Getting Your Home Ready For Winter It was another beautiful October day in Southeast Michigan. Temperatures reached about 73 degrees F in my back yard where the thermometer is located. But in spite of the lovely autumn weather we are enjoying, I know a typical cold Michigan winter is around the corner. And that means it is time for winterization, the process of preparing the home for the harsh conditions it will face during the winter. Winterizing is usually performed in the fall before snow and excessive cold have arrived, and it protects against damage due to bursting water pipes, and from heat loss due to openings in the building envelope.     Plumbing System Have you ever experienced a burst pipe? The water damage can be devastating, since a ruptured pipe will release water and not... 10/11/2010

  How To Hire A Contractor And Not Get Cheated I recently wrote a post titled How To Hire A Roofing Contractor. I received an email asking me to go into a bit more detail, so this post tries to deliver that additional content. So with apologies for the long post, here it is... One of my favorite TV shows is Holmes on Homes. Mike Holmes, the host, fixes the houses of unfortunate homeowners who have been swindled by different contractors. This of course leads us to ask the question: how do I avoid hiring the wrong contractor and avoid being one of those financial horror stories and housing nightmares? How do I avoid, pardon the language, from getting screwed by the contractor? And it is a good question to answer before we have any work performed on our homes or properties we own. Because ... 10/11/2010

Safe Drinking Water   The United States has one of the safest water supplies in the world, but that statistic doesn’t tell you about the quality and safety of the water coming out of your tap. Drinking water quality varies from place to place, depending on the condition of the source water from which it is drawn, and the treatment it receives. Starting in 1999, every community water supplier was required to provide an annual report to its customers. This often comes with the community information we receive at the end of the calendar year. The report provides information on your local drinking water quality, including the water’s source, the contaminants found in the water, and how consumers can get involved in protecting drinking water. You may want more information, or you may have m... 10/10/2010

What Is A Vapor Barrier? Moisture control is the key to healthy, comfortable indoor air. It also protects building materials from breaking down. Vapor barriers are an important part of moisture control.  A vapor barrier is typically a plastic or foil sheet which resists the passing of moisture through ceiling, wall or floor assemblies. They also are effective for controlling moisture in basements, crawlspaces, and slab-on-grade foundations. They also block gases like methane and radon from coming through cracks.   While the term "vapor barrier" is commonly used, "vapor-diffusion retarder" is probably more accurate. "Barrier" implies that the material will stop all moisture transfer, but this is not actually the case, since any material will allow the passage of at least a small degree o... 10/10/2010

How To Hire A Roofing Contractor Have you ever watched that wonderful show, Holmes on Homes, on television? The host, Mike Holmes, visits unfortunate people who have been cheated by different contractors, rights the wrongs with his crew and fixes their housing nightmares. It makes for interesting and educational television, and it begs the question: how do you avoid being a victim? Roofs and roofing systems are among the most important parts of the house. How do you hire a roofing contractor? There are several things a homeowner needs to know about insurance and permits. Homeowners can be stuck in a financial and legal nightmare by ignoring a few simple checks when selecting a contractor. More about this in a bit. Selecting A Contractor One of the best ways to select a roofing contracto... 10/10/2010

Maintaining A Roof    Roofs play a key role in keeping our lives dry and comfortable. The roof, insulation and ventilation all work together to keep our houses and buildings free from moisture. Roofs also protect us from the sun. Correctly designed, overhangs actually protect the building's exterior walls from both sun and moisture. Such an important part of the house deserves some routine maintenance to keep working properly. This includes cleaning the leaves and debris from the roof’s valleys and gutters, a common task here in Michigan. Please note that many of the gutter protectors that are supposed to keep leaves out are notorious for failing, so if you have such a device on your gutters, don't assume this step can be bypassed. Debris in the valleys can cause water to wick under the... 10/10/2010

Part I Part II Part III Moisture Control Moisture control is the Holy Grail of Indoor Air Quality. Water in the home can come from many sources: leaking or by seeping through basement floors, from showers, and even from cooking. The amount of moisture that air can home depends on the temperature of the air. This is true whether we are talking about air inside the house or outside. As temperature decreases, air is able to hold less moisture. We see this during our Michigan winters as moisture condenses on cold surfaces. This moisture can encourage biological pollutants to grow. There are many ways to control moisture in our homes: Fix leaks and seepage. If water is entering the house from the outside, our options range from simple landscaping to extensive excavation and waterproofing. (T... 10/10/2010

Part I Here Part II Here   Checking Your Home For Pollutants There is no simple or cheap way to sample the air in your home to determine the level of all biological pollutants. Besides, experts suggest that sampling for biological pollutants is not a useful problem-solving tool. Even if you had your home tested, it is almost impossible to know which biological pollutant(s) cause various symptoms or health problems. The amount of most biological substances required to cause disease is unknown and varies from one person to the next. But this doesn't make the problem hopeless. We can take several simple, practical actions to help remove sources of biological pollutants, to help get rid of pollutants, and to prevent their return.   Self-Inspection Begin by touring your household. Follow you... 10/10/2010

Wow. The Lions finally won... and they won big! Wow. It felt good to finally win. And it felt good to be firing on all cylinders. Things finally started clicking. Although this was the St. Louis Rams, the only serious competition the Lions have had for cellar dweller over the last couple of years. Almost three years ago, back on November 4, 2007 the Lions beat Denver 44-7. Since then, whenever they won (which hasn't been much), they have never done so by more than a touchdown. Good job, Lions! Let's win a few more this season!   10/10/2010

See Part I here. Health Effects of Biological Pollutants All of us are exposed to biological pollutants, but their effects on our health depend on each person's sensitivity, the amount of exposure, and  type biological pollution. Sensitivity dramatically differs from person to person. Some people do not experience health reactions from certain biological pollutants, while others may experience allergic attacks, infections, or toxic reactions.   Allergic Reactions Allergic reactions are the most common health problem with indoor air quality in homes. Common allergens include animal dander (mostly from cats and dogs), house dust mites (microscopic animals living in household dust), and pollen. Allergic reactions can range from mildly uncomfortable to life-threatening (like a severe asthma... 10/10/2010

Pollutants In The Home Outdoor air pollution remains a major health issue across America, and lots of effort and money continue to be spent either to clean it up or prevent the emission of pollution to begin with. But the air pollution that may affect your health the most can come from sources you don't expect, and thrive in a place you least expect it -- your home. Isn't indoor pollution about mold and other nasty stuff? Not exclusively. Many ordinary activities like cleaning and cooking, even something like redecorating, can cause the release and spread of indoor pollutants at home. In fact, many studies have shown that the air in our homes can be even more polluted than outdoor air, which is even more important because many Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors. If the indo... 10/09/2010

It may be Fire Prevention Week, but let's assume the worst has happened and there is a fire in the home. What then? Or, what if you aren't home, but your kids are. Would they know what to do? Back in November of 2007, this scenario became reality at my house. With my kids. This nightmare scenario started while I was at work. Experiencing some pregnancy complications, the doctor sent my wife to the hospital, and I was leaving a worksite to meet her there. I wasn't sure what part of the hospital she'd be at, and I couldn't raise her on the cell phone, so I called home to see if my father-in-law (who was watching my oldest two girls) had heard. While I was on the phone with him, I heard my oldest daughter (who was only five at the time) yell out, "Grandpa... FIRE!" All I heard was, "Jason... 10/03/2010

In 2009, there were (nationwide) 377,000 housefires that killed 2,590 and injured another 13,050 people. The direct dollar loss in these fires came to $7.8 billion, let alone the devastation caused to families and individuals. Considering all fires across America in 2009, There were 3,010 civilians that lost their lives as the result of fire. There were 17,050 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire. There were 90 firefighters killed while on duty. Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined. 86 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences. There were an estimated 1.3 million fires in 2009. Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $12.5 billion. An estimated 26,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 170 civilian deaths... 10/03/2010

Well, the Gridiron Greats didn't quite pull it off, but since the Detroit Lions haven't won in Wisconsin in the previous 19 years, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. The Packers led 28-14 after Charles Woodson (please pause for a moment and put your hand over your heart for the University of Michigan player who won the Heisman Trophy back in our last National Championship season) scored early in the third quarter, but the Lions were able to cut the lead to two points before the Pack ran out the clock. What can I say? We've lost 20 straight in Green Bay -- dating back to the final year of the Bush Administration. That's George H.W. Bush, which means we haven't won in Wisconsin since before Bill Clinton was president! But the Lions continue to look much more dangerous than they have ... 10/03/2010

Here in Troy, our fire department hosted their annual Open House. It is pretty cool, because we have six different fire stations throughout the city, and each station hosts their own unique Open House. It is a great time learn about fire safety, about how the department works, and to meet some amazing firefighters and take pride in their excellent work. I always enjoy heading out and watching the different demonstrations. One of my favorites is watching a team of firefighters tear open a car, simulating the extraction of automobile accident victims. The car is opened like a can of tuna in just a few minutes. One of the other very interesting displays is the fire safety house, which is basically a mobile home where kids (and adults, for that matter) can experience how to get out of a sm... 10/03/2010

Don't Die Cleaning The House Cleaning the house? Watch out... mixing common household cleaning products can cause serious injuries. And I am not being silly or alarmist. Some stuff just isn't mean to mix unless you are taping an episode of MythBusters. Let's limit our chemicals to some simple cleaning items that should never be mixed. We'll cover why in a bit. Bleach and ammonia Bleach and acids Using two drain cleaners together (or one immediately following the other)   Where Is Bleach Found In The House? Bleach is found in pool products, laundry products and many disinfectants. The active ingredient in bleach is sodium hypochlorite, which reacts with ammonia, drain cleaners, and violently reacts with many acids. Check out that label: household products will state that they contain bl... 10/01/2010

What are VOCs? Volitile organic compounds (VOCs) sound like something we should have learned about when we were snoozing in Mr. Smith's 5th hour chemistry class. We hear about them, occasionally see them in the news... but what are they? They are a group of chemicals that contain carbon and easily evaporate at room temperature.  But maybe the question should be: why should I care about them? And here's why: they change from liquid or solid state into gas form when exposed to air, and when this happens, we can breath them into our lungs. Actually, besides inhalation (called "respiration" in science geekspeak), there are two other ways to get VOCs in a body: swallowing ("ingestion") and through the skin ("thermal absorption). And VOCs are all around our homes and offices.   Michigan and ... 10/01/2010

Sorry, antigunners. I know a lot of people hate BB guns, but I loved mine growing up. And why wouldn't I? After all, the Daisy Air Rifle had its beginnings here in Michigan. The Daisy's humble beginnings can be traced back to 1882 and the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company. A local inventor developed a product that was a combination of metal and wire, vaguely resembling a gun, that could fire a lead ball using compressed air. The President of the company gave it a try, and after his first shot exclaimed, "Boy, that's a daisy." The rest, as they say, is history. 09/30/2010

Detroit... The Motor City. But what was Detroit before the automotive industry revolutionized the way we lived and traveled? Detroit was known across the nation as the Stove Capital of the World, with five major companies manufacturing stoves inside the city limits at the turn of the 20th century. In 1860, the city's first stove company set up shop on the East side on Mount. Elliott. The popularity of their product caused several other companies to open their doors. The result: Detroit innovation changed how the country cooked food. Detroit Stove Works owned the largest stove manufacturing plant in the world. They merged with the Michigan Stove Company to build "The Garland," the first gas-fired range used in kitchens. Designed in Michigan, it was built in Detroit for decades. One of t... 09/29/2010

From this morning's Wall Street Journal: The largest number of bank failures in nearly 20 years has eliminated jobs, accelerated a drought in lending and left the industry's survivors with more power to squeeze customers. Some 279 banks have collapsed since Sept. 25, 2008, when Washington Mutual Inc. became the biggest bank failure on record. That dwarfed the 1984 demise of Continental Illinois, which had only one-seventh of WaMu's assets. The failures of the past two years shattered the pace of the prior six-year period, when only three dozen banks died. Two more banks went down last Friday, and failures are expected to "persist for some time," according to a report issued Tuesday by Standard & Poor's. In the second quarter of this year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. increased it... 09/28/2010