FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does Steel Compare To Wood?
This is easily the most commonly asked question. First of all,
wood is an organic material. It was a living organism. When wood is cut, the wood dies.
From that time forward, wood has one objective: that is to become dirt. Any organic
organisms final state is to decompose, rot, become mulch - dirt.
Steel, on the other hand, is a Mineral. It's strength and
dimensions are absolutely consistent. Steel will stay where you put it, for as long as you
leave it there.
To fairly compare Wood Framing to Steel Framing, you would have
to compare a Wood Frame that was built to the same standards as a Tri-Steel Lifetime home.
That means engineered to a Zone 4 Seismic, 8" exterior walls, R-30 Insulation,
Fireproof, Termite Proof, Dry Rot Proof, and without any warping, twisting, or splitting.
Simply, Steel is much better than Wood!
Does the Steel interfere with Radio & TV Reception?
The short answer is NO! If you understand the electronic properties of
Radio and TV waves, you know that they pass through just about anything.
Is Steel Energy Efficient?
A good testimony to the energy efficiency of Tri-Steels Lifetime
homes is the Centennial home built in Utah in 1996. It has 7,000 SqFt, three gas
fireplaces, and industrial gas fired water boiler that not only does the culinary water,
but the entire hot water snow melt system around the perimeter of the home and in the
driveway. It also has all gas appliances including restaurant grade ovens, and stoves, as
well as all gas fired fireplaces, and gas powered clothes dryers. For one of the coldest
months of the year, the owner recently said their total gas bill for the month was
$185.00.
Does the Steel Transfer Heat & Cold?
We're sure it does. We've had several different tests run by
independent laboratories with insulation companies and different things. What we've found
is -- When you insulate the steel home properly, there are certain kinds of insulation
that actually draw out the heat and the cold into the insulation - it just disperses it
before it every gets all the way through. We've had tests run where they put
probes/sensors along an 8" stud and done temperature variances on either side and the
report we've received back is that any heat or cold distribution dissipates into the
insulation within 2 to 3 inches into the stud, so it never really goes all the way
through.
Do you need a Thermal Break in the exterior walls?
We like to put a thermal break either on the exterior of the steel
between the sheeting and the steel, or better yet on the interior before you put the
plywood up. And this can be as easy as taking some sill plate styrofoam and cutting it
into strips and taking an automotive trim spray adhesive which works really well.