Airtightness in ICF Homes: The Key to Energy Efficiency
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 เม.ย. 2023
- In this video, you will learn about achieving air tight structures when building with insulated concrete forms. We'll be exploring the important details of creating an energy-efficient building, including the basement slab, penetrations through the wall, and ceiling vapour barrier.
Did you know that air tightness plays a major role in energy efficiency? Our ICF homes are up to 10 times more air tight than conventional homes, and we'll be showing you just how simple and effective achieving this can be.
We'll also introduce you to ACH, or air exchanges per hour, which is an important metric to understand when it comes to building efficiency.
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Let's be honest - Kody could put out a Video that say's How to enjoy a breakfast omelet with ICF and we'd all love it!
Well shoot I appreciate the kind words! Very nice compliment
It’s true! I enjoy every video I’ve seen of yours. Keep up the great work!
What are your feelings of an ICF roof?
There are a few channels covering ICF construction, some of them self builds that are a little short of technical details sometimes. This channel is one of the most detailed yet straightforward out there. Thanks for all of the good advice. Some people talk about windows a lot when it comes to the ACH tests. I had a builder tell me that most of the talk around window efficiency is hype and the performance difference between a good triple pane and some of the ultra-efficient ones is not worth the cost. Installation practices are far more important than spending tens of thousands on windows that make grand claims.
ICF self builder here and agree the price difference between some uber expensive triple pane window package and a really good window package is not woth it IMO. That money is better spent on a solar system and have a much higher and shorter payback. I will also say that ICF's are the ONLY way to build a home IMO I think people are crazy for doing it any other way. If you are wondering if you should use them the answer is yes you should. I do not sell, make or install them either hust a super happy owner and user.
We just got back our numbers for a blower door. Simple diy 1700 sq foot 4 wall, icf home. The only "extra" thing we really did was spray foamed attic but that is because we are in the south and use attics for hvac equipment. They had to change out the plate and tape it because it was such a low number. The test came back lower than what all the windows together were rated for. Ended up at .25 ach. The guy said it was his lowest reading ever. This was the first time i had ever built a house. We didn't use anything fancy either. The windows were jeldwen casement. So if we can do it anyone can.
Nice
This is EXACTLY what I’ve been saying for years now. It’s so easy to achieve this numbers I don’t know why people mess with complicated and inferior systems.
I’m in Arizona just waiting on my blueprints to get completed so we can start our ICF home. How affordable were those casement windows compared to others?
Check out Enerlux windows. I went with Enerlux triple pane for my house 2yrs ago. Super tight, insulated, full fiberglass frames. Got quotes for fiberglass from Andersen and Marvin. Enerlux was cheaper and much higher quality. I am local to Enerlux so I didn't have to pay freight, that probably helped
@@old1234I just looked up Enerlux, and they are in Crete NE!! Thanks for the suggestion. I'm looking in to them now. We live by LeMars, IA.
Wusss up!!!!! Sound is great and the education is great. Thanks again for your channel ... and glad for your continued success. Hope 2023 is shining bright on all the people you love and all your future plans.
Much appreciated my friend! 🙏
Hi Kode, great job and thanks for the info. You are very knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing.
I like the vapor barrier details. We hope to build an ICF home in the Edmonton area in the future (~5yrs). Hope you guys expand past Red Deer this way!
Let’s see what the future holds my friend. Please reach out when you get closer.
Thank you for covering this.
Kode, I'm going to use a vapor barrier paint on all the drywall when I get to that point in the build. Saves a great deal on labor and you don't have to worry about the seams and boxes cut out. Just seal them up with foam and mud. I don't know if this is going to work as well as I think it might and I haven't heard much about it but I'm going to try it. Just an old man trying to save money and wear and tear on the body. Maybe you should look into it.
Great video. Appreciate your ICF knowledge!
I’m looking for help with my dream of complete ICF house. This would include the Roof
Reach out if you have questions!
Hey Kody,
I watched your video on Icf in a niche market. I really like the energy efficiency that the system provides. I was wondering about where you were trained on the icf system. Does the supplier give training? I don’t want to jump on feet first, and have a jobsite disaster. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
ACH is not constant air changes per hour - it’s a pressure differential test meant to simulate windy conditions somewhat
Regardless it’s a great way to test how air tight a building is. And ICF allows much higher efficiency with less hassle.
Kode, love the bloopers😂
Kody, another great video helping with important details, we have learned a great deal from your ICF videos! Have you considered using spray foam under that slab? Just finished a project in northern ID where we sprayed 3" foam right on the gravel it sealed tighter than we could ever achieve with tape. Then set rebar and radient pex on top of the foam , it saved the painful tape detailing and potential for damage.
Spray foam is just so darn expensive. Good idea but not sure I would do it.
Great content. Can you go over the differences or pros/cons on ICF roof vs wood roof?
I will have to consult some other builders who have the experience. It really comes down to cost in my mind. If you want the ultimate structure and are willing to pay for it then do the ICF roof. I don’t think it’s necessary unless you live in Tornado alley or want a bunker style home.
@@uptokode yes, makes sense. What do you think the cost difference is roughly? 4X or 6X wood? I’m in Texas, so we don’t need the vapor barriers, but do have some tornadoes.
Great video. Surprised you used polyethylene in the ceiling. I expected that you would have used a vapor barrier like Intello Plus. Doesn't the polyethylene create a moisture concern in the attic? Do you have brand of acoustical sealant you recommend? FYI: You do a great job of presenting your ideas in a concise manner. Kudos to your writer.
Would you ever use homega on the underside of the trusses?
With the slab pour why were squares cut out of the ICF?
Hey Kody, Im curious what the holes in the bottom of your ICF walls are for in the shot of your basement slab? Trying to key the slab into the wall?
hey there, is there any risk on pouring concrete on a wall that has only half of its height asambled? builder wants to do it this way but it would be
What about managing vapor and pollutants in the home? If the house is that air tight do you need different HVAC equipment? Also, are there problems with condensation in the walls and mold problems or does the dew point usually stay on the outside of the home?
Thanks Kody for an other detailed video. I totally get that we can use ICF all the way to the roof and agree. However, aside from wind resistance, is there any reason why one would use ICF on the gables if it is simply attic space (not lived in)? Thanks
Great point ! Only do an ICF gable if you have an interior vault and you want to maintain the strength and insulation. Otherwise a flat ceiling does NOT require ICF gables.
@@uptokode awesome, thanks for the reply
OK. I am not a builder, so take my comments in context. I have a question for the building science and/or ICF folks. There is a lot of chatter about concrete not being an environmentally friendly material. I did a quick and dirty calculation of how much embodied CO2 is in my mythical 2400 square footage (1,800 wall square footage) house. My calc (with a pretty large contingency) for total concrete was 42 yards. This was for the walls only, not the foundation, driveway, etc. I am assuming you need those things anyway whether you build with wood or other materials.
According to the PCA, a yard of concrete has 400 lbs of embodied CO2. Doing the math, this equates into approximately 17,000 lbs or 8 tons of CO2. I also looked at what the average house generates in heating and cooling in CO2 per year. The numbers vary widely, depending on where you live, but the lowest number I saw was around 3 tons per year to heat and cool.
I would seem that concrete would be the clear winner in that getting to passive (or close to it) is relatively easy and the payback to recover the original 8 tons of CO2 "investment" in the original build would be recovered in a couple of years, certainly less than 10 years.
Am I missing something in my math?
Thanks for the video. What are your thoughts of spray foam under the basement slab?
QUESTION FOR KODY: If you install a radiant heat system in your entire main floor, would you go back after the concrete pour and cut stress relief cuts with a saw on that floor? I ask because some guy on Y/T did this and his system is destroyed. I suggested cork board breaks in place of stress cuts with a saw. I’d like to hear what you would recommend. Thanks
i've done several slabs with radiant and have never cut, and have only small hairline cracks (up to 34x48). BUT, i have always used rebar and ensured it was placed effectively
@@BrianKrahmer have you ever used Helix micro rebar strands when pouring concrete? Thanks
I live in zone 4a just north of zone 3 No way I would use poly on the cieling facing the inside of the building. Sure way to get mold.
any penetrations in top plates as shown should be filled with fireblock foam, not regular foam. that's current code in the US, anyway
Do you also ICF the roof as well?
it can be done. depends on your wishes!
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As always… thank you.
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