The last few months have been pretty non-stop but today I have managed to grab a moment to begin what I think will be an interesting description of some of the highlights of my current project - two new homes on East 40th Avenue in Vancouver.
I will go back to the beginning but will also intersperse the past with the present in the hope of catching up with the process to help make it more immediate.
Today, work on the HRV (heat recovery ventilation system) and forced air system continued. An interesting innovation - the vinyl flex duct - was installed. This helps make the relatively quiet forced air system even quieter as it dampens noise transference from the motor blowing the air past the hydronic coil to the rest of the ducting. "The hydronic coil," you may ask. This coil replaces the flame that would be found in a regular furnace. Instead of blowing air past a gas flame, the air passes a coil that is filled with very hot water from the high efficiency boiler that heats water for bathing etc and for the radiant heat in the basement floor. The hydronic "furnace" will supply hot air to the main and second floors quickly and efficiently and will be tied in to the HRV system, which is now code in Vancouver. Fresh air from outside is brought in and pre-heated by the air that is being constantly exhausted from the house. This air exchange is necessary to maintain healthy interior air quality now that homes are being constructed with so little "accidental" air leakage. Here is an interesting link on a great website about hydronic air handlers.
And now let's go back in time...