"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 … [Read more...] about What is 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 … [Read more...] about Your Home’s Thermal Envelope
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 … [Read more...] about Levco Does Moisture Inspections
Frost Proof Faucets
This is the anatomy of a frost-proof spigot. AKA "Sillcock". It works by shutting off the water inside your home and allowing the water to run out of the actual faucet so that there is nothing to freeze. Years ago before these things were invented, we … [Read more...] about Frost Proof Faucets
Laminate Countertops
There are several big names in the laminates used for countertops, Formica, Wilsonart, and Nevermar are the ones I come in contact most frequently, Others in the market are Arborite, & Pionite. Unfortunately, the word laminate has become synonymous … [Read more...] about Laminate Countertops
What Does R-Value Mean?
I have been confused for years about just what the term R-value means. You would think that if you have 16" of insulation it should correlate to an R-Value. That is all well and good, as long as you are talking about the exact same insulation. What an … [Read more...] about What Does R-Value Mean?