WTF Waste Picture of the Day

A machine to send fuel oil through the house, and out the roof vents:

Pictured is the top of some pocket doors from an older home. There’s this double wall extending some 26 feet with a 2.5" wide cavity open to the attic the whole way.

Some decades ago, the insulating crew just did their thing as if this was not there. The insulation apparently did not like this, and is mostly inside the pocket now, rendering the doors inoperable:

The original design decision with the open wall has been sending room warmth directly to the vented attic since 1911. The insulation contractor did not notice this, and thus achieved an R value of R0 for this section of attic.

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Brand new DR Horton home this morning

Same crap, just another day (century). There is a cavity over the fiber glass shower enclosure letting cold attic air surround the shower. Nice cold mornings in the new home owner’s future. ( unless repaired)


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Good find, @bhull1
Were you able to speak to the builder?
Are they going to fix this for this home, or better yet change practice for others homes in the development?

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For the home I posted here’s how much difference it made

Test in: 3083 CFM50
Test out: 2370 CFM50 after 1st day of air sealing, general
Test out: 1763 CFM50 after 2nd day, pocket door

Based on 1500 square feet of floor plan, 4138 square feet for the envelope, and 15624 cubic feet for the volume: About 7 ACH50, .42 CFM per square foot of envelope or 42 CFM per square of envelope.

Bottom line:
So it went from 11 air changes per hour to 6.7 air changes per hour.
The standard for new construction sits at 3 air changes per hour at 50 pascals.
A tight home is under 1 ACH50, and a “passively heated” home could reach .5 ACH50.

The condition you found alone could cost the new owner 25%-50% more on HVAC fuel.

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I don’t talk to the builder but I talk to my clients. I hear that the builder is not disputing any of my reports because I document the defects pretty well with pictures and video.

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And another. The home was chopped up into two units, and a closet was repurposed for a water heater. The result is a massive hole into the attic.

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Whole house fan from 2 story atrium, into the unconditioned attic.
Basically a big energy hole in the conditioned envelope. The only thing preventing air transfer are some flaps with 1/4" gaps between each one.

On the IR camera, this was a glowing red and white mess (outdoor temperature was 15F, indoor temperature in the mid 60F range because the owners could not afford the fuel to go higher).

I had one in my house for years. Back in 1972 when my home was built, running the air conditioner was not something we did all day everyday. Homes were incredibly inefficient . Running the whole house fan at night with the window next your bed cracked 6 inches would keep you cool all night. And the white noise was glorious. These days, they are generally obsolete.

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The owners of this house use and benefit from the whole house fan. I have no complaint with the fan for summer use… for winter use however it’s pissing in the snow.

Having done a bit of research there’s at least one vendor making winter/summer versions with a motorized damper:

https://www.tamtech.com/product-category/whole-house-fans/

" TAMARACK WHOLE HOUSE FANS USE ONLY 10% OF THE ENERGY OF A TYPICAL A/C SYSTEM"

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Rent controlled apartment inspection. I ask the tenant “does this toilet always run water”? Oh yes she says, it’s been doing that since I moved in last year:

It’s California, so water is a touchy subject locally.

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And the purpose of the metal edge felt weatherstrip?

You don’t have break ins in California?

Usually the ones doing the break-in’s don’t need the fancy gadgets!

Look at the weatherstrip.

We have restorative justice, not break ins, in California:

Nothing more than embracing the “Unconstrained Vision”. Those with an unconstrained vision see everything as perfectible and we can simply rebuild a society without greed.

Of course, for this to be even remotely possible…one would have to completely abandon the notion that man is flawed, but rather it is society which corrupts.

Thomas Sowell may have clarified this philosophy into groups (constrained/unconstrained vision) so it is easier for us to understand, but it is nothing new.

Unconstrained vision is basis for many progressive ideals.

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In Sowell’s book he explains that unconstrained vision is the basis for many progressive ideas.

Constrained vision is based on accepting the normal and natural limitations of life. These would include the limitations of biological sex, physique, habitat, environment etc.

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You are correct, unforced error on my part :wink: I edited my statement.

The WTF was about the completely ineffective weather-strip, followed by the unthinking application of the handle stiffener.

Better duct tape is still duct tape. Let’s see how this does after a few months in the sun…

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