On the Wire - Hidden Heat Loss Culprits
Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. We know air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, and we take precautions by sealing, caulking, weather stripping these gaps. But what can you do about the four largest "holes" in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan, the fireplace and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques from Battic Door Energy Conservation Products that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes:
Attic Stairs
When attic stairs are installed, a large hole is cut into your ceiling. The insulation has to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood. Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood. Try this: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door -- do you see any light coming through? These are gaps add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day. This is like leaving a window open all year round. An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.
Whole House Fans
Much like attic stairs, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only leaky ceiling shutter between the house and the outdoors. An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan cover. Installed from the attic side, the whole house fan cover is invisible. Cover the fan to reduce heating and air-conditioning loss, remove it when the fan is in use of the fan. If attic access is inconvenient, a ceiling shutter cover is another option for reducing heat loss. Made from R-8, textured, thin, white flexible insulation, and installed from the house side over the ceiling shutter with Velcro, a whole house fan shutter cover is easily installed and removed.
Fireplaces
Why does a home with a fireplace have higher heating bills? It is simple - hot air rises. Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when your heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw sucking the heated air from your house! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to install a fireplace draft stopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that is installed into the fireplace below the damper. As the pillow is inflated, it seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks and heat loss. Other benefits include the reduction of downdrafts, toxins, odors, pollutants, and noise. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after. Completely reusable and available in two sizes to fit any masonry or zero-clearance fireplace, the draftstopper can pay for itself in less than a month!
Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts
In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house. Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal
to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open, or a cold breeze can blow the flapper open, allowing frigid air right to come right into the house. An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This low-cost, easily installed vent is mounted on the outside of your house, and reduces unwanted air infiltration, and keeps out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.
If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. Find out about all these solutions at Battic Door Energy Conservation Products.
back to the top
Ask Tom & Leslie - Water Logged Ceiling?
This week’s question comes to us from Brenda, who says, “We have an upstairs laundry room. The hose came out of the washer and flooded the entire laundry room and caused water to drip through the lights of our kitchen, which is just below the laundry room. To drain the water, we cut holes in the ceiling of the kitchen (a few small ones) and let them drip for about a week. Then we just patched them up because they appeared to be dry. Now those patches seem to be sagging, though there is no moisture that we can feel. I'm wondering if there could still be water damage in the ceiling. There is no staining anywhere, and no mushrooming of the laundry room vinyl flooring, but could there still be water damage that we cannot see? This is a new construction home and had mold treatments done on it before the drywall was put up. I am nervous about mold growth though.”
Brenda, we have good news – and a little bit of bad news. First, the good news is that I think it is unlikely that you have any mold problems. Mold needs three things to grow: air, food and water. While there is plenty of air and drywall is a terrific mold food, the fact that your leak was a one-time washout means that there’s not much moisture left to feed a mold problem.
Now, for the bad news, it sound’s like your drywall ceiling is damaged. You were correct to put holes in the ceiling to drain the water, but I suspect that you did not put enough, or that you missed the lowest part of the ceiling where a good part of the water collected. There is one thing you can check before giving up on the ceiling. To find out if it’s the drywall or the just the patch that is sagged, take a very strong flashlight and hold it up close to and parallel to the ceiling. As the light washes over the ceiling, you should be able to spot exactly where the sag is. If it is the ceiling, then the drywall is permanently damaged and would need to be replaced. However, if it is just the patch, perhaps the repair work wasn’t done well and can be done again.
If you do end up replacing the ceiling, I’d recommend a product called Dens Armor Plus, made by Georgia Pacific. It looks, cuts and is installed like drywall – but with one key difference. Dens Armor Plus has a fiberglass face that won’t feed mold, instead of a traditional paper face that does just that.
back to the top
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.
back to the top
On the Air - Exterior Paint Prep
Coming up this week on the radio show, is your home ready for a paint job? Are you dreading the “getting ready” part? Fall is a GREAT time to tackle painting the outside of your house and we are going to get some advice on how to make that job easier from the editor of www.FineHomebuilding.com, Kevin Ireton.
back to the top
Dot Common Sense - Pesky Pests
Is that squeak underfoot something OTHER than a loose floorboard? Are furry little friends trying to use your home as their winter resort?
If that squeak you hear isn’t from your floorboards, you might want to look for other telltale signs of unwanted guests like tears in bags or chewed boxes or paper or droppings…if so, you’ve got mice. To rid yourself of these pests, try to find any and all entry points. Remember that mice can squeeze through spaces as small as a nickel.
Use sheet metal, steel wool or cement and pay particular attention to the spaces around pipes, vents and ducts. Traps and poison bate designed for rodents are very effective, too and can help eliminate those mice that have already set up housekeeping in your home.
For more great tips on how to get rid of the unwanted visitors BEFORE they move in and set up camp for the winter, or to find a qualified pest professional in your area, visit the site of the National Pest Management Association at www.pestworld.org.
back to the top
Fun Fact - Cold Water Wash
Even though some say rising fuel costs are starting to slow, consumers may still be paying a bit more to heat their homes this year. With that in mind, Consumer Reports has a few simple ways to save on all sorts of home energy costs, many of which can be accomplished without spending any money and using things you already have.
For instance, 90% percent of the energy used by a washing machine is wasted on merely heating the water. So, Consumer Reports suggests washing clothes in cold water; they’ll still get just as clean. There are even detergents on the market now designed to clean clothes better in cold water. Consumers can also save 20 gallons of hot water used for rinsing dishes if they simply use their dishwashers. Microwaves even use as much as 80 percent less energy than ovens.
For more free ways on how to save on home energy costs this fall and winter, consumers can turn to a new book by Consumer Reports called the "Complete Guide to Reducing Energy Costs" at bookstores now or online.
back to the top
Short Cuts - Window of Opportunity
If you don’t have a big budget to take on a major home improvement, there are ways to break up big jobs into more financially manageable chunks. For example, iIf you’re considering replacement windows, but don’t have the budget for the whole house, don’t completely reject the idea. If your budget is limited, begin by replacing windows on the side of your house that takes the worst seasonal impact. Easterners start with northeastern windows… southerners, replace southeast windows first… and so on. Then, you can replace the rest as your budget allows.
back to the top
Share This Information With A Friend!
Simply forward this Email. And invite friends to register to receive this E-newsletter each week.If you would like to unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, please refer to the unsubscribe directions at the bottom of this newsletter.
back to the top
Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
|
