Barrie Home Inspector

Home Maintenance and Tips for Home Owners

Tag: cleaning

Home Improvement in Barrie

Personal Interest

Home Improvement in Barrie –  Your guide to home improvements in the Local area.

How To Add Those Special Finishing Touches For Little Or No Money

Home is, as they say, where the heart is, so it is hardly surprising that we want it to look its best. We want our homes to reflect our tastes and design ideas and for it to be a welcoming, attractive place for ourselves and our guests to enjoy.

In these times of financial pressures and focus towards austerity, many families don’t have any spare funds to put towards little extras for their home. So how can we still add those special finishing touches to our homes while spending little or no money?  Here are some suggestions.

Looking  good

If a room is looking tired and in need of decorating, you can often freshen it up by attending to the details, rather than the whole room. Try painting or varnishing the skirting boards, picture rails, door frames and windowsills to brighten things up. Sometimes, changing lampshades or cushions can have the effect of a makeover too.

Storage is a tricky subject and it can be hard in smaller houses to keep things neat and tidy. Invest in shelving that can be added to or reduced in size so that you can keep up with the state of your belongings. If children’s toys are a problem, try putting some of them away for a while, then bringing them out at a later date. Result? You will have fewer toys to store and your kids will be delighted to be reunited with old favourites once more.

Sweet smell of success

Pot pourri, incense sticks and other proprietary room fragrances can be expensive and their scents can be overpowering. Why not try wiping your favourite essential oil over the glass part of a light bulb or leaving some on a radiator in a shallow dish? When the light or radiator is switched on, the heat will diffuse the fragrance into the room.

Place some water and slices of lemon in your microwave for a few minutes. Not only will it help loosen any stuck on food for cleaning it later, the citrus smells will also turn your kitchen into an aromatic heaven.

Make do and mend

If your table is looking a bit worse for wear, there’s no need to fork out for a new one straight away. A coat of paint, varnish or wood stain will refresh it in no time. Or, if you don’t want to do that, adding a simple table runner (these can be stitched from spare fabric) will really brighten it up.

You could even add a vase of flowers too for an instant touch of spring. Place a small lump of charcoal in the water to keep it pure and fresh for longer.

If you are handy with a sewing machine, you could have a go at making your own curtains. This will work out cheaper than purchasing off-the-peg ones, and you can customize them perfectly to match the themes in your room and the size of your windows. Sew a few marbles or small weights into the hems of unlined curtain to make them hang nicely. You could even try embroidering a design onto them to make them truly unique and personal.

Understanding Your Septic Tank

Plumbing

Understanding Your Septic Tank – Information on the construction, operation and maintenance of your rural homes septic tank system.

Septic TankThe septic tank is buried, watertight container typically made of concrete, fiberglass, or polyethylene. It holds the wastewater long enough to allow solids to settle out, forming sludge, and oil and grease to float to the surface as scum. It also allows partial decompositions of the solid materials. Compartments and a T-shaped outlet in the septic tank prevent the sludge and scum from leaving the tank and traveling into the leach field area.The most common leach field consists of a series of trenches containing perforated pipe surrounded by septic rock, or gravel, and covered with mesh and dirt. The effluent entering the leach field is partially absorbed into the soil and partially evaporated. the leach field should not be driven on or covered by a driveway or patio.

If your home‘s plumbing system does include an on-site septic system, it is incredibly important to be aware of the signs of possible damage, along with the maintenance needed to prevent it. A damaged or clogged septic system can be costly to repair. It can also impose possible health risks for homeowners, tenants and neighbors. A failing septic system could be responsible for releasing wastewater and harmful bacteria and viruses, including E. coli.

There are many different types of septic systems ranging from what are called conventional in-ground systems to sand mounds and from spray irrigation systems to stream discharge systems. There are also seepage pits, cesspools, and homemade systems. This booklet is not intended to cover every situation, but is intended to give the homeowner an understanding of the concept of how a septic system works and a better understanding of a septic inspection.

The in-ground type of septic system uses a series of perforated pipes located below the ground surface. These pipes are placed in a bed of crushed stone or aggregate. The sewage flows over the crushed stone or aggregate into the underlying soil. The condition of this soil determines how well your septic system will operate and how large the absorption area needs to be. If the absorption area is too small and the soil is too tight as with clay soils, the liquid cannot soak into the soil fast enough causing the waste to either back up into the home or emerge at the ground surface. An early sign of waste emerging at the surface is “lush growth.” The saying “that the grass is always greener over the septic tank” isn’t true when it comes to a properly operating septic system.

How often should a septic tank be cleaned or pumped? The frequency for pumping a septic system depends on a number of factors; the average frequency is between two and four years. You can, in some cases, abuse a septic system and neglect to pump it for 10 or 20 years without any apparent problem. This would be like driving your automobile for 50,000 miles without changing the oil. You might get away with it, but you would certainly cause undue wear and tear on the engine. The same is true with a septic system. You may get away with not pumping the system for many years, but you will pay for it in the end by having to replace the absorption area.

When the soil conditions are right, an area of active microorganisms is formed where the waste enters the soil. As the waste slowly percolates through the soil the microorganisms continue to grow and feed on the harmful bacteria and viruses in the septic waste. The underlying soil continues to absorb and filter the waste. Four feet of soil is all that is needed to treat the septic waste in good soil conditions.

Pellet Stove Installation Requirements

WETT Inspections

Pellet Stove Installation Requirements. Until the 1990s, stoves were not tested for safety, and homeowners had little or no guidance on installation. The result was house fires that were avoidable. Today, after years of co-operative efforts by all levels of government, the wood-heating industry and groups such as Fire Prevention Canada, several measures are
in place to help you heat with wood – safely. These safety measures include the following:
• a reliable installation code (“CSA B365 Installation Code for Solid-Fuel-Burning Appliances and Equipment”);
• safety-testing standards for stoves, inserts, fireplaces, furnaces, chimneys and flue pipes (almost all equipment for sale carries a certification label indicating that it conforms to safety tests); and a thorough training program for retailers, installers, chimney sweeps, municipal fire and building inspectors, and insurance inspectors (professionals in every part of Canada have completed the WETT or APC programs).

When installing a Pellet Stove the termination of a sidewall vent serving a pellet-burning appliance shall be located to avoid personal burn injury, fire hazard, and interference with or damage to adjacent properties. A vent shall not terminate less than 2.1 m above any public sidewalk, lane or street or right of way. It shall not be within 1.8 m of a mechanical air supply inlet to a building. The vent shall not be within 1 m of a building opening or air inlet or another appliance or within 1 meter of the center line of an exterior gas meter. The vent shall not be within 1.8 m of any gas service regulator vent outlet or within 1 m of an oil tank vent or an oil tank inlet. The vent must also be located not less than 0.3 m above grade level or any surface that may support snow, ice, or debris or be located under a veranda, porch or deck.

A clear space of at least 1 m shall be provided from the termination to any building projection, adjacent wall, or any combustible materials such as trees, shrubs, fencing, etc. Guards shall be provided around the termination of the sidewall venting system to prevent individuals from accidentally running into the venting system and mechanical damage from occurring as a result of vehicular traffic. Where termination is above the roof line, the vent shall terminate at least 1 m above the adjacent roof surface.

Every automatic fuel-feeding device servicing a steam boiler using solid fuel shall be equipped with the following controls; a clearly labeled device, located near each entrance to the automatic feeding device floor space and capable of manual operation, for the stopping the supply of fuel to the fire grate; and an automatic device for stopping the automatic feeder if there is a low water level, press exceeds the maximum, shutdown or failure of the combustion air fan; shutdown or failure of the mechanical flue-gas exhauster; a device for maintaining minimum fire and at least one automatic control to regulate or control the normal operation of automatic fuel-feeding device.

Every automatic fuel-feeding device serving a forced-air furnace using solid fuel shall be equipped with the following controls: A clearly labeled device, located near each entrance to the automatic fuel-feeding device floor space and capable or manual operation, for stopping the supply of fuel to the fire grate. This device shall be capable of stopping the fuel-feeding if the temperature exceeds 95 deg C in the furnace supply plenum; shut down or failure of combustion air; failure of the combustion air supply mechanism to stay in the fully open position; shut down due to mechanical failure or failure of the flue-gas flow. The automatic fuel-feeding device shall have a control that will maintain a minimum fire and one automatic control to regulate the fuel-feeding device under normal operation.

When installed and used correctly, certified clean-burning appliances significantly reduce the risk of chimney fires. Their advanced combustion systems burn the smoke inside the firebox, so less creosote forms in the chimney. As a bonus, you save on chimney-cleaning costs, which can be significant for conventional systems that need cleaning two or three times each heating season.

Furnace Maintenance Basic Tips

Home Inspection

Furnace Maintenance Basic Tips.  Save yourself money and repair costs by following our simple maintenance steps.

Heating system and maintenance

In general, heating systems are easy to maintain and are usually trouble free. Efficient operation is a function of good regular maintenance. There are several things you can do to keep your heating system in top condition no matter the type of furnace you have. When a heating or cooling system fails, it is typically one of three things creating the issue ( the heat/cold source , the distribution system and/or the thermostat) . If the furnace or A/C doesn’t work , chances are the issue is at the source. The unit may have lost power , fuel may not be reaching the unit or the fuel may not be igniting. If the unit turns on but the cold or warm air isn’t reaching the rooms , the blower or distribution system may be faulty. A faulty thermostat or control , could keep the unit from turning on or cause it to turn on and off repeatedly. Whatever the problem, start with the simplest procedures. In most cases, all it takes is patience and common sense.

Before working on the system , take these preliminary steps:

Make sure the unit is receiving power . Make sure the unit doesn’t have a blown fuse or tripped breaker. Some furnaces have a separate power entrance on a separate panel and some have fuses mounted on or in the unit.
If the unit has a reset button , let the motor cool down and press the button. If it doesn’t work right away , wait a little while and try it again.
Make sure the units power switch is turned on. Remember , the unit may have a separate power switch.
If it is a gas burning unit, make sure the gas is on and the pilot light is lit. If it’s an oil burning unit check and make sure there is an adequate supply of oil.

If working on the system is necessary remember these important safety factors :

Before doing any work on the unit , make sure all power to the unit is turned off. Remember the unit could be on a separate panel. Make sure the breakers are tripped or the fuses are removed for the particular unit. If your not sure which breaker or fuse it is , trip the main breaker or remove the main fuse to shut off the power to the entire house.
If the unit is constantly tripping breakers or blowing fuses then there is an issue with the electrical. If this is the case , call a professional service person.
If your home smells of gas , leave your home immediately, leave the door open and call the gas company to report a leak. Do not turn any lights on or off and do not re-enter your home.

Keep your furnace clean

Dirt is your furnaces greatest enemy. It can waste fuel drastically lowering the units efficiency. Dirt affect three basic components on your furnace ( the filter , the blower and the motor ) so keeping them clean is the most important part of furnace maintenance. A disposable furnace filter should be replaced monthly during periods of continuous use. To check the filter , simply remove it and check to see if it looks clogged. If it looks clogged replace it regardless of how long it has been used. Install the filter with the arrow on the outer edge pointing towards the blower on the inside of the furnace. The filter size should be marked on the outer edges of the filter.

A permanent filter can usually be cleaned with a filter coating chemical which should be available at your local hardware store. Clean this filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions which may be located in the furnace housing.

Cleaning the blower assembly is also important for maintaining your furnace because the openings can often become clogged with dirt. To clean blower, remove panel that covers filter to gain access to blower or panel on front of furnace. This panel may be slip-fit on hooks or held by series of retaining screws. Access to inside of blower is usually gained by sliding out fan unit, which is held on track by screws. With toothbrush, clean each fan blade and spaces between blades. Then, with vacuum cleaner hose, remove all dirt and debris loosened by brushing. Also vacuum belts and pulleys. Wipe motor housing clean to prevent heat build-up in the motor.

Keep your furnace motor lubricated

To keep your furnace motor running cool, make sure it’s clean. Most furnace motors are permanently lubricated and sealed by the manufacturer however some have covered oil ports above the bearings near the motor shaft. If your furnace motor has oil ports , it should be lubricated annually .Apply two or three drops of 10-weight non-detergent motor oil (not all-purpose oil) to each port. Do not over lubricate. If the blower shaft also has oil ports then it should be lubricated as well. If the blower shaft has grease cups instead of oil ports then remove the caps from the grease cups and fill the cups with bearing lubricant which should be available at your local hardware store.

Inspect on your furnace belt

While lubricating your furnace motor, it is a good time to check the belts. If the belts are worn or frayed , replace them with new one’s that are the same type and size. If the belt squeaks while the motor is running , spray it with fan belt dressing which should be available at your local hardware store. These steps should hopefully help keep your furnace healthy and your family warm for years to come.

To keep the unit in good shape , have it professionally serviced annually. The end of the heating season is usually the best time to do this because of off-season discounts and the company won’t likely be as busy. It a good idea to have your air conditioning unit serviced at the same time.

Nathan Pile
Barrie Home Inspections

Why Decide On A Gas or Grills?

Home Inspection

Why Decide On A Gas or Grills?  Charcoal fired BBQ grills are often a real nuisance to fire up and in some places or seasons you are going to be constrained from using them. Also, in case you live in a apartment or would like to own an indoor grill then they are surely just not a alternative. As an alternative electric, natural or propane gas barbecue grills are considerably more convenient and appropriate for all areas, seasons and for indoor or outdoor use. There are kettles and single or double box-shaped models that use natural or bottled gas. You will discover on both of these kinds of grills a griddle plate which is used for direct cooking and is perfect for cooking foods which can be high in fats like sausages and hamburgers or food that may be either very small, delicate, or awkward to control over the open grill. Both the electric, natural or propane gas models save you the difficulty of building the fire and also cleaning up the ashes. Since most of these units need only a brief preheating time, there is certainly little waiting for the barbecue grill once the food is prepared to cook.

For a few people, the option of the electric char grill is simply a matter of convenience. When using the electric outdoor or indoor barbecue grills, plugging the cord into an outlet and allowing for preheating is all that is necessary to start your barbecue. There isn’t any need to mess with connecting gas bottles or having to get the charcoal beads to fire up. You may get large electric barbecue grills that sit on a stand with wheels, in addition there are ones with hoods and volcanic rocks for that char grill smokey aroma.

Indoors, permanently installed gas or electrical char-grills are often positioned near range tops so that they can share the existing overhead exhaust fan. Certain barbecues have their own, though.

natural gas grill are simple to work with and also little upkeep, for bbq char grills that use propane cylinders you just have got to be certain that you do not run out of gas. Volcanic rock is commonly spread out beneath the barbecue grill and is heated by gas burners to give the food an genuine char-grill flavor. Rotisserie cooking can also be an option for many of the larger gas barbecue char grills. Just make certain you turn the gas off at the bottle whenever you have finished cooking to avoid any likelihood of a gas leak.

Out of your two sorts of gas bbq grills the natural gas grills are more convenient as they save you the time and cost of needing to drive to your nearest LP gas depot to fill up your gas bottle and also you will never run out of gas half way through a BBQ. In addition natural gas is a great deal cheaper and burns a lot cleaner then propane gas.

Here are some basic tools you need for everyday use of the barbecue; a long fork and tong for for turning and removing the foodstuff of the barbecue grills once it is ready; a stiff metal brush for scrubbing the grill; heatproof proper gloves for emergency adjustment for the grill or spit, and long handled spatulas; metal skews for cooking kebabs, wooden skews are okay when cooking on a griddle, but not a open char grill under a naked flame.

When you’ve got a fire flare and your barbecue grill is a natural gas type, close the gas mains line, extinguish any open flame. if the smell continues, immediately phone your gas provider or fire department.

You can find a large range of Electric Grills available to you. Drop in on our review site Natural Gas Grill to see the top critical reviews.

Maintaining Your Furnace Filter

Heating

Maintaining Your Furnace Filter

The first step in checking furnace filter is to check and make sure your filter is properly sized for your furnace. Ensure that the filter completely fills the holding area, with no gaps at top, bottom or sides. Also the filter should be thick enough to seal off any avenues for air to bypass the filter. You can typically look at the filter in place by removing bottom panel of furnace. This should only be done once power is shut off. Newer furnaces have a safety switch on their fan compartments but turning power off is always advised.

Another item to check is your owner’s manual for the furnace and check that you have the right style of filter for your furnace. Some people buy universal re-usable filters that might provide too much resistance for the modern high-efficiency furnaces used today. If no manual is available check on the internet for manufactures site and look up specifications for model of furnace you have. If no specifications are available, send them an email, most companies gladly provide information on requests from customers.

Clean or replace your disposable furnace filter periodically, during the winter, check the filter monthly. Brush and vacuum the heat exchanger surfaces every year, if recommended by your owner’s manual. Before the heating season, clean the blower blades and seal any air leaks in ducts with several wraps of duct tape. (use the metallic duct tape only)

Types of Filters

Pleated – Experts typically recommend this type of filter as a bare minimum requirement. Pleated filters should also include the metal wire to perform electrostatic dust control. The pleat feature allows greater filtration because of greater surface area which creates less air restriction.
Disposable fiberglass filters – These filter are the least expensive – and also the least effective, designed to block only large dust and dirt particles to protect your furnace. Smaller particles, like pollen and mold, pass right through.
Electronic air cleaners Electronic air cleaners are expensive but are the best at removing harmful particles and pollutants from the air. In many cases, the initial cost can be offset with lower medical bills for allergy suffers.

Filter Ratings

What is an efficiency or MERV rating?

Most filters are labeled with a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating number, which measures a filter’s ability to trap particles ranging in size from 3.0 microns to 10.0 microns. This number is derived from a test method designed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and is intended to help people compare filters.
Residential filters commonly have MERV ratings of 1-11. The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient the filter is, and the more particles it can filter.

A MERV rating of 6 means the filter is 35% to 50% minimum efficient at capturing particles, sized 3.0-10.0 microns.
A MERV rating of 8 means the filter is 70% to 85% minimum efficient at capturing particles, sized 3.0-10.0 microns.
A MERV rating of 11 means the filter is 85% to 95% minimum efficient at capturing particles, sized 3.0-10.0 microns.
MERV is an industry standard rating, so it can be used to compare filters made by different companies.

A little maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your forced-air equipment working properly. Start by cleaning or replacing the filter. With forced-air furnace systems, air returning to the furnace’s blower first passes through an air filter designed to catch dust and debris and help clean the air before it’s recycled to your home.
On new homes, check all your ducts by removing grills and vacuuming any debris that you can reach. If extremely dirty, notify the builder and have him clean the ducts. This is only possible on new construction and ducts should be inspected on your Pre-Delivery Inspection.

When typical filters become clogged with debris, they cut down on a furnace’s efficiency and, over time, can cause parts to wear out faster. Change filters quarterly or sooner if they look dirty. Pleated fabric filters are a good, inexpensive choice for reducing dust and allergens. Most experts recommend a pleated filter with wire for electrostatic performance. If you buy filters that are 3 for .00 then you probably could read a book looking through them, so you can imagine how useful they would be. Also check your manufactures recommendations before installing a washable filter, some type restrict too much air on high-efficiency furnaces and may cause premature failure of fan motor.

Steps to changing your furnace filter:

1) Turn off the power to the unit. Every furnace is required to have shut off switch.
2) Look for the door or panel that conceals the blower; sometimes this is marked “Filter.” Lift this door or panel off of its holding hooks or unscrew its retaining screws to remove it. Some furnaces have a custom sized filter which is held in place by wire screen in bottom compartment of furnace.

3) Standard filters are mounted next to or under the blower motor. Newer furnaces have the filter installed on exterior of furnace on supply side. A good installation will have a metal cover over side of filter to prevent air leakage. Remove cover and slide the filter out along its tracks. Check to see whether it is a disposable filter or intended to be cleaned and replaced–this should be marked on the filter’s edge, along with directions for cleaning if applicable. If it’s a disposable filter, its size will probably be printed on the frame’s edge also. Make a note of its size.

4) Buy a replacement and slide it back into place, noting that arrows stamped on the side indicate the proper direction of airflow; be sure you face these in the proper direction. If your smoke detectors or carbon-monoxide detectors start going off after cleaning your filter, you have installed the filter facing the wrong direction. Remove and reverse filter, this will resolve your detector alarm problem.

If someone in your family has allergies and you move to a new home that had pets living in it, cleaning your ducts might be advisable to remove build up which will then allow your filter to perform to its optimum ability. The most recommended type of duct cleaning is with brushes, which are sized according to the duct they are cleaning. This will allow filter to prevent dust and particles from circulating in your home.

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