9 Volt Battery Safety Alert
I saw a heartfelt plea from a gentleman on the internet that had a 9 volt battery cause a serious house fire. Part of his concern is that he felt very responsible because he was ignorant of the danger and asked that I pass this information along. I'm doing my duty to...
Tell Me Where It Hurts
Come share a cup of Joe with Joe at Contractor Café Anyone who knows me well, knows that I enjoy a good cup of Joe. I also have a bunch of useful knowledge about all things related to homes and remodeling that I am more than willing to share. To put things together,...
Why Do An Energy Audit?
As a remodeling contractor I am often asked to troubleshoot home comfort related problems. I have used this blog platform, specifically the Understanding Your Home partition, to help others figure out their homes and solve all sorts of issues that we come across....
What is a Water Hammer
"No honey, there are not ghosts in our house rattling the pipes." Much like the "Snow Lion," my friend's son was having trouble seeing in the foot hills. "No son," he said "Snow Line." In our case, the rattling pipes are being caused by a water hammer. A water hammer...
Your Home’s Thermal Envelope
No, it has nothing to do with insulated packaging. It does, however, involve thinking differently about energy efficiency and reducing air infiltration into our living spaces. I recently had an in service at a heating company by a nice young man who really knows his...
Levco Does Moisture Inspections
I was recently asked to investigate a serious situation involving "MOLD," which I like to call "Fungal growth," on the inside of an apartment. When I got there I was initially stunned to see how serious the situation was. I took all sorts of images and readings with...
Recent Posts
Figuring Out a Three Way Switch
Three way switches used to frighten me, they seemed so complicated. I found a great residential electrical book and redrew the diagram several times until I thought I had it figured out. Inevitably, I ended up not trusting myself and randomly switching wires around...
Hey, Is That A Contractor In Your Pocket?
Technology is becoming so important. I have seen the future and it dared me to think big. It begs the question, "Is that a contractor in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me?". My daughter Athena lives in the Bay Area 800 miles away but she is able to get me...
French Door Repair
I have a Peach tree French door that has been troublesome for awhile. Having them out of business has been a pain in the butt. They has some proprietary weatherstripping that is no longer available and the parts are getting harder to find. I had to replace the door...
Air for Your Gas Appliances
There are two forms of air that are needed to make gas appliances work properly. Without them things go haywire and it could kill you and your family. There is makeup air and there is combustion air. Although they both do the same thing they are though of in different...
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