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New House

Mike

Well-known member
The problem with our old furnance was alot of the heat went up in the attic through the exhaust pipe and we had condensation up there that rotted the roof trusses.

The reason for the condensation was the extreme temperature change of the warm/hot exhaust pipe where colder air surrounded it.

When you seal the attic (underside of roof) with foam, the attic will stay warmer (same as the living space temp) and that extreme temperature change will not occur, thus your condensation should be no problem.

The older homes with fiberglass insulation were built so that they could "breathe" because of moisture being trapped within the fiberglass.
That is not the case with foam insulation.

I would definitely install an outside air intake vent to supply the furnace with combustion air. Just enough to make up for the exhaust that escapes. In a tightly sealed house, it's a must.

I would also install an outside air (one that you can open and close) intake for the return air intake on the furnace & A/C.
 

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
Thanks Mike. That is very helpful info. :D

Have to run into town today. Didn't get enough wood putty yesterday to fill in the finishing nail holes around the windows and doors. Doing both inside and out.
Have to take a screen back for one of the windows. It wouldn't fit. Hubby was able to get the others in with a thin blade, but this one would just not go in right. Does not sit in the groove correctly.
It seemed with all but a couple you had to go outside and push a corner in to get it in the groove.
Got a few of those little wood stain sample packs yesterday. Not happy with the colors so going to pick a few more up. It is for the door and window frames.

Got a time frame set for ourselves to get the outside logs treated, stained and clear coated by the end of next month.
I'm going to start working on it after our county fair, which is this week.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Northern Rancher said:
Older houses with fibreglass insulation-how about ones with wood shavings lol.

Wood shavings are a very efficient source of home insulation. While solid wood has only about 1-1.5 "R" value per inch. (is conductive to heat and cool), wood shavings are much higher because of the air pockets within. (little transfer of heat and cold) I think it's around 4 ("R" value), about the same as fiberglass...with tests shown that very little "settling" will occur.

For comparison, most foam is around 6-7 "R" value per inch thickness.

Wood also holds only around 14% moisture, avg.

I'll not go to the safety issue (fire retardance) on wood shavings....LOL
 

Mike

Well-known member
ILH, Another good reason for foam insulating the underside of you roof as opposed to insulating above the ceiling is "Ice Dam".

When snow falls on the roof and the inevitable heat that escapes in the attic tends to warm the bottom side of the roof, the snow melts and runs off the eaves. At night, or when the temperature becomes lower, the melted snow water will freeze and dam up causing a build up of ice over time.

I know you have a specific "Snow Load Calculation" in the engineering of your roof system, but "Ice Load" & "Snow Load" are two different things entirely. Solid ice is MUCH heavier.

I would have liked to see a little more pitch in your roof but what you have will work well, we hope. Snow will slide off, blow off, etc at most any temp. But ice will not when the temps are below freezing.

According to your electricity rates, there are "Heat Pump" systems being installed that use electricity when the temps get just low enough for heating, most electrical rates are cheaper that propane, but switch over to propane gas when it gets colder and electricty costs more to operate because of it's inability to transfer heat from the outdoors.

These systems are efficient cooling units also.

I like the ventless wall mounted propane heaters for backup because they will run with no electricity and lose no heat to the outside.
 

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
Estimate was almost $17,000.00 :shock:
Hubby about died on the spot.
It would be about 6 1/2" and at an R-40 rating. I like that, but not the cost. Wonder if there is another guy who does it. Going to call around.

Checked out the composite rock siding. $326.00 to cover a 4'x8' area. Was told it would probably be cheaper to just use real stone. Got enough rocks to do it. :D
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Can't you recoup some of the cost of that insulation through the
energy tax credits being offered? I mean, I don't know, but it
would be something to check out.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
Can't you recoup some of the cost of that insulation through the
energy tax credits being offered? I mean, I don't know, but it
would be something to check out.

I think the tax credits for insulation only is in effect for older homes being remodeled. Same for roofing.

There IS a tax credit for "Energy Star" doors and windows on a new home. KEEP the labels off of those for your records. $1,500.00 I believe.

There is also a tax credit for "Geothermal" heating and cooling and it is pretty substancial.

When a new home is built, it would be wise to wire each room separately for a DC lighting system. i.e. You can install a solar panel to charge batteries which in turn would be used to light your home at night.

The reason for batteries & DC voltage is to keep from converting the voltage to AC, which would be inefficient. Solar panels generate DC current.

Another thing to consider is heating water with your A/C system during weather that is conducive. Not too expensive and is a power saver.

ILH, it will take only 5 years to recoup the cost of the foam insulation via lower energy bills. Something to seriously consider.

Also, there are foam insulating systems that you can buy and do the foam yourself and save money. Plus, your neighbors might like you to insulate their homes one day.

What is the cost of a normal insulating job? Compare the two before you decide and the foam may not be out of line after all. You've got a long way to go before insulating, take your time.......................
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
About half my house is insulated with shavings as is our big hip roofed barn. I imagine tyhe lumber was sawed and planed on site and the shavings added as the shiplap was nailed on-no OSB back in the day. I have a feeling insurance might be nonexistant for a new house built that way-they basically raised our premiums till our woodstove had to go.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Although you might not be ready to purchase your appliances yet,
there are some attractive tax credits to do so. Montana has one
different from the federal one. Here's a link:

http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/rebates/state_MT.cfm

Here's another link that might help:

http://personal-tax-planning.suite101.com/article.cfm/energy-star-appliance-rebates--2010-tax-credits.

The way I understand it the tax credits will be in place until the
funding runs out. I'm not shopping for appliances, but I have a
friend who was and she bought what was eligible.
 

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