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Plumbing Parts
By Tim Lentz, 2009-06-18 14:05:57
I visited the warehouse today and once again I was greeted by more boxes. The boxes contained lots of plumbing components from Zurn. They've been great about donating whatever parts we need for the plumbing system. This photo is of one of the water distribution manifolds that feeds hot and cold water to the various end use fixtures in the house. Zurn also donated the PEX tubing for the radiant floor and plumbing. PEX tubing is much easier to install than copper or iron pipes since it can be bent and it connects easily and quickly.
Weekly Planning Meeting
By Tim Lentz, 2009-06-18 12:43:49
We meet weekly out at the construction site to discuss the project and what needs to be done in the next week. Here we are on Wednesday discussing the construction schedule for the rest of the summer and housing in Washington, DC. You can't tell in the photo but it was ridiculously hot here in Ames yesterday. Sometimes the sun isn't our friend here on the ISU Solar Decathlon Team.
Ask and you shall receive
By Tim Lentz, 2009-06-17 15:27:16
Yesterday I noted that we have no doors on the house and what did I find today when I stopped by the site? Doors! Seven doors to be exact. Having so many doors allows us to open up the breezeway in the middle of the house for ventilation or use only a single door for entry. We also have several doors that enter into the mechanical room for easy access to all of the equipment.
You may ask "Tim, is there anything special about these doors?" and I would answer "Yes internet user, these doors are special." These doors were specially made by Pella for us. They contain vacuum insulation panels with an R-value of about 50. I'm not sure what the whole door R-value is, but it should be pretty high based on the insulation. This will allow the house to maintain a highly insulated envelope.
Windows Are In
By Tim Lentz, 2009-06-16 16:14:54
This is pretty obvious if you watch the webcam but the windows have been installed on the majority of the house. You can see the two remaining clerestory windows from the middle section sitting on the floor. We're close to finishing the envelope of the house. If only we had doors...
