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Old 09-20-12, 08:10 PM   #61
bennelson
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I can't come out Saturday, as I'm giving presentations at the Mother Earth Fair in Pennsylvania.

For digging under the porch, how are your boards attached? Any chance they are screwed down instead of nailed? I seem to remember it's old-school farm-house, so probably nailed and painted over with lead paint. If possible, it sure would be easier with a few boards removed.

I did my porch with stainless steel screws and a stain finish, so that the boards are removable.

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Old 09-21-12, 06:45 AM   #62
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Doh, thats right I forgot about your trip. Good luck BTW.

I don't think I'll be taking up boards to do this unless it is ridiculously hard to do. There should be enough room for short people (me and the wife) to get under there if we dig the trench from the outside in I think. There will definitely be some sore backs, but I think it'll be doable.
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Old 09-21-12, 08:38 PM   #63
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This is rad. I eagerly await more progress.
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Chipping away on a daily basis.

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You know you're an ecorenovator if anything worth insulating is worth superinsulating.
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S-F: "What happens when you slam the door on a really tight house? Do the basement windows blow out?"

Green Building Guru: "You can't slam the door on a really tight house. You have to work to pull it shut."
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Old 09-23-12, 07:02 PM   #64
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Not a ton of progress to show, but the trench is nearing completion. We have 70 out of the 80 feet dug. However, the remaining section is the jaunt under the porch which is going to be the hardest part to dig by far. My wife has been working on that. Its slow going without a ton of room to work, but with a new hand pickaxe tool we picked up today it isn't the horrendous job I thought it would be.

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Old 09-24-12, 04:30 PM   #65
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Maybe put some XPS around the lines once they are planted?
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Chipping away on a daily basis.

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You know you're an ecorenovator if anything worth insulating is worth superinsulating.
Quote:
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Old 09-24-12, 05:53 PM   #66
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Thought I would send you a little inspiration. Last night the outside temp went below 0 deg C. here in Ont. Canada. The house cooled off quite alot overnight. The inside temp this morn. 16.5 deg C. The Mrs. ask could you put some heat on. Indeed, started the heating season with some solar. The days solar input wasn't the best, high thin overcast with some cumulus cloud. We receive enough heat to heat the floor from 20 to 24 deg C.
The house is now a balmy 24 deg.C and didn't cost $0.10 not to mention the domestic hot water since March.

Daox solar hot water works and works well. Keep forging ahead.

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Old 09-24-12, 09:07 PM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S-F View Post
Maybe put some XPS around the lines once they are planted?
That is the exact plan, 3" of XPS around the tubing with 1" between them. Very similar to what Gary has done on builditsolar.


Quote:
Thought I would send you a little inspiration. Last night the outside temp went below 0 deg C. here in Ont. Canada. The house cooled off quite alot overnight. The inside temp this morn. 16.5 deg C. The Mrs. ask could you put some heat on. Indeed, started the heating season with some solar. The days solar input wasn't the best, high thin overcast with some cumulus cloud. We receive enough heat to heat the floor from 20 to 24 deg C.
The house is now a balmy 24 deg.C and didn't cost $0.10 not to mention the domestic hot water since March.

Daox solar hot water works and works well. Keep forging ahead.
Thanks Randen! The house is currently a fairly cool 16.5C (62F) right now. We've been working outside or gone so much that I haven't bothered to turn the heat on except for once this past weekend. I sure wouldn't mind having a bit more warmth though.




Tonight I picked up 300' of 1" pex tubing for the trench. The plan is to lay it out in the yard for at least a week. Hopefully that will help straighten it out before I try to fit it in the XPS foam sandwich. Any other tips on straightening it would be appreciated.
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Old 09-27-12, 08:53 AM   #68
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The work continues. We've been making about 1ft per day progress under the porch. So, we're not quite half way done with digging under the porch.
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Old 09-30-12, 09:52 AM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
...
Tonight I picked up 300' of 1" pex tubing for the trench. The plan is to lay it out in the yard for at least a week. Hopefully that will help straighten it out before I try to fit it in the XPS foam sandwich. Any other tips on straightening it would be appreciated.

Hi,
Would like to hear how well the PEX flattens out.

I can remember debating with myself over using PEX or CPVC in my similar length trench, and finally deciding on CPVC because I did not want to fight with the curl in the PEX, but I think PEX is the better choice for durability and heat resistance -- and no joints underground.

Gary
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Old 10-01-12, 09:16 AM   #70
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Yes, I had the same thoughts. I wanted to try the pex because I didn't want the in-ground connections.

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