CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Locate Leaks With a Candle

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:17 -0700

If you live in an old house, chances are that you might have some drafts coming in through window and door frames. To find out for sure, light a candle, and hold it along the frames (just don't get too close to any curtains). If the candle flame flickers or smokes, there's a leak. To fix, use caulking or weather stripping in that area.

Have you tried this technique before to locate leaks?

How-To: Patch a Gutter Leak

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:00:38 -0700

Unless you live in a perpetually dry desert where it never rains, I bet you enjoy an occasional rainstorm pounding on your house. It's all fun and games and cozy on a Friday night, when you've got nothing to do but watch a scary movie. That is, unless you've got a leaky gutter that leaves your house with water damage. If that's the case, you'd better pull your ladder out of the garage and plug that leak. Then, get back to your Netflix. You'll need just a few supplies, including a ladder (high enough to reach the gutter), some steel wool, metal flashing, asphalt flashing cement or gutter patch, caulk, and disposable plastic gloves.
To be home schooled on how to seal up your gutter, read more.

Here's how, from Barbara K!:

First things first. Make sure your ladder is secure, and ask someone to spot you if you can.
Then, clean out the gutter of leaves, twigs, and other debris. A small broom or scrub brush should do the trick.
To prepare the gutter to be patched, you'll want to scrub the inside of it surrounding the leak with your steel wool.
Then, trim the metal flashing a little larger than the area you need to patch.
Put your disposable gloves on.
Now, to patch the leak, coat the back of the metal flashing with asphalt flashing cement or gutter patch using a putty knife, and press it into place firmly.
Smooth off any excess adhesive using your finger (still wearing gloves).
Test the patch by pouring water onto where the leak was. It should be fixed. If not, run through the steps again, and make sure you're not missing any other leaks.

Source

Casa Verde: Greening Old Homes

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:55 -0700

Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently wrote an article for The New York Times, This Old Wasteful House, outlining the benefits of greening old homes instead of building newer homes.

In the article, he asserts:

Never before has America had so many compelling reasons to preserve the homes in its older residential neighborhoods. We need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We want to create jobs, and revitalize the neighborhoods where millions of Americans live. All of this could be accomplished by making older homes more energy-efficient.

To hear more of Moe's recommendations and facts concerning preserving these homes, read more.

Homes built before or by 1939 use approximately 50 percent more energy per square foot than homes constructed in 2000. However, by improving the energy efficiency of these older homes, they can perform just as well as new homes.
Homeowners should request an energy audit by a local utility. These audits are either free or low-cost.
Home energy audits will help homeowners learn where their home needs to be retrofitted, and will make these decisions cost-effective.
Energy loss is usually due to a lack of insulation in attics and basements. Insulate these areas first.
Seal other air leaks. Try installing dryer vent seals, fireplace draft stoppers, and attic door covers.

Source

How-To: Eliminate Mold in Your Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:00:41 -0700

Mold is not your friend. Being exposed to mold in your home can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, and is very hazardous to your health. So, if you see it, or smell a musty odor in your digs, you need to remove it. Mold grows in moist areas, so anywhere you've had water leaks, flooding, or high humidity, especially bathrooms and kitchens, you're likely to have a problem. To learn how to eliminate mold in your home, read more.

The first step is to remove the mold and clean the surfaces where you found it. To prevent inhalation, you should put on a mask or respirator before you begin, and also put on goggles, rubber gloves, and clothes you can wash immediately after.

You'll want to begin by misting the moldy areas or dampening them with a sponge; this will keep airborne particles to a minimum.
To remove mold from hard surfaces like counters, plastic, porcelain, glass, etc., you'll need to scrub them with a non-ammonia soap or detergent using a heavy duty sponge or a bristle brush.
If you find mold on any porous surfaces like paper, drywall, or carpeting/carpet padding, you'll need to discard them entirely, as mold cannot be removed completely from them. Sorry!
If you're working with a hard surface that's wood, scrubbing may not work entirely, so you should sand the surface down to remove the mold.

The second step is to disinfect the affected area with either a bleach and water solution or another disinfectant. If the surface is clean, you can use 1/4 cup of bleach diluted in one gallon of water. If it's dirty, you should use more bleach.
Let the disinfectant sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it with clean water.
The last, and crucial step, is to dry it immediately (so no more mold grows!). Dry it with a cloth and then use a blow-dryer, fan, or dehumidifier to dry it thoroughly.
Be sure to wash and dry your clothes and any rags that you used, and dispose of any other mess.

How-To: Fix a Leaky Door

CasaSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:00:19 -0800

Do you have an exterior door that's less than efficient? Short of replacing it, there are some tricks for fixing, at least temporarily, a leaky door.

Curious about how you can get through the Winter with a slightly lower heating bill? Then check out my tips when you read more.

A draft blocker, placed at the bottom of your door, will help to cut drafts. Whenever you're home, place the draft blocker on the inside bottom of the door.
Use foam tape, where the door meets the frame, to line the door and make the seal tighter if there are significant leaks.
If your door has glass windows, you can use heavy-duty plastic to insulate the glass.
How's the bottom door sweep? Give it a close inspection, and if needed, replace the door sweep.

Source

How-To: 10 Easy Ways to Save Water at Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:00:34 -0700

While I love to keep Summer style chic and easy, I also like to try to keep it eco-minded as well. The water rationing in the San Francisco Bay Area has encouraged me to redouble my water conservation efforts, and I've been striving to find ways to further cut down on my water use. I have a suspicion that many of you are also trying to minimize your water use as well - after all, it's both an economically and environmentally smart idea. Since my goal is to always make your lives easier, I've found ways to save water that don't involve intensive planning, gizmos, or installations that will also save money on your water bill every month.

Check for hidden water leaks at your house. Just recently, I realized that the piping for my home's deck spigot was leaky. I cut off the water supply to the deck spigot, moved more of my deck plants down to the patio, and now water the plants by hand. To get an accurate check of your water use, read the house water use before and after two hours, when no water is being used. If the meter does not show the same reading, there is a leak.
Your toilet may have a leak, too. To check, drop some food coloring into the back of your toilet (the toilet tank). If the color begins to appear in the bowl within half an hour, and you have not flushed then there's a leak. No worries though - in most cases this is a cheap and easy repair.
Transform your toilet into an economical, no-installation, low-flow toilet by placing plastic bottles in your tank. Take one or two individual-sized plastic bottles, put some sand in them to weigh them down, fill the bottles with water, and then put them in your toilet tank. You can save over 10 gallons of water a day with this simple method.

Want to know the rest? Then read more.

Take shorter showers. Try to limit your showers to five minutes or less. A shower timer might help.
When you brush your teeth, turn the water off, don't let it run down the drain! This seems obvious, but I know plenty of people who practice this bad habit (including one I'm marrying, though he's been cured of that habit by now).
When washing dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. If your sink has a double basin, fill one basin with dishsoap and water, and the other with rinse water. Then dip your dishes in the rinse water instead of using the faucet.
Use the proper amount of water for the job. If you're boiling water for pasta, only use the amount needed; don't fill the pot all the way up with water, which can be a waste of water and energy.
Conserve water left over from boiling and steaming vegetables and pasta. You can use this water, once it cools, to water your houseplants and garden plants. In fact, the extra nutrients will actually improve your plants' health.
Only run your dishwasher on full loads. In almost all cases, modern dishwashers do not require dishes to be prerinsed.
Only run your clotheswasher on full loads.

Have more suggestions? Leave them in the comments!

Top 20 Winter Gas-Saving Ideas For Your Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:00:36 -0800

When the weather outside is frightful, your home's temperature - and your gas bill - shouldn't be. Reducing your gas heating costs isn't as simple as turning down the thermostat; everything from plugging up air leaks to using a broiler can cut your monthly heating costs drastically. So I've compiled the top 20 ways to save cash on gas at home.
Source

View Slideshow ›

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:33 -0800

Ooh and ahh over a vintage furniture-filled home.- The Style Files
There's beautiful new work from Jennifer Khoshbin at Rose and Radish.- PoppyTalk
Make a recycled paper tree.- Craft
Add some felt to your home.- Simply Stated
Here's a small bit of good news: Heating prices are lower than expected.- Forecast Earth
Find out about thermal leak detectors. - Re-Nest
Check out a cute Sacramento cottage. - AT:SF
Kate Hudson's doing some DIY gifting.- SavvySugar

Source

How-To: Save Money on Heating This Winter

CasaSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:15:44 -0700

Recently, heating expert Chris Cooper shared some advice for thrifty Winter heating. Check out these ideas for reducing your Winter heating bill with these tips, which may surprise you. Even small adjustments in everyday life and habits can result in significant cost savings.

Keep window shades open to take advantage of the sun's natural heat.
Prune back tree branches that might obstruct part of the sunlight, and remove any awnings over windows that might create cooling shadows.

For the rest of the tips, read more.

Cover bare floors with dark carpets that absorb the sun's energy and warm the room.
Cover attic stairs with an insulated cover to block gaps between the stairs and the ceiling. Keep the heat in the home from escaping into the attic and the cold attic air from leaking into your house.
Place a chimney stopper (an inexpensive, often inflatable plug) at the lowest part of the flue in your fireplace when it's not in use to prevent drafts. Remember to remove the plug before you light a fire.
Cook consciously using the proper equipment. Use the smallest pot for the job and use a burner that most closely covers the entire heating element. Use a lid to keep heat in the pot which means using a lower heat or cooking for less time. Turn off the oven five minutes before the scheduled end time and allow food to finish cooking as the oven slowly cools. Organize meals to cook multiple dishes simultaneously. Above all, avoid opening the oven to check on food while it's cooking; this allows up to 50 percent of the heat to escape and increases cooking times.
Use a ceiling fan on low setting to push rising hot air back down where residents can benefit from its warmth. Conversely, limit use of ventilation fans over stoves or in bathrooms which draw hot air out of a house.
Smart consumers can lower their heating costs in many ways, some obvious and some less obvious. Using common sense and a little bit of extra effort, you will be warmer and wealthier this Winter.

Source

Casa Verde: Greening Your Heating

CasaSugar — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 10:35:00 -0700

Casa reader and TeamSugar member Tdamji writes an excellent green living blog called Minimal Harm. She tells me that she'll be officially launching a new version of the blog in early 2008, which I'm very excited about. Tdamji recently posted about greening your heating, which she adapted from a Treehugger post. Since it's starting to get chilly in many parts of the northern hemisphere, I thought everyone might like some tips on keeping their energy bills lower and their homes cozier. Thanks Tdamji and Treehugger!

1. Seal the leaks!
Sounds dull I know, but heat loss is one of the biggest obstacles on the road to a comfortable home in the winter. Good thing that sealing those darn leaks -- or draft-proofing, to get technical -- is a breeze. Plus, come summer time, good insulation will make it harder for heat to beat a path way into your home. All you need is a tube of exterior silicone caulk or insulation strips, which you can attach to your windows, plumbing and wiring holes, doors and fireplace dampers.

To find the leaks, light a stick of incense or a candle on a breezy day, close all the windows and doors, and wander around your rooms searching for places toward which the incense smoke drifts. Those are your target zones. For the space between your doors and the floor, consider installing a nifty, cheap door sweep on the bottom of the door.

2. Cover your glass
Installing clear plastic barriers or storm windows on your existing windows can cut heat loss by 25% to 50% by creating an insulating dead-air space inside the window. Storm windows cost about $7.50 to $12.50 per square foot. Exterior storm windows will increase the temperature of the inside window by as much as 30°F on a cold day, keeping you more comfortable.

3. Stay ventilated
The better you draft-proof and insulate your home, the more you’ll need good ventilation. Pollutants (especially from unflued heaters) can accumulate and excess condensation can cause mould and mildew to grow. Open some windows for a few minutes several times a day (cross-ventilate, if possible), rather than leaving a window partly open all the time.

4. Spread the heat
Who knew a fan could be useful for heating your home? Turns out that a well-positioned and slow-rotating fan can help ensure that heat from your radiator or heater doesn’t just drift up to your ceiling but spreads throughout your room, warming you toe to head. One great option is a heater fan, which sits atop woodstoves or gas room heaters and relies on a thermodynamic module to keep them running on heat alone (look ma, no batteries!).

For six more smart heating tips, just read more

5. Heating wisely
Heating the rooms to tropical temperatures isn’t just unnecessary, but uncomfortable. Throw on your most comfortable sweater and turn your thermostat down a few degrees. Each degree Celsius less will save about 10% on your energy use. And don’t forget to close doors to keep the heat contained in the rooms you’re actually using. Also, reduce temperatures at night, when you’re under the blankets. A programmable thermostat might be your most effective weapon.

6. Peel a drape
Since most heat loss in your home occurs through and around the windows, draw your drapes, especially at night. During the day, leave north-facing windows uncovered in order to take advantage of the winter sun. If you can line your drapes with old bed sheets or other material, they’ll prove even more effective in cutting down on your heating costs. You can also buy insulating drapes, which incorporate layers of insulating material, a radiant barrier, and a moisture-resistant layer to prevent condensation.

7. Start a fire (but not like a caveman)
What are fireplaces good for? Gathering the family around, hanging stockings on, putting photographs on top of. And what are they not good for? Entering the house (unless of course you’re Santa), throwing trash into, and heating. Yes, heating. On average, fireplaces are only about 10% efficient. That is, about 90% of their energy is lost through the chimney, along with loads of your home’s warm air and energy dollars.

But if you can’t resist the crackle and the glow, lower your thermostat to about between 50° and 55°F so your system doesn't keep trying to replace the warm air being lost through the chimney. Also, open the window nearest the fireplace slightly and close nearby doors so the fireplace won’t easily draw heated air out of the house. Installing glass doors on the fireplace, which can be closed when the fire’s dying or out, will prevent indoor heated air from escaping through the chimney, as will closing the chimney damper when the fireplace is not in use.

Consider using EcoBrics, which, made of compressed sawdust, have the same energy value as brown coal equivalents, with one-third the water content and a fraction of the ash and sulfur emissions.

Some upgrades to consider are the EcoFire Super-Grate, which increases burning efficiency, an outdoor air intake, which cuts down on heat loss from your home, or a high-efficiency fireplace insert, offering stricter air control.

If you don’t use your fireplace at all, plug and seal the chimney flue. You can keep your family photos where they are.

8. Get into (cheaper) hot water
Water heating is the third largest energy expense in an American home, typically accounting for about 13% of your utility bill. There are four ways to cut your water heating bills: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, insulate your water heater, or buy a new, more efficient water heater.

To use less, consider aerating faucets, which enhance spray while minimizing water usage, repair leaky faucets, and opt for showers over baths. To insulate your heater, you’ll need blankets that shouldn’t cost more than $20 and will save you around 4-9% in heating costs. Remember not to cover the thermostat; if insulating your hot-water storage tank, don’t cover the thermostat, top, bottom, or burner compartment.

9. Be passive
So-called “passive” techniques earn their name from being unobtrusive, requiring little tending or cost. But they’re anything but passive when it comes to heating your home. Installing larger, insulated windows on south-facing walls and locating thermal mass, such as a concrete slab floor or a heat-absorbing wall, close to the windows, will help your home absorb solar heat with a minimum loss of inside heat.

Keep in mind that for passive solar heating, the optimal window-to-wall area ratio is 25-35 percent. Ensure also that your south-facing windows are clean, and that objects do not block the sunlight from hitting concrete floors or other heat-absorbing materials. If you’re constructing a new home, make sure the longest walls run from east to west, allowing the sun’s rays to enter the home in winter, while allowing in as little sun as possible during summer.

10. Cuddle up
Or throw a get-together, and tell everyone to wear their coolest (no pun intended) sweaters. The more people in your home (or bed!) the hotter it is. Gather around the fireplace -- but if you’re cold, think twice before actually lighting it up. No matter what, sweeten the deal with some hot cider or cocoa!