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Preston Sandlin

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How To Cut Home Heating Bills

09-04-08
Preston Sandlin

Record world oil prices will hit home heating this winter, with consumers likely paying high prices to heat their homes. Natural gas will rise an average of 24 percent and fuel oil a whopping 36 percent says the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. Now is the time to give your home a "check-up."

Here are seven tips from the Comfort Institute to make your home an energy sipper instead of a gas guzzler. They will help you save money, improve comfort and help the environment too.

1. Ask your heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor to test your duct system for air leaks. Many people assume that windows and doors are the major cause of a home's energy-wasting air leaks. But according to recent research by the U.S. Department of Energy, gaps, joints and disconnections in the typical home's duct system are much more significant. The DOE states that the typical duct system loses 25 to 40 percent of the energy put out by the central furnace or heat pump. Authorities recommend sealing ducts with a brushed on fiber-reinforced elastomeric sealant. Duct tape, which is great for many things, usually dries out and fails.

2. Ask your contractor to perform an Infiltrometer "blower door" test. The blower door is a computerized instrument originally invented by the DOE. It pinpoints where your home's worst air leaks are, such as duct leaks, and also measures how leaky the overall house is. Most homes have the equivalent of an open window in combined air leaks. Many heating contractors offer an Infiltrometer test as part of a home and duct performance test that also checks insulation levels.

3. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. A pre-season tuneup is a great investment. It reduces the chances of breakdowns on cold winter nights, improves safety and more than pays for itself through more energy efficient operation. For a free report: "How to Identify a Good Heating and Cooling Contractor," go to www.comfortinstitute.org.

4. Replace your furnace or heat pump air filter, or clean it if it is an electronic unit. Most systems need this done every month to ensure safe and efficient operation. Keep forgetting to do it? Ask your contractor for an extended surface area central air filter that only needs to be replaced once a year. It also does a far better job of keeping your equipment and the air in your home clean.

5. Close your fireplace damper. Did you remember to close it last time you used the fireplace? Shut it now or waste precious warm air all winter long.

6. Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning down the thermostat eight degrees for eight hours a day will save 8 percent on home heating costs. An easy way to take advantage of these savings is to lower the thermostat temperature while away from home or sleeping. Ask your heating contractor about new models which are much easier to program.

7. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. Just like a car, heating and cooling equipment doesn't last forever. Is your system more than 12 years old? Planning to stay in your home more than a few years? Many authorities recommend replacing it before it fails permanently. New units can pay for themselves over time as they are up to twice as energy efficient. However, government and utility research has found that over 90 percent of newly installed high efficiency systems have energy wasting mistakes. Today's new equipment is drastically compromised if it is hooked up to bad ducts.

Do some homework before talking to contractors. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov and www.comfortinstitute.org. Print out the free Comfort Institute report "Tips and Secrets to Buying A New Heating and Cooling System."

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Pool Inspection

08-31-08
Preston Sandlin
Have you ever wondered how a pool works? Do you know the major types of pools and filtration systems out there? What maintenence is need to keep the water clean and clear? Do you know how to backwash and inspect a pool? In this video by Preston Sandlin of Home Inspection Carolina in Charlotte NC shows how to inspect a pool. Besides inspecting the pool, you should check the pool regularly for the PH and chlorine level. You should also check for total alkalinity. If the total alkalinity is low the chlorine will not work. You probably have to backwash once a week unless you have a cartridge filter pool. Things that can go wrong include leaks, filter clogging, pressure loss, and cracks. Nothing is greater on a hot summer day than taking a dip in a clean freash pool.
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Save Water

08-25-08
Preston Sandlin

Almost half of the toilets in the United States use 3.5 gallons of water per flush, even after a federal mandate in 1992 limited all new toilets to 1.6 gallons. Which means Americans are wasting water.

But there are ways to cut back on the waste, not only per toilet flush, but every time the shower runs or vegetables are washed in the sink. The Environmental Protection Agency promotes water efficiency and enhances the market for efficient products, programs and practices using the WaterSense label.

Several manufacturers that actively support WaterSense are taking the federal mandate of 1.6 gallons of water per flush to a new level. Kohler Co. has developed toilets which use only one gallon of water, and there are several models available at the 1.28 gallons-per-flush level. Dual flush toilets allow users to choose a level of water -- 0.8 gallons for liquid wastes and 1.6 gallons for solids -- with improved flushing technology, meaning consumers are not going to lose out on performance or design.

If the average family of four people changes their old, 3.5 gallons-per-flush toilet for a high efficiency, 1.28 gallons-per-flush toilet, they could save 20,000 gallons of water a year. If every household did the same thing, more than 1 billion gallons of water would be saved.

"Homeowners are wanting energy-efficient appliances to save money around the home, and they shouldn't overlook plumbing products," says Master Plumber and Contractor Ed Del Grande, host of "Ed The Plumber" on the Do It Yourself Network. "By replacing toilets with newer models that flush much less water, but still perform to expectations, an average family can save a lot of water. And we know that performance cannot be understated. What good is a water-saving toilet if you have to flush twice?"

But toilets are just the start. The standard rate of water flow in the shower is 2.5 gallons per minute. That can be cut in third by installing a high-efficiency showerhead, and many showerheads can be adjusted to get the high-pressure power massage, if wanted.

The third water-saving opportunity in every household takes the least amount of work. Faucet aerators are the screens water passes through as it leaves the spout. The replacement of a 2.2-gallons-per-minute aerator with a 1.5-gallons-per-minute aerator reduces water usage by 30 percent.

Preston Sandlin

Home Inspection Carolina

www.homeinspectioncarolina.com

www.askthecharlotteinspector.com

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Sealed Crawl Spaces

08-25-08
Preston Sandlin
Do you have high moisture in your crawl space? Will a sealed crawl space fix it? Yes it will but how does it work. A “normal vented” crawl space actually pulls in more moisture if there are air conditioning ducts there. By sealing off the vents you are preventing new moisture from coming into the crawl. The plastic completely covers the floor and part of the foundation walls and piers. There is no insulation in between the joists but on the side walls. The air conditioner actually blows into the crawl to create a conditioned space. The downside is that you can’t see evidence of termites and that sealing a crawl with a professional sealing company is rather expensive. Please wath the video by Preston Sandlin of Home Inspection Carolina in Charlotte NC to see an example of a sealed crawl space. There are many reputable companieis out there that can professionally seal your crawlspace and unfortunately there are a few oportunistic ones out there too. Home Inspection Carolina recommends that you check for references and prior clients. Preston Sandlin www.homeinspectioncarolina.com www.thecharlotteinspector.com Home Inspection Carolina Charlotte NC 704-542-6575
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Basement Plumbing

08-20-08
Preston Sandlin

It's a common basement renovation scenario: You want a new bathroom and your plumber recommends a sewage ejection system. That requires digging through the concrete: a messy and time-consuming job with a high price tag.

Mike Sikorski says that scenario was turning off his customers. Today, the East Taunton, Mass., plumber happily recommends above-floor plumbing instead. "The last sewage ejector I put in was about three years ago," he says. "I recommend Saniflo aboveground plumbing for all my basement baths now. It's less invasive, it's a ‘cut-and-dry' installation, and there are no surprises."

Sikorski customers "get more bang for their buck" with the system. "If you can save people money, that's a plus."

Saniflo's modern toilet systems use above-floor, or "macerating," technology. There's no need to dig. Instead of routing flush water through underground drainage lines to a sewage ejector, waste is moved to a pump.

The pump liquefies waste and paper, and releases it under pressure through small-diameter piping to the sewer or septic tank. It requires no special maintenance, and the pump (which can be hidden behind the wall) is sealed for life.

Satisfied Customer

Tom Proudler is a Santa Rosa, Calif., building contractor who traveled to Raynham, Mass., to help his daughter renovate her basement. He had never heard of above-floor plumbing before Sikorski recommended it.

"It's the neatest thing," Proudler says. "It's not as noisy as an ejector, and it saved us a ton of money.

Sikorski agrees. "With a sewage ejector -- just as you would for conventional plumbing -- you've got to jackhammer and dig up the floor, not knowing what's beneath. Then you have to re-cement it. Frankly, digging is unpredictable."

There are several hazards, he explains. "To start with, I don't know how thick the floor is, or if there are unforeseen rocks or pipes. And if I run into a ledge, the customer has to reconfigure the layout for the bathroom. Plus, any time you disturb the concrete floor, there's a chance of water seeping through."

Saniflo systems can handle the toilet and all the bathroom fixtures, and work up to 15 feet below and as far as 150 feet away from a septic tank or sewer line. Plus, there is no need for a storage tank to hold accumulating waste.

The Problem with Sewage Ejection

Sewage ejectors require concrete excavation to install drain lines and a storage tank. "There's really nothing to be gained by using sewage ejection," says Rob Weed, a manufacturers' representative with Studnicky Associates. "You still have to trench through the concrete just as you would have to with conventional plumbing."

"With a sewage ejector, you're limited to an area with enough space for the sewage tank and a way to access it," Sikorski explains. Typically, these storage tanks (30 by 30 inches) accumulate waste over numerous flushes before the ejector moves it up into the main drain. "When not installed properly, the tank cover can leak water if the pump fails and also cause gases to come into the house," he says.

You don't have that problem with above-floor plumbing, which pumps the system clear of waste with every flush.

"What if you had a leak?"

The possibility for a storage-tank leak kept homeowner Frank Hunt from choosing a sewage ejector pump when he remodeled the basement in his suburban Chicago home and added a bath. "I didn't care for the idea that there would be a storage tank of that size," he explains. "What if you had a leak in that big tank?" Instead of taking that risk, Hunt chose a macerating system for his project.

An above-floor plumbing system can be installed in half a day, with no digging, saving the customer a lot of hassle and a lot of money. With 3/4-inch discharge pipe, it's simple to install even in a tight space. Alternatively, a sewage ejector typically requires a two-inch pipe, adding installation challenges and noise.

"I don't understand why more installers don't recommend macerating technology," Weed adds. "Hands down, it's a better way to go."

"I haven't gotten a single call back," Sikorski says. "I tell people I love Saniflo. It's so much easier, more convenient and less invasive. It saves my customers an average of $1,000, and that's on the low side."

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