Archive of posts tagged ventilation
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as natural gas, wood, or petroleum products. It is colorless and odorless but toxic. Acute poisoning (exposure to high levels at once) can cause neurological damages and can be fatal. Chronic poisoning (exposure to lower levels for long periods of time) can cause […]
Moisture and Mold
Mold spores are present almost everywhere. Inside a house, mold spores are not a problem if the count is low. When the count becomes high, it may be a cause for respiratory problems such as asthma. Mold requires certain conditions to grow. First is the presence of organic materials that serve as food for mold […]
Das Haus Is Coming, Das Haus Is Coming
Germany has been advocating a “passive house” standard for super energy efficient homes. The Germans are well known for their striving toward advanced technologies and manufacturing perfection. Building durable homes is no exception. In a nutshell, a passive home is tightly sealed, well-insulated, and equipped with high efficiency windows and doors. A 1500 square feet […]
The Terry Project: Air Sealing, Insulation, Windows
The family room with a vaulted ceiling requires particular attention for insulation. The roof sheathing material is foil faced oriented strand boards (OSB). The foils act as a radiant barrier which will cut down the heat from the hot roof from getting into the living space. Under the radiant barriers, sheet rocks were installed leaving […]
Remodel to Passive House Standards
Most buildings leak air, and therefore heat, through cracks in their building envelope. We get cold in our leaky buildings and turn up our heaters to keep warm. The heat continues to leak out, and we continue to turn up our heaters, and on and on the cycle goes. In the end, we may as […]