Christmas list
It takes a lot for me to get around to purchase things and I dislike buying something that I haven’t been able to borrow, live with for awhile and see if I like it. But there are many toys I’ve always wanted to have but don’t know anyone who has them to see what brands are worth the money.
By ‘toys’ I mean the following diagnostic tools. If anyone has certain brands they could recommend (and where to get them) I would appreciate it:
– Moisture sensor
Would like to get something for testing the moisture content of wood and also something the you could stick into a wall assembly and get a reading.
– Relative Humidity sensor (?hygrometer)
I have a little plastic thing that came with a humidifier. It only has numbers on increments of 5 but don’t know how accurate it is.
– Surface temperature reader
– The ‘smoke guns’ energy auditors use to sense drafts.
Are there diagnostic tools helpful to test if soffit-to-ridge roof ventilation is adequate?
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Replies
Light a fire under the soffit and look to see if the flames come out the ridge ;-)
Happy Chriskwanzukah
In addition to trying things out, another good set of criteria for selecting "things" was offered by Wendell Berry:
Wendell Berry’s Standards for Appropriate Technology
1. The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces.
2. It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces.
3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces.
4. It should use less energy than the one it replaces.
5. If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body.
6. It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
7. It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.
8. It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that will take it back for maintenance and repair.
9. It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.
I still like my Raytek mt6
http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=508556&postcount=60
the cat does too
Raytek rocks.
Fire as a diagnostic tool. I like it. What should we test next?
I just bought a Black and Decker thermal leak detector at Lowes for balancing out a radiant floor and I'm very impressed as compared to the old Radio Shack units I've been using for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_l-yhpwAXo&feature=related
need an edit button
one impressive feature on that was that it only cost me $26.00 you point it at a surface you want to use as a reference (an interior wall) and turn it on. It measures that temp and uses it as a reference temp. you then point it at different surfaces in your house (radiant floor attic knee wall draft prone ceiling insulation and if the temp is one degree hotter or colder than the reference the light at the center of the measurement zone turns from green to blue of red. I can trace the radiant pipes in the floor and the residual heat on the pillow in the morning or the sloppy insulation job under the bath tub in my office bathroom or attic knee wall. not bad for the price.
Also excellent for detecting gas leaks.
Best Tool ... a Book
Water by Luna Leopold
starting at $3.63 (including shipping)
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=leopold&sts=t&tn=water&x=79&y=11
Instead of a smoke gun/puffer for sensing air leaks, use an "Evaporative Thermal Biometric Airflow Sensing Device" - see photograph #9 from Joe Lstiburek's article - http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-036-complex-three-dimensional-air-flow-networks?topic=doctypes/insights
Seriously, I stopped using smoke puffers a while ago. Human hands are always "handy", are more sensitive, and are generally non-toxic, when kept to themselves.
I like using the ETBASD as well, except when the air is moving away from me, in which case a little smoke sometimes helps.
Much appreciated humor.
Apparently this industry has its share of comics.
Maybe GBA should start a jokes section.
J,
Jokes aside... There is a kid's "Wizard Stick" toy that is an excellent tool for analyzing air flow.
http://www.zerotoys.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=WS01
Radio Shack has a couple of models of Hygrometers for less than $40. Lowes has a Materials Moisture reader for less than $30, but you can get some fancy professional readers for $100-$1,000. The surface readers you can find on ebay for $20. If you want to spen some serious money, buy a thermal imaging camera. $4K+
Here's the link for the WIZARD VAPOR AIR FLOW INDICATOR KIT with video demonstration.
(It still looks like a cheap toy.)
http://tinyurl.com/288jmow
Robert,
You're right, the toy is a bit cheesy, but it works great.
And great price too-- $18.95
The WIZARD VAPOR AIR FLOW INDICATOR KIT is $45.95.
Brett thanks for pointed out the Wizard Stick. I've heard of these but didn't know what to call them so had difficultly locating them.
I've always wondered with the materials moisture meter if the cheapies are sufficient and last or if the more expensive professional models are really worth the money. I think range is one difference between them but not having used one I don't know if having a reader with greater range is of any benefit if you want to make sure lumber is dry enough to use or for getting a reading on a section of wall that you are concerned is staying too wet.
On the Chimney Balloon website they have a "smoke pencil", looks just like the wizard stick, without the sticker on it. also a little cheaper I think. chimneyballoon (dot) us.