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Nostalgia4Butts posted:went to see how low connecticut was and i noticed that ny and il had the most migrations. Because the state is cratering hard. Business is leaving the state at record levels. Most people leaving are "economic refugees" --following the jobs.
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Jun 2, 2016 21:31
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spog posted:I'd love to find out that my house had a hidden room behind a bookshelf. Speaking of hidden rooms, how about secret staircases? For context: I was living in the 3rd floor of a house converted into apartments, and received the key to the 1st floor because I was planning on moving down there. Lease negotiations eventually broke down because they refused to fix all of the broken poo poo before I moved in(including remodeling a bathroom with water-damaged and deformed supports in the floor) because the landlords are cheap as gently caress and didn't want to lose rent because "they have to pay the mortgage" (I checked, and the mortgage was long paid off on this property). The ended up losing 3 months of rent anyway, since no one wants to move into an apartment that needed new carpets, refinished wood flooring, and a remodeled bathroom, even if the owners "promised" they would fix everything ASAP. However, before that happened I was able to spend some time looking around the 1st floor and found something interesting Slanderer posted:I just got the keys to my new apartment (the 1st floor of a 3 floor house) last night and I was taking a look around in the dark (super spooky). I noticed part of the drywall in a broom closet was falling down, so I went to take a look at fixing it and realized that there was a staircase behind it (and also that it was hung by a single loving screw, jesus christ i hate handyman work). Turns out that when the house was divided into apartments, they just walled off the servant's stairs between the 1st and 2nd floor and added a door to the 2nd floor landing that the 3rd floor apartment could use to access the servants stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floors. So, now I have a cool hidden antique staircase that goes nowhere. Slanderer posted:The apartment had been vacant for like a month, and I didn't get to stop by until 11PM, so I had to break out the flashlight. Here are the relevant pictures (the rest of the apartment was pretty uneventful, except for the pervasive smell of dog). So, yeah. It was pretty weird to realize that the apartment I was planning on moving into had a SECRET STAIRCASE that led up to the apartment I was currently living in.
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Jun 2, 2016 21:42
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My backyard was covered in mulch and landscaping fabric, and I tore it all up this weekend to put a lawn in. After I pulled up the landscape fabric I discovered a concrete footing for... something. I dug down 2 feet and uncovered most of it, but it was still stuck in the ground. Dug down another 6 or so inches and found that there was a piece of rebar that went through the entire thing, then a gap of just the rebar, and then into another chunk of concrete. Finally managed to swing it back and forth enough to snap the rebar off, still couldn't get the bottom piece out so I just left it buried. 
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Jun 2, 2016 22:27
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FlashBewin posted:I am so glad that whole house fans were mentioned. The house i'm now (I inherited the house) used to have one built into the attic, with all the attic ventilation necessary, but it was torn out when the roof was replaced 20 years ago, supposedly it wasn't working. Anyway, i already have all the hard stuff done, attic is insulated really, really well (Michigan home, thanks dad) and the attic access is already in place (with an insulated panel!) They sell whole house fans for the window http://www.amazon.com/AirKing-9166-Whole-House-Window/dp/B0007Q3RQ6?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 They move a shitton more air than a regular fan and are made specifically for window installations. Maybe if you build a box you could craft it into a window seal good enough? I installed a whole house fan myself and it wasn't too hard and only cost a couple hundred bucks.
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Jun 2, 2016 22:44
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FlashBewin posted:I am so glad that whole house fans were mentioned. The house i'm now (I inherited the house) used to have one built into the attic, with all the attic ventilation necessary, but it was torn out when the roof was replaced 20 years ago, supposedly it wasn't working. Anyway, i already have all the hard stuff done, attic is insulated really, really well (Michigan home, thanks dad) and the attic access is already in place (with an insulated panel!) Instead of using a Whole House Fan which is terrible and put your house in a vacuum and sucking in dust and dirt and everything else from the outside world if you already have ductwork setup for AC the better option would be to put in a blower fan that feeds from the outside that way at least you can run a filter on it as well and if you get a squirrel cage blower or you're going to move a lot more air
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Jun 2, 2016 22:44
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ExplodingSims posted:Instead of using a Whole House Fan which is terrible and put your house in a vacuum and sucking in dust and dirt and everything else from the outside world if you already have ductwork setup for AC the better option would be to put in a blower fan that feeds from the outside that way at least you can run a filter on it as well and if you get a squirrel cage blower or you're going to move a lot more air Do you ever open your windows to enjoy a fresh spring breeze, or does that disturb your Howard Hughes-style stack of tissue boxes?
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Jun 2, 2016 23:48
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Your ductwork isn't going to be sized large enough to handle good whole house fan airflow. The actual problem with typical whole house fans is that they put a giant hole in your ceiling. You lose heat out the hole in the winter, raising heating costs, and into the attic, contributing to ice damming. Though you can get fancy whole house fans with self closing, insulated covers.
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Jun 2, 2016 23:49
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The issue I have with displacing all the air in a home is the dust and pollen and potential humidity that comes with it. You could filter the particulates, but the moisture is only solved with an evaporator and drainage at the air handler. Am I wrong?
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Jun 3, 2016 00:56
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xwing posted:Not really. Only place that has a higher net migration is Texas. Well that's a genuine surprise, quite a few of my former friends got the gently caress out after college (as I plan to) Then again, most of them went to Texas, so v  v
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Jun 3, 2016 01:00
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frozenpussy posted:The issue I have with displacing all the air in a home is the dust and pollen and potential humidity that comes with it. You could filter the particulates, but the moisture is only solved with an evaporator and drainage at the air handler. Am I wrong? All of the air in your house came from outside. All of it. Do you think that it all passes through a filter before it comes in? Odds are the inside of your house is far dustier than the outside, since humans (and pets) manufacture dust. Unless you live in, like, a really dusty place. ...humidity is an issue if you live in a really humid place and run A/C all the time to keep the air less humid inside. The function of a whole house fan, though, is to suck in cooler air and push out hotter air at the end of the day, though, so normally I'd think the cooler air would be less humid anyway? If your climate is one where, in the evening, you have hot dry air inside and cool humid air outside, then maybe a whole house fan isn't for you. Where I live in California it's fantastic. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 01:09
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Leperflesh posted:All of the air in your house came from outside. All of it. Do you think that it all passes through a filter before it comes in? no but most of the air in your home has been cycled through the filter in the air handler.
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Jun 3, 2016 01:12
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frozenpussy posted:no but most of the air in your home has been cycled through the filter in the air handler. You must have one hell of an airtight house.
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Jun 3, 2016 01:24
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I do have a central AC unit, and the ductwork associated with it. I've also already got a hole in my attic which has a push-up-and-over panel/door which is insulated. My thought was to put the fan that i bought (6,100 cfm) onto a bracket/frame over the hole with the door pushed aside when i need to use it. This way when winter/fall comes, i can push the fan aside into the attic and cover it up with the insulated panel. Price wise, WHF's are $$, whereas this 6,100 cfm fan i bought was $45, essentially doing the same job as a WHF for 1/10th the cost. The big expense, the modeling/reconstruction needed to insulate the attic/cut the hole into the attic has already been done. All that is/was missing was a fan/WHF. From what i've read, you don't need to run the WHF for hours on end if you don't want to. Just long enough to bring in the cooler air from outside. Pollen/dust isn't usually a problem where I am.
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Jun 3, 2016 01:29
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frozenpussy posted:The issue I have with displacing all the air in a home is the dust and pollen and potential humidity that comes with it. You could filter the particulates, but the moisture is only solved with an evaporator and drainage at the air handler. Am I wrong?
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Jun 3, 2016 01:34
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I worked on a museum where the whole space plus each little exhibit case had to have positive pressure to keep dust and poo poo out, while a huge filtered system fed and treated all the incoming air. In apartments "hallway pressurization units" are pretty standard to put positive pressure on the hallways/common spaces to help control smells within the building. My office was built in the 70's when it was all the rage to make totally sealed environments with big centralized AC/heating systems. They're deeply unpleasant and we recently paid to add operable windows to some of our rooms plus constantly prop the door open to let fresh air in. My wife works in a big gross suburban office that was only built like 10 years ago and has no operable windows. It's constantly stuffy and gross in the office and half of it will be roasting while the other half freezing depending on the season and time of day. I'm no heating/cooling expert, but coming from a construction/design background I can say I really really prefer more passive systems that are part of the actual design of the building rather than overly mechanical solutions. Also a ton of "green building" solutions are just these horrible sealed bio-dome style designs with a bunch of greenwashing and end up being very unpleasant and not working half the time. Just design the building for the climate, take into account that the sun and seasons exist, and design a building that stays cool in the summer and holds onto its heat in the winter. This might cramp your precious architectural vision or some international corporate design standards.
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Jun 3, 2016 01:46
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You know what I miss? Transom windows.
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Jun 3, 2016 01:49
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Alereon posted:Energy Recovery Ventilation is what you're asking about. Exhaust air is used to cool and dehumidify incoming air. That's an awesome idea, and residential systems could make use of it if the fresh air in the return was in the conditioned envelope (and not a hot attic). I just wouldn't exchange all the air in my home, even as a renter, since my belongings are in there. Did you all grow up in a barn 
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Jun 3, 2016 02:05
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lol if the barn you grew up in didn’t contain a clean room
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Jun 3, 2016 02:14
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Platystemon posted:lol if the barn you grew up in didnt contain a clean room I feel like that orange shin-height rail is an extra hazard.
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Jun 3, 2016 02:17
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FlashBewin posted:Price wise, WHF's are $$, whereas this 6,100 cfm fan i bought was $45, essentially doing the same job as a WHF for 1/10th the cost. The big expense, the modeling/reconstruction needed to insulate the attic/cut the hole into the attic has already been done. All that is/was missing was a fan/WHF. From what i've read, you don't need to run the WHF for hours on end if you don't want to. Just long enough to bring in the cooler air from outside. Pollen/dust isn't usually a problem where I am. The major difference is that a purpose built whole house fan will be significantly quieter and outlast twenty of the $45 fans with only minor maintenance. Most of them include automatic shutters of some sort as well. I think in the 25 years or so that they have had their whole house fan my parents have only had to clean it from time to time and replace the belt once. Baronjutter posted:I'm no heating/cooling expert, but coming from a construction/design background I can say I really really prefer more passive systems that are part of the actual design of the building rather than overly mechanical solutions. Also a ton of "green building" solutions are just these horrible sealed bio-dome style designs with a bunch of greenwashing and end up being very unpleasant and not working half the time. Just design the building for the climate, take into account that the sun and seasons exist, and design a building that stays cool in the summer and holds onto its heat in the winter. This might cramp your precious architectural vision or some international corporate design standards. It is really sad the number of "green" houses I see here in Texas with ducts in the attic and the washer/drier inside the conditioned space. The latter is especially dumb because it doesn't require major building changes to avoid. If you want to get a bit more serious about it move the stove and oven outside of the conditioned space as well, or at least on a separate zone of the AC. There is no reason to be dumping 4-12kW or more of heat into the interior environment if you don't have to. Or just do what I do and grill everything 
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Jun 3, 2016 02:20
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or raise your kids in a barn like a animal
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Jun 3, 2016 02:22
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Currently looking at a house with a barn, already have kids, is 4 years old too late to start on barn-living? My gut says it's no?
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Jun 3, 2016 02:26
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Bad Munki posted:Currently looking at a house with a barn, already have kids, is 4 years old too late to start on barn-living? My gut says it's no? condition them to it slowly and start by opening all the doors and windows until the house is filled with outside air every night.
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Jun 3, 2016 02:29
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Shifty Pony posted:The major difference is that a purpose built whole house fan will be significantly quieter and outlast twenty of the $45 fans with only minor maintenance. Most of them include automatic shutters of some sort as well. I think in the 25 years or so that they have had their whole house fan my parents have only had to clean it from time to time and replace the belt once. I sure want to cook and do laundry in 90 degree heat, said no one.
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Jun 3, 2016 02:29
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frozenpussy posted:That's an awesome idea, and residential systems could make use of it if the fresh air in the return was in the conditioned envelope (and not a hot attic).
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Jun 3, 2016 02:31
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frozenpussy posted:condition them to it slowly and start by opening all the doors and windows until the house is filled with outside air every night. What’s deadlier, night air or air that has passed through a fan?
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Jun 3, 2016 02:32
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Modus Pwnens posted:I sure want to cook and do laundry in 90 degree heat, said no one. The cooking I'll give you, but do you stand and stare at your washing machine the whole time? No harm putting it in the garage.
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Jun 3, 2016 02:32
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Man, I solved this problem by just living somewhere where the temperature swings from low 50's in the winter to mid 80's in the summer. Why don't all of you just do that instead?
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Jun 3, 2016 02:48
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Platystemon posted:You know what I miss? Transom windows. Same 
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Jun 3, 2016 03:10
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Arrath posted:The cooking I'll give you, but do you stand and stare at your washing machine the whole time? No harm putting it in the garage. I've spotted a flaw in your plan.
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Jun 3, 2016 03:19
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Man, I solved this problem by just living somewhere where the temperature swings from low 50's in the winter to mid 80's in the summer. Why don't all of you just do that instead? I don't want to fall into the pacific when the san andreas fault decides to let go 
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Jun 3, 2016 03:58
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Slanderer posted:Speaking of hidden rooms, how about secret staircases? They're not hidden-behind-drywall secret, but the closet in my daughter's bedroom has a stairway up to the attic.It's pretty cool.
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Jun 3, 2016 04:34
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FlashBewin posted:I looked into whole house fans because there are about 3 months in Michigan where neither AC nor heat is needed, but getting some glorious cool night air in the house would be wonderful. I bought a high velocity fan (6,100 cfm supposedly) for $45 instead of getting a (admittedly, low-end whole house fan off amazon) which seemed to move less CFM.
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Jun 3, 2016 04:45
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Alereon posted:Are unconditioned attics a regional thing or from a specific time period or something? Do they still build houses like that? I guess I've only ever lived in either older houses that had insulated attics for living space or that had been added as energy efficiency upgrades, or newer construction that was designed for energy efficiency from the start. It seems like adding insulation would be a pretty cost-effective upgrade over the long-term in most cases. The vast majority of new homes in the US have unconditioned attics, and I would guess this has been the case since the advent of trusses, if not longer. From an energy efficiency perspective, as long as you don't insist on putting your HVAC poo poo in the attic, it's much more cost effective to blow in a foot and a half of loose fill onto a flat ceiling than it is to insulate at the roof line (and moisture management is easier to get right as well).
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Jun 3, 2016 05:07
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I have never lived in a house with a conditioned attic.
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Jun 3, 2016 05:15
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Alereon posted:Are unconditioned attics a regional thing or from a specific time period or something? Do they still build houses like that? Not only are unconditioned attics the norm here, Texas seems to enjoy shoving the HVAC and water heaters up there too. If we did want to turn the attic into living space, there's a tiny section (probably 20 sq ft) that's actually high enough to stand in without hunching over. Though the water heater takes up a bit of that area. Enourmo posted:I have never lived in a house with a conditioned attic. The only one I've ever seen was a hackjob to turn the attic into an apartment. I mean, it worked enough for a friend to rent it, but it was sketchy as poo poo (and hot as balls in the summer). Enourmo posted:A guy in AI a while back worked on a car where the ABS module failed in such a way that it shorted to ground... that ground being the rear brake line. It was glowing brightly when he lifted it up, and rusted to poo poo once he disconnected the battery (the other lines were shiny and the car was decently new iirc). IIRC it was a Chevy cargo van. Crotch Fruit posted:All my bedrooms have one window, just enough to meet firecode Serious question, when did fire code start requiring windows in bedrooms? A friend of mine used to live in an apartment that didn't have a window in the bedroom or bathroom. Bathroom was in the bedroom. The only egress was the front door, and the window immediately next to the front door - and the front door exited to a wood-floored pathway if you were upstairs. It was built in 1964 according to county records, but it had been recently (at the time anyway; this was probably 3-5 years ago) gutted and remodeled - only things original were the exterior walls and the asphalt in the parking lot. The apartments backed up to each other, with something like 20-30 apartments per 2 story building, so there was nowhere to put windows except on the front wall. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 08:16 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 08:13
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Platystemon posted:What’s deadlier, night air or air that has passed through a fan? Holy poo poo someone tell the Koreans about WHFs please, I want to know their reaction.
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Jun 3, 2016 08:41
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Cooling/heating an unfinished attic sounds pretty stupid actually. I did not even know that was a thing.
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Jun 3, 2016 11:43
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Alereon posted:Are unconditioned attics a regional thing or from a specific time period or something? Do they still build houses like that? I guess I've only ever lived in either older houses that had insulated attics for living space or that had been added as energy efficiency upgrades, or newer construction that was designed for energy efficiency from the start. It seems like adding insulation would be a pretty cost-effective upgrade over the long-term in most cases. Of the attics I saw in San Antonio, every one had just one layer of insulation on the floor and that's it, and the underside of the ceilings were bare wood. I heard the workmanship was consistent by builder, and that whole developments would be in similar shape. I wasn't a building inspector so I don't know, I only saw houses here and there. This is a typical attic from the ten or so I've seen, with flex duct tossed across the whole floor plan with no flow balancing effort and runs way too long. And those god awful triangle junction boxes  This house had a single layer of foil on the underside of the ceiling, I don't imagine it did anything.    
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Jun 3, 2016 12:27
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I keep saying ceilings but I think what I mean is roofs. Yeah. And looking at this attic again, those roof supports seem very crappy. They aren't supposed to look like that, are they. They should be nice and symmetrical, like this attic?    This homeowner made this duct board system himself a decade ago, and I was there because he complained about a lack of flow to the living room. The trunks were undersized and all the same, so the living room received as much air as each bedroom, etc. His air handler was also like a SEER 2 from the 19th century and we couldn't convince him to replace it because it still worked but anyway I digress.
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Jun 3, 2016 12:41
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