Thomas Schlotter

There was a time when the only remedy for sinking sidewalks or uneven foundations was to tear out the old pavement slab and pour a new one, and spend a great deal of time and money in the process. Today, a less intensive alternative known as mudjacking (also called concrete leveling, pressure grouting or slabjacking) pumps slurry beneath a sunken concrete slab in or-der to raise it back into place.

Concrete sinks because its underlying support, for various reasons, gives way. The original concrete may have been installed on dirt that hadn’t been compacted sufficiently, for instance, or soil erosion may be responsible. And some soil simply settles naturally over many years. Regardless of the cause, sunken concrete can lead to many struc-tural defects, including failed retaining walls, foundation settling, uneven junctions of concrete, sunken sidewalks, uneven concrete pads, cracked foundations, and bowed basement walls. If left uncorrected, these de-fects can lead to unwanted water runoff and major structural problems.

And, aside from the shabby appearance and decreased functionality of an uneven sidewalk, steps or walkway, sunken concrete can create ma-jor trip hazards for which the building owner is liable. If a building owner notices any of these conditions, they should consult with their inspector during their next scheduled inspection.

Process

First, small holes are drilled into the concrete, through which is pumped a slurry that may be composed of various materials, such as sand, cement, soil, limestone, bentonite clay, water or expanding polymers. The particu-lar mixture is based on the type of application and the mudjacker’s pref-erence. The slurry then fills any gaps and forces the concrete to rise back into place before the drilled holes are plugged up with cement, leaving the only visible evidence of the repair. Over the next day, the slurry solidifies and stabilizes the subsoil, making further sinking unlikely.

While this is not a complicated procedure, it should be performed only by a trained professional, as amateur workmanship may cause even more extensive damage. Drain pipes, sewers and utilities must be located and avoided, and the area must be evalu-ated as to whether it can survive the mudjacking process.

Some advantages of mudjacking over re-pouring cement include:

 Efficiency. Mudjacking requires less equipment and fewer workers. Adjacent plants and landscaping are also disturbed less, as are neighbors, tenants and passersby by the loud noise, dust and cumbersome equipment;

 Price. Mudjacking typically costs roughly half as much as concrete replacement because there is little need for new cement or the removal of old concrete. The overall cost is based on the area of concrete that must be lifted, which may be as little as $5 per foot. Thus, for a 5x4-foot job, it might cost just $60, although the mudjacker may charge more if the area is in a hard-to-reach location;

 Speed. Mudjacking takes hours, while cer-tain concrete pours may take days; and

 Environmentally friendly. Mudjacking makes use of perfectly good concrete, which would oth-erwise be sent to a landfill.

Limitations of Mudjacking

Mudjacking may be an ineffective waste of re-sources in the following situations:

 The concrete surface is spalling or otherwise damaged. The mudjacking process might further damage the surface, which will still be defective even after it’s raised back into place.

 The concrete has risen, caused by expan-sive soil. The only solution for this defect is to re-pour the cement.

 The cause of the settling is not addressed. If the soil has settled due to some external factor, the problem must be fixed or the soil will sink again in the future. For instance, a gutter downspout that drains onto a concrete edge must be corrected in order to avoid the need for future repair.

 The underlying soil is swampy.

 There is a sinkhole beneath the concrete.

Mudjacking can be an inexpensive, fast and clean way to level a sunken concrete slab.

- Connecticut Association of Home Inspectors, Inc (CAHI) -

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10 Easy Ways to Save Energy in Your Home

Most people don't know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy. Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through very simple changes, most of which homeowners can do themselves. Why make your home more energy efficient? Here are a few good reasons:

• Federal, state, utility and local jurisdictions' financial incentives, such as tax breaks, are very advantageous for homeowners in most parts of the U.S.
• It saves money. It costs less to power a home that has been converted to be more energy-efficient.
• It increases the comfort level indoors.
• It reduces our impact on climate change. Many scientists now believe that excessive energy consumption contributes significantly to global warming.
• It reduces pollution. Conventional power production introduces pollutants that find their way into the air, soil and water supplies.

1. Find better ways to heat and cool your house.

As much as half of the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling. The following are a few ways that energy bills can be reduced through adjustments to the heating and cooling systems:

• Install a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans can be used in place of air conditioners, which require a large amount of energy.
• Periodically replace air filters in air conditioners and heaters.
• Set thermostats to an appropriate temperature. Specifically, they should be turned down at night and when no one is home. In most homes, about 2% of the heating bill will be saved for each degree that the thermostat is lowered for at least eight hours each day. Turning down the thermostat from 75° F to 70° F, for example, saves about 10% on heating costs.
• Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat saves money by allowing heating and cooling appliances to be automatically turned down during times that no one is home and at night. Programmable thermostats contain no mercury and, in some climate zones, can save up to $150 per year in energy costs.
• Install a wood stove or a pellet stove. These are more efficient sources of heat than furnaces.
• At night, curtains drawn over windows will better insulate the room.

2. Install a tankless water heater.

Demand-type water heaters (tankless or instantaneous) provide hot water only as it is needed. They don't produce the standby energy losses associated with traditional storage water heaters, which will save on energy costs. Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. A gas burner or an electric element heats the water. As a result, demand water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. You don't need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water.

3. Replace incandescent lights.

The average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Traditional incandescent lights convert approximately only 10% of the energy they consume into light, while the rest becomes heat. The use of new lighting technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can reduce the energy use required by lighting by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time that lights are on but not being used. Here are some facts about CFLs and LEDs:

• CFLs use 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
• LEDs last even longer than CFLs and consume less energy.
• LEDs have no moving parts and, unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury.

4. Seal and insulate your home.

Sealing and insulating your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to make a home more comfortable and energy-efficient, and you can do it yourself. A tightly sealed home can improve comfort and indoor air quality while reducing utility bills. An InterNACHI energy auditor can assess leakage in the building envelope and recommend fixes that will dramatically increase comfort and energy savings.

The following are some common places where leakage may occur:

• electrical receptacles/outlets;
• mail slots;
• around pipes and wires;
• wall- or window-mounted air conditioners;
• attic hatches;
• fireplace dampers;
• inadequate weatherstripping around doors;
• baseboards;
• window frames; and
• switch plates.

Because hot air rises, air leaks are most likely to occur in the attic. Homeowners can perform a variety of repairs and maintenance to their attics that save them money on cooling and heating, such as:

• Plug the large holes. Locations in the attic where leakage is most likely to be the greatest are where walls meet the attic floor, behind and under attic knee walls, and in dropped-ceiling areas.
• Seal the small holes. You can easily do this by looking for areas where the insulation is darkened. Darkened insulation is a result of dusty interior air being filtered by insulation before leaking through small holes in the building envelope. In cold weather, you may see frosty areas in the insulation caused by warm, moist air condensing and then freezing as it hits the cold attic air. In warmer weather, you'll find water staining in these same areas. Use expanding foam or caulk to seal the openings around plumbing vent pipes and electrical wires. Cover the areas with insulation after the caulk is dry.
• Seal up the attic access panel with weatherstripping. You can cut a piece of fiberglass or rigid foamboard insulation in the same size as the attic hatch and glue it to the back of the attic access panel. If you have pull-down attic stairs or an attic door, these should be sealed in a similar manner.

5. Install efficient showerheads and toilets.

The following systems can be installed to conserve water usage in homes:

• low-flow showerheads. They are available in different flow rates, and some have a pause button which shuts off the water while the bather lathers up;
• low-flow toilets. Toilets consume 30% to 40% of the total water used in homes, making them the biggest water users. Replacing an older 3.5-gallon toilet with a modern, low-flow 1.6-gallon toilet can reduce usage an average of 2 gallons-per-flush (GPF), saving 12,000 gallons of water per year. Low-flow toilets usually have "1.6 GPF" marked on the bowl behind the seat or inside the tank;
• vacuum-assist toilets. This type of toilet has a vacuum chamber that uses a siphon action to suck air from the trap beneath the bowl, allowing it to quickly fill with water to clear waste. Vacuum-assist toilets are relatively quiet; and
• dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush toilets have been used in Europe and Australia for years and are now gaining in popularity in the U.S. Dual-flush toilets let you choose between a 1-gallon (or less) flush for liquid waste, and a 1.6-gallon flush for solid waste. Dual-flush 1.6-GPF toilets reduce water consumption by an additional 30%.

6. Use appliances and electronics responsibly.

Appliances and electronics account for about 20% of household energy bills in a typical U.S. home. The following are tips that will reduce the required energy of electronics and appliances:

• Refrigerators and freezers should not be located near the stove, dishwasher or heat vents, or exposed to direct sunlight. Exposure to warm areas will force them to use more energy to remain cool.
• Computers should be shut off when not in use. If unattended computers must be left on, their monitors should be shut off. According to some studies, computers account for approximately 3% of all energy consumption in the United States.
• Use efficient ENERGY STAR-rated appliances and electronics. These devices, approved by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Program, include TVs, home theater systems, DVD players, CD players, receivers, speakers, and more. According to the EPA, if just 10% of homes used energy-efficient appliances, it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 1.7 million acres of trees.
• Chargers, such as those used for laptops and cell phones, consume energy when they are plugged in. When they are not connected to electronics, chargers should be unplugged.
• Laptop computers consume considerably less electricity than desktop computers.

7. Install daylighting as an alternative to electrical lighting.

Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate the home's interior. It can be achieved using the following approaches:

• skylights. It's important that they be double-pane or they may not be cost-effective. Flashing skylights correctly is key to avoiding leaks;
• light shelves. Light shelves are passive devices designed to bounce light deep into a building. They may be interior or exterior. Light shelves can introduce light into a space up to 2½ times the distance from the floor to the top of the window, and advanced light shelves may introduce four times that amount;
• clerestory windows. Clerestory windows are short, wide windows set high on the wall. Protected from the summer sun by the roof overhang, they allow winter sun to shine through for natural lighting and warmth; and
• light tubes. Light tubes use a special lens designed to amplify low-level light and reduce light intensity from the midday sun. Sunlight is channeled through a tube coated with a highly reflective material, and then enters the living space through a diffuser designed to distribute light evenly.

8. Insulate windows and doors.

About one-third of the home's total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. The following are ways to reduce energy lost through windows and doors:

• Seal all window edges and cracks with rope caulk. This is the cheapest and simplest option.
• Windows can be weatherstripped with a special lining that is inserted between the window and the frame. For doors, apply weatherstripping around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when they're closed. Install quality door sweeps on the bottom of the doors, if they aren't already in place.
• Install storm windows at windows with only single panes. A removable glass frame can be installed over an existing window.
• If existing windows have rotted or damaged wood, cracked glass, missing putty, poorly fitting sashes, or locks that don't work, they should be repaired or replaced.

9. Cook smart.

An enormous amount of energy is wasted while cooking. The following recommendations and statistics illustrate less wasteful ways of cooking:

• Convection ovens are more efficient that conventional ovens. They use fans to force hot air to circulate more evenly, thereby allowing food to be cooked at a lower temperature. Convection ovens use approximately 20% less electricity than conventional ovens.
• Microwave ovens consume approximately 80% less energy than conventional ovens.
• Pans should be placed on the matching size heating element or flame.
• Using lids on pots and pans will heat food more quickly than cooking in uncovered pots and pans.
• Pressure cookers reduce cooking time dramatically.
• When using conventional ovens, food should be placed on the top rack. The top rack is hotter and will cook food faster.

10. Change the way you do laundry.

• Do not use the medium setting on your washer. Wait until you have a full load of clothes, as the medium setting saves less than half of the water and energy used for a full load.
• Avoid using high-temperature settings when clothes are not very soiled. Water that is 140° F uses far more energy than 103° F for the warm-water setting, but 140° F isn't that much more effective for getting clothes clean.
• Clean the lint trap every time before you use the dryer. Not only is excess lint a fire hazard, but it will prolong the amount of time required for your clothes to dry.
• If possible, air-dry your clothes on lines and racks.
• Spin-dry or wring clothes out before putting them into a dryer.

Homeowners who take the initiative to make these changes usually discover that the energy savings are more than worth the effort.

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Aging in Place

"Aging in place" is the phenomenon describing senior citizens' ability to live independently in their homes for as long as possible. Those who age in place will not have to move from their present residence in order to secure necessary support services in re-sponse to their changing needs.

The Baby Boomers

As the baby boomers age, the 60+ population will spike from roughly 45 million in recent years to more than 70 million by 2020. Research shows that baby boomers' expectations of how they will receive care differ from that of their parents' generation. Over-whelmingly, they will seek care in their own homes and will be less likely to move into congregate living settings.

Why do many senior citizens prefer to age in place?

Nursing homes, to many, represent a loss of freedom and a reduced quality of life. Here are a few good reasons why these fears are justified:

 In 2007, inspectors received 37,150 complaints about conditions in nursing homes. Roughly one-fifth of the complaints veri-fied by federal and state authorities involved the abuse or neglect of patients. Specific problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and other forms of neglect.

 The proportion of nursing homes cited for deficiencies ranged from 76% in Rhode Island to as high as 100% in Alaska, Ida-ho, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.

 Many cases have been exposed in which nursing homes billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that were not provided.

 A significant percentage of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused immediate jeopardy or actual harm to patients.

Aging-in-Place Inspections

Inspectors may recommend corrections and adaptations to the home to improve maneuverability, accessibility, and safety for elderly occupants. Some such alterations and recommendations for a home are as follows:

Appliances

 microwave oven in wall or on counter;

 refrigerator and freezer side by side;

 side-swing or wall oven;

 controls that are easy to read;

 raised washing machine and dryer;

 front-loading washing machines;

 raised dishwasher with push-button controls;

 stoves having electric cooktops with level burners for safely transferring between the burners; front controls and downdraft feature to pull heat away from user; light to indicate when surface is hot; and

 replace old stoves with induction cooktops to help prevent burns.

Bathroom

 fold-down seat installed in the shower;

 adjustable showerheads with 6-foot hose;

 light in shower stall;

 wall support, and provision for adjustable and/or varied-height counters and removable base cabinets;

 contrasting color edge border at countertops;

 at least one wheelchair-maneuverable bath on main level;

 bracing in walls around tub, shower, shower seat and toilet for installation of grab bars;　

 if stand-up shower is used in main bath, it is curbless and wide;

 low bathtub;

 toilet higher than standard toilet, or height-adjustable;

 design of the toilet paper holder allows rolls to be changed with one hand;

 wall-hung sink with knee space and panel to protect user from pipes; and

 slip-resistant flooring in bathroom and shower.

Counters

 base cabinet with roll-out trays;

 pull-down shelving;

 wall support, and provision for adjustable and/or varied-height counters and removable base cabinets;

 upper wall cabinetry lower than conventional height;

 accented stripes on edge of countertops to provide visual orientation to the workspace;

 counter space for dish landing adjacent to or opposite all appliances;

 glass-front cabinet doors; and

 open shelving for easy access to frequently used items.

Exterior

 low-maintenance exterior (vinyl, brick, etc); and

 low-maintenance shrubs and plants.

Entry

 sensor light at exterior no-step entry focusing on the front-door lock;

 non-slip flooring in foyer;

 accessible path of travel to the home;

 at least one no-step entry with a cover;

 entry door sidelight or high/low peep hole viewer; sidelight should provide both privacy and safety;

 doorbell in accessible location; and

 a surface on which to place packages while opening door.

Electrical, Lighting, Safety and Security

 install new smoke and CO detectors;

 install automated lighting, an emergency alert system, or a video-monitoring system;

 easy-to-see and read thermostats;

 light switches by each entrance to halls and rooms;

 light receptacles with at least two bulbs in vital places (exits, bathroom);

 light switches, thermostats and other environmental controls placed in accessible locations no higher than 48 inches from floor;

 move electrical cords out of the flow of traffic;

 replace standard light switches with rocker or touch-light switches; and　

 pre-programmed thermostats.

Faucets

 thermostatic or anti-scald controls;

 lever handles or pedal-controlled; and

 pressure-balanced faucets.

Flooring

 if carpeted, use low-density with firm pad;

 smooth, non-glare, slip-resistant surfaces, interior and exterior; and

 color and texture contrast to indicate change in surface levels.

Hallways

 wide;

 well-lit; and

 fasten down rugs and floor runners, and remove any that are not necessary.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

 install energy-efficient units;

 HVAC should be designed so filters are easily accessible; and

 windows that can be opened for cross-ventilation and fresh air.

Miscellaneous

 30-inch by 48-inch clear space at appliances, or 60-inch diameter clear space for turns;

 multi-level work areas to accommodate cooks of different heights;

 loop handles for easy grip and pull;

 pull-out spray faucet;

 levered handles;

 in multi-story homes, laundry chute or laundry facilities in master bedroom;

 open under-counter seated work areas; and

 placement of task lighting in appropriate work areas.

Overall Floor Plan

 main living on a single story, including full bath;

 5-foot by 5-foot clear turn space in living area, kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom; and

 no steps between rooms on a single level.

Reduced Maintenance and Convenience Features

 easy-to-clean surfaces;

 built-in recycling system;

 video phones;

 central vacuum;

 built-in pet feeding system; and　

 intercom system.

Stairways, Lifts and Elevators

 adequate hand rails on both sides of stairway;

 residential elevator or lift; and

 increased visibility of stairs through contrast strip on top and bottom stairs, and color contrast between treads and risers on stairs with use of lighting.

Storage

 lighting in closets;

 adjustable closet rods and shelves; and

 easy-open doors that do not obstruct access.

Windows

 plenty of windows for natural light;

 low-maintenance exterior and interior finishes;

 lowered windows, or taller windows with lower sill height; and

 easy-to-operate hardware.

Advice for those who wish to age in place:

 Talk with family members about your long-term living preferences. Do you want to downsize to a smaller single-family home, or do you plan to stay put in your traditional family home?

 Take a look at your finances and retirement funds. With your current savings and assets, will you be able to pay for home maintenance? Consider starting a separate retirement savings account strictly for home maintenance.

 Remodel your home before your mobility becomes limited. As you age, changes in mobility, hearing, vision and overall health and flexibility will affect how easily you function in your home. Consider making your home "age-friendly" as a phased-in and budgeted home improvement, rather than waiting until you need many modifications at a time due to a health crisis.

 If you decide before you retire that you want to live in your current home through the remainder of life, consider paying for "big ticket - long life" home projects while you still have a healthy income. Such items may include having the roof assessed or replaced, replacing and upgrading the water heater or cooling unit, completing termite inspections and treatment, having a septic tank inspection and replacement, as needed, and purchasing a riding lawn mower.

Many organizations advocate healthy living, as it plays a vital role in your ability to age in place. Most seniors leave their homes due to functional and mobility limitations that result from medical crises, and an inability to pay for support to stay with them in their home. Effectively managing health risks and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help you stay strong, age well, and live long at your own home.

In summary, aging in place is a way by which senior citizens can avoid being dependent on others due to declining health and mobility.

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What is a Blower Door?

Blower doors are a valuable tool in energy audits. A blower door is a powerful, variable-speed fan that can be temporarily mounted into an exterior door frame to provide controlled air flow for analysis. The way that air flows through a building can have a serious impact on air quality, comfort and energy expenses. The use of a blower door allows air flow through a structure, and the resulting loss of heat can be immediately quantified, providing a way to pinpoint the location of air leaks.

Blower doors were originally developed in the 1970s for use as a research tool. As technology has evolved, allowing for the development of more portable equipment, blower doors have transitioned into use as a valuable field tool, as well. The first portable blower doors weighed as much as 200 pounds and took up quite a bit of space, and were also very expensive. Today, they are much more affordable and are built lighter and smaller. The reduced set-up time allowed by their more compact designs has led to the standard use of blower doors as part of energy audits for measuring air flow.

When air pressure and air flow are controlled and measured they can provide data about how airtight a building is. The three variables involved are pressure, flow and holes or leaks. A change in one of these factors will produce a change in at least one other factor. Since the goal of a blower door test is to locate air leaks in the building envelope, data regarding air pressure and flow can provide information about the holes, which may otherwise be tough to find.

The blower door utilizes controlled differences in air pressure to collect data. Once installed in an exterior door frame the air pressure inside a building can be changed in relation to the outside pressure by forcing air into or out of the interior. The difference in pressure forces air through holes or leaks in the building envelope. The pressure and air flow are measured by gauges, which are part of the blower door equipment. By measuring the pressure and air flow in relation to each other, the airtightness of the build-ing envelope can be quantified. The amount of air flow needed to create a change in pressure increases as the airtightness of the building envelope decreases. A well-sealed building requires less air flow to generate a change in pressure.

Finding the Problems

During a blower door test the interior air pressure needed to be maintained in order to gather useful data is 50 pascals, which is roughly equal to the pressure created when a 20-mph wind hits the building. The blower door equipment has a gauge to indicate when this pressure has been achieved, as well as a gauge to indicate the cubic feet per minute (CFM), which is the standard unit of measure for air flow. Air flow in a well-sealed building will generally be less than 1,500 CFM at 50 pascals. Air flow above 4,000 CFM would be considered leaky. This is valuable data that can be acquired in about half an hour with the use of a blower door.

Since the blower door forces air through cracks and holes the locations of the leaky spots can be identified. The draft of air en-tering through the holes can often be felt with the hand. Smoke and infrared imaging can also be employed to locate smaller, more subtle leaks. It is often assumed, especially by homeowners, that poorly sealed windows and doors are the major culprits of air leaks. In reality, leaks in other areas are usually much more significant. The difference in air pressure between the interior and the exterior is greater both at ground level and up high, so leaks in basements and crawlspaces, as well as in attics, are the most important to locate.

When looking for air leaks check around basement rim joists, holes for plumbing traps under tubs and showers, cracks between finish flooring and baseboards, utility chases, plumbing vent-pipe penetrations, kitchen soffits, fireplace surrounds, recessed can lights, and cracks between partition top plates and drywall. These are all common places where significant leaks can develop.

Accounting for Outside Factors

Wind and temperature can have an effect on the test data. Wind blowing on the outside of the building can add to pressure differences between the interior and exterior. It can also affect the flow rate of the blower fan. It is best not to conduct blower door tests in windy conditions. But if wind is not severe, tests can be conducted at multiple points in the building and then averaged together.

Differences in temperature can create differences in pressure. Accounting for a baseline stack-effect pressure will ensure that the test results are not skewed. The stack-effect pressure is a function of the height of the building and the difference in temperature from the interior to the exterior. A 15-foot tall building with a 50º-temperature difference between the inside and outside will have a 5-pascal pressure difference from the top of the building to the bottom. Some blower door equipment has a gauge with a built-in baseline feature, so this difference can be easily determined at the outset of the test.

Temperature and barometric pressure affect both air density and viscosity, which is its resistance to flow. Because of this an adjustment for density is required. Some software packaged with blower door equipment is designed to make these calculations, and if it is not available during the test, the manual supplied with the equipment should have information about making the necessary adjustments and applying it to the results.

Preparation and Safety

In order to ensure accurate results, as well as safe conditions for performing the test, some preparation is necessary before beginning. Any fireplaces or stoves used for heating should not be operating, and all furnaces and pilot lights should be turned off. There should be no open flames anywhere indoors. Ashes in fire-places or stoves should be removed so they do not get sucked into the building. Dampers should be closed. Every door and window must be closed tightly so that air flowing through them does not affect the test, while all interior doors should be left open.

If there is a basement, it must be determined whether this area is to be considered part of the building envelope for testing purposes. Generally, if there is heat in the basement, even if only because the furnace is located there, it will be considered part of the envelope, and access to it should be left open during the test. Sometimes, the test may be done both ways -- with the basement access open and with it closed, and this is quick and simple to accomplish.

Since blower door testing is now a standard tool used during an energy audit it can be helpful for home owners and real estate professionals to understand how the test works. Knowing a bit about the outside factors that can influence the results will ensure that the test is performed correctly. Setting up the equipment properly will ensure that testers and occupants are safe, and that the testing and results are accurate.

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When heavy precipitation causes flooding it is important to recognize that this can affect the quality of drinking water obtained from drilled wells, shallow wells and springs. Most at risk would include water sources that are in areas where flooding has occurred and is imminent, such as drilled wells located in well pits where groundwater tables have risen in the pit above the top of the well head, and shallow wells or springs located down grade from open pollution sources such as agricultural or animal waste run-off or nearby septic systems. Other indicators of pollution may include water discoloration or unusual taste or odor to your private water supply.

Homeowners are encouraged to frequently inspect their water sources prior to these storm events, and shortly thereafter, to determine if there may be conditions present that would make their wells vulnerable to pollution and possible contamination. If these conditions are present disinfection of the source followed by water sampling is encouraged. Any unusual aesthetic changes to the water (color, taste or odor) should also trigger precautionary measures such as the use of bottled water for drinking and cooking are recommended until water testing can determine if contamination is present in the water supply.

Total coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria are used as indicators of bacteriological contamination. The presence of E. coli bacteria indicates that the source of contamination has a fecal origin and there may be more harmful organisms present. If bacteriological contamination is present in the water supply after these storm events, you are encouraged to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and other uses that may result in direct or indirect ingestion. Boiling the water rapidly for a minimum of one minute can also effectively disinfect water. Persons bathing or washing with water that has been contaminated with fecal matter may also experience an increased risk to health. Therefore, do not use the water for any domestic use until it has been deemed potable for human consumption.

Keep in mind that flood waters entering a well can change the quality of the water and introduce sediment, organic matter and contamination that could overwhelm a treatment system and render it ineffective as a safeguard to bacterial contamination.

In addition to the wells themselves, buried water storage tanks or other water system components can also be vulnerable to contamination. Seek the advice of a professional well driller, water treatment specialist or your local health department if you are not confident about your private water system's integrity.

Typically after floodwaters have receded, wells and storage tanks that have been impacted should be thoroughly flushed, disinfected and tested to ensure that the water is of safe, sanitary quality.

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