Gualhofer, Optiwin, are two Euro window makers selling in NA.
Here is the Gaulhofer NA site: http://www.gaulhoferwindows.com/contact-us.php
Optiwin NA is easy to find.
Their Frostkorken door is approx $2000, I think, with VIP panels inside, rated R60 (!), this price with no frills.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Windows and really good Windows!
Conversation with Stephen at Thermotech was very enlightening. Here is some info about their windows and windows in general.
Only 3 NA companies make the high-performance windows needed for Passive House.
Here are some numbers on sizing:
Only 3 NA companies make the high-performance windows needed for Passive House.
- Serious Windows
- Thermotech
- Fibertec
Here are some numbers on sizing:
- Tilt and turn windows work best at about 3 to 4ft wide.
- Triple pane casements should not be wider than 34" or the hinge hardware becomes inadequate
- Casement dimensions are max about 34"x72".
- Awning windows are good up to 4'x4' sizes.
- Pricing is by perimeter, except the customer base prefers 'united length'. At a certain size, windows jump in price due to the need to thicken the glass, which is determined by wind pressures and CSA codes. This size is 95 united inches (outside dim of windows, length plus width). Above 95 Ui, glass must be 4mm thick, rather the 3.
- Thermotech recently began offering a triple pane glass with low -e, argon, and now low-iron glass called their 322 Gain Plus. The low iron improves SHGC, though drops R value slightly. Krypton fill adds about $20 to $30 per SF to window costs (!).
- Nice window hardware is by Roto, Segania, G. U.
- Energy Rating (ER) rating is a Canadian rating system for windows that takes solar heat gains into account as well as R-value. Thermotech windows perform very well in this rating system, in which solar gains over 200 days in the year are averaged.
- Here is a window discussion in GreenBuildingAdvisory.com: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/energy-efficiency-and-durability/14850/serious-windows-vs-thermotech-fibertec-inline
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Footing Insulations
Structural connections are the hardest parts to design for thermal bridge-free construction. I've decided to install insulation under my strip footings. There are high-strength insulation products such as Foamglas and Pur-knit and others. They are expensive, and Foamglas is friable (brittle). Therefore I plan to use HI-load 60. An XPS 60-psi compressive strength rated insulation under the strip footings. This stuff is R-5 per inch. For nearly twice the price, you can buy HI-load 100, and Foamglass is beyond that price. As an added benefit, the HI-60 comes in thickness up to 3".
The DOW building solutions rep said footings are insulated routinely by a large production builder in the Ottawa area - they have clay/silt soils that are highly prone to frost heave, and the builders insulate under the footings to protect their foundations during construction. Railway tracks are also insulated using these HI-load insulations.
More on this later.
In Europe, they are making Foamglas gravel - all with recycled glass - I think this is fantastic, but no luck getting it here.
The DOW building solutions rep said footings are insulated routinely by a large production builder in the Ottawa area - they have clay/silt soils that are highly prone to frost heave, and the builders insulate under the footings to protect their foundations during construction. Railway tracks are also insulated using these HI-load insulations.
In Europe, they are making Foamglas gravel - all with recycled glass - I think this is fantastic, but no luck getting it here.
Kitchen Recirculating Range Hoods (Ductless)
Terrel Wong of Stone's Throw Design (see link to the Rosedale House) found the VentaHood Ductless range hood on the internet - It is a nice looking unit which has 3 grease and smoke removal stages, and it doesn't use a filter pad. It employs centrifugal grease removal first, then a carbon pellet bed filter, then a large paper filter. This is the best residential ductless range hood I've seen so far. There are others by Kobe and Berbel, but this one seems the best to me, based on specs. Canadian Appliances Inc. is to give me a price on these.
Note that a large capacity ducted range hood depressurizes the house, increasing the entry of soil gases into the home - such as radon. If you are running the range hood with a fire going in the fireplace in the other room - bad situation - smoke all over the house. Also, if you are running the ducted range hood and you have a gas furnace, gas water heater - also bad situation - CO gases may easily come into the house. In these cases, you want to have a very leaky, energy hog of a house - then you might be okay.
Ductless is very much the way to go in an energy efficient, airtight house.
LT
Note that a large capacity ducted range hood depressurizes the house, increasing the entry of soil gases into the home - such as radon. If you are running the range hood with a fire going in the fireplace in the other room - bad situation - smoke all over the house. Also, if you are running the ducted range hood and you have a gas furnace, gas water heater - also bad situation - CO gases may easily come into the house. In these cases, you want to have a very leaky, energy hog of a house - then you might be okay.
Ductless is very much the way to go in an energy efficient, airtight house.
LT
Elevator
We've been working on getting an elevator on the plans for some time now - about a month or more. The idea is that we want to be able to stay put in our old age, making full use of the house. Moreover, we may be housing our aging parents in the near future, so there is need for connection from floor to floor for them. The main floor especially is sort-of barrier free for this reason. We looked at wheelchair sizes, and didn't follow barrier free requirements in the building code (it is not mandatory on this project), but worked to make as much of the building as barrier-free as possible. We also may have visitors who are in wheelchairs, or have bad knees, etc. They can enter through the at-grade side entrance, then use the elevator to access the ground floor at 3' above grade, or any other floor.
We used hoistway specs for residential elevators from the web - there are many. We intend to rough-in the shaft, and install the elevator when money allows or necessity dictates. Bob Nowak from Cambridge elevator in Cambridge, Ontario was very helpful. From him we learned that the costs of residential elevators is from $25,000 to $35,000 installed, depending on the door style. Sliding doors are more costly. The installation must be done by the manufacturer or licensed installers due to liability and warranty issues. The track comes in sections, so they are not too long to get into the house. The cab is built-up so it too is easy to install. The hydraulic cylinder is the largest item, at 1/2 the length of the required travel. In our case, the cylinder would be 15' long, 3.5" outside diameter in the body and 9" OD at the ends (for about 10") and would weigh about 400 lbs. A crane is not normally used during installation, if needed, it would cost extra. I reviewed our Revit model and figured this item can be brought in from our side entrance to the main floor, and then there is actually space to maneouver it into the shaft at the first floor area. Cambridge feels the hydraulic elevator is the safest type (there are VFD AC motor/gear styles as well - no Hyd Cyl).
The hoistway can be made with 2x4 framing or with 2x6. It needs drywall inside to achieve the fire ratings. Noise is very low due to the submersed motor (like a dishwasher, on the up cycle only - no pumping is needed on the down). I also asked what happens if the hoistway is built a little too large - Bob said Cambridge builds all the cabs custom anyway, so they grow the cab to fit the hoistway.
We also need a 90 degree type of elevator which has two doors - front and side. One can buy elevators with doors on front and back, on the front only, or front and side. We needed one of the hoistway doors to be a sliding barn door style. While the two cheaper models use swinging doors on the hoistway (and accordian or slider on the cab), Bob said the hoistway door can be made to be a slider rather than a swinging - There are interlocks on these doors so they can't be opened unless the elevator cab is there. This slider possibility allows us to access a narrow landing with the elevator where there is no space for a swinging door. This means the cheaper elevator models without automatic doors are still OK in our plan.
We will be roughing in the shaft, so each floor will have a large closet-like space. We will remove the floors in these closets when it is time to install the elevator.
LT
We used hoistway specs for residential elevators from the web - there are many. We intend to rough-in the shaft, and install the elevator when money allows or necessity dictates. Bob Nowak from Cambridge elevator in Cambridge, Ontario was very helpful. From him we learned that the costs of residential elevators is from $25,000 to $35,000 installed, depending on the door style. Sliding doors are more costly. The installation must be done by the manufacturer or licensed installers due to liability and warranty issues. The track comes in sections, so they are not too long to get into the house. The cab is built-up so it too is easy to install. The hydraulic cylinder is the largest item, at 1/2 the length of the required travel. In our case, the cylinder would be 15' long, 3.5" outside diameter in the body and 9" OD at the ends (for about 10") and would weigh about 400 lbs. A crane is not normally used during installation, if needed, it would cost extra. I reviewed our Revit model and figured this item can be brought in from our side entrance to the main floor, and then there is actually space to maneouver it into the shaft at the first floor area. Cambridge feels the hydraulic elevator is the safest type (there are VFD AC motor/gear styles as well - no Hyd Cyl).
The hoistway can be made with 2x4 framing or with 2x6. It needs drywall inside to achieve the fire ratings. Noise is very low due to the submersed motor (like a dishwasher, on the up cycle only - no pumping is needed on the down). I also asked what happens if the hoistway is built a little too large - Bob said Cambridge builds all the cabs custom anyway, so they grow the cab to fit the hoistway.
We also need a 90 degree type of elevator which has two doors - front and side. One can buy elevators with doors on front and back, on the front only, or front and side. We needed one of the hoistway doors to be a sliding barn door style. While the two cheaper models use swinging doors on the hoistway (and accordian or slider on the cab), Bob said the hoistway door can be made to be a slider rather than a swinging - There are interlocks on these doors so they can't be opened unless the elevator cab is there. This slider possibility allows us to access a narrow landing with the elevator where there is no space for a swinging door. This means the cheaper elevator models without automatic doors are still OK in our plan.
We will be roughing in the shaft, so each floor will have a large closet-like space. We will remove the floors in these closets when it is time to install the elevator.
LT
Friday, June 18, 2010
First Session of Passive House Training Completed Today
The first Passive House Training session in Canada started this past Wed June 16th 2010 and finished today. It was quite a detailed look into the Passive House Planning Package software. 24 or 25 Students attended the training and the class was full of very interesting and intelligent building professionals.
......
Will need to consider a number of changes to the house design now! Thermal mass is not as important. In-floor radiant heating is not as comforting since so little heat is transferred into the floor - there is no warm-floor effect...
......
Will need to consider a number of changes to the house design now! Thermal mass is not as important. In-floor radiant heating is not as comforting since so little heat is transferred into the floor - there is no warm-floor effect...
Monday, June 7, 2010
Grease and Smoke Removal in Kitchens
Here is quite a good intro article on grease and smoke removal, grease-fires and performance of range hoods and emerging research and technologies.
http://www.rangehoodsstore.com/articles/2010/04/grease-removal-and-kitchen-exhaust-systems/#more-5
As I read more, it seems the right way to go is to use a grease and smoke separation unit as a range hood (available for commercial kitchens - not yet found one for residential applications...), which does not exhaust air out of the building, saving what seems to be a lot of heat, eliminating the need for make-up air and the cost of all that ducting, control, shuttering, etc. There are now multiple strategies for removing grease and smoke from the stove plume - including filtering, centrifugal force, electrostatic precipitation (ionization), UV application, and some water spray technique. Apparently range hoods sometimes employ multiple strategies. Note dampers are not allowed in range hood exhaust systems, which means there would be a big hole in the house at all times if an exhausting range hood were installed- not at all acceptable.
In summer, all that waste heat from the stove stays inside the kitchen if the range hood does not exhaust the air to the outdoors. This is probably somewhat addressed by opening a window, if there is no AC system.
LT
http://www.rangehoodsstore.com/articles/2010/04/grease-removal-and-kitchen-exhaust-systems/#more-5
As I read more, it seems the right way to go is to use a grease and smoke separation unit as a range hood (available for commercial kitchens - not yet found one for residential applications...), which does not exhaust air out of the building, saving what seems to be a lot of heat, eliminating the need for make-up air and the cost of all that ducting, control, shuttering, etc. There are now multiple strategies for removing grease and smoke from the stove plume - including filtering, centrifugal force, electrostatic precipitation (ionization), UV application, and some water spray technique. Apparently range hoods sometimes employ multiple strategies. Note dampers are not allowed in range hood exhaust systems, which means there would be a big hole in the house at all times if an exhausting range hood were installed- not at all acceptable.
In summer, all that waste heat from the stove stays inside the kitchen if the range hood does not exhaust the air to the outdoors. This is probably somewhat addressed by opening a window, if there is no AC system.
LT
Kitchen Range Hood 2
Having said all I did on the Kitchen Range hood, there is another approach, which is probably better.
Here is the link:
http://www.drexel-weiss.at/?p=f3is49j-f0is1l132j-f1is27l75j-f5is3j-lng1-l75
This is a company specializing in energy and ventilation systems for Passive Houses. Basically, they are saying that a kitchen needs no special exhausting - the ventilation system will suffice. It does, however, need a range hood for the purpose of removing the fat from the stovetop fumes. they are not more explicit than that, but I think it means a range hood with grease separators, which just sends the cleaned, degreased and desmogged air back into the kitchen for the ventilation system to perform the final cleanout. What a simple (and attractive) approach! Will work to find out more about this.
LT
Here is the link:
http://www.drexel-weiss.at/?p=f3is49j-f0is1l132j-f1is27l75j-f5is3j-lng1-l75
This is a company specializing in energy and ventilation systems for Passive Houses. Basically, they are saying that a kitchen needs no special exhausting - the ventilation system will suffice. It does, however, need a range hood for the purpose of removing the fat from the stovetop fumes. they are not more explicit than that, but I think it means a range hood with grease separators, which just sends the cleaned, degreased and desmogged air back into the kitchen for the ventilation system to perform the final cleanout. What a simple (and attractive) approach! Will work to find out more about this.
LT
Earth Tube
EarthTube - A pipe in the ground exchanging heat with the soil, forming the intake for the HRV system. The soil temperatures (about 15deg C year-round) preheat the incoming winter air, improving the HRV performance quite a bit. It also cools the incoming summer air. In the summer, one would bypass the heat exchange in the HRV unit and simply bring cooled summer air from the earthtube directly into the house.
Needs to be about 8" (200mm) diameter pipe buried 6-8ft (2m) in the ground, about 150ft (45m) long, sloped toward the HRV. At the end of the slope, there will be a little well where condensate can collect and be removed. A pipe with anti-bacterial coating on the inside would be good. PH-Luft is a free online software which calculates the efficiency of the soil-to-air heat exchange, based on soil type, air flow rates, incoming air temperatures, and tube length and size, and so on. The Passive House certificate accepts the results of this software in the certification process. PH Luft is in German - bit of an issue to me, but struggling along a little bit with it.
Was told to avoid PVC for the earth tube. Of course, it has the dubious reputation of being very environmentally unfriendly both in manufacture and in use - though there are two main types of PVC, one of which has little or no plasticizer - a major factor in eco-conscious debates. The one with plasiticizer is the bad one, I think. Trouble with this is that PVC pipe is commonly available, cheap, and easy to work, creating strong, tight joins with solvent alone. Mechanically, I find it to have excellent characteristics for both the earth-tube and interior air distribution. Alas, chemically, there could be issues, though I must say, I would like to find out more about this.
The recommended material is HDPE. This stuff has to be joined by fusion-welding using a purpose-designed welding machine - I think one can see this process in Youtube videos, and its not available at the hardware store. I found Oxford Plastics makes a variety of this type of pipe, and Corix are the distributor/installer/welder, in our area. 90deg Bends and Tees, and caps area available in the larger sizes, 8" diameter, and larger still. Pipes come in straight lengths up to say 55ft (as long as a truck can take), which would make sloping the pipe in the installation easier - if you've ever worked with coiled pipe you'll know what I mean. One issue I have is that the welding process leaves a slight bead on the inside of the pipe - this will collect water and be a place for the formation of organic matter, defeating to a small degree the slope to a collection well. Of course, solvent-welded (glued) pipe will also have small grooving effects at the joints.
New Comments June 2012:
We didn't end up installing an earth tube due to costs and complexity, but also because enthusiasm for them has declined a bit.
In addition, the risks of earth tubes are not zero, though some say they are fine. Have a look a this article:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/belgian-passivhaus-rendered-uninhabitable-bad-indoor-air
LT
Needs to be about 8" (200mm) diameter pipe buried 6-8ft (2m) in the ground, about 150ft (45m) long, sloped toward the HRV. At the end of the slope, there will be a little well where condensate can collect and be removed. A pipe with anti-bacterial coating on the inside would be good. PH-Luft is a free online software which calculates the efficiency of the soil-to-air heat exchange, based on soil type, air flow rates, incoming air temperatures, and tube length and size, and so on. The Passive House certificate accepts the results of this software in the certification process. PH Luft is in German - bit of an issue to me, but struggling along a little bit with it.
Was told to avoid PVC for the earth tube. Of course, it has the dubious reputation of being very environmentally unfriendly both in manufacture and in use - though there are two main types of PVC, one of which has little or no plasticizer - a major factor in eco-conscious debates. The one with plasiticizer is the bad one, I think. Trouble with this is that PVC pipe is commonly available, cheap, and easy to work, creating strong, tight joins with solvent alone. Mechanically, I find it to have excellent characteristics for both the earth-tube and interior air distribution. Alas, chemically, there could be issues, though I must say, I would like to find out more about this.
The recommended material is HDPE. This stuff has to be joined by fusion-welding using a purpose-designed welding machine - I think one can see this process in Youtube videos, and its not available at the hardware store. I found Oxford Plastics makes a variety of this type of pipe, and Corix are the distributor/installer/welder, in our area. 90deg Bends and Tees, and caps area available in the larger sizes, 8" diameter, and larger still. Pipes come in straight lengths up to say 55ft (as long as a truck can take), which would make sloping the pipe in the installation easier - if you've ever worked with coiled pipe you'll know what I mean. One issue I have is that the welding process leaves a slight bead on the inside of the pipe - this will collect water and be a place for the formation of organic matter, defeating to a small degree the slope to a collection well. Of course, solvent-welded (glued) pipe will also have small grooving effects at the joints.
New Comments June 2012:
We didn't end up installing an earth tube due to costs and complexity, but also because enthusiasm for them has declined a bit.
In addition, the risks of earth tubes are not zero, though some say they are fine. Have a look a this article:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/belgian-passivhaus-rendered-uninhabitable-bad-indoor-air
LT
Kitchen Range Hood
Kitchen Range Hood:
The HRV system is exhausting 150 to 200 cfm of air, which has already been dried to some degree after giving up its heat to the incoming airstream. Someone has suggested using this exhaust as the make-up air for the kitchen range hood. Seems like a good idea to me. I would think one could get decent results with about 150 cfm, though some range hoods are rated 300, 400, even 600cfm. We have a Sakura range hood in our existing house (600cfm). If you need a high-performance range hood without the ridiculous high costs, the Sakura is the best we've found. For about $300, you get a dual fan, dual motor high-performance unit with turbine-style impellors and grease collection at 4 points. Four grease cups to clean, but no filter. It beats the pants off the pretty stainless units costing $1500 or more. We've had ours about 20 years without a single failure in daily use. Make sure you install it with the recommended 7" duct. We do lots of smelly cooking and frying, and I find the range hood never needs to run both fans, it is that powerful. Each fan has two speeds, and it seems running one fan at low speed is adequate for all our cooking. This could be about 150cfm. A lot of the $70 range hoods are running at 60 to 80 cfm.
A duct with a 3-way shutter could be used to redirect the HRV exhaust to the kitchen stove. In the normal position, the shutter directs HRV exhaust air out of the building. In the other position, it directs the air to the kitchen stovetop. I plan to provide a stainless long and narrow rectangular register close to stove-top height on the backsplash. Note the air temperature could possibly be a bit of a heating demand issue. Some way of equalizing the flow rate of this make-up air with the range hood exhaust flow rate is also an issue needing attention. The next challenge is the ducting needs to be valved (shuttered), and an insulated, fire-rated valve may be needed in the grease-laden exhaust terminal at the end of the kitchen range hood duct. (Otherwise air is leaking out of the kitchen range hood all the time) The insulated valve should be electronically controlled and interlocked to the range hood operation (I would think preferably with low-voltage, say 24VAC, to reduce the possibility of sparks in the grease-laden exhaust duct. A hand-operated mechanism with spring return could further reduce the chance of sparks, though I imagine operation may not be as convenient.
One more issue is that we plan to have more than one kitchen in our house. This presents another challenge, assuming the HRV flow rates are indequate for both kitchen range hoods to operate at the same time. - The best option might be to provide a dedicated 2nd earth-tube for the make-up air. another option might be to boost the HRV system flow rate with a booster fan. We've been considering a 2nd earthtube as well, though I think this is extreme - the cost of the earthtube right now seems high -see the coming earth tube article. And the 2nd earthtube would need to be placed far enough from the first to avoid a degradation in soil-to-air heat exchange.
LT
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