Jarret TT Camp

Archive for December, 2009

Modular homes are built in sections in a factory setting, indoors, where they are never subjected to adverse weather conditions. The sections move through the factory, with the company’s quality control department checking them after every step. Finished modules are covered for protection, then transported to your home site. They are placed on a pre-made foundation, joined, and completed by your local builder.

How long does it take to build a modular home?

That depends on your design and the manufacturer, but some modular homes can be built in the factory in as little as 1-2 weeks. And since modulars are built indoors, there’s never a weather delay. It usually takes another 2-4 weeks for your local builder to complete the home once it’s delivered to the building site.

They sound like mobile homes. Are they the same thing?

Mobile homes, now called manufactured homes, are built to conform to the same federal code, no matter where they will be delivered. That code is called the HUD code.

A modular home conforms to the building codes that are required at the specific location it will be delivered to, and in many cases construction exceeds the required codes.

Don’t all modular homes look alike?

No, and unless you were there to see the house delivered and assembled, you might not guess it’s a modular home. Modular home manufacturers use computer aided design programs to draw plans to your specifications, or to modify one of their standard plans to suit your needs, so nearly any home plan can be turned into a modular home.

It’s true that some modulars are very basic and resemble double wide manufactured homes, but the two structures are still built in different ways.

Each manufacturer is different, so be sure to ask questions about flexibility if you would like to design your own home.

Will banks finance a modular home?

Yes. Most banks, appraisers, and insurance companies treat modular homes the same way they do site built homes–a house that’s constructed entirely on your property. Ask the mortgage brokers and banks in your area to explain how they finance modular homes.

Can I save money by building a modular home?

Sometimes. Construction costs for a modular home are sometimes less per square foot than for a similar site-built home. And there are other cost-saving features:

* Many modular homes are very energy efficient, which helps reduce your heating and cooling costs.
* Your home will probably be ready to move into much sooner than if you wait for a builder to construct a house on-site.

Try to visit model homes in your area. If you think modulars are ho-hum, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

Do something good for your family, your pocketbook, and the environment. Make your home a little greener. A few simple changes in your house can go a long way to combat both high energy bills and global warming. To be green, you’ve got to be efficient.

1. Use CFLs

Replace your incandescent light bulbs (the cheap ones you probably got at the grocery store) with ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). By replacing even your five most frequently used light bulbs, you’ll save $100 per year. Find out exactly how much you can save (pdf). If every family in the U.S.A. did this, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds–there are 12 zeros in a trillion! More on energy-efficient lighting.

2. Program Your Thermostats

Save 10% on your heating and cooling costs just by setting your thermostat back when you’re not home and while you’re sleeping. Program your thermostat to 78 degrees F or higher in the summer and 62 degrees F or lower in the winter. If you tell it to return to your preferred temperature before you return home, you won’t ever know the temperature changed, until you look at the reduction in your energy bills. Select ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostats.

3. Plug Air Leaks

Air leaks are the greatest energy waster in the home, but they can be simple to plug. Install weatherstripping and caulk to stop those expensive drafts and improve comfort. It’s cheap and easy, and almost anyone can do it. Look for leaks around windows, doors, electrical outlets, plumbing penetrations, and in the attic floor.

4. Tune-Up Your HVAC

Programming a thermostat is easy, and allows you to be more comfortable while having lower bills

HVAC maintenance is key to healthy and efficient heating and cooling. Get a professional tune-up every two years. It will cost around $100, but will save 5% to 10% on your heating and cooling bills. Also, clean or replace your filter every month. Dirty filters block normal airflow and significantly reduce the efficiency of the system, which wastes your money.

The average home emits 27,000 lbs of carbon dioxide annually, almost three times that of a midsize sedan. Following these steps will reduce your home’s CO 2 emissions.

5. Go Low-Flow

Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators to save resources without sacrificing water pressure. An efficient showerhead will save a family of four up to $285 per year. They can cost less than $15, and installing them couldn’t be easier: they just screw on.

6. Optimize Your Water Heater

If you don’t have one installed already, put an insulative jacket around your hot water heater, and insulate the pipes around the water heater. Insulative jackets cost between $10 and $20, and you can get pipe insulation for less than $1 for six feet. Also consider turning the temperature on the water heater down to 120 degrees. It will save you money and prevent scalding.

7. Plant a Tree

Shade trees can significantly lower your cooling costs by up to 25% . They also make your home more comfortable, and provide habitat for song birds. In addition, properly placed trees and shrubs act as windbreaks, shielding your home from cold winds and reducing heating costs by 20%.

8. Buy ENERGY STAR

When replacing your appliances, select ENERGY STAR qualified products. When replacing your water heater, furnace, or air conditioner, you should also select ENERGY STAR qualified products. You will save 10-30% on the operating costs vs. non-ENERGY STAR equivalents. Find out exactly how much you save.

A blower door test will show you where and how much air is leaking out of your home

9. Request a Blower Door Test

A blower door test will uncover the hidden holes and cracks that are the main source of energy loss in your home. For example an open fireplace damper can let 8% of your heating costs slip out the chimney. Hiring a certified Home Energy Rater (HERS) costs $200 to $400 and is worth every penny. You should have the inspection cost paid for within two years, and your home should be significantly more comfortable, and green.

10. Use Low-VOC products

After painting, the volatile organic compound level can be 1,000 times the healthy normal level. Select low or no-VOC paints and finishes to combat this health hazard. When selecting paints, look for the Green Seal. When cleaning around the house, use non-toxic natural products or make your own green cleaning products.

11. And a Bonus…Check Insulation

Make sure that there are no areas in your attic floor with inadequate insulation. Insulation is your ‘Great Wall of China’ against heat loss. Imagine the effectiveness of the Great Wall in protecting against invaders if it had a 300 foot gap in it, or only stood a couple of feet high. Insulation works the same way. Even a small area with limited or no insulation, or insulation that has been damaged or compressed, can significantly decrease the effectiveness of the area’s insulation. How much insulation do you need? Follow the Department of Energy’s recommendations.

So you’re on the market for a new bed. Here are some commonsense tips to make you a happy owner of the bed that’s bound to give you sweet dreams. (wink, wink)

First, you’ll want a bed that’s big enough for you, or for two, if you are buying with your significant other. But how big is big? Only one way to find out: Lie on the prospective bed with arms stretched on your sides. Now that will give you an idea on how much space you require (plus your partner’s). Of course you need to consider your height,too. The idea is you need as much space to be comfy as you sleep without falling off or waking your partner up. And, yeah, you need to make sure it fits in your bedroom.

Next, is the firmness or softness of the bed. This isn’t the same for everybody. For one, people with back problems tend to choose firm matresses while almost everybody needs something between firm and soft. Again, to check if that bed is just right, you’ll need to lie on it for at least 10 minutes. Don’t be shy, you wouldn’t want to end up with a bed that’s less than comfy, right?

Then comes the bed’s height. You’ll want to get on and off the bed with ease so it follows that it should be the right height. Again, it’s best to try getting on and off the bed while you are choosing the right one.

Lastly, carefully consider the brand and the price. I’m not saying cheap beds are bad but then branded ones have a lot going for them like quality, warranty, the works. They wouldn’t have become well known for nothing. But just because the bed is pricey doesn’t mean its the best. Just do the tips mentioned here and you can’t go wrong. On that note, simplicity is good and never buy something with gadgets that you don’t know how to operate. So there! Happy buying and sweet dreams.

Learn more about this author, Amira Colter.

Wiring a ceiling fan can be challenging depending on the way your home is constructed and how your lighting circuits are configured. The control unit that allows you to vary speed and direction will require additional wires run between the switch position and the fan point, and you need to ensure you have some kind of secure mounting in the ceiling able to support the weight of a spinning motor. There are a few tips and tricks that will guide you through the process of installing your ceiling fan, with time and a little patience you can save yourself a few dollars in the cost of hiring an electrician.

Your new ceiling fan will require assembly and some pre-wiring before being attached to the ceiling and connected to power. Some fan kits include a light fixture and you may discover the bell housing that sits against the underside of your ceiling to cover theses connections will be fairly busy’ with numerous different wires connected within. Study and carefully follow the pre-wiring instructions and double check each connection when you are finished. Check the connections are secure by tugging on each wire and ensure there are no visible copper strands poking out from terminal positions. It is easier if you leave the fan blades off the unit at this assembly stage because they get in your way when time comes to attach the fan to your anchor point and connect house wiring.

Having pre-wired and assembled the unit up to but not including the blades, set it aside and study the connections diagram to determine how many new wires you need. Generally your light switches will only have two wires per light switch; your fan controller is going to need at least two additional wires, sometimes more depending on what type you have purchased. It is important to make sure you are using the correct size and type of electrical wire and don’t just use anything you put your hands on.

Before you start playing with switch wires you must first test the circuit using either test lights or a multi-meter do not use a test pencil for this job because they are unreliable. Use your test device first on a powered source (a nearby power outlet is always good for me) to ensure it is functioning correctly then remove the switch cover and test the wiring. You may need an earth wire if your switch circuit does not have a neutral wire included, that will depend on the method used to wire your lighting system. Make sure you can measure full voltage at the switch position and then go and repeat the test procedure at the lighting point. Turn the circuit off at your switchboard then re-test the switch and light positions to make absolutely certain you have correctly identified the circuit. Do not rely on what your switchboard legend tells you; always make certain for yourself because a miss-labelled circuit can sometimes be a fatal discovery that could have easily been avoided with a simple confirmatory check. Do not forget to either lock the switchboard or clearly mark the circuit to make it known you are working on it.

There is no one method that will work for every installation when it comes to installing additional wires from your light switch position to a lighting point and you will nearly always need an assistant. If you have reasonably free access in the ceiling space above the switch and light positions then attach a draw string to pull the switch wires up into the ceiling, your assistant will need to make sure the string does not get snagged on the way up. Attach additional wires then tape the joint (this is essential) and have your assistant carefully pull the draw string back down while you keep some tension and guide the wires. Do not jerk or sharply pull, if it gets stuck then pull it back a little and try with a slightly firmer but steady pull. If it still gets caught then pull it all the way back up and make the joining point as slim and tapered as possible before trying again.

If you cannot find any way to conceal the additional wires from your switch position the only other option may be to surface-run cables and use some rectangular duct covers. This installation method can look like part of the door frame and if neatly installed and painted it is barely noticed. Check the wiring instructions and make sure you mark all wires on both ends so they can be identified once in place otherwise you will add considerable time (and frustration) to the job by having to test and confirm each individual wire.

Once you have installed the additional wiring from the switch to the fan and light position your next step is to fix a hook or anchor point for the fan. There are a variety of different ways to fix the fan to your ceiling and it will also depend on the brand of fan you have purchased. Some use a flat plate screwed directly to the ceiling using plaster anchors or wood screws as appropriate, others supply a hook that can be screwed directly into the wood frame of your ceiling. Worse case is if you have nothing into which you can easily fix your anchor point. If you do find yourself in this situation an option is to insert a piece of wood between ceiling joists so you have something behind the plaster solid enough to take the weight of your fan unit. If you are using plaster anchors then make sure you use a minimum of four or risk having an out of balance fan pulling loose; and do not over tighten plaster inserts.

On to the connections hang the fan unit and from a ladder (unless of course you are incredibly tall or have a very low ceiling!) connect in accordance with the wiring instructions provided with the fan. Your minimum connections will be an earth to the metal frame of your fan unit (this can sometimes be a terminal connection), the neutral wire then connect (in no particular order) the power wire, light switch wire and the fan motor wire. Ensure you have no copper strands poking outside the connection terminals and be neat. Slip the bell housing up and fix it into position using the grub screw located around the collar and you are half way there.

Next you need to secure the mounting plate for your speed control and switch unit. Pull the wires through before you do this and check the base is straight. Connect the switch and fan controls then secure the unit onto the mounting plate and you are about done.

Last job is to climb the ladder and fit the blades. It is easier to have someone hand you the parts while you are doing this job and do not forget to install spacers and washers supplied. Now here is a really important tip: As you fit each blade, do the screws up but do not fully tighten them yet. Once all blades are secured you should pull firmly outward on each individual fan blade as you fully tighten the screws. Most fans are not really symmetrical and characteristically have a slight wobble when in motion but if you do not pull back on the blades before tightening them this wobble can be quite severe.

Insert the lamp if required and check to make sure all covers are on and the job is done. Return to your switchboard and turn the circuit back on. This is a quick tour and description of what you will encounter in the process of installing your own ceiling fan. Each house construction is a little different and no one process will work 100% of the time. Variables such as wiring method, ceiling space and access as well as materials used to construct your house all serve to make each installation a little different. Take your time and don’t allow yourself to become complacent because you are working at home. Electricity can kill and if you do not turn power off as you work on the circuit you are in a high risk situation.

As an electrician of 30 years experience and hundreds of ceiling fans later I can assure you that no one task is the same. It requires a little thought and without exception you must treat all wires as live’ and dangerous irrespective of whether or not you know’ the circuit is turned off. On countless occasions I have isolated circuits only to discover later that a previous electrician or amateur crossed wires somewhere else in the building and set up a back-feed loop. This becomes a rather nasty problem when neutrals are separated and it can be a lethal discovery if you are not aware of the danger; don’t ever make the mistake of assuming electrical cables are safe to handle.

Exercise care at all times, test and re-test, do not rush into any job, treat every situation as dangerous and think about what might happen each time you do something. Sometimes it is better to simply stop, take a step back and rethink what you are doing. Pay attention to that instinctive’ niggling feeling if it occur and if you think something does not seem quite right then assume it is not!

139600_m Learn more about this author, Ian Loft.