May 23, 2008 BY DAVID MACK - Special to the Sun-Times
How can associations incorporate sustainable or green principles and products into their operations?
Let’s consider suggestions for older buildings from Jim Stoller, president of Building Group, a Chicago-based condominium management company.
Incandescent bulbs in exit signs should be replaced with LED (Light Emitting Diodes), which can save up to $24 per year per fixture. (They are expensive to buy but have a very long life.)
Incandescent hallway lighting, especially the heat-generating halogen bulbs, should be replaced with fluorescents for a savings of up to 70 percent per year.
Fluorescents offer more illumination so it may also be possible to eliminate some of the fixtures.
Movement detection sensors to turn on the lights also can save money.
Any HVAC filters should be cleaned or replaced monthly during peak seasons.
In terms of plumbing, “water conservation should be a priority,” Stoller said.
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Question:
We replaced old 15 yrs old leaking hot water heater with a new Whirlpool hot water heater purchased from Lowes. The pressure release valve immediately popped open as soon as the water was hot. Whirlpool told me we had too much water pressure comming into the heater. Ultimately we lowered the pressure, replacing the pressure regulator on the incomming water supply line, installed a thermal expansion tank on the line to the hot water heater and have replaced the pressure release valve three times and it still leaks. The pressure in the house is about 85psi just about enough to rinse the shampoo out of my hair in the shower. The old heater A O Smith brand never poped the pressure relief valve but I think it rusted from the inside as water dripped out all around the bottom of it. Is the new WWhirlpool a piece of junk or has something gone wrong here that we havent thought of? Any ideas or suggestions?
Answer:
the water temperature-it could be that your water heater temp is too high. If the water temp is near boiling, it could pop the pressure release valve.
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Question:
What is the average life of an A-coil? Should I replace the A-coil when replacing the furnace? My old furnace was at least 10 yrs old.
Answer:
Average life expectancy of a system is 10-15 yrs some more some less… You only have to replace the A- coil if you are changing out the condenser. The old saying goes if it is not broke don’t fix it! Upgrade for one purpose is to save money on gas/electricity. Do your research on the system of your choice and not what the salesperson is trying to sell you.
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Question:
I have a question for a friend of mine who’s chimney is so badly blocked he can’t even get a sledge hammer through the creosol, and his wire brush is stuck. Is there a “quick fix” to this problem so that he may have some heat tonight? The wood he’s been burning is by no means any good (as you probably guessed) but that is the best he can do in some difficult times.
Answer:
Unfortunately there is not a quick fix for this situation, and use of the fireplace is extremely dangerous. The only solution to a blockage like this is to have a professional chimney sweep attempt to remove the blockage and clean the chimney.
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Question:
I have an older home that has the furnace installed under the floor in a crawl space. I would like to know if it is possible to add an air purifier to this furnace and the best way to do it? .
Answer:
If it is an IN floor furnace where there is no duct work it would be almost impossible to do. However IF you have a horizontal furnace with a supply and return duct work than yes you can.
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Question:
What does a 12pt heating/cooling inspection consist of?
Answer:
It may vary from company to company. The most important points are what we consider the most important. There may be more done while on the job at no extra cost, but this list contains every thing that is done every time by us. Furnace: • Clean and adjust burner assembly • Clean ignition assembly • Inspect and clean heat exchanger • Carbon monoxide test • Monitor flue draft • Adjust operating pressures • Calibrate thermostat • Replace or clean filters • Clean and adjust blower components • Lubricate all moving parts • Measure temperature rise • Check combustion efficiency with digital analyzer
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I KNOW WHY they call it the ’silent killer,’” said Mike Diggs after a harrowing experience nearly cost the lives of him, two of his children and a close friend recently.
All four were overcome by carbon monoxide and if it weren’t for the quick reaction of Dan Rodgers, the outcome may have been tragic. Rodgers was the first to realize something was terribly wrong and went for help.
Rodgers and Diggs were working on a pickup together in a garage next to the Diggs house at 420 NW Third Street, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Mike’s son Griffin, 5, and daughter Sydney, 9 were playing in a nearby room.
”It had only been running less than 10 minutes,” claims Diggs, which was why he was so surprised when carbon monoxide poisoning was found to be the problem.
The confined space, lack of air movement, and the type of engine may have played a factor in the concentration of CO in the air. Carbon monoxide is measured in parts per million (ppm). At 35 ppm, headache and dizziness occurs within six to eight hours of constant exposure; at 400 ppm, symptoms occur within one to two hours. At 1600 ppm, headache, dizziness and nausea occur within 20 minutes - death in less than two hours. Diggs’s pickup, a 1979 Chevrolet, can produce an exhaust containing up to 25% carbon monoxide. Newer vehicles have catalytic converters that eliminate over 99% of the deadly gas.
Diggs, like so many other victims, was too groggy to recognize the symptoms with both him and his children. This is often the case in accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
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The Gas Furnace
The gas furnace is an appliance looking like a large box that does the following:
- takes in cold air,
- cleans it with an air filter,
- heats it up with a gas burner using a stainless steel heat exchanger,
- distributes the warm air with a blower motor through your home’s ductwork
The heated air then cools down in your home’s various rooms and returns to the furnace through return air grills and ductwork.
The cold returning air enters back through the air filter into the furnace to complete another heating loop.
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