Humidifier and vapor question

[Stormin Mormon]

I think I better think it out, again.

[Stormin Mormon]

I've been given some interesting ideas, about air changes. Got to follow up on the information I've been getting.

[clare]

Any home inspector worth his spit has one.

If a home ispector does not have one he's a fraud.

[Stormin Mormon]

Judgemental, yet? Let he who hath not misspelled a word cast the first flame.

[Steven L.]

Some of the water vapor may be absorbed by any fabrics you have in your home. Your carpets, rugs, bedding, clothing in closets, etc., are getting slightly damper from the humidifier.

I notice it takes a long time for my humidifier to humidify my home. That's because it first has to "humidify" my wall-to-wall carpets, which soak up humidity like a sponge. (That's why a great way to humidify a home is to just shampoo the carpet.)

[clare]

A home inspector without an IR camera cannot tell you if there is moisture problems in a wall, settled or missing insulation, and a host of other problems that you are paying him to find - that YOU cannot find with the naked eye. And he cannot either.

Call it judgemental if you want - a home inspector without an IR camera can NOT do the job you are hiring him for, and calling himself a "home inspector" is stretching the truth. Definition of fraud.

I rest my case.

[clare]

Get enough ice in the walls and the wind won't blow through any more.

[Stormin Mormon]

Some how, people inspected homes before IR cameras came out. I remain skeptical about your judgement.

[Stormin Mormon]

Anyone remember the old joke about not getting worms?

[clare]

IR cameras have been around AT LEAST as long as the "home inspector" "profession"

When you charge to do a job, you do the job to the standard of the time - making use of the technology available to do the job right. A home ispector can get a thermal imaging camera for less than $600 - or a better one for the $1000 range. Not having one puts you in the bottom of the stack of a somewhat shady business - to the most part unregulated and untrained charlatons.

If I'm hiring a home inspector, he WILL have the equipment to do the job. And he WILL have building construction experience and/or construction technology education.

[gregz]

Looking at ir is going to depend on location and time of year. Best to have high differential temps. I can do most of that with a cheap HF gun.

Greg

[gregz]

I noticed the air is pretty cool over mine. It is a swamp cooler ! I wonder how much negative btu it taking away ?

I just measured temp differential. It's not that much. 6-7 degrees, but it's moving a lot of air.

Greg

[mike]

You know exactly how many BTU's it takes to vaporize that much water. Google heat of vaporization.

970.4 BTU/lb ~ 8000 BTU/gallon.

[Stormin Mormon]

Now that I've stapled up some cardboard, wonder if I ought to staple up some sheet plastic as vapor barrier?

[TimR]

Nah. Just duct tape over it. You live in a trailer, right?

[TimR]

The one we use at work cost $3500.

At times of the year when the inside and outside temperature vary greatly, like the dead of winter or dog day summer, they are very useful. But you have to inspect all year round.

If you need to know infiltration, you have to do a blower test anyway.

[TimR]

:

, like the dead of winter or dog day summer, they are very useful. But you have to inspect all year round.

Just had another thought.

We also have a small handheld smoke generator. I don't know exactly how it works, but it has a battery, a little glycol reservoir, and a squeeze bulb . It produces a small puff of smoke that is very effective at showing air c urrents. With a little knowledge of where your air leaks probably are, and a smoke source, you can start plugging your worst leaks first. They're li kely around weatherstripping on doors and windows, etc.

[TimR]

It's not easy to find a cheap smoke generator. They start at about $600.

But here's one from an educational source similar to what we use:

[The Daring Dufas]

Keep dumbass cigaret smokers away and you will be safe as long as no pilot lights are lit. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Rent an infrared camera so you can see all the heat links. ^_^

TDD