Home Maintenance For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Carey, James

  Got a big duct dent? Have damaged duct segments come completely apart? Call an HVAC pro to fix them. The pros know all kinds of tricks for repairing damage, large and small. They even have a metal patch that they slip in and affix to the damaged area with an elastomeric sealant.

  Cleaning the ducts

  Checking and cleaning your ducts every few years is smart. Why? Because clean air is healthy air.

  But cleaning ducts is not a job for a do-it-yourselfer — access is difficult (you have to take apart the ducts in several places), and duct cleaning requires specialized equipment (a mega-vacuum!) and skills. Call a pro. The pro will have all the tools and high-tech equipment that’ll scrub the inside of your ducts and suck up the dirt without putting it right back into your home.

  Balancing a central heating system

  Are some rooms in your home too hot, some too cold, and some just right? You need to fine-tune your system for maximum efficiency, minimum energy consumption, and even temperatures in every room. It’s about airflow, and dampers and registers help control the airflow in the ducts.

  Here’s how to balance your central heating system:

  1. Start at the furnace unit and follow the main ducts outward, looking for small levers on the side; these are the handles for dampers.

  When the handle is horizontal, the damper is fully open, allowing maximum airflow. When the handle is anywhere between horizontal and vertical, the damper is reducing airflow.

  2. Place thermometers in the rooms in question, away from registers and cold-air returns, and all at about the same height from the floor.

  3. Turn on the heat and open all the dampers, wait about an hour, and then check the thermometers.

  Is one room warmer than others? Is hot air roaring out of the register?

  4. Partially close the damper in the duct that feeds that room by moving the handle one-third of the way between horizontal and vertical; wait an hour and recheck the room.

  5. If the room seems cooler, you’re done. If it doesn’t, close the damper another third, wait another hour, and check the room again.

  You also can fine-tune airflow by adjusting the register.

  6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for each room until you have the temperature balanced.

  By the way, balanced may mean that the main living areas and bathrooms are warmer than the bedrooms, or vice versa. It all depends on what you prefer . . . or how cold your spouse claims to be.

  7. After you’ve achieved balance, go back to the ducts and use a permanent marker to write a W (for winter) where the damper handle should be positioned for the heating season.

  Repeat the process for the cooling season, except write an S (for summer) where the damper handle should be positioned.

  When to replace a forced-air furnace

  How do you know when your furnace is on its last legs? When its old technology makes it unacceptably inefficient and expensive. In general, if your system is more than 15 years old, replacing it with a new Energy Star–rated system will save you money, prevent maintenance headaches, and keep you warmer and more comfortable. (If your system is less than 15 years old, regular maintenance probably is the way to go.)

  Money talks. By replacing an older furnace (which is typically 60 percent efficient) with a new furnace (typically 90 percent efficient, or better), you can cut your heating bills in half! Don’t believe it? Furnace manufacturer Web sites offer calculators that help determine energy savings and payback timeframes.

  For more on the Energy Star program, go to www.energystar.gov.

  Hot-water systems

  Hot-water, or hydronic, systems use a gas- or oil-fired burner to heat a tank of water to near boiling, and then circulate it with a pump throughout the house to radiators or baseboard convectors, and then back to the boiler to be reheated and make the round-trip again (see Figure 10-3).

  Seems simple? Not so much, actually. As with forced-air systems, most maintenance tasks are beyond the skills of the do-it-yourselfer. Call in a qualified, licensed heating contractor to do an annual inspection and cleaning.

  Figure 10-3: A hot-water system.

  Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. A dirty, inefficient boiler costs you far more than a service call. The serviceman will catch little problems before they become big trouble. And a neglected system will fail many years before a well-maintained one.

  Gauging the pressure

  Most hot-water systems have only a single gauge, located on the main unit, which measures three things: pressure, temperature, and altitude (the height of the water in the system).

  To monitor the performance of your hot-water system, keep an (occasional) eye on the pressure. Most boilers run at 12 to 15 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. If the pressure is lower or higher, something is wrong.

  Low pressure most often is caused by a low water level. The system’s automatic filling system should maintain the proper water level. But if yours doesn’t, you can manually fill the boiler by opening the water feed valve on the incoming supply pipe. Just open the valve and keep it open until the pressure gets to 12 psi. Then call a repairman.

  High pressure usually is caused by too much water in the expansion tank; read on to find out what to do in that case.

  Draining the expansion tank

  Located overhead near the boiler, a conventional expansion tank is cylindrical and has a drain valve at one end. To drain excess water from the expansion tank:

  1. Turn off the power, turn off the water supply to the boiler, and let the tank cool.

  2. Attach a garden hose to the drain valve, open it, and let water out until the levels of the pressure gauges on the boiler and the expansion tank match.

  3. Close the valve, turn the power back on, and reopen the water supply.

  If you have a diaphragm expansion tank, the pressure problem isn’t too much water; it’s too little air. You need to recharge the expansion tank. Use an ordinary tire-pressure gauge to check the air pressure. If it’s lower than the recommended psi (look on the tank for the correct reading), use a bicycle pump to juice it back up.

  When the expansion tank has been drained or the diaphragm tank refilled, restart the system and carefully monitor it. If the pressure goes back up, turn off the system and pick up the phone. You’ve done all you can do — it’s time to call an expert!

  Boilers must have a proper pressure-relief valve, located at the top of the unit. This important valve opens when the pressure reaches 30 psi — to prevent the boiler from exploding. If you ever see water draining out of the relief valve, chances are, the system is operating under excessively high pressure and should be shut down immediately — and stay shut down until it can be checked by a professional.

  Bleeding the radiators

  Bleeding radiators is sometimes necessary in even the best of systems. If you have a radiator in your system that just won’t heat, chances are, it’s air-locked. Bleeding the air out of the radiator relieves the pressure and allows the system to fill normally.

  To bleed the radiators, look for a small valve at the top. When you’ve found it, turn it about a quarter-turn counterclockwise and keep the screwdriver or radiator key in the valve. If you hear a hissing sound, that’s good — it’s air escaping. As soon as the hissing stops and you see a dribble of water come out, close the valve.

  Don’t open the valve more than is necessary; hot water will come rushing out before you can close it. At the very least, you’ll make a wet mess. At the worst, you could be scalded. Don’t forget to wear eye protection and rain gear when working with water that’s under pressure.

  Steam systems

  As with forced-air and hot-water systems (see the previous sections), it pays to have a professional, licensed contractor check your steam system every year. Not only will you save money in the long run through greater efficiency, but you’ll also have peace of mind knowing that your system is operating safely. We cannot emphasize this point enough.

  Most adjustments to your steam
boiler should be performed by a pro. But there are three important things you can do by yourself:

  Check the steam gauge on a regular basis — every couple of days. Make sure it’s within the normal range. If it isn’t, shut down the system immediately and call for service.

  Check the safety valve once a month. Located on the top of the boiler, this important valve vents excess pressure if the boiler goes crazy and exceeds safe levels. When the system is hot, push down on the handle to see if steam comes out. Make sure to stand away from the outlet, because the steam is boiling hot. If no steam comes out, call a serviceman to replace the valve immediately.

  Check the water level once a month. The water-level gauge has valves on each side. Open them both and make sure that the water level is in the middle, and then close the valves. If you didn’t see any water, shut off the boiler, let it cool down, and add water.

  Because steam systems occasionally need water added, consider adding an automatic water valve to your system. The valve will monitor water levels and, if the system needs it, add water ever so slowly to avoid damaging the boiler.

  Maintaining your radiators

  You also can do a few things to keep your radiators working well:

  Make sure that every radiator slopes slightly toward the steam inlet pipe (the one that comes out of the wall or floor). If one doesn’t, slip a little 1/4-inch-thick rectangle of wood under the feet at the vent end (as shown in Figure 10-4). This helps prevent those irritating knocking and clanging noises.

  Check the vents to make sure they aren’t blocked. Corrosion and paint can keep the vent from venting, and then air trapped in the radiator prevents steam from entering the radiator. If your vent is blocked, replace it. Your local hardware store probably carries a vent. The vents simply screw off and on, so they’re easy to replace.

  Check the position of the inlet valves. The valves should be either all the way closed or all the way open. A partially open or shut valve does nothing to regulate the heat, and it causes knocking and clanging.

  Figure 10-4: Place a block under the radiator to get the right slope and prevent banging.

  Fixing leaks at the inlet valves

  If your inlet valve is leaking, chances are, it’s actually leaking at the cap nuts (the big nuts at the vertical and horizontal connections). Luckily, a leak there can be cured with a little retightening. Get two big wrenches — use one to hold the valve and the other to tighten the cap nut. If the leak seems to be coming from under the valve handle, take off the valve head and tighten the topmost nut, which (amusingly) is called the gland nut.

  If neither of those solutions fixes the leak, the valve adapter — the double-ended/double-threaded clunk of brass that connects the valve to the radiator — is probably the culprit. Once again, you need two wrenches to remove the valve, remove the adapter, and install a replacement. Open the valve, check for leaks, and make extra-sure that everything is properly tightened.

  Electric systems

  In an electric heating system, electrical resistance creates heat, which is radiated into rooms using baseboard units, or in cables in the ceiling or floor. Installations of electric heating systems hit their peak in the 1960s, when electricity rates were low. But now, at least in areas of the country not near a hydroelectric dam, the cost of electricity makes these systems very, very expensive to operate. If you have one, you’re probably paying twice as much to heat your house as a neighbor with a gas-fired furnace or boiler.

  That’s the bad news. The good news is that electric heating, whether delivered via baseboard convectors or radiant floor or ceiling systems, requires you to do virtually nothing to maintain it. The only two things you have to do:

  Vacuum the convectors once a month (if you have them).

  Pay the big electricity bill.

  Ventilation: Letting Your House Breathe

  When we talk about ventilation, we’re actually talking about two different things: interior ventilation and structural ventilation. Proper interior ventilation is vital to the health and comfort of your family; it helps your home rid itself of moisture, smoke, cooking odors, and indoor pollutants. Good structural ventilation controls heat levels in the attic, moderates dampness in the crawlspace and basement, and keeps moisture out of uninsulated walls.

  Interior ventilation

  Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are the biggest sources of moisture and odors. The secret to having a dry, stink-free home is to have three key exhaust units — a range hood, and bathroom and laundry exhaust fans — all of which should be exhausted to the exterior.

  Range hoods

  Many kitchens have a range hood that doesn’t actually vent to anywhere — it just “filters” and recycles stovetop air back into the room. But it’s much better to get the greasy, smoky, steamy air outside, and that requires ductwork to an exterior vent.

  So, if your kitchen is perpetually stinky, and the walls are covered with a thin film of grease, take a two-pronged approach to fixing the problem:

  Stop eating so much fried food.

  Get an exterior-venting exhaust fan. (Your favorite appliance retailer can make it happen for you.)

  If you just can’t give up Mama’s Special Sunday Fried Chicken and Homemade Hash Browns, you should know that airborne grease makes exhaust fans sticky, which in turn attracts dirt and dust. The key to preventing this process from getting out of control is regular cleaning:

  Clean the grill and fan blades twice a year, or whenever they start to look bad. Use a spray-on nonchemical degreaser. (Test it first to make sure it won’t remove paint.) Follow with a mild soap and water wash. Finally, flush with fresh water and towel-dry.

  Clean the filter in a recycling range hood every couple of months or so (depending on how or what you cook). We clean our range hood filters in the dishwasher — works great! If your filter has charcoal pellets inside, you need to replace it annually.

  Clean the fan and housing every six months. Lots of grease and gunk can build up on the fan housing. Over time, it can produce a foul smell that will rival anything cooking in Mama’s kitchen. Use a spray-on nonchemical degreaser and a sponge to clean the housing. Rinse with fresh water and towel-dry.

  Bathroom exhaust fans

  Bathrooms generate huge amounts of moisture and some unpleasant odors — especially at my brother’s house. If you’ve got incurable mildew in the shower, wallpaper peeling off the walls, or a lingering funky smell, you need to either install an exhaust fan or get a bigger, higher-capacity fan. Exhaust fans can be installed to vent the bad air through the wall or through the ceiling and attic. Call an electrical contractor, not your brother-in-law, to do the work.

  Steamy air, hairspray, and other grooming products create a tacky surface that attracts dust, dirt, and fuzz at an alarming rate. Clean the housing, grill, and fan at least twice a year, using the same techniques for cleaning that we suggest in the preceding section.

  Place a bath fan on a timer. It allows the fan to run for several minutes after you’ve left the space to fully remove odors or excessive moisture from showering. A timer is a must for the kids’ bathroom!

  Laundry exhaust fans

  Laundry exhaust fans and bathroom fans are one and the same — as is the care and maintenance. The only difference is that a laundry fan doesn’t usually have to deal with odors, and the moisture content isn’t as high in a laundry room as it is in a bathroom, so a laundry exhaust fan doesn’t need to be quite as powerful.

  Quieter fans cost more than fans that are not so quiet, but a less expensive, not-so-quiet model will do just fine.

  Structural ventilation

  There are two kinds of structural ventilation:

  Passive ventilation: Passive ventilation uses the natural airflow generated by convection (hot air rising, cold air falling).

  Active ventilation: Active ventilation uses fans to do the work.

  To keep heat and moisture from roasting and rotting your home over time, you need adequate ventilation in th
e attic, crawlspace, and (if it’s unfinished) the basement:

  Attic: In the attic, passive ventilation creates an upward flow of air. Warm air rises and goes out through vent(s) near to, or at the peak of, the roof, drawing cool air through vents in the eaves or soffits.