January 30, 2021
Dear Ken: I know you should put the carbon monoxide detector somewhere upstairs, but why not in the furnace room, too? Daniel
It can’t hurt, but first I want to protect you and the kids. We are most concerned with carbon monoxide (CO) coming out of those heating vents up in the living area. You and the family are most vulnerable to this deadly gas while you’re are sleeping, and since it is a little lighter than air, it tends to go to the upper parts of the house first anyway. The best location is in the hallway serving the bedrooms in (in fact, state law requires one within 15 feet of all sleeping room doors). Plug it into an electrical outlet, which puts it at approximately the level of your head while you’re asleep. I prefer the models with a digital display—like the Nighthawk brand.
I’m somewhat skeptical of the combination smoke/CO detectors. We want to detect smoke at the ceiling level, but CO near the floor. Of course, you should have both, but I like the idea of two separate devices.
Finally, according to the manufacturers, carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced at least every seven years. You probably won’t have to put that in your calendar, because the newer versions have a built-in computer which will make the alarm squawk after the allotted time.
Dear Ken: My water heater is about 20 years old, 40 gallons, and I’m wondering if I would do well with a tankless model? Katie
I’m hesitant to recommend you do anything at all with a perfectly fine water heater. If it’s not leaking, and you have plenty of hot water, I’d leave it alone. But if you do want to replace it, you should buy a 50 gallon model, because newer ones heat water more slowly to comply with changed energy efficiency standards.
Good tankless models that will provide enough hot water throughput will cost about three times more than a regular tank-type. And that means it will take many years (perhaps 10 to 15) to amortize the extra expense before you start to save money. I’ll let you make that decision based primarily on how long you think you will stay put.
Furthermore, it’s not just an economic issue, according to many of my listeners. They report that with a tankless, they waste gobs of water waiting for the hot to come through. Plus, they are pretty finicky (the water heater, not the listeners); they need, at a minimum, an annual visit by a plumber for cleaning and adjustment.
Bottom line: I would live with the old water heater until it fails, but wrap it with a good insulation blanket, since it’s not as well insulated as new ones.
Dear Ken: How can I tell if a particular wall is load bearing or not? I want to remove it. Jerrod
If your house was built in the mid-60’s or later, you’re probably OK to take it out. That’s when trussed roofs came into widespread use. These marvelously engineered systems almost always span between outside walls, so they don’t rely on any interior support beams. A remodeling contractor could peek into the attic to verify what kind you have; otherwise, a good home inspector can check for you. I recommend you look for an ASHI inspector at www.ashi.org. They are usually the most experienced in town (full disclosure: I’m a member). You won’t be charged for a full-blown inspection, because it won’t take much time. You should be able to find an inspector who will take a look for about $100 to $150.
Dear Ken: I think we have moisture issues. The instrument we have says 50% to 60% humidity. That can’t be right, so how do we measure it? Ed
Hygrometers need calibration at least once a year. If you have an analog (dial) model, set it outdoors for at least 2 hours to stabilize, then check one of the TV station weather pages, weather.com or the NOAA forecast site for the current relative humidity. Adjust the calibration screw to that setting. Do this for two or three days in a row, and you’ll be able to zero in on a pretty close calibration. That should help you decide what the indoor level actually is at your place.
Digitals are a little more complicated. Wrap it in a very damp cloth, and place it inside a sealed baggie. After a few hours it should read about 95%+. If not, note the difference so you can apply that adjustment to any regular reading you get.
By the way, don’t scoff: many poorly-ventilated homes in our area can have high levels of indoor moisture, which needs to be lowered as soon as possible so mold issues don’t develop. Inadequately ventilated crawl spaces and attics are the primary culprits here, as well as poor wall insulation, the misuse (or non-use) of bath fans, and whole house humidifiers set too high.
Electric panels (cont.)
Last week we talked about failures in older electrical panels, specifically Federal Pacific, which has a bad reputation among real estate agents, home inspectors, appraisers and insurance companies. There’s another brand that should raise a red flag: Zinsco (sometimes labeled Sylvania/Zinsco). These panels were manufactured in the 60s and 70s and have some internal engineering issues that can make them vulnerable to catastrophic failure. Instead of copper, they used and odd alloy of aluminum that sometimes overheats and melts when the breakers fail.
The failure rate is relatively low, but nevertheless, if you have one you should get it checked out by a licensed electrician. It’s not easy to do it yourself, since the panel has to be partially taken apart.
And just as with Federal Pacific, if you have one of these old panels it is probably a good idea to plan on replacing it sooner, rather than later. When you put your house on the market it will come up in the home inspection process. Besides your family (and your house) will be safer after getting the old panel out of your life.
