Flooding	Gas or Oil	Mold	Siding	Home Improvements	ARC Faults
RainySpring	Black Outs	Fall Lawn Care	Plywood?	More Tips

Flooding In the Area

Three businessmen were talking one day, and the first businessman said business was going great. They had a huge inventory of product, and suddenly they had a fire. Everything was destroyed. Fortunately, they had plenty of insurance and everything was replaced. The second businessman said they had the biggest retail day in their history. A robber entered and took everything. Fortunately, they were insured and the money replaced. The third businessman said things were going great when a flood hit them. The other two businessmen looked at him and said, "How do you make a flood?"

Sadly, floods are not a joke. They cause damage that can only be compared to the destruction caused by a fire. People are asking, "Why are we having so many floods?" We do seem to be having a lot of them and people want to blame something. First, we have to look at where they are happening. The huge majority of the flooding is occurring in areas known as flood plains. A flood plain is an area that has been designated as likely to flood. People often use the term "hundred year" flood plain. When an area received this designation, people seem to think that it will flood only once in one hundred years. This term actually means that in one hundred years it is likely to flood. It doesn't mean that once you get a flood you are free for the next hundred years. Nature isn't keeping score. If there is enough rain, and the water has no where to go, these areas will flood.

People want to find a reason why an area that hadn't flooded in thirty or forty years, has now flooded twice in the last ten years. There are a huge number of complex factors contributing to these conditions. Rivers and streams are evolving bodies of water. It may flow in one direction for years. Then conditions change. Development may change the areas around the stream or the stream may change the conditions itself. Riverbanks can get larger or smaller with time. A stream may change direction. An area where the excess water ran in the past has now been blocked off. A natural catch basin that once absorbed run off from the stream no longer serves that purpose, and the water flows in far greater volume downstream until it finds another natural catch basin. That catch basin may now be your back yard. Other factors such as changes in bridge sizes, and poor maintenance of stream and riverbeds can cause a peaceful stream to become a river of terror.

Taking out an old narrow bridge and replacing it with a bigger wider bridge is a great idea. The old bridge slowed the flow of water creating a natural catch basin, but now you have accelerated the flow downstream, contributing to their flooding. The bigger bridge is a byproduct of the development of the area.

There is a natural tendency to want to blame things that happen on someone. One argument frequently raised is the development in the area has cause increased run off and caused the flooding. When a development is planned, a catch basin is included to hold the increased run off and dissipate the water at a safe level. The run off should be the same as before the development. Some rains exceed the capacity of these basins, and true, increased development is a factor contributing to the flooding. But it is only a factor, and not the cause. Increasing the size of these catch basins will not prevent flood plain areas from flooding.

Flooding in this area has some specific dates that are part of our history. In 1934, floods hit Pennsylvania and badly damaged many towns such as Wilkes-Barre. A huge flood control plan was implemented. This worked until 1972 when along came Hurricane Agnes. They built a bigger and better levy to protect the town. In January of 1995, they evacuated a huge portion of the town because they thought the river would overflow the bigger levy. Fortunately, the system worked, and the town was not flooded. But there will always be a next time.

Agnes changed the zoning the maps forever. With Agnes came federally subsidized flood insurance as well as a mandate that you cannot build in flood plains. If you do, the town will not be eligible for flood insurance. This stopped development in flood plains, but it didn't solve the problem of people presently living in them. A major problem is the smaller, less publicized stream that meanders through fully developed older neighborhoods. Suddenly it is a source of terror. What do you do with it? Where do you put the water? How do you control it? There is no room to build a levy like they did in Wilkes-Barre. There is no room to build catch basins along the stream. Do we tear down your house, so your neighbor can stay there and not get flooded? Complicating the idea of catch basins or overflow routes for these smaller bodies of water is the environmental impact changes will create. If you change the stream, you change Nature and effect the ecology that has evolved over hundreds of years

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Gas or Oil

Is it just me, or was this the longest September in history? The weather was beautiful, but the days were hardly enjoyable. October has arrived with its plethora of colors, chilly winds, and heating bills. The tragedy of September 11 has caused a drop in demand for jet fuel. This has resulted in a glut of heating fuel and gasoline. This can only help our fragile economy. The question often asked is, what is cheaper for heating your home, oil or gas? Or, should I get a heat pump?

Let's take a look at the first two options. The answer is quite simple. The cheapest heat source is the one presently in your home. Deciding which fuel source is cheapest is often a question of one thinking the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. When the price of oil rises, the distributors of natural gas always seem to notice. They will then raise their prices. There may be a slight lag between the two, but they are rarely far apart. Recently oil jumped significantly in costs, and soon the natural gas distributors began ratcheting up their prices. The problem I have is that natural gas is primarily from domestic sources and the world market fluctuations that effect oil should not affect gas, but they raise their prices anyway. In other words, you get gouged either way.

There are some decisions regarding your home heat that do often arise. If your heater is in need of replacement, you then might consider the various options. Or, you just bought a house, and it does not have natural gas on the street, and you are used to living with gas. People often want natural gas for other reasons besides heating. Many people find gas the preferred heating fuel over oil or electric. A gas water heater is significantly less money than an oil water heater. A gas water heater is cheaper to run than an electric water heater. A gas dryer runs slightly hotter and is cheaper to run than an electric clothes dryer.

If these are concerns, a propane tank can be installed. In many cases, the tank is installed at no charge if you agree to buy all of your gas from the supplier. There are other considerations if you switch from oil to propane. The most overlooked item is the chimney. A chimney is an engineered structure that is built specifically for the fuel and appliances it vents. Switching from oil to propane will cause the lining in the chimney to fail. Faulty chimneys burn houses down, and kill people. Be sure your chimney is sized right for the appliance. A frequent defect I observe in homes is the "orphan" water heater." The homeowner buys a new high efficiency heater. High efficiency appliances vent through a PVC pipe out the side of the home and do not use the chimney. Now the water heater is the only appliance vented into the chimney. The reduction in exhaust gases into the chimney leads to considerable condensation. This moisture destroys the lining and the chimney fails. The solution is to change to a high efficiency water heater at the same time, and close off the chimney.

When purchasing a new heater, the contractor rarely discusses the chimney. I am not sure of their logic, but I am often asked, "Why didn't the heating contractor tell me this might kill me?" You will have to ask the heating contractor that question. If you have natural gas in your home and convert from oil to gas, all of the conditions described above also apply to your new gas appliances. Converting from gas to oil is another story. I am rarely asked about it, but the biggest concern with gas I hear is safety. Some people fear the explosive nature of gas. Again, changing fuels requires changes in the chimney system that should be addressed.

If you presently have electric heat and want to change to propane or gas, your best option is high efficiency appliances. Basically they are called high efficiency appliances because they use more heat from the fuel being consumed. They contain a second heat exchanging system that pulls additional heat from the exhaust. This greatly reduces the temperature of the exhaust. The exhaust leaving the unit is about 100 degrees. This can be vented through a plastic pipe and does not have to vent through the top of the house. They can save you 10% to 15% each season in fuel. The PVC pipe is also considerably cheaper than relining the chimney. The unit itself is more expensive, but if you are there for the long haul, they are the best investment.

The last heat source is electric. Electric heat gets a bad rap. You only heat the rooms you are occupying and shut it off the rest of the home. If done judiciously, this works very well. Children seem to struggle with this concept. Turning off the light when they leave a room is enough to remember. Also heat pumps get a bad rap. New electric heat pumps work very well. The secret is don't touch the thermostat. Set it at one temperature and leave it there all winter. They can be a competitively priced source of heat. Don't turn it down at night, and don't turn it up when you get a slight chill. "Put a sweater on," as Mom used to say.

What's the best system? If I was building a house, and had all the options in front of me, I would install a heat pump with a gas fired back up heat source. A heat pump is a good source of cheap heat for about 35% of the winter. With gas as a back up system, you get the best of both worlds. If you don't have gas in your home, they also make excellent oil fired heat pumps. If you have hot water heat, obviously a heat pump isn't considered. In general, your best bet is to stick with the fuel source you are presently using, get the most energy efficient type of appliance for that fuel, set your thermostat a little lower and put a sweater on.

Gerry Aubrey 610-277-2355

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Mold

The latest feeding frenzy for the television and print news media is mold in your home. It will completely destroy your dream home, make it totally uninhabitable and the only solution is a bulldozer. Sounds pretty scary. Has it happened? Yes. Has it happened often? Absolutely not.

There are a few basic facts about mold you should know. First, your house has it. Every house has it. Molds are tiny plants that facilitate the breakdown of plant and organic matter. Wood, paper, and food fall into this category. Everything you need to know about mold you can learn from a piece of bread. Leave bread in your bread drawer for about two weeks and take a look at it. It will develop a pretty shade of green. What do you do with the bread? You throw it out. This is a miniature case study in mold. You left a food source for mold in a warm dark location with ample moisture. The mold had everything it needed to grow: food, water, and darkness. So, the spores took root and blossomed. In most cases this is penicillium, which is considered less toxic than other molds. However, all molds are considered toxic, and removal is recommended.

It is estimated that one third to one half of all homes have some form of mold growth present in the house. Before you tear down the house and move into a tent in the back yard, let's take a rational approach. Unless you have a strong medical concern from your health care professional that mold is creating a health risk in your house, there is no reason to test your house for mold. If you test, the answer will be yes, you have mold. There are no guidelines for "safe" amounts of airborne mold in the home. Testing will only keep you up at night, and not solve any problems.

The best way to approach mold is to remove conditions that are conducive to its' growth. First and foremost, reduce the humidity in your home. Do not use a humidifier. If not operated properly, they are a health risk. If you read the EPA guidelines on a humidifier, they recommend using distilled water. If your humidifier is running off your tap water, it's not distilled. There are so many problems that an improperly maintained humidifier can create, they do not seem to be worth the risk. Get a hygrometer, monitor your humidity, and keep it below fifty percent in the basement. They say molds grow at sixty percent. Fifty percent is safer, and it's still very comfortable. Get a dehumidifier that is draining constantly. Clean the dehumidifier pan every few days with bleach.

Next, ventilate, ventilate, and ventilate. The vents for the dryer, and the fans for the bathrooms should vent to the outside. Older homes often had kitchen fans that operated on a pull string. They took the cooking moisture outside. If you have one, use it. Be sure to clean it regularly. Every month is usually sufficient. I have seen some that looked like a science project. If you don't have one, open a window slightly when you cook. Be sure your attic has lots of ventilation. A balanced ridge and soffit venting system is best. Never close off attic vents in the winter. You will destroy your house. If your house is above a crawl space, insulate under the floor of the living area, and vent the crawl space. Put a sheet of heavy weight plastic or roofing felt paper over all dirt areas in the basement or crawl space under the house. If you have a basement, insulate the perimeter band joist area of the basement.

Aggressively attack any water source, or source of dampness in your home. Any areas damaged by plumbing or roofing leaks should be dried immediately, and removed if saturated. No water entry in the basement should be tolerated. Keep your gutters clean. Drain your downspouts several feet away from the home, and re-grade so the home is higher than every point at least eight feet away from the home. In many cases, only a few inches of re-grading are all it takes to make the water run away from the foundation. Check all caulking, roof flashings, gutter end caps and seams, and keep them sealed and tight. A roofing professional should check flashings. Homeowners and nonprofessional roofers seem to think that the more roof cement you use, the better the job. Check these areas annually.

If you are thinking, I have a new home, all of this doesn't apply to me, you couldn't be more wrong. You are far more likely to have mold problems in a brand new home than in an older home. Be sure all of the preventive measures listed above are in place and working in your new home. New homes are very tight. This tightness traps moisture in the home, which leads to mold growth. If your new house has a problem with mold, the homeowner, through poor maintenance, is far more likely to be the cause than the builder. I personally would not buy a home with an Exterior Insulation Finished System, (EIFS). This is a stucco system that can work very well. However, the tendency towards human error creating insurmountable problems and mold concerns with the product, lead me to advise new homebuyers to ask for a traditional stucco system instead.

Lastly, if buying a home, don't expect the home inspector to be able to tell you if the home has molds at an unhealthy level. Mold is a health issue. Talk to your doctor about it. Some people with weak immune systems, asthma, or other health conditions, may react to the presence of molds, and others will never know its there. If there are obvious moisture problems such as a wet basement, leaky roof, or visible evidence of plumbing problems, these conditions can create mold concerns, but it's not a reason to panic. Go to www.EPA.gov and you will find all the information you need about molds. Mold grows out of sight more often than in visual areas. Remember the bread. Often, homes will have a roof leak that's repaired. The stained area is painted and forgotten. The mold on the other side of the wall or ceiling is never cleaned off. No home inspector can find every area that may have gotten wet in the history of a house. Mold is everywhere. The chances your home will develop unhealthy amounts of it are very remote. There are many ways to address it short of a bulldozer. Most involve common sense, good maintenance, and checking the home on a regular basis for warning signs. Condensation on windows, a black film in damp areas such as basements, bathrooms, attics, or cold closets, and rust or black rings around nails in the attic are all indications of too much moisture and potential mold problems.

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Siding

You have been in your house for several years now. You look at it every day, and it looks tired. That siding that once stood so proudly in the morning sun has now faded like old jeans. What to do? You have heard that aluminum siding can be painted, but you wonder how it will look. Before we discuss painting it, let's back up a bit and discuss aluminum siding. What is the product and what were the expectations of the product?

When aluminum siding first appeared in the 1950's it was considered the ultimate solution for a "maintenance free" exterior. It was guaranteed not to chip, crack, flake or peel. Fast talking salesmen that smelled like cheap cologne offered outrageous promises about its "lifetime" performance. Aluminum siding did a lot of what they said it would do. However, they did not mention fade or chalk in their sales pitch because it does both. Aluminum siding that is over 20 years old has lost its glisten. The chalking, which plagues white siding, often causes the color to bleed onto wall areas below it such as masonry surfaces. The colored siding, particularly the darker colors that arrived in the 1960's and 1970's, fades significantly. Painting the siding, may be an option in some isolated circumstances.

Painting white siding white works best. The siding should be cleaned thoroughly. Leave the high-pressure sprayer at the tool rental store. Aluminum siding dents very easily. Using too much pressure when cleaning will dent it. Wash it down with soap and water. It will chalk considerably during this process. If there is a black or green film on the siding, this is mold or algae. These areas should be washed down with a bleach solution. A couple of tablespoons per gallon should be enough. There is a primer called Killz that is designed to seal surface from molds and algae. My suggestion is discuss the painting process with your paint salesperson and tell them exactly what you are painting, such as the color the original surface. They are the best people to advise you on primers and finished painting.

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Home Improvements

Everyone likes to decorate and design his or her home. It's quite natural to want to put your creative stamp on your surroundings. Often, little thought is given to the re-sale value of the home when many projects are begun. Unfortunately, this lack of thought can become quite obvious when the home is put on the market.

There are some home improvements that you may consider a great asset, but often limit the marketability of your home, and therefore, lower its market value. The best example of such an improvement is a swimming pool. Having owned one for thirteen years, I couldn't imagine life without one. However, if you have one installed, you can plan on not seeing a dollar for dollar return on your investment when you sell the home. The truth is, the cheapest way to get a swimming pool is to buy a home that already has one.

An item that is growing in popularity is a small pond with gold fish and a pump circulating the water. For a relatively small investment, particularly if you do the work yourself, you can dramatically change the mood of the back yard. The problem with a pond is others may view it as maintenance, and shy away. Some properties are landscaped with a specific cultural theme such as an oriental garden. This type of gardening can be very artistic and tasteful, but it may limit the market of prospective buyers. Landscaping can enhance a property. Developing what amounts to bird sanctuary can be another thing all together. Trees are beautiful. They provide shade and can frame a property. However, too many trees or too many bushes can smother the home and can be viewed as high maintenance by the next person. More is not always better.

We love out pets. We will often go to great lengths to make them happy. Giving Rover his own door seems like a great idea. Our dog always waits until I get in the perfect position on the sofa to tell me he needs to spend a little time in the yard. Converting a perfectly good door into a "doggy" door has its down sides. They let in the cold and can raise your fuel bills. If the door is cut through a garage door, they can create a break in the fire safety that a full metal door provides. When its time to move, the next owners may want a new door put in the opening. An electronic underground fence system to keep the pet at home is a nice feature that may be worthless to the next buyer.

Decorating to your tastes can also have repercussions. When making long-term permanent decisions, a little thought to universal appeal makes sense. I have seen beautifully tiled bathrooms, laid in well-constructed wet beds, in colors and patterns that could make you forget why you went there. If you like bright colors, use your drapes or shower curtain to create your color scheme. Even toilet seats come in an array of colors, and the seats are easy to change. When making decisions on items permanently attached, such as tile flooring, kitchen or bathroom fixtures, neutral or low-key colors work best. When I see avocado fixtures in the kitchen, I start thinking Austin Powers might live here. Some colors go through styles. Avocado green and shag rugs were highlights of the seventies that didn't make into the category of classic design. They say that buyers can see past the color schemes, but often they don't.

Paneling a room can be a relatively inexpensive way to improve a room when the walls are in poor condition or possibly no walls at all. Some people renovate by installing paneling directly on the studs when converting a basement into a family room, and not even bothering with the drywall. Paneling is not as popular as it once was. Items like paneling, while viewed as a solution by one person, may be viewed as a problem by the next person. As a suggestion, if you panel a room, particularly a basement, use light colored paneling. Dark colors may create a mood you desire, but they tend to make rooms look smaller, and they can feel like a dungeon.

In summary, putting your fingerprint on your home is perfectly understandable. What you do to the property is your business, and it takes something drastic in the way of changes to a property before a neighbor or zoning officer complains. But the truth is, most mortgages in this country, don't last seven years. People move. If one of the breadwinners is in a job where transfers to other cities happen, hand stenciling the child's bedroom can cause emotional pain when the new move is announced. I use this example because I've seen that exact scenario after the people were in there new home one month. If it's attached to the home, stay neutral and middle of the road. Treat your house like a well-dressed person. Stay with the basics, but accessorize to make a statement about individuality.

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ARC Fault Interrupters

         We have all read or heard about a house fire that starts when no one was home   or    flares up in the middle of the night when everyone thought they were safe. The culprit is often an electrical fire. How can an electrical fire start at a time when most appliances are turned off or in a very minimal electrical demand? Another often asked question is how can a fire start when we have a perfectly operating electrical panel with a bevy of breakers to provide us with safety?

Many experts asked these same questions and began studying the problem. The solution begins with an understanding of how electricity is distributed, and how it operates. First, electricity will continue to flow through a wire at the same voltage, regardless of the draw. In simple terms, the wire to your clock radio has 110 to 120 volts of electricity flowing through it when the clock is running. It doesn’t need the radio to be on. The current through the line is the same. The second consideration is when electricity runs into resistance, it gets hot. The heat builds up, and the gradual accumulation of the heat causes the fire. It’s not the action of a single spark, but the constant flow of electricity creating a series of tiny sparks that cause the fire.

Let’s take a look at the first part of the problem. Electricity is flowing along, happily minding its own business. The electricity actually travels along the surface of the copper wire, not in it. Suddenly, it comes to break in the electrical line. This can be caused by the wire being cut, bent, twisted, or impeded in some way. Often it is caused by a plug not being fully inserted into an electrical receptacle. This is most likely to happen in the bedroom. We plug in an appliance, and push the furniture back against the wall as close as we can. In doing so, the wire bends the plug, and now the receptacle is in the socket on an angle. The plug is close to the connecting terminal but not making full contact. The electricity then “jumps” from the plug to the terminal. This jumping action is called an arc. It can even be viewed as a tiny lightening bolt. The space between the plug and the terminal causes resistance, and electricity doesn’t like resistance. The jumping action creates heat. This heat builds up. The heat is very gradual and is not enough to activate the safety device back in the main electrical panel. That device responds to excessive draw of electricity. Too much electrical demand can create heat, but that’s not our problem. In reality, it can happen when it’s drawing very little electricity. Fires can start with low load electrical appliances.

This heat eventually accumulates to the point that materials around the receptacle begin to heat up.Remember where this is taking place, behind a piece of furniture. There is very little air exchange to cool things down, and the slight crackling noise that the electricity is creating is muffled. This is a formula for a fire. Enter the arc fault circuit interrupter or AFCI! The arc fault interrupter is a brilliantly designed safety devise that responds to a combination of conditions. It senses that arcing is taking place.Have you ever plugged in an appliance that was turned on, and witnessed a tiny spark? That is an arc. That little arc usually won’t trip your AFCI.

The AFCI knows that spark is nothing and ignores it. If the spark continues to occur, the AFI springs into action and cuts off the flow of electricity to the entire branch circuit. It operates on a combination of sensing an arc, determining the size of the arc, and lastly, measuring the duration of the arc. The combination of these elements will trip the devise. How does it work? I don’t know. You will have to ask an electrical engineer. My advice is to be seated comfortably when you ask them. Most engineers I know will graciously provide detailed answers to these types of questions. The important consideration is that it does work.

How do I know I have them, where do I see them, and how can I check them? Arc fault circuit interrupters were added to the Electrical Code on January 1, 2002. If your home was built after that date, the chances of you having them are better, but it’s not automatic. Your house may have been built to comply with an older code. If your home was built before that it may have them, as they have been on the market for several years. Look in your main electrical panel for breakers with a small blue button on them. The Code requires them for bedroom areas only. To test them, push the blue button. Now go to the bedroom served by that particular circuit and test for power. Use a light or electrical tester, and plug it into the receptacles. There should be no power to that branch. Go back to the panel and reset the breaker. Push the breaker all the way to the opposite side of all the other breakers, and then push it back to the same side as the other breakers. You should hear a click when you push it back. You should now have your power restored.

This is the best way to test them. Testers are available, but they are several hundred dollars. How often should you test them? The experts feel you should test the ground fault circuit interrupters in your bathroom once a month. In theory, these should be tested with the same frequency. What’s important is that your test them regularly. A second thing happens when you test them. You pull the furniture away from the wall and examine the connection and the receptacle. If the wire is damaged, replace it. If there are burn marks on the plug or receptacle, have a licensed electrician check it.Electricity is a powerful force that should be respected. Be aware of its dangers and regular inspections of outlets can protect you.

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Rainy Spring

Let’s see, now who enjoyed this spring? The list begins with people who owned tanning salons, movie rental stores, and book stores. Who didn’t like this spring? If you played on a baseball team you will be going into October with make up games. The car washes were closed more day than they were open. In reality, just about everyone else hated it. You loved this spring if you are an insect or a mold spore.

Let’s start with termites. Termites are subterranean insects whose job is to find wood, and break it down. They live in nests in the soil. They are a highly structured society in which each member’s job is well defined. They search for wood, find it and eat it. They are very good at it. After all, they do it for a living. They move through damp soil and tubes they construct for protection. They can’t be exposed to the light of day. They love the rain. They loved this spring. Termites will only be found at or near the soil line. They live in the soil and must return to the nest each night. You will only find termites in the lower levels of the home. Check the perimeter of your basement and look at each individual floor joist. Poke it with along metal probe, like a screwdriver. If you see any light brown tubes, or find any soft wood, call in an expert.

Many insects stay in the soil or in their nesting materials in the damp cool weather. Once the sun appears and the weather heats up, many insects, such as ants, come out. This year we had ants in all shapes and sizes, and more of them than in most years. Ants also live in very structured societies in which everyone has a job, they know it, and they do it. Some days I wish a few humans I know were a lot more like ants. The large black ants are carpenter ants. They eat wood and leave frass behind. Ants can attack wood far above ground level. If you have tree branches dragging on the roof, they will follow the tree limb and climb into the attic. Ants can do considerable damage, and given enough time, can be just as devastating to a home as termites. There are many species of ants. The small brownish ants will find that dropped piece of candy behind the counter. The best remedy for them is keeping the kitchen areas as clean as possible. Leave no dirty dishes behind. Clean with equal parts of vinegar and water. In Florida they have ants called fire ants that attack if you disturb their nests. They storm out like bees, but fortunately, they aren’t a problem in this climate.

Mosquitoes loved this spring. They breed in any standing water. The best approach for them is to check your property for any accumulated water. Water can sit in puddles on the ground, or debris such as old tires. Remove the water. If you have trouble removing it, some home centers sell small tablets called MosquitoDunks that can be left in the water to kill the larvae. Mosquitoes are creating an increasing problem with West Nile Virus. The virus was last year’s disease of the year. This year SARS is taking center stage, but West Nile is still a concern. Jim Bucciarelli of Certified Pest Control in Horsham said this year was the worst he remembers for all insects. They have had calls for termites, ants, ticks, and even some mosquito calls. Mosquitoes are usually handled by the local municipality. Certified treat for termites by creating a moat of chemicals in the soil that acts as a barrier between the home and the insects. They treat with either TalStar or Termador. Both are very effective, but these chemicals dilute with water and eventually become ineffective. There are bait trap systems that some companies use that are more expensive, but they generally have the same warranty as chemical treatments. Ants are treated with TalStar and another treatment called Suspend. If you want a home remedy, sprinkle boric acid around the perimeter of the home. Another trick is mix the boric acid with sugar water. The ants will be attracted to the sugar, pick up the acid and take it back to the queen, and kill the colony. Do not allow children or pests near boric acid.

Are you being bugged by a bug you can’t identify? Don’t feel bad. Everyone doesn’t know bugs like Gil on CSI. But we do have a plan. Catch one of the critters, and put it in a plastic bag. Dead, of course. Then send it to National Pest Control Association, 8100 Oak ST., Dunn Loring, VA 22027. They will send you advise on controlling the problem insect. There is also a forum on bugs at a website, www.pestworld.com. Let’s hope the weather this summer is better than the spring, and last winter. We are due for a break. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about the weather, except complain about it. Oh well, don’t let it bug you. One more thing. About those mold spores, get a dehumidifier. Most homes can use one.

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Blackout

BLACKOUT Where were you when the lights went out? Hopefully, you were not one of the fifty million people left in the dark. My guess is that some poor home inspector had just lifted the cover off an electrical panel to inspect it, and suddenly, the lights went out. The blame game has begun with someone blaming that home inspector, others blaming deregulation, and still others blaming profit motivated utility companies. There is certainly plenty of blame to spread around. The engineers of the world were polled as to what they considered the greatest engineering feat of the 20th century, and they determined it was the electrical grid providing current to every home. The problem with the system is it huge, old, and over loaded. It is also exposed to the harshest elements. The weak links in the system are similar to the weak links in any network. The most vulnerable areas are the connections where the system starts, stops, or changes directions.

One system for checking the electrical grid that serves us is through thermography. The system is checked for hot spots. Heat is the enemy of an electrical system. If electricity is running smoothly, the line carrying it stays at a uniform temperature. All lines carrying electricity contain some heat. Often it is negligible. One way to check the entire electrical grid of the country is to walk it and photograph it with an infrared camera. This is expensive and slow, but it is often done on a smaller scale in particular areas. What does this have to do with your house? The electrical system in your house is a miniature version of the grid that services the entire country. Your home has a power source, the main service, and it has individual outlets or receptacles throughout the house which are similar to houses that create loads on the larger grid. Let’s take a look at your system, and see how you can reduce the likelihood of a power failure in your home, or much more likely, a fire.

We’ll start with the main service outside. If it is above ground, be sure trees are not in contact with it. Wind or wet snow could snap it, resulting in your own private blackout. The main service to the house should be well insulated, and secured to the house. Next, go through the house and turn on the lights and most of the electrical appliances in the house. If you have children, this shouldn’t take long since they rarely turn lights off. If you have an electric water heater, run hot water for about five minutes. Turn on the electric clothes dryer, and turn on the burners on the electric range, as well as the air conditioning. This should create a nice load. Leave everything on for about five minutes. Now go to the main service panel and open the door. DO NOT TAKE THE COVER OFF! Leave that for a professional. Run the back of your right hand down the bank of breakers or fuses, and put your left hand in your pocket. Do the breakers or fuses feel hot? They should all be about room temperature. The metal of the box will feel colder than the breakers or fuses. If any of them feels hot, call an electrician and have that circuit checked. There might be a little warmth, but no heat. When I check the panel, I use a laser thermometer. A five degree temperature difference between breakers doesn’t concern me. Fifteen or twenty degrees are more than I like to see. I recommend they have it checked if it’s that warm. Don’t forget to turn everything back to the way it was, including the burners on the range.

Next, go through the house with an appliance that creates a heavy load, such as a hair dryer or small electric space heater. Plug a light into the one outlet in the receptacle, turn it on, and plug in the heavier load appliance and turn it on. A very slight dimming of the light may occur. If the light dims, brightens, or if the cover plate gets hot, have the circuit checked. A little warmth on the plate is not unusual.

Electrical circuits in home are not unlike the grid that is serving everyone. They get old, wear out, and fail. When a home inspector or an electrician is inspecting the system they look at less than 1% of the entire system. The rest is hidden. There are a couple of rules to follow with the grid in your home. If your home was built before World War II, and it has not been rewired, or inspected, get it inspected. You have an old system that has the potential for failure. If your home was built between 1965 and 1972, and your electrical system has not been checked, have it checked. There is a good chance you have aluminum branch circuits, and they can be a cause for concern.

Lastly, if your main panel box is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panel box, have it checked. That particular service panel box had a higher rate of failure than most. An electrician can check it. One last item. Extension cords. Do not staple them to walls or woodwork and do not run them under carpeting. Both conditions create heat, and heat creates fires. If electricity is running smoothly, it stays cool, and is happy. Electrical heat is a danger sign. Spending a half hour checking they system can prevent fires and save lives. Home owners are permitted to do their own electrical work, but they are required to call the municipal inspector to check it before the close it up and turn it on. My recommendation is hire a professional. All of your earthly possessions and the lives of your family hang in the balance, don’t gamble with your limited ability. .

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Fall Lawn Care

The lawn is an interesting dichotomy. We feed and water it to help it grow. Then curse it when it does. Most homeowners enjoy a well groomed healthy lawn, yet resent its intrusion into our free time. Good news. Your lawn will soon stop growing for the winter. It just needs a little more TLC before it is put to rest for the winter. Now is the time to reseed all of those bald spots that developed over the summer drought. Grass seed germinates best with day time temperatures in the 60’s. It is also time to put down the last application of any sequent ional lawn fertilization system you may have been using. How high the lawn should be cut is debatable. john LaBerge, a landscaping Contractor from Lafayette Hill recommends leaving the lawn at about 2 1/5 inches. Primex of Glenside recommends lowering the blade when cutting in October, but they do not specify a height. Rake up the leaves regularly. Mold grows on the underside of damp leave and it can kill the grass. The lawn can also use a thatching. A thatching toll looks like a medieval interrogating tool. It has hundreds of long spikes that you roll over the lawn, like a roller. Once the thatching is complete, it’s time to rake the lawn. Thatching pulls up the dead grass at the roots, and aerates the soil. Thatching should be done first. Then any reseeding or fertilizing.

john also suggests fertilizing any trees or shrubbery. Dig about a shovel full size hole every 2 feet along the shrubbery, and about two feet from the stem of the bush. Pour a ½ cup of Holly Tone fertilizer in each hole, and then back fill. For fertilizing the trees, perform the same operation at the drip line on the trees. This is the furthest point the branches reach. Another application about 4 feet in on large trees is also good.

It is not a good idea to trim any dead branches off trees or shrubbery too early. Wait until all the leaves have fallen and the plant is dormant for the winter before cutting. If the drought restrictions have been lifted, it is a good idea to water all the shrubs and trees several times before winter. When watering, water less frequently, but deeper. Watering twice a week, but for several hours should do it. You want the water to get deep penetration, and the roots to reach down to the water.

If you are really concerned about the grounds and want the right combination of fertilizers for your property, you can take soil samples and have them analyzed. Primex will perform this service, as well as Plymouth Nursery. Primex also has a handy sheet with a list of garden tips with the best dates to perform autumn chores for your property. They also mention setting up a bird feeder for our feathered friends for the winter. Be sure your feeder is on a squirrel proof stand or locations. Squirrels are incredibly persistent, and seem to revel in eating the feeder as well as the feed.

If you have a vegetable garden, the season for those great tasting fresh vegetables is drawing to a close. Some root plants such as carrots and radishes can survive a frost or two, but most things must be picked and stored before the first heavy frost. When you harvest the last of the green tomatoes, clean off any that have no bruises, wrap them in newspaper, and put them in a closed paper bag with some apple slices. The gas given off by the decomposing apples, promotes ripening of the tomatoes. The latest I ever had a garden tomato was Thanksgiving.

The last lawn cutting is done, the last leaf has been raked, the garden is tucked away under a bed of mulch, and the fig tree wrapped. What will you do with all that spare time? Hello, football season.

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Blackout

BLACKOUT Where were you when the lights went out? Hopefully, you were not one of the fifty million people left in the dark. My guess is that some poor home inspector had just lifted the cover off an electrical panel to inspect it, and suddenly, the lights went out. The blame game has begun with someone blaming that home inspector, others blaming deregulation, and still others blaming profit motivated utility companies. There is certainly plenty of blame to spread around. The engineers of the world were polled as to what they considered the greatest engineering feat of the 20th century, and they determined it was the electrical grid providing current to every home. The problem with the system is it huge, old, and over loaded. It is also exposed to the harshest elements. The weak links in the system are similar to the weak links in any network. The most vulnerable areas are the connections where the system starts, stops, or changes directions.

One system for checking the electrical grid that serves us is through thermography. The system is checked for hot spots. Heat is the enemy of an electrical system. If electricity is running smoothly, the line carrying it stays at a uniform temperature. All lines carrying electricity contain some heat. Often it is negligible. One way to check the entire electrical grid of the country is to walk it and photograph it with an infrared camera. This is expensive and slow, but it is often done on a smaller scale in particular areas. What does this have to do with your house? The electrical system in your house is a miniature version of the grid that services the entire country. Your home has a power source, the main service, and it has individual outlets or receptacles throughout the house which are similar to houses that create loads on the larger grid. Let’s take a look at your system, and see how you can reduce the likelihood of a power failure in your home, or much more likely, a fire.

We’ll start with the main service outside. If it is above ground, be sure trees are not in contact with it. Wind or wet snow could snap it, resulting in your own private blackout. The main service to the house should be well insulated, and secured to the house. Next, go through the house and turn on the lights and most of the electrical appliances in the house. If you have children, this shouldn’t take long since they rarely turn lights off. If you have an electric water heater, run hot water for about five minutes. Turn on the electric clothes dryer, and turn on the burners on the electric range, as well as the air conditioning. This should create a nice load. Leave everything on for about five minutes. Now go to the main service panel and open the door. DO NOT TAKE THE COVER OFF! Leave that for a professional. Run the back of your right hand down the bank of breakers or fuses, and put your left hand in your pocket. Do the breakers or fuses feel hot? They should all be about room temperature. The metal of the box will feel colder than the breakers or fuses. If any of them feels hot, call an electrician and have that circuit checked. There might be a little warmth, but no heat. When I check the panel, I use a laser thermometer. A five degree temperature difference between breakers doesn’t concern me. Fifteen or twenty degrees are more than I like to see. I recommend they have it checked if it’s that warm. Don’t forget to turn everything back to the way it was, including the burners on the range.

Next, go through the house with an appliance that creates a heavy load, such as a hair dryer or small electric space heater. Plug a light into the one outlet in the receptacle, turn it on, and plug in the heavier load appliance and turn it on. A very slight dimming of the light may occur. If the light dims, brightens, or if the cover plate gets hot, have the circuit checked. A little warmth on the plate is not unusual.

Electrical circuits in home are not unlike the grid that is serving everyone. They get old, wear out, and fail. When a home inspector or an electrician is inspecting the system they look at less than 1% of the entire system. The rest is hidden. There are a couple of rules to follow with the grid in your home. If your home was built before World War II, and it has not been rewired, or inspected, get it inspected. You have an old system that has the potential for failure. If your home was built between 1965 and 1972, and your electrical system has not been checked, have it checked. There is a good chance you have aluminum branch circuits, and they can be a cause for concern.

Lastly, if your main panel box is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panel box, have it checked. That particular service panel box had a higher rate of failure than most. An electrician can check it. One last item. Extension cords. Do not staple them to walls or woodwork and do not run them under carpeting. Both conditions create heat, and heat creates fires. If electricity is running smoothly, it stays cool, and is happy. Electrical heat is a danger sign. Spending a half hour checking they system can prevent fires and save lives. Home owners are permitted to do their own electrical work, but they are required to call the municipal inspector to check it before the close it up and turn it on. My recommendation is hire a professional. All of your earthly possessions and the lives of your family hang in the balance, don’t gamble with your limited ability. .

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Plywood VS OSB

You bought a new home, and it is under construction.  You stop by and you are standing there surrounded by wood, staring blankly at 2” x 4”s, saw dust and bare walls.  The smell of the wood fuels your excitement.  Suddenly something hits you.  These walls, floor, and the underside of the roof look different to you.  You work in Securities, but you know plywood when you see it, and this isn’t plywood.   “What is this stuff,” you ask the Builder?  “It’s OSB,” he barks back as he takes you on a tour of your future home. “I thought I was getting wood,” you inquire.  “It is wood, it’s just as good as plywood,” he retorts.  You wonder internally.  You think about the details of the specifications, your lawyer’s face runs across your mind.  “What should I do?” You quietly muse to yourself.                 

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