22 May 13 8:41 AM
Hi Sarah Can I suggest you go have a look around the american website... http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com They have vast resources and knowledge. You may need to pose your question to them, don't f......read more
18 Oct 12 8:54 AM
Lastman! Had you forgotten we aren't supposed to speak to newbies for at least 6 months or until they master the SECRET HANDSHAKE. (Psst John the secret handshake is easy to master just live in any no......read more
4 Oct 12 1:17 PM
interesting... http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/air-leakage-degrades-thermal-performance-walls?utm_source=email&utm_medium=eletter&utm_content=20121003-air-leak-studies&utm_campa......read more
30 Sep 12 4:34 PM
Guess what? I'm with Guess what on this one. Branz et al wouldn't have a freakin clue how to build a high performance home. All they care about is CYA....read more
24 Jul 12 12:10 PM
Yep, the good 'ol Fiat monetary and Fractionbal Reserve banking systems are guaranteed to result in overvaluation of everything, it's just a matter of time. Add to that no tax on capital gain. I alway......read more
18 Jul 12 10:37 AM
I trained up for the stillborn HERS (accurate) scheme. Then I trained up for Homestar. I've never sat the final exams for either as I thought both were a crock. My fellow trainees all walked out at th......read more
5 Jul 12 11:43 AM
+1 to Guess's comment, silicone sealant is completely useless in this situation. Expanding foam gun would be the second choice, but I'd go for tape as the first option....read more
1 Jul 12 10:16 AM
is this stuff like our good 'ol Pinex softboard? But all new and high tech. I'm looking at this time to buy a house and do a Passivhaus retrofit. Ripping off the roof and cladding and completely re-en......read more
28 Jun 12 4:26 PM
But Rex this isn't Telecom, or Air New Zealand for that matter. It's our energy companies. You talk of Fiat Money, but what does that money represent? At it's most basic money represents work...i.e. e......read more
21 Jun 12 4:42 PM
No, it's a full basement with concrete floor, so it's nog a matter of rising damp, it's 2m up in the air. Of course DDT used to be the answer...so persistent! It's best point was also its downfall. As......read more
21 Jun 12 3:34 PM
Im looking to buy a house. The t&g flooring is riddled with borer. It has a full basement and therefore I can get easy access to almost the entirety of the underside of said flooring. So what are my o......read more
21 Jun 12 12:32 PM
You are doing it the wrong way round. You use the solar and wetback to heat the low pressure cylinder (with an open vent/header tank) You then run the tap water, at mains pressure, through the coil. L......read more
24 May 12 7:40 PM
Ha, most of my life is guesswork! I haven't dealt with, or seen, either. So my question was a genuine one....read more
22 May 12 11:57 AM
Can you enlighten us as to why you don't rate them, mr guesswork? Ta...read more
17 May 12 10:05 AM
The bubble foil products are the best underfloor insulation option for a multitude of reasons. You have correctly identified the achilles heel...electrical hazard. I dont staple the foil up. I cut sma......read more
30 Jan 12 2:43 PM
Agree with guess who above with the additional emphasis on airtightness. EVERY GAP, did I say EVERY GAP!!!! MUST BE SEALED!!!! every wire, pipe, etc etc. FOAM FOAM FOAM You cannot be too anal about th......read more
18 Jan 12 9:39 AM
I can't quite see the point of insulated cladding... Best practice, that I've used for many years now, involves a cavity system to keep the cladding off the underlying structure/subcladding. Surely it......read more
13 Dec 11 7:32 AM
@ Rex I too have no idea whether global warming is a happening thing and statistics always was one of the 'Dark Arts" Just a question for you... In every system a change in inputs WILL result in ......read more
30 Oct 11 9:02 AM
Yes this should be at the top of the list of the 'occupy' demonstrations. That and population. Between population growth and $$$ growth we are screwed. I asked what growth is above and thank you last ......read more
17 Oct 11 7:26 AM
By the way... Can someone tell me what 'growth' is?...read more
17 Oct 11 7:25 AM
I urge anyone interested in this to take the time to view.. http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse It's election time now. this stuff is VERY relevant to the 'promises' we all hear at these times....read more
6 Jul 11 8:19 PM
Why aren't they all neutral pressure intake by regulation? I'd have it that the inlet air was drawn down the outer casing of the flue thus pre heating it. It wouldn't be hard to achieve and would keep......read more
18 Jun 11 10:06 AM
Housewrap doesn't keep the wind out at all. It can't because it's not rigid. Modern construction usually requires a cavity, (something I agree with).Thus when the wind blows, the resulting pressure fl......read more
17 Jun 11 3:56 PM
@Lionsong... 7mm tanalised ply glued and nail-gunned onto the outside of the framing is what you need to do. SEAL EVERY GAP!!! Strength, wind barrier, leaky building barrier. Further it is only a part......read more
15 Jun 11 4:03 PM
ZZZZZ ..huh...snort Gee I was dreaming. Ahh well it was a nice dream. Thanks GW for the reality check!...read more
15 Jun 11 12:46 PM
I'll second the idea of building ALL new buildings to near Passive standard. It's such an amazing opportunity to do it once, do it right....read more
8 Jun 11 5:33 PM
Gee and I thought they were all about the CYA building game. (That's Cover Your Arse). I have a flue cube fitted to my Stanley coal range/central heating. I have no empirical data but my gut feeling i......read more
23 May 11 4:11 PM
G W is on the money. The only real way to get a proper result is to remove the cladding. Then it's easy to sort out plumbing, wiring etc. Insulate the wall cavity. clad everything with 7mm ply and be ......read more
22 May 11 8:23 AM
Suziebee, the width of your eaves/soffits is critical here. You need eaves that are wide enough to exclude the sun from your windows in summer, but narrow enough to allow the sun in in winter. How wid......read more
19 Apr 11 12:56 PM
Metro do, on some models i believe. They all should!...read more
5 Apr 11 1:20 PM
I understand air bubble foil was removed from underfloor due largely to the electrocution hazard when fitting it. I still maintain it's the best choice down below and great below a roof too....read more
23 Mar 11 9:15 PM
We have a great opportunity here to sort out a bunch of houses that lost cladding in the shake. I have done a number of houses in the past few years like this... Strip off cladding, take out windows. ......read more
14 Mar 11 3:51 PM
Guess what, i don't agree. Most water heating in NZ is your standard electric cylinder. Changing each one of those the a heat pump will save 60%+ of the power previously consumed. Unlike the 'hairdrye......read more
7 Feb 11 1:56 PM
You could try this (PERSIST) http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/99/991108.html and here.. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/getting-insulation-out-your-walls-......read more
6 Feb 11 6:50 PM
new home?...read more
6 Feb 11 6:50 PM
The Code is...crap. If you want a great, efficient cozy home, you need to well exceed code. Welcome to a great learning curve. As stated above.. Orientation thermal mass insulation air tightness all a......read more
29 Sep 10 3:49 PM
2x 180l The wetback/heatpump/coil one is an 'Elephant', might even have been made by Cooks, if I remember rightly. The Stanley gets through about one wheelbarrow full of wood a day. I have a BIG woods......read more
27 Sep 10 4:31 PM
I have done this, not underfloor but good 'ol cast iron radiators. Two cylinders. First one is low pressure (with glycol) with a coil. It is heated by a Hot water heat pump and a wetback boiler (wood ......read more
22 Sep 10 4:42 PM
I do, what fire are you going to be using?...read more
22 Sep 10 4:41 PM
Your water is boiling. Do you have an electric element in your too? It will be keeping your water @ 60deg which means you have only 40deg of extra heating before it boils. Turn off the electric elemen......read more
7 Sep 10 8:18 AM
I'd suspect you are being a bit too anal there. I doubt that much heat will be lost that way esp if you use an eco ceiling plate and close off the inlet air when not in use. You can insulate a flue or......read more
6 Sep 10 10:33 AM
That was me who put the school house on poles. It's worked a treat. In my case it was to make a big shed/workshop but to do a home that way would work very well too. If I were to do a home i'd seek ou......read more
23 Jul 10 8:20 PM
Have a look at Rumford.com 300 year old open fireplace design and still the best by far....read more
2 Jul 10 6:30 PM
I quite like having the plugs low down, but having an isolating switch further up the wall. Flick one switch and all my stereo turns off/on...read more
30 Jun 10 8:11 AM
Some of these systems have all the sensors in the heat pump unit. Whereas what you want is the sensors in the cylinder. To compensate they have a circulation pump circulating water through the unit al......read more
24 Jun 10 8:03 PM
Just go the cheap and nasty option... Black alkathene pipe laid in a coil on your roof with an amount of bypass flowing through it....read more
14 Jun 10 9:51 AM
Pallet fire, eh. That must be a big one!...read more
28 May 10 5:58 PM
I'm with the 'take the roof off' camp. It sounds like a major, but provided it's not raining or blowing, it's actually quite a lot easier than the alternatives. Further by taking the roof off you then......read more
14 May 10 8:45 PM
Nuclear Fusion is the holy grail. Energy efficiency should be the second holy grail. The first requires a major breakthrough. The second can be done now (and improved upon every day into the future)...read more
11 May 10 12:43 PM
Second word... marketing...read more