Performance Duct Design & Installation: Advanced DIY

In our LONGEST VIDEO YET, get a comprehensive tour of the concepts, design, tools, and install tips that go into building a home's breathing apparatus- the central duct system. Here I get into both the conditioning duct system (heat pump/dehumidifier/filtration loop) and the ERV fresh air ventilation duct system.

Thanks to Neil Comparetto (https://www.facebook.com/comparettocomfortsolutions/) John Semmelhack (http://think-little.com) and Bryan Orr (https://hvacrschool.com) and many other HVAC pro friends for their continual advice and expertise.

I got all my Malco tools used here at: https://TruTechTools.com

Check out my awesome ride, the Aerocreeper: http://aerocreeper.com/

Check out all of Stellar Engraving's duct grilles: https://stellarairdecorativeventcovers.com/

Learn more about the HVAC design process: https://youtu.be/aCIrbSFWD20

Get consulting or training with Corbett: https://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com

Healthy Homes for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

Tonight I interviewed Corinne Segura (https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/), one of my Mastermind students who helps people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (aka MCS, or Environmental Sensitivity), which she also suffers from herself. We discuss how home building and home improvements need to adapt to people with this condition, applied specifically to the TinyLab and our new 3,000 sq ft house that's almost finished.

Learn tons more at Corinne's blog: https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2019/07/natural-wall-systems.html

Read more about making your indoors healthier at: http://HealthyIndoors.com

Check out my Mastermind Course: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/mastermind

Support our work on the Science of Homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

See the 'Home Diagnosis' TV series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

HOMEChem 101 and the Basic Science of Homes

Presented in partnership with our friends at Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire Dehumidifiers. Understand the underlying dynamics that make a home healthy or unhealthy by learning the basic physics, chemistry, and microbiology happening all around us inside homes.

Get the book at: https://buildingperformanceworkshop.com/homeperformancediagnosticsbook

Watch the TV series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Deep Dive into Interior Airsealing & Insulation

After we airsealed and insulated our family home from the exterior, we kept going with the details shown in this 30 min video, using airsealing systems from 475 High Performance Building Supply including Intello Plus membrane and Vana tape, with Rockwool cavity insulation (aka Roxul).

Please support our work and become a member at: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

See all about this house at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Newest DET Verifier Certified in Georgia!

Never taught a DET Verifier training for one before- this should be interesting!

In a customized 1-on-1 COVID-adapted class, Corbett Lunsford trained, examined and certified Treondras Manning, HVAC technician and Georgia’s newest certified Duct and Envelope Testing (DET) Verifier. As a DET Verifier, Treondras is certified to perform blower door tests and duct tightness testing on new construction and renovations in the state of Georgia. He is also one of Corbett’s Mastermind students, and is helping homeowners in the Atlanta area tune the air quality, comfort, durability and energy efficiency of their homes with his building science and diagnostics expertise.

DET Verifier Trainees are taught the accepted blower door and duct leakage test protocols from the book ‘Home Performance Diagnostics: the Guide to Advanced Testing’ written by trainer Corbett Lunsford

Treondras Manning, right before he received his well-deserved certification as a Georgia certified DET Verifier

Watch DET Verifier Treondras Manning test Corbett’s heat pump cabinet for duct leakage in the high performance house his family is building.

Testing the Air Handler Cabinet Leakage

Mastermind student Treondras and I isolated the air leakage built into my Mitsubishi heat pump’s air handler cabinet using a Retrotec Duc Tester 300 and DM-32 gauge. Turns out I made the right decision with Mitsubishi! Their 5 cfm at 25 Pa beats Neil Comparetto’s 6 cfm record. Good job guys.

Good, Cheap, and Quick Air Cleaning Trick

Here’s a quick tip to keep your indoor air healthy- filter out all the particles you can with a simple contraption made from a $30 box fan and a $20 MERV 8 or MERV 13 20” x 20” filter.

Testing Ducts During Construction

My Mastermind student Rashaun joins me to test my custom return filter box plenum with a Retrotec DU300. I used enough mastic to swim a camel, so we’ll see how tight my ductwork is. Sheet metal fabricated with Malco sheet metal tools.

Electrical Wiring for our High Performance Home

This video will probably raise more questions they didn't know they had for most people, but we wanted to at least take a shot at showing you some of the fascinating things about the electrical wiring system in our forever home. Thanks to Bulldog Electrical Contractors for being the kind of contractors that everyone should aspire to be.

For more on this build, visit: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Water Purification System Unboxing

Here's the unboxing of the system that Elite Water Systems of Texas has helped us design! Thanks to Erik Bernal and his team, we now understand a lot more about how this whole-house charcoal filtration and water softening, kitchen-only reverse osmosis and even chilled/carbonated beverage station works.

Become a member and help us spread the word on the science of homes: https://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

More on this build at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Thermally-Modified Wood Siding

We chose Thermory cladding and decking for our forever home. Drift Platinum and Ignite Dragonskin for the siding, and Kodiak decking. Here's a deep dive into the science that created it, the performance we'll get from it, and installation details.

More on this build at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

High Performance HVAC Pads

To hold up our world-class HVAC systems outside the house, I searched and found Hercules Equipment Pads, which are high density foam insulation with a super-rugged coating. They are vibration dampeners, and moisture resistant, and we’ll make a nice gravel bed to put them on soon. Stay tuned to our ‘home performance’ youtube channel to see the HVAC installs.

Also, you can make this material into any shape you like, for example stairs for a Tiny House on wheels- so guess what we made!