Questions tagged [green]
21 questions
16
votes
3 answers
Would providing shade for my air conditioner's condensor improve its efficiency?
Our house has two A/C systems; one for the bedroom level, one for the remainder of the house. The compressor/consdensor units are outside the south side of the house, and in direct sun all day, now that a nearby tree has been removed.
Would shading…
TomG
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7
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3 answers
Is it safe to harvest rainwater that fell on solar panels?
I am working on creating blueprints for my new home. My plan is to have both solar panels on the roof and a rainwater catchment system that directs water from the roof into some tanks in the basement. I expect to have a filter (not sure if it will…
Pedro
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6
votes
2 answers
Does a heat pump water heater in upstate NY make sense?
I currently have a 17-year-old, gas water heater. It's not giving me a problem yet, but I'm getting nervous about it and investigating replacing it. I am trying to be both economic and reduce my reliance on fossil fuels, and HPWHs look like they…
Teknowledgist
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2
votes
2 answers
'Green' alternative to TSP for cleaning walls for paint preparation
Based on some of my cursory research, TSP seems to be bad for the environment and is toxic. So just to play it on the safe side I want to see what people have used that is effective for preparing walls for painting.
TSP is suppose to clean and…
milesmeow
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2
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2 answers
How to reduce my electric bill
Update Learned a ton about heat pumps, and wondering about Solar. Does anyone in the northeast have solar roofs? (solar shingles)
I live in an all electric home (single family detached house) in New York City, and my electric bill give me…
Costa Michailidis
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2
votes
3 answers
How do you retrofit attic baffles in attics with very little room?
Just wanted to get some best practices or opinions on this. I have two teenage sons that want to make some money on one of my flips. The house has literally no insulation - maybe 4 inches at its peaks and not solid throughout. So I told them they…
DMoore
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1
vote
1 answer
What is considered Greener/Greenest laminate flooring option available?
After doing extensive research on hardwood flooring, I have resigned myself to laminate due to an aging dog who has increasingly suspect bladder control.
Given that laminate is completely artificial I am concerned about the binding agents used. I…
TheCodeNovice
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1
vote
2 answers
Does anyone have experience with insulating with waste-wool from shearing?
Does anyone have experience with insulating with waste wool from sheep-shearing. I am interested in washing and deodorizing techniques and also in the packing-density requirements. Plan is to use burlap sacks stuffed with wool, laid between joists.
Bella
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1
vote
6 answers
Why don't American homes have blinds on the outside of their windows?
Traveling through Europe, seeing many different construction methods, I try to take an objective look at why things are done a certain way.
One of the most positive things that I see done in Europe compared to the US is that a lot of their (almost…
DMoore
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1
vote
2 answers
How well does masonry blocks used in European home construction insulate compared to a well insulated American (wood) wall?
Are there any equivalents to the Building Science insulation reports done for the US/Canada done in Europe?
I spent the last few weeks going over some properties that I will be rehabbing in France and was wondering if there was every any substantial…
DMoore
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1
vote
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Uneven ACQ on Treated Pine Post Caps
I bought some "pineapple" post caps made of treated pine. When they arrived, I was taken aback to see, rather than an overall greenish tinge, splotches and patches of green. I tried to attach a photo but can't--something about needing "at least 10…
Eli
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1
vote
0 answers
Where can we recycle washing machine and kitchen sink drain water?
I would like to know the best place or method to recycle drain water from the kitchen and washing machine.
Can we use it for gardening (as it contains soap and oil)? Or it can be added to a Biogas plant?
DataMiner
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1
vote
0 answers
How to size and split hvac ducts appropriately?
I am installing an HRV. A Broan/vanmar/vanee self balancing model.
-peak cfm is 160, average cfm will be about 90cfm
-It has 6in ports for fresh and return air.
-i would like to split both of them into 3-4 ducts. A fresh air for each of the two…
Ya Guy Godzilla
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1
vote
1 answer
Are the plants too close to the building?
Are these greens too close to the building or not? I heard different people say differnt things: some recommend 6 inches clearance between greens and the building; but some said it's ok to leave as it is now. Should I worry about these greens? The…
zhanxw
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0
votes
1 answer
What could be causing the copper green smells in my house when the furnace turns on?
We just re-did the rotting siding on my t1-11 sided fireplace. We replaced siding and covered it with hardi-plank. The problem is, when my furnace turns on, air is pulled from the fire place and the whole living room smells like copper green. This…
Jim Rusake
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