Laundry Safety

We use laundry equipment everyday with out a lot of thought to the potential hazards they may pose. According the the Consumer Product Safety Commission washers and dryers are responsible for more then $230,000,000 worth of property damage a year in the US alone. Most of the common problems at the root of these statistics are easy to address.

Power Cords

We found this dryer power cord on an inspection, notice it does not have a proper strain relief connector.

As with all power cords be careful when you use the plugs, but ESPECIALLY with large 240 volt connections. The plugs are large and require a bit of effort to insert, making it necessary to wrap your hand around the plug and it is easy to accidentally touch the conductors when inserting or removing them. This same advice applies to all large sockets like electric ranges, RV plugs, large tools etc. Metal braided hoses are much more resistant to bursting. Plugged vents and hoses are a fire hazard. This hot water heater has exhaust rollout. Improper flue design or inadequate air supply can cause combustion gasses to vent into the home. If your heater has these stains please have it checked out.

Dryers use a lot of power, and usually do not come with their power cords installed when you buy them. When hooking up a power cord, follow the manufacturers instructions, and be sure to have the proper strain relief fitting. Since dryers vibrate and can have sharp edges to the sheet metal enclosures, cords can short out, causing a potential fire or electrocution hazard. Washing machine hoses These hoses are under pressure all the time and can burst causing extensive water damage to the home. Since washers will jiggle when they operate the hoses can rub against the wall behind them. We always recommend the metal braided hoses for washers since they are much more burst resistant and less likely to be damaged by the movement of the appliance. Leave at least 4 inches of space behind the washer to prevent hoses from kinking or chafing and inspect them regularly. If you see any bulges, rust or any other damage, replace them right away. Dryer vents and lint build up It is recommended that you check and clean the dryer venting regularly. Use flexible metal pipe, not the foil or vinyl accordion type hoses, they are more likely to catch lint and have an increased risk of fire. Read an article on cleaning dryer vents here. Smoke detectors are important in laundry areas, since fires associated with dryers cause more then $80 million of damage a year. Be sure that dryers are properly vented outside and not leaking inside the home, attic or crawlspace as this moisture is a conducive condition for structural pests. If there is significant lint buildup inside, your dryer vent is likely leaking. Fresh air/back drafting When dryers run they exhaust a lot of air outside the home. This can produce a negative air pressure condition leading to a possible back-drafting of combustion gasses from furnaces, hot water heaters etc. This problem is especially true in modern energy efficient homes or confined spaces such as a closet. All homes with combustion appliances must have carbon monoxide detectors! Read more about back-drafting hazards here. GFCIs When properly installed, GFCIs prevent two thirds of all serious electric shocks a year. All outlets with in 6 feet of water, (laundry, kitchens and bathrooms) in garages or outside should have GFCIs. They are cheap and easy to install and might save your life. Read how install them here. Explosion hazards Both washers and dryers have electric motors and other components that can produce sparks capable of igniting flammable vapors or gasses. Laundry equipment are sometimes in garages where there may be gasoline, paint, solvents, propane etc. Always store these chemicals in their original, properly labeled air tight containers. If there is a spill, DO NOT use any electrical appliance or garage door openers until it is cleaned up and all vapors have dissipated.

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Private Well Maintaince

Private wells provide drinking water for many people in western Washington, but most wells are not maintained properly. It is recommended that they have and annual check up for bacteria or anytime there is a change in odor, appearance or taste. Water tests may include coliform bacteria, nitrates, iron, manganese, water hardness, sulfides and others. If there is a significant change in these levels, there may be an indication of changes in the water table. The well's flow should be checked to determine output, pump checks including amperage, voltage and proper grounding. Have the pressure tank and pressure switch checked too. The company performing these checks should provide you a detailed report on all conditions, recommendations and lab results. Be sure to keep this information in a safe place to provide ongoing information to monitor for any changes.

Don't put hoses onto mixing containers for pesticides, fertilizers or other chemicals as this can allow these chemicals to be drawn into your water supply. Use care when adding mulch or other ground covers always maintain 12 inches of clearance from the ground to the well head. Be careful with mowers and other yard equipment to prevent damaging your casing or cap. Keep snow, leaves or other debris from the area around the well. All these can lead to contamination.

Other tips for well owners include keeping hazardous materials away from your well such as gasoline, paints, thinners, and pesticides. Make sure your well is not located too close to buildings or septic systems. Keep your septic properly maintained by having your tank pumped regularly and drain field checked.

Well Shocking (from the state of Maine Dept of Health)
"Frequently, bacteria can be introduced during the well drilling process, installation of the pump system, subsequent servicing of the well pump, pipe repairs, storage tank replacement, or an inadequate well cap installation allowing vermin and insects access to the well casing. Any cause or causes for contamination should be fully investigated prior to shock chlorination, since contamination will likely reoccur if the cause is not addressed." Read the entire article here.

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Earthquake Preparedness and Survival

In our area, regular earthquakes are a part of life. You should be prepared as it will certainly happen again.

Utility Shut Offs -

Everyone should know where and how to turn off all utilities to your home. We will often see these shutoff locations inaccessible. Never block a gas meter shutoff valve, water shutoff or breaker panel! In an emergency you must be able to shut these off or risk fire, explosion, electrocution, serious water damage or even death.

Water -

The main shutoff for most homes is sometimes hard to find. Since these valves are rarely used they will often leak when you turn them off. For these reasons, we recommend that you locate your main shutoff at your water meter. This valve is usually under a cover near the sidewalk or at the edge of the road. Open this cover and look for the valve, you will need a tool to turn this off. There are a couple types of valves, so it is important to look at yours and make sure you have the proper tool to turn off the water. Most of then can be turned with an adjustable wrench, similar to the valve on a gas line. Others may require a special tool available at your local hardware store. If you are on a well, familiarize yourself with the equipment in your pump house so you know how to turn off the pump and water valves.

Natural Gas -

These shutoffs are located at the meter. It is best to have a wrench that is tethered to the meter, so you know it is there when you need it. If you have propane the tanks have shut off valves at the lines connecting them to the home or appliance. If you ever smell a strong odor of gas (rotten egg smell) shut off the gas immediately, turn off the electricity (this can prevent explosions or fire) and open all the doors and windows. Call 911 for the fire department and the gas company to locate and isolate the gas leak.

Electricity -

You should know how to turn off the power to your home. Usually there is a main shutoff in the breaker panel or at the power meter. Occasionally there is no single main shutoff, in this case, turn off every breaker in the panel. If your home has a fuse box there will sometimes be a shut off above or beside the box. If there is no shut off, then unscrew each fuse and lay them out in the same pattern as they were in the box. This is so
you can replace each fuse in the proper location and not mix up the amperages of the circuits. Most older homes also have 2 or more pull out fuse holders, so remove these also.

Hot Water Heaters -

When there are earthquakes, water heaters will often fall over. All water heaters should be anchored to walls. These straps should be heavy steel, not flimsy 'plumbing straps'. A standard water heater can easily weigh over 400 pounds and plumbing straps are inadequate. Most people only worry about gas powered hot water heaters, but we are concerned with all of them. An electric heater that falls over will cause a huge leaking mess not to mention the power connected is typically 20 amps 240 volts! This can easily kill anyone that comes in contact with an electrified puddle.

Structural Concerns -

Many homes suffer significant damage when they shift off their foundations or the walls that attach the home to the foundations buckle. While it is no guarantee, proper anchor bolts, shear walls, and positive post to beam connections make a home much more resistant to the movement during an earthquake.

Anchor bolts -

Most modern homes have these installed when the concrete is poured. They also can be retrofitted after construction.

Another option is to have seismic anchors attached to the sill plates and bolted into the foundation. This type of retrofit can not only strengthen the home, but may make you eligible for a reduction in homeowners earthquake insurance rates.

Pony Walls -

Also known as cripple walls are susceptible to collapse in an earthquake. The lateral movement when the earth starts moving can cause this kind of failure.

Most homes only have diagonal wood bracing, and this is often not strong enough to resist collapse. Shear walls have plywood nailed to them as in the diagram below.

Post to Beam Connections, Joist Hangers -

A positive connection where post meet beams and where beam meet each other is usually a very simple step, it is an inexpensive fix and all connections should have them. Many structures and decks are lacking joist hangers, again, a simple and cheap fix that can save your life and help your home survive an earthquake.

More Information and Videos -

See this pamphlet provided by the city of San Leandro for more expert information on earthquake retrofits

These videos by Mark Benthien-Director of Communication, Education, and Outreach, Southern California Earthquake Center have some great tips on earthquake preparedness and survival.


Also see videos on:

Surviving an Earthquake and Earthquake Kits

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Polybutylene Plumbing Problems - Lawsuit and Settlement

If you have Polybutylene plumbing in your home, time to file a claim is running out.

Polybutylene is a semi-flexible plastic plumbing installed in homes since the late '70s.

It has had a much higher then average rate of failure leading to lawsuits. Shell Oil had settled for more the $1 billion while not admitting any legal liability. This settlement may applies to more then 6 million homes with the faulty plumbing. The time line for inclusion in the settlement is running out, and you must file a claim with in 17 years of installation and before May 1st, 2009.

Read more about this settlement and qualifying for payments here.

Polybutylene plumbing was installed in homes and as the supply from the water company. It was not used for drains or vents. In homes it is usually a gray (some are silver or black) with plastic or metal inserted fittings.

These fittings are clamped with metal crimp rings over the outside the pipe, usually made of brass, copper or aluminum. It is these inserted fittings to pipe connections that most often fail.

PVC, CPVC PEX and Aquapex are other forms of plastic pipes that are not a part of this settlement, and have much higher reliability.

If a manufactured home has had it's polybutylene pipes replaced in Washington State, you may find this tag on the end of the building from the Department of Labor and Industries.

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Recovering after a flood

A flood can cause a lot of damage to homes and their contents. Wells are also vulnerable to flood damage too. With the recent floods in our area, we have put together several articles to help keep you and your family safe.

Wells:

If surface water makes it into a well it can often cause serious health problems. There are many sources of contamination of flood waters and frequently contain bactria, protozoa, and viruses ( E.coli, Giardia and hepatitis for example). If your well is flooded or you notice changes in taste, color or smell of your water, it is recommended that you immediately start boiling it when you use it for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth and cleaning any wounds. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil for at least 1 minute to assure all pathogens are killed.

The well and plumbing system must be disinfected. This includes all filters, pressure regulating tanks, water heaters, water softeners and supply lines. The recommended procedure for water supply system decontamination is detailed here: http://www.hipspro.com/pubs/flooding_well-decontamination.pdf

The only sure way to verify that well water is safe is to have it tested. Chlorine is effective against harmful organisms, but floods can also contain dangerous chemicals. Your local health department can give you instructions on properly testing your water.

Crawlspaces:

Water in walls crawl spaces and attics will lead to serious problems with structural pests, such as carpenter ants, moisture ants, termites and wood boring beetles. In the northwest, all common structural pests are dependent on high water content, so the most important thing is remove the saturated materials as soon as possible and strong ventilation to dry it out. Crawlspaces must be pumped out as soon as possible, and we recommend using a fan inside to keep the air moving (this will help dry it out). A 2nd fan should be used to pull the damp air out of the space. Do not blow air into the crawlspace, this will force water vapor and odor into the rest of the home. Install it at the crawlspace opening or at a vent. Assure that the vents are clear of debris and if the access hatch is open, cover it with a stiff wire screen to keep animals out of the space. Read more tips here: http://www.hipspro.com/pubs/floodmoisture.pdf

Carpets:

Usually carpets and rugs must be thrown away with few specific exceptions. If the flooding is from clean water, as in the case of a frozen supply lines or rain water are easier to treat then the gray or black water contamination. Gray water problems include dishwashers, washing machines, punctured waterbeds, or broken aquariums. Black water is the most contaminated with organisms capable of producing disease. Common sources of this contamination are flooding from seawater, rivers, or streams. If left untreated for more then 48 hours, gray water can turn into black water and the clean up is much harder.

Remove and dispose of carpet saturated with “black water”. Always remove and dispose of carpet padding saturated with “gray” or “black water”. Carpet padding can be restored if it has been wet from clean water less than 48 hours and only part of the padding in a room is wet. Read the rest of these guidelines here: http://www.hipspro.com/pubs/rugs.pdf

Furniture:

Wood furniture comes in many grades and materials. Most antiques are made with solid wood and can often be saved. Furniture that is made with particle board of MDF (medium density fiberboard) get ruined very quickly. The extent of the damage, cost of replacement and cost of restoration help determine if an article should be saved. The most important thing is to dry it out as soon as possible since minor damage can become severe in just a few days and making salvage impossible. Read tips on saving furniture here: http://www.hipspro.com/pubs/furniture.pdf

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Home energy savings tips

Saving energy in your home will not only save you money, but will also help the environment by reducing the need for hydro-electric dams and fossil fuels used to produce electricity. These steps will pay for themselves again and again for years to come.

The average home looses up to 20% of its heating due to drafts. Doors, windows, outlets, and switches are all common areas of heat loss. Most heating bills in our area can be $2000 a season or more meaning those drafts can cost you $400 a year! That buys a lot of weather stripping and caulking. Most doors and windows are easy to check with just your hand, if you feel the cold air coming in then you are loosing heat. Outlets and switches also can be drafty, if you feel cool air around them, consider foam gaskets under the cover plates. Old single pane windows can be made more efficient by installing storm windows or inside magnetic panels to reduce drafts. Read more on caulk and weather stripping here.

During the day, let the sunlight in to reduce lighting costs, but at sunset, closing curtains will also help reduce heat loss. Consider cellular blinds as they are more energy efficient then blinds and shutters.

Turning down your thermostat by one degree can save over 5 percent on your heating bill. Consider electronic thermostats with built in timers to reduce energy use when you are at work or sleeping. You can still awaken to a warm house and not use energy when you don't need to. Avoid heating rooms you don't use by closing heat vents or turning down individual room thermostats.

Have your heating system checked regularly to assure that it is running at top efficiency, and always keep air filters clean. A tiny change in a furnace or boiler systems combustion can dramatically lower your heating bills and will often pay for the service call in energy savings.

Water heaters use a lot of energy and should have the thermostats set to 120 degrees. Not only will this save energy, but dramatically reduces the risk of scalding injuries. If it is set higher, you will be using a lot of cold water to bring the temperature down. Gas how water heaters have their thermostat on the exterior and are easy to set, electric heaters are under cover and should be set by a professional. Read more about energy efficient water heating here.

Take showers instead of filling a bath and save about 50% of the energy. Low flow shower heads save both water and energy. If you have a hot tub, make sure the cavity under the tub is insulated and you use a insulated cover. Turn down the heat when you are not going to use it for an extended time.

Lighting is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. Compact florescent lights (CFLs) are direct replacements for standard incandescent light bulbs. The 100 watt equivalent lights can last 13 times longer and use less then 1/4th the energy. When you buy and install a 6 pack of CFLs, it is like putting $550 in your pocket! They have styles now for replacing bathroom globes and outdoor flood lights. But remember they can't be used with dimmers, and must be disposed of properly. Most hardware stores will take the old lights back.

Computers use significant energy, especially those that are left on all the time. Remember a screensaver saves no energy, but hibernation does, or better yet power them off and save more. Modern LCD displays use 1/3 the energy then a old CRT. Same with most laptops, they are more energy efficient then a standard desktop.

TV's use power all the time, even when they are turned 'off'. Most entertainment devices with remotes (DVD players, VCRs, stereo equipment also use power in standby mode. Unplugging them when you are not using them will save energy.

Keep freezers free from excessive ice buildup. A defrosted freezer is more efficient. Open the doors a minimum amount of time to keep the cold inside. Every time a refrigerator door is opened, the compressor had to re-chill the contents.

Laundry is another big power user, so wash full loads. Use the coolest water temperature that will do the job, and always rinse with cold water. The washing machine itself doesn't use nearly the energy as the water heater does to wash in warm or hot water. The clothes dryer is one of the highest energy use appliance in most homes. Use a clothes line and you will save significant energy.

Look for the "Energy Star" label on all household appliances, and buy the ones with the lowest energy use.

Home without adequate insulation should upgraded. The first place is in the attic, it is cheap and easy to add. The payback in energy savings is very fast since 1/3rd of heat lost is through the roof. If you walls are un-insulated we recommend adding it there too. It will pay you back for as long as you own the home and increase the re-sale value.

Examples of Where to Insulate

1. In unfinished attic spaces, insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below.
1A attic access door
2. In finished attic rooms with or without dormer,
insulate …
2A between the studs of "knee" walls;
2B between the studs and rafters of exterior walls and roof;
2C ceilings with cold spaces above;
2D extend insulation into joist space to reduce air flows.
3. All exterior walls, including …
3A walls between living spaces and unheated garages, shed roofs, or storage areas;
3B foundation walls above ground level;
3C foundation walls in heated basements, full wall either interior or exterior.
4. Floors above cold spaces, such as vented craw spaces and unheated garages. Also insulate …
4A any portion of the floor in a room that is cantilevered beyond the exterior wall below;
4B slab floors built directly on the ground;
4C as an alternative to floor insulation, foundation walls of un-vented crawl spaces;
4D extend insulation into joist space to reduce air flows.
5. Band joists.
6. Replacement or storm windows and caulk and seal around all windows and doors.

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Outdoor electrical safety tips for holiday lighting

Holiday lighting is a wonderful tradition, and these tips will help to keep you and your family safe.

Use care not to overload your circuits. Do not run too many strings together, the amount of lights on string that can safely be connected differs for each type of light. Read and follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Carefully inspect each string for frayed insulation, loose connections or broken bulbs. Never plug in a string that has bulbs broken open, as the interior filament is a electrocution hazard. Only use lights outdoors that are approved for outdoor use.

Use timers to control your lighting to save more energy. This chart dramatically contrasts the old style bulbs with modern LCD technology lighting using as little as 1.15% of the energy of the old style lighting.

Another consideration is heat. Never install old style bulbs on a real tree. Think of string of 100, 10 watt lights, that is 1000 watts light and heat. You would never put a 1000 watt heater on a tree for obvious reasons, and these strings are nearly the equivalent of doing just that.

Be careful when hanging lights. Loose wiring is more easily damaged by movement from trees and wind. Never use standard staples, as they can cut into insulation and cause a short or shock hazard. Best to use insulated clips to hang lighting.

GFCI protected outlets are recommended for all outdoor electrical use. They dramatically reduce the risk of electrical shocks and electrocutions.

Use only UL approved exterior grade power cords outside with proper ground (3 prong connector). Never run cords through doorways, windows where they could get damaged or be a trip hazard. Keep all plugs and connectors off the ground, away from puddles and snow.

If you blow fuses or trip breakers, reduce the load on that circuit. Never change the amperage if a blown fuse, if a 15 amp fuse blows, reduce the load on that circuit and replace with the exact same type 15 amp fuse. The wiring in the home is designed to only carry the current of the fuse. That blown fuse likely prevented the wiring from overheating and possible fire.

If you see flickering lights, sparks, warm switches, plugs, or outlets, or dimming lights, there is a potential dangerous problem that could cause an electrical fire.

As always use extreme care on ladders, make sure they have a good footing and are steady. Never touch your exterior power drop! Any contact with a poorly insulated drop will kill you, an aluminum ladder is an excellent electrical conductor.

Read more about holiday lighting safety here from Washington State University Extension Energy Program and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

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