C. Lee Services Blog

Turn down
It’s as simple as a sweater! Dress in layers to keep yourself warmer while keeping the thermostat down.

• Set your thermostat to 70 degrees, or lower, during the day. Lower the temperature at night, or when you are not at home. It takes less energy to warm up a cool house than to maintain a warm temperature all day and night.
• For every 1° F you set your thermostat back, you can save one to three percent on your annual heating costs.
• Install an automatic setback thermostat that you can program to turn the temperature up and down at pre-set times.

Septic Systems
Failed septic systems can allow untreated sewage to seep into wells, groundwater, and surface waterbodies - where you get your drinking water and swim. Failed septic systems also contaminate our lakes, pollute water supplies, and create offensive odors. Have your septic tank inspected and pumped regularly by a licensed septic tank contractor every 3 to 5 years. Pumping your septic tank is the most important thing you can do to protect your septic system. If the buildup of solids in the tank gets too high and solids move into the drainfield, your drainfield will clog and strain your system, causing your drainfield to fail. Then you will have to replace the whole drainfield

Home electrical problems account for fires, deaths, injuries and property damage every year. Many of these fires are caused by the misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, incorrectly installed wiring, and overloaded circuits and extension cords.

All circuits in the bathroom need to be equipped with GFI protection. GFI stands for Ground Fault Interrupter. These circuits will turn the power off in a fraction of a second in the event of a short. This will help to keep you and your loved ones from being injured in the event of an electrical short circuit.

Electrical fires can occur when equipment is driven beyond capacity, when accumulated oil and dirt overheat a motor, or when sparks ignite scraps, dirt, dust or flammable liquid.

These fires are different than other kinds. Throwing water on one can cause you to be electrocuted.

In the event of an electrical fire:

• Never try to douse it with water. Use a chemical fire extinguisher instead.
• If the fire cannot be put out safely, leave the house and take everyone with you.
• Go to the breaker box and turn off the main power to the house.
• Call 911 or the local fire department.

To help prevent electrical fires:

Replace worn, damaged or old appliance cords. Check tools for signs of wear. Replace frayed or cracked cords. Replace any tool that causes even a small electrical shock or if it overheats, shorts-out or gives off smoke or sparks.

Never overload electrical extension cords or wall sockets. Replace light switches that are hot to the touch. If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never remove the third prong or force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.

And remember to practice a home escape plan with your family.

Waterless urinals don’t work and nobody really wants to talk about it.  The manufacturers can prove to us that the units work in their laboratories.  The water utilities say they want to save water and these units save water.  However, the contractor knows either firsthand or from the technician in the field that they don’t work.  Unfortunately, it is hard to convince other parties that this is true.

You see the problem that the plumber knows, but no one else knows is how the customer reacts to the unit.  It doesn’t matter if it works in the lab, or if it saves tons of water.  If the customer is not satisfied, the customer calls the plumber and tells him to take it out or fix it.  So all the ills created by politicians, manufacturers and others trying to do the right thing fall on the plumber.

I will use waterless urinals as proof.  We put in a waterless urinal at PHCC about six months ago.  Just recently it stopped up and started to smell.  Because I am aware of this, I went to the basement, took out the instruction manual and asked the maintenance person to properly maintain the waterless urinal.  He had to take out a drain, run 2 gallons of water down the urinal, then add the special liquid to the bowl and replace the drain.  If I was not as aware as I am about the importance of this maintenance, I would have said, “Call the plumber and tell him this thing is stopped up.” After I had called him a few times, I would get frustrated and tell him to take it out and replace it with one that works. 

You see, it does work, it is just not properly maintained.  I did everything right when we had it installed.  I put one person in charge of informing the maintenance people of the proper maintenance of the waterless urinal.  But no one really takes responsibility of a urinal – we just expect them to work.  If it does not work, then we call the plumber.  If he put it in six months ago, we expect it to be fixed for no charge.  The plumbing contractor loses, but the politician and the manufacturer do not suffer one bit. 

That is why waterless urinals do not work.  It is not the unit that does not work – so the manufacturer has done the right thing.  It does save water, so the utility is doing the right thing.  It is just that the customer does not really expect to have to maintain something as common as a urinal, so the customer is going to be upset.  She is not upset at the manufacturer or the utility or even the politician – the customer is upset with the plumber.  Why did you put something in my house that does not work properly?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas created when fossil fuels are not burned completely. Causes of CO-related incidents can include blocked furnace/boiler vents and chimneys or improperly adjusted or inadequately maintained appliances.

Warning signs of CO in your home can include stuffy, stale air; condensation on windows; back drafts from a fireplace, furnace or water- heating chimney; yellow burner flames (except from natural gas fireplaces or logs); or burner flames or pilot lights that flutter or keep going out. Soot - or lingering pungent odors around appliances are other warning signs.

If you notice any of these, turn off the equipment immediately and introduce fresh air to the building. Call a qualified, licensed natural gas contractor to inspect the equipment as soon as possible.

Physical symptoms of CO poisoning can include dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, headaches, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, stinging eyes and fainting. If you experience these symptoms and suspect CO, seek fresh air by leaving the building immediately. Call 911 from a neighbor’s house.

Humid air feels warmer than dry air. Increasing the humidity of your home also helps you resist winter colds and moisturizes dry skin.

• Keep house plants. Plants clean the air and add moisture to it at the same time.
• Put trays of water on top of radiators. Leave the bathroom door open after a shower, so the warm steamy air circulates through the house

When the weather gets bad, everything slows down.  The roads are slick so you must drive slow.  Walking is tougher due to the snow.  Delivering products or services is slower because of the weather. 

There is nothing more frustrating than having an appointment scheduled for service or a delivery and having to wait for them to arrive.  I must ask for your patience on days like this.  It takes longer for everything to get done in weather like this.

Here are some things you can do to make things go faster,

*     Make sure your driveway is clear and the walk to your door is shoveled and salted.

*     Make sure there is a rug by the door to clean the snow off of the Technician’s boots.

*     Be patient!

Thank you for your business and understanding during this snowy weather.   

How many of us know what causes icicles?  I didn’t until my roof started to leak last year.  I found out that icicles happen when you have excessive snow on your roof.  Most older homes will experience heat loss through the roof.  This heat loss will cause the bottom of the snow layer to melt and refreeze when it gets to the gutter.  This refrozen snow now builds up in the gutters and back onto the roof causing an ice jam.  This ice will the move over the gutters to cause icicles. 

Once the ice jam gets large enough, the melted snow that started it all will have no place to go but under the shingles of your roof.  You can probably guess what will happen next.  Your roof will start to leak.  Once it starts leaking there is not much you will be able to do.  You will need to call a professional roofing contractor.

The time to correct this problem is before it starts.  You can start with having your insulation checked by a professional.  If you need more insulation, get it installed.  This will eliminate the heat loss that causes the snow melt.  If that is not really an option (you have a vaulted ceiling), having an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Once the snow & ice have melted, have roof de-icing cables installed.  These work very well.  I know because I installed them on my home and have not had the typical situation which I just described happen this year.

 If you need rood de-icing cables, we can install them for you.  Just give us a call at 330-923-4944 and we will be happy to assist you in any way possible.

Water Heating
Warm water can be costing you more than you think. A typical household spends 14 percent of their energy bill, or about $200 a year on hot water.

• To save on both water heating and water, install a low-flow showerhead. It can cut water use as much as 50 percent.
• Keep showers under 5 minutes. Turn off the water to soap up.
• Attach low-flow aerators to kitchen and bathroom faucets. The faucet will flow stronger while using much less water. For a family of four, this can save thousands of gallons of water a year.
• Wrap the hot water pipes coming out of your water heater with insulation.
• Set the thermostat to 120°F or less for normal use - saving money, energy and even skin (by eliminating scalds).
• If the side of your water heater feels warm near the top, install an insulation blanket. Make sure to use the appropriate type blanket for your water heater, whether it’s electric, gas or oil. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions carefully

Please check these tips.  They will help you save money in these difficult times.

Energy Saving Tips

• Limit the loss of expensive heated air to the outside. Use fans sparingly. In just one hour, these fans can blow away a house full of warm air.
• Keep fireplace dampers tightly closed until you prepare to light a fire. An open damper in a 48-inch square fireplace can let as much as 8% of our heat escape out the chimney.
• Lower your thermostat to about 65 degrees F during the day and 60 degrees F at night. For each degree you turn down your thermostat, you’ll save 3% on heating bills.
• When using the fireplace, open dampers in the bottom of the firebox if provided, or open the closet window about 1 inch and close the doors leading into the room. This allows more air for the fire without reducing heat loss.
• Make a draft detector by clipping a piece of tissue paper to a coat hanger. Hold the coat hanger in front of a suspected crack; any movement indicates a leak in need of caulking or weather stripping.
• Avoid heating unused areas by closing off unoccupied rooms and shutting off heat vents. (Does not apply if you have a heat pump)
• Learn about R values before you buy your insulation materials. These numbers indicate resistance of an insulation material to winter heat loss or summer heat gain.
• Consider installing storm windows and doors. Storm windows can be both energy efficient and convenient. Good windows can result in cost savings of as much as 15% a year.
• Consider the advantages of a clock thermostat for your heating system. The clock thermostat will turn the heat down automatically at a regular hour before you retire and turn it up again before you wake.
• Close windows and doors during hot days and open them at night.
• Close drapes and shades during hot days.
• Reduce use of oven, incandescent lights and appliances that generate heat.
• To stay cool, use ceiling fans to cool individual rooms.
• To stay cool, consider installing a whole house fan in the attic.
• Get a timer for air conditioners so they can be off all day and turned on before you get home.
• Time for a new color? Use light colors when painting the house and trim.
• Stay cool by planting shade trees on the sunny side of the house.