A wood pellet stove may save energy dollars when heating your home, but do some calculations to see if staying with your natural gas home heating is more cost effective. Pellet stoves do allow for zone heating, but you may be surprised to know that your automated heating system will probably save you more money than the stove.
Your heating ductwork is okay. Your furnace and air conditioner are working and are sized correctly, but no air is coming out of some of the heating ducts. Equalized static pressure is important for air flow. As supply pipes are branched off the main supply duct, they should get smaller to provide the correct static pressure.
Faucets now come with anti-scald features. Temperature and pressure differences can be adjusted on the anti-scald shower devices.
You must clean and seal treated lumber. Oxygen bleach is a great, non-toxic cleaner. Seal with a penetrating water repellent. Make sure it has synthetic oils and resins. Algae and mildew will return to feed on a film forming sealer.
Water pressure drop is based on what is happening in your home. Two plumbing fixtures can cause reduced water flow. Plumbers can use larger pipe as main feeder pipe.
Dishwashers can be quiet. A dishwasher can now "spy" on us to save energy and get dishes cleaner. Installing a dishwasher can be a DIY project.
Installing two telephone lines in the same location is an easy project. Use an Underwriters Laboratory cable for the best quality voice and data transfer. A dual outlet allows you to connect both telephone lines in one place.
A trellis or arbor can make a big difference in your garden. Arbors or a garden trellis add visual joy and charm as garden structures. Seeing garden arbors and trellises covered with beautiful flowering vines or roses will make you want to enjoy them in your home garden as well.
Attic ventilation should not be done using a powered attic ventilator. They pull air conditioning out and may return combustion gas. Ridge vents are the answer.
Decks don't have to be made of wood only. You can find many types of alternative decking material. Virgin vinyl, recycled plastic, plastic resin mixed with wood fibers and aluminum. Sealing many of these materials is not necessary. Read this column to see the pros and cons.
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