Yearly Archives: 2017
Drywall Prep: Install Membrane Progress
We are making good progress on the membrane installation. The first area was to finish the wiring chase with insulation, polyiso and then the membrane seen installed here. The wiring chase included some tricky areas around the radon pipe where … Continue reading
Connecting the Ventilation Fans
The ventilation fan connections also had to be done before the drywall can be installed. We have to ventilate the crawlspace to meet the requirements of a conditioned crawlspace. This can be done by placing a heating vent into the … Continue reading
Drywall Prep: Decide About and Alter Master Bathroom Wall
Seems like it shouldn’t take two days to complete the wall in the master bathroom and closet but it did. First I put up the membrane in the closet area as the bathroom was done already. The 50 amp wire … Continue reading
Broken Ventilation System!
Amazing isn’t it? I can’t be satisfied with the existing system, I had to try to control it automatically. That would be OK if not for the problems I cause. The first project was just to connect the system to … Continue reading
Drywall Prep: Insulate with Polyiso around Doors
We are cutting and fitting the polyiso left over from the wiring chase around the door areas to use up smaller pieces. By using the polyiso so sparingly we can keep more of it tacked up as temporary bathroom walls. … Continue reading
Drywall Prep: Insulate the Plumbing in the Walls
I almost forgot to insulate all the hot water lines in the walls. LEED requires at least R4 pipe insulation but I was able to order more R7 insulation from Supply House. We were out of town for our Mom’s … Continue reading
Drywall Preparations
We have had two vendors look at the job and each says they can do it. We are awaiting the estimates. But there is a lot to do before the crew can come in and drywall. I’m thinking it is … Continue reading
More Ventilation Ducting Fixes
We just enjoyed a visit from our friends Jan and Mike from Indiana and got some good help and ideas from them. They wanted to work on the house. What are good friends for anyway? So we redid one of … Continue reading
Central Vacuum in Action
Ahhh. Listen to the whooshing sound of the air sucking up tons of dirt. Wow, look at the dust disappearing from the duster into the innards of the pipe opening. A bit louder but what a great tool the power … Continue reading
Moved Modem
Ever since we moved in, the modem for our internet connection has been installed right at the garage door. There is a closet built in there now and although the electricians installed an extra outlet for the equipment, it did … Continue reading
Central Vacuum Wiring
When I had everything finally connected and all the inlets installed it was late in the afternoon and I was tired. I opened an inlet and nothing happened. Then I opened the vacpan inlet and all the inlets came on. … Continue reading
Central Vacuum Connected
I finished connecting the central vacuum piping and wiring today. Even with all the parts I had ordered, I ran out of pipe and 90 degree sweep elbows so had to wait two days for Amazon to deliver more. I … Continue reading
Central Vacuum Accessories and Piping
I’m working on the central vac piping. The pipes are GO VACUUM brand for vacuum systems. These are 2″ but a bit smaller than Schedule 40 PVC. They supposedly build up less static inside them and fit the inlets exactly. … Continue reading
Structural Inspection
We had a structural inspection a few months ago when we thought it had to come before the electrical was put in the walls. Instead, it had to wait until the rough plumbing and rough electrical were passed. I assumed … Continue reading
HVAC Inspection Failed
I’m not actually surprised that I failed the first inspection of the ventilation system. It makes sense that I would do some things incorrectly or at least not up to code. In this case I substituted lightweight zip ties over … Continue reading
Foobot Air Quality Monitor
This Foobot air quality monitor is a very cool device. I purchased it from a seller on ebay for about half of retail. It is an easily set up device using a smart phone app. It comes in an orange … Continue reading
Ventilation Controls
The standard controller that is included with the Recoupaerator is a manual variable speed on/off wall dial control. The wiring on the back of the panel consists of six wires and it comes with a very short cable attached. I … Continue reading
Reopening a Roof Vent
We had patched the two existing roof vents in the old attic when we insulated the roof. But then I decided to use one for the ERV exhaust. I opened the vent by cutting the metal front corners and bending … Continue reading
Exhaust Side Ductwork
It has taken several weeks to put together the ductwork for both the supply and exhaust for the RecoupAerator ERV system. It seems I keep needing another part to make the next connection. I realized that I purchased 10″ exhaust … Continue reading
Efergy Electrical Usage Monitoring
I have been interested in monitoring our electrical use, especially since it has gone up significantly since we keep the spa warm all winter. I started with a monitor for just the spa circuit. The Efergy kit has two clamps … Continue reading