[Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
Michael O'Brien
obrien at hevanet.com
Sun Jul 15 20:49:40 CDT 2018
Hi, John—
Yes, I read the EPA committee’s analysis years ago so might not remember details, but pretty sure it was an attempt to translate miners who smoked and were exposed to extremely high radon levels into risk to occupants of buildings who would be exposed to low and fluctuating levels. It was a weak analysis.
In Finland researchers tried studying radon levels the dwellings of people who already had lung cancer but found no relationship.
I think it makes sense to avoid radon, mainly by keeping it out of our buildings by eliminating air leaks.
Best, Mike
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 15, 2018, at 6:26 PM, ErgoDesk <ergodesk at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Do you source water from a well?
>
>
>
> George Hawirko
> Product Designer | Styrohome, Insulated Building Envelopes
> Phone: 604-477-7897
> Site: about.me/StyroHome
> Email: ergodesk at gmail.com
> Skype: ergodesk
> Address: #971 12151 224 St.
> Maple Ridge, BC V2X 7N5
> CANADA
>
>
>
>
>
>> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 6:17 PM Michael O'Brien <obrien at hevanet.com> wrote:
>> Hi, George—
>>
>> We ran some boreholes to sample our soil down to about 9 feet. It’s mostly sand, so unlikely to be a radon source. I also checked the DOGAMI radon maps that record radon tests and our neighborhood is pretty low.
>>
>> Radon has to piggyback with air, so if the slab is continuous there should be no air leaks where radon could enter. Having a tight shell also reduces any pressure differential that would drive air/radon transport.
>>
>> Best, Mike
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Jul 15, 2018, at 3:41 PM, ErgoDesk <ergodesk at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Radon: https://www.google.ca/search?q=radon+shield&num=100&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA777CA777&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC4ZS5laLcAhXZHjQIHUh3C4EQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=596
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George Hawirko
>>> Product Designer | Styrohome, Insulated Building Envelopes
>>> Phone: 604-477-7897
>>> Site: about.me/StyroHome
>>> Email: ergodesk at gmail.com
>>> Skype: ergodesk
>>> Address: #971 12151 224 St.
>>> Maple Ridge, BC V2X 7N5
>>> CANADA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 3:32 PM Peter Kidd <peterkidd at shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>> What's a radon SHIELD
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
>>>> From: ErgoDesk
>>>> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2018 5:27 PM
>>>> To: Green Building
>>>> Reply To: Green Building
>>>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Was a RADON Shield installed under the Slab?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> George Hawirko
>>>> Product Designer | Styrohome, Insulated Building Envelopes
>>>> Phone: 604-477-7897
>>>> Site: about.me/StyroHome
>>>> Email: ergodesk at gmail.com
>>>> Skype: ergodesk
>>>> Address: #971 12151 224 St.
>>>> Maple Ridge, BC V2X 7N5
>>>> CANADA
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 3:05 PM Beatrice Dohrn via Greenbuilding <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>> From: Beatrice Dohrn <beatricedohrn at yahoo.com>
>>>>> To: Green Building <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
>>>>> Cc:
>>>>> Bcc:
>>>>> Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2018 15:03:49 -0700
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
>>>>> FYI: I am also in the PNW, I built my house from Faswall (like Durisol, but local). It has a basement, ground floor and bedroom 1 flight up. THe walls are, I think, R28. THe roof is a sandwich with 9” of Polyiso in it. So mass and decent insulation given the mild temps here. THe basement — which is 2/3 in ground and 1/2 exposed to the East — never gets above 65 or below 58. The ground floor is easy to keep cool in heat waves by managing day and night window positions. The upstairs disappoints me in geting too warm and I find it difficult to get air moving without some mechanical ventilation..... I thought I had designed something that would work better....
>>>>>
>>>>> Best, BEatrice.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jul 15, 2018, at 12:10 AM, Paul Hadfield <paul.hadfield at firelight.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Reuben says: "Thermal mass (such as a brick or stone wall) would I think do a much better job producing comfortably cool summer evenings, but would not accomplish much in the winter"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As Mike says, doesn't thermal mass provide a flywheel of heat through cold periods, as building 2226 (non-domestic, admittedly) shows?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Paul Hadfield.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Sat, 14 Jul 2018 at 19:00, <greenbuilding-request at lists.bioenergylists.org> wrote:
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>>>>>>> Today's Topics:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1. Year-round thermal comfort & insulation (Reuben Deumling)
>>>>>>> 2. Re: Year-round thermal comfort & insulation (Mike O'Brien)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>>>> From: Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> To: Greenbuilding <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
>>>>>>> Cc:
>>>>>>> Bcc:
>>>>>>> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2018 07:43:24 -0700
>>>>>>> Subject: [Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
>>>>>>> I like insulation: the more the better as far as I'm concerned. For keeping the cold out (speaking colloquially) I've found that careful attention to air sealing and insulation pays huge dividends. But for keeping the summer heat out, I'm finding that the same insulation does a far less admirable job. Stretches of direct sun not only manage to heat up the room/house, it feels like the insulation then does a good job of holding that just-gained heat in. While cool nights with the windows open typically solves the problem in our relatively mild PNW climate I'm still perplexed why the seasonal symmetry I (naively) expected is not evident.
>>>>>>> The walls in question have two parallel but isolated sets of studs and as much dense packed cellulose as I my Forec 2 insulation blower can force into the nooks and crannies. Thermal mass (such as a brick or stone wall) would I think do a much better job producing comfortably cool summer evenings, but would not accomplish much in the winter. Are there hybrid wall assemblies I'm not aware for? What am I missing?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Planned remedies: learn to make exterior shutters, plant more trees.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>>>> From: "Mike O'Brien" <obrien at hevanet.com>
>>>>>>> To: Green Building <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
>>>>>>> Cc:
>>>>>>> Bcc:
>>>>>>> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2018 08:40:38 -0700
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
>>>>>>> Hi, Reuben—
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In our house we used lots of insulation, and also thermal mass. The house is built on a slab, the southern end has a clay finish floor, it has Durasol walls on the south side, and there is a cob wall in the interior. We also installed an ecoroof on the south facing side, which helps reduce thermal gains on that area. I believe the thermal mass helps dampen the temperature swings, especially noticable in extreme weather. The west-facing windows are shaded by a big cedar tree and a (sprawling) wisteria, and the west-facing roof has solar water panels on it. With your same night-flushing strategy, our house remains comfortable, even when the outdoors is in the 90s.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>> (503) 819-8991
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jul 14, 2018, at 7:43 AM, Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I like insulation: the more the better as far as I'm concerned. For keeping the cold out (speaking colloquially) I've found that careful attention to air sealing and insulation pays huge dividends. But for keeping the summer heat out, I'm finding that the same insulation does a far less admirable job. Stretches of direct sun not only manage to heat up the room/house, it feels like the insulation then does a good job of holding that just-gained heat in. While cool nights with the windows open typically solves the problem in our relatively mild PNW climate I'm still perplexed why the seasonal symmetry I (naively) expected is not evident.
>>>>>>> The walls in question have two parallel but isolated sets of studs and as much dense packed cellulose as I my Forec 2 insulation blower can force into the nooks and crannies. Thermal mass (such as a brick or stone wall) would I think do a much better job producing comfortably cool summer evenings, but would not accomplish much in the winter. Are there hybrid wall assemblies I'm not aware for? What am I missing?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Planned remedies: learn to make exterior shutters, plant more trees.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks!
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Paul Hadfield
>>>>>> Firelight Open Fires Ltd
>>>>>> Springside House
>>>>>> Scotland Lane
>>>>>> Burton Overy
>>>>>> Leicester LE8 9DR
>>>>>> Email : paul.hadfield at firelight.co.uk
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mobile 07867 978537 or 07071 202354
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>> From: Beatrice Dohrn via Greenbuilding <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
>>>>> To: Green Building <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
>>>>> Cc: Beatrice Dohrn <beatricedohrn at yahoo.com>
>>>>> Bcc:
>>>>> Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2018 15:03:49 -0700
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Year-round thermal comfort & insulation
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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