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Heat in the roof cavity and coolness under the floor

Roof cavities are hot. Just ask anyone who has to work up there. Even in winter they are very warm. In this area most houses have “whirly gigs” to pump this heat out.

Earlier in the year I wrote about how even in winter a light brick will heat up more than 8° above the ambient temperature, and a dark brick will heat up to nearly 20° warmer. So taking that idea and applying it to the roof, you can easily see why a roof is so hot.

We didn’t do the tests in summer, but anyone who ever ventured into the roof cavity in the middle of summer knows that it is a furnace. Hence the whirly gigs.

But in winter that heat is an asset. There is all this talk about using solar power, but the fact is there is a huge amount of solar energy being captured above our heads every day. And in winter it is sucked out by the whirly gigs and replaced by cold air.

At the same time, under the house has the opposite types of problems. In winter it becomes too cold and damp. Dampness becomes an issue. Every house inspection I have had says “needs more ventilation”. But in summer it is so nice and cool under there.

So I came up with a simple solution. I have a vent that goes from the roof to under the house. Finding a location for it was a bit of an issue. I had to sacrifice either some cupboard space or space in the entrance foyer. The entrance foyer lost out and now has pine boards hiding the ducting. I may get around to making it look better one day.

But under the house I have a fan. Ideally it should have been up in the roof (apparently it is more efficient that way) but I had easy access to a power point under the house.

And here the ground breaking part of it all…

… in summer I take the cool air from under the house and pump it into the roof cavity. This cools the roof space down considerably and helps to push the hot air out. And

… in winter I take the warm air from the roof and pump it under the house. This warms up under the house a bit, helping keep it drier, and possibly help heat the house.

Practically I don’t know how much of an impact it is having on my heating and cooling bills. The fan itself is low power so is cheap to run, and the impact it has in summer is huge. So it should have a flow on effect on the power bill.

The system can have many improvements made. At the moment it is manual. I would love to automate it with an external temperature sensor. Then it would really start to fly. A couple of temperature loggers scattered around the place would then let me know if it is really working. The benefits of selling temperature loggers.

So if there are any experts out there, is this a good DIY solution?

But tomorrow I will talk about a commercial system that trumps my idea.

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.