REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 1 WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? THE SYSTEMS FIELD MANUAL Passive building. Off-grid power. Water. Waste. Heat. Air. Sound. Biology. Explained so a first-time builder can use one idea and an architect can see the system behind it. SUN HOUSE HUMAN WATER WASTE SOIL ENERGY The house is not a collection of appliances. It is a loop of heat, water, air, material and information. For the architect, the off-grid veteran, and the person trying to make a cold little shed stop being miserable. REAL GOOD GOODS FREE EDITION | September 2026 Take what is useful. Correct what is wrong. Improve it. Pass it along. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 2 READ THIS FIRST This is not a set of stamped plans, a plumbing code, an electrical code, or a promise that every idea belongs on every site. It is a way to see a small house as one connected system. The order matters. We begin with the land and the enclosure because a bad shell creates loads that every machine has to fight forever. Then we move inward to air, heating and cooling, water, appliances, waste, biology and power. Solar and batteries come late on purpose: shrink the load before buying the bucket that has to carry it. THE REPEATING PATTERN Whenever reality gives us three useful families, we compare three. Not because nature loves the number three, but because three choices are easy to see: ordinary, better, and a different way of solving the same problem. When there are actually ten types - septic systems are a good example - we do not force reality into a cute pattern. Numbers are ranges or exact examples, not promises. A wattage shown for one real model is labeled as an example. Loads that cycle - refrigerators and heat pumps especially - are better judged by kWh/day or seasonal performance than by one instantaneous watt number. THE OFF-GRID MATH 1,000 watts for 1 hour = 1 kWh. A 5-kWh battery is an energy bucket. A 5-kW inverter is a power gate. Those are different limits. Real usable AC energy is lower than nominal battery capacity because of battery reserve, temperature, wiring and inverter losses. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 3 CONTENTS - IN THE ORDER THE HOUSE MAKES SENSE PART I - SITE + SHELL: Earth -> foundation -> floor -> walls -> thermal bridges -> windows -> doors -> roof -> sound. PART II - AIR + COMFORT: Air sealing -> ventilation -> fans -> heat pumps / mini-splits -> heating -> diagnosing a cold house. PART III - WATER + DAILY LIFE: Water supply -> hot water -> shower -> toilets / bidet -> laundry -> refrigerator -> cooking. PART IV - WASTE + BIOLOGY: Sewer / septic / alternatives -> vermicomposting -> Worm Mansion -> greywater -> gasification / char. PART V - POWER + INTEGRATION: Loads -> 12/24/48 V -> inverter -> solar / battery -> mechanical zone -> failure modes -> master system map. APPENDICES: Fast comparison tables, 5-kWh battery examples, sources and terms. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 4 PART I SITE + SHELL Make the building stop creating unnecessary loads. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 5 1. EARTH -> FOOTING -> FOUNDATION -> HOUSE EARTH FOOTING FOUNDATION FLOOR WALL ROOF Build the load path and the water path before the appliance list. The first system is not solar. It is water leaving the site without entering the building. Grade, roof drainage, capillary control, footing drainage where needed, and foundation detailing decide whether the shell starts dry or spends its life fighting moisture. FOUNDATION THINKING WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Bare / minimally insulated Concrete or masonry mostly exposed to soil temperature. Lowest first cost; highest direct thermal bridge risk. Can create cold slab edges and higher heating/cooling load. Edge-insulated slab Insulation isolates the slab perimeter where losses concentrate. DOE/Building Science guidance emphasizes slab-edge insulation in applicable climates. Warmer edge surfaces, less conductive loss, lower condensation risk. More continuous high-R foundation Below-grade wall/slab strategy connects foundation insulation to wall insulation. Project- and climate-specific R-values; below-grade material must tolerate moisture/ground contact. Completes the thermal envelope instead of stopping insulation at the wall. For Muskogee County, Oklahoma, current climate-zone references place the county in IECC 3A / mixed-humid . That means both summer humidity and winter heat loss matter; do not copy a Minnesota or Phoenix foundation detail blindly. [S18] WHY INSULATE THE FOUNDATION? Concrete is strong but thermally conductive compared with insulation. A bare slab edge is a shortcut around a well-insulated wall. The point is not 'warm dirt.' The point is breaking the easy heat path at the perimeter and keeping interior surfaces more comfortable. [S11][S12] REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 6 2. THE ENVELOPE: FOUR CONTROL JOBS RAIN / WATER AIR HEAT VAPOR / DRYING A wall, roof, floor, door and window all have to keep these control layers connected. A high-performance shell is easier to understand when you separate the jobs: • Bulk water: rain and groundwater must drain away. • Air: uncontrolled leakage carries heat and moisture and creates drafts. • Heat: insulation slows conduction. • Vapor / drying: assemblies need a climate-appropriate way to tolerate seasonal moisture and dry. Air sealing is not the same thing as insulation. DOE's useful analogy is a sweater and a windbreaker: insulation slows heat, but an air barrier stops the wind through the sweater. [S13] WHY IS MY HOUSE COLD? - FIRST CLUE If the thermostat says 72 F and you still feel cold, the problem may be cold surfaces or moving air rather than insufficient furnace temperature. Comfort is not just air temperature. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 7 3. WALLS: A WALL IS NOT A WALL SIDING DRAINAGE CONTINUOUS INSULATION SHEATHING / AIR-WATER STUD + CAVITY SERVICE CAVITY DRYWALL OUTSIDE INSIDE Continuous insulation covers framing. The service cavity protects the primary control layers from future penetrations. THREE WALL DIRECTIONS WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Conventional 2x4 / 2x6 cavity wall Structure and insulation share the stud cavity. Cavity R-value can look good on paper; wood framing bypasses some of it. Simple and familiar, but whole-wall performance is lower than cavity R alone. Advanced / reduced framing Fewer studs, better corners/headers, more cavity insulation. DOE examples use 2x6 at 24 in. o.c. and reduced framing where structurally appropriate. Less lumber can mean less thermal bridging and more insulated area. Cavity + continuous exterior insulation Rigid/semirigid layer covers framing outside the sheathing. Continuity at corners, rim, window openings and roof/foundation transition matters most. Cuts the framing shortcut and can improve comfort, durability and HVAC load. The architect-level idea is whole-wall performance . The normal-person version is: the pink stuff between the studs is not the whole wall. Continuous insulation is powerful because it covers studs, plates, headers and rim areas that otherwise conduct around cavity insulation. [S14] REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 8 4. STAGGERED STUDS: THERMAL + SOUND, BUT NOT MAGIC CONVENTIONAL Rigid path from one face to the other. STAGGERED Fewer direct face-to-face structural paths. What it is: studs alternate on a wider plate so many studs support only one wall face instead of mechanically tying both faces together. Thermal: it can reduce some direct stud bridging through the field of the wall. Plates, openings, corners and framing connections still bridge, so continuous insulation remains the more complete thermal strategy. Sound: reducing rigid connection between faces can improve isolation when the wall also has mass, cavity absorption and airtightness. DO NOT OVERSALE IT Staggered studs are not 'soundproof.' They are one way to reduce mechanical coupling. A badly sealed door, duct, ceiling or floor can route sound around the wall. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 9 5. SERVICE CAVITY: PROTECT THE GOOD WALL A shallow interior service cavity - for example 2x2 framing - gives wiring, switches and small lines a place to live on the room side of the primary air/thermal layers. THREE UTILITY APPROACHES WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Everything in primary wall Boxes, pipes and wires cut directly through the main enclosure. Fewest framing layers. Cheap now; every penetration becomes an air-sealing and repair detail. Shallow service cavity Interior furring creates a protected utility zone. Commonly 1.5-2+ in. depending on design. Preserves air barrier; easier future changes. Dedicated utility / mechanical wall Wet wall or chase groups larger services. Depth sized to actual plumbing/duct needs. Shortest runs and best access, but costs floor area. WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? The cavity is not only for air sealing. It can improve repairability, organize the build and add a little extra physical separation for sound. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 10 6. THERMAL BRIDGES: THE SHORTCUTS A thermal bridge is a material or connection that conducts heat more easily than the insulated area around it. Common bridges: studs, plates, headers, rim joists, steel, slab edges, window frames and roof/wall junctions. • Reduce unnecessary framing. • Use continuous insulation where appropriate. • Treat slab edge, rim, windows, doors and roof transitions as first-class details. • Keep insulation in full contact with the air barrier; gaps and compression reduce performance. THE RULE The middle of the wall is usually easy. The edge of the wall is where the building tells the truth. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 11 7. WINDOWS: SINGLE, DOUBLE, TRIPLE SINGLE PANE DOUBLE PANE TRIPLE PANE More panes can lower heat flow. Low-e coating, gas fill, frame, SHGC, leakage and installation still matter. GLAZING FAMILIES WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Single pane One sheet of glass. Very high heat transfer by modern standards; poor surface temperature in winter. Cheap/old; generally the first glazing level to leave behind in conditioned housing. Double pane Two panes + sealed gap; often low-e + argon. DOE example for a less-efficient double-pane clear unit: U ~0.47. Modern low-e units can be much better. Strong value baseline in many mixed climates. Triple pane Three panes; usually multiple low-e surfaces / gas spaces. DOE best-available example cited U ~0.12; actual products vary. Best surface comfort/low heat flow, but higher cost/weight; system-level payback depends on climate and window area. Oklahoma nuance: triple pane is not useless. It is simply not automatically the best next dollar in a 3A mixed-humid house after you already have a good double-pane low-e/argon unit. Orientation, SHGC, air leakage, frame quality, window area and installation can matter more than adding the third pane. DOE notes low SHGC is valuable in warm climates to reduce unwanted solar gain. [S3] NORMAL PERSON VERSION U-factor: lower is better at stopping heat flow. SHGC: lower blocks more solar heat. In a hot sunny orientation, the wrong SHGC can punish the AC even if the glass has a good U-factor. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 12 8. DOORS: A WALL THAT MOVES THREE DOOR LEVELS WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Hollow interior door Light skins over hollow/honeycomb core. Low mass. Fine for privacy; weak for sound isolation. Solid-core interior door Dense engineered or solid core. Much higher mass. Better sound isolation if perimeter and bottom are sealed. Exterior / acoustic-style assembly Insulated or heavy slab + robust frame + seals. Performance depends heavily on air leakage and threshold. Can be excellent thermally/acoustically, but gaps defeat the expensive slab. THE STUPID FAILURE A 100-pound door with a 1/2-inch gap underneath is a very expensive air and sound vent. Overhangs help doors too: keeping rain and sun off the opening reduces the job the gaskets, paint and sealant must do. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 13 9. ROOF: NOT A HAT The roof handles rain, solar gain, structure, shading, ventilation geometry, solar mounting, gutters, and part of the thermal/air enclosure. THREE ROOF HEAT STRATEGIES WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Conventional dark roof Weather skin directly exposed to sun. Can become very hot in summer. Simple; insulation below must handle the heat flow. Cool / reflective roof Higher solar reflectance and thermal emittance. DOE notes cool roofs can stay dramatically cooler; benefit is climate-dependent. Reduces summer roof heat gain, strongest in warm/hot climates. Vented over-roof / solar shield Outer weather/solar skin separated from primary roof by vented air space. One DOE/ORNL-supported product with a 1-in. vented gap showed an 85% reduction in peak daytime roof heat transfer in its test - not a universal number. Passive convection can dump part of the solar load before it reaches the main enclosure. OUTER SOLAR / RAIN SKIN PRIMARY ROOF / THERMAL-AIR ENCLOSURE Vented gap: outside air can carry away some heat before it reaches the primary roof. That third idea is what we have been calling a 'double roof.' It is better described as a ventilated over-roof / solar shield : two layers with different jobs, not two complete roofs stacked for no reason. [S15] DO NOT STEAL THE 85% NUMBER That result belonged to a specific tested roof product and assembly. The principle travels; the exact percentage does not. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 14 10. SOUND ISOLATION: WHY DECOUPLING WORKS MASS ABSORPTION DECOUPLING AIR SEAL Sound isolation works as an assembly. Doors, ducts, floors, ceilings and penetrations can flank around the wall. THREE LEVELS WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Conventional wall One stud line rigidly connects both faces. Cheap and structurally simple. Vibration has a direct path. Decoupled face / staggered / clips One or both faces are mechanically less connected. Actual STC depends on tested assembly, layers and details. Less vibration crosses the structure. Room-in-room Separate inner shell + air gap + mass + absorption. Highest complexity and space cost. Best potential isolation when floor, ceiling, doors, ducts and penetrations are also controlled. A tested SoundBreak XP guide, for example, lists an unbalanced 5/8-in. staggered 2x4 assembly at STC 60 and a double-row 2x4 assembly at STC 64. Those are specific laboratory assemblies , not promises for a homemade wall. [S16] THE FOUR-PART MODEL Mass resists motion. Fibrous cavity material absorbs some energy. Decoupling removes rigid paths. Airtightness closes airborne leaks. Leave one weak path and sound goes around. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 15 PART II AIR + COMFORT Control the invisible flows before buying a bigger machine. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 16 11. AIR SEALING: THE CHEAP CAPACITY UPGRADE DOE reports that reducing drafts and air leaks can produce roughly 5-30% annual energy savings in some homes and usually improves comfort. That wide range is the point: leakage varies enormously. [S17] • Top plates and attic penetrations • Rim/band joists • Plumbing and electrical penetrations • Window/door rough openings • Attic hatches • Chases, soffits and dropped ceilings • Duct boots and mechanical penetrations BLOWER DOOR A blower-door test turns invisible leakage into a measurable number and makes leaks easier to locate. It is one of the fastest ways to stop guessing why a house feels drafty. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 17 12. VENTILATION: TIGHT DOES NOT MEAN STALE OUTSIDE ERV / HRV HOUSE Balanced ventilation chooses both supply and exhaust paths instead of relying on random leakage. THREE WHOLE-HOUSE APPROACHES WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Exhaust-only Fans push indoor air out; replacement air enters through designed inlets or leakage. Simple controls, low equipment count. Depressurizes house; makeup-air path matters. Supply-only Fan intentionally brings outdoor air in. Can filter incoming air. Pressurizes house; moisture strategy matters by climate. Balanced ERV / HRV Controlled supply and exhaust with heat exchanger. ERV transfers heat and some moisture; HRV primarily sensible heat. Best control of both paths; more equipment and filters. Building Science Education notes that ERVs/HRVs recover energy from outgoing air and reduce the heating/cooling penalty of ventilation. ERVs also transfer some water vapor. [S9] SOURCE CONTROL STILL EXISTS An ERV does not replace the kitchen range hood or bathroom exhaust function. Whole-house ventilation handles background air quality; local exhaust attacks contaminants where they are made. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 18 13. A FAN IS NOT A FAN AC CEILING FAN often ~50-100+ W older/basic designs EFFICIENT AC often ~25-60 W model-dependent DC / EC FAN often ~10-35 W high efficiency Compare CFM/W, not motor labels alone. Real certified models can be below 30 W at high speed. CEILING FAN MOTOR/ERA COMPARISON WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Older / heavy AC design Traditional induction-style AC fan motors. Older 52-in Hunter documentation: 80 W low / 155 W high - historical example, not a modern typical fan. Can be a surprisingly large continuous load off-grid. Modern efficient conventional fan Current products vary widely; motor label alone does not tell efficiency. ENERGY STAR evaluates CFM/W across speeds. Compare actual CFM/W and watt draw. High-efficiency DC / EC Brushless electronic motor and efficient aerodynamics. Hunter Builder DC: 13 W rated, 4,589 CFM high. Haiku L 52: about 20.3 W max, 5,204 CFM. [S5][S6] An 8-hour night at 20 W is only 0.16 kWh. 5-kWh BATTERY EXAMPLE 155 W x 8 h = 1.24 kWh. 20 W x 8 h = 0.16 kWh. Same category of appliance; radically different off-grid consequence. And remember: a ceiling fan does not lower room temperature. It moves air across people and mixes the room, which can let you stay comfortable at a warmer thermostat setting. REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 19 14. THREE FAN JOBS - DO NOT MIX THEM UP FAN JOBS WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Ceiling / circulation Moves room air around people and mixes stratification. Often ~2-35 W for efficient certified fans; older units can be much higher. Comfort for tiny energy; may reduce compressor use. Local exhaust Bath fan or range hood removes moisture/contaminants at source. Typical bath fans span tens of watts; compare CFM/W and sones. Removes the problem before whole-house air has to dilute it. Whole-house / ventilation Moves outdoor air through the whole enclosure intentionally. Power depends on airflow and static pressure; efficient ECM equipment can be modest. Continuous loads matter off-grid, so right-size airflow and pressure. THE QUESTION Not 'How big is the fan?' Ask: How many CFM, against what pressure, from where, to where, at what watts and noise? REAL GOOD GOODS | WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO? 20 15. MINI-SPLIT IS NOT MINI-SPLIT SINGLE-ZONE one outdoor + one indoor MULTI-ZONE one outdoor + several indoors DUCTED MINI-SPLIT compact air handler + short ducts Architecture does not determine wattage by itself. Capacity, outdoor temperature, efficiency and modulation do. THREE COMMON CONFIGURATIONS WHAT IT IS NUMBERS THAT MATTER OFF-GRID / SYSTEM EFFECT Single-zone wall mount One outdoor unit + one indoor head. Fujitsu 12LMAS1 example: rated cooling 0.96 kW; cooling range 0.14-1.27 kW; heating 0.14-1.67 kW. [S7] Excellent fit for a small open plan when load and distribution cooperate. Multi-zone One outdoor unit serves 2+ indoor units. Fujitsu AOU24RLXFZ example: 22k cooling / 24k heating, rated input 1.76/1.73 kW. [S8] More zones, more piping, shared outdoor unit; low-load behavior matters. Ducted mini-split Small inverter outdoor unit + compact ducted air handler. Wattage depends on system; ducts add fan/static-pressure work. Hides heads and serves rooms, but duct design becomes part of efficiency. Why inverter matters: the compressor can modulate instead of only being fully on or fully off. In a small efficient house, minimum output can matter as much as maximum output because oversized equipment that cannot turn down far enough may cycle. THE BIG OFF-GRID LESSON Do not size a mini-split from the nameplate BTUs or square-foot rule alone. First shrink the building load, then calculate the load, then choose a machine that can both meet the peak and turn down low enough during mild weather.