On the Wire - Cheap Tricks to Keep Cool
Keep cool without cranking up the AC. A little planning and a few bucks can keep your house cooler to begin with, so you don’t have to cool it down too much when the mercury rises. Here are some ideas:
- Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but be careful not to block its airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
- Using ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans can help cool your home without greatly increasing electricity use. Ceiling fans improve airflow and create pleasant breezes. Remember, a ceiling fan doesn't cool the room - it cools you, so turn the fan off when you leave.
- Find and seal air leaks that cause drafts and make your cooling system work overtime. You or a licensed contractor can follow ENERGY STAR Home Sealing recommendations to tighten your home "envelope" -- outer walls, ceiling, windows, and floors. If you experience uneven temperatures in parts of your home, even when your central air is on, call in a contractor to inspect your ducts. They may need to be sealed and insulated to better deliver air throughout your living space and prevent loss of cooled air to areas between walls, ceilings, and floors. Either project could save you up to 10% on energy bills each year.
- Energy-efficient windows also save energy, and protect your furniture and home from sun and heat gain. Roughly 40 percent of the unwanted heat that builds up in your home comes in through windows. But when it comes to buying new windows, what you see is not necessarily what you get. Since most energy efficient features can’t be seen it’s important to know what to ask for. For starters, be sure to ask for double-pane windows with “low-e” glass. The “e” stands for emissivity and that is what stands between you and lots of heat producing UV radiation driving your cooling bills up.
- You’ve probably heard it said a million times: “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity!” But did you know that there is something you can do about it? Aprilaire makes a whole home dehumidifier that removes the proper amount of moisture from your home, and as a result keeps you comfortable while preserving your home. And, unlike portable dehumidifiers that sit in the basement and need to be constantly emptied, the Aprilaire Whole-Home Dehumidifier is professionally installed into your heating and cooling system where it runs 24/7 keeping humidity down throughout your entire home. The unit can remove 90 pints of water a day from your home leaving you cool and comfortable.
- Homes will stay cooler and drier if the outside grading and drainage conditions are maintained. Poor drainage leads to higher moisture levels inside the home which are uncomfortable, unhealthy. There are two areas that should be checked your yard and your roof. Slope soil around the house in such a way as to divert water away from the house. Divert all water from the roof and gutters away from the house. Don't allow roof drainage to saturate the soil around the foundation of the house.
Besides these low-cost tips, are there things you can do to keep cooling costs down that don't cost a dime:
- Work at Night - Run heat generating appliances like your clothes dryer or oven only at night.
- Close Storm Windows - If you have central A/C or in rooms where you are running windows units. That same air that leaks in during the cold winter months also leaks in during the summer and drives up cooling costs.
- Reverse Ceiling Fans - If you have ceiling fans, take advantage of their one energy efficient feature - reversible motors. By controlling the direction of the blades, you can use the fan to "pull" cold air up in the summer and "push" warm air down in the winter. Upgrade to a more energy-efficient ceiling fan. ENERGY STAR qualified models are up to 50% more energy-efficient than conventional fans.
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Uncovering the Mole
This week’s question comes to us from Tony Morganti who listens to The Money Pit in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Tony asks, “How can I get rid of moles in my backyard?”
Thanks for listening, Tony. So, you've got some unwanted visitors to the yard. Tired of the twisted ankles from falling in their ditches? Well, you have to do a couple of things. They are visiting your yard because they love the tasty grubs that live in your lawn. Grubs are the larvae stage of beetles and they love to feed on your lawns roots. Get rid of the grubs and they will leave in search of a new food source. Scotts had a product called Grubex and it can be applied by you at home. It is best to do it now before the end of July for the treatment to be most affective. Mow the lawn first so it can best reach the soil and only water after the application if you are in a drought area. Your other option is to buy a small battery operated transistor radio, blast some loud rock music, and drop into one the mole tunnels. The vibrations will make them run and hide. That should keep them away until the Grubex kicks in.
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Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Air - iPod? uPod? We all Pod!
iPod? uPod? We can all Pod together! Important Announcement for Podcast listeners: As you may know, The Money Pit is available for download to your iPod or other mp3 player. If you are already a Podcast subscriber, you will need to re-subscribe to the feed to receive current shows. To do so, simply click here and follow the instructions.
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Dot Common Sense - For the Birds
If bird watching is your thing, you know that keeping squirrels away from your feeders can be challenging. There are feeders designed specifically for this purpose, but there’s a new product we want to tell you about called Squirrel Stopper. This is a post that you can use to hang any size or style bird feeder, including ones you already own. It assembles in minutes without tools, is rust resistant, and comes with a warranty. The post has a cone-shaped, free floating shroud that makes it virtually impossible for squirrels and raccoons to get a grip on it. Go to www.SquirrelStopper.net for more info.
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Fun Fact - The Small Stuff
Your small appliances need occasional maintenance just like the bigger ones. If your can opener or blender is kaput, it’s probably cheaper to buy a new one than have it repaired. But try these tips to keep them running properly and they’ll last a little longer:
- Electric Can Opener: always remember to unplug a can opener before cleaning it. Wipe it down after each use, using a damp sponge and liquid dishwashing detergent. Don’t immerse it in water. Several times a year, you can remove the cutting wheel and lid holder and soak them in hot sudsy water. Scrub dried on food with a toothbrush, rinse, dry and replace the parts.
- Garbage Disposal: garbage disposals are self-cleaning, but they can get smelly, especially if you let food sit in them for any length of time. To keep your garbage disposal odorless and running smoothly, operate it with a full stream of running cold water. Flush the garbage disposal for a few seconds after turning it off to ensure that all debris is washed away. Never put metal, wood, glass, paper, or plastic objects in your disposal. Don’t use it to grind really tough foods like artichoke leaves and corn husks. And never attempt to unclog a disposal with caustic drain cleaners. If your disposal smells like last night’s dinner, you can tear up the peels from citrus fruit and grind up under a stream of cold water. Or sprinkle baking soda over ice cubes and grind them in the disposal.
- Toaster: remember to unplug the toaster and let it cool before cleaning it. Never immerse the toaster in water. Wipe the exterior of the toaster regularly. Remove the crumb tray at the base of the toaster and shake out accumulated crumbs; wash the tray in warm soapy water.
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Short Cuts - Thief Proof Your Home
Summer time is vacation season and open season on your home! Burglars look for vacant houses to raid. Make sure yours gets passed over with these tips:
- Lock your door! Sounds like a no-brainer but MOST burglars get in through unlocked doors and windows.
- Lock your car, especially if you have a garage-door opener inside.
- Don’t answer phone surveys about “your spending habits”… you could be giving a thief a shopping list of your valuables!
- If your telephone number is listed in the phone book, request to have your address removed. Better yet, get an unlisted number.
- Leave a light on in two rooms, and use timers. You can even put a TV on a timer. A good room to light – a bathroom with an outside window. Burglars will think you’ve gotten up in the middle of the night.
- And of course: don’t give your keys to just anyone. Have someone take in the mail, packages and newspaper.
Another good tip: case your home like a burglar would. Walk around outside at night. Are there good places to hide? Accessible windows? Easy access to tools and ladders that could lend a thief a helping hand? Curtain-less windows with a great view of all your stuff? These are all things thieves look for. Eliminate them and you will decrease the chances of your home being targeted.
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Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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