Sep 6
In older homes the drywaller and plaster installer) often did not drywall the space above a stairway ceiling because the stair ceiling created the barrier between the attic and the stairwell. Unfortunately, this creates a huge hole in the attic floor and this space is as cold as your attic during the winter months. It is difficult to properly insulate the inside of these walls and it is wasteful to fll the entire hole with cellulose insulation. The solution is to block the opening between the floor joists with paneling or foam board, and then seal ALL seams wih spray foam.
Duration : 0:2:17
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: air, attic, cellulose, foam, insulation, sealing, spray
Jul 27
First we removed the redwood siding and the middle section of the brown fiber board. Then we pulled out the old fiberglass insulation batts. Fortunately they were stapled on the inside of the stud instead of the face of the stud - so they pulled out without too much trouble.
After putting the fiber board back we drilled our 2 inch hole and dense packed with cellulose insulation. There were several small cavities such as where an interior wall meets the exterior wall as well as the corner framing that had no fiberglass insulation at all. By adding cellulose we increase our r-value to near 4.0, we greatly reduce air flow in the stud cavity and we do not have to air seal the exterior wall top plates (the cellulose seals the stud cavity from the inside). This is a low pitch roof ranch and there is just no way to air seal the exterior wall top plates from the inside. Its difficult to even reach the top plate from the attic much less get a foam gun pointed in the correct spot.
Duration : 0:4:6
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: air, cellulose, dense, fiberglass, insulation, pack, removed, retrofit, sealing
Jul 19
While our awesome 1970’s door was still in good shape and energy efficient in its day, its now leaking air at the corners and we want to replace it with a door that lets more light in.
The house has shifted in 30 years making the new install not as straight forward as we would have liked. This is really not a how to video I am not sure if we should have flashed under the door, the book I have didn’t say to however I have seen a few things that make me think we should have, we were having camera problems and were under time constraints to get the door in before dark, but you should get the general idea.
We had the help of our good friend Gonzo, his excellent carpentry skills and level headed approach made him the voice of reason.
Duration : 0:2:46
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: 2x6, 70's, air, cat, caulk, cleaner, crooked, diy, door, energy, entry, foam, frame, front, house, how, install, insulation, leakage, level, leveling, New, not, outdated, shimmed, shims, star, that, to, unlevel, vacuum, walls, watching
Jul 19
Here are some ideas on making a solar air heater out of aluminum soda cans. In particular I make the hole with an awl and a reaming tool such as needle nose pliers (I guess a hard wooden reamer is also possible). The reamed hold should be about the size of the opening on the other side, perhaps the size of a quarter; about 1″ to 1+1/4″ in diameter. The thing is, you want a good/large radiator surface, yet you dont want to impede the flow of the warm/hot air. If you want, since the real lid opening is offset from the center of the can, you may want to take a pair of snips and cut about 1/4 or more inch into the center and bend the metal downwards into the can. Then I show how the cans can be glued with silicone and lined up straight to dry along a straight wall or board(s). An extra bead of silicone around the outide of the joined area would also be good. To paint the cans, be sure they are clean inside and out of any dirt and especially oil since nothing will stick to it including paint. Also, remove the “tabs”. A thin coat of flat (not gloss) black paint on the side exposed (or all sides) to the sun will absorb the heat from the sunlight and transfer it to the warm/hot air column.
The extra “meat” of aluminum (or other metal such as copper or silver) around the hole area acts as a radiator where the flowing air can come in contact with the metal and absorb some extra heat. If the hole is too big this may not be the case, hence this is one advantage of using cans and this method proposed. The only problem with cans is the time and effort to connect and seal them. Still, any heat radiated outside the cans will rise in the glass box and can be ducted with a hole(s) to the output port/pipe to obtain that heat.
I’ve seem some designs where a fan is used to ist/circulate the warm/hot air better. Another option is to have the warm/hot air go into the upper floor of the house while the cooler input air comes from the lower floors. That way a fan is not necessisarily needed since the hot air will move and rise all by itself rather than the air column being forced through before it can adequately be heated. A fan will however help distribute the warm air in the room.
Direct sunlight where the rays are perpendicular (right angle or 90 degrees) to the surface of the collector (here cans) has about 1000W of energy per square meter of area (roughly a square yard of surface area). I estimate that construction costs of a solar air heater is about $100 per square meter (or per 1 Kw of energy output). That amounts to ($100/1000W) = $0.10 or 10 cents per watt. Thats really, really good considering finished solar panels are about $4 to $6 per watt; and also only work when the sun is shining. With solar panels then, 1000W worth of panels would cost $4,000 to $6,000. Roughly out of the question for most people. Still, you should obtain/make a system with at least 1,500W of heat or higher…think of the costs solar panels or the burning of oil or gas would be. Still, for cloudy days and at night, have a backup system(s): gas, oil, coal, wood, electric
With the money saved with solar hot air, you can crank the backup heat up when needed.
To make a solar air heater, your gonna need alot of cans quickly, maby around 100, so ask your friends, neighbors, relatives to put them uncrushed and undented in a bag for the “project” you are gonna make. In the meantime, you can locate some wood, like plywood for the back and some 2×4 (or something) wood for the sides, etc. You’ll need foam, like styrofoam for the insulation and caulking to seal it airtight. Finally, the hardest part is locating a big piece of glass…of which you might have to cut yourself (note pre-tempered glass CANNOT be cut and you must work with it as is if you get that…so your better off usually with basic plate glass), etc.,or design the system around that. I dont recoment the collector be straight up and down when its being used, unless you can tilt it there during the remaining hours of sunlight. A 45 degree tilt from the ground level is a tradeoff position to build/put the collector, unless you design it so that the unit can be tilted at a few angles throughout the day.
It was mentioned by a view that you could sand the metal of the can a bit to make a better joint. If you go that route, don’t breath in any of the aluminum dust, and wash the cans before you glue and paint them.
I realize it is possible to lay some extra insulation (besides in the box of the unit) on the backside of the cans. Perhaps spray-foam, or simply some type of paper, even newspaper possibly; perhaps wet it and place it firmly onto the shape of the cans, and when it dires try to glue it into position firmly. The question is, will it make good contact to provide real insulation.
Be sure to see my new vid with some new info. on this subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJIl-iVSTo
Duration : 0:2:13
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: air, cans, heater, idea, ideas, soda, solar, warmer
Jul 19
Here are some ideas on making a solar air heater out of aluminum soda cans. In particular I make the hole with an awl and a reaming tool such as needle nose pliers (I guess a hard wooden reamer is also possible). The reamed hold should be about the size of the opening on the other side, perhaps the size of a quarter; about 1″ to 1+1/4″ in diameter. The thing is, you want a good/large radiator surface, yet you dont want to impede the flow of the warm/hot air. If you want, since the real lid opening is offset from the center of the can, you may want to take a pair of snips and cut about 1/4 or more inch into the center and bend the metal downwards into the can. Then I show how the cans can be glued with silicone and lined up straight to dry along a straight wall or board(s). An extra bead of silicone around the outide of the joined area would also be good. To paint the cans, be sure they are clean inside and out of any dirt and especially oil since nothing will stick to it including paint. Also, remove the “tabs”. A thin coat of flat (not gloss) black paint on the side exposed (or all sides) to the sun will absorb the heat from the sunlight and transfer it to the warm/hot air column.
The extra “meat” of aluminum (or other metal such as copper or silver) around the hole area acts as a radiator where the flowing air can come in contact with the metal and absorb some extra heat. If the hole is too big this may not be the case, hence this is one advantage of using cans and this method proposed. The only problem with cans is the time and effort to connect and seal them. Still, any heat radiated outside the cans will rise in the glass box and can be ducted with a hole(s) to the output port/pipe to obtain that heat.
I’ve seem some designs where a fan is used to ist/circulate the warm/hot air better. Another option is to have the warm/hot air go into the upper floor of the house while the cooler input air comes from the lower floors. That way a fan is not necessisarily needed since the hot air will move and rise all by itself rather than the air column being forced through before it can adequately be heated. A fan will however help distribute the warm air in the room.
Direct sunlight where the rays are perpendicular (right angle or 90 degrees) to the surface of the collector (here cans) has about 1000W of energy per square meter of area (roughly a square yard of surface area). I estimate that construction costs of a solar air heater is about $100 per square meter (or per 1 Kw of energy output). That amounts to ($100/1000W) = $0.10 or 10 cents per watt. Thats really, really good considering finished solar panels are about $4 to $6 per watt; and also only work when the sun is shining. With solar panels then, 1000W worth of panels would cost $4,000 to $6,000. Roughly out of the question for most people. Still, you should obtain/make a system with at least 1,500W of heat or higher…think of the costs solar panels or the burning of oil or gas would be. Still, for cloudy days and at night, have a backup system(s): gas, oil, coal, wood, electric
With the money saved with solar hot air, you can crank the backup heat up when needed.
To make a solar air heater, your gonna need alot of cans quickly, maby around 100, so ask your friends, neighbors, relatives to put them uncrushed and undented in a bag for the “project” you are gonna make. In the meantime, you can locate some wood, like plywood for the back and some 2×4 (or something) wood for the sides, etc. You’ll need foam, like styrofoam for the insulation and caulking to seal it airtight. Finally, the hardest part is locating a big piece of glass…of which you might have to cut yourself (note pre-tempered glass CANNOT be cut and you must work with it as is if you get that…so your better off usually with basic plate glass), etc.,or design the system around that. I dont recoment the collector be straight up and down when its being used, unless you can tilt it there during the remaining hours of sunlight. A 45 degree tilt from the ground level is a tradeoff position to build/put the collector, unless you design it so that the unit can be tilted at a few angles throughout the day.
It was mentioned by a view that you could sand the metal of the can a bit to make a better joint. If you go that route, don’t breath in any of the aluminum dust, and wash the cans before you glue and paint them.
I realize it is possible to lay some extra insulation (besides in the box of the unit) on the backside of the cans. Perhaps spray-foam, or simply some type of paper, even newspaper possibly; perhaps wet it and place it firmly onto the shape of the cans, and when it dires try to glue it into position firmly. The question is, will it make good contact to provide real insulation.
Be sure to see my new vid with some new info. on this subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJIl-iVSTo
Duration : 0:2:13
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: air, heater, solar, warmer
Jul 5
In with the new, watch as we install the new energy star door.
Duration : 0:5:29
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: 2x6, 70's, air, caulk, cocked, crooked, diy, door, energy, entry, foam, frame, front, house, how, in, install, installing, insulation, leakage, level, leveling, New, outdated, setting, star, that, to, un, walls
