Toronto Renovation Stories & Expert Advice
Carbon monoxide detectors also detect paint fumes -- BIG time!
Last winter, in preparation for putting our house on the market, we recognized that a few things needed some updating -- the first of which was the "Wayne's World" knotty pine wood panelling in the basement. The painters suggested I use a special primer which prevents knots from showing through the paint which I thought was a good idea since we were painting the room white.
What the painters failed to mention was that the primer stinks to high heaven, and the basement wasn't exactly a well ventilated area (one small window and that was it). At the end of the first day of painting, the kids and I came home and felt like we'd just walked into some sort of chemical factory. About five minutes after the painters had left for the day (naturally) there was this long, hysterical, high-pitched, beeeeeeep coming from the basement. So I traced it -- right to the carbon monoxide detector.
That very afternoon I had also had some work done to the furnace. Had the furnace guys accidentally caused some sort of leak?
No, in fact, that wasn't the problem at all. I called the gas company who said it was probably the paint fumes. They asked me if I was experiencing any symptoms such as nausea or headaches. Well of course I was, I had a splitting headache, but I knew it had nothing to do with carbon monoxide and everything to do with those vicious paint fumes, and high-pitched beep wasn't helping matters any. However, the minute you admit to experiencing any symptoms, the fire department is obligated to come and take a look. So, less than ten minutes later a firetruck with sirens blaring and three enormous firemen show up at my house. They go to the basement, wave their special CO detector around, tell me the CO levels are non-existent but the paint fumes are something else.
So here was an important lesson for me: it turns out that all kinds of strong fumes can set off a CO detector, not just carbon monoxide. To make me feel better they told me I wasn't the first house they'd visited that day for CO detectors going off. They also told me if a detector ever goes off and you're not sure why, unplug it, stick outside for 15 minutes to clear it out. If, when you've plugged it back into the same spot it goes off again, the fumes are still there, and you should call your gas company or the fire department and tell them about it.
I was a little embarrassed at having wasted the fire department's time, but the guys told me it wasn't a waste and that I did the right thing by calling them. So if you're painting close to a carbon monoxide detector, you might want to think about putting a fan in the room and opening the windows to get some proper ventilation in there. I guess that's why most people paint in the summer (d'oh!).
Labels: Carbon monoxide detectors, paint fumes
Posted by Cathy
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DIY Gone Wrong
I am a lover of Do It Yourself projects. Anything that will save me a few extra dollars has my attention. The only thing is, I keep forgetting that those people on TV have years of training under their belt and that's why they make whatever they're doing look so easy. Take home improvement for example; last year we had our bathroom painted. Now, I know what you're thinking: you're thinking that if I'm such a fan of saving a few dollars why didn't I just paint the bathroom myself? The answer is because it was the ugly old gray ceramic tile (rusted and stained in places) and I knew at least that that was one job I couldn't handle. Anyway, in order to save myself an hour on the painter's clock I removed the pedestal sink and toilet tank myself. Ha! That wasn't so hard, I thought. Bob Vila, eat your heart out!
Putting the sink and toilet back, however, was another story. When I was reattaching the water pipes to the toilet tank, I had a little trouble with the 50 year old tap that fed into the toilet. It wouldn't budge without a monkey wrench. So I used one and it moved, really, really easily, until, poof!
It broke off. So I stood there with a monkey wrench clamping a tap realizing with that sinking feeling I couldn't turn the main water supply on until it was fixed. Do you think I learned? Of course not. I actually attempted to fix it myself with the sage counsel of our local hardware salesman. I won't go into the details, except to say that eventually some welding was required and I didn't think my creme brule torch would do the trick.
DIY is great, until you realize you that there's a reason for those licensed contractors. I needed a plumber - and fast! I found one on HomeStars (naturally) who was able to come that day. Needless to say, he knew what he was doing and the water was back on three hours later. Whew!
What's your "DIY Gone Wrong" story? How far did you let things get before throwing in the towel and calling a professional? We all have these stories. Write a review and title it "DIY Gone Wrong." The top 3 stories will be published in next month's newsletter, and the top 10 stories published on the Toronto and Boston Blogs. From comic to tragic, we all have our DIY Gone Wrong stories, so share yours now!
Write a review.Labels: DIY gone wrong, painting, plumbers
Posted by Cathy
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Improving Your Home's Energy Efficiency - Part 2
Insulating your home:
So, you've had your home energy audit (see previous post), and found out you need to insulate. Oh, if only it were as simple as calling up your local insulation company and blowing some cellulose into the attic! Yes, that will help, and of course we have a directory full of insulation companies that will assist you in your quest for winter warmth and summer cool. But, it's a bit more complicated than that. It turns out that insulation works in conjunction with three other components in your "building envelope."
Specifically, the four factors that affect how warm and cozy you are in the winter are:
- Insulation
- air infiltration
- moisture and
- ventilation
Because each component affects the others as they are modified, a contractor should take what is known as "the whole house approach" when insulating a home. For instance, if, after a home become has been insulated and air leaks have been plugged, the home could be too tight, producing poor indoor air quality - like those "sick buildings" that were common in the '70s and '80s. If this happens, mechanical ventilation will need to be added.
Familiarize yourself with the different types of insulation available and which one would work for the areas that need it. You can do this by talking to the insulation professionals, but having a smidgeon of knowledge ahead of time will help the whole process go faster.
There are three common types of insulation:
- fiberglass,
- cellulose and
- sprayfoam
(There are other types, such as mineral wool and denim scraps, but the above are by far and away the most common.)
There are four different forms of insulation:
- bats or rolls,
- loose fill,
- rigid board and
- spray foam.
Insulating your home is not your typical do-it-yourself project. Licensed technicians have the equipment and knowledge on how to install the insulation and understand how it affects your home. They will also be aware of moisture issues, air and vapor barriers and how to install them along with the insulation.
Grants for insulation: Both the Canadian federal and provincial governments have rebate programs available. Be aware that the grants are only valid if you've done an energy audit before you've done the work. Below is a link to the ecoAction website which explains how much you'll get back depending on the work you do.
http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm?attr=4#eligible
Labels: ecoaction grants, energy audits, home insulation
Posted by Cathy
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Improving Your Home's Energy Efficiency - Part 1
Home Energy Efficiency:
According to meteorologists, this winter was supposed to be the coldest in 15 years. While December was certainly the snowiest I've seen in awhile, I wouldn't exactly say it's been bitterly cold out there (okay, so as I'm writing this it's -10 and with the windchill it's -18 so what do I know?). However, with all our temperature ups and downs, and we humans being the root cause of them (not really disputed by many anymore), not to mention oil hitting the magic $100/barrel mark, one thing you can do for wallet and the planet is increase your home's energy efficiency. As gas and electricity prices continue to rise, making your home use less electricity and gas all around is a sensible thing to do.
Where to start?
Your home is freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. You can hold a Kleenex in the air and watch the breeze push it away from the window. You know you need insulation, drafts caulked, and windows replaced, but you're not exactly sure how to go about it.
A home energy audit will help you determine where the drafts are coming from and what areas of your home are lacking in insulation. It will also identify other energy wasters such as your furnace's efficiency, old appliances and whether they need replacing and how well your windows are holding up. However, in order to qualify for an "EcoAction" grant (that's the Federal grant program) for your home improvement projects, you need to have an energy audit performed by a federally approved and licensed agency. Not sure where to find one? Funny you should ask! We have a list of federally approved
energy auditors in our directory. Already had an energy audit done? Share your story and help out those who are just venturing into theirs.
For more information on the EcoAction grant and qualifications go to:
http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/retrofithomes-renovationmaisons-eng.cfmLabels: energy audits, energy efficiency, retrofit grants
Posted by Cathy
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