Winter tips

Winterizing A Home

If your home is left unattended for several months during the winter, take these steps to insure that it is properly winterized. Vacant homes can be completely or partially closed.

Complete Closing:

Turn off the heater.
Drain water from all plumbing (including toilets and water heaters).
Unplug all appliances.
Remove all perishable food.
Please note that using a plumber is recommended to completely drain the system. Draining plumbing for a complete closing is tricky since toilet bowls and drain traps retain water. These parts of the system must be treated with a non-toxic automotive antifreeze.

Partial Closing:

Keep the home heated to 55 degrees.
Do not drain plumbing.
Turn off and drain water heaters.
Some appliances may be left on, but they still need to be regularly checked.
Check the house frequently during extremely cold weather to make sure it's warm enough to prevent freezing pipes.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600

COLD-WEATHER TIPS

Thinking about working on your home this fall for upcoming winter? Now is a good time to do some do-it-yourself inspection, fixing, cleaning and preparing! Homes can become a victim of damage by air, moisture, and water penetration, which may eventually cause structural problems if basic maintenance is not completed. Simple home owner preventive maintenance goes a long way to increase a home's (and its components) efficiency, life-span, value and ultimately ability to sell.

Maintenance items for this and every fall season to help prevent minor problems from turning into major expenses and selling obstacles:

Roof: Using binoculars, check for damaged, loose, or missing shingles.
Sources Of Leaks: Visually inspect the flashing around roof stacks, vents, skylights, and chimneys as possible sources of leakage. Check gutters, downspouts, hangers, gutter guards and strainers for leaks, unevenness, or damage. Gutters should be cleaned immediately after all of the leaves have fallen.
Tree Limbs: Tree limbs and shrubbery growing on, over or touching the house need to be cut.
Weatherstnpping: Check all doors and windows for proper caulking and weatherstripping. Remove and replace worn or decayed materials and reapply new material.
Water: Drain exterior water lines, hose bibs, sprinklers, and pool equipment.
Heating System: Service the heating system annually. Bleed the radiators of air in circulating hot water systems.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600

Heater efficiency

Heater efficiency is based on burner efficiency, transmission losses to the heat exchanger or boiler, and flue losses. Evaluating heating systems is all about matching the umit to your needs. A general rule for the proper heater size is to allow approximately 50 BTUs for every square foot of living space. This rule applies to average homes with standard heaters. A small heater will work if it's more efficient or if the house has effective energy improvements. For example, if you replace a typical heater that is 60-70% efficient with one that is 90-95% efficient and add an outside air supply for combustion, you could buy a heater sized at approximately 25 BTUs for every square foot of living space. Effective energy improvements would allow you to reduce the size even more.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600

Winter Workout

The winter chill has arrived. It's not too late to tend to a home's seasonal needs. Using binoculars, inspect the roof for damaged, loose, and missing shingles. Check the flashing around roof stacks. vents, skylights, and chimneys for possible sources of leakage.

Drain exterior water lines, hose bibbs, sprinklers, and pool equipment. Do not leave hoses connected to bibbs.

Look for leaking, misaligned, or damaged gutters, downspouts, hangers, gutter guards, and strainers. Clean the gutters after all the leaves have fallen.

Cut back any tree limbs and shrubbery touching the home's exterior. Check all doors and windows for proper caulking and weather-stripping. Schedule annual service for the heating system.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600

Carbon Monoxide Danger?

Major cities have recently passed ordinances requiring the installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in new homes with oil- or gas-fired furnaces. Energy providers like Ohio Edison have also started to require CO detectors in homes with fireplaces or combustion appliances built under certain construction programs. These moves are the start of a trend. Carbon monoxide is a potentially deadly gas that's odorless, tasteless, and invisible. It is produced wherever there is incomplete combustion. Since combustion is never 100% efficient, any cormbustion appliance can pose a threat. Woodstoves, fireplaces, gas ranges, and even cars in an attached garage can produce dangerous CO concentrations. The risk posed by CO is minimal. However, several factors influence the danger-- poor maintenance, improper installation, broken equipment, and sloppy construction.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that between 200 and 300 people per year die of CO poisoning in their own homes. It is likely that more codes will begin requiring the installation of CO detectors, which look like smoke detectors and sound piercing alarms when CO concentrations reach dangerous levels.

The percentage of carbon monoxide in the blood (COHb) is air based in parts per million (ppm) and a person's exposure to it. Although concentrations of 15,000 ppm can kill within minutes, longer exposures to smaller concentrations are also dangerous. Exposure to concentrations of just 350 ppm for one hour can cause slight headaches, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Often these symptoms are mistaken for the flu. Exposure to the same concentration for a period of four hours can cause brain damage. OSHA plans to lower the current 50-ppm workplace concentration limits to 35 ppm over any eight hour period. Some experts report that the typical home concentration with no combustion appliances is similar to outdoor air (0.5 to 5 ppm). Five to 10 ppm are added with gas-range cooking, and unvented space heaters can raise the levels to 39 ppm. The only way to avoid the dangers of combustion devices is to isolate them in an area sealed off from the rest of the homes living area.

The risks of combustion appliances make CO detectors a wise choice for all new homes. A CO detector is excellent and inexpensive insurance. against the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. A properly installed detector can save a life.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600

How To Pick A Christmas Tree and Make it Last

First, you want to pick out a fresh tree. After all, the trees on a lot could have been cut weeks before and sitting outside or in a warehouse and be dried out.

There are several ways to test the tree for freshness.

"Flex-test" involves grabbing a small branch in your hand bending it back and forth. The too-dry tree will not have flexible branches and might break offin your hand. Don't grab a very large branch or the owner of the tree lot may want to break your arm for breaking the tree.

"Whole-test" involves picking the tree up by the main trunk and then whacking it sharply down against the ground. If a shower of needles falls offthe tree, move on to another one.

"Scratch-test" requires no breaking or lifting. You just reach into the main trunk and scratch the bark with your thumbnail. The fresh tree will expose a green area that is moist under the bark.

When you get the tree home, saw off about a quarter inch from the bottom ofthe trunk. This removes any caked over sap and opens fresh pores. Put the trunk into a container of water. The tree will drink so you must refill the container regularly.

When it's time to bring the tree in, here's the magic formula to help keep the tree fresh

Add 4 tbs. of horticultural iron powder to a gallon of hot water.

Then put in 4 tsp. of liquid laundry bleach.

Next, pour in 2 cups of Karo crystal clear corn syrup.

After installing the tree in the stand, pour this mixture into the stand reservoir.

If you have any left over, use it daily as the tree drinks the mix.

After the formula is all gone, keep the stand filled with warm water.

Don't set the tree up where it's near any source of fire. Also, avoid putting it in the path of hot air from the heating system as this speeds the drying out process. Decorate with the tiny lights that don't heat up very much.

Maybe that will keep the tree fresh until Valentine's Day...but the sooner the tree is removed after Christmas, the better.

Stoffer Inspections, L.C. (785) 766-0600