Will,
I’m going to start marketing IR energy audits as much as I can.
Check out this one uninsulated area of my house. The builder slacked here, big-time…
I’ve got many more, but this was one of the worst case scenarios.
David, I can see some white stripes on the ceiling that would indicate to me that this might possibly be the stapping above the sheetrock at 2’ 0" O.C…
If they are, why would they be on the 86 degree scale on the photo?
Curious.
Marcel 
Marcel,
My house is only 8 years old. Those nailers are roughly 20" O.C.
The 86 degrees (you are referring to) is bouncing off the curtain in the lower right corner (from the register below). The straps are more in the high 70’s low 80’s due to no insulation because there’s a living area above this area (my daughter’s bedroom).
I use these, but I check them out.
Word to the wise.
To your point, Linus.
How much do these “certified professionals” charge vs. what I charge.
What does the average residential homeowner gain from paying their prices.
You do not need to hire a licensed, professional, insured electrician to change out a recepticle. Heck, and halfway decent HI or handyman can do it, and do it right.
Why pay the premium?
My point exactly, Dave.
Permission to use (with attribution, of course)?
Dave, isn’t the white correspond to your color thermometer at the right?
Marcel 
Many people feel that way about home inspectors ,
so some get the $200;00 inspector . Why pay the premium!
…Cookie
Point taken, Roy.
Thanks for keeping me real :neutral:
Blower doors are mainly used in residential work. They are used in smaller commercial work also but as you move up in size you may need 2-3 fans to really depressurize a building. Some HERS programs, R2000 and better (Class A) energy audits all use a single fan blower door for accurate numbers of airtightness.
With high rises and other big buildings with commercial HVAC systems, the large air handlers are dampered /controlled to provide the needed exhaust volumes.
[FONT=Verdana][size=2]See:
CGSB. (1996). [/size][/FONT]CAN/CGSB-149.15-96, Determination of The Overall Envelope
Airtightness of Buildings by the Fan Pressurization Method Using the Building’s Air-Handling Systems. Canadian General Standards Board. (Note: I sat on the committee for this standard for 4 years.)
See: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/bsi/86-3_e.html
In this, there’s a bit of history on how far back we knew about the need for air leakage control but the building industry ignored it. A lot of rotten roofs/walls and failed brick veneer walls (corroded brick ties due to exfiltrating moisture) may have been prevented had Neil Hutcheon’s words been heeded or understood.
Point taken, Brian.
But, I take the time to check things.
If the windows are crap and I see no air infiltration, I just bring out the blower door. If the tool is needed, and there is more than one indicator, but the results don’t match, do more testing. But why shlep out every tool you have, every time, when the problems are pretty obvious? You are just proving what you alreay know.
Never rely on just one tool, or one group of tools. Always use the basic, Mark I brain.
What are the names of the books decker got all his wisdom from?
Gotta buy me a couple of them,:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
After I read them, I gotta make sure I send him and his buddy 500 bucks to learn how to do , and get certified to do IR inspections.:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
No. you won’t, Dan. You and I and everyone else here knows this.
So, your post is just plain silly.
Better windows have been around for quite a few years. Heat Mirror has had a double “low E” with krypton gas that are R7-8 center glass R value and overall about R5.5 with a “warm edge” spacer. They’ve been improving their products regularly and claim some now are in the R10+ range with an incredible claim of R20 last fall (don’t know how much light this window transmits though!!!)
See: http://www.southwall.com/southwall/Home/Residential/Products/HeatMirrorInsulatingGlass.html
I was talking about a static R value (heat barrier), but your source is neat. I wasl speaking about windows insulating from cold exteriors, not keeoing the heat out.
Seen anything about Silica Aerogel insulatio? Claimes to be R 10 per inch, but haven’t been able to find any vendors who will actually install the stuff.
I have seen our county use blow doors on low income residents. They test before and after the winterizing. The difference is amazing.
In what way. I am interested.
Winterizing is usually just removing the water from the pipes.
He may be thinking “weatherization” and used “winterizing” by mistake. The government has weatherization programs.
Thanks, Mark. I don’t do government.
They have all kinds of “experts” and staff that come up with some really crazy ideas (Can you say “global Warming” and “second hand smoke” and “carbon credits” and, silliest of all, “local building codes” (which, in our area, often contradict each other and the local governments have, by state law, liability if they mess up).)
If and when the “government” (who are usually people who can’t make any kind of living, in the real world) comes up with a consistant requiremement and take the time and do the work (government people, actually working?) and enforce the law, then I will have a look.
Seems to me that all the innovation and work is being done by the private sector, the people who actually know what they are talking about because the actually do it.
I am responsible to my clients. They hire me and trust me to do the best for them. They put their money where their desires are.
And, so far, I haven’t had any complaints.
I think JBraun means “Weatherization”. This term has been used for 15-20 years for the work done on low income retrofit programs. Some of the programs blow cellulose at higher than normal densities so as to increase its airsealing properties. At normal densities in walls of 2 story houses, I have measured 34 -39% decrease in whole house air leakage using fan door testing!!
Will:
The Heat Mirror windows have high R’s when keeping the house heat in also. The Argon or Krypton gases, being quite heavy, resist convection inside the sealed glass (an extra R1+ for each space) and each Low E coating adds R1+ by reflecting radiating heat in the IR spectrum back inwards.
The real neat thing about the Heat Mirror product is that they have researched this field well and now can fine tune the glass at the design stage for the local climate in which the windows will be installed!