Q&A;: A Forum for Green Building Experts and Beginners

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0 Answers
Roxul stone wool batts

http://www.roxul.com/products/building+envelope/roxul+afb

Looking to use Roxul stone wool batts in the ceiling area. Anyone here know about any air quality testing with these batts? Even though it will be behind 1/2" drywall, are there any issues with the fine particles from the batts or any off-gassing?

In Green products and materials | Asked By Peter L | Mar 31 14
1 Answer
Need impartial help sizing and choosing a brand of minisplit-ductless A/C

Let me thank you in advance for your advice.
We're putting a minisplit ductless system into 3 rooms. 1 compressor and 3 heads.
I've gone to 3 contractors and each has given me different information. 2 of the contractors use Mitsubishi and the third uses Fujitsu. Needless to say they all include heat pumps.

The house is a 1929 stucco structure

1st room is a bedroom on second floor
14'3"x 10'6" x 8' ceiling
exterior wall on one side and one end
windows:
4'8"x2'9"
18"x 2'9"

Office on third floor (no attic steep pitched roof)
9'9" x 10'8" x 8'10" ceiling

In Mechanicals | Asked By jon keller | Mar 31 14
1 Answer
Substitute for rigid foam on unconditioned attic wall?

I have a simple single story gable roof house with an unconditioned attic. I plan on adding some exterior rigid foam to the walls, but I don't need the foam's insulation value, or any air sealing details, on the gable walls of the attic. I figure I could put tyvek on the sheathing, lap it over the top of the rigid foam of the lower story, and then install some wood spacer blocks on the gable wall that are the same depth as the foam below, and screw the headloks through them when I attach furring strips. This would save me a couple hundred bucks on materials.

In Green building techniques | Asked By Nick Welch | Mar 31 14
8 Answers
We are installing 1x6 T&G Pine on our ceiling

We are installing 1x6 T&G Pine on our ceiling. Have recently heard we should install drywall layer first. Is this correct?

In General questions | Asked By Carolyn Wood | Mar 31 14
3 Answers
Question about ductless minisplit heat pumps

Hello,

I live in a 1275 sq. ft. Cape Cod in southern New Jersey (zone 4A). My house was built in 1980, is two levels, is somewhat well insulated, has an unconditioned but insulated crawl space, has dual-pane Andersen windows (manufactured in the early 1980s), and it has asbestos shingle siding.

In General questions | Asked By Chris Poponak | Mar 30 14
0 Answers
New Home

My wife and I are contemplating building a new home. We are planning a small energy-efficient ranch, and are interested in the ideas discussed in the Pretty Good House thread. We live in central New York (near Syracuse), and wonder if anyone would know of either architects/designers or builders near us who have some experience and/or interest in this type of construction. Can answer here or email me at mjm275@cornell.edu.

I am new to this site, and have learned a lot from the material and discussion here. Very helpful!

In Project management | Asked By Michael Miller | Mar 31 14
8 Answers
Has anyone worked with ISO from Insulation Depot?

Was wondering about experiences purchasing re-claimed insulation from the Depot. I can get a truckload of 3" full sheets of ISO. Will I need to cut new edges and will it be full of holes? They're finishing a job in Chicago the the price for shipping to Appleton, WI is good.
Thanks,
PK

In Green products and materials | Asked By Paul Kuenn | Mar 27 14
16 Answers
High levels of carbon dioxide in house

My house has high levels of CO2 / carbon dioxide, every room is between 1100 ppm to 1200 ppm according to an air quality test I had. There are only 2 grown occupants and it's a 1000 sq. ft. brick house. No pets or plants, gas stove / furnace / water heater.

The basement was the only area that had between 900-1,000 ppm of CO2. I've read ASHRAE likes to see under 1000 ppm of CO2. We do have headaches & drowsiness but aren't sure if it's strictly from CO2. For reference, our CO (carbon monoxide) numbers were all under 2 ppm.

In General questions | Asked By Jeff Watson | Mar 9 14
12 Answers
The "Why" in Green Building

This site excels in the "how" of green Building techniques, but it appears to me that when things move towards explaining the "why" discussions seem to move onto much shakier ground. Especially if the economic arguments don't seem to add up, rationalizations veer towards more general "It's the right thing to do" or "I want to be part of the solution" type responses.

In General questions | Asked By Malcolm Taylor | Mar 29 14
1 Answer
Roof leak argument for open-cell vs. closed-cell under roof deck

I have heard the same general argument used by several insulation installers (even BPI certified ones). They say that the use of open cell foam affords better leak detection protection and drying to the inside when it sprayed under the roof deck rather than closed cell foam.

GBA seems to favor closed cell based on my reading of the site posts. The house is in Zone 4 and has a standing seam metal roof that is about 6 years old. Any additional thoughts?

In Energy efficiency and durability | Asked By Woody McMahon | Mar 31 14
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