Home Tour
Page 10
Exposed ducting in ceiling, cotton batting
1. This addition is a 3-story structure. Radiant floor heat with unducted cooling and dehumidification on each level would have been cost prohibitive.
(The site had strict setbacks by the time phase 2 came along- so the 3-story structure is actually placed very strategically within these setbacks- a 1-story design was not possible because of these space restraints.)
2. The Pattons wanted to measure and compare the differences between the phase 1 and phase 2 "systems approach", so Cindy could better inform her clients of what works and what does not about these 2 different systems.
3. A 3-story structure lends itself to a ducted HVAC system for efficiency reasons.
A 14 SEER Heil electric heat pump was installed in the stair core, so that it would not take up room in the small basement. This location was also ideal for distribution of the air to all levels of the home. All ducts and equipment (with the exception of the condenser) are located indoors in the basement. The ceiling of the basement is insulated (for soundproofing mainly since it is below Dr. Patton’s office) with cotton batting, which allowed for the ducts and plumbing pipes to be exposed. This was important to the Pattons because they want to be able to find any leaks or condensation before it causes a mold problem. Containing all your HVAC equipment in your conditioned space increases the longevity of the equipment and makes it more efficient.
The finished and fully conditioned basement has an exposed ceiling height of 9 feet making the room feel more spacious. Corrugated, insulated ducts with foil covering the interior insulation of the duct were chosen so that airborne insulation inside the ducts would be eliminated. AFM Safecoat’s DynoFlex mastic was used for any additional sealing that had to be done to the system to make it more efficient.
The Pattons feel they made a mistake in their insulation choice for the phase 2 addition. They decided on the (wet) blow-in formaldehyde free fiberglass in the walls and fiberglass batts in the main floor ceiling and the third floor roof. This was a mistake for several reasons. The problem of most impact for the Pattons was the fact that this insulation took 1 full year to offgas from their indoor air. They could not sleep in their master bedroom for the first year after construction was complete. It has also proven to be a much less energy efficient insulation, even after air sealing. So, the more efficient than normal (14 SEER) electric heat pump has to work that much harder to heat and cool, resulting in higher utility costs in this addition. Cindy prefers to share the good and the bad experiences she has lived through in her home, in hopes to prevent others from making the same mistakes!
