Twinsprings Research Institute

Hanging the Living Room Fan

Posted on June 2, 2017 by ellen

It took a couple of days to figure out the pieces to hang the fan. It is a large heavy one that I bought for $20 from a Craigslist ad. It is a Monte Carlo Great Lodge Fan with a fake antler light fixture which goes perfectly with the log cabin type of decor.
I had stored the fan in the garage and close at hand with all its parts nearby. Except at some point I moved the fan blades and an exhaustive search today did not turn them up. So the fan looks a bit funny without its blades.

Monte Carlo Ceiling Fan

We should find them at some point but I was hoping to be able to use the fan to help cool the living room. I downloaded the instructions to hang it and I had a difficult time actually following them. I think it was the photos. They were not very clear to me without an overview of the parts fitting together.

Hang assembled fan

I also looked at other instructions for hanging a ceiling fan from a cathedral ceiling and found that the opening for the ball should point to the high side of the ceiling. Makes sense but I may not have thought of it. It is a heavy fan and the electricians put in boxes that were ceiling fan rated. I had help lifting it into place.
I took the fan extension pole apart and put it back together many times. I wasn’t sure the yoke and the cover would work on a cathedral ceiling so I left off the yoke and then realized it was needed.
The same was true for the light fixture. I had to put it together from pieces and found that some were bent and I had to pound them a bit to get them together. Again the instructions were not very helpful as they only showed how to pass the wires through the switch housing, not how the entire light was assembled.

Switch housing

But it was not too difficult to figure out how to wire the four lights to the actual switch inside the shaft and to bolt it together properly.
I also installed the two family room bathroom sconce lights. These were originally from our Tempe house. I changed them out for two stained glass lights and then gave these to my daughter thinking they might be able to change the outside lights on their new house. But they needed four matching lights so they gave them back to me. These have a rustic style so I’m glad I had them.

Bathroom sconces

It seems that every step is more difficult than it needs to be. In the case of the sconces, the boxes were behind the drywall and they were mounted between the studs with extension bars. These allowed the boxes to rock back and forth. I tried using longer filial screws and they were too long, in fact tightening the filial pushed the screw back into the box and it hit the ground post and burst the mounting plate right out of the electrical box! So everything came out and I started again. I finally had to screw the mounting plate in not quite all the way to have the shorter filial screw come through the base so I could fit the filial on the light to hold it against the wall. The final installation was tight enough but it was not easy task getting there.
I have some very low wattage LED bulbs in the sconces. These were the first LED bulbs that I bought way back in 2005. They were very expensive too. Over $200 for 12 regular bulbs and 12 nightlight bulbs. They are an almost blue white in color. But the low wattage limits where I can use them. I used some of the nightlights in the ceiling fan fixture and they are only 7 watts but they were the only candelabra bulbs I had. I’ll replace them with brighter LED’s.

7 watt bulbs in fixture

Posted in Design Style, Electrical, Living Room | Comments Off

Outlet and Switch Repair

Posted on May 30, 2017 by ellen

Unfortunately due to my incompetent electricians who put the electrical boxes in crooked and at any depth they chose, and perhaps some of the drywall shimming, the outlets and switches almost all have to be shimmed out to install the covers.

At first I purchased the blue outlet extenders from Home Depot and tried to cut them to size to fix the worst offset boxes. I also used tile shims and washers on some of the boxes. But these extenders are meant for boxes that were installed square and and an exact distance behind the surface. And they are heavy plastic so I was cutting them at angles with the multitool.

Blue box extender

I decided to check Amazon for a different kind of box extender but was not too successful. Then I tried ebay and found these.

Arlington electric box extenders

Since I couldn’t really tell if they would work, I ordered just 5 for about $3.50 a piece. These are meant to slip inside of the box at the drywall surface. If the drywall is cut exactly around the box they work great, if not some finagling is required but not too much.
The power can stay on when using these boxes. But be sure not to let your fingers slip and hit the screw connections. Tingle and ouch is the result.

Hot electric connections

This is an example of a crooked and too deep electrical box.

I guess you could just use really long screws and leave it like that! But it seems pretty dangerous and ugly.
Some of the boxes are metal because the electricians were required to use conduit in the ceiling. A metal box means this wire was run through the ceiling.

Crooked metal box

As an additional issue, some wires in this box were poking in from the side of the box where the extender has to slide into the box.

Wires inserted from side of box

So in this case, I had to cut a wire chase in the extender box. But for the plastic boxes I didn’t have to do this. The box itself slips over the outlet and the wires behind it when the wires are bent down away from the box.

Box extender cut for wires

The box extender is then slid into the electrical box and it should stop at the drywall, unless there is too large a hole!

Outlet and wires pushed back

This one ended up just a little crooked but certainly much better than without the adjustment.

I used all five boxes and ordered another 25 even though I probably need only 14 more, the box of 25 cost only $1.60 each and fewer cost up to $5 each. I may go back and add these to some of the boxes where I just used washers.

Posted in Electrical, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Kitchen Progress

Posted on May 27, 2017 by ellen

After days of work that did not show lots of results, today progress was made. First job was to connect the kitchen drain. The cabinet is now closer to the side wall so I thought I should move the drain over but realized after gluing a couple of new pipes that there was not enough room for the drain to go straight back. So I redid the pipe to give the drain an angle that allowed for the full p trap’s length.

Kitchen sink drain

The sink was already installed and caulked yesterday but today I put in the drain connection and the faucet. I cleaned up the faucet and soaked the sprayer parts in window cleaner because I couldn’t find vinegar. I scraped off the crusty calcium that clogs the sprayer so it’s like new.
I couldn’t find the faucet tightener so I had to wriggle a wrench up into the area to tighten the bolt for the water control. The spout was easier as it has two screws to tighten from underneath. This is the Delta faucet that rang up for 1 cent at an Arizona Home Depot and they sold it to me for that saying that is what it is marked, and you bought it! Hooray for me.

Sink faucet installed

The next project was to install the upper cabinet. This cabinet is actually a media stand that is hung upside down so that the doors are on top and the shelves below. I think it looks pretty cool on the wall and is quite an unusual upper cabinet.

Although I didn’t think there were a lot of results in the last few days labor, at least I was able to do laundry again because the washing machine was hooked up.

Upper cabinet installed

I put two large containers on the lower counter with 2 x 4’s over them to hold the cabinet in the right position as I screwed it in. I made a hanger bar with a 1 x 2 that is screwed to the cabinet and then to the wall. The pocket door behind it complicated the installation, but I was able to find and hit a door framing piece on the left side and on the right side it is screwed into a 2 x 4 stud. Then it is screwed into a stud across the top of the door. It feels sturdy.
This side of the kitchen is coming together. The next cabinet needs to have the epoxy finish poured and it also needs a piece to make it line up with the sink cabinet. Apparently the wall is not square. What is new? It will look fine once everything is in place.

Sink with upper cabinet

Posted in Design Style, Kitchen, Plumbing | Comments Off

Another Wet Look Bar Top Counter

Posted on May 24, 2017 by ellen

For the second counter top I scaled back the sanding and left the original finish mostly intact, and I decided most of the damming of the sides was unnecessary. So I only taped the edges and let the first seal coat drape the sides. I smoothed the sides with a foam brush to eliminate drips.
The bar top epoxy requires quite a few materials and supplies.

Klear Kote resin and hardener
220 grit sandpaper
Denatured alcohol
Tack cloth
Measuring cup and mixing cup
Mixing stick
Rubber putty knife (7″)
Foam brushes
Protective gloves
Paper towels
Plastic drop cloth

Bar Coat Materials and Supplies

The instructions and tips I read all said measuring equal amounts of resin and hardener by volume was the most important step. I purchased too large a measuring cup which made measuring difficult but so far the mix has been accurate enough to harden.
The mixture is hand stirred for at least 1 1/2 minutes in the measuring cup, scraping the sides and the mixing stick regularly. Then it is poured into a second clean cup. I used disposable drinking cups and a clean one for each mix. It is again mixed for at least three minutes. I used a timer for the mixing.
My solution never became clear in the mixing cup again as some instructions suggest, but again it has hardened so far. It is poured across the entire top without scraping the cup. I let it linger a bit to have the last few liquid drops pour out. The next step is spreading the epoxy evenly on the bar top. The liquid is supposed to self level which means some high spots may lose their coverage as it dries.
Although I did not experience many bubbles in the drying epoxy, a propane torch is best to produce the CO2 that pops bubbles in the finish. I used the torch each time to spread a thin layer of CO2 over the top, moving the torch constantly and holding it high enough that there was not smoking of the surface. The polymer is not flammable but the under layer of wood still can get burnt.

Popping bubbles with CO from propane torch

Popping bubbles with CO2 from propane torch

The drying time is supposed to be about 6 hours and if re-coated in that time supposedly does not need sanding. But I always waited longer until completely dry and then sanded it a bit with 220 grit paper to have the next coat adhere better.
This is the second coat that is drying on the second counter top.

Second coat second counter top

After use, I clean the putty knife with paper towels and wipe out the residual mixture in the measuring cup. Gloves are very important while working with the epoxy as the solution is extremely sticky. Although drips can be cleaned with denatured alcohol, laying plastic under the work surface is strongly recommended.

Posted in Finishes, Kitchen | Comments Off

Decorative Cracks in the Concrete

Posted on May 23, 2017 by ellen

The steamer works great to get the blobs of paint and dried compound off the floor. There were some unprotected areas like in this closet that really needed work.

Pantry closet floor before

I used one of the small bristle brush attachments to scrub with the steam and wipe the dirt away with a rag and it was not too onerous a task to clean it up.

Pantry closet floor after

While I was steaming the concrete floors I tried hard to get the white powder from drywall out of the cracks. But after it dried some white remained and I didn’t like the way it looked. So I wondered how to treat those cracks when refinishing the floor.
I looked up ways to cover and repair cracks in the stained concrete floor and found recommendations to accentuate the cracks to create a rustic old world finish!

This is just the thing for my design style so I bought some concrete dye at Home Depot and had it colored Cinnamon Brown. Once the concrete was clean and steamed, I used a lambswool dauber to draw a line over each crack and then rubbed the dye into the crack and the surrounding floor area to blend it in with the existing stain.

I have not etched the cracks first, but since they are cracks since the original sealer I was hoping the dye would stick to the inside of the crack and make them stand out. The effect is subtle

Concrete Dye in Cracks

After treating the cracks and rubbing dye on some of the stained areas–didn’t make a big difference there either, I re-sealed the concrete with the soy based sealer that was left over from the original job.

Sealed Floor

The final step was to mop on four coats of Zep floor finish. Although this polish is not recommended by the manufacturer for stained concrete floor, mostly because removing it might remove stain, it seems to work well over the water based sealer that I used. I believe the stain is more permanent on our floor since I have used the polish in the past and it came off without removing stain. I didn’t use the Zep stripper though. Just scrubbing and steaming. That and the wear it got from being down on the floor seemed to remove any shine from former applications of polish.

Four coats has given the floor a lovely shine. Too bad I know it will wear off and get dull again.

Four coats of polish

Posted in Design Style, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Kitchen Sink Sound Proofing Decor

Posted on May 20, 2017 by ellen

I’m going to start spending more time on decorative touches and less on large building projects. We have all the finish work to complete now that the drywall is installed.

The kitchen sink bottom is visible under the open cabinet in the kitchen. It is a deep single sink that was an entry laundry/clean up sink in the original house. As part of the new cabinet finish project, I decided to add to the sink soundproofing with a plastic coating spray paint. The product I bought for the desired color options is Plastidip spray. Rustoleum also makes a rubberized paint spray.
I wanted a coppery finish so I bought the dark brown camo color and the copper metal finish spray.

Brown camo colored paint

I took off the faucet and detergent pump and the drain. Although I broke the sealing ring for the drain trying to take it off. If I can’t replace the broken ring I have another drain saved from a replacement I made in our Arizona house in one of the plumbing supply boxes .

Then I cleaned the underside and taped the drain area and the underside of the sink rim. The original soundproofing layer was black.

Taped sink bottom

After the prep I sprayed two coats of the plastidip spray which covered the old coating very well. I waited about 3 hours between coats becuase the first seemed dry. We had a door open and the ventilation system going because the painter is working in the house too.
I waited overnight to spray two coats of the metallic finish on top of the brown. This is the sink with two coats of copper metallic finish over the dark brown.

Copper Bronze Sink Finish

Posted in Finishes, Kitchen, Maintenance and Repair, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off

Wet Look Counter Top

Posted on May 17, 2017 by ellen

The kitchen counter next to the sink was starting to turn grey and rot. Despite the silicone coating under the sink rim, water was collecting in a low spot on the pine counter.

I read about finishing the wood with an epoxy wet look counter surface. This bar top finish waterproofs and creates a solid plastic-like coating on the wood. The surface is applied in at least two coats and “floated” onto the wood. I researched the best epoxy coatings for this and almost bought some from Amazon. But I found a craigslist ad for Klear Kote which was one of the recommended brands so I bought two gallons at a discount from someone who had leftover materials. That should cover 47 sq. ft. of counter space.

First I sanded the sink cabinet top and reglued the joint between boards that was creating the low spot.

Sanded and glued

The next step was to use water based stain on the sanded surface so it would look like the other cabinets. Water based stain was recommended in the epoxy instructions. I used light oak color MinWax in a tube. Then I taped the sides and the inside of the sink area. I tacked a frame around the cabinet edges to hold any runoff of the epoxy solution at the taped edge. This preparation was for the first seal coat. The high sides were to suspend a cover over the surface to avoid bugs and dust, but it didn’t need the extra protection in the house.

Edges dammed

This is supposed to be a thin coat but I got it a bit thicker. I had mixed a half cup of solution. I spread it with a foam brush and that made the surface uneven. After several hours it still looked wet so I left it overnight.

Uneven first coat

My first thought in the morning was that it was still wet! But when I touched the surface it was dry to the touch. So it just was fooling me.

Looked Wet!

So I removed the dam and all the blue tape so that I could sand the seal coat with 220 grit sandpaper and retape the edges for the second coat.

Finished First coat

The second coat is supposed to finish the job. The solution is poured at an 1/8″ depth over the whole piece and allowed to run over the edges. I dammed the edges again, this time covering the wood dam with plastic. I redid the painter’s tape around the hole for the sink.

Damming the counter for a second coat

Then I mixed about 2/3 cup of solution, equal parts resin and hardener. The solution has to be stirred thoroughly. After the first two minutes of stirring, it is transferred, scraping the sides to a separate container. Then it is mixed another three minutes and poured on the surface without scraping. I used a graduated container for the first mixing–which has to be accurate, and a disposable plastic cup for the second mixing.
I used a 7″ wide rubber putty knife to spread the second coat evenly across the first. The epoxy is self leveling but I found I had to push it around to get it to cover the entire top and then run it over the sides. There is only so much pushing that can be done before it starts to set and the putty knife makes marks in the surface. I think I got a decent second coat done.

Second coat filling in gaps

When I remove the dam tomorrow, I’ll start on another cabinet.

Posted in Design Style, Kitchen, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

List for my month of recovery

Posted on May 14, 2017 by ellen

I’m working on a list of low energy tasks for post-surgery progress on the house.

Once we are sure the drywall and painting is completed there are several tasks that are pretty easy and should not take much effort. Shopping for stuff is also low effort if I can predict what we will need.

Put on outlet covers
Hook up vacuum outlets
Put on vent covers
Put clear coat on sink cabinet
Prepare for stuccoed areas. Buy tint and wall conditioner.
Mortar Schluter trim to concrete edges
Steam clean floor
Apply sealer and zep floor finish
Clean medicine cabinet
Install light fixtures
Vac dust and wipe off surfaces with wet sponge.
Seal up air conditioner line through exterior wall
Buy supplies for air conditioner installation
Reinsulate kitchen sink
Take new door knobs for powder coating
Sand and seal the rest of the kitchen cabinets
Clean paint off plumbing connections

There are also big chores to be done, like moving the furniture back in, but I’m not going to be able to help much with that.

Posted in Planning | Comments Off

Cleaning the Concrete Floor

Posted on May 14, 2017 by ellen

AFTER Drywall Cleanup–Swept and Vacuumed

The drywall and paint process made a big mess on the concrete. Although they vacuumed and swept, and they put paper on the floor before sanding and painting, the whole floor has ground in drywall dust on it.

I contacted a couple of concrete sealing companies to find out if they could clean and re-seal it. The bid we got back was $2000 just for cleaning. Seemed we should try cleaning on our own for $2000.

It was mopped twice, once with plain water and once with the Zep floor cleaner added to the water. I had read that steaming will clean ground in dirt so I used my little steamer to clean off part of the floor. It took off some spots but it dried with surface dust still showing. I realized I should have wiped it after I steamed while it was still wet. Steamers loosen dirt but don’t pick it up.

Steam cleaned

Then I tried buying a carpet/floor cleaning machine. I put it together and cleaned a portion of the same kitchen floor but it also dried with some white spots and didn’t seem like it added much to the previous mopping job. So I returned the cleaner. Buying it, reading the instructions, putting it together, then trying it, taking it apart, cleaning all the components and putting them all back in the box to return was pretty time consuming too.

Trying a floor cleaning machine

I tried to use my little steamer again but the heater would not turn on! I think the steamer worked well to clean out the cracks and some of the gooey spots from before they did the drywall but apparently mine was at the end of its life.

Dave is doing the mopping and we thought a scrub brush might help. After another pass on hands and knees with the brush the floor is finally looking clean. I think it still needs steaming in some places so I ran out to Harbor Freight to replace my steamer.

AFTER Brush Scrubbing

All the floors need to be mopped, probably twice, then scrubbed with a brush, then steamed in the worst places and finally have the new floor coating put on. I feel a bit bad that Dave is having to do the scrubbing but my body is not up to it right now.

Posted in Construction, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

From Primer to Paint with Detour to Hospital

Posted on May 9, 2017 by ellen

I didn’t go to the hospital because of the painting, but because I developed scar tissue from the August surgery and had to be cut open again to alleviate a blockage in my intestine. Another Friday night emergency, although Dave could take me to the hospital. I actually went to the closer hospital but only their emergency department takes Kaiser so I had to transfer to Good Samaritan, the same hospital I was in for the surgery. In fact the same surgeon was on call and the pain meds worked so I was able to wait until Sunday morning for the surgery. Now I can’t do much for a month or so. Which is a another setback.

Hospital Info Board

Hospital Instrument Wall

But the painter finished while I was gone.The paint for the walls was the Sherwin Williams Whole Wheat color. I had the second 5 gallon of white eggshell tinted to match the first five gallons.

Light tan ceiling

But I thought the flat white can was flat white, but it was a light tan, that coordinated with the whole wheat. I had him use that where the ceiling did not need to be bright for the light shelves and Dave ran to Lowes to get the Valspar no VOC white satin paint for the rest of the ceilings.

White ceiling

I actually love the tan walls and light tan ceilings and we have enough paint to finish the old bathroom when it gets remodeled.

More white ceiling

Now the big job of cleaning up and bringing the furniture back in without me being able to help will be a challenge.

Posted in Design Style, Diversions | 1 Comment

From Drywall to Primer

Posted on May 5, 2017 by ellen

The drywall is finally done. I think Hector feels good about the job being done too. It was a long hard battle to get the drywall around all the odd shapes of our house. It took more sheets of drywall than estimated too as well as more joint compound to level. But it does look pretty darned good. We love all the angles of our house. It sure makes the acoustics nice for a home. Even with all the furniture out and all hard surfaces, it doesn’t echo in the house!

Kitchen Drywall before Texture

We used fans to speed up the dry time on the mud to be ready for the texture the next day.
Here is the small bathroom before texturing. After this photo we finally took out the toilet so that the wall behind could be textured and painted.

The bathroom has blueboard and Denshiled sheathing

The bathroom has blueboard and Denshield sheathing

The texture is sprayed on by another subcontractor. The compressor and pump were in the truck.

Texturing

Hector took these pictures for me because my camera was taped into our bedroom!

More Texture

After texture, Jose and Hector came back to sand what oversprayed on the flat ceiling. Whatever they used for texture it was pretty difficult to sand it off!

Jose Sanding

And Hector did lots of this sanding from those amazing drywall stilts.

Hector on Stilts

Finally the painter arrived today and spent the first few hours caulking. Then he started spraying the primer. I just noticed the utility room was not primed, but looks like everything else was done.
I thought his pump setup was kind of neat. It is different from paint pumps I have seen in the big box store.

Painter’s Paint Pump

And Ignatio used almost 15 gallons of primer today. Luckily he has some left for the utility room!

Spraying Primer

Tomorrow he will start the ceilings with flat white. I have five gallons of paint for the ceiling and 10 for the walls. Hope it is enough.

Posted in Construction, Design Style | Comments Off

Safety for the Birdies

Posted on May 1, 2017 by ellen

Covering the chimney opening with barrier wire has been on the to do list for some time. Luckily some square wire mesh was accessible in the full garage so I cut some and installed it on the chimney.
Every spring a bird has flown into the chimney and gotten disoriented enough to die in the stove. It is gross and makes us feel bad as we never noticed the frantic scrambling to escape.
So this mesh cover should eliminate the problem.

Steel mesh cover on chimney

I used caps from the insulation cap nails to capture the wire mesh with self drilling screws. Not the prettiest job but it should last a few seasons at least.

Installing the steel mesh

Posted in Fireplace Boiler, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

A Week’s Worth of Drywalling

Posted on April 30, 2017 by ellen

Kitchen Half Wall to Family Room

Our drywall contractor had a problem with his subcontractors. Basically, they didn’t show on the date he set for the job. They probably would have showed eventually, they did send two guys for a short time at the end of the first day, but then nobody the second day when they promised to come. We were so disappointed, another subcontractor was contacted to help fill the gap.

The new crew agreed to stop work elsewhere and come and hang drywall for one work day. But they didn’t get to the site until about 10 a.m. and although they were fast, they didn’t complete the job. So our contractor and a helper are finishing hanging as well as mudding and taping. That just means it is taking longer than we figured, but there is nothing so far on our house that has NOT taken longer than we figured!

It is amazing how different the house looks with drywall installed! This is the kitchen area. Of course it looks different with all the cabinets and appliances removed too.

Kitchen with Utility Room Door

The dining room ceiling and the entry to the air lock with the garage door in the background has one coat of mud. The family room is on the right.

Dining Room to Air Lock Entry

Looking the other way toward the living room from the family room door.

Dining and Solar Hallway

Here’s the solar hallway french doors and the living room clerestory plus the light shelves/ventilation shaft.

Living Room Clerestory

The upper corner of the family room clerestory with the ventilation shaft/light shelf where the garage attic access was covered.

Clerestory Window in Family Room

And the peaked entry to the back hallway that hides the radon pipe with the ventilation shaft and the master bedroom on the right side.

Hallway and Radon Shaft

This area is not yet taped. The bathrooms need a bit more drywall and denshield hung and there are a few other odds and ends–the utility room, the pantry and vacuum closet in the family room, and more coats of mud on most areas. We think it will be finished this week and the painter will come next week. Drywall is a big step towards finishing the remodel.

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope | Comments Off

Drywall Prep: Empty House and Beginning Drywall

Posted on April 24, 2017 by ellen

It makes the house look big to have it completely empty with no drywall to separate the rooms. My friend sent me a panorama shot and I thought it would be a good technique to capture the feeling of the almost empty house.

Empty House Panorama

Panorama from Living Room

Panorama from Master Bedroom

Drywall barely got started today. The sub contracted drywall hangers that were supposed to make the job go more quickly did not show up. So most of the day our contractor worked alone and did a great job on some of the tricky areas.

Shower Denshield

Wainscot in closet

Two guys showed up for about 30 minutes and didn’t follow directions and slit the membrane where it was too tight without telling me! I was able to tape it again and add a piece to stretch it to fit better, but not a good sign. Hope they don’t mess it up too badly.

They put up about three sheets of drywall and then left and Hector finished the front entry.

Entry Drywall from Kitchen

Front Entry Drywall

The crew and their boss are supposed to show up tomorrow at seven. Hopefully they won’t disappoint Hector and us again!

Posted in Construction | Comments Off

A Hole for the Minisplit AC Lines

Posted on April 23, 2017 by ellen

Used Mini Split System Frigidaire

I bought a used minisplit air conditioner for the compressor, thinking it would chill water for the radiant cooling system. But I have decided after lots of experiments with radiant cooling to just install it as an air conditioner this year. It is only a 9000 btu cooler but mini splits have the ability to modulate cooling so 9000 can cool up to 12000 btu or one ton and can scale down to about 30% of capacity (about 2700 btu) if less cooling is needed.

It is a Frigidaire 115 volt unit and the electricians installed an outside electrical box for it last fall.

Frigidaire Mini Split

The minisplit is plumbed with two refrigerant lines and a drainage pipe as well as the electric cord that goes through the same hole in the wall between the inside and outside units.

Access to the area where the minisplit air conditioner lines have to exit the house will be restricted after the drywall is installed. So one extra item on the list of prep tasks was to drill the hole in the rear wall for a pipe to accept these lines.

Drilling the hole was more difficult that I imagined. I knew the electrician had difficulty drilling through the same wall so didn’t expect it to be easy. He only had to drill a 1″ hole and I have to drill a 2″ hole. Actually 2 1/8″ for the pipe. I have been drilling almost all day first from one side and then from the other, hoping the holes would line up. But they do not seem to be meeting and I’m out of drill bit length on both sides.

Outside Hole

Outside Hole Interior

Inside Hole

I read about drilling deep holes on the internet and found that there are drill bit extensions for hole saws so I bought the Milwaukee 12″ extension which worked great and I was able to line up the two holes.

Milwaukee 12″ bit Extension

I put a left over vacuum pipe in the hole and screwed it in on one side so it is stable. I just have to fill the surrounding area with foam spray and seal it up with membrane and tape again.

Posted in Mini Split Air Conditioner, Tools | Comments Off

Fixing the ERV

Posted on April 23, 2017 by ellen

I broke the ERV by trying to install an automated control system with the Nest to the Boost control and with Lutron devices to the 0-10 variable control system. The support for the Recouperator was very helpful and sent a new fuse and transformer.

ERV Boost Wiring

Luckily the new transformer and fuse fixed the ventilation system. I brought it all back to factory settings to be sure I was not breaking it again and will start again with connectivity.

I had the Nest connected to the ERV boost by wiring a direct wire from the Nest to the ERV. There are two wires, red and white. But the ERV connections are Boost, Line, and Rtn. Which is think is return or negative. The ERV uses 24 volt AC same as the Nest common and I had the Nest wired white to common and red to G Fan. At least I think I did. I was uncertain of the wiring I used that allowed the Nest to control the ERV!

Recouperator Boost Wiring to NEST

If I connected the Nest common wire to the ERV 24 volt line, then it may have been sending 24 volt from the ERV to the Nest. Probably not a good idea to double the positive inputs to the Nest. If I connected the white wire from the common to the Rtn. Then there would be no connection from the ERV’s 24 volt power which is necessary for the boost to run according to support. So my guess is I used common which allowed the Nest to act as a switch which is what I wanted. BUT support also said that doubling that common wire at the Nest could have caused the issues with the ERV transformer.

There is another option to connect the HVAC system to run the ERV with a furnace blower. Since I have a radiant system that does not use a blower, the furnace control that is typically connected to G on the Nest thermostat, I connected the G and Common wires to the ERV.

ERV Forced Air Connection

Unfortunately, I removed the wrong jumpers and blew the fuse again! I removed JC #6 and 7 when I was supposed to remove #2 and 3. I didn’t see the smaller jumpers and removed the two I saw. So easy to make a mistake when you are unfamiliar with the circuit board.

The air handler/blower connection allows the ERV to run at less that full speed-t0 whatever is set by the variable control that came with the unit. Or with a setting that is controlled by the 0-10 vdc input. Boost runs at full speed only.

I found a way to hook up the Nest to Boost at the same time as the blower connection. There are instructions on the Nest pro installers guide for hooking up a two wire humidifier. The star connection is for a humidifier but I can use the same type of relay to connect to the G fan connection with two wires that come from the ERV. That means I can use a variable speed blower input with one Nest and wire the family room Nest to turn on Boost speed. I also want to have a humidstat in the guest bathroom to turn on Boost when the bathroom is fogged up.

Nest to Humidifier Connection

Here is an explanation of how it was set up by another user at Wrightfuly.com And there is a good explanation about how this works on that site.

Nest with Relay

I ordered more fuses–two packages of the 1/4 amp glass slow blow type and the new fuse fixed the ERV again. Now I have enough to make more mistakes. I also received the relay for the boost control to the Nest and I bought the humidistat for the bathroom. But the completion of the controls will have to wait until after the drywall job.

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Ventilation | Comments Off

Drywall Prep: Moving Stuff

Posted on April 22, 2017 by ellen

Tools, furniture, kitchen–moving it all out to the garage, which is of course not large enough so quickly ordered two storage units from MyWay to hold more stuff!

MyWay Delivery

We packed the garage as tight as we could.

Pile o’Chairs

And all the pillows from the couches and chairs (as well as the guest bed) were put in the sleeping loft in the guest bedroom!

Pile o’Pillows

The house is definitely starting to look empty.

Master Bedroom Cleared

Family Room Cleared

There were so many unorganized tools to put away! Some just got put in boxes to organize “later”!

Table o’Tools

We have one more day to finish a long list of to do’s before the drywall hangers arrive on Monday morning. We may need a bit o’luck.

Posted in Construction, Planning | Comments Off

More Drywall Prep Items

Posted on April 19, 2017 by ellen

As we worked to prep for drywall several other items were added to our list. Little stuff that had to be done before the walls were no longer accessible or where we needed a wall we had not yet built!

1. Box in the ERV air returns.

Family Room Air Return

Kitchen Air Return

2. Frame for a transom window in the bathroom

Framing transom window

3. Bring in some corian to test for the top of the light shelf–ventilation shaft.

Corian for light shelf

4. Add ERV control wires to family room Nest and for bathroom humidistat.

Wire for humidistat

Wire to Nest

Wire at Nest

5. Move switch for bathroom lights to inside of bathroom.

Bathroom lightswitch

6. Add elbow to family room ventilation outlet–the elbow didn’t fit so I finished the vent with a metal ring clamp and tape.

Family Room Vent

7. Add partial elbow to kitchen ventilation outlet.

Kitchen Vent with extension

8. Build closet wall to divide family room and entry closets.

Dividing Closet Wall

9. Set up back bedroom for temporary living

Back bedroom eating area

Back bedroom sitting area

10. Hook up garage sink for doing dishes during construction.
I had the spigots in place and I had the connecting hoses so I thought this one would be easy. No way, I had to shim the sink up a bit to reach the drain pipe and had trouble getting the hoses attached to the old faucet. But then when I was so close, the water and drain were hooked up, I found that the faucet was broken.

Garage Laundry Faucet

I thought I had a faucet to replace it with but I needed the laundry sink type and the faucet I had was a bathroom sink type which also had a crimped copper line. So I’m waiting for a new faucet on order to finish this job.

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Boxing in the Radon Vent

Posted on April 18, 2017 by ellen

Another pre-drywall project that I forgot to list was to box in the radon vent that entered the attic shelf over the storage closet.
The vent has a slant to it that meant the lower part was uneven with the cross piece.

Stanted Radon Vent Pipe

A large area of the pipe protruded from the ceiling and I needed to figure out how to disguise it under drywall.

Radon pipe to box in

I decided to put in a peak at the hallway entrance to add drama and to help draw the eye away from the boxed in radon pipe. On the left the radon pipe is boxed in with one and two by lumber. Old pieces were used whenever possible.

Peaked hallway entrance

Originally I thought I might do a double peak with the left side being wood and the right metal to meet up with the metal studs.

Double peak

I thought that it might be easier to drywall that way but then after thinking about it, I changed my mind and took down the metal side and cut back the wood side. The final plan was to have another cross piece in the peak that would meet the 2 x 4 across the rear for the “ceiling” of the peak. The rear 2×4 needed to be shimmed down a bit to allow for the full slant of the pipe. And the cross piece is squared to that rear piece.

Cross piece installed

The final boxing in includes nailers for the drywall on all surfaces. The shelf area over the closet has nailers for a drywall panel in front of the randon pipe. Plus metal studs were used to fill in around the vacuum pipe in the side wall over the master bedroom door. The metal studs allow the header for the door to meet up with the light shelf/ductwork above. There will be a lot of cutting and fitting in this area but I think I have the boxing figured out.

Peak with new metal studs on right

Posted in Construction, Radon Mitigation | Comments Off

Drywall Prep: Membrane Installed

Posted on April 14, 2017 by ellen

The membrane on the rest of the walls has been installed, the seams taped, and the edges caulked to the studs.
The caulk is super rubbery and stays flexible. It is recommended for the edges of the membrane. I put it all around the ceiling membrane and used it for some corners and around doors. It requires about a 1/3″ bead that is then flattened behind the membrane edge leaving a continuous seal.

Siga Primur Caulk

Even though the whole north wall is stucco and buried, and the south wall is mostly block and windows, there was still a lot of membrane to install. I completely used the 9 foot roll that I ordered and there is only a partial roll of the two 5’8″ wide rolls left. I eventually used all the caulk and Todd Collins of A&E Building Systems dropped by to bring me a last roll of tape and a humidistat for the guest bathroom to control the ERV. My estimate for the Siga membrane materials was very reasonable. Always good to see that.

The west wall is tall and slopes to the buried north wall. There is one window in the family room that faces west. The membrane was overlapped, taped with Sicrall, and sealed with Primur.

Partial Stud Wall

Upper Family Room Wall

The airlock entry has a door to the outside, one to the garage and one to the rest of the house. The garage door had the membrane sealed at the edges and taped elsewhere and so did the entry door.

Airlock Entry Door to Garage

There were penetrations for the plumbing and electrical in this wall that had to be taped around.

Plumbing for Garage Sink

I did not finish the membrane in the family room skylight. Had to stop to do some research about the broken handle on the skylight. When I took off the extra membrane over the skylight, there was a lot of dust in the covering and even a wasp was buzzing around the space. I can see clear to the sky on one side of the window and the latch is broken. Probably keeping the window from sealing tightly.

Time to research fixing the skylight.

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope | Comments Off

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