Tag:Tips
Air Deflector
I was called by a client that rents an office with cubicles. A woman in one of the cubicles was complaining about the air conditioning blowing down on her. I was a little surprised about this since the vent was directly over her head and the vent had a ceiling deflector that should have distributed the cool air away from her. But as always, the client (or client’s tenant) is always right.
The initial request was to close off the vent. I was hesitant to do this since that would tend to change the balance of the system which we had struggled for months to get right. We did a little research and found an air deflector at 1800ceiling.com
I installed the deflector and while doing the installation I checked and there was enough slack in the flexible duct work to move the diffuser two feet to the side. (After checking with the adjacent cubicle dweller to make sure she was okay with that.) So far, so good. A satisfied tenant and thus a satisfied client.
I am a little concerned that this may be a temporary solution. The diffusers are placed near the windows since that’s the area area where the most change in temperature occurs. Since this tenant is apparently slightly cold blooded, she may well be too cold this winter once the HVAC system switches over to heat from AC. That is a nice thing with this deflector though. It will be as easy to remove as replace. It is light weight as well, so the easy storage solution will be to just place it above the ceiling on the grid until it is needed again.
The Master Flow Green Machine
I have an attic fan on my house. It is a solar fan with a thermostat so that it will vent hot air in the summer when I want to cool the attic, but not in the winter when heat in the attic is positive for energy savings. Unfortunately the one I have is located on west side of the ridge so it only gets sun in the afternoons.
The Master Flow Green Machine Solar Powered Ridge Vent sits on the ridge. This has the advantage of being at the highest point so it takes out the hottest air as well as being in a position to get the maximum amount of sunlight.
I would consider this Green that saves Green…
The World is Burning!
A fire pit in the form of a globe or “Third Rock – Earth and all its glory reveal a fiery inner core through the continents of our planet” as it is put at the Fire Pit Art site. There is a whole series of pictures including ones showing its creation at the Fire Pit Art site here.
I thought the image was fascinating. Originally I thought this could be another option for the Firemen’s Memorial, but it’s not designed to a be a gas-fired display. In any case, this is an interesting art piece, each one individually signed and numbered by its designer, Rick Wittrig.
It is made of 1/4″ steel, stands 40″ tall and has a diameter of 36″. It has a drain in the bottom to allow rain to run out.
The Third Rock fire pit can be purchased at the Fire Pit Art site here for $1,679.
Historic Window Follow-up
It seems appropriate that I give a little rebuttal to the story I reprinted last week on historic windows (here). I’m a supporter of Indiana Landmarks. I can’t argue that preserving old windows is a green solution. Keeping them out of landfills is just one example of this. Unfortunately there are other issues.
It’s worth noting that Daniel tested old windows with storm windows installed. Many older windows don’t have storm windows and some that do have storm windows that fit poorly. It’s also worth noting that he was testing glass to glass. I think he’s right that the extra air space between the inside window glass and the storm window glass made a difference. Most of the new window manufacturers will tell you the same thing.
But a window is an assembly, not just the glass. Daniel might have gotten different results if he had tested around the perimeter. New windows have thermal blocks to prevent heat transfer which old windows do not. He might have gotten different results if he had tested around the outside of the trim. New windows don’t have ballasts or their associated cavities in the walls. When we install new windows we fill those voids with insulation which is nearly impossible to do with a window in place in a finished wall.
And one more thing about storm windows… They generally come down in the Spring and don’t go back up until Fall so we can enjoy the fresh air. Heat transfer is just as important in the heat of the summer when the air conditioner is running.
Old Window with cracking Lead Paint
Another big issue with old windows is lead paint. I attended a lead safety course and they emphasized that old windows with lead paint were a prime producer of lead dust. The old double hung windows are often painted on the sides of the sash as well as in the window frame track. Friction across these painted surfaces as the windows are raised and lowered produce lead dust which is easily inhaled, absorbed or ingested if it gets near food. Stripping an old window such as the one in the picture to the right is a time consuming and expensive process, particularly when lead safety practices are observed.Window location is also important. New building standards require tempered glass when glass is installed less than 18″ above the floor or adjacent to stairs. Older windows are exempt from this requirement, but that doesn’t make the safety issue that caused the rule to be promulgated go away.
There is also the issue of seals. We’ve all seen old double hung windows with foam stuffed into the joint between the sashes to prevent air infiltration. New double hung windows have seals at those cross points. Even with those, they can’t compare with new casement windows that have the locking mechanism that pulls the sash tight against the seal.
All in all, there are some benefits to salvaging old windows. New windows never provide the same look or have the authentic trim. Often it is cost prohibitive to install new windows with true divided lights. There are many reasons to preserve historic windows. It’s important to understand all the cons that go along with the pros though.
Are Old Windows More Efficient Than New?
Daniel Linley of Elkhart won Indiana Landmarks’ Servaas Memorial Award for his project proving the superior energy efficiency of vintage windows over modern ones.
A window salesman’s pitch put Daniel Linley on a quest to prove that new windows would be more energy efficient than old windows. But in his six-grade science fair project at Pinewood Elementary the old windows won, and so did Daniel’s project – at the school, local and regional levels. Daniel also took home the Servaas Memorial Award and accompanying $1,000 prize from Indiana Landmarks. Read the rest of this article at the Indiana Landmarks website here.
