Work Truck

Posted on April 23, 2013 by ellen
Ford Super Duty

2006 Ford Super Duty

Bought this truck to carry construction materials for the remodel. Found that renting a truck was getting to be trouble and UHaul seems to keep raising its rates although they do have nice work trucks. Car rental companies don’t have hitches on their trucks but UHaul’s do and they are basic trucks, made for work.

I was not happy with a bill from the Arvada UHaul and although the mileage charges were changed when I complained, I was still charged for an extra day. SOOO. Found this for a reasonable price and it is big enough to haul a trailer and has a full size 8 foot bed for drywall, lumber, and other heavy stuff. Bought it from the mechanic at a trucking company who had maintained it since new. His company allowed him to fix it up and sell it. New tailgate, lights, etc. and I got a reasonable deal on a good Ford truck.

It will be nice to have a truck in the family and the four wheel drive will be useful in bad weather or for getting firewood in the mountains. Plenty of room inside too with the bench seats and king cab. Might put a ladder rack or a camper on it, or a snow plow! Lots of possibilities. The first use of the truck was to haul the concrete grinder out to the work site.

8' Truck Bed

8′ Truck Bed

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Arvada Rent Alls

Posted on April 23, 2013 by ellen

ArvadaRentallsWe are fortunate to have a tool rental agency so close to our house. Arvada Rent Alls has been a great resource for temporary use of expensive tools. Each spring our son-in-law rents a tiller to get the garden started. This is where I rented the jackhammer and compressor to break up the raised platform and to try to break the concrete myself.

The latest rental was to prepare the concrete floor for stain. I have had conflicting information about preparing the slab. First we were told we could stain new concrete without any prep. Then we were told that the slab should be porous and “hard-troweled” concrete would need some treatment. Our slab contractor rented a floor sander with plastic pads that would not sand the rough concrete surface, it skittered all over the place. So he returned it and recommended we stain first and just polish the sealed floor.

I read some advice NOT to use a diamond grinder and some that said it was the only tool that would sand concrete enough to get the rough spots and patches leveled, the floor sander wasn’t strong enough. The website seemed to recommend this tool for our use.

Dyma-Sert diamond segments (right) are best suited for:

  • Smoothing rough concrete or trowel marks
  • Removing urethane or epoxy thin-coats
  • Removing thin mastics and thin-set
  • Leveling uneven surfaces
  • Will grind approximately 200 to 250 square feet per hour and up to 1/32 inch depth per pass.

I rented a grinder from Arvada Rent Alls and tried it on the floor but it proceeded to scratch the surface much more than I wanted. It was very heavy and again I may not have had the strength to use it properly. I returned it after an hour or so and they reduced the cost for just the time I had it out instead of charging for the full 24 hours. Nice guys at this place who know their stuff.

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Triangle Tube Boiler

Posted on April 21, 2013 by ellen
Challenger Combi Brochure Pic

Challenger Combi Brochure Pic

We first heard of small, highly efficient, condensing boilers from Melissa when she did our Energy Audit. After some research, I found many recommendations for the Triangle Tube boilers. They have stainless steel heat exchangers, and copper piping. They are among the most efficient boilers on the market today, although a flyer came with the boiler that placed it at 90% efficient, vs. the 93.5 or 95% efficiency that is advertised for this system.

In a condensing boiler the water returning to the boiler may be quite cool, unlike a non-condensing boiler that must have warm water entering the system. Energy is actually derived from cooler return water making the boiler even more efficient. The flue extracts heat from the waste gasses by condensing them into liquid. There is a condensate drain to channel away the slightly acidic waste from this process. A fan is used in the boiler to exhaust the remaining gasses from the system and an outside fresh air intake is employed. It is possible to use a concentric vent (two vents in one) so that both fresh air and exhaust are in one pipe. Using this special vent pipe will allow the use of the existing flue from the old boiler system.

The boiler saves a lot of room in the utility area, it hangs on the wall and is only 9 1/2 inches deep, 17 3/4 inches wide and the C105 version is 25 1/2 inches tall. Two three inch pipes above the boiler will be connected to the concentric flue where the existing flue exits through the roof.

Boiler Without Cover

Boiler Without Cover. Condensate drain to sump hole.

Domestic hot water, heat, gas and electrical connections are on the bottom of the boiler. Internal flue pipe (black) is on the left, fan on the right. There is a 2 gallon tank behind the fan that is used in the domestic hot water function. UPDATE: There is no tank in the Challenger–the specs I was using were from another line of Triangle Tube boilers. The heat exchanger in the Challenger is aluminum not stainless steel.

The boiler is capable of delivering 2.5 gallons of hot water per minute. With low water spigots and shower heads that should be plenty without a separate storage tank, although the system is also able to incorporate an extra storage tank to hold a reservoir of hot water for peak use times. Hot water circulation is also possible as long as there is an aquastat control in the circulation pipe to prevent constant flow.

Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Energy Efficiency, House Systems, LEED Project, Radiant Heat | Leave a comment

Radon Mitigation

Posted on April 19, 2013 by ellen
US Radon Zone Map

US Radon Zone Map

Zone 1 has the highest concentration of Radon in the ground. Radon has been found to be a naturally occurring cancer causing element that is concentrated in homes that have direct contact with the earth especially in Level 1 (Red) zones.

Radon zone Jefferson County Co

Radon zone Jefferson County Co

Location of Jefferson County in Colorado

Relative Location of Jefferson County in Colorado

Jefferson County is a high concentration area and Radon Mitigation was one of the LEED Durability Issues cited during the design charrette and noted as requiring extra design attention. Although there is some evidence that a thick vapor barrier is sufficient protection from radon, the most commonly accepted method is passive or active gas exhaust from beneath the slab.

The best information that I found for installing a sub-slab depressurization system for radon mitigation was a report to the GSA. I also found the details of the installation method in the EPA’s Passive Radon Control System for New Construction.

The GSA report found the ideal spacing of the sub slab depressurization system stack locations using an ingenious method to detect soil porosity under an existing slab site.

“To impart a vacuum at the extraction point, a commercial shop vacuum was placed over the extraction point hole. A source of smoke (e.g., smoke tubes), were used at the communication test holes to provide a qualitative assessment of the radius of influence of the extraction point. Results of all communication testing indicated that the soils immediately beneath the slab floors of both buildings was of sufficient porosity, as all communication test results indicated positive movement of the generated smoke into the communication testing points.”

SSD Radius Boundaries

SSD Radius Boundaries

With the rock fill used under our slab, I felt secure in estimating that a similar spacing and radius for our mitigation system would be sufficient. I located out of the way locations for each of the two stacks that I figured our slab would require and drew these boundaries.

Dibble Radon Ports

Dibble Radon Ports

Ten and twenty foot radii are drawn, A thirty foot radius from each port covers most of the slab.

SSDS Requirements

SSDS Requirements

As in these requirements, we installed 2 to 4″ of road base aggregate to allow for gas flow under the slab.

SSDS Basement Diagram

SSDS Basement Diagram

4″ PVC T’s were buried in the aggregate as this drawing shows.

Radon Mitigation Pipe

Radon Mitigation Pipe

The slab SSDS pipes were left short temporarily but will be extended through the roof. They were sealed at their bases by taping the 10 mil vapor barrier around them and then the 2″ of spray insulation was sprayed over that. These pipes, along with the edges and the plumbing pipes will also be sealed with caulk as called for in the mitigation requirements.

The crawlspace already has a passive radon exhaust system, however we will probably install a fan in all these radon pipes to make them active. Fantech fans are usually used in these systems and are specified in the GSA report.

 

Posted in House Systems, LEED Project, Planning, Radon Mitigation | Leave a comment

Radiant Installation

Posted on April 19, 2013 by ellen
Tremendous Tangle

Tremendous Tangle

Unfortunately the pex roll was unweildly and as the first zone was unrolled, the pex became extremely tangled. The 1000 ft. roll came in a box and did not have a plastic sleeve to hold it in place.

Crimped Pex

Crimped Pex

Several crimps in the pex were the result of the tangling. The workers helped me untangle this mess outside on the long 300′ driveway. It took almost 2 hours to get it straight, and the crimps were straightened with a heat gun. The pex turns clear and the crimp “magically” disappears, although the pex wall is a bit wrinkled from the heating and cooling process. Then we pulled it into the house in a long straight line as zones 2 and 3 were laid. The pex was attached to the rebar with inexpensive 6″ zip ties with the tails pointed down so they would be out of the way of the cement.

Zones 1 & 2 and Plan

Zones One & Two and Plan

Zone One

Zone One

Zone One Another View

Zone One Another View

Gap between Zones 1 & 2

Gap between Zones One & Two

This gap was left in the middle of zones 1 and 2 because both loops were over the ideal 300′ design length and the area in the middle of the room should not need much warmth. The gap will be under the wall between the dining room and the family room areas so it should not affect overall comfort.

Zone Three

Zone Three. Notice the pipe in front of the window is spaced only 6″ apart.

Zone 3 Another View

Zone Three Another View

Zone 3 is the shortest zone, it is also the zone with the most solar thermal heat transfer, so the living room might be a bit too warm, but we placed more than 12″ between the rows in the north side of this zone. We used exactly the rest of the first 1000 ft. roll of pex. One full 1000′ roll completed three zones, more or less as the plan indicated.

Motorcycle stand

Motorcycle stand vertical holder for Pex.

I read that if the pex is distributed vertically, that it will not tangle, so I scouted around for something to substitute for the $300 de-winding tool that is available for pex. I found a $30 motorcycle stand on sale at Harbor Freight and we ended up exchanging the clamps for pieces of rebar taped to the sides to hold the roll on the stand. Unrolling required one person to lift the roll from the stand and shake it as the other pulled the length needed for the next loop. This roll was used for loops 4 and 5.

Zone 4 Partial with 1, 2, & 3

Zone Four Partial with Three, Two, & One in the Background

Zone 4

Zone Four

This is the most complicated layout, in the reverse spiral pattern.

Zone 4 and 5 with Plumbing

Zone Four and Five with Plumbing

Zone 5

Zone Five Plumbing Closeup

The inspector mentioned that the pipe was a bit close to the toilet drains and there was a chance that the warmth from the radiant pipe would melt a wax ring at the floor where the toilets were installed. I was going to move the pex, but I ran out of time and it seemed too difficult and dangerous to try to move the installed pipe. So I did some online research and decided the design temperatures for both the water (120 degrees) and the floor (85 degrees) were below the melting point of the wax ring (130 degrees). Also there are Fernco rubber rings that we could use instead of wax. Some plumbers prefer them over wax rings although some think wax is stickier and will last longer than rubber.

Zone One with Plumbing--no attempt was made to give extra clearance near pipes and this was not corrected before the pour.

Zone One with Plumbing–no attempt was made to give extra clearance near pipes. The toilet drain is covered in yellow tape, the foreground 4″ pipe is for radon mitigation.

Manifold Connections

Manifold Connections

The manifold pipes are left over from the home’s previous boiler. Not sure that it will work with the new system but it seems like it should and trying this will save some money by not replacing the copper pipe and valves.

Manifold Layout

Manifold Layout

The return pipes were straightened out a bit before the pour, but it is obvious that the piping to the manifold in this corner is quite close together, with both the feed and return pipes in a relatively small area. It should be warm in this area anyway!

Manifold close up after pour.

Manifold close up after pour.

The insulated connections on the left hold the 3/4 inch radiator pipes for the rear of the house, these pipes are routed in 4″ plastic pipe under the waffle boxes and insulation. The 1/2″ hot water return is just left of the radiator pipes. The hePex is routed through 3/4″ conduit elbows where it leaves the cement. The two connections on the right each have two zones of pipe connected to just one thermostat so they are essentially one heating zone. I think the job looks pretty good at this point.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, House Systems, Radiant Heat | Leave a comment

Radiant Design Revisited

Posted on April 19, 2013 by ellen

Since the excitement of the new floor is out of the way, time to go back and talk about the actual layout of the oxygen barrier Pex used in the radiant floor.

Radiant Layout with Zones

Radiant Layout with Zones

The references and calculations used to design the pex layout were explained in previous posts. (Intro to Radiant, Manual J, and Uponor Design Manual)

Most of the materials for the radiant floor and heating system (and plumbing) were ordered from Pex Supply. The floor pipe is Uponor/Wirsbo Oxygen Barrier Pex A hePex plus in 1/2″ size. I decided to order 2 1000 foot coils in order to have plenty and to ensure long enough runs without any breaks underground. Turns out that made sense for this install.

There was one change in the pipe configuration from the original plan, There are four types of pipe layout, based on heat loss expected in the room due to outside walls. If you look closely at the zone plan above, all of the types are used depending on the exposure to the on-grade outside walls. This plan is more sophisticated and hopefully will provide better coverage than the original plan that was almost all single wall layout.

Radiant Pipe Layout Types

Radiant Pipe Layout Types from the Design Manual

Although difficult to see in the drawings, the final layout has two rows of pipe against the outside walls that are only 6″ apart and the first run of pipe in all zones is routed as directly as possible to the outside walls.

Sweet Home 3D Pex Layout

Sweet Home 3D Pex Layout

The drawing and layout for the pipes was superimposed on the architect’s floor plan using Sweet Home 3D software, a very useful and FREE home design tool in Mac, as well as Windows and Linux formats. The software allows for mounting an image in the background to draw changes into. I imported the architect’s floor plan jgp and then aligned the scale to the program by entering the measurement of one wall. That means that the scale was altered at least twice from the original drawing, once to make the jpg and the next time in the import and superimposed scale. The resulting measurements could only be approximate, no matter how hard I tried to be accurate with them.

Using this program’s measuring tool, each of the total runs was supposed to be shorter than 300′. In practice two of them were a little longer. That is why it was good that the pex I was working with was long enough that the longer lengths could be cut and still avoid under slab connections. Unfortunately the long rolls also gave us fits during the initial installation!

 

Posted in Energy Efficiency, House Systems, Planning, Radiant Heat | Leave a comment

Water Loop in Action

Posted on April 17, 2013 by ellen

The water supply trunk loop is connected and stubbed out. This is the longest above the concrete connection. The pipe near the wall will connect the washing machine and the other connection will run to the guest bathroom. This long connection was necessary to route the supply pipe around the existing drain pipes.

Pex Water Supply Loop

Pex Water Supply Loop initial connections

All of the connectors are Sharkbite (mostly) or Gatorbite (Lowes carries these instead of Sharkbite). UPDATE: Some of the Gatorbite connectors later failed–they leaked–so I only bought Sharkbite for all future connections.

These slip on connectors were expensive (I bought most of them in bulk from Pex Supply.) but foolproof and easily removable. The 3/4″ Aquapex loop allows the hot and cold water trunk to extend from one fixture system to the next for a “structured” plumbing system. The hot pipe returns to the hot water heater to maintain a hot water loop throughout the house, reducing the hot water wait time at all fixtures when the hot cycles through the main loop. The cycle can be initiated by a pump with an aquastat that senses the temperature of the water in the hot loop, or with a timer that runs the pump when hot is most likely needed. The Taco hot water circulating pumps can also be controlled remotely at each fixture with a wireless or hard wired button switch.

Water supply pipes

Water supply pipes where they enter the loop system under the slab.

The 1″ pipes in the middle of this photo will eventually deliver water to and return heated water from the wood boiler. The 3/4″ pipes are the delivery pipes for the hot and cold water loop and the copper and pex connection for the return hot water line is visible behind the 1″ pipe.

Garage water supply

Garage water supply next stop in the loop.

Cold only

Cold only supply for outdoor faucet.

Old kitchen drain location.

Old kitchen drain location. Possible wet bar indoors and/or outdoor sink.

Tub location

Tub location in master bath.

Shower and Sink location

Shower, sink and toilet location in master bath.

nAnother view of shower location.

Another view of shower location in the master bath.

The blobs of concrete are holding down a scrap of old door that will be removed for the roll in shower installation. From the master bath shower, the loop continues under the crawl space to the existing rear bath and from there the hot loops back to the water heater.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, House Systems, LEED Project, Plumbing | Leave a comment

De Floor, de floor!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by ellen

The concrete was poured on March 18th after six months of work by Alberto’s crew to remove the old concrete and dig out for the waffle boxes. Then the installation of the vapor barrier and the boxes, the insulation, the rebar and the chairs to suspend it, then laying and zip tying the radiant pipe. Started the floor prep in October and finally poured on a beautiful day in March. Thanks to Mile High Contracting and Alberto’s concrete crews!

Concrete Pump Hose

Concrete Pump Hose

The concrete was a soupy mix in order to be pumped into the house. The engineering plan called for a 4500# mix so the redimix company added cement to the typical 4000# pumpable mix resulting in 7.5 sacks of cement per yard. That is a high ratio of cement. The mix was 15% flyash which is their typical proportion of this recycled material.

Floor with old door

Old door used to indent cement for the shower areas

Grandson and Cement Truck

My grandson was fascinated by the cement trucks!

Guys running pump

The guys are starting to pump the cement into the far east corner of the house.
They worked east to west, removing hose as they progressed.

Truck number 1

Progress after the first load.

Truck number 2

Progress after the second load.

Truck number 3

Truck number 3

Pump line and front walk

The pump line and the front walk prepared for cement.

Power troweling

Power troweling inside

Finishing up the front walk

It took three full trucks and a partial truckload to do the job.
We estimated 36 yards and were very close with that estimate.

Alberto and the Floor

Alberto admiring his crew’s handiwork.

Washing out the truck

Washing out the truck

Spencer and Meg

Spencer and Meg watch the clean up.

Handprints in the Cement

The kids put their handprints in the front walk

Relaxing before the next job

Relaxing before the next job–clearing out the yard!

Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil | Leave a comment

Really Rebar

Posted on March 29, 2013 by ellen
Rebar order delivered

Partial rebar order delivery

The engineering plan from Crown Jade uses rebar instead of post tensioning cable to reinforce the concrete in the floor. The computer program that the engineers used to design the floor system was a Post Tensioning Insitute product. Post Tensioning was not possible within the existing cassion foundation system for this slab so the recommendation for cable from the program was translated mathematically to an amount of rebar by Mark Benjamin of Crown Jade Engineering.

The total amount of rebar was heavier in thickness and about three times more than we originally estimated, so the cost ended up being three times the original estimate. The design called for two #5 (5/8″) rebar in the cavity of each beam, located 2″ from the floor and at least 1″ apart. The slab contains #4 (1/2″) rebar at 9.5 inch intervals in both directions wired together and placed on 1.5″ dobies to lift the grid into the cement. The slab grid of rebar is bent down and the beam grid is bent up into the beams at the perimeter of the slab.

To get our order as accurate as possible, I actually took the measurements from the original scale drawing, using the free DraftSight Cad software, and added each parallel and diagonal measure together. Since the rebar was specified to overlap 24″ for #4 and 30″ for #5, we added the specified amount to each 20′ stick and came up with an order of 206 #5 and 202 #4 required for the job. We ended up using all the #4 but had about 10 sticks of #5 left over, which makes me think I counted the perimeter twice. But we used some of that in the entry patio so the order ended up being very close to the requirement.

Most of the workers who looked at this floor were amazed. “Overkill” was the word I heard most frequently. If you want an engineered solution, you have to be willing to pay for the recommendations and follow through. We wanted a floor that would NOT be subject to the lift of the expansive soils that had been proven to be under our slab by the failure of the first one. So lots of rebar went into the floor and no mesh.

Tying rebar

Tying rebar

Rebar grid

Rebar grid

Rebar at door

Rebar at door

Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil | Leave a comment

Insulstar!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by ellen

Quite a bit of time went into researching the insulation for under the slab. The engineers were concerned about the insulation holding up to the stresses that the wafflemat would be mitigating. Apparently no other customers of Wafflemat had required full insulation under the slab. The code in Arvada calls for under slab insulation and the recommendation for radiant heat is to insulate under the whole floor as well. Since I was installing radiant heat, I needed to find a high density product that was engineered for use under concrete slabs.

Originally I was impressed with the uses of NCFI Geofoam products from NCFI such as TerraThane. I read about a study at Colorado State University using these products.  But when I spoke to the product rep, he recommended their Insulstar product, and the best applicator in the state, Jay Gurney of All Seasons Foam in Greeley, Co. There was some trepidation from the engineers about including the foam layer, however, they used the load bearing specifications of the insulation and felt confident in specifying Insulstar under the foundation.

Spraying Insulstar on waffle boxes.

Spraying Insulstar on waffle boxes.

The R value of insulation should match the edge insulation R value of 15. Although R10 is often cited as sufficient in radiant heat documents. Some resources state that insulation is only required under the perimeter 4 ft, some that the full floor should be insulated. I realized that spray insulation would be easiest to apply over the waffle boxes, and that 2″ of foam at R 13 would be pretty close to the R15 target. Adding the air space of the waffle boxes would bolster that number too.

Insulation on Wafflemat

Insulation on Wafflemat

Jay is very friendly and allowed me to take photos of the product trailer that he set up himself and the installation.

Insulation Truck Setup

Insulation Truck Setup

He even returned to the job when I smashed the plastic vapor barrier against the foundation wall and saw that it had kept insulation from reaching the corners of the slab in places. He said his reputation rests on satisfying his customers.

Insulation Truck

Insulation Truck

Wafflemat is designed to take advantage of the stiffening effect of deep beams between the boxes with either post tensioning or rebar embedded into the slab. A program from the PTI (Post Tensioning Institute ) was used by the engineering team to recommend the beam depth above the foam, and the size of the rebar which is #5, or 3/4″ in the beams between the boxes. They also specified placement of the rebar at 9″ OC, #4 or 1/2″ across the entire slab.

 

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Construction, Energy Efficiency, House Systems | Leave a comment

Crown Jade Engineering Drawings

Posted on January 21, 2013 by ellen
Waffle Box Layout

Waffle Box Layout

Mark Benjamin of Crown Jade Engineering delivered the final plan for the Waffle Mat system just was the plastic vapor barrier was being installed. The plan is engineered with the PSI concrete standards using a PSI computer program that took some time to receive and install. Mark called in Lisa Farmer, another PE, to help with the software and they both checked their design with Greg Carr, the Texas Wafflemat sales engineer. The floor calls for a double row of 5/8″ rebar in the 8 1/2 inch beams below the slab (actually calculated as 12 1/2 inch including the slab) and 1/2″ rebar in the slab at about 9.6″ on center. Which works out to two bars over each box and a bar between each box. It seems this is going to be a rigid slab construction!

Waffle Box and Rebar Detail

Waffle Box and Rebar Detail

This detail shows the box, the 2″ of insulation over and between the boxes, and the rebar placement. The building inspector asked for a bit more detail so the areas in “clouds” were added to the original drawing.

And here is how it looks as the boxes are being installed onsite!

Waffle Box Installation

Waffle Box Installation

 

Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning, Project Team | Leave a comment

Structured Plumbing

Posted on January 21, 2013 by ellen

We are interested in wasting as little water as possible and to that end, we designed a structured plumbing system that allows for the hot water to circulate within a loop system of pipes to deliver hot water at the faucets when needed. The only line that will not be part of this system is the kitchen run. That water needs to be very hot for the dishwasher and is close to the utility room so it will be plumbed separately.

Structured Plumbing Master Bedroom Loop

Structured Plumbing Master Bedroom Loop

The pipes with the caps hold the 3/4″ PEX. The pipe continues to the back bathroom where the hot loops back to the source.

LEED gives points for a structured plumbing system. Basically it does not matter how long the loop for the hot water plumbing is as long as each branch is under a certain number of feet. So having a long loop with several connections will provide the structured system. UPDATE: WRONG! LEED requires a total loop length of 40 feet with an additional 2x the ceiling height for 2 story homes. This means that although Gary Klein’s designs don’t limit the length of the loop, LEED does. At maximum we could count the upstairs as a second story and the highest ceiling at 12′ which would give us a total loop length allowable of 84′. Since the loop travels just about the length of the house and back, we probably have more like 130′ of loop length. No structured plumbing points for us. That is why LEED can be so infuriating. All or nothing in many instances.

Structured Plumbing Diagram

Gary Klein’s Structured Plumbing Diagram

For information about the design, we used Internet publications from Gary Klein of California State University. He recommends wasting no more than 1 cup of water to get hot water to the fixture. That translates into about 5 ft. of pipe from the trunk line. LEED is a bit more generous with pipe length to qualify for structured plumbing points allowing 24 oz. from the structured plumbing loop, or about 20 ft. of pipe to serve the fixtures.

We will be close to the Klein recommendation because most of the “twig” runs from the trunk pipes are very close to the fixtures. The only extensions are for the bathroom sinks and that is less than 10 ft. of pipe from the trunk to the fixtures. The trunk lines run from the water source in the utility room to each fixture and the hot returns from the furthest fixtures back to the utility room so that a circulation pump can be installed to move the hot water through the trunk before use instead of moving the water down the drain until the water gets hot. There must be an aquastat sensor added to the system and some means of controlling the system from the points of use. Taco makes a D’Mand system for under a distant sink that runs the hot water back down the cold pipes. It might be modified to fit this system only hooking the return pipe back into the trunk run. The important part is that there is a control system that can be installed for manual or wireless operation.

Structured Plumbing Trunk Loop

Structured Plumbing Trunk Loop

The loop runs from the water supply in the utility room to each water use “island”. In this photo, there are three, the garage utility sink, the outdoor water spigot supply, and the bar sink. The pipe continues to the master bath from this point.

Posted in Construction, House Systems, LEED Project, Planning, Plumbing | Leave a comment

Passing the Underground Rough In

Posted on December 26, 2012 by ellen

Signed Sealed Delivered. 12/10/12

Permit approved

Permit approved

It was not easy to pass the plumbing inspection. Not because the inspector was difficult or picky, quite the opposite. Our inspector was VERY helpful and wanted to see us pass and recommended wet venting the master bath during our courtesy inspection so we did that as it saved pipe and seemed to work better underground than venting every fixture. But the pipe had to be so high on that corner that when we glued with the low voc glue, the pipes tended to sag in the joints. The entire pipe run had to be lowered at the exit to the house to accommodate the fall that we needed on the 3″ pipe that runs across the house. The inspector also found several sags that sloped the wrong way and we had to tear them out and do them again. Believe it or not, they sagged AGAIN. So even when the inspector got there to review, we still had a sagging section. That meant the pipe sloped backwards instead of in the correct direction!

Luckily the inspector actually helped fix the problem and saw that the pipes were holding water at the required height so he passed us! Woo hoo! One of his tricks he said was to bed the pipe well in stone so that the sections would not sag. They also typically don’t use the low voc, slower setting glue. Another was to have a plumber’s level that we ran out and got at the Home Depot. It is marked to show the 1/8 and 1/4″ fall in the joints as well as the pipes. A bit pricey at about $25 but worth it to pass inspection.

This is the area that gave us the most trouble, the master bath drain sits the highest and these pipe joints wanted to sag so that although the whole pipe sloped downhill, some of the joints were flat or sloped backwards. That is the reason for so many sleeves in the pipe here. This photo also shows the fresh water supply chase and the pex sticking out of the runs. They will be connected in a loop for the hot water to circulate to the faucets during peak usage with a pump and aquastat sensor so that the taps will not have to run long to get the hot water to flow. That and the R-7 hot water pipe insulation should reduce water use.

Master Bath Drains

Master Bath Drains and Fresh Water Supply Chase

 

Posted in House Systems, Inspections, Plumbing | Leave a comment

Designing a Kiva Fireplace with a Boiler Stove Insert

Posted on December 9, 2012 by ellen

I have always admired Kiva fireplaces. They seem both rustic and homey. And this house already has a rough stucco wall in the living room area so a Kiva seemed to be a perfect fit. Our architect, James Plagmann, drew up a view of a corner kiva and placed it exactly where the old stove was located. It looks like it is going to fit perfectly and be a warm corner in the living room area.

Dibble Res_Kiva View_12-1127

Dibble Res_Kiva View_12-1127

Dibble Res_Kiva Plan_12-1127

Dibble Res_Kiva Plan_12-1127

The radiant system can have more than one heat input so this fireplace will have a boiler stove fireplace insert that is plumbed to feed warmed water into the heating system.

Fireplace Boiler

Spectra Fireplace Boiler

The Spectra stove is from Poland and I purchased it on ebay through New Horizons Corp. in West Virginia. The stove has a water jacket that is rated to heat up to 3000 square ft. to 80 degrees. Its dimensions are 31″ wide by 20″ deep and it is 41″ tall with an additional 18″ for the legs. That will fit very well in the space that we have. The plumbing will be hidden by the kiva surroundings.

The kiva is built around the stove with wire mesh and stucco. The benches will have a structural support for the mesh and the plumbing will be accessible through trap doors in the surface. There are instructions on ehow.com for forming the mesh and applying the stucco.

Kiva frame_only

Kiva frame

Kiva box and frame

Kits are sold with a masonry insert but a stove can be used as well.

Mediterranean Style Kiva

Mediterranean Style Kiva

Extended Kiva

Ours will be an extended Kiva

The window background in this photo would be a wall in our home, and the kiva’s bench will extend around the corner behind the stove. The kiva itself will be placed away from the corner, under the existing chimney and angled toward the room, similar to the placement in this photo.

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