[Greenbuilding] Fresh air to boiler questions

[Benjamin Pratt]

Mike:
1929 Tudor revival. Blown in cellulose. Finished attic with 20 inches of
cellulose in the crawl spaces. Mediocre double glazed double hung windows.
 60% of the basement is finished with 1.5" PU foam board, Slab is not
insulated.  House is well-caulked.

Mike:
I like the box idea! I can't find a link that shows one, though. It would
be a bit difficult to build, since there are so many pipes and electric
lines around it. I imaging the Tightness of the box would be more important
than the R-Value. Would plywood work.
Thanks for the help!
Ben




b e n j a m i n p r a t t

professor art+design
the university of wisconsin stout

On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 1:39 PM, Michael O'Brien <obrien at hevanet.com> wrote:

> Hi, Ben--
>
> Could you please describe the rest of the house? Is it already weatherized?
>
> Best, Mike
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 13, 2015, at 4:43 PM, Benjamin Pratt <benjamin.g.pratt at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> I have been sealing up and insulating the unfinished portion of my
> basement, but am concerned it is a waste of time and money: There is a 6"
> fresh air duct to provide proper combustion for the boiler. Also, there is
> no damper on the water heater or boiler. Therefore, a lot of cold air is
> continually dumped into the basement, and a lot of hot air escapes up the
> chimney.
>    I suppose the solution to this would be to install a new boiler, and to
> install a direct vent kit on the water heater. The boiler is around 15
> years old, and is 84 percent efficient. If I buy a more efficient boiler,
> that is direct vented, any guess as to how much energy I will save? I
> suppose its more then just the amount of natural gas I will save with a
> more efficient boiler, since I would also be eliminating a huge source of
> air infiltration. I would like to be able to calculate the ROI, so my wife
> agrees to the purchase.
> I'd appreciate any help you can provide.
> Thanks,
> Ben
>
>
>
> b e n j a m i n p r a t t
>
> professor art+design
> the university of wisconsin stout
>
> On Tue, Jan 13, 2015 at 3:46 PM, Sacie Lambertson <
> sacie.lambertson at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm looking for an architect in Seattle who understands energy efficient
>> good building and does contemporary design work.  Welcome suggestions.
>> Best to send these off the forum, to me directly. Sacie
>>
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