Dallas Home Inspection Blog » Rockwall home inspections

Help Appliances live longer

Jim Hemsell — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:30:38 +0000

Home inspections include a lot of different things. In Texas, we include the appliances in our inspection. Many of the things we find are deferred maintenance or rough use issues. Here are some suggestions to help your better maintain your home appliance so the next time we perform a Rockwall home inspection, your appliance will pass with flying colors.

Range

·     Place heavy pots gently on smooth tops to avoid breakage.

·     Never cover drip pans with foil, which can short circuit the burner.

·     Keep reflective bowls beneath burners, which helps them reflect heat.

·     Periodically clean gas burner ports with a needle.

·     Don’t poke the igniter or spray it with cleaners.

Refrigerator

·     Clean dust from compressor coils every few months.

·     Clean door gaskets with mild detergent and water.

·     Check gaskets seals by closing the doors on a dollar bill. Replace gasket if the bill falls out.

·     Keep door opening to a minimum. Every time you open the door, cold air escapes and is replaced by warmer more humid air.

Oven

·     Check door seals for damage. If heat is escaping, adjust or replace the gasket.

Dishwasher

·     When loading, make sure no dishware can touch the spray arms.

·     Inspect spray arms for debris that can clog the holes.

·     If the dishwasher has a manual – clean filter, clean it regularly per manufacturer’s instructions.

Washing Machine

·     Remove grit from screens where the hoses attach to the water supply.

·     Don’t load beyond the washer’s recommended capacity.

·     Install the washer on a level and well supported floor.

·     Heed detergent directions

Dryer

·     Clean lint filter after each use to keep air flowing freely

·     Each year, clean the exhaust duct to prevent fire.

Locating ducts within the conditioned spaces of your home

Jim Hemsell — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:21:35 +0000

The typical home in Rockwall Texas has the air distribution ducts located in unconditioned areas such as attics, crawlspaces, garages and basements. Residential duct systems located in these areas can lose between 20 and 35% of the energy in the air they distribute. Those losses can almost entirely be eliminated by simply locating the ducts within the conditioned areas inside the building thermal envelope.

Attic temperature will mimic the outside air temperatures during the winter or heating season and can easily rise to 50 degrees above outside air temperatures during the summer or cooling seasons. The conditioned air is protected by minimally insulated ducts, typically R-6 to R-8, and will allow the conditioned air to lose energy. That is energy that you are paying for each and every month with your high gas and electric bills. Moving the ducts down into the building thermal envelope and used a drop ceiling in hallways can totally eliminate that energy loose.

Increasing the duct insulation can help achieve more energy efficiency, but sizable increases can also be achieved by tightening the duct connections to plenums, registers and junction boxes. Sealing these duct connection with a special mastic can reduce leakage and generate significant energy savings. This is a great Do It Yourself project that most homeowners can do during the cooler months of Winter, Spring and Fall. The job can be done during the Summer months, but the high attic temperatures reduce the working time of the mastic and workers.

For more information about energy inspections in Rockwall and Dallas Texas, check out our website at www.DallasEnergyInspection.com

Jim Hemsell

A Closer Look Home Inspection Servcie

Dallas Energy Audits