HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-11-10, Page 26The most expensive item in
your home energy budget is
space heating. And running
right behind it is hotwater
heating — whether by oil,
natural gas, propane or
electricity. There are many
ways to save energy without
resorting to cold showers.
Let's look at some of them.
A good place to begin is
with the heater itself.
Be sure that your ther-
mostat is not set too high.
About 140 degrees F (60
degrees C) is ideal. The tank
itself should have a recovery
rate of at least 75 perce• t.
This means that if it holds 40
gallons, it will reheat 30
gallons per hour. Adequate
for most families, and an
economical use of the heater.
If your tank is heated with
oil or gas, be sure it gets an
annual or semi-annual check
along with your furnace. The
flame, barometric damper,
and stack temperature should
all be adjusted to ensure that
the energy you're using is
heating the water, not
scooting up the chimney.
Down near the bottom of
your, heater is . a small tap.
Drain a pail of water from
here about once a month to
clear out sediment and
mineral deposits.
insulation is a must to cut
heat loss as hot water moves
through the system. Most
modern tanks are insulated,
but if you happen to have one
th<<t isn't, wrap some in-
sulation batts or rolls around
it. Be sure you use a fire-
resistant type, and keep it
well clear of the burner or an
oil- or gas- fired tank.
Hot water moves from the
tank to the various outlets in
'the house through pipes that
normally run along the
basement ceiling — the
coolest part of the house.
Again, the best way to
prevent heat escaping is by
using insulation.
You need a stepladder,
scissors, insulating strips
(from your hardware or
building supply store) and
tape. Start at the hot-water
tank and wrap strips around
all the exposed pipe, making
sure that junctions are well
covered. You'll be saving
energy and money for years !
One drip per second from a
leaky hot-water faucet or
shower -head sends about 175
gallons a month down' the
drain. That's cash down the
drain!
The compression tap is the
most common type found in
Canadian homes. The flow of
water is regulated by turning
a handle which is attached to
a threaded spindle. When the
spindle is turned down, the
washer or disc attached to the
bottom of the spindle is
pressed tightly against a
smoothly finished ring or
ground seal, to shut off the
flow of water. If this doesn't
make a good contact, usually
because of a worn-out
washer, water will leak
through.
You'll need a wrench,
screwdriver, fiber or com-
position -type washers and
adhesive tape. The washers
should be a good grade; start
with three -eighth, one-half
and five -eighth sizes.
Turn off the water directly
below the tap or, if there isn't
a shutoff valve, turn off the
main water supply.
Drain all taps that are
Page 6
Be wise where water is concerned
Drippy hot water taps drain energy
higher in level in the house
than the one that you are
going to work on. Otherwise
the water will back up when
you take the tap apart.
Wrap adhesive tape around
the bonnet to prevent it being
marked by the wrench.
Take off the handle by
removing the screw that
holds it to the top of the
spindle. There may be a
knurled nut or snap -on button
over the screw -head that you
will have to remove first.
Remove the bonnet by tur-
ning counter -clockwise with a
wrench.
Slip the spindle out of the
bonnet and remove the
washer by taking out the
screw that holds it in place.
Replace it with a washer of
identical size. If the washer is
chewed up you will have to
check the bottom of the inside
of the tap for any damage.
Wipe the inside of the tap to
remove any metal chips.
Put the bonnet over the Replace the handle, turn on
spindle and check the packing the water and you have just
on the outside. If it's' worn, finished fixing your first tap.
replace it with impregnated
cord that you can buy at your
local hardware. Wind the
cord clockwise from bottom
to top.
Re -set the bonnet and
spindle but don't tighten the
spindle in the seat.
Tighten the bonnet by
turning clockwise until it is
secure.
USE LESS HOT WATER?
One water -saving
suggestion you've probably
already heard is to take a
bath with a friend. Here are
some other ideas to cut down
on hot-water consumption.
Take showers instead of
baths. If somebody questions
the saving, here's an ex-
periment to prove the point:
All you need is a bathtub
and a yardstick. The next
time you're taking a bath,
(continued from
P
age
7
How to save on your
fuel oil and still
enjoy conhinuous
home comfort.
Install the only combination
furnace burning wood,coal and oil
that can pay for itself.
122 THE SQUARE
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DUO—MATIC
We also have - OLSEN GAS or OIL FIRED FURNACES
WORSELL BROS.
PLUMBING & HEATING
} GODERICH
524-7952
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Cooling system tune—up is vital
Take your car to your
service station and ask the
mechanic to give your car a
"cooling system tune-up" and
he'll probably look at you and
scratch his head.
He knows about ignition
tune-ups and carburization
tune-ups, but he might not
know about the "second tune-
up" - a coaling system tune-
up. Yet this procedure is a
vital part of your car's
•
maintenance and one that's
long overdue for most cars.
• A cooling system tune-up is
a thorough inspection and
check of all the parts in your
car's cooling system and
replacement of those com-
ponents that are worn,
deteriorated or malfunc-
tioning.
To understand the need for
• a cooling system tune-up, we
must first look at the function
of the system. Simply stated,
the cooling system keeps your
car's engine at the proper
operating temperature which
allows it to perform at top
efficiency.
An.. rigine that runs too cool
will burn excess gas, run
rough and may contaminate
the oil with sludge build-up.
An engine that runs too hot
may boil over and engine
Drippy taps
(continued from page 6)
measure the depth of the
water before you climb.in.
The following time take a
shower, but close the bathtub
drain so the water can't
• escape. Enjoy a leisurely
shower, out before you pull
the plug, measure the depth
of the water with your trusty
yardstick. You should find
that the shower used sub-
stantially less water.
Install a "water -saver" on
your shower -head. During the
course of your shower when
you don't need so much
water, turn the nozzle
• towards the wall. This
reduces the flow of water.
When you want a full flow
again, just turn the nozzle
back to centre. Check with
your local building supply
store. If you're moving into a
new house, ask the contractor
to install one.
If you must sit, use cooler
water and less of it. The cost
of a bath is determined
mainly by the energy used to
heat the water. The water
itself is very cheap. The
amount of energy used will
depend on the amount of
water and the temperature.
When you're doing the
dishes, fill a pan (or other
half of a double sink) with
rinse water instead of letting
the water run.
When you're shaving,
partially fill the basin with
hot water instead of letting it
go down the drain. ,You'll
shave dollars from your
heating and water bill. To
save even more, switch to an
electric razor. The electricity
,cost will be lower than the
hot-water cost.
When you need boiling
water, start with water from
• the hot-water tap. It will take
less time to bring to a boil.
Use your hot water twice.
After you've had a bath or
done the dishes in the winter,
don't drain thehot water
right away. Let it sit for a
while and heat the room; then
pull the plug. It's better to
heat the house than the
sewers.
•
parts may fail.
To accomplish the task of
keeping the engine at the
correct temperature, auto
manufacturers have
developed the pressurized
cooling system which allows
a special coolant (not water)
to circulate through the
engine where it picks up the
heat being produced by
combustion.
This special coolant can be
heated well above the boiling
point of ordinary water
without boiling over. The
"super heated" coolant is
piped into the radiator where
the rush of cool air carries the
heat out into the atmosphere.
The cooling system on the
average automobile engine
must be able to withstand up
to 20 pounds per square inch
of pressure combined with
under -hood and coolant
temperatures that can reach
from 275 degrees F. to 300
degrees F. (135 to 150 C).
These high temperatures and
,-pressures put tremendous
strains on all cooling system
components — coolant hoses,
drive belts, water pump,
thermostat, radiator cap.
It takes only one of these
key parts to fail or malfun-
ction to cause the engine to
overheat with costly internal
engine damage as the likely
result. If you are driving a
late model car and it's been
more than a year since you've
had your cooling system
checked, you're overdue for
trouble. You're ready for a
cooling system tune-up.
The cost of a cooling system
tune-up is relatively small
compared to the potential
savings you could realize by
preventing a costly
down or expensive
repairs. A cooling
break -
engine
system
Page 7
tune-up normally takes about
an hour and a half to ac-
complish.
Homeowners - Contractors
SAVE ENERGY
LOOSE BLOWN INSULATION
CELLULOSE FIBRE
FREE ESTIMATES - CHECK
AND COMPARE PRICES
We Buy Newspaper
Phone Scott Pearson
GODERICH INSULATION .
524-6844 (call collect)
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SCIIUTZMOTORS SERVICE DEPT.
ERS • c
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Your. Car Ready For Winter.
Take Advantage of Our
SNOWMAN SPECIALS
WINTERIZING
$3395 6 GYL
INCLUDES: • COOLING SYSTEM FLUSH • THERMOSTAT
• NEW ANTIFREEZE • CHECK ALL HOSES
AND CONNECTIONS
FALL TUNE—UP
$42. 95 >C.L $38.95 «.L. X45,95 aC.,.
We Do the Following:
• Test Compression
• Replace Spark Plugs (Regular)
• Replace ignition points
• Test coil and condenser
• Clean battery terminals
• Test ignition wires
• Test battery condition
• Inspect'distributor cap and
rotor
• Check distributor advance
'• Adjust ignition timing
• Check choke operation
• Service air cleaner
• Check fuel filter
• Test fuel pump
• Check manifold heat riser
• Check PCV valve
• Inspect and tighten all hoses
• Inspect all belts
• Adjust carburetor
• Complete road test
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
SOLVENT
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A VISUAL SAFETY INSPECTION
We also have specials on ... -
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PRICES APPLY PASSENGER CARS ONLY—OFFER EXPIRES NOV. 25th
BIG OR SMALL,
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FRIDAY,
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PAYMENT BY: CASH, VISA, MASTERCHARGE, SORRY NO CHARGES
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SCHUTZ MOTORS
SERVICE DEPARTMENT
CALL JIM FORREST SERVICE MGR.
414ON ROAD, GODERICH, 524-8311
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CERTIFIED
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MUFFLERS • IGNITIONS 4. SPARK PLUGS: •TIRES • TRANSMISSIONS • CHRYCO TIRES • CARBURETORS,
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