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Professional Home Inspector serving the Fort Worth, Texas area including: Acton, Aledo, Alvord, Annetta, Arlington, Aurora, Azle, Bedford, Benbrook, Bridgeport, Boyd, Burleson, Cleburne, Cresson, Crowley, Decatur, Denton, Eagle Mountain, Euless, Everman, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Granbury, Haltom City, Hudson Oaks, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Lakeside, Mansfield, Mineral Wells, Newark, North Richland Hills, Pantego, Paradise, Rhome, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Springtown, Watauga, Weatherford, Westover Hills, Westworth Village, White Settlement and Willow Park. Also serving Denton, Dallas, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Tarrant, Parker, Palo Pinto and Wise Counties.

Furnace Safety and Maintenance Tips

If your fuel burning furnace is more than 10 years old, experts suggest you have the heat exchanger checked for leaks. National Furnace has a good furnace safety and maintenance guide and some useful links.

Safety – Carbon Monoxide

An article from the Iowa State University Extension is a good source to discover what carbon monoxide is, why it is so dangerous, where it comes from and what you can do to protect your family. The article includes a useful check list.

Common Air Duct Problems

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. Here is an article about common air duct problems from their website. The suggestion to have a return duct in every room that has an air supply duct is especially pertinent when you are considering buying a new house or updating an existing heating/cooling system.

Energy efficiency – Financial Incentives

Both the US and Canadian governments encourage homeowners to build and buy energy efficient homes with financial incentives. The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers tax credits and the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), offers a loan refund. A tax credit can provide significant savings. It reduces the amount of income tax you have to pay. Unlike a deduction, which reduces the amount of income subject to tax, a tax credit directly reduces the tax itself. The CMHC introduced a new programme in November 2004. To help meet Canada's climate change objectives, the programme offers a 10% refund on its mortgage loan insurance premium when a borrower buys or builds an energy-efficient home or makes energy-saving renovations to an existing home.

Counting Cricket Chirps to Estimate Temperature

Crickets are sensitive to changes in air temperature, and chirp at faster rates as the temperature rises. If you've a mind to, it is possible to use the chirps of the cricket common throughout the North America to gauge temperature. To get a rough estimate of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then add 37. The number you get will be an approximation of the outside temperature. This formula is said to be accurate within one degree. A variation is to count the chirps in 13 seconds, and add 40. You can find out more about crickets from the Library of Congress.