Recent Q&A

• How much energy does the evaporator coil waste?

  While working through Manual D calculations I was surprised at how much of the total static pressure from a blower motor is dropped through the air conditioning evaporator coil. In…

• Adding a dormer = new ventilation required?

  Two friends of mine - one the building owner and the other a contractor - have been renovating an attic and plan to add a 10'x10' dormer. After providing engineering…

• Manual D spreadsheet examples?

  Hi, I'm looking for any completed examples of the Manual D spreadsheet which is given out free from ACCA: http://www.acca.org/standards/acca-speed-sheets/ Thanks to this site for educating me on the importance…

• Fixing undersized ductwork – best approach for difficult section?

  I've just uncovered some ductwork in my house that needs to be addressed. It is a 1400 square foot two storey brick house, no wall insulation, in climate zone 5.…

• Best low-flow shower head?

  I'd like to know what low flow shower heads folks are happy with. Let's define low flow as 1.5 gallons per minute, bonus if it's 1.25 and honestly does a…

• Ductless minisplit for a storefront?

  I've been reading a lot about minisplits on here and their virtues for heating and cooling homes. I currently rent a 500 square foot storefront on the ground level of…

• Vicwest AWIP R-value

  I'm insulating using foam from factory rejects of Vicwest AWIP roof panels. They are ridiculously cheap (7 cents per board foot) and the seller claims an R value per inch…

• Insulating attic with spray / rigid foam

  Hello and thank you to everyone who contributes to this site. I've enjoyed the articles here and done my best to inform myself. Let me introduce you to my project:…