When Should You Get The Air Ducts Cleaned In Your Home?

While it is logical to assume that over time air ducts will get dirty and should be occasionally cleaned, the EPA recommends that the air ducts be cleaned as needed.

The weather conditions here in Minnesota can drastically reduce the amount of outdoor air that enters your home.  Pets, smokers, heavy cooking odors, can all contribute to the air quality allowing pollutants to accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. If you have never had the ducts cleaned, or it has been several years since the last cleaning, having the ducts cleaned may prove beneficial.  

The EPA recommends having the air ducts cleaned if:

• There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (sheet metal) ducts or other components of your heating and cooling system.
• Ducts are infested with vermin, (rodents or insects), or
• Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.
  

Some research suggests that cleaning heating and cooling system components (e.g., cooling coils, fans, and heat exchangers) may improve the efficiency of your system, resulting in a longer operating life, as well as some energy and maintenance cost savings.

The EPA does recommend that if you have a fuel burning furnace, stove or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. We have several months to go in our heating season, so if you didn't have this done earlier, there is still time.

Another suggestion here is to make sure you change the furnace filters every two months. Check with your local ACE Hardware store to find the best filter available.

After deciding to have your ducts cleaned, be sure to hire a contractor who has been certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA.) 

You can find a local contractor at www.pcndirectory.com.

Tips For Homeowners by Fire Chief, Scott Anderson, Maple Grove Fire Department

While researching products you should have in your home in case of a fire, I came across those ladders that you can drop from the second story of your house, and wondered just how practical are they?  I called the Maple Grove Fire Department and spoke with Chief Scott Anderson. 

"There are a lot of problems with those ladders," he commented.  "Your windows must be in just the right place to reach the ground below, they will not work with crank-out windows, they are not easy to use for children, elderly, or handicapped."  

The other problem that yours truly found in reading reviews of the ladders is that most of them are only a one-time use!  You are not able to open the package and practice! You must be kidding. From my perspective, trying to open a sealed package (we all know how easy those plastic wrapped items can be to open), read directions in a dark, smoke-filled room, getting the ladder out the right window, and getting it all right the first time doesn't sound practical somehow. . .


"I have a more practical tip to give your readers," Chief Anderson said. "Tell them they should have a smoke detector in EVERY bedroom. As soon as they hear the detector go off, they should get out. That is, IF they hear it!" He went on to explain that some people actually sleep through the alarm! Amazing, but true according to the chief.


He also said that having smoke detectors in every room is not enough. . .  "Families need to have fire drills. Not just once, but at least a couple times a year. They have them in schools and we should have a plan in our homes."  He recommended that you explain to the kids what you are doing the first time, turn on the alarm and teach your kids to GET DOWN and head for the door. "If you act as soon as you hear the alarm, you should be able to get to the door before the fire spreads. The next time you have a drill, don't warn the kids."  Practicing several times should get them conditioned to know how to act, what to do, and not be confused.

  
Other tips from the Chief:

• Replace smoke detectors if they're more than 10 years old.
• Have carbon monoxide detectors for each floor of your house. 
• Have your furnace tuned-up and checked for carbon monoxide.

And this one I saved for last because this is something that actually happened to us . . .

• When cleaning out your fireplace ash, DO NOT PUT THE ASH IN A PAPER BAG!  I know this sounds like it should be very obvious, however, even if you think the ash is cold and is no longer burning, it DOESN'T MATTER.   Chief Anderson said, "you have no idea how many fires are started every year because someone put the ashes in a paper bag and put them in the garage."  Well, I know one family who did that - US!
  

• Have a metal garbage can outside especially for the ashes from your fireplace. (This is much cheaper than replacing a garage and everything in it, including the car!)  :)

 With such a cold week-end ahead, you may have some time to put together all your documents, get your home fire-proofed and have a fire drill!
 

 

A "Just In Case" Kit to Keep on Hand

A friend of mine wants to share ideas from her personal experience with a devastating home fire. What to put together, "just in case."  You should have a fireproof box large enough to hold the following items:

• All your photo negatives (photo's cannot be replaced)
• Insurance papers
• Birth Certificate; Social Security papers; Wedding/Divorce documents; any Death Certificates
• Mortgage/House  Documents
• *** PASSPORT ***  (if your drivers license is gone, this is your only means of identification)
• A copy of your Drivers License
  
• A few spare checks/and/or a spare credit card
• Bank information ie: account numbers, safety deposit key
• Phone numbers for your Credit Cards 
  
• Car information ie; Title, loan info
• A spare pair of glasses
• A copy of your personal phone numbers
• Perhaps a small amount of cash to purchase necessary items ie: toothbrush, personal care items, from a vending machine in the hotel
• Spare car/house keys

Many homeowner's are videotaping the interior of their homes to have a record of everything  they own for insurance purposes.  The tape or photos of each room should also be in the box, or your safety deposit box.
I understand this seems extreme, however, because the fire next door was caused by a gas explosion the police officer who came to my door wouldn't even give me a second to find my cats or grab my purse from another room.

While we were sitting outside in our car (my neighbor was not able to pull out her car as the fire trucks were behind it), we were thinking this will be over soon and we'll be back in our homes. Neither of us had any idea how fast the fire was burning, or how much damage it was doing. You just never know.

After A Fire; Part Two

The second day, still in shock, more decisions must be made. Who will help with the clean-up? After contacting my insurance company, I contacted Service Master. Within an hour they responded, came and looked over our home and helped us decide the next steps. Because my house suffered only smoke damage, we had 2 huge air cleaners brought in that ran non-stop for over a week; they packed up our clothes and bedding to be dry cleaned, and took me shopping for new pillows. Carpet cleaners came to clean the carpet in the entire house and all the furniture. The housecleaning crew arrived to wipe down all the walls, the windows, every table, desk, chair, lamp and nik nak. Everything hanging on the walls, books in bookcases, the grandkids toys.

Now, with all these cleaning people in the house, comes the Fire Inspector for the City of Maple Grove, the insurance agents from our insurance and our neighbors, the insurance adjusters, the property management person and the townhouse association board of directors. A meeting was held with us and our neighbors to determine whose insurance covered what. Here is where a MAJOR mistake was made right from the get-go. After it was decided that my neighbors insurance would be the responsible party for paying for the restoration the time came to decide what contractor should be used.

The insurance company had a contractor they use for restoration. My neighbor had a friend whose son was a contractor. The friends son did have a reputable contracting business and insisted that he could handle the job. My neighbor fought and pleaded his case with the insurance company. The insurance company said OK. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER hire a friend or family member to work on your home. The restoration took almost 6 months; the friends are no longer friends.

Please learn from this mistake. It is NEVER wise to hire a friend to work on your home. Explain to your friend that you value your friendship over anything and you would not be willing to combine friendship and business. Even if your friend is a highly qualified contractor, mistakes can be made, time frames can differ, communications can break down. A contractor can hire subs who you know nothing about. The smallest issue is not small when it's between friends.

What Happens After A Fire

Exactly two years ago my neighbors townhouse was totalled by a fire. What happened? They had forgotten to turn off the valve to the outside water spigot. The spigot dripped on the gas meter which froze the escape valve. Gas backed up into the hot water heater and BOOM!

We had just arrived home from a Christmas party and my neighbor came running out to tell us to call the fire dept. She had left her cell phone in the house and was in her bathrobe and slippers. It was -7 below zero.

First came the police, evacuating all 6 of the town homes that were connected because of the gas leak, followed almost immediately by the Fire Dept. After 4 hours of sitting in our car we were allowed back into our home which had suffered extreme smoke damage.

My neighbor was taken cautiously into her home by a fireman with a flashlight to find items they would need to survive the night in a hotel. After finding items such as insurance documents, other important papers if accessible, computer; cell phones and chargers, a coat, shoes, purse, & wallet. The fireman was very specific about the things they would need, except she later joked that he forgot to tell her to remember a bra!

They next came into our smoke filled house and made the calls to their insurance company who gave them the name of a company that would come out and help pack up all their belongings. I gave them new toothbrushes as theirs were contaminated by the smoke (as were ours), and a bottle of wine to take with them to the hotel. They had to make their own arrangements after being advised by the insurance people what hotels they should contact. This was the beginning of a very, very, long process.

No one is ever prepared for a devastating fire. But if you can learn anything from this post here is what you need to have accessible, just in case: Insurance papers, banking information, important phone numbers to banks, credit companies, (if you live in an association you need your association insurance documents, contact numbers for your association management company.) My neighbor, fortunately, had all her documents in a steel box which she kept in a special place that was easy to locate in the smoke-filled darkness.

Keeping your documents in a portable steel box that you can grab in a moments notice will eliminate having to search through a filing cabinet in a burned out room (that is if everything in the room hasn't burned or gotten soaked by water.)

My next post will cover the most important decision you will make and what you must avoid.