Here’s a great checklist to follow every spring to be sure your home is in great shape and your family is safe. Replace your furnace filter. Clean the kitchen exhaust hood and air filter. Check your electrical system. Always have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible. Make sure the light...
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Dishwashers
Shopping for a dishwasher? Think about one with a stainless-steel tub. Many dishwasher manufacturers now make–or are introducing–models that have durable stainless-steel tubs. These can’t compete in price with models utilizing plastic tubs, but they are quieter, easier to maintain and more efficient during drying cycles because the metal...
Cleaning Your Gutters
Clean your gutters. During a rainstorm, gutters route runoff from a very large surface–a home’s roof-to where it can drain away from the house. By doing so, they protect siding, windows, doors, and foundations from water damage and help prevent flooding in basements. To do their job, gutters and...
Ice Dams
They may make for a pretty winter scene, but ice dams are damaging. Ice dams occur when a snow-covered roof over the attic is warmer than the eaves—the overhang of a roof. If the roof is warm, it will cause the snow to melt and run under snow along...
Energy Savings Checklist
This is a great check list to help with home energy savings. Consider that you can save $300-$500 per year by addressing these simple items. Does my attic scuttle have weatherstripping to create an air seal? Does my shower head output less than 2 gallons of water per minute?...
Energy-Saving Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs
Change a light bulb, save energy. Simply by using one 13-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) in replacement of one 60-Watt incandescent light bulb, not only would you have prevented a significant amount of toxins from pouring into our environment, you will save money. Even though they are often...
Ozone
Ozone generators are not air cleaners. Have you been approached by sales people or seen a marketing ad stating that their air cleaning machine makes “activated oxygen” or refreshes the air “like a thunderstorm”. These terms give an impression that breathing ozone is good. In reality, the opposite is...
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Are geothermal heat pump worth the cost? Short answer: YES. Recently a client of mine asked me about the basics of Geothermal Heat Pumps (also known as ground source heat pumps). While the initial expense associated with the installation is about twice (or more) than a typical air to...
Removing Stains from an Oak Floor
It is possible to remove stains from an oak floor. Refinishing oak floors is just like refinishing oak furniture. You can repair any type of imperfection without complete sanding (or stripping) and refinishing. However, floors are often sanded and refinished because this is the easiest route to a perfect...
Re-Roofing
Should you replace your roof? Sunny, warm weather provides the ideal opportunity to replace your roof. If you haven’t re-roofed before, you’re likely to have a number of questions: What type of preparation is required? What materials are most appropriate? Should re-roof yourself or hire a contractor? Use the...
