A/C - Furnace Replacement - Payback Periods
Pick a bill from the spring and the fall of last year when you know your furnace and A/C were not in use. Add these two together, divide by two, and then multiply the result by 14. This total is considered your "base" utility load. I define ... [... more]
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Air Conditioning Sized Correctly
Air conditioning equipment removes heat and humidity from your home. The size requirements of this equipment depend upon how much heat is in your home and how quickly it is generated. This heat generation is commonly referred to as "Heat Gain" . ... [... more]
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Asphalt Driveway Sealers
The bigger issue for residential asphalt driveways is cracks. Cracks that allow water to penetrate into the gravel base are a far greater threat to the long-term health care of your driveway. Water that enters the gravel base can then soften the ... [... more]
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Tar And Chip Driveway Installation And Upkeep
If you have an obsessive compulsive behavioral disorder, tar and chip may not be for you! If you choose tar and chip and the beautiful loose chip covering, you will not be able to hose down your driveway. You’ll blast away the chips! However, ... [... more]
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Heat Pumps - How Well Do They Work?
For example, if your house needs a 3 ton heat pump, your average electric rate is $.0867 per kilowatt-hour, and you live in New England, you might only save $36 per year in cooling costs when you upgrade from a SEER 10 to a SEER 13 heat pump. ... [... more]
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Hvac Return Air Ducting
To properly size an air conditioner, one has to perform a heat gain calculation. In other words, you must determine how fast heat is getting into your house and what things inside the house are contributing to heat gain. To perform the ... [... more]
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High Performance Asphalt Repair Products
The building supply stores will also sell blacktop or asphalt crack sealing compounds. These products are often an emulsion of asphalt and synthetic rubbers. The more rubber that is in the mix, the better the crack filler will perform. As you ... [... more]
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Air Conditioners - Heat Gain Calculation Publications
These publications are excellent books to help you educate yourself as to heat gain in residential houses. I suggest that you write to these individuals and request pricing and shipping information. The prices for these publications are well ... [... more]
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Blacktop - Preventing Cracks
Asphalt cement is a product of the refining process of crude oil. There are different grades of asphalt cement. These grades are based on chemical makeup and viscosity. At or about 80 degrees F, paving grade asphalt is a semisolid. When heated to ... [... more]
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Air Conditioning - Maximizing Comfort
Tables, charts, etc. have been developed to translate these measurements and data into the rate and amount of heat gain. These tables, charts, etc. can be found in several publications. They usually can not be used accurately by a homeowner who ... [... more]
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Air Conditioning Blues - Return Air Problems
Before we do anything else, let's make sure that the cold air from the air conditioner can get to each room. Check to make sure that the supply duct register in each room is fully open. Do not allow furniture to cover or block these air outlets. ... [... more]
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All About Tar And Chip Driveways
If you have trouble locating a contractor in your town, there is one sure fire way to determine if this paving system is done in your area. If there are blacktop or asphalt driveways in your area, there is an asphalt plant. This is where blacktop ... [... more]
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