This is my oil burner, fuel tank, and the last 125 gallons of fuel oil I plan to purchase. My wife and I have committed to a #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit project that will replace this equipment wth renewables. This thread will show the transition as it unfolds this Summer. 1/
It’s not just oil… We’ve worked to reduce petroleum consumption. 20 years ago, we burned over 1000 gallons annually. It’s now less than 475, but that includes burning biomass in our Jotul fireplace insert. Last year, we burned 3 tons of these wood industry byproduct blocks. 2/
Biomass has problems as a “renewable.” Releasing carbon that takes 20 or more years to be reabsorbed (assuming renewable forestry practices) creates a “bubble” of atmospheric CO2 that can only mitigated when we stop burning. #unsustainable #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit. 3/
Our existing forced hot air system is single zone and poorly balanced with insufficient return air to balance inputs to the home. Distant points in the system get very little heat. This needs to be corrected so...
#ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit. 4/
Solution: put a heat pump in the attic space and create a second zone for the upper floors. Existing ducts to the second floor will be disabled or re-purposed to condition the basement which currently has forced hot water baseboard heaters. #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit
5/
Placing a second zone in the attic space for our #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit presented certain challenges. First, it was heavily used for storage and needed to be cleared out. The before here is after most of the clearing was done! Take note of the uninsulated roof rafters. 6/
Our contractor advised air sealing/insulating this space with spray foam. Insulating a roof deck with foam is tricky. Moisture pushed out of the warm home in Winter moves through the foam and condenses on the decking where it can accumulate and cause mold/rot. The solution? 7/
Installing air baffles in each rafter space allows air to be drawn in at the soffit and convect up to the ridge vent to maintain venting of the roof deck even as the rafters are filled and sealed with foam. 8/
Installing the rafter. Affles produced memorable good times for my wife and I working in a hot attic. /9
#ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit
We had visits from the prime contractor on our #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit project today. We went over plans for the electrical work and installation of the main components including ducts. Removal of this oil tank came up…10/
Commonwealth Tank wants $500 to remove and dispose of any oil in it. I don’t see any point throwing it away as hazardous waste, so I’ll pump it out and offer to someone who needs heat this winter. It’s gonna be fun watching that get cut up! As for the electrical… 11/
This panel is maxed out and we will probably need to upgrade. A fully electrified household is probably not able to run on typical 200 amp service and this exposes another potential cost if we need to electrify everything in order to decarbonize modern society. 12/
In other news, well drilling company expects to be on site in another 1 to 2 weeks. This is the location for the two geothermal wells of the ground loop. So my job is to remove the flagpole and prepare the site. 13/
This will involve removing the topsoil for reuse later as well as the piping to these drains so they can be reinstalled after the work is finished. 14/
Today is a big day in our #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofitproject. The roofline is being insulated in our attic to create aconditioned space. This makes HVAC located there operate more efficiently and retains more heat in the home during winter. Both drive down energy costs! /15
We have had a busy couple of weeks on our #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit project. We re-reroofed the house to prepare for installing an expanded solar array. /16
This is an exciting day for our #ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit project. The welldrillers are trenching between the foundation and two 425 foot deep geothermal wells that were drilled to access the ground-source heat reservoir. 17/
Drilling the foundation to permit the ground loop tubes to enter the the basement... 18/
#ResidentialGeothermalRetrofit
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