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The Huron Expositor, 1987-11-25, Page 7THE HURON EXPOSITOR, NOWAK 2L 19)37 7f Energy Conservation Bursting the • e balloon on myths. / Sometimes the people with the best inten- //2' f tions make the worst mistakes, Energy efficiency around the home is one area where aoodntentions can go a long• Humidity and condensation are common problems in many homes Hwnidity and condensation are (otmnnn problems in many homes - but the causes and available solutions are often coni, plicated and confusing. infiltration is the movement of cold, dry outdoor air into your home through cracks and gaps. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, so when infiltrating air mixes with warm indoor air, humidity levels in the home tend to dtop. So, except in humid regions, infiltration shouldn't cause condensation problems. Exfiltration is another matter. This is the flow of waren, moist room air ottwards through gaps and cracks in a building. As this warm air comes into contact with cold surfaces it cools, can hold less moisture and gives up the excess in the form of water or frost_ It is probable that in most homes some exfiltration does occur. During the winter months, condensation is usually a Visible problem only when water or lee forms oil the inside of windows, but it can cause more serious problems that can- not be seen. When house air, leaking into ex- terior xterior walls or the roof, condenses as water or ice on cold surfaces, the result can be water -sodden insulation or even structural deterioration. tf you are having problems with conden- sation in your home, it is important to remennber that there ate three elements to control. . First, you have to try to stop moisture from getting into your hone. Repair any leaks in basement walls.' keep eavestroughing in good repair and make sure the grade slopes away from the base- ment walls. If the problem persists. try con- trolling the production of moisture inside. Keep lids on your pots when cooking, reduce the number of plants you keep indoors. keep firewood outside instead of in the basement. and try to take shorter showers. Curbing ac- tivities that produce moisture may be the• only change you need to make. But if surface condensation persists moistureon walls or ice on windows - it probably means that you need insulation or additional glazing on the windows. if these steps fail, the only solution is to ventilate the house. Sometimes this just means opening the, appropriate window or windows, but bathroom exhaust fans,•a range hood fan or a central mechanical ventilation system may be necessary. The most complicated ' problems are a result of hidden condensation - when humidity gets into a building cavity. such as the attic. This is when structural damage. staining and ruined insulation are likely to occur. The easiest way to prevent this situa- tion is to control humidity inside the house. Gaps and cracks in the interior finish of the house, which allow moist household air to leak into cavities, should be sealed. Water vapoar con`aenses and freezes OUTS! WITHOUT AIR -VAPOUR BARRIER - NSIDE WITH MR -VAPOUR BARRIER way to reducingenergy bills, Somebrnes;•• though, those good intentions are based on myths and misconceptions. These .straightforward answers about hone energy efficiency • should set the record straight, Turning a fluorescent light on and off wastes more energy than leaving it on all day. A widely- held belief about fluorescent.. lights .concerns the energy used in turning them on. and :off: that fluorescent lights must beturned off for at least half an hour before the energy saved equals the energy used.tmenergize:it_inthe first place. People argue that you should not turn off the lights when leaving a room for short periods. Ini fact, it takes less than a second for, a turned. off fluorescent light to save the amount.' of energy required to turn it on again. As a rulef if fluorescent lights are not going to be needed for five minutes or more, switch them off. •Turning the hot water heater off at night is a valuable energy saving habit. It is more 'practical to maintain the hot water tank at a set temperature than to reheat it .every.day. There are better ways to 'save energy and dollars, One simple alternative is to lower the temperature setting on the heater. This' .alone can result in energy savings of 5 to 20 per cent, depending on the temperature drop, A fixed setting of 43°C ,should result in notable savings, Some people choose to keep the setting as low. as 38°C. Remember, though, that a dishwasher re- quires a higher water temperature setting to be effective. Insulating. the heat and the piping is another realistic way save energy and money, especially if t e water tank is located in an unheated space such as. a cold basement. - '1here are twotypes of heater insulation. .One is a simple -to -install tank blanket; the other• is strip insulation. •• Either is appropriate for gas -and oil -fired heaters, but eontrols, junction boxes, air in- lets and the top and, bottom of the tank should be left free of insulation. Covering a gas- or oil -fired .heater's . control box is a • dangerous fire hazard. Insulating an electric heater without first having it inspected by a utility represen- tative is not.recommended. If you are ren- ting an electric heater, the utility may in- stall a blanket for you. •Insulated shutters and blinds are too ex- pensive to make the energy savings worthwhile. Custom-made insulating shutters and blinds can be expensive, but there are many cheaper do-it-yourself varieties. Some shut- ter kits, for instance, cost less than $20. An even cheaper solution to the expensive shutter is a removeable foam board pop -in, cut to the size of the window and weatherstripped along the ede for a tight fit. Insulated curtains need be no more than 1n -place heavy curtains sealed tightly to the wall and window sill with special tape. Or sew in energy savings the next time you make curtains by adding a layer of in- sulating material between the fabric and the backing. Insulation values can. range from a high of BSI 1.25 (R7) fora well made shutter to RSI 0.19 (RI) for insulating drapes. •To be cost'effective and keep out cold •• ' winter drafts, insulating shutters and blinds Winter is especially hard --should be�losed day -and night - ---_ a •Interior. window insulation helps stop warm household air from seeping, into the night air, but it should always be opened or on windshield Wipers • removed during the day, for two important" reasons. • Windshield wipers are amort the most •"Chatterin " describes the noise and in the ofirhst place,xuncovered windowsvaon p g g all but northern exposures take advantage crucial safety features on your ear. Yet jerky motion that occurs when the wipers of passive solar gain during daylight hours, statistics show that seven out of 10 cars on fail to glide smoothly across the windshield. allowing the sun's heat to warm the house. the road need new wiper blades, and an even Check the following possible causes: a) the Second, when the blinds or shutters are higher percentage have some trouble in the rubber refills are worn: b) the blades are in- left' closed day and night, there is a danger wiper system. stalled improperly: c) the arm tension of heat build-up between, the glass and the Here's how to maintain your windshield needs adjusting: d) worn linkage. ' window covering, The windows may wiper system: 'Apply lubricant to the transmission arms overheat, sometimes stressing the glass to •Blades which hold the tubber "squee- and pivot shaft assemblies in the windshield the breaking point. gees" or refills, should be changed every wiper motor once a year to prevent wear. If •Keeping a furnace fan running con- one to two years. The rubber refills should the motor fails to turn on, shut off or return tinuously during winter months creates cold be replaced about twice a year, in the spring to the park position, it should be checked drafts and wastes more electricity than it and fall. If wipers receive greater than and serviced by a professional. saves in home heating fuel. average use, or you leave your car outdoor, Wiper and washer systems need special The answer to this statement is not quite change blades and refills more frequently. care during the winter because snow and ice as cut and dried as the others. Expert opi- Always replace in pairs. can damage the system. Lift wiper blades mons vary, but for the most part keeping the ' Wiper arms should be checked, too, for carefully from the frozen' windshield before fans funning on low makes sense. Here's proper alignment. Insert a business card cleaning to prevent rubber refills from tear- why. between the windshield and the rubber refill ing or cracking. "Furnace fans continually recirculate when the arm is at mid -art. If at some point Also, remove packed snow and ice from room air throug the ducting'and the furnace, thewindsltild does not contact the refill, the the windshield before turning off the wipers. spreading heat evenly throughout the house. wiper arm needs realigning. If the. blades cannot reach the bottom of Energy savings result because the con- -The windshield washer fluid reservoir their arc, the wiper's motor may still draw tinuous air circulation not only extracts should be checked monthly and refilled ab current after it's turned off - burning out a More of the heat produced by the furnace, needed. In the winter, check it weekly. Don't fuse or causing motor damage. Make sure but . also makes efficient use of trapped get caught with an empty reservoir when the washer system nozzels are always free household heat from such localized sources the windshield gets splashed with dirt! of show. as lights, cooking, laundry, showers and solar heat. That to do when... Instead of being left to overheat certain If your starter doesn't turn the • motor over, check your lights and horn, If they are working properly, check the battery connec- tions to the starter. If the lights ate out or very weak, your battery may be dead. If your starter turns themotor over, but it What happens at New crash testa fiinYed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S. graphically demonstrate what happens in frontal crashes which are responsible for over half of all vehicle occupant fatalities and injuries each year. The Institute crashed four 1982 Chevrolet Cavaliers with a female dummy in the drhr- ing position. In a 20 mph impact, the belted dummy's fate and head are prevented from striki',ig the steering wheel. Brit in a crash at MOTOR WON'T START doesn't catch, check your ignition key. It may not be fully "on." Check your gas gauge, your carburetor may be flooded. Press the accelerator to the floor, and turn over the motor a few times. Then wait a few Minutes, turn on the ignition and try again. 3.5 nnpii 35 mph, the belted dunrny strikes the steer- ing wheel violently. ' In another 35 mph crash, the belted dum- my has an air bag to prevent violent Contact With the Steering wheel, The dwt ' y's face is pillowed by the bag. The filmed test results have been confirm- ed by recent findings from Great Britain, where 90 per cent of all drivers obey a seat belt law and abo tt 80 per cent of all people iiivohe'd in crashes are hr'Itarl rooms, warm air is evenly distributed throughout the house, raising the general temperature. The end result is that the fur- nace turns on less often and the homeowner saves fuel. ' The added electricity cost to run the fan. continuously is about $3.30 per month, or less than $25 for the heating season, a cost that will likely be recovered in fuel savings. People sometimes complain of cool drafts from the fans but that is simply because room temperature air in Motion feels cooler; in fact it isn't. But let your comfort be your guide. There are many misunderstandings that cloud the road to energy efficiency. The next time you hear of a foolproof way to save energy, back it up with an expert (pinion" from the Ontario Ministry of Energy. getter to be enerav sure than energy Poor. • wry