I talked before about preparing your house for winter and checking for lint build-up in the dryer vent. Well, there's another potential hazard associated with your dryer vent and it has nothing to do with lint. In an article written by SANDY BAUERS — The Philadelphia Inquirer entitled: Fragrant Toxins from the Dryer, what many of us have suspected has been revealed...those lovely smelling dryer sheets (and other laundry products) are full of VOCs.
"In 2010, (Anne) Steinemann (a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Washington), tested 25 scented products - including cleaners, personal-care products, laundry products, and air fresheners - and found a total of 133 volatile chemicals. More than a third of the products emitted at least one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."
Who among us hasn't held our breath as we walked down the detergent aisle in the grocery store? Why were we so convinced that lavender smelling laundry was more important than our health? But the problem doesn't stop with dryer sheets - nearly every cleaning product, air freshner, and candle we bring into our houses has some amount of VOCs.
This leads to guidance on living "Green". Building a "green" house isn't sufficient insurance that you'll be living a healthier life. It's necessary to refrain from introducing VOCs into the house on a daily basis by using products that are free from fragrances, dyes, and potentially toxic chemicals.
I like clean smelling, soft laundry as much as anyone, but......
Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/09/12/2910615/fragrant-toxins-from-the-dryer.html#ixzz1XpwYOXIm
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Water, Water Everywhere....
No doubt some Central Pennsylvanian's, and others, are totally sick of the rain and there's more to come, so this is a good time to consider liquid properties: water seeks the least obstructed path and can create enormous pressure on foundations, buried utility lines (including water and sewer), septic systems, and paved surfaces.
Just because you've never had water in your basement, doesn't mean it can't happen; especially when the ground is saturated and the water table is unusually high. And little things can make it more likely that seepage can occur - consider whether you replaced shrubs or trees near your foundation, re-graded a portion of your lot, installed a patio, driveway, or sidewalk - these can all change the path of surface water as it flows toward or away from your house. Are your gutters and downspouts free from debris and are they diverted away from the foundation?
Settling of the ground is another unexpected consequence of excessive water - as the soil becomes saturated and more fluid it tends to settle into cracks below or is carried away by run-off causing areas where puddling can occur. This can lead to increased water pressure against foundations and infiltration through and around basement walls, windows, cracks in the foundation, etc.
Advise: check your basement thoroughly during periods of extended and excessive rain for signs of water intrusion so you can take the steps necessary to protect or remove items that will be damaged if the basement floods. If you see water entering the basement, monitor it frequently to determine the potential for flooding (a little water is managable but if it starts flowing at an alarming rate, take precautions). Sometimes it's enough to elevate appliances a couple of inches off the floor to prevent water damage (especially if you have a sump pump that is working properly) - remember to place a waterproof membrane (plastic, vinyl, rubber) between the applicance base and any porous material such as cement blocks, bricks, or wood.
CAUTION: Unplug all electrical applicances and/or turn off breakers/fuses to everything that has the optential for flooding. (Except the sump pump!) NEVER stand in water and touch anything electrical. Call your utility or an experienced contractor if you find yourself in a situation where electricity and water meet - you life is worth more than the cost of a service call!
Two things to remember:
1. Sump pumps need electricity, so if you lose power - the pump won't work. In the event that it's necessary to use a generator for supplemental power, place it outdoors, away from windows and doors: NEVER in the garage, basement, or house.
2. It only takes 4" of flowing water to move a car - don't take chances with you life, if it looks like your house will be inundated by rising water from a storm drain, creek, river, or simply by a flash flood or that you will be isolated by the water and you can safely move to higher ground; Get Out before you're trapped.
Just because you've never had water in your basement, doesn't mean it can't happen; especially when the ground is saturated and the water table is unusually high. And little things can make it more likely that seepage can occur - consider whether you replaced shrubs or trees near your foundation, re-graded a portion of your lot, installed a patio, driveway, or sidewalk - these can all change the path of surface water as it flows toward or away from your house. Are your gutters and downspouts free from debris and are they diverted away from the foundation?
Settling of the ground is another unexpected consequence of excessive water - as the soil becomes saturated and more fluid it tends to settle into cracks below or is carried away by run-off causing areas where puddling can occur. This can lead to increased water pressure against foundations and infiltration through and around basement walls, windows, cracks in the foundation, etc.
Advise: check your basement thoroughly during periods of extended and excessive rain for signs of water intrusion so you can take the steps necessary to protect or remove items that will be damaged if the basement floods. If you see water entering the basement, monitor it frequently to determine the potential for flooding (a little water is managable but if it starts flowing at an alarming rate, take precautions). Sometimes it's enough to elevate appliances a couple of inches off the floor to prevent water damage (especially if you have a sump pump that is working properly) - remember to place a waterproof membrane (plastic, vinyl, rubber) between the applicance base and any porous material such as cement blocks, bricks, or wood.
CAUTION: Unplug all electrical applicances and/or turn off breakers/fuses to everything that has the optential for flooding. (Except the sump pump!) NEVER stand in water and touch anything electrical. Call your utility or an experienced contractor if you find yourself in a situation where electricity and water meet - you life is worth more than the cost of a service call!
Two things to remember:
1. Sump pumps need electricity, so if you lose power - the pump won't work. In the event that it's necessary to use a generator for supplemental power, place it outdoors, away from windows and doors: NEVER in the garage, basement, or house.
2. It only takes 4" of flowing water to move a car - don't take chances with you life, if it looks like your house will be inundated by rising water from a storm drain, creek, river, or simply by a flash flood or that you will be isolated by the water and you can safely move to higher ground; Get Out before you're trapped.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Preparing for Winter's Cold
Winter is just around the corner in Pennsylvania and homeowners shouldn't wait until the snow flies to prepare for colder weather. As Autumn clean up gets underway, look for areas around your foundation, windows, eaves, doors, vents, and other wall penetrations where air and moisture could be entering your house making it drafty and damp and take measures to seal things up. But beware!!! If you have gas fired appliances, especially water heaters or furnaces, sealing your home can cause deadly consequences because of inadequate combustion air or back-drafting of the combustion gases.
What to do:
Remove dying vegetation and leaves from around the foundation and fill any low spots that might allow water to accumulate in or near the foundation to help prevent moisture infiltration.
Install downspout diversion systems to channel water away from the foundation, sidewalks, driveways, etc.
Change Furnace Filters - a clogged filter is a heating/cooling systems worst enemy - change every month or more often if you have furry pets.
Dryer vents - disconnect from the appliance and clean and examine for breaks. Dryer vents should be metal smooth wall pipe with limited flex duct . Seams should be secured with clamps and approved metal tape - remember, screws holding pipes together also catch lint which can accumulate and cause improper venting and fires. Exterior dryer vent outlets should be checked for nests, debris, and overgrowth of bushes that could inhibit air flow. Remember to clear leaves and snow away from gas dryer vents throughout the fall and winter.
Flues and Chimneys (both clay and metal) may need professional cleaning and/or inspection prior to the heating season. Metal pipes attached to combustion furnaces and water heaters should be visually examined for corrosion, lose connections, holes, etc. and professionally repaired to prevent harm to the occupants.
Woodburning stoves and fireplaces and their exhaust pipes/chimneys should be thoroughly cleaned and examined for holes, cracks, missing tiles, lose caps, etc. Remember, you can't see the inside of your tile chimney well enough from the bottom or top to determine whether it has cracks that can easily lead to fires.
Weather stripping around doors/windows; range hood vents (do they close properly when the fan is not in use?).
This is also a great time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are in working order and the batteries are fresh.
What to do:
Remove dying vegetation and leaves from around the foundation and fill any low spots that might allow water to accumulate in or near the foundation to help prevent moisture infiltration.
Install downspout diversion systems to channel water away from the foundation, sidewalks, driveways, etc.
Change Furnace Filters - a clogged filter is a heating/cooling systems worst enemy - change every month or more often if you have furry pets.
Dryer vents - disconnect from the appliance and clean and examine for breaks. Dryer vents should be metal smooth wall pipe with limited flex duct . Seams should be secured with clamps and approved metal tape - remember, screws holding pipes together also catch lint which can accumulate and cause improper venting and fires. Exterior dryer vent outlets should be checked for nests, debris, and overgrowth of bushes that could inhibit air flow. Remember to clear leaves and snow away from gas dryer vents throughout the fall and winter.
Flues and Chimneys (both clay and metal) may need professional cleaning and/or inspection prior to the heating season. Metal pipes attached to combustion furnaces and water heaters should be visually examined for corrosion, lose connections, holes, etc. and professionally repaired to prevent harm to the occupants.
Woodburning stoves and fireplaces and their exhaust pipes/chimneys should be thoroughly cleaned and examined for holes, cracks, missing tiles, lose caps, etc. Remember, you can't see the inside of your tile chimney well enough from the bottom or top to determine whether it has cracks that can easily lead to fires.
Weather stripping around doors/windows; range hood vents (do they close properly when the fan is not in use?).
This is also a great time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are in working order and the batteries are fresh.
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