Tag archive: ventilating
Anytime House Maintenance | Small, Preventive Repairs Always Help
Anytime house maintenance explains a few of the house components that do not necessarily depend on seasonal preventive repairs. Of course, based on your observation of those components, and their quality, you can implement some kind of a schedule that will help in monitoring and servicing.
1. Change or clean your forced air heating / AC system filter every 1-4 months based on type and usage.
2. Replace caulking / silicon around your tub, shower stall and sink whenever it starts separating from surfaces.
3. Inspect your bathroom tiled walls for cracks and missing grout – fill the gaps as soon as possible to prevent water penetration and tile backing wall damage.
4. Periodically check the main water shutoff valve and individual plumbing fixtures valves – might leak if left untouched for several years, might not operate at all and start leaking if you force them to turn. If it turns freely, open it all the way, and then back up a little – this helps to prevent the valve from being stack.
Whole House Fan ShutterCover Review
There are three reasons for which I put together this Whole House Fan ShutterCover Trim to Fit Review; The ShutterCover Trim to Fit manufacturer contacted me with some information about his product and I decided that it is worth to mention it on my website. For your information – I’m not affiliated with the manufacturer,…
Top Ten New Condo Safety Issues & Defects
Fitting New Condo Safety Issues and defects into the Top 10 list is going to be a little tight, but you can find out about many other bad things from the Chicago condos by checking entire Chicago Condo Inspection Manual. You would think that after such a spectacular real estate meltdown, something would change in…
Getting Rid of Mold in Your Attic| Killing Mold in Attic
Let me give you an advice on how to get rid of attic mold, something to consider before signing a contract with a mold remediation company.
New Water Heater Installation | Chicago Condo Inspection
New Water Heater Installation in a Condominium - Chicago Inspection Tips
To start your inspection of a new water heater installation in a Chicago condominium you have to determine what type of a water heater you actually have.
The following water heater installation guidelines will most likely apply in any jurisdiction (please double check). The only difference or rather an addition would be water heater strapping and flexible gas connectors that are required in seismic areas.
Below are 4 most common types of water heater installation in Chicago new condos:
Tank type /natural draft water heater with a metal vent pipe (galvanized steel – make sure there is no aluminum [...]
Chicago Condo Inspection & Combustion Air Requirements
This part will cover Chicago condo inspection combustion air requirements for the gas furnace and water heater installed inside your condo closet / utility room (not in the building common areas) – this is an extremely important section and you may need measuring tape.
All gas burning appliances require oxygen for a proper, complete and safe combustion process / without creating measurable and dangerous amounts of Carbon Monoxide.
Because Carbon Monoxide has no taste, smell or color you must have a CO detector installed in your condo to alert you about any unsafe levels (check Chicago smoke and Carbon Monoxide detector requirements).
First [...]
Furnace, Water Heater Vent Pipe Clearances and Locations
Gas burning appliances vent pipes produce heat when discharging exhaust gases to exterior.
Temperature of the vent pipe is transferred to the surrounding area and all the materials that are in the vent pipe vicinity. Problems start arising if those materials are combustible and located to close to the furnace, water heater vent pipe. If you apply heat to a combustible material for some period of time (that varies between materials), its point of ignition will gradually get lower and eventually little heat will be required to start a fire – that’s why you need a clearance between the vent pipe and a combustible material.
Gas Water Heater PVC Vent Pipe and WH Power Vent
WH PVC vent pipes can be used only with power-vent /exhaust motor equipped hot water heaters also known as an induced draft gas water heaters (also CPVC and ABS but some manufacturer and local restriction may apply to all 3 types).
Attic Black Mold and How to Prevent or Stop it from Growing
Black mold growing in the attic does not necessarily cause your house air contamination. However, mold usually becomes an issue when discovered during the home inspection. In addition, depending on the attic mold contamination extent, correcting the problem could make a significant hole in your budget.
Attic Black Mold and Why is it Growing in Your Attic
There are actually several different reasons that might be responsible for the mold to appear under the house roof… and sometimes compromise your real estate transaction. That is why attic evaluation and attic mold treatment (if you’re out of luck) should be performed before even putting your house on the market, and on regular basis.
Chimney Flue and Furnace / Water Heater Venting
Proper furnace / water heater venting is an extremely important issue, which depends on the performance of the house chimney / chimney flue or other exhaust assemblies. The conditions explained in this post also apply to the wood burning appliances.
Consequences of improperly assembled vent pipes, problematic chimney flue, deteriorating chimney walls can be sometimes fatal – fire and Carbon Monoxide poisoning are topping the list.
Therefore, combustion products from your furnace, water heater, wood burning fireplace, and any other appliance that requires some kind of an exterior vent / chimney, have to be properly properly discharged to the exterior.
Certain requirements [...]
House Water Heater Vent Pipe, How To Do It Right
Improper house gas water heater venting could be hazardous for you. Have a look at the pictures, and get it right, get it now – it’s easy and it can save your life.
Attic Ventilation | How Many Attic Vents Your Roof Needs
Attic ventilation
In order to provide proper attic ventilation, number of attic vents needs to calculated and strategically installed. This is one of … or rather the most important issue associated with attic area, having huge impact on your house “health” and proper functionality (especially in cold climates).
As long as you have an attic (most likely if your house has a pitched roof and none or partial cathedral ceilings), it should be accessible, and periodically checked for any abnormalities.
Many of the home owners don’t even realize, that there’s an attic, and how important it is to maintain attic ventilation and [...]