by Carey, James
Crawlspace: In the crawlspace, where upward flow is impossible, passive cross-ventilation (the movement of air from one side of a space to the other) is created by placing vents on each exterior wall.
Basement: In the basement, the HVAC system moves air around (active), and operable windows enable cross-ventilation (passive) when weather permits.
Ventilation — passive or active — won’t work if insulation, crud, or dead squirrels block the vents, or if you don’t have enough vents. Poor ventilation can result in an attic and subarea that are damp and “tropical.” Rot can develop in the wood framing and do great damage over time. Condensed water can soak insulation, making it ineffective and mildewed. Condensation from above and below can make its way into the house, ruining ceiling, floor, and wall finishes, and short-circuiting electrical wiring. If you notice that your vents are clogged, clear them immediately.
Building codes specify how much ventilation you need. As a general rule, have 1 square foot of vent area for every 150 square feet of attic area or crawlspace. We think more is better.
Attic ventilation
If your attic space is hot and humid in the summer, you may need to install additional vents at the eaves and at the ridge of the roof. Assuming you’re not a trained carpenter or roofer, we think it’s best to leave this kind of work to a professional, someone who knows her way around the roof structure and knows how to install leak-free roof penetrations.
Make sure that each vent and screen is painted (to prevent deterioration) and that the screens are secure to the frame of the vent. Animals, baseballs, and other common household missiles have a way of dislodging vent screens. Replace badly damaged vents. Solid vent screens prevent varmints of all sorts from settling in your attic.
Cardboard or prefab Styrofoam baffles can be used to prevent insulation from being blown into piles, leaving bare spots. Alternatively, they can prevent blown insulation from blocking air flow from eave vents. You can buy insulation baffles from home centers or insulation companies. The baffles are easy to install. They fit between rafters where eave vents are located and are held in place with staples. When installed properly, air passes over the baffle and up the underside of the roof sheathing, and the insulation stays put!
Crawlspace ventilation
If your crawlspace is damp, moist air can cause rot in the wood frame, attacking your home from below. Just like the attic (see the preceding section), a crawlspace needs a good flow of fresh air. If your crawlspace feels clammy, or you see mildew on the walls or structure, you need better ventilation — called foundation vents.
Extra vents are difficult to install and require special tools to cut through lumber, concrete block, concrete, stucco, and brick. Don’t go poking holes in your foundation on your own — call a carpenter or masonry contractor to do the work. They have the know-how, tools, and experience to do the job right.
Foundation vents can be damaged in the same way as eave vents. In fact, because they’re closer to the ground, there is greater potential for damage. Critters that can’t get into your attic will settle for the area beneath the floor. Establish a no-holes policy. Maintain foundation vents in the same way that we suggest for eave vents: Make sure they’re painted and securely attached, and replace any that become badly damaged.
Does your crawlspace have a dirt floor? If so, you may be able to avoid adding vents by installing a plastic vapor barrier. See Chapter 4 for instructions on how to do this.
Basement ventilation
A basement can get mighty musty, especially when moisture can make its way in through cracks in basement walls and floors. For this reason, ventilation is particularly important to eliminate moisture and odors.
Ventilation in a basement can be had in a variety of ways. If your furnace is located in your basement, you can introduce a small amount of air through a supply duct that moves the air and provides a little bit of heat — assuming the space is not occupied. A finished basement can have all the comforts of home — supply and return air ducts, exhaust fans, and moisture-control systems, such as a dehumidifier or water-collection and sump system.
If your basement has a window and it doesn’t work, fix it! There is no substitute for natural light and ventilation. A little bit of sunlight throughout the day can create natural air currents that can help control moisture and odors.
Troubleshooting thermostats
Is your house too hot or too cool? Your problem could be the thermostat. Some potential causes:
It’s in a bad location. The thermostat shouldn’t be located over a lamp, over a TV, or near any heat source. Drafts will read as lower temperatures and send wrong commands to the air conditioner or furnace.
It needs cleaning. When older mechanical thermostats malfunction, those with lever-set temperatures and contact switches usually need cleaning only. To clean your thermostat, remove the cover and dust inside with a soft brush. To clean contacts, slip a piece of paper between them, moving the paper very lightly back and forth.
Its anticipator needs adjustment. If your air conditioner or furnace cycles on and off too seldom or too frequently and you have a mechanical control, try adjusting the anticipator — usually a flat metal pointer on a scale. If heat starts and stops too often, move the anticipator a smidge higher. If it starts and stops too seldom, adjust it a tad lower. Wait a few hours to see if the adjustment was enough.
You need new batteries. Electronic thermostats with digital readouts and keypads rarely fail. Just put in new batteries when the low-power light comes on.
With simple maintenance and light cleaning, thermostats, whether electronic or mechanical, will function best and as they should — for comfort.
Today’s programmable thermostats are so “smart” that they will not only make your home more comfortable, but conserve energy and save money, too. How, you ask? Simple. You can program a smart thermostat to turn the heating system on just before you get out of bed in the morning, turn off about the time everyone leaves the home, turn on again just in time to have the home toasty for your return after a long day, and finally turn off just about the time you snuggle into bed. Some electronic models can be programmed day to day or for weekdays versus weekends, or to raise and lower the temperature several times a day. What’s more, as technology improves, the product becomes more affordable. Programmable thermostats range in price from $35 to more than $100, depending on features. They can be installed by most do-it-yourselfers and come complete with step-by-step instructions for easy installation. Some manufacturers even offer toll-free installation help lines that will walk you through the installation process. Yippee!
A wall-mounted mechanical exhaust fan is another great means of improving air circulation in a basement. Keep in mind that an exhaust fan will create negative pressure in a basement where there is no air intake, so you’ll want to be sure to have a window or a screened vent (such as a foundation vent) to provide for air intake.
Negative pressure can starve your furnace or gas-fired water heater of necessary oxygen for efficient combustion. In addition, negative pressure can prevent toxic gases from properly exhausting through vent flues.
Big or Small, an Air Conditioner Cools Y’all
When it comes to air conditioning (AC), people don’t care how it works, just that it works. It’s all about being cool. Fortunately for sweat-averse folks, AC technology has advanced tremendously in recent years. And, even better, the energy efficiency of central-AC equipment had improved along with it. In fact, if you have an AC unit that is more than 10 or 12 years old, today’s ultra-energy-efficient units can cut your cooling costs in half.
The efficiency of window units has improved a great deal, too, as has the performance of AC/heat-pump units. Even the old-style evaporation systems (sometimes called swamp coolers) have received an infusion of advanced technology.
With all this new technology, are there any maintenance tasks a do-it-yourselfer can do? Not very many.
Central air-conditioning systems<
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Maintenance-wise, you can take care of a central-air system just by changing the furnace filters monthly, and periodically hosing off the fins of the exterior condensing unit (that’s the large cube that sits outside in a flower bed and contains a fan that blows hot air) to remove dust and debris. The most important thing you can do is call a licensed heating/cooling contractor every spring for a thorough inspection and comprehensive maintenance.
Regular maintenance aside, if you’re getting to know your serviceman a little too well because of frequent and repeated repairs, it’s time to replace your system. According to Energy Star, a government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment through energy efficiency, if your air-conditioning system is ten years old or older, you should replace it with a new, significantly more energy-efficient Energy Star–rated model.
Replacing a central air-conditioning system is not a do-it-yourself project. Contact a qualified heating and air-conditioning contractor who will be able to discuss the various decisions you have to make when purchasing and installing a new system.
Among these considerations is size. In the past, the general rule for sizing a central air-conditioning system was 1 ton of air-conditioning capacity for every 500 square feet of living area. Today, sizing an air-conditioning system takes into consideration many factors and is far more complex.
When it comes to central air-conditioning, bigger isn’t necessarily better. An oversized unit will operate with short run times, not allowing the unit to reach efficient operation or deliver even temperatures throughout the home. Another disadvantage to an oversized unit is that it won’t run long enough to adequately remove excess humidity. What’s more, an oversized unit will experience increased operating costs. Conversely, an undersized system will run much longer than it should, and will likely never do an adequate job of cooling your home.
Studies show that summertime operation at 78 degrees and 30 percent relative humidity provides the same level of occupant comfort as 74 degrees and 70 percent relative humidity. This lower humidity level will provide increased comfort, lower utility bills, and less risk of health issues associated with high humidity.
To reduce wasted energy, the U.S. Department of Energy has established minimum efficiency standards for air conditioners. Every unit is given an efficiency rating, called a seasonal energy-efficiency rating (SEER). The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the unit, and the lower the cost to provide a given amount of cooling. The minimum SEER for a new central air conditioner is 13. Ultra-efficient models have a SEER of 15 to 18. (Note: Window AC units are exempt from the SEER requirements — their rating is around 10.)
Don’t be confused by terminology. Ignore marketing words like high-efficiency, super-high-efficiency, and ultra-high-efficiency, and focus on the SEER number.
If your air conditioner seems dead or if it’s blowing only hot air, check the circuit breakers before you call for service. Nothing makes you feel more stupid than paying a serviceman $75 to flip the breaker back on or replace the fuse.
Window air-conditioner units
As with a central AC system, there’s not much you have to do to maintain a window air-conditioning unit:
Clean the filter on the interior face every month. Unplug the unit. Pull off the front panel and remove the filter, or slide the filter out the side. Then wash the filter gently in mild detergent, rinse, and dry.
Clean the condenser coil fins on the exterior face at least once a year. Gently vacuum or brush the fins and then straighten any bent fins with a comb.
Never remove the cover and clean inside the unit. You could get a shock (even when it’s unplugged), and all you can do is bend or break something. If you goof up something inside, you won’t have a window unit anymore; you’ll have an ugly doorstop.
Got a 10-year-old window air conditioner? Throw it out! A new unit will be 25 percent to 50 percent more energy efficient. But don’t buy just any air conditioner; get one that works efficiently — one with an Energy Star label, one that does all it can to help you keep your electric bill in check. Also, you’ll want to
Buy the right capacity unit. Measure the room you want to cool and bring the width, length, and height measurements to the store so that the salesperson can help you choose a unit that’s efficient for the space.
Get a unit with an energy-saving thermostat that cycles the unit on and off.
Make sure you get a three-speed fan (high to cool the room quickly and medium or low to maintain the temperature).
Choose a model with a timer to turn the unit on before you get home.
Part IV
Inside Home Sweet Home
In this part . . .
We figure that you have to do something with your spare time when it’s too cold or wet to work outside. So we came up with an entire part of maintenance tasks that you can perform inside your home while you wait for Mother Nature to ease up a bit. In this part, we help you care for the floors, walls, ceiling, and everything in between. Granted, it’s a lot of ground to cover, but hey, it’s not like you don’t have the whole winter. This part also covers your home-safety systems. After all, what good is a home if you can’t feel safe and secure in it?
Chapter 11
Walls and Ceilings
In This Chapter
Keeping walls and ceilings looking great
Patching cracks in walls and plaster
Painting for the uninitiated
Maintaining wallpaper and paneling
It doesn’t take much to mess up a wall or ceiling. And as they say, stuff happens: A missing door bumper lets the knob punch a nice round hole. A shift in the foundation results in a 5-foot hairline crack. A heavy dresser leaves dozens of dents as it’s carried down the hallway. A little kid’s crayon makes unpaintable purple squiggles. An area of plaster ceiling loses its grip and sags.
You get the picture: Life is hard on walls and ceilings. Luckily, most maintenance to these surfaces is well within your reach.
Cleaning Walls and Ceilings
You may not realize it, but everything in your kitchen is covered with a thin coating of grease and gummy dust. And your bathroom walls have their own coating of gunk, including hairspray, cleaning products, and stuck-on dust. And don’t forget crayon marks on bedroom walls and handprints and ugly smudges galore everywhere else.
You can wipe away fingerprints, crayon, pen marks, dirt, and dust from walls, trim, and doors with almost any household cleaner and a damp cloth. If your house is relatively new, make a bucket of soapy water and wipe the walls and ceiling with a damp sponge. If your house is older, you need something that cuts through the accumulated crud: a synthetic TSP solution, like Spic And Span. (Short for trisodium phosphate, TSP removes greasy dirt like nothing else.) Mix up a bucketful, wipe down the walls and ceiling, and then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Morris’s wife, Carol, recommends a sponge mop for cleaning both smooth and textured ceilings (not the popcorn ones). The foam-rubber sponge holds up best. She cautions that head protection is a must. An old bath towel can be used to dry the ceiling. Remember: Mildew loves a wet surface. Get it dry right away! Carol loves 409, but she does use TSP in extreme cases.
TSP (also known as liquid sandpaper) etches paint. It will eventually dull a glossy finish. A TSP cleaning should be performed only when nothing else works or when you intend to prepare a wall for painting. But be careful: If you’re planning to paint your wall after cleaning with TSP, a leftover film prevents proper paint adhesion, so be sure to rinse the area thoroughly with fresh water.
Dealing with Drywall
Chances are, the walls and ceilings of your home are made of drywall (also referred to as wallboard, gypsum board, or sheetrock). Drywall is both easy to damage and easy to repair.
Drywall gets two kinds of damage: gouges and hairline cracks. Gouges are usually caused by accident — by you, an angry spouse, a guest, or the previous owner. Hairline cracks are usually caused by movem
ent in the foundation or framing of the house, which is nobody’s fault. The frame of your house expands and contracts with the seasons, as temperature and humidity levels change.
Repairing small cracks
Got a small crack? Fill it with a flexible silicone caulk. The silicone flexes as the crack widens and narrows with normal house movement. (Silicone caulking also works for little nail holes.) Caulking is easy — just follow these steps:
1. Buy a fresh tube of silicone caulking (the paintable kind).
The old tube in the basement has probably dried out, making it useless.
