Archives: Mechanical

Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Energy Conservation, Product Reviews

Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch Yesterday I received the three Leviton 6260M electronic timer switches that I ordered for the bath fans. These switches allow you to choose pre-set times of 10 min., 20 min., 30 min., and 60 mins. You can buy these dimmers from Amazon, Leviton Decora 60-30-20-10 Preset Minute Electronic Timer. I…

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Automatic Timer Switch

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Energy Conservation

In a previous post,Energy Star Qualified Home, I discussed the importance of good ventilation in a well built, “tight” home. I also pointed out that one of the best ways to make sure you’re ventilating the moist air out of your home was to use some type of automatic timer. I’ve finally decided to install…

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Heating A Large Building

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning

Heating a large building can be a real challenge. We are building a 9,000 sf assisted living facility right now at work and I thought I’d share a picture of a really great heating system. This building is using two Buderus Logano G215 oil fired boilers. These boilers have a high efficiency – A F…

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Cable TV Signal Booster

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical

When we built our new home I installed structured wiring to each room. The structured wiring consists of two CAT5 and two RG6 cables bundled together. This allows each room to have access to phone, internet, networking and cable TV. The problem with this however is we have eight different rooms being fed by one…

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Radiant Barrier Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning, Insulation

Attic Radian Barrier Radiant barrier sheathing called TechShield Radiant Barried by LP is an exciting new product. I stumbled upon this product today doing some research and I thought it was a great idea. Next to windows the roofs on our homes are a huge source of energy loss. Whether you’re trying to keep out…

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High Efficiency Gas Fireplace

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning, Interior Decorating

Installing a high efficiency gas fireplace is a great way to add supplemental heat and an attractive aesthetic feature to your home. Vented gas fireplaces can operate up to 90% efficient, meaning for every dollar of gas you buy 90% of it will end up as heat in your home. Vented gas fireplaces use 100%…

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Geothermal Heating & Cooling

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning, Energy Conservation

One of the hottest topics today in energy conservation is the use of geothermal heat pump systems. The US Department of Energy estimates that 40,000 geothermal heat pumps are installed each year. These systems have been in use since the 1940’s but have only become popular due to the soaring price of fossil fuels. A…

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Radiant Heat Cont’d. | In Slab Tubing

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning

In my previous post, Radiant Heat New Construction, I wrote about using radiant heat in homes. In the basement slab of my new home I have radiant heat and I thought I’d share some pictures of the tubing and insulation layout. As you can see in the photos the PEX tubing is layed out on…

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