Seasonal Reminder – Fall

The Fall Season is approaching many of us. For me it’s is noticeably below 90 degree’s. If you are in the northern climates this is your opportunity to “batten down the hatches” by tightening up the house. Re-caulking, sealing, and roof inspections are in order. Checking door and window seals are also in order. For the rest of us, the lower temperatures are a relief, summer is mostly over and we can attack those projects we wouldnt touch during the summer.

 Heating/Cooling-Air Filters:If you live in a dusty area and/or have been using your air conditioner a lot, inspect you filter and change it if it has noticeable build up from your spring change out.  

1. HVAC Outdoor Unit: We did this in the summer and it’s good to do it again as vegetation has been growing through the spring months. Get your garden trimmers out and trim away any vines or growth away from the  outside condenser. You should have 18″ to 2 feet of clearance around the unit. Take your water hose and wash down the outside coils.
2. Exterior Inspection:  Walk round the house, look for bird and wasp nests, as well as locations that rodents might be using to get in the house. Remove the nests and use caulk to re-seal  any breaches in structure that may be an entry point for rodents or bugs. 
3. Roofing-Looking For Leaks:  Winters are a bad time to look for roof leaks so inspect your roof for leaks, trim away any tree limbs and clean debris off the roof. Look for raised nails and any breaches in the roof surface.
4. Sealing the Leaks: Summertime weather can cause the home exterior to dry out. Look for cracks and voids in building materials. Seal them with a good latex caulk. Larger voids should be filled (first) with a foam spray caulk, then to make it dressed for paint, use the latex caulk to finish it off and paint as necessary. 
5. Interior Inspection: Flush kitchen and bathroom sinks with scalding hot water for approximately 3-5 minutes to clear out any build up.
6. Surface Water Drainage: Culverts, waterways and landscape drainage systems should be cleared of debris and overgrowth that has occurred.
7. Electrical Service-Smoke Detectors: Clean your smoke detectors of cob webs and check the condition of  the battery.
8. Chimney Flue Inspections and Cleaning: For our northern friends this is the time to ensure your stoves and fireplaces are prepared for the winter use. Inspect the stove seals, clean the chimneys and flues.
9. Drain and cut-off sprinklers: If you are in the northern climates, its time to turn off these services to protect them through the winter. In the south, southwest and western part of the US, we can wait a few more months.

If you are needing some additional information on one of the topics that I have not written about, let me know and I will put it higher on the list of articles to write. Email to HomeownerBOB@gmail.com

Attic Insulation – The Choices

According to the US Department of Energy, as much as 45% of a home’s energy loss is through the attic. Furthermore, 80% of homes built before 1980 suffer from inadequate insulation

A friend of mine was looking to buy a house recently, he asked me to come by and check it out. It was apparent the owners of the house were fairly interested in reducing their electric bill. Most all of the light fixtures were using CFL’s, they were using a set back thermostat and they had recently replaced an exterior door with one that was Energy Star rated. But what really shocked me was my trip to the attic.  Three  things, 1) they had sprayed radiant barrier paint on the roof decking but 2)  there was less  than 3 inches of insulation in the attic and 3) the air conditioning ducts lacked adequate insulation requiring the HVAC unit to work extra hard to provide the conditioned air throughout the house. I’m not knocking the radiant barrier (I’m a believer), but even most of the radiant barrier folks will tell you to increase you attic insulation first. There are good reasons why HVAC  installers sometimes throw in insulation or RB as part of their package… it works and it also reduces the strain on the HVAC. Blown in insulation is cheap and it can be added in a mater of hours.

Attic Insulation is best applied as blown in loose fill when you need to add  more to an existing home. The product will reach into every nook and cranny, is easy to apply (with the proper equipment), and has instant results. The best way to determine the amount of insulation needed is to refer to this US. DOE  site as it will provide the recommended R-Value down to the zip code.

Making the choice

What is the difference between the attic insulation products and why is one better than the other? If you spend any time looking at the comparisons of the products you will find advantages and disadvantages in all the of them. Its very easy to get caught up in the data, in fact some make a point in overpowering the consumer with too much data. The following chart reflects the most popular products and comparable characteristics that most consumers can understand and recognize value in them. This comparison is for blown-in type insulation only, and these products are typically the most popular. 

 

 Concerns associated with the compared products:

Rockwool: Rockwool insulation has been classified by the US Gov. as a class 2B carcinogen with   “possible” evidence but lacked conclusive results to be considered a “probable” contributor as a cancer causing agent in lab rats. Additionally, chards of the material will cause skin irritation much like fiberglass. It was very popular prior to 1970 and with some limited concern is still used as an insulation product.

Fiberglass: Fiberglass insulation has been shown to reduce its effectiveness during both high and low temperature ranges (due to convection heat loss), potentially reducing its effectiveness by up to 50%. Even though fiberglass chards can easily irritate the skin, once installed, little risk to the homeowner has been proven. However, the US Gov. has recognized fiberglass as a carcinogen, the levels have been shown to be too low to impact the homeowner.

Cellulose: Cellulose has become recently popular due to being composed of  recycled paper products. Cellulose is heavy compared to the other two and the added weight in the attic may cause standard 1/2″ sheet rock to sag or droop when applied to ceilings with joists spaced at 24″ centers. Additionally, since Cellulose will retain water, moistened by a roof leak may cause the  sheetrock to prematurely fail. Even though the product is treated with chemical flame retardant (generally with a lifetime guarantee), additional care should be exercised by providing adequate space around recessed light fixtures, chimney flues, water heater and HVAC vents.

The blown-in insulation business is fairly competitive and you may find (as I did) that hiring a professional is about as cheap as doing it your self. HomeownerBOB recommends the professional route. The difference in the choices are fairly close, cost may be the most important factor, on the other hand it might be the environmental impact. Either way, make the decision, you will be happy with the results.