A recent email recounted a similar occurrence where the listener had to wait five days to have a technician look at her furnace because she had no prior relationship with the company.
Such a service can also include installation of a clean — and properly specified — filter which results in healthier air throughout the home.
The next thing we suggest to owners of older homes is the purchase and installation of a product like the DAP Seal and Peel, which is a caulk that can be applied around breezy windows in the fall, then easily removed in the summer.
Application of such a material allows an owner to work on their caulking skills for possible future application of more permanent material. 3M and others also make a shrink wrap type product kit that can function as an interior storm window during the winter.
The Guys also suggest keeping a blower or push-type snow shovel handy to quickly clear drives and sidewalks of light snow falls before they are walked or driven on to form ice.
Once that ice has formed, we strongly suggest only using a 50% mixture of magnesium chloride and sandbox sand as a snow melt product. Keep it outside the door in a sealed 5-gallon pail and spread it with an old cup or tin can when needed.
Use of any salt products will degrade concrete as we have all witnessed on Michigan’s roads.
We strongly encourage anyone using a fireplace to have the system professionally inspected prior to use.
A company like Brickworks Property Restoration in Macomb offers a 21-point inspection that includes running a scope down the chimney to check for cracks and soot accumulation.
The exam also includes a look at the chimney cap, firebox, damper, juncture of roof and chimney and exterior brickwork.
If the budget allows, installation of attic and sidewall insulation is always suggested. Sidewall installations are best left to true professionals as there is potential for damage, missed wall cavities and even long-term settling and dissipation issues with certain products and companies.
There are some great tax incentives for this type of installation that already has a great return on investment, and comfort benefits that will be immediate.
Professional duct cleaning and sealing will also ensure cleaner and healthier air in the home, so we strongly suggest this as a consideration; perhaps even as a gift to those difficult-to-buy-for parents or grandparents.
We would also like to see every home with properly installed and functioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, so this becomes a great time of year to provide this added level of safety and peace of mind.
Thanks to the folks at “‘JR Morning with Lloyd Jackson, Jamie Edmonds, and Guy Gordon” for a great question!
Make sure the next few months of keeping the house closed are safe and comfortable for all by using professionals like those you’ll find at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
