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Official: Salem house fire started in flower pot
A smoldering cigarette left in a plastic flower pot is being blamed for a Dec. 2 fire that caused $200,000 in damage to a Salem home, a state police fire investigator reported Wednesday.
The fire that ruined the home of Robert D. Buskey, 50, of Slickville, started in a plastic potted plant located on the rear deck of the house along Route 819, Trooper Jacob Andolina, a state police fire marshal, said. The fire was reported at 1 p.m. Dec. 2.
While at the fire, Forbes Road fire Chief David Rosatti suffered a heart attack. Rosatti was transported to Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, where he survived after receiving a stent to clear a blocked artery, according to his cardiologist, Dr. Juan Chahin.
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Dr. Fouad J. Husnain, MD
Pulmonary Disease
- 2741 W Layton Ave Ste 201
Milwaukee, WI 53221
- 2 Locations
- (414) 672-9940
Dr. Fouad J. Husnain graduated from the Aga Khan Med Coll, Aga Khan Univ, Karachi, Pakistan in 2000. He works in Milwaukee, WI and 1 other location and specializes in Pulmonary Disease. Dr. Husnain is affiliated with Aurora Lakeland Medical Center, Aurora Memorial Hospital Burlington, Aurora St Lukes Medical Center and Wheaton Franciscan St Francis Hospital. He speaks English and Spanish.
Gender: Male
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Pulmonary Disease
Medical School: Aga Khan Med Coll, Aga Khan Univ, Karachi, Pakistan; Graduated 2000
*This physician has multiple office locations. See Office Information for details.


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pine floor flaking and splintering
My house is from 1873 and has original soft pine flooring throughout. We are the 5th owner and have no idea how the floor has been finished in the past.
What we do know is that the finish is wearing away in high traffic areas. At best the top layer is flaking off, at worst it is giving the kids splinters and breaking off in chunks. We do not have it in the budget this year to do the floors completely, so what I am looking for is a stop-gap solution to keep them from getting worse until we can get the floors refinished or replaced next year.
Aside from putting down randomly scattered carpet squares to protect the floor, do I have any options for spot sealing/protecting?
Ours was built in 1820, and we have the same issues. The only real cure is to refinish the floors, but if you can't do that, and don't care what it looks like, and are planning to refinish within a year or two, then I would get some oil based polyurethane, and brush it on the bare spots.
Thanks for the reply. I don't really care what it looks like in the short term, I just want to keep it from getting worse.
So an oil-based poly won't interfere with any future refinishing (not that we even know it's possible!)?
Thanks to everyone for the advice.
Brickeyee, based on the state of the floors the the fact that they are sub-floor/floor all in one, my feeling is that next year we won't be refinishing but rather replacing or covering. The boards may just be past all repair.
I'd opt for the shellac idea, especially since it won't need sanding to be removed. My upstairs floors are pine, and the downstairs are oak, probably red but maybe white--and neither has a subfloor underneath. I can't figure why this was so in my 1908 house, but it is.
One warning, you can easily oversand--exposing the tongue and groove joints, at which point you must replace the flooring.
For a cleaner finish, I use a hand rubbed sanding sponge to get rid of any lose splinters (just done in spots) then do one coat of chestnut colored gel stain and follow with a coat or two of orange shellac verses the clear. The finish will blend in so well you won't even see the repairs and the great thing about the gel stain is it won't mar the finish you are working near because it just wipes off. I've done this on several cabinets and floors in our 1890 home and it always looks great.


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Vector-borne infectious diseases are a significant cause of human and animal mortality and morbidity. Modeling studies predict that changes in climate that accompany global warming will alter the transmission risk of many vector-borne infectious diseases in different parts of the world. Global warming will also raise sea levels, which will lead to an increase in saline and brackish water bodies in coastal areas. The potential impact of rising sea levels, as opposed to climate change, on the prevalence of vector-borne infectious diseases has hitherto been unrecognised.
Presentation of the hypothesis
Mosquito species possessing salinity-tolerant larvae and pupae, and capable of transmitting arboviruses and parasites are found in many parts of the world. An expansion of brackish and saline water bodies in coastal areas, associated with rising sea levels, can increase densities of salinity-tolerant vector mosquitoes and lead to the adaptation of freshwater vectors to breed in brackish and saline waters. The breeding of non-mosquito vectors may also be influenced by salinity changes in coastal habitats. Higher vector densities can increase transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases in coastal localities, which can then spread to other areas.
Testing the hypothesis
The demonstration of increases in vector populations and disease prevalence that is related to an expansion of brackish/saline water bodies in coastal areas will provide the necessary supportive evidence. However the implementation of specific vector and disease control measures to counter the threat will confound the expected findings.
Implications of the hypothesis
Rising sea levels can act synergistically with climate change and then interact in a complex manner with other environmental and socio-economic factors to generate a greater potential for the transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases. The resulting health impacts are likely to be particularly significant in resource-poor countries in the tropics and semi-tropics. Some measures to meet this threat are outlined.
Vector-borne infectious diseases (VBD) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Important vectors of human VBD are closely associated with water bodies. They include mosquitoes that lay eggs in water to produce larvae, which feed and transform into pupae in water. Mosquitoes transmit many VBD including malaria, lymphatic filariasis and dengue with recently estimated prevalence of 247, 120 and 50 million cases worldwide respectively [1-3]. Schistosomiasis transmitted by snail vectors accounts for 207 million cases worldwide [4]. Snails become infected by miracidia produced from schistosome eggs in water and subsequently release cercariae that infect humans in water. The reduction of vector breeding and survival, and human-vector contact are important components in worldwide efforts to reduce the incidence of VBD.
Climate change due to global warming [5] can adversely affect human health [6-8]. Possible changes in the prevalence of mosquito VBD such as malaria and dengue as a result of global climate change have attracted particular attention [6-12]. Models forecast a generally increased risk of malaria transmission at greater latitudes in the present temperate zones and higher altitudes in tropical countries, although there is debate about the extent of the spread, and reduced transmission may occur in some areas [10-12]. Such predictions are based on the effects of changing temperature, rainfall and humidity on mosquito breeding and survival, and the more rapid development of ingested gametocytes to infective sporozoites in mosquitoes at moderately higher ambient temperatures. The predicted spread of mosquito vectors is supported by a discernible trend in the distribution of animals and plants attributed to global warming [13].
Global warming is expected to raise sea levels by 18 to 59 cm by the end of the 21st century through the melting of glaciers and polar ice plus the thermal expansion of seawater [5,14]. Rising sea levels will affect the extent of saline (>30 parts per thousand or ppt salt) or brackish (0.5-30 ppt salt) water bodies in coastal areas. These include coastal estuaries, lagoons, marshes and mangroves [14]. Models suggest that the salinity of estuarine systems will rise and their boundaries move further inland with more pronounced tidal water flows into rivers [14]. A proportion of coastal wetlands such as salt marshes and mangroves will become inundated but additional saline wetlands will be formed further inland [14]. Rising sea levels, and higher water withdrawal rates from freshwater aquifers near the coast by expanding populations will increase saltwater intrusion in the aquifers [15]. These changes in turn will cause ponds, lakes and wells in coastal areas to become more brackish. Expansion of estuaries and lagoons heightens the risk of cholera transmission since Vibrio cholerae is associated with plankton in such waters [16]. However the possible impact of rising sea levels, as opposed to climate change, on the prevalence of VBD has hitherto been unrecognised [6-12]. This article proposes that an expansion of brackish and saline water bodies in coastal areas caused by rising sea levels can increase transmission of important VBD.
Presentation of the hypothesis
Some mosquito vectors possess physiological and structural adaptation to breed in brackish and saline waters
While most mosquito vectors breed in freshwater, some species that breed in brackish/saline waters are important vectors of human disease [[17], Additional file 1]. Their larvae possess cuticles that are less permeable to water than freshwater forms, and their pupae have thickened and sclerotized cuticles that are impermeable to water and ions [18]. Salinity-tolerant mosquito larvae possess varying osmoregulatory mechanisms e.g. Aedes taeniorhyncus drink surrounding fluid and excrete Na+ and Cl- from the posterior rectum to produce a hyperosmotic urine [18], Culex tarsalis larvae accumulate proline and trehalose in haemolymph to maintain iso-osmolarity in brackish waters [19], and Anopheles albimanus larvae differentially localize Na+K+ ATPase in rectal cells in fresh or saline water for osmoregulation through ion excretion [20].
Additional File 1. Common salinity-tolerant mosquito vectors of human disease. This file contains a table of important mosquito vector species that breed in brackish and saline waters, their geographical distribution and the major pathogens that they transmit.
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Expansion of brackish and saline water bodies can lead to increased breeding of salinity-tolerant mosquitoes and greater disease transmission risk
The Asian tsunami of December 2004 provided relevant examples. Anopheles sundaicus s.l., a widespread malaria vector along Asian coasts [21,22] increased in density in the Andaman and Nicobar islands following the intrusion of sea water inland, concomitant with a rise in Plasmodium falciparum infections [23]. Increased densities of Culex sitiens, an established vector of arboviruses [17], and An. sundaicus s.l. were also observed in an area of Thailand affected by the tsunami [24].
The consequences of human-induced ecological changes provide another set of examples. Large-scale shrimp farming in the Mekong delta of Vietnam locally increased the density of An. sundaicus s.l. [25]. Aquaculture is an expanding economic activity along tropical Asian coasts. Also, higher densities of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) camptorhynchus, a vector of Ross River virus (RRV), have been associated with increasing salinisation of freshwater bodies due to intensive agriculture in Western Australia [[26-29], Additional file 2].
Additional File 2. Illustrative case studies. This file contains summaries of case studies from different countries illustrating aspects of the hypothesis.
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Conversely, a reduction in the habitat of a brackish water vector has historically been associated with a decrease in malaria in Western Europe. Anopheles atroparvus of the An. maculipennis complex was primarily responsible for transmitting malaria until the early 1900s in marshland areas of England [30] and low lying areas of Western Europe like the river deltas of the Netherlands [31]. The draining of coastal marshes, and the attendant reduction in breeding sites for An. atroparvus, contributed significantly towards eliminating malaria in these areas [30,31].
Freshwater-breeding mosquito vectors can adapt to increased salinity with greater availability of brackish and saline water breeding sites
Increasing salinity in water bodies can reduce populations of mosquito vectors that are unable to tolerate salinity, thereby tending to reduce disease transmission. However, the greater availability of brackish water bodies can also lead to freshwater breeding mosquitoes adapting to breed in them e.g. typically freshwater mosquitoes An. stephensi and An. culicifacies, were found breeding in brackish water bodies immediately after the 2004 tsunami in India [32] and five years later in eastern Sri Lanka [33]. It is unclear whether the egg laying and larval development in brackish water seen in these instances involved reversible physiological adaptations [18-20] or genetic changes. Genetic selection for greater salinity tolerance in larvae has been observed in Ae. taeniorhynchus in the laboratory [18], and Ae. camptorhynchus in the field in Western Australia [28]. Cases of recent genetic selection for salinity tolerance have not been reported for anopheline vectors of malaria but the existence of sibling species that differ in salinity tolerance within anopheline species complexes such as Subpictus [34], Sundaicus [21,22], Gambiae [35] and Farauti [36] shows that this is clearly possible over a period of time.
There are no reports to date of Aedes aegypti or Ae. albopictus, the major vectors of dengue and other arboviruses, adapting to breed in brackish water. Ae. aegypti larvae possess the necessary physiological mechanisms to withstand a limited, short-term increase in salinity [37]. It is therefore possible that instances of its field adaptation to brackish/saline waters have gone unnoticed. Cx. tarsalis, the most important vector of arboviruses along the west coast of North America, however breeds in both fresh and brackish waters [38].
Other human disease vectors may tolerate brackish waters or soil salinity
Biomphalaria and Bulinus species snails are intermediate hosts that transmit human schistosomiasis in freshwater. Other diseases caused by trematode flukes for which freshwater snails serve as intermediate hosts include fascioliasis, pragonimiasis and clonorchiasis. The impact of climate change, but not a rise in sea levels, on trematode VBD has recently been reviewed [39]. Construction of the Diama dam in the Senegal River basin in West Africa reduced tidal inflows and led to an increase in the prevalence of intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis that was at least partly ascribed to increased breeding of snail vectors after a reduction in water salinity [40,41]. On the other hand, observations in South America suggest that Biomphalaria glabrata and Biomphalaria straminea snail vectors can survive in water with 5 ppt salinity in coastal areas [42,43]. Schistosoma mansoni eggs have been reported to hatch in water with up to 6 ppt salinity [42]. Non-human, particularly bird-infective, schistosomes can however be transmitted in brackish water and are responsible for causing cercarial dermatitis or swimmer's itch.
Tsetse fly (Glossina spp) vectors of African trypanosomiasis are widespread in inland Africa. However Glossina palpalis gambiensis has also been reported to breed and transmit human trypanosomiasis in coastal locations in Guinea that are rich in mangrove swamps and where larval and pupal development takes place in soil [44]. Phlebotomine sandfly vectors of leishmaniasis that develop in a terrestrial habitat are found in coastal areas [45] but the ability of their eggs and larval stages to tolerate saline soils remains poorly studied. Their spread to increasing areas of brackish soils near coastal communities is a possibility.
Increasing density of coastal vectors heightens the risk of disease transmission
An increased risk of disease transmission has been mathematically related to higher vector densities and other vector characteristics that can be influenced by climate change such as increased survival of vectors and a reduction in the extrinsic incubation period for pathogens [46].
Greater disease transmission in coastal areas can initially generate local foci of high transmission that can subsequently spread VBD to wider areas. The possible role of locally high densities of An. annularis, a minor freshwater vector, in initiating malaria epidemics in Sri Lanka is illustrative in this regard [[47], Additional file 2]. Efficient vectors that are able to breed or adapt to breed in both fresh and brackish waters, e.g. An. culicifacies [32,33] and An. sundaicus in Asia [21,22], and Cx. tarsalis in North America [38], can be particularly potent in disseminating VBD in this context.
It is difficult to predict a time-scale for the projected increased transmission risk of VBD since it will vary with the vector, pathogen and locality concerned. It will however probably parallel the expansion of coastal brackish/saline water bodies and be additionally influenced by changes in factors such as climate, agricultural practice, animal reservoirs of disease and human populations.
Testing the hypothesis
Monitoring changes in relevant vector populations and disease incidence and prevalence near coastal brackish/saline water bodies in different parts of the world are needed to provide more substantial evidence. Since sea level rise and consequent expansion brackish and saline water bodies are gradual processes, the changes in vectors and disease patterns are also likely to be gradual, and require monitoring over a long period. However, additional measures undertaken to reduce vector populations and disease prevalence in coastal areas in light of the present hypothesis will diminish the predicted increased transmission of VBD.
Demonstrations of the ability of important mosquito vectors to tolerate and adapt to brackish/saline waters in the laboratory and in field situations will also help support the hypothesis. More research too on the ability of human schistosome eggs to hatch, miracidia to survive and infect snail vectors, longevity of snail hosts, and infectivity of cercariae released by snails in brackish water, and also the possibility of trematode parasites and their snail hosts adapting to brackish water in the long term is required. Relevant studies on the bionomics of non-mosquito vectors of African trypanosomiasis and other VBD are additionally needed. Also, little is presently known on how physiological changes associated with adapting to salinity might affect the vectorial capacity of mosquitoes and other vectors.
Implications of the hypothesis
Modeling of the expected climate change in England predicts a greater potential for endogenous transmission of malaria [48]. However, this model did not consider the likely increased breeding of An. atroparvus in England resulting from rising sea levels causing an expansion of coastal marshland. Although an increased risk of malaria has to be planned for in the UK, it is unlikely that the disease will re-establish itself in the UK or other developed countries for a variety of reasons. These include good health services and socio-economic conditions, and a low and more seasonal transmission capacity due to the climate. However, the situation is different in many resource-poor countries in tropical and semi-tropical parts of the world. Because of a climate that is more conducive to the transmission of VBD and weaker health and social infrastructures, greater transmission in coastal areas can be expected to significantly increase the burden of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases in such countries.
Licensed vaccines are presently available for only two arboviral diseases viz. yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. Development of a vaccine against dengue is hampered by the existence of four virus serotypes and because a sub-optimal primary immune response can exacerbate disease caused by a subsequent infection [49,50]. Only drugs that provide symptomatic relief are presently available to treat arboviral diseases. The currently observed spread of arboviral diseases is therefore of increasing international concern [51,52]. This is particularly so, because unlike with P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria, domestic and wild animals and birds commonly serve as zoonotic reservoirs for many arboviruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. The spread of West Nile virus (WNV) for example is associated with wild birds and Culex mosquitoes in Europe [53]. Hence the increased breeding of salinity-tolerant arboviral vectors, e.g. Cx tarsalis [38], or the adaptation of freshwater arboviral vectors of high vectorial capacity, e.g. Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, to breed in brackish and saline water bodies in coastal areas can have serious health consequences worldwide.
More than half the world's population live within 60 km of a shoreline. Population density in coastal areas is expected to increase from 87 persons per km2 in the year 2000 to 134 persons per km2 in 2050 [54], and this trend is likely to be particularly pronounced in tropical countries where many VBD are endemic. Therefore growing numbers of people will be placed at risk by an increase in vector populations in coastal areas. Greater host density, by increasing vector-host contact, will also increase disease transmission rates. Other factors such as changing agricultural practices, irrigation development, socio-economic conditions, changes in wild and domestic animal reservoirs, and health and habitation patterns are likely to interact in a complex way with the bionomics of salinity-tolerant vectors in influencing disease transmission in coastal areas. The plethora of factors that can be involved is illustrated by a malaria outbreak in the Demerara river estuary of Guyana in the last century [[55], Additional file 2].
Brackish/saline water bodies are frequently neglected in vector control programs. For example, malaria in Sri Lanka has traditionally been endemic in the extensive coastal areas of the dry zone where large lagoons are present and inland brackish water bodies are common [33,34]. Recent evidence suggests an important role for salinity-tolerant An. sundaicus s.l. in transmitting coastal malaria [22]. However, larval vector control measures in the country have until now focused on inland freshwater bodies that are the preferred breeding sites for the principal vector, An. culicifacies species E [34]. Attention has also been drawn to the need for treating brackish water breeding sites of Verrallina funerea, a mosquito vector of arboviruses, in eastern Australia [56].
Effective countermeasures can mitigate the effect of rising sea levels on increasing the transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases
Effective malaria control measures employed over the past few decades in many countries has amply compensated for any tendency to increase disease transmission due to climate change over this period [57]. Similarly, appropriate control measures can prevent increased transmission of VBD due to the effects of rising sea levels. Low-resolution maps of the global distribution of the dominant anopheline vectors of malaria, including salinity-tolerant mosquito species, are now available [58]. Similar maps need to be developed for other disease vectors. Large projects are also underway to map the impact of rising sea levels on coasts [14]. The findings can be used in conjunction with studies modelling the effects of climate change to arrive at an overall risk map for VBD. This information together with advances in understanding the biology of the relevant vectors and pathogens will be useful for developing effective counter measures. Examples of engineering measures that can be applied include steps to reduce the development of new coastal swamps and other potential brackish/saline water breeding sites, and tidal flows in estuaries. Greater funding for the relevant biological research, detailed surveillance of disease transmission and vector densities and the application of vector control measures to brackish/saline water habitats are other measures that can be readily initiated at national and international levels. It is also important that all national agencies responsible for the different concerned sectors e.g. health, agriculture, coastal planning, environment, irrigation, livestock development, etc. are made aware of the increased risk of VBD in coastal areas in order to incorporate it into their strategic plans.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
RR wrote the article and SNS contributed to its content. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Authors' information
RR (MA, PhD Cantab) is a Professor in the Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and a Visiting Researcher in the University of Cambridge with interests in Malaria, Vector-borne Diseases and Sustainable Development. SNS (BSc, PhD Colombo) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zoology, University of Jaffna with an interest in Medical Entomology.
We are grateful to Professors D. Dunne and M.C. Field of the Parasitology Division, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK for valuable comments.
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Pre-publication history
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Just as with human health care in the United States, I believe the once good and affordable-for-all health care system for companion animals has been hijacked by those interested in money.
Regardless of whether or not this controversial research continues, you can bet one thing: Our risk for a deadly form of the "bird flu" virus and other pathogens remain high as long as we don't improve our treatment of animals.
For your reading pleasure, here's our "Top 10 Hollywood A-List Wild Animals, Digital Animals, Domestic Farm Animals and Pets" list.
Fred and I have spent almost every day together since he was weaned by his mother. At the Lundgren home, we are known as "Big Fred" and "Little Fred," but we both come to attention whenever my wife calls our name.
While we encourage potential adopters to look at rescue websites to help find their perfect match, you should never, ever adopt or purchase an animal without meeting him or her first. By doing so, you could be funding the puppy mill industry.
Our society cuddles and coddles certain animals (dogs and cats) while relegating others to the monstrosities of the slaughterhouse. It's wrong, shameful, and woefully inconsistent.
All pets will enjoy toys and supplies purchased from puppy-free stores every bit as much as those purchased at stores selling puppies, so why not exercise your consumer power by only purchasing toys and other supplies at stores that do not support the puppy mill industry?
After adopting his first dog last year, a pit bull named Trooper, Emmy-nominated television producer, Michael Levitt, felt compelled to go further, and added animal rescue -- specifically pit bulls -- to his slate of productions.
It is clear that, come the time, I will do the right thing by my Scout. My baby. I will not let her suffer. We are told that we love our animals so much, we know when that moment is upon us. And we do the right thing. But how?
If you notice that your pet is drinking more water, urinating more frequently, eating well but losing weight, please take your pet to your veterinarian as soon as possible. A diagnosis of diabetes mellitus may be the reason for your pet's ill health.
The vet left me alone in the room with Annie and I asked her, "Are you ready to go?" She kissed me as I spoke. She was tired. She lay in my arms, kissing my face so gently.
It may be hard to swallow the fact that the fuzzy creature in your lap or at your feet has similar wiring to his wild cousins, but it's a fact I wish more pet owners would embrace.
What's a Dog for? There are a thousand answers to the question that is the title of my new book. This is because being human means needing help, of many different kinds, and sometimes there's not another to provide it.
Back in Rin Tin Tin's day, dogs lived in the backyard chained to a tree. But now simple doghouses have morphed into designer dens and puppy palaces.
Animal suffering and violence against animals deeply affect children and adults. The emotional trauma and the violation of the human-animal bond tend to remain with children throughout their lives. In the communities CLAW serves, violence towards animals has virtually stopped.
The fact is, when it comes to pets in this city, we are in a constant state of emergency. Euthanasia is a fate faced by about a third of the animals that make it into New York's Animal Care Control.


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A Short Paste, a Delicious Pear Tart, and a Choice of Three Toppings
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New Home efficiency options
I am building a new home just outside of Portland Oregon, home will be about 2,700-3,200 sq feet and we are finalizing plans this week.
I own an HVAC company in Portland so will be doing a variable capacity WaterFurnace 7 series ground source heat pump with ground source water heating for the home. Windows will probably be in the .25 U-Value range(so an R4). House will probably have 4KW solar system but that is undecided as of yet. I am not looking for fastest payback, but if after the additional cost of the insulation added to the mortgage saves as much as it adds its a no brainer to do since energy is only going up.
My biggest questions are about insulation since I don't have much experience beyond what my customers tell me about their home.
So far I am leaning towards damp/wet applied cellulose because of its air sealing properties and sound deadening and overall insulation value along with 2" rigid foam board on the outside taped at all seals.
Quotes are roughly $1.50-$2.00 per sq foot for this(not counting rigid board)
Other options would be a flash and batt, so 1" of spray foam then batts to fill the cavity with the same rigid foam outside.
Quotes for this are about $2.00 per sq foot(not counting rigid board)
Are there any other options I should consider? What would be the pros and cons of each of these insulations? Let me know if you need any additional information.
I'm all for the foam board on exterior of walls.
conventional insulation in walls.
air tight drywall approach to interior of walls.
what for attic insulation?
cellulose may slow air flow..but it doesn't stop it.
putting cellulose in the attic isn't my choice
ever. the small dustlike particles find their
way into the house via every small crack/gap/
hole. as we make lots of holes in ceilings...I'd
look at other options.
best of luck.
Re solar PV, all I can think of was my visit to Ft. Clatsop where the poor Lewis and Clark guys didn't see anything but rain the entire time they were there.
You should check a solar insolation map to make sure your area will provide enough sunshine to make the solar pay off....
Everything we read on going green said to put your money first into insulation as, no matter how you generate a btu, the longer you can hang onto it, the better.
celluose does not have air sealing abilities. Sound deadening, yes, but not air sealing. The only insulation product that seals air is open and closed.
Your are certainly right on track with the 2" exterior foam though, good move. After you get an EXTERIOR AIR BARRIER set in place (I highly recommend making your air barrier plane the sheathing plane and not the foam plane) then you can fill the stud bays with whatever you want and it will perform much better (or actually close to manufactors claims rather).
Steps to put your money:
Air seal first. walls, floors, ceilings, even basement slab if you have. Your house as 6 sides.
Insulate- it will pay you back, and its cheap to increase. You have the labor to get it there to begin with, adding a few more inches, especially in the attic, is min. dollars. Shoot for r55-60 in your attic as an example. I recommend blown fiberglass instead of cellulose for various reasons.
Thermal bridge elimination: You are already on this path. 2" of XPS is a great move. Caulk/tape your sheathing plane, then tape your XPS foam. Provide a furring drainage plane and you are good to go.
Window and door selection and design: solar design should be taken into acount, correct glass tuning. Consider using triple pane glazing, but probably hold off on that upgrade as one of the last things, if at all. A good dual pane hitting aroudn u .28 in your claim will do pretty well. Look at fiberglass products.
NOW you can start to upgrade your HVAC. The above items are not moving, minimal to no maintanence things for your house. Hvac systems are expensive (as you know!), need serviced, and can break down. They can also be reduced by the above items. For example, my home is 3600 sqft total conditioned in cold zone 6 with 7800 HDD. My home only calls for about a 2ton system to heat it.
check out my blog for more information, pictures, and additional tips along with nerdy reasons for the madness.
Here is a link that might be useful: home building blog
celluose does not have air sealing abilities
Dense pack cellulose does not eliminate the need for an air barrier material in new construction, but it can be so tight in retrofit as part of the air barrier assembly that it "comes pretty close", according to Dr. Lstiburek of Building Science Corp. based on the results of extensive testing. Incidentally, you can get the same air sealing benefits from dense pack fiberglass.
What is often confused is that you don't just have one air barrier in a well-built home, but several. It's not as if you seal the exterior and say the rest doesn't count.
Great comments. Would like to reiterate the air-sealing goals of the project. What is your blower door test target? The blower door test results usually have a bigger impact on energy efficiency than insulation options.
Good results usually come from well sealed sheathing, but more importantly; transitions (concrete to bottom sill plate, top plate to roof etc). The air-sealing effects of cavity insulation is practically mute in comparison.
ICFs are rarely a cost-effective path to energy efficiency. Most ICFs barely meet the new minimum energy codes. I would recommend pre-cast concrete panels and SIPS way before ICFs in most situations.
You have to remember the heating system is not up for discussing, that IS what is going in. The home will be also a bit of a showroom because we sell so many ground source heat pumps(we are on track for 40+ systems this year) I want to have a home that I can bring people to show how they work. The 7 Series is the highest efficiency system and most comfortable forced air system in my opinion on the market. They only come in 3, 4 and 5 ton sizes but since they are a full variable capacity they are up to a 5.3 COP and 41 EER at 50% of capacity.
So HVAC aside I am mostly just asking, what others are doing to get their numbers low in the first place. I have been hearing conflicting information on the cellulose. Many say it air seals pretty well when damp applied and nobody in this thread has mentioned damp applied cellulose, everybody seems to be talking about blown in which is a different process and different result unless I am mistaken somehow. I have heard the damp/wet applied cellulose is not as air sealed as foam but close to it and if I add the foam outside with tape it should be about the same but with a recycled product, with higher fire retardant and sound deadening.
In my post I mentioned that cellulose slows air flow.
this comment was to address your post of wet blown
cellulose, sorry I didn't specify.
with foam sheathing on exterior, any conventional
insulation inside wall stud bays and ADA. you'll
have a tight, thermally broken wall.
I wouldn't go as far as to compare wet blown
cellulose to foam spray insulation, as my testing
shows that there isn't a comparism.
if you tape the seams of the foam sheathing,
and seal any holes before cladding is installed
then you'll be good. sealing the sole plates to
slab/subfloor is also necessary, or you'll have
infiltration the length of every exterior wall.
next comes the holes we cut into our walls...
windows and doors. proper flashing on exterior
and low expansion foam to interior makes these
openings tight. be ready to educate yourself on
proper flashing. each window mfg includes directions
for this on each window..usually these directions are
left on the window & builder installs the way he/she
always has. so take the time to read & understand how
to keep water & air out of these opeings.
once you foam sheath the walls, insulate, ADA ,
seal sole plates, flash & seal window/door openings
your next and most important area to air seal is the
ceiling between living and attic space.
tough enough on a one story house...but if house
is story & a half or two story..you need to pay a lot
more attention to air sealing.
on the attic floor/celing of living space we make a lot
of holes. electrial/lighting, bath fans, supply & return for
hvac & stove venting. recessed lights are a huge air
infiltration site when IC (insulation contact) and not
ICAT (ins contact air tight) recessed lights are used.
knowing what you plan to use in attic...configuration
of house, location of equipement & ducts all factor in on
the insulation type of attic.
knowing those details will help us to advise you as
to your choices.
you are on the right track with foam sheathing walls...
but details are important..as most loss
is from attic..focus on this area is very important.
sun hits one wall at a time...but the roof gets
sun all day.
best of luck.
I perfer SIP's but that is my prefrence.
OP won't gain anything
but structrual strength from changing from
a better built wall (aka perfect wall as per building
science) to the more expensive ICF.
btw, just got this link in an email yesterday.
as this is the type of foam sheating I've recommended
in my hot humid climate...this link shows why
NOT to use this product in cold climates.
just fyi OP
Some insulation materials exhibit better thermal performance as temperatures get colder (i.e. the apparent R-value increases as the temperature decreases) and some materials exhibit worse thermal performance as temperature gets colder (i.e., the apparent R-value decreases as the temperature decreases). The latter is the case with polyisocyanurate products. Material properties vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
For cold service temperatures the following recommendations are offered:
Use thicker layers of polyisocyanurate insulation to ensure that the performance meets expectations. NRCAâÂÂs most recent recommendations are to assume that polyisocyanurate has R-5.6 / in. when designing for warm climates and R-5.0 / in. when designing for cold climates.11
Use a hybrid insulation approach ��" install cold temperature-tolerant insulation over top of the polyisocyanurate insulation to increase the mean temperature of the polyisocyanurate.
BSC continues research into the temperature dependency of different insulation materials and products. Future publications will address exterior insulating sheathing products for residential and commercial wall systems.
best of luck OP
It still seems OP is concentrating on the air infiltration characterisitics of the cavity insulation which is wasted effort for the most part. I agree with EnergyRater's comments and would add that between the window frames and framing is a place we see measurable infiltration despite being meticulous with canned spray foam to stop it there. We are currently using a combination of backing rod, caulk, tape and spray foam to improve this vulnerable location.
Iam no expert in ICFs but do consider myself well educated with their benefits and drawbacks. According to Oak Ridge National Labs, ICFs generally have an effective R value of 12. This doesnt meet minimum energy codes (worst performance allowed by law) for much of the country. Reward has a new slip in panel that boosts Rvalue but you have to increase the wall thicknesses to painful levels to allow for more concrete.
ICFs are fairly airtight in the wall areas, but not more so than well sealed sheathing. Many ICF homes have considerably higher air infiltration which is probably due to the increased difficulty of air sealing wall to ceiling/roof transitions and irregular window framing.
Traditional formed concrete walls with exterior foam sheathing will perform better than ICFs as the Thermal Mass is completely inside the building envelope. Labor costs are a big factor with ICFs and one of the many reasons I usually prefer pre-cast concrete panels in below grade applications. In Southern parts of the US where the relatively low R-value isnt a big deal, termite vulnerability is the major issue.
a friend of mine just insulated his attic with some white stuff that he was all proud of. he took my husband up to his "igloo attic"
i was in the kitchen with the ladies, so didn't check it out.
he's a genius, literally, so i'm guessing he made an informed decision when he chose this white foam stuff for his attic.
just throwing this out there