Q&A: A Forum for Green Building Experts and Beginners

Hello,

I'm looking to pour a basement slab as follows:

6" washed 3/4" stone- compacted
2" XPS
vapor barrier

Next I'd like to tie the PEX to mesh and pour. That's the problem. Masons hate this, PEX can get cut when control joints are cut. Chairs holding up the mesh just get crushed or are a trip hazard.

If the PEX is attached to the foam, not thinking you can put the vapor barrier over the foam / PEX, plus the PEX is under 4" of concrete, and I understand it should be within the 4" of concrete.

Seems this very point is a sticking point in the overall theory.

Hi

I run the Twike on my farm and charge it for a couple of hours. My farmhouse is medium big with 4 kw solar panels installed atop roofs. With the roofs facing towards south, the energy production is prolific when there's much sun, I must say. I also have a 1 kw immersion tank that runs on solar power. Recently I came across this switching device called solarimmersion. Has anyone installed it? How can the power management get efficient with this? Any ideas?

Hello,

I so wanted an energy efficient home. I specified that when we began the remodel. All of the new windows are energy efficient, as are all of the appliances, and I am thankful for that.

But to my disgust, the insulation that I requested for my remodel was not installed and the walls are up. My home is a penthouse in a 1970s brick building in Barcelona. It is on the 9th floor, and has no common walls. 3 sides (north, east and south) are fully exposed. The west wall is partially exposed and has minimal protection because about 75% of it faces an light well.

I have a weirdly designed house.

The attic in the lean-to addition has 2x6 joists (actual 2x6 - old wood). The joists sit directly on top of the wall framing for the ouside wall, and extend outward from there. They're notched to sit flat on the outside wall header. - there's less room for insulation there, as teh joists are no longer the full six inches.

There was never any room for both insulation and ventilation, so we have a 'hot roof'. It was created using three sheets of XPS foam sandwhiched together, and sealed with copious amounts of canned sprayfoam.