Frosted Edge

For years now I have noticed an interesting phenomenon that I am not sure anyone else notices. It has to do with recognizing roof patterns in the winter. This is clear evidence that heat is escaping through your roof.

Head down the block and check out your roof and compare it to your neighbors place. Of course there are a myriad of issues that could be contributing to the results you find, but this is a telling sign.

If your roof is the bare one when others have snow or frost, despite having a similar pitch, you could be losing a boat load of energy in the form of heat. This year has been ridiculously light on or late for snow, but you can see it on the frosty mornings too.

Thermal imagery is available in the valley, which that can do a more accurate picture for you. There are also companies that specialize in energy efficiency audits. But for now, this crude visual tool may get you moving in the right direction.

Missing Insulation

The fix could be adding insulation or filling a hole. It could be as simple as a detached exhaust vent. The important thing  to understand is that there is no one size fits all approach. You need to figure out what is causing the problem and address each individual situation to fix the overall issue.

Here is another look at what you might see if you look at your roof at just the right time.

From a remodeler’s perspective, this is always on our minds. At Levco, we always take a look at  the attic and make sure that the existing conditions are addressed and that anything we disturb is re-insulated when we are done.

Over the years, we have made many recommendations to homeowners when we’ve seen problems, and remodeling is a good time to have these issues evaluated and addressed.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Asbestos in the Raw

Asbestos is a mined substance commonly found in all sorts of building materials.  In the meantime it was used since the days of the ancient Greeks for its many fire resistant and its ability to be used as cloth. It has gone in and out of vogue. There had been suspicion about asbestos and health problems. It was not clinically associated with serious medical problems until the late 1920′s, when workers in the mines began to fall ill with lung disease, cancer and death at a young age, that asbestos became a known health hazard.

Here in Boise Levco brings samples to Materials Testing Incorporated to be tested. According to them they are the only lab in the region that does asbestos analysis using a special microscope and procedures that currently do this work.

Asbestos wrapped hot water pipes

Like Lead based paint, asbestos was pulled from the market in 1977 by the EPA; however existing stock piles were allowed to be used up so there may be new installations as late as 1986.

There are many building materials we come across when remodeling here in Boise Idaho that contained asbestos. The problem is that it breaks down into such minute dust particle that even HEPA vacuums can’t catch it all. Wet wiping is a better method of containing dust created during removal.

This list from the EPA website is very complete

• STEAM PIPES, BOILERS, and FURNACE DUCTS insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape. These materials may release asbestos fibers if damaged, repaired, or removed improperly.
• RESILIENT FLOOR TILES (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on VINYL SHEET FLOORING, and ADHESIVES used for installing floor tile. Sanding tiles can release fibers. So may scraping or sanding the backing of sheet flooring during removal.
• CEMENT SHEET, MILLBOARD, and PAPER used as insulation around furnaces and wood burning stoves. Repairing or removing appliances may release asbestos fibers. So may cutting, tearing, sanding, drilling or sawing insulation.
• DOOR GASKETS in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves. Worn seals can release asbestos fibers during use.
• SOUNDPROOFING OR DECORATIVE MATERIAL sprayed on walls and ceilings. Loose, crumbly, or water-damaged material may release fibers. So will sanding, drilling or scraping the material.
• PATCHING AND JOINT COMPOUNDS for walls and ceilings, and TEXTURED PAINTS. Sanding, scraping, or drilling these surfaces may release asbestos.
  

  Asbestos wrapped ducts

• ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING, SHINGLES, and SIDING. These products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed, drilled or cut.
• ARTIFICIAL ASHES AND EMBERS sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces. Also, other older household products such as FIREPROOF GLOVES, STOVE-TOP PADS, IRONING BOARD COVERS, and certain HAIRDRYERS.
• AUTOMOBILE BRAKE PADS AND LININGS, CLUTCH FACINGS, and GASKETS.

Vermiculite ore that looks like little pellets of light weight mica and was mined in Libby Montana from 1919 to 1990. It was sold under the brand name Zonolite and was used in 70% of all homes insulated with Vermiculite. Attics were stocked full of it for insulation properties and fire resistance. Unfortunately, nearly all of the Zonolite mined in the Libby Montana area was mixed with/contaminated with asbestos, which was plentiful in the region. Incidentally, we have seen this product in Boise.

As hazardous as it is, when left alone or encapsulated or contained (say with paint) and not disturbed, asbestos it is not hazardous at all. The difference is that is is not aerosolized or turned into dust, also known as being friable.

As far as federal regulations are concerned, there are strict regulations for municipal, commercial & federal projects. There are Asbestos Professionals that do abatement, however there is no mandate for residential applications from the EPA at least.

EPA federal registry part 40 CFR 61 sub part M excerpt:

Facility means any institutional, commercial, public, industrial, or residential structure, installation, or building (including any structure, installation, or building containing condominiums or individual dwelling units operated as a residential cooperative, but excluding residential buildings having four or fewer dwelling units); any ship; and any active or inactive waste disposal site. For purposes of this definition, any building, structure, or installation that contains a loft used as a dwelling is not considered a residential structure, installation, or building. Any structure, installation or building that was previously subject to this sub-part is not excluded, regardless of its current use or function.

OSHA sees things differently, They are not concerned with the environment parse, only employees, here is the link to their regulations This is a class 1 Toxic substance and needs to be dealt with accordingly. Essentially if a contractor is going to be performing this work on a residential remodeling project, they need to do similar protection as Lead Safe Work Practices.

Common sense suggests that when doing removal or disturbing asbestos impregnated materials that proper respiratory protection is required. Preventing friable (airborne) materials is the best way to handle removal.

Wetting the entire surface and removing it in a dust free way immediately, then double bagging it, is our technique. We have removed Asbestos roofing in this way and double lined the dump truck. There are also special disposal techniques as well as disclosure forms at the Ada County Landfill that must be followed. As I like to say ” Fees & Forms” That being said this is no joke and something we take very seriously.

In the event you want to remove asbestos yourself check into proper safety techniques. Always consider a professional abatement company to protect the health of everyone involved. Just because you can’t see the darn stuff doesn’t mean it can’t reach out and touch you.

Summer Sun

As the days grow longer and the temperatures gradually rise, we switch modes form heating to cooling in an effort to maintain a comfortable temperature in our homes. Living on the edge on a desert here in Boise Idaho temperatures rise through the day with our high being around 5pm. Unlike the Bay Area where Noon -1pm is the peak and the ocean breeze cools things down by early evening.

This long heating period allows superheated air to build up in your attic. Roof temperatures can reach 190 and attics are often 30-50 degrees warmer that the outside air temperature. Most people notice this when they are upstairs in a home with the thermostat on the first floor and they can’t sleep or are being cooked by the Stack Effect while the first floor is comfortable and the basement is freezing. Heat transfer in buildings is an issue that commonly comes up in discussion and is often misunderstood. Here is my go to source on building science.

I have several simple low impact things to check and try before you determine the best approach for your to solving your hot second floor  situation.

1. Check how much insulation you actually have. Often adding the proper amount will improve the indoor a little bit. In our region R-38 is code, that equals roughly 12″ depending on what type you have and if it is compacted etc. This can be a double edge sword too. Insulation works by slowing the transfer of heat, so if your second story is hot the insulation will keep the heat in your home too.
2. Next, on your thermostat there is usually a fan on or auto switch. Put it on the ON mode and you will notice a evening of the temperatures throughout your home. The reasons this works is that the thermostat is only sampling the temperature where it is, and the fan in the AUTO position is only on when the thermostat is not satisfied.
3. I refer to dueling appliances. The oven is cooking at 450 deg. and the AC is working to keep the home at 70 deg. or the doors and windows are being left open on a scorching day and to no ones surprise the air conditioner just cant keep up.
4. Circulating air feels cooler. Having your ceiling fans turning the right way for the season. Usually counter clockwise (blowing down) in the summer and clockwise in the winter (sucking up).

HVAC Issues: Balancing your home may not have been done properly by your HVAC contractor when it was built and or remodeled. On occasion an additional return air is needed up high. I should be noted the the Air Conditioner needs a rest at night too for defrosting, turning them up into the 80′s during the sleep mode will allow this to happen. Always check your air filters, they need to be able to breath. Regular check ups will ensure peak performance for many years and reduce annoying breakdowns.

Roof Ventilation Issues: Adequate roof venting will allow heat to escape passively. I often see power vents added to keep closer to outside air temperature. Extra roof venting will improve the attic breathing, but who wants more roof penetrations. Clogged soffit vents can be a culprit. I see them painted or covered in spider webs and inside disturbed insulation can cover them. These things may seem like tiny details but you must remember they are all interdependent.

Whole House Fan

Whole House Fans: When these things aren’t working well enough and you want a simple fix for the problem a Whole House Fan may be the answer. Whole House Fan are common the the mid west and south and they are starting to making an appearance here in Idaho. Unlike the attic fan that many of our homes were equipped with that come on  thermostatically and suck air in through gable and soffit vents, the whole house fan works in climates where the evenings or mornings are cool. The idea is to place a fan in the upstairs ceiling and opening windows on the lower levels. Once activated (optional) insulated doors open and the fan sucks air in from the outside from open screened windows or a door and pushes it into the attic essentially flushing out the super heated air via gable and roof vents. Once your home is filled with fresh air and cooled the fan is shut off and the home is closed up again for the day. Incidentally it will help prolong the life of your roof by keeping the shingles cooler.

Levco has installed several different types and have a unanimous fantastic response. The units range from $500-$1000 and require an outlet or are hardwired into the attic. Whole House Fans can take as little as a day to install. So when remodeling in Boise Idaho, consider adding this product as a stand alone project or in addition to a larger project.

Whether yours is an early 1900′s vintage with relatively little insulation, or a newer one that is well insulated, there are lots of ways to spend your money to improve energy efficiency. Whole House Fans are an inexpensive new tool that can actually save money in the long run, but also improve comfort as well as indoor air quality immediately.

Batt Insulation

This project was a fairly straight forward insulation project with a vented area above the insulation that will allow for proper venting and circulation that will prevent condensation and moisture problems. Normally Visqueen is stapled to the walls over the insulation then the drywall is placed over it. We base our decision not to use a Visqueen moisture barrier upon the most recent building science. Studies have shown that we do not use it and here is why. Imagine the moisture, we live in a dry climate on the edge of a desert. The warm moist air in a home passes through the drywall and the cold air is coming in through the siding, house wrap sheeting and insulation. It meets at the Visqueen and condenses causing moisture problems. Eliminate the Visqueen and it doesn’t have a place to condense. Use the interior painted drywall as a moisture barrier and the problem is gone. Local building code does not mandate Visqueen usage and the insulation companies are willing to use it or not. I feel that we have clarity on the issue finally after plenty of research. In my opinion is that this issue is also a green building thing because it improves indoor air quality by eliminating a source of mold.