October 3, 2012
The attic is probably the most lonely place in the whole house and if you are like me the only time you look up there is when you see a moisture stain on the ceiling or water dripping on your head. Lifting the attic hatch or removing an access panel to take a look in the attic can help you see potential problems before they become expensive or dangerous.
One such time to look in the attic is when you are having your furnace and water heater seasonally cleaned/tuned or replaced. Especially if you have an older furnace that has a metal flue pipe that goes through the attic, checking on them once in awhile to ensure nothing has shifted can save you from potential harm and damage and alert you to potential safety hazards. During our Home Inspections or Energy Audits we take our time to remove all access panels and look in pocket attics, spaces, etc for such things. Installing carbon monoxide detectors on each level is also a great idea, in case your gas burning appliance has problems, these devices can let you know if your beloved appliance is having a problem with burning cleanly and potential unsafe conditions with other appliances as well. And while we are taking a moment to talk about carbon monixide detectors, take the time to periodically check and change the batteries in them and also your smoke detectors. No the chirping noise in those devices is not a baby bird saying hello.
Also while you are having your furnace/water heater cleaned/tuned or replaced ask your HVAC specialist to check and make sure that your natural draft appliance is properly expelling the flue gasses UP the flue instead of DOWN into your home. When you turn on the dryer, turn on the furnace, run the kitchen/bath fans, etc this pulls air from the home and can pull flue gasses from your water heater. Insulating and air sealing your home can make your home tighter and make your home want to breathe more so it can also get its air from your flue pipe and pull gasses into your home. This is another great reason to have your home evaluated by a home energy specialist like Inspect It Right Home Inspections as we can identify those potential problems and offer solutions.
So once in awhile have a look in your attic and let it know that you are still around and care.