January Newsletter

Lets talk about home maintenance issues that can save you money

Laundry Room Issues:

More then 230,000,000 dollars a year is lost due to damages caused by washers and dryers in US homes.  Here are some ways you can prevent this from happening to you:

•  Vent fans should be installed in all laundry rooms/closets.  Proper ventilation prevents the build up of moisture in building products.  Excessive moisture content is the cause of mold growth.  Preventing moisture will prevent mold from growing.
• All washing machines located on the second floor or higher are required to have a properly installed drain pan.  This drain pan collects water should a valve fail or the drain clogs and over flows the machine.  This can save thousand in ceiling and wall repairs alone.
• Clean the lint screen on your dryer before drying each load of clothing.  This will allow airflow to increase and will dry your clothes faster saving you money on dry time.  Also, a clogged lint screen can cause the dryer heat to cycle on and off continuously because the fan can not push the heated air out of the system.  This causes a switch to turn off the heating element or burner to prevent a fire from ocurring.
• Use only flexible metal vent pipe and not the accordian plastic/vinyl type of hose.  The corrogation of the accordian piping catches lint and dust and can be a fire hazard.  Vinyl vents pipes can also build static with air passing through the system and may give you a small static shock when you touch your dryer.  All dryer vents should terminate outside of the house to prevent moisture build up in the home.  Moisture from disconnected dryer vents has been known to sustain mold growth in drywall and other building products.
• GFCI's should be installed in all laundry rooms and at all areas within 6 feet of an available water source.  Should your washer overflow you want to be protected from electrocution if you step in a puddle of water or a possible fire should the wiring short out from the moisture.
• Just like a water heater is required to be located above ground level in the garage, so should a washing machine and dryer.  Heavier then air gas vapors settle to the garage floor.  Gas dryers can easily ignite heavier then air gas vapors.  Electric motors on washing machines create spark when they are turned on.    If the ignition source is located above the gas vapor level the pilot or electric spark from motors will not ignite the vapors.
  

  Winter is here and the heat is on, are you ready for it?

  The cold season is upon us and we have all turned on our heating systems.  There are several things you can do to protect yourself while you are running your heating system: 

  • Be sure to clean your air filters in your air handling unit.  This will keep air moving freely around your heat exchanger.  A clogged filter on a gas fired unit can cause the heat exchanger to overheat and activate the limit switch on the unit.  Clogged air filters can cause your A/C compressor to operate under high head pressure and will damage your unit eventually.  Most people think it only affects your A/C compressor during the summer, however, heat pumps use the same compressor both winter and summer.   
  • Install Carbon Monoxide (C0) in your home.  Heat exchangers in gas fired heating systems can and do crack.  A crack in your heat exchanger allows the gas fumes which normally vent outside your house to vent into the living area.  The poisionous gas is then distributed throughout your home via the air duct system.  This is extremely dangerous.  These gases distribute differently to different room because airflow system in general do not send the same volume of air into each room.  Therefore, you could have one room with a very high reading while others do not.   If someone in your home has consistent sickness during the winter months I urge you to purchase CO detectors and monitor their room.  There are numberous deaths each year from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.Carbon Monoxide detectors are realitively inexpensive and would be a very wise investment.

   

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Hello, I am David Lawson, owner of Axiom Property Inspections.  I wish all of you a very happy and a prosperous new year.  May your homes be filled with love and your families proper in all that they attempt to achieve.  I hope you enjoy this months newsletter.  We spend hours each month researching information that we hope you will find useful as well as easy to accomplish. 

Blackeyed Pea Dip

4 cups of cooked or canned Blackeyed Peas

1/2 onion finely chopped

Fresh garlic to taste (about 2 crushed cloves for me, please)

Salt to taste

Finely chopped canned jalapeno peppers

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender.  Add 1/2 pound of shredded cheese and one stick of melted butter.  Blend again enough to mix the cheese and butter.

Heat the mixture in a microwave until mixture is hot and cheese is melted.  Serve with chips.

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