Hopefully by now everyone has taken my advice and had their Air Conditioning units serviced for the hot summer ahead. If you don’t remember hearing that advice, go back a few weeks and read the blog titled ‘Is Your AC Working Right, or Just Working?’.
If the HVAC technician gave your Air Conditioning unit a clean bill of health but your home is still too warm, there are some things you can look at for answers. Let’s start with the most simple, but often overlooked ideas.
- Keep windows closed and latched. Check to make sure there is no hot air leaking in.
- Check the weather stripping on your exterior doors. If you can see light coming in around your door, you can bet the hot air will be getting in too.
- Keep the registers open allowing the conditioned air to enter the rooms.
- Running fans (ceiling or portable) helps circulate the air and make it feel more comfortable.
- Keep blinds or shades adjusted to allow light in without letting in the heat. Curtains or blinds on windows with southern exposure should be closed in the afternoon to keep most of the heat out.
Sometimes these ideas, although simple, are overlooked. If you have checked all these ideas and still have not found a cause, you may have to dig a little deeper. Here are a few places you may need to examine, or have examined, to find the answer.
- Attic insulation is a key component in keeping your house cool in the summer and warm in the
winter. Insufficient attic insulation can allow the hot attic air to penetrate through the ceilings.
- Ensure that there is sufficient ventilation in the attic. Keeping the air moving through the attic keeps it cooler and reduces the risk of transferring heat to the rooms below.
- If your home has an attached garage, make sure there is sufficient insulation in walls common with the house and in the ceiling if there is a room above.
- Determine if there is adequate insulation in the exterior walls. The heat from the sun and outside air can transfer through the walls into your home if there is not enough insulation.
This list points out some of the most common discrepancies found in today’s homes, but certainly not all of them. If you have checked all the ideas listed and you still think it’s too hot in your house, it is time to schedule a Maintenance Inspection.
Feel free to post a comment or ask a question. If your need is more specific, or if you are ready to schedule an inspection, call our office today.
Thanks for visiting!
David Novalinski
About Your Home Inspection, Inc.
847 669 9040
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been commonly used in various building construction materials as insulation and a fire-retardant. Asbestos has high fiber strength and heat resistant properties which made it suitable for a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.
Asbestos Fibers
Asbestos has been linked to the following health issues:
- Lung cancer
- Mesothelioma- a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity
- Asbestosis- in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.
Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, when asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed during repair, remodeling or demolition activities, tiny fibers circulate in the air and can be inhaled into the lungs. The fibers can remain there for a long time, increasing the risk of disease.
Most products manufactured today do not contain asbestos. However, until the 1970s, many types of building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos. Areas of concern in older homes are:
- Steam pipes, boilers, and furnace ducts insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape.
- Resilient floor tiles (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on vinyl sheet flooring, and adhesives used for installing floor tile.
- Cement sheet, millboard, and paper used to insulate around furnaces and wood burning stoves.
- Door gaskets in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves.
- Soundproofing or decorative material (popcorn) sprayed on walls and ceilings.
- Patching and joint compounds for walls and ceilings, and textured paints.
- Asbestos Cement roofing, shingles, and siding.
- Artificial embers and ashes sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces.
If you think there may be asbestos in your home, don’t panic. Usually the best thing is to leave asbestos material that is in good condition alone. Generally speaking, asbestos in a home is not a problem unless it is damaged or disturbed.
If you have any questions or concerns about possible asbestos in your home, feel free to call our office. We will answer your questions or, if you prefer, we can schedule a maintenance inspection.
David Novalinski Sr.
About Your Home Inspection, Inc.
847 669 9040
The amount of insulation you have in your attic can have a direct impact on the amount of cash you pay to heat and cool your home. I don’t know about you, but I would rather spend my money on something fun!
Image Source: Zieak
So how do you know if you have enough insulation in your attic? I could go into a lot of details with graphs and charts and talk about R-values and other technical terms, but what fun would that be? With the recent weather we have had in Northern Illinois, the easiest way to tell if you have enough insulation is to check your roof after a snow fall. If your roof has no snow left and the other houses do, you may need more insulation.
If you place your hand near the ceiling and it is noticeably cooler, you may need more insulation. These two methods may seem primitive, but they are great indicators of how well your insulation is saving your $$.
Most attics are insulated with loose fill insulation. The two most common types are cellulose and loose fill fiberglass. Cellulose is made from recycled news paper that has been treated with a fire retardant. Loose fill fiberglass is the same material you find in rolls or batts of fiberglass, but it is chopped so it can be ‘blown in’ the attic with a machine.
I promised I wouldn’t get too technical, but I have to give some guidelines other than using your senses. In Northern Illinois (Zone 5 on the US dept. of energy map) it is recommended to insulate your attic to a minimum of R-38. That translates to a minimum of 10-12” of cellulose or 14-17” of fiberglass. How does your attic measure up?
If you have any questions on this post or any others, feel free to call.
David Novalinski
About Your Home Inspection, Inc.
847-669-9040
Image Source: Zieak
