Historic Boston Edison

Since summer, I've been immersed within a 36-block historic Detroit neighborhood known as Boston Edison.  It  contains approximately 900 houses bordered by Boston Boulevard on the North, Edison Avenue on the South, Woodward Avenue on the east and Linwood on the West. 

The neighborhood's early development was controlled by primarily three families: the Joy, Newberry and Voigt families.  With the majority of homes built between 1905 and 1925 some of Detroit's most prominent turn-of-the century citizens lived here: Henry Ford, James Couzens (Mayor of Detroit from 1919 to 1922 and appointed U.S. Senator), W.O. Briggs (former owner of the Detroit Tigers), Sebatian Kresge (founder of the S.S. Kresge Company) and Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers center-fielder and Major League Baseball's all-time career batting average leader) .

Working in conjunction with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, work is finishing on four (4) homes subsidized by Federal stimulus money known as the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).  Doing a little research, I found some prominent past owners of two of the homes.

1626 Boston
Clarence W. Avery
In 1918, Avery moved to 1626 W. Boston Boulevard, living there until the early 1920s.

In 1913, Henry Ford hired Clarence Avery for a summer job. A quick learner, Avery became Charles E. Sorensen's assistant.  The two focused on developing the moving assembly line. Although the originator of this idea is uncertain, Avery certainly had the biggest hand in developing it. By timing each step to maximize the speed of production, Avery and Sorensen reduced the assembly time of the Model T from 12.5 hours to 2.7.



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1216 Edison
Albertus Darnell
Albertus Darnell lived at 1216 Edison from the early 1910s through the late 1940s.

When Detroit Junior College was organized in 1917, Albertus Darnell became head of its Mathematics Department. In 1923, Detroit Junior College was replaced by the City College of Detroit, and Darnell was named Assistant Dean. He continued in this position until City College merged with other institutions to become Wayne (later Wayne State) University in 1934, when he was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Darnell continued in this position until his retirement in 1939.



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For additional information go to Historic Boston Edison Association's Website

Home Circuit Protection

There's nothing like trying to plug-in an appliance and being unable to find a grounded outlet.  Teaching myself to be a do-it-yourself electrician, I spent a Saturday replacing the two slot electrical outlets in my home with grounded three slots.  Luckily, I found the non-metallic (NM) wire (I'm trying to sound like an electrician) contained three wires.   The black wire is hot, the white is neutral and a third (either bear or sheathed in green) is the ground.   So my work was limited to connecting the new three slot grounded receptacle to the grounding wire.

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Bringing old houses up to modern electrical standards can be a challenge since it wasn't until the 1960s that electrical codes requiring grounding wires began to be enforced.  And if interior partitions aren't being stripped to their studs, fishing new wire can be challenging.  Code allows for original ungrounded wiring is to remain in place as long as protection from electrical shocks and fire is provided by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) and Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) outlets and/or breakers.

Everyone is probably familiar with GFCI protection.  These are the outlets and breakers with reset buttons.  You typically find the outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, laundries and exterior locations.  But now codes are beginning to require a new type of protection, AFCI.  Here's my research on what the difference is between the two and why they are both important in protecting the homeowner.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

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GFCIs when installed at outlets or breakers are designed to protect against electrical shock.  They measure the current passing through the black "hot" wire and returning through the white "neutral" wire.  Typically, there should be no difference in current. If there is a difference (it can be as little as 0.004 amps), the outlet will trip.  In other words, within milliseconds, the outlet opens the circuit before the unaccounted for current passes through a person causing an electrical shock.

The current National Electrical Code (NEC) requires GFCI outlets or protected circuits at bathrooms, kitchen countertop surfaces, garages, outdoor areas, unfinished basements, and laundry areas.  Code also allows them to replace outdated two slot receptacles since their operation is uneffected by leaving the ground unconnected.

Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI)

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AFCIs when installed at outlets or breakers are designed to protect against fires.  AFCIs  are programmed to monitor current waveform characteristics.  If the current waveform matches the characteristic of a parallel or series arcing fault, the circuit is opened.  If left undetected, electrical arcs can generate heat within wire, even sparks which can ignite adjacent combustible materials.  Arcing faults typically occur inside walls, where damaged wires are left unseen.

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The current Michigan Electrical Code only requires AFCI protection at bedrooms.  However, if the State adopts the latest version of the NEC, AFCI outlets or protected circuits will be required at basically every remaining room: family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets and hallways.

Fire Prevention Facts

Though GFCIs have gained universal acceptance, expansion of AFCI requirements in the latest NEC has proven more controversial.  But the facts remain, between 2003 and 2005:

• Annually, an estimated 28,300 residential building electrical fires caused 360 deaths, 1,000 injuries, and $995 million in direct loss.
• Fifteen percent of residential building electrical fires started in bedrooms.
• Nearly half (47%) of the residential building electrical fires where equipment was involved were caused by the building’s wiring.
• Twenty-two percent of residential building electrical fires occurred during December and January.

Time will tell if new AFCI code requirements prove effective in protecting the public from electrical fires.

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"Understanding the NEC Requirements for GFCI and AFCI", Mike Holt's Illustrated Guide to Understanding the National Electrical Code, Volume 1.

"Residential Building Electrical Fires", U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Fire Administration

National Fire Data Center,  Topical Fire Report Series, Volume 8, Issue 2 / March 2008.

Icing the Cake

When dressing my seven year old son to play in the snow, I always remind him to where his hat. It's what my Mom always told me.  And the truth is that it's the most effective way to stay warm.  By keeping one's head warm, you're insulating your largest source of heat loss.

2x8 rafters leave little space
to add insulation

Now what does this have to do with home energy efficiency? Well, it's the top of the home that is one of the largest heat loss sources. Wouldn't it be great if we could fit attics with knitted caps?

Probably the single most discussed issue when it comes to improving energy efficiency in rehabbed homes is how to effectively insulate their attics.  This is especially true when occupied attics have complicated configurations.

I don't have all the answers, but here are some quick lessons learned:

To ventilate or not to ventilate... that is the question

There doesn't seem to be a wrong answer to this question as long as your decision is accompanied by the appropriate details.

If You Decide to Ventilate the Roof

Sometimes abandoning a formerly
occupied attic and filling with
insulation is the most cost
effective solution

1. Entirely abandon occupied attic spaces.  This allows you to fill the entire attic floor with insulation to as great a depth as possible.  By placing the attic outside the thermal envelop, you can avoid the whole issue of how to insulate the cathedral ceiling.  The attic now has plenty of space to breath.  Remember to use baffles so that ventilation flows from eave (low point) to ridge (high point) as code requires.

2. Insulate between the rafters. Attach rigid insulation to the rafters and fill the cavity with cellulose or fiberglass.  But remember to again use baffles in order to maintain a small 1" ventilation space between the insulation and the underside of the deck.  The space should be continuous from the ridge to eave. If moisture should enter the space, it now has a way of drying out without doing damage.

If You Decide to Install an Unventilated Roof 

3. Provide an air barrier on the underside of the roof deck and then insulate.  This is achieved by securing rigid foam insulation between rafters and filling gaps with foam (Notice we are not using spray foam only because historic preservation rules prohibit its use within walls and/or ceilings).  Now the space between the rafters and under the rigid insulation can be filled with dense packed cellulose or fiberglass.   The layer of rigid insulation creates an air barrier which prevents the dew point from moving into the dense packed insulation.    The challenge lies in squeezing as much insulation as possible between rafters that are only 8" deep or less.

4. Provide the air barrier on the top side of the roof deck.  This allows you to reduce if not eliminate the amount of  insulation being stuffed under the deck, but it has consequences for the outside of the building.  Fascia and eave profiles will be modified and the roofing contractor is now responsible for installing a layer of rigid insulation and sheathing.

Rehabilitating old houses is an art.  And seeing icicles forming on the eaves of recently insulated attics (see attached pictures) is disheartening.  The icicles are an indication of heat loss.  The good news is that with experience comes improved techniques and more effective solutions.




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For more detail and discussion checkout:
"Insulating Cathedral Ceilings", Fine Homebuilding Magazine, June/July 2012 (#228), pg. 66.