Homeowners in Louisville, especially in the winter when the weather is dry need to change their furnace filters at least every other month.  A furnace in Louisville goes back and forth: heat cool, heat cool and can attract serious dust and dirt. Don’t bother checking it, just change it.  You would not believe the downside of a dirty filter.  It could cost you thousands of dollars not including the extra energy your system needs to heat your home.  In Louisville our extreme temperatures put a real load on the heating and especially the cooling systems. Why does a filter need to be changed?

Proper airflow through your system. Clogged filters hamper airflow, forcing your furnace to work harder to preserve your preferred temperature. In general, airflow restrictions due to dirty filters is what cause evaporator coils to ice up, equipment to run longer than it should have to, and eventually lead to cracks in heat exchangers aka thousands of dollars!

How to change a furnace filter:

• Locate your old furnace filter behind a panel in your furnace that either slides out or can be removed when you loosen a set of screws.
• Remove the dirty filter and, write down the dimensions.  Go to the store and buy at least five new filters.  This will help you change them more often because it will be easy.
• Put the old one in a garbage bag.  Trust me, you do not want to breathe this stuff.
• Put in the new filter, Check the arrows so it is not backwards!

East, two minutes max.  Again, have extras, and practice if you have to. It will make all the difference.

Because any renovating of a home that contains lead requires a licensed contractor in lead removal, and we are one of the only ones in Louisville, we get a lot of the same questions.  Here are the top five questions we hear?

Will painting over lead paint with non-lead paint solve the problem?

Yes and no. Yes if the paint is left undisturbed.  Absolutely not if any kind of sanding scraping or renovations are being done.  Chips and dust are VERY hazardous. Paint left intact and covered is generally safe. To be sure, dry wall installed over the paint or paint that contains encapsulants that seal the lead paint to the surface so it won’t chip off, are great options.

If I have lead-based paint, I can still safely remodel or renovate?

Yes. Very small projects can be done if plastic is used and a HEPA vacuum is used. Always assume that building materials in any older home contain lead, and take measures. Larger jobs should always be done by licensed professionals.

Can you can tell by looking if paint contains lead?

No. The only way is to have it tested, and kits are totally unreliable.  You can’t feel, smell or see lead in homes.

Besides totally removing lead paint, there are other ways to protect my family from the lead dust?

Yes, drywall or encapsulated paint.

Is removing lead paint always safer than leaving it?

No.  Lead pain that is in good condition and not cracking or peeling is not a safety hazard.  If the paint is disturbed in any way, that is when it becomes hazardous and a professional must be used.

One last question. Will a dust mask will protect me from breathing lead dust? No, a dust mask is not sufficient. You need to have a properly fitted respirator with special (HEPA) filters.  Also, throw your clothes away when the work is finished and do not eat, smoke or drink where you work.

E.P.A’s link to lead based paint

How to safeguard yourself from the hazards of lead paint.  This is part two of a three part segment regarding lead in homes and lead based paint in homes built prior to 1978.

Federal law requires any contractors hired to perform projects in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 TO BE CERTIFIED IN LEAD PAINT REMOVAL and follow specific practices.  If your home has lead paint, do not even ask a contractor who is not certified to do the work.  There are plenty of contractors like Koppel Services that are certified and have excellent references.

Here are the steps they (and any homeowner doing it themselves) must follow:

• Contain the work area. Cover all floors and furniture if the furniture cannot be moved. Seal off all cooling and heating vents.
• Avoid ALL methods that create a lot of dust. Believe it or not some renovation methods generate so much dust they are banned by the EPA.  The banned methods are sanding, blasting with power tools, needle gunning and anything not equipped with a HEPA certified vacuum.
• Mist surfaces before sanding or scraping.
• Clean up thoroughly.  Use a HEPA vacuum to clean up all debris.  Vacuum immediately after the work is completed and at least three times after once the dust has settled.

Lead in homes today comes mostly from old lead paint.  Based on an EPA study here are ten facts regarding lead in homes:

1. Between 1960 and 1980 – 24 percent of the homes in Louisville used lead paint.
2. Lead based paint was banned in 1978
3. Between 1940 and 1960 – 69 percent of the homes built used lead paint
4. Dust is the main problem with lead. Lead dust comes from deteriorating lead based paint and can easily rise to unsafe levels.  Activities like breathing and putting hands to mouth become dangerous.Lead is especially dangerous to children’s brains and nervous systems. Do it yourself projects require the assistance of a licensed lead paint specialist. He will help you test and prepare for your project to insure very little lead dust is ingested.
1. Renovating is a leading cause of dust from old paint that was covered by non lead based paint.
2. Any project that disturbs the lead like sanding and scraping can create lead based dust.
3. HUD’ s web site on lead in homes
5. Lead is especially dangerous to children under 6 years of age. It can lead to reduced I.Q. and nervous system development issues.
6. In adults lead in homes can lead to high blood pressure, pregnancy problems and learning disabilities.
7. Lead paint that is intact with no cracking or chipping or wear is generally NOT considered a health risks.
8. If lead is in your home, have a professional help you take precautions.  Spending a little money could save you a lot of heart ache down the road.  Look for peeling, chipping and cracking paint
9. If lead is in your home, have a professional help you take precautions.  Spending a little money could save you a lot of heart ache down the road.  Look for peeling, chipping and cracking paint. Areas like stair railings, window sills and door frames are susceptible to peeling and cracking.
10. Visit the EPA’s web site on lead if you have any concerns.

1. Basically, there are two pipes connected to your home.  The first brings in clean water, the second takes away waste water and sewage. The pipe bringing in clean water is pressurized, which is how the water is able to reach the second story of your house.  Water in this pipe is cold, so in order to get hot water, it must pass through to your hot water heater.
2. In some cases, before the water supply splits off to the hot water heater, there will be an additional split between the indoor and outside water supply. I have this in my house. The indoor supply is routed through my water softener and the outdoor supply goes to spigots.
3. Main supply lines are typically 1 to 3/4 inch in diameter, but thee lines that branch off to individual fixtures are smaller, usually ½ inch.  Knowing this will help you at the hardware store.
4. The waste water pipe we talked about in number one, exits the house through a wastewater system. Each sink and toilet is connected to the waste system. The first step in this system is a trap at each fixture. A trap is a U shape and is designed to hold a small amount of water so that toxic sewer gas cannot seep back up through the pipes and into your home.
5. Once water has flowed through the trap, wastewater will pass through a T; here is where it can be complicated. One branch of the “T” goes up and the other goes down. The pipe that goes up will go all the way to the roof to let in air to compensate for the natural vacuum that is created by water going down the other end of the  T. water going down the pipe creates. Think of what happens when you hold your finger over the end of a straw that is full of water, when you release your finger the vacuum is broken and the water flows out. This is like holding your finger on top of a straw which is filled with liquid.  Take your finger off the top, and the liquid lets loose.
6. As the water flows out, it will pass some clean out pipes.  These are just pipes with places to clean out clogged wastewater debris.  Usually the clean outs are a t a 45 degree angle.
7. You need to understand why there are so many different types of pipes in your house. Freshwater systems are typically built with copper tubing, galvanized pipe, PVC or Pex pipe. Generally, copper is the most common for interior piping. Galvanized pipe is in older homes. PVC pipe is not as dependable as copper or galvanized pipe. Systems that only have occasional pressure use PVC. Pex plumbing is the easiest to use, with no need for any soldering.
8. Wastewater typically travels through PVC pipe or cast iron.  PVC is usually used for septic systems, however ABS pipe is the pipes preferred in most new construction because of its low cost and ease of installation. Cast iron pipe is in older and more expensive homes because it is much quieter than PVC.
9. ABS and PVC pipes do not require specialized tools other than glue for joining the pipes and a handsaw
   

   Pex Pipe

   for cutting them. Cast iron pipe however different and requires a snapping tool to break the pipe apart. This is tricky so buy some extra pipe because you will probably have to do it again!  Usually a snapper can be rented at Lowes or Home Depot.

Furnaces can be very tricky and dangerous ans so can furnace repair. Let’s just put that out in the open.  Unless you think the issue may be a clogged filter, or a pilot light is out OR you are really are familiar with the way HVAC works, you should call a Louisville Heating and Cooling company.  But, here are some basic ideas and overviews:

• A conventional gas furnace looks like a large box that takes in cold air, filters it, heats it with a gas burner, and then pushes it out through ductwork to all the rooms in your house.

The warm air cools down in your home and then returns to the furnace through the return vents and back through the ductwork.  Simple enough?  It gets more complicated. Sometimes a humidifier can be used to put moisture into the dry air.  Then there are condensing furnaces which are very high efficiency.  They extract the heated air more efficiently and get it through the ductwork faster.

• If your furnace is not putting out any heat check the thermostat.  Is it set too low? That may be the problem and that is something that can be repaired.  Just make sure you write down what each wire is for before taking the old one off.
• There could there be a blown circuit breaker or fuse.  This is obvious but very common.  Also check the GFCI.
• Do you see a pilot light? It may have gone out because of a clogged filter.  Clogged filters can cause a multitude of problems! See down the page.
• A Hot Surface Ignition System may not be working.  If the furnace senses gas being emitted but there is no ignition, the furnace will lock up.  This is a safety feature.  There may be a reset unit on the side.  If not, a hot surface igniter can be replaced very inexpensively.
• If there is some heat but not enough, the blower could be bad.  Check to see if the belt attached to the

  

  Fantech blower motor

  blower is worn or gone completely. This a fairly easy fix as well. When you are looking at the blower, if it is dirty, clean it.

• Again, some heat but not enough check the registers.  You would be surprised at what could be blocking the air.
• If the furnace is turning on and off, replace the filter!  Our guess is that at least 50% of all furnace issues are caused by a $5.00 filter.
• Again, if it is turning on and off, lubricate the blower.
• If the blower won’t stop running check the thermostat to see if it is set on AUTO.

If these simple solutions do not work, call a Louisville HVAC or a Louisville Heating and Cooling specialist.

• First ask around.  This is where Facebook comes in handy.  Ask the question “Does anyone know a good plumber”? You will get over ten different companies recommended in two hours!  I put this question out in Louisville and received fifteen different companies.  Many of them I had never heard of so I checked out their web site.  Surprise, many did not have a site or it was so antiquated I couldn’t navigate it. Web sites will tell you whether the company has enough pride in their brand to invest in how they look to the public. If they don’t, I take a pass.

• Second. Call them and talk to the receptionist.  I have spoken to such nasty, rude receptionists who obviously should have been working anywhere else.  They were not trained or did not have the desire to be nice to someone who needed help.  If a company does not have enough pride to hire courteous, customer service oriented personnel, why would they hire technicians who are any different?  Finding a plumber in Louisville is actually quite difficult.

• Third. Find out how long they have been in business.  I found three or four that have been around for twenty or more years. Now we are getting somewhere.  One, Koppel Services had been around for more than thirty!

• Fourth. Ask about their guarantee. Is it money back? Is it limited in any way? Is it written on your quote? Plumbers with pride in their performance know that their customers will be satisfied so they have no trouble with a guarantee. I only found three in Louisville that would guarantee the work.

• Fifth. Do not trust a plumber if they give you a flat fee over the phone.  Plumbers will not know what they are dealing with until they are in front of the job.  The key to not getting ripped off is to get flat, fixed quote so you know exactly what the plumber will do and exactly what you will pay. The only way this will be truly accurate is if the plumber is in front of the work. Most plumbers will not quote over the phone except tell you a flat labor rate.  If they do, hang up.

• Lastly, if you have had good service from another sub-contractor ask them for a reference or best of all ask if their company does any types of plumbing work.  I have found that many HVAC companies also do plumbing. Louisville has four that turned out to be trustworthy.