Quote:
Originally Posted by Blauhung
...what [have you] been using in your walls and where you've been sourcing it from.
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I've been using EPS (AKA: Expanded Poly Styrene) foam (white) which I have been getting from any 'big box' store that has it cheapest. It has an R-value of about 4.5 per inch. The R-value table that is printed on the foam seems a bit ambiguous, but 4.5 is what I interpreted it to be. I know that there is a yellow foam with a higher R-value (also a higher price). The yellow foam seem to be an open-cell foam. After much searching, I came across information that the open cell foam loses R-value, due to gradual moisture entry into the foam over time, so this was the biggest decider.
This project has been going on for a long time, and when I started, the 6" (R-27) I was putting in the wall was so far over 'code' that I was sure I was super insulating. Now it just seems reasonable. My house is pretty small, with small rooms and increasing the inside wall thickness by 2" seemed like a lot, but I made the sacrifice.
At first I was cutting the foam exactly the width between the studs and pounding it in with a board and hammer, which meant that I was tapering some of the foam sheets, because not all the studs were parallel. It was terribly laborious, but the results are significant.
The method I finally settled on was cutting the foam about 1/4" to 1/2" too narrow and filling the gap with canned foam, trimming the excess when it set. This method gave much better seal, and was easier & faster. At first, I was using a very sharp butcher knife to cut foam, then my son came up with the idea of using a hot wire. I think the wire is the way to go, but our hot-wire setup needs some improvement to be really useful.
The one thing I learned about late was thermal bridging. I wish I had known about it sooner. I could have designed around it. I think it is a significant factor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blauhung
Also have done some digging through the local rules on digging and found this Oregon Administrative Rules 690-240. Section 690-240-0035 talks specifically about Geotechnical Holes which are what any closed loop borehole under 10' deep counts as. Only problem, once you go past 10' it looks like that's where the state of Oregon starts requiring permits as well. From talking with some people at the department of water resources, it sounds like I may be able to get a permit under the condition that I get myself certified as a professional engineer with the state which I'm currently working on doing (I'm a chemical engineer). In your case probably no one really cares as you haven't gone deep enough to cross into any aquifer (the regulations don't require any follow up until you get below 18' which then requires a well report being filled out and kept on file with the state). |
I really went to a lot of trouble to develop an electric hole boring machine, rather than a gasoline machine... I really didn't want to disturb the neighbors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blauhung
Lastly found a better source for a really good thermodynamic diagram for the liquid/gas phase transfer region of propane
Propane P vs. S
This is what's known as a Mollier diagram which plots various constant property curves as functions of the pressure and Enthalpy of the system. Enthalpy is a thermodynamic property which basically refers to the total energy content of a given system. If people are interested I could probably be convinced to give a quick pictorial lesson on how to read this diagram for the purposes of sizing heatpumps. |
This is a really good find. Please share anything you can about this diagram with us. I am very interested.
Thanks for the information.
Regards,
-AC_Hacker