The HTRC – Page 27 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Wacky Weds: Extreme Window Failure

I have seen plenty of window seal failures in my life, but this one on a new house I got to say, took the cake… Yes folks, that’s a good 6+ inches of water between the two panes of glass on a vinyl unit Tweet

Guest Musing: The future of building codes & green building programs

First off I would like to thank Christopher Hill of Construction Law Musings for allowing me the opportunity to post on his site for a fourth time. I really am honored & humbled by the invitation. This is the time of year when many spend a little time to look back at the year & then […]

Wacky Weds: Equipment Tradeoff’s at their finest…

Oh no, builders wouldn’t use that trade off to install… Oh yes they would… Yep a naturally drafted water heater & 2 furnaces in a brand new house with a 2.26 ACH50, an exhaust only ventilation system, and no make up air source.

Basic Energy Audit Questionnaire & Checklists

Recently it was brought up that we should post a Basic Audit Questionnaire & Checklist like we did for Kitchens & Baths. The biggest issue with this though is that many questionnaires are developed to meet a programs guidelines or a specific companies focus. So in that vein, I thought I would share a few versions […]

OSHA Updates; MSDS / SDS, Citations & Links

Can you say goodbye to the MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) sheets? With OSHA visiting more & more residential sites, curious what the most often citations are for so you can help avoid them? Got all your paperwork in order & ready? Well here are the latest updates & happenings with OSHA that you might […]

Wordless Weds: What does the fox say?

Interesting reuse of bicycle parts for the “Fox Cycle” A few closer images

The problem with NEST Protect & other Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Recently NEST released a combination Fire / Smoke & CO Detector called the “Protect.” As many of you may recall NEST set many an “energy geeks” hearts & their associated blogs a flutter with their new programmable thermostat over a year ago. Personally I thought they were all a little nuts (about the thermostat) but […]

Wacky Weds: Bad Bad Ducts…

You know some practices are just so hard to kill off, even with the code changes & increased education. Kind of like these two… Air flow is so highly overrated… That is a 10″ supply duct reduced to 6″ in not just one spot but another two that don’t show on the picture Ahh but the […]

BS4D: Are “vented” cantilevers bad?

I know you have seen it, the vented panels on eaves, porches, and cantilevers. Sure we know that in most cases they are not venting anything & this was done quite simply because someone thought it looked right, or that might be the only material handy, but to be qualified as a bad thing? “Sure […]

Notes from the field: Always double check your settings

When one starts off doing energy audits, it generally takes them awhile to get a set system in place so they don’t forget a step. One of the biggest issues for many is making sure there diagnostic equipment is not only hooked up properly, but the settings are correct, especially for the manometer. While there are […]