billygoat22

Thanks. I went to thier sire and dowloaded some info. I also sent a e-mail to the contact in one article I saw related to what we may be doing.

I was invited to a meeting with a local group of doctors to talk about some of the problems I've seen in hvac systems. It seems they had never heard of such problems could affect their patients, but agreed that return air leaks, improper dryer venting, etc. could increase asthma symptoms. One of the doctors suggested a study to see if there was a correlation between the two by testeing if sysmptoms let up after repairs were made and asked if we would want to participate. The question now is to set up a set of standards the hvac, and house, must meet to be considered "fixed". Would anyone know any resources to contact. The one I first thought of, Building Science Corp, only has a mailing address, so I'll have to write them. Sorry for the long post and thanks for any info you can give.

There's a book out "The Water Heater Workbook" with a lot of info on water heaters. There's even a section about bacteria growth, and how to sanitize the heater (but rather involved). The concern in this case would be a situation where heater life is reduced

Grounding is for safety. I would recommend the book "practical electrical wiring" It has a good explanation on grounding, which you could show a homeowner and they would get the idea.

In order to prevent the rot occuring from "normal" moitsure entering the insulation in walls, etc. the wall needs to be "forgiving". That is, the insulation must be able to dry out faster than it picks up moisture.

Unless the manufacturer says you can do that in the install manual, the vent must have a minimum 6' vertical rise, per the mechanical code.

Hausdoc, I have building Science corp on the favorite links on my computer. I also have Several of his books,Moisture Control Handbook and Builder's guide to mixed Climates. I've come across that name and his organization a number of times. Much of what I've read into and the books I've got have been driven by problems I've seen in the field. In some cases I added upgrades to my work to sovle problems with the install I replaced, then later found a manufacturer or some other source that promoted what I had employed at work. There's an article in Contracting Business online titled "13 seer, oh really". It addresses a concern I had noted and hope to address by pushing for better hvac duct insulation and sealing, as well as the house envelope. Old habits are hard to break, I've been trying for three years to get the foam insulation thing with the duct started. [:-banghead]

Those were the issues I was concerned about. In Va this would be a "mixed" climate- about equal hours of heating and cooling. Unless the weather gets real extreme(for here) you don't hear much about ice damming. The insulation does affect the roof, up to 5% if I recall correctly, but this would only apply to fiberglas/asphalt products? The icynene people state their product has a pretty high permability, which would help prevent moisture trapped in building assemblies. Urethane has a much lower perm rating, even so, they recommended a butyl coating on their product when used as a duct insulation. I'll have to check with the shingle manufacturer to see what thier take on warranty is. Even if the roof life was reduced, bringing attic a/c and heat equipment into the conditioned area would reduce sysytem size 10%, and there would be the reduced air infiltration gains also.

Sheathing would be the plywood skin on a house wall or roof. I've heard of icyrene being used because the underside of roof rarely has anything penetrating or attached to it. This would allow the install of mech. systems witout disturbing the insulation. Being an open cell foam it would allow water leaks to pass through the material, rather than hidiing a leak and rotting the sheathing. I have seen the urethane on ducts and walls, tough stuff, and seals the envelope. Just wondering if there are any negative sides to this product.

Has anyone seen the urethane and icyrene foams in use out there? I think they would give good performance and would like to share with people the option of using these products in their homes, since you can buy smaller a/c and lower bills with insulation upgrades. Especially commercial buildings. We'll be doing some this summer and insulating the roof sheathing with icyrene would give a semiconditioned attic and better air sealing of building. Drop ceilings and the batts stapled in place just don't cut it. How about urethane on ductwork? Maunfacturer says ok, but local inspector has toapprove, of course. Thanks.

put some info in profile. Been doing more net surfing since getting over hernia operation, sitting at home more now. Decided to find some more varied educational sites to visit, like this one. Even if I don't fix it I can point out a problem. In one home there was a questionable breaker I pointed out, the ho had an electrician look at the breaker, and when he pulled it out it fell apart and arced on the bus bars, literally exploding in his face.

no problem, no remote service calls

www.hvac-talk.com

#2 the flame sensor is not functioning correctly

I personally don't like any fiberglas in the ductwork. Both ductboard and liner will be eroded if not installed correctly. The liner, which is both thermal and acoustic insulation, must be "buttered" at the edges with a sealer, and I've yet to see this done on any residential system.