta is 'holding up'. Had quite a few challenges about this kitchen exhaust system (which has a mineral wool silencer built in) and the make up air under the cabinets (which breaks one of my own rules about make up air placement). Here's your peek behind the scenes of our building science experiment after 3 years of hard living with 3 kids and 2 cats.

Join our Patreon team and be part of the longest-running monthly applied building science conference in the world: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

See the original install videos here:

Airtight Home Ventilation for the 21st Century with Fantech: Kitchen Exhaust, Make Up Air, Radon etc

https://youtu.be/fOTJmUhghIo

How to Install a Fantech Kitchen Exhaust Hood Liner

https://youtu.be/h7eXuwkfDm0

How to Design, Install, and Test a Perfect Kitchen Exhaust and Make Up Air System

https://youtu.be/bMkvCn1sGvk

3 Rules for Kitchen Make Up Air Systems: HVAC Training for Home Ventilation that Performs

https://youtu.be/36eMZNyAlGY

Massive Mistakes in Make Up Air for Homes

After having several clients and colleagues majorly underestimate the amount of dampered make up ducts needed to relieve the suction pressure of kitchen fans on an airtight home, I decided we need to talk about this again. Here's the ins and outs of Broan's Make Up Air Damper Calculator (at https://www.broan-nutone.com/en-us/home/specifier-tools), and how weird it turns out if you use SIMPLIFIED inputs instead of DETAILED inputs.

Take my amazing self-paced Ventilation Design & Install course: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/ventilation

Consult with me on your own project: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/video-consulting

Watch the world's first TV series on the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Science of Sick Building Syndrome & Environmental Sensitivity- Ep 307 of HOME DIAGNOSIS TV Series

Whether it's named MCS, CIRS, MCAS, etc, the phenomenon of people becoming over-sensitized to their environment is a very real and very painful thing. Let's dig into the science we know for sure- and the cleaning, maintenance, and material selections that can help unaffected families stay that way.

Join our Patreon team and be part of the exploration of the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts:
Charles Weschler- Atmospheric Chemist at Rutgers University
Anil & Nilima Mittal- Moldy Home Survivors
Jeffrey Siegel- Indoor Air Quality Researcher at University of Toronto
John Downey- Exec. Dir. of Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI)
Chris Wilson- Dallas Homeowner Doing Renovations
Miriam Diamond- Environmental Chemist at University of Toronto
James Scott- Mycologist at University of Toronto and http://www.sporometrics.com/
Corinne Segura- Healthy Materials Specifier at https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/
Atila Novoselac- Building Scientist at University of Texas at Austin
Andrew Whelton- Water Safety Researcher at Purdue University
Jason Earle- Mold Inspector
Karen Dannemiller- Environmental Engineer at Ohio State University
Marc Webb- Environmental Chemist at University of North Carolina
Barb Turpin- Environmental Chemist at University of North Carolina

Also featuring chemistry visualizations by Kamil Czapiga (https://Cosmodernism.com) and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-307-whats-that-smell

Home Disasters: Earthquakes, Landslides, Sinkholes, and What To Do- Ep 306 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

An exploration of the natural phenomena around our homes that are unexpectedly hard or soft- hail, landslides, liquefaction of the ground during earthquakes, and the research around all of these.

Join our Patreon team and be part of the exploration of the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts:
Joseph Wartman- Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Washington
Elaina Sutley- Disaster Resilience Researcher at Kansas State University
Ian Robertson- Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Hawaii
Koorosh Lotfizadeh- Earthquake Researcher at UC San Diego
Pedro Lomonaco- Coastal Engineering Researcher at Oregon State University
Dan Wilson- Geotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Ross Boulanger- Geotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Jason DeJong- Biogeotechnical Researcher at UC Davis
Anne Cope- Chief Engineer at IBHS
Trey Flournoy- Property Insurance Attorney

Also featuring the UCSD Shake Table (https://se.ucsd.edu/facilities/englekirk-structural-engineering-center), the UC Davis Centrifuge (https://cgm.engr.ucdavis.edu/facility/9-m-centrifuge/), and IBHS (https://ibhs.org), and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-306-rock-hard

Beware of Air Purifiers, Miracle Products, & Quick Fixes- Ep 305 of HOME DIAGNOSIS

In trying to fix our problems, are we actually just rearranging them? For every product advertised to fix something in your home, there is its shadow- the byproduct you might not suspect. Every home is a system, and all the parts interact through physics, chemistry, and microbiology- but since we can’t predict the specific combination of products in your home, we can’t predict their interactions. But there are ways to buy, and even build, in a less chaotic way, that gives us more control over the hazards we face every day.
Join our Patreon team and become part of the frontier of the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts:
Jeffrey Siegel- Air Quality Researcher at University of Toronto
Rich Corsi- OG Indoor Air Quality Researcher, now at UC Davis
Scott True- Homebuilder at Dimora Homes (https://dimorahomes.com/)
Sheridan Reed- Owner of a high performance Dimora Home
Lisa Ng- Building Scientist at NIST
Karen Dannemiller- Environmental Engineer at Ohio State University
Elliott Gall- Air Quality Researcher at Portland State University
Arthur Chan- Environmental Researcher at University of Toronto
Rob Krug- Cybersecurity Engineer

Also featuring lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons licensing on Flickr and from the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-305-there-i-fixed-it

Science of Home Flooding, Hurricanes, Tsunamis, & Tornadoes - Ep 304 of HOME DIAGNOSIS TV Series

What happens in a home that's flooded, hit by waves, pushed over or twisted by tornadoes and hurricanes? The chemistry, microbiology and physics is a LOT more interesting than the simple soundbites we typically hear.

Featured researchers and experts:
Delphine Farmer- Atmospheric Chemist at Colorado State University
Elaina Sutley- Disaster Resilience Researcher at Kansas State University
Anne Cope- Chief Engineer at IBHS
Chris Wilson- Tornado Survivor
Pedro Lomonaco- Coastal Engineering Researcher at Oregon State University
Ian Robertson- Disaster Resilience Researcher at University of Hawaii
Mark & Carol Slegers- Owners of a Floating Home

Also featuring the OSU Hinsdale Wave Research Lab, the FIU Wall of Wind, the NIST Net-Zero Test House, and IBHS, and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-304-like-a-hurricane

Science of Pest Control Disasters (Bedbugs, Roaches, & Rodents)- Ep 303 of HOME DIAGNOSIS TV Series

Let's go DEEP into the science (and the annoyingly personal experiences) of 'pests' of all kinds that live in homes, plus the bug bombs and other pesticides that may have unintended consequences for your home's ecosystem and your family's health. Study the non-human occupants of our homes, and even into the homes they make for themselves in nature, using techniques we only discover much later. Learn more than you probably want to about cockroaches, bedbugs, rodents, wasps, indoor microbes, and the nuances of pest control.

Featured researchers and experts: 

• Purnell Fuller- Pest Control Professional

• Coby Schal- Entomologist at NC State University

• Rob Dunn- Indoor Ecology Researcher at https://robdunnlab.com/

• Karen Dannemiller- Environmental Engineer at Ohio State University

• Chris Wilson- Dallas homeowner

• James Scott- Mycologist at http://www.sporometrics.com/company/team/dr-james-scott/

Also featuring lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-303-critters

The #1 Problem in Home Performance- Air Leakage: Ep 302 of HOME DIAGNOSIS TV Series

Grace and Corbett Lunsford take you across North America investigating the story of air leakage with visualizations and demonstrations testing this ultimate invisible dynamic, AND the disasters it can lead to in worst cases, including one of the worst mold infestations we've ever seen.

Join our team and keep this show independent: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Featured researchers and experts: 

• Anil and Nilima Mittal- Moldy Home Survivors

• Jason Earle- Mold Inspector

• Marianne Touchie- Building Scientist at University of Toronto

• Delphine Farmer- Atmospheric Chemist at Colorado State University

• Elliott Gall- Air Quality Researcher at Portland State University

• Jake Nuckolls- Building Performance Trainer at https://buildingperformancecenter.org/

Also featuring NIST net-zero research center (https://www.nist.gov/el/net-zero-energy-residential-test-facility), the House of Pressure, and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/episode-302-labyrinth-of-air-leakage

The Science of Home Fires & Wildfire: Ep 301 of HOME DIAGNOSIS TV Series

Grace and Corbett Lunsford are back with another season of this first-of-its-kind public television series on the Science of Homes. Join our team and keep this show independent: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

In this first episode of eleven in season 3, we explore fire- both house fires and wildfires, and dive deep into the science of smoke detectors, flame retardants, how fires spread and how they can be managed.

Featured researchers and experts: 

• Jay Fleming - Boston Fire Chief, Retired

• Michael Link - Analytical Chemist, NIST

• Shawn Richardson - House Fire Survivor - BIG THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY

• Anne Cope - Chief Engineer, IBHS

• Ethan Foote - Asst. Fire Chief, Retired

• Liora Mael - Atmospheric Chemist, CSU

• Yana Valachovic - Wildfire Researcher

• Nathan Trauernicht - Fire Chief, UC Davis

• Todd Lando - Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, CA

• Sarah Henderson - Indoor Air Researcher, BCCDC

• Arthur Chan - Environmental Chemist, UToronto

• Andrew Whelton - Water Safety Researcher, Purdue U

• Joseph Wartman - Disaster Resilience Researcher, UW

• Miriam Diamond - Environmental Chemist, UToronto

Also featuring Vulcan Vents (https://www.vulcanvents.com/), the IBHS research center (https://ibhs.org), the UC Davis fire department, and lots of footage courtesy of Creative Commons and the US DOD. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Dive deeper at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/season-3