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.

Image Source

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.

House Entrance Exam

Here's a new term home buyers should learn.  It's called a HERS rating and I just spent the morning witnessing all the exams required to provide an East English Village home with one.  HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System.  A score of 100 means that the home's energy performance is equal to that of a home built to minimum energy code standards.  A score of 85, which is required for any home meeting Energy-Star standards, means the home will perform 15% better.  In other words, the lower the score, the better energy performance.

Minneapolis Blower Door
Source

The data collected in the series of tests performed today will be input into modeling software, which will generate the home's HERS rating.  The following tests were performed today:

The Blower Door Test

To perform this test, the home is de-pressurized by sealing all openings except one, typically the front door.  A fan is placed within this opening.  When the fan is turned on, it pulls air out of the house.  The fan pressure is raised to 50 Pascals (Pa) and using the gauges attached to the fan, the amount of air being pulled into the house through cracks and openings is measured.  The rate of leakage is measured as the number of air changes in an hour, or ACH.  Current energy code requires all new homes to have a maximum of seven (7) ACH.  For a typical home, like mine which was built in the 1960s, this number is typically around 14 ACH.  Today's renovated home performs well with 8 ACH.

Duct Leakage Test
Source

The Duct Blaster Tests

Part 1 - Pressurized Duct Test

Next we move to duct performance.  To perform this test, covers are placed over all supply registers sealing the entire duct system.  The furnace cover is removed and a fan pushes air into the ductwork.  Hoses attached to the fan and to nearest supply register measure pressure.  The difference between the two pressures is converted to a leakage rate.  The higher the pressure, the more accurate the measurement. Typically, the pressure must be raised to at least 25 Pa to get the most accurate measurement.

Today's test indicates a leakage rate of 2350 cfm, but at only at a pressure of 3 Pa. The fan is unable to raise the pressure above 3 Pa.  In other words, the system is very leaky. 2350 cfm of air is being lost through leaks within the home's ductwork system.  Unfortunately, these results are more the norm than atypical.

Infrared camera KT-384
made by Sonel
Source 

Part 2 - Pressurized Ducts & House Test

Next, the ducts are pressurized at the same time the blower door fan pressurizes the house.  This requires reversing the fan direction so that air is blown into the house. The pressure within both is equalized and a gauge at the blower door fan measures the difference between the two fan rates.  The difference is converted to the rate of air leaking from ducts outside the thermal envelop.  In other words, this test measures the rate of air being leaked from ducts within unheated spaces like attics and crawl spaces.

Today's test indicates 186 cfm of air is being leaked through ducts that are located out side the thermal envelop.

Thermogram of two buildings.
Darker colors indicate
 cooler temperatures.
Source

Part 3 - Direct Measurement of Supply Register Pressure

The final test again pressurizes the supply duct system and pressurizes the entire house using the blower door fan.  In this test, however,  the difference in pressure between the blower door fan and the pressure taken at various supply registers throughout the house is compared.  For a good duct system, the differences will never be more than 2 Pa.

Today's home performs well.  The pressure difference at two 1st floor supply registers is measured at no more than 0.8 Pa.

Foam used to seal air infiltration
points at the rim board

Identifying Leakage Points

During the performance of the blower door test, a thermal imaging infrared camera is used to locate areas of air leakage. Pointing the device at surfaces within the home, the camera measures surface temperature differences.  On a cold winter day, where outside temperatures are hovering around 20 degrees and indoor temperatures are around 68 degrees, the camera reveals temperatures below 68 degrees in varying gradations of dark colors.  The darker the color, the colder the surface.  The colder the surface, the more likely the location is a source of cold air leakage.

Poorly sealed fireplace doors were a
 major source of air infiltration

Today's test reveals the fireplace doors, doors to an attached sun room and the headers over basement glass block windows as the greatest source of leakage.

Conclusion

With the ultimate goal of improving home energy efficiency, improving homeowner comfort and reducing homeowner utility bills,  more and more homes are going to be tested for air and duct leakage. Homeowners will expect architects to use tests as described above to push contractors to raise their own standards.  And let's be clear, the savings that can be achieved by a homeowner are significant.  And the same way buyers use MPG (miles per gallon) to gauge the fuel efficiency of cars, HERS ratings will begin to educate home buyers on home energy performance.

American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corp.

I discovered this original cast iron boiler in the basement of an historic Detroit home.  Curious about how it operated, I did a little research.

Boiler systems operate simply:

1. A fuel like natural gas or oil is mixed with air and ignited inside the boiler.  (This boiler probably was fueled by coal and later converted to natural gas).

2. The water circulating through the boiler's heat exchanger is heated by the flame and combustion gases.

3. The heated water is circulated to radiators which heat the house.

Photo Credit



In order to maximize efficiency, the correct air and fuel mixture must be found.  In other words, finding the correct ratio between the amount of air and fuel added to the boiler will maximize the amount of heat transferred to the water. Three gases are generated during combustion: Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Oxygen (O2). Too much air generates unburned oxygen, which will carry heat up the chimney. Too little air means incomplete combustion which generates poisonous CO gas and soot (which will clog the heat exchanger). The correct ratio will transfer all the combustion heat to the water and generate only CO2.

Modern boilers are rated by their annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE).  In Michigan, code requires all boilers to have a minimum AFUE of 90%.  The above boiler's efficiency was probably between 56% and 70%.

Imprinted on the door of the boiler are the words "American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company ".  Per the brief history recounted below, this dates the boiler to at least 1967 when the company renamed itself "American Standard", but my guess is that it is probably much older.

 Planning your home for health and comfort with American Standard heating equipment and plumbing fixtures. (1950)
Source

Brief History of American Radiator and Standard Sanitary (ARSS)

The history of ARSS begins in 1886 when Clarence Mott Woolley and his partner formed the Michigan Radiator & Iron Company of Detroit.  They would become makers of cast iron (rather than the more expensive steel) radiators.  The business immediately took off, introducing the world to radiant heat.  In 1891 the company merged with two other leading manufacturers of cast iron radiators, the Detroit Radiator Company and the Pierce Steam Heating Company of Buffalo, New York.  Woolley was only 28.

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The Ideal fitter : American Radiators & Ideal boilers (1910)
Source

The company would weather the economic depression of the 1890s by expanding into European markets.  By the 1920s, 40% of its revenue was generated overseas.  After World War I, Woolley hired architects John Howells and Raymond Hood to design and oversee the construction of his new world headquarters which still towers over Manhattan.

American Radiator Building - NYC 2012
Jean-Christophe Benoist

By 1929, Woolley planned a merger of the four largest building products corporation in the US: --H.W. Johns-Manville, Otis Elevator, Standard Sanitary, and American Radiator.  He was only able to complete a merger with Standard Sanitary, the nation's leading supplier of plumbing products.  Hence the name American Radiator and Standard Sanitary was born.

During the Great Depression, the company's sales were challenged by new forced-air heating technology.  The company met additional challenges as World War II cut into its European profits and new "direct-to-you" stores sold products directly to the consumer.  But the storms were weathered aided by a building boom that began after World War II.

Planning your home for health and comfort with
American-Standard heating equipment and plumbing fixtures. (1950) (pgs. 26-27)
Source

But the company's survival also meant diversification into new markets such as industrial controls, plastics, heat-transfer equipment, and nuclear reactor construction.   To reflect this, the company changed its name in 1967 to "American Standard".

By the 1970s, the company was now moving away from its original heating business concentrating more on its railroad, truck brake, and mining equipment operations.

 First step to better plumbing and heating for your home. (1947)
Source

Finally during the 1980s, the company returned to its plumbing and air conditioning roots by selling off most of its unrelated businesses.  In 1983, it completed a merger with the Trane Company the largest commercial air conditioning products company in the United States.

In 2007, American Standard announced plans to break up its three divisions – plumbing, air conditioning and automotive products – keeping only The Trane Company. American Standard’s plumbing products – and its name – were sold to Bain Capital Partners, LLC, and the original American Standard changed its name to Trane. Later that year, Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited acquired Trane for $10.1 billion.

Quite amazing roots for a small Detroit radiator company that began in 1880s.

 

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Source: History of American Standard at Funding Universe

 

 

The Nation's First Hospital

I've spent the last week in the City of Philadelphia visiting the nation's first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital.  Founded by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond in 1751, most of the original building remains intact and has been incorporated into a new hospital campus that is part of the University of Pennsylvania health system.

Pennsylvania Hospital, 1811
William Strickland

 In 1800, the accomplished American painter Benjamin West, now living in Britain, was requested to create a painting honoring the new hospital.  He agreed and entitled his painting "Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple"  It was completed in 1811, but because of its popularity, West was forced to sell his painting to Britain's National Gallery for the largest some ever paid for a modern painting.

Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple, 1811 (Version 1)
Source 

Still wanting to forfill his original commitment to Pennsylvania Hospital, West recreated the painting with improvements.  The most prominent change is the addition of a "demoniac" in honor of the new hospital's treatment of the mentally ill.  The new painting was delivered to the hospital in 1817 and is currently prominently displayed in a modern wing connecting the original and new hospital buildings.

Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple, 1817 (Version 2)
Source

 

See if you can find the differences between the two paintings.

 

Timken Silent Automatic

Surveying the dark basement of a Boston-Edison historic home, I stumbled across a rusting indoor oil storage tank.  Stamped boldly on its front are the words "Silent Automatic Detroit".

With some research, I discovered that this was probably an old storage tank that accompanied a Timken Silent Automatic Oil Boiler system.  Equipped with the famous Wall-Flame Oil Burner, the oil fueled system was designed to out perform its hard-coal fired rivals. 

Timken 1946 Mailer (page 1)

A Schenectady Gazette advertisement from March 10, 1931 proclaims eight buying points:

1. A Product of a Great Engineering Organization 

2. Low Purchase Price 

3. Cheaper Grade of Oil (use #1 or #2 oil) 

4. Fuel Economy 

5. Save Cost of a Gas Pilot (with the slight up charge for an electric ignition) 

6. Hot Water Supply (system can supply both heat and domestic hot water) 

7. One Model for any Site Home (models for "modest homes" are the same as those installed in "more wealthy neighbors") 

8. Installation By Only Factory Trained Men 

Complete installation is listed at a depression era $335 (oil storage tank extra).

March 10, 1931 Schenectady Gazette Timken Advertisement

The boiler's only moving part was the Mono-Roto.  It "whirls tiny droplets of oil outward against the chromium-steel flame rim... In a few seconds after the burner starts, the flame rim becomes glowing hot ...[as] a blue-hot flame...  blankets the fire box walls for the quick transfer of heat."

Timken 1946 Mailer (page 2)

A division of the Timken-Detroit Axle Company, the 32 acre main manufacturing plant was located at 100 Clark Street in Detroit, Michigan.  Other plants were located in Jackson, MI, Oshkosh WI, Utica, NY, New Castle, PA,  Ashtabula, OH and Kenton, OH.