Have
a question you would like to ask our professional home inspector
please email brad@homefrontinspections.ca
Should
I buy or rent my hot water tank?
Is it cheaper to rent or own your hot water tank? With a quick
look at the costs involved we can find out. An average sized
gas hot water tank costs approx. $700 to purchase including
installation. The rental fee for a water tank is approx. $20
per month. Therefore, if you are renting you have paid for the
water tank in less than 3 years. That is not a long time, so
in the long run it is cheaper to own than to rent. If you cannot
afford the purchase price you can start by renting and buy out
the new tank in a few years.
The average
tank life is 15 years, with longer life spans in low mineralized
water areas and shorter life spans in highly mineralized water
areas. If you have rural well water it is no doubt hard, mineralized
water and you will have a shorter life. Maintaining your tank
by draining it once a year to remove sediment will prolong its
life as well.
Recent changes
to the Ontario Building Code require that water delivered to
fixtures have a controlled maximum temperature of 49 degrees
Celsius (120 degrees F). This applies to new water tank installations
as well as new construction. Turning down the tank temperature
is not an accepted solution. Typically water-mixing valves are
installed at the tank source or each fixture to meet code requirements.
Always have a qualified licensed contractor install your water
tank.
I
have heard of problems with 6 litre toilets, what is the best
one to buy?
A joint Canadian and American Project of May 2004 by Koeller
and Veritec Consulting put them all to the test beyond current
minimum standards until they plugged. To view results go to
www.cwwa.ca/pdf_files/freepub_6Ltoiletreport04.pdf
or
www.cuwcc.org/Uploads/product/MaP_Final_Report.pdf
to view results. The most expensive does not always mean it
works better.
How much attic insulation should I have?
The current standards for new homes attic insulation is R32
but the standards have changed throughout the years. Some century
old homes have very little. A home inspection will tell you
how much is present. Adding insulation to an attic is relatively
inexpensive and easy to do. The more insulation in the attic
the less heat loss and more money saved during heating and air
conditioning. So, in the long term it makes sense to upgrade
your attic insulation to current standards.
In new homes
most insulation companies use blown in insulation in attics.
All blown insulation settles some over time but installers must
install enough insulation to compensate for settlement. This
is noted as a requirement for cellulose insulation installation
by the NRC at http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ccmc/registry/07/preface/07215_1_e.pdf.
My
room above the garage is colder than the rest, why?
Most garages are not insulated and not heated so they are cold
zones and rooms above garages loose heat to the garage. To remedy
ensure the garage ceiling is insulated properly and I recommend
spray foam installed by licensed insulation contractor. It fills
all spaces and is a great insulator and vapor barrier.
We are buying our first home what should we know about
home systems?
Home insurance is difficult to obtain for re-sale homes with
knob and tube electrical wiring, 60 Amp electrical service,
galvanized water piping and/or aluminum wiring. It costs thousands
of dollars to repair these problems. Home insurance is also
difficult to obtain if the home has an oil furnace with an oil
tank more than 10 years old or an underground oil tank is located
on the property. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars or
more to remove buried oil tanks. Some insurance companies have
problems with cast iron sewer pipe and wood burning appliances
as well. Check with your insurance company when considering
a home with one of these items. The professional Home Inspection
will help you identify these items.
I have a sump pump in my basement, why do I have one and my
friends do not?
Drainage sumps are installed in many newer homes. Sumps collect
ground water by gravity through a perforated footing drainpipe
that wraps around your house below the basement level. City
or municipalities require them in certain areas due to area
soil conditions, general subdivision drainage, location of water
table, etc. The location of the sump can be adjusted to suit
the basement layout during construction so always review it
with the builder.
What is the most common structural problem you run in to?
One common problem is floor joists that have been notched or
cut. The bottom of floor joists should never be notched because
it severely reduces the support strength of the joist and the
floor will sag over time. There is a maximum hole diameter allowed
for pipes and electrical through floor joists and wall studs
as well.
Should I install a mid-efficiency or high-efficiency
furnace?
I recently investigated replacing my 12 year old mid-efficiency
furnace with a high-efficiency model after finding out a costly
repair was needed and the furnace is getting close to the end
of it's life. Mid efficiency furnaces are about 80% efficient
while the high efficiency furnaces range from 92-97% efficient.
After obtaining estimates I found that a (92%) high efficiency
furnace costs about $1400 more than a (80%) mid efficiency furnace.
If I install
the high efficiency furnace and pay the extra $1400 how long
will it take my savings in heating cost to make up the $1400
difference?
If I assume
the minimum of 12% increase in efficiency and therefore a 12%
savings in heating cost per year then it is easy to calculate.
In 2003 I spent about $1000 on heating so I would save about
$120 per year and it would take you 11 years to make up the
difference. So, if you are considering moving in the next 5
years you will not see the savings but if you are planning to
stay for 10 years you will probably see the higher cost for
a high efficiency furnace pay for itself especially with rising
gas prices.
When converting
from mid to high you need to consider all extra costs as well
like possibly installing a smaller chimney if only the water
tank exhausts in the chimney now, additional furnace fresh air
intake vents, etc. Always have licensed heating contractors
do all heating system repairs and installation and always get
3 estimates before hiring any contractor.
Have
a question you would like to ask our professional home inspector
please email brad@homefrontinspections.ca
"Your Trusted Home Advisor"
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