Category Archives: Home safety

May 18 3 comments
Home safety, Weather

Weather Emergency Information

I am not sure if it is just me, or is there more severe weather than there used to be? Around these parts, we have had several storms come through that have caused a lot of damage or injuries. In the last year alone we have had:

  1. Flooding (several instances, at least four people were killed)
  2. A possible tornado (not confirmed by the NWS, one person was killed)
  3. Two people struck by lightning (one fatality)
  4. A few strong winter storms

Not to mention the severe thunder storms that blow up out of nowhere. This is a worrisome development for me because we live quite far away from the local emergency services.

Rather than rely on emergency service to deal with the after math, a better plan seems to be staying informed and taking necessary action to protect ourselves. To that end, I purchased a SAME (specific area messaging) weather radio and outdoor antenna. The national weather service operates a NOAA weather radio station about 15 miles away in Highland, NY. I figure I can at least get weather warnings in a timely manner. As Barbie points out, most local radio stations suck, and they have a dubious reputation for sending out warnings hours late, when the sun is back a-shining again.

My particular weather radio is a Midland WR-300 which seems to have all the needed features.

I will need to put up an outdoor antenna, as the Shawangunk Ridge imposes itself between the transmitter site and our house. The last weather radio did not function well on the indoor antenna alone.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Apr 10 0 comments
Home safety, Interior

Lead Paint

One evening, as I lay in bed looking up up at the ceiling in our bedroom and listening to my son breathing, I was thinking about lead paint. My wife, ever the concerned parent, took home a lead paint test kit that they were giving away free at the school where she worked. The test was inconclusive, as once it showed no sign of lead paint, and the next time it did. Both paint chips were taken from the same spot (a window frame in the living room).

I don’t think we have a huge problem since most of the walls were covered with wall paper. Once we removed all the wall paper, the wall board underneath was patched up and painted and then re-coated with latex based paints. All of the windows except the large living room window have been replaced and all of the trim and moldings have been replaced. Much of the dry wall inside the kitchen, living room and second bathroom has also been replaced. Still, it is a concern.

A little history on Lead Paint; for centuries, the primary white pigment in paints was white lead carbonate, (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2), one of the oldest pigments known. Red lead was once popular as a primer. Many countries banned lead in residential paint early in the 20th century. Despite mounting evidence of the effects of its use, lead was still used in paints in US until the danger became too widely known to be ignored. After the 1978 ban, paint manufacturers replaced lead with other ingredients, such as barium sulfate and titanium dioxide.

Although lead improved the performance of paint, lead is extremely toxic to living organisms. It is especially dangerous to children under age six whose bodies are still developing. Lead causes nervous system damage, hearing loss, stunted growth, reduced IQ, and delayed development. It can cause kidney damage. Lead affects every organ system of the body. It also is dangerous to adults, and can cause reproductive problems in adult men. One myth related to lead-based paint is that the most common cause of poisoning was eating leaded paint chips. In fact, the most common pathway of childhood lead exposure is through ingestion of lead dust through normal hand-to-mouth contact during which children swallow lead dust dislodged from deteriorated paint or leaded dust generated during remodeling or painting. Lead dust from remodeling or deteriorated paint lands on the floor near where children play and can ingest it.

What this means for owner’s of older homes is that more likely than not, there are some areas with lead paint in your house. I would be particularly wary of painted plaster walls. Disturbing the painted walls by either cutting them, sanding or removing them will create dust born lead which can be ingested by breathing or by hand to mouth contact.

When working on areas that may have lead paint it is important that a HEPA filter type mask be worn and any area cleanup is done with a HEPA filter equipped vacuum cleaner. When in doubt, better to treat the area as lead contaminated.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) has a good web site about Lead Paint Test Kits Again, better to be safe now then sorry latter.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Oct 12 2 comments
Heating, Home safety

Installing our Jotul F100 Woodstove

Our house came with a Franklin stove, which was improperly installed. The clearance behind the stove was not adequate, and there was an electrical outlet back there that was pretty much melted. One has to wonder how the house did not burn down. When we re-built the living room area, I decided to move the location of the wood stove, then though better of it and bought a whole new wood stove. I did quite a bit of research on installing and using a wood burning appliance, and while we did it ourselves, I don’t recommend it to the uninitiated. I purchase a very good book called “The Wood Burner’s Companion” by Dirk Thomas. I found this book to have loads of information and safety tips for people who heat with wood.

One thing about installing any wood burning appliance in the state of New York; it requires a building permit. This is for the home owner’s protection. A building permit ensures that the installation will be inspected by a building inspector. This, in turn, ensures that the installation will be done correctly, which means the Insurance Company will not have any problems with insuring the structure, and if the worst case happens, paying out the claim on a damaged structure.

An improperly installed wood burning appliance can create Carbon Monoxide (CO), a deadly, colorless, odorless gas that will kill humans and any other red blooded animal. An improperly installed chimney will fill your house up with smoke and can create structural fires. If you are unsure of what you are doing, hire a professional. You should have a working CO and smoke detector installed and tested regularly. There should be an all purpose fire extinguisher located near the appliance, and the required maintenance must be performed. The chimney must be cleaned once a year.

The first thing I did was read, then re-read the installation instructions in the owner’s manual. This gave all of the information on required clearances for the appliance. I researched on line for the required clearances for the connector pipe, hearth size, wall protection, and chimney installation. I chose to install Simpson DuraTech HT class A chimney. This is rated at 2100 degrees F, which, under normal conditions, the chimney should never reach. The chimney installation instructions were also quite detailed, and included a list of all required parts and clearances to keep the chimney in a “listed” state. Listed means that it has been tested and listed by the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) as an assembly. If you use different components from different manufactures, even though they look and function the same, the assembly is not listed, and should not pass inspection by the building inspector. Seems a little nit picky, but it really is for safety reasons.

It is very important the the chimney have the correct inside diameter, neither too small or too large. If it is too small it will not have enough volume to remove all of the smoke from the wood stove and it will over heat. If it is too large, it will not heat up properly, causing draft problems and creosote buildup. Creosote is a bad hombre and is to be avoided at all costs.

The instructions for the Jotul Nordic F100 are very detailed. We installed our stove in a corner with protective shields on the walls per NFPA 211. The clearances give for the corner installation stipulate that the stove must be not closer that 7 inches (178 MM) from the wall surface if the protective shields are installed. Our stove is about 8.5 inches (215 MM) away. The next area is the clearance around the stove connector pipe. This is very important because the connector pipe gets almost as hot as the stove. Our wall shield are 48 inches (609 MM) tall, so part of the wall is exposed behind the stove. Using a single wall connector pipe requires 18 inches (457 MM) of clearance between the pipe and the wall. Double wall connector pipe requires 5 inches (127 MM) of clearance. We are using Simpson DVL close clearance connector which is a double wall pipe.

I purchased the following items for the chimney assembly:

(All sizes are 6 inch inside diameter)

Part Name Simpson stock number
48 inch stainless stell chimney section X 2 9407
Chimney Cap 9484
Square Ceiling Support 9444
Attic insulation shield 9446
Roof Flashing 9449
Storm Collar 9459
Locking Band 9301

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The class A chimney installation was straight forward. The chimney is supported by a support box which is installed between ceiling joists. The chimney goes up through the center of the house just off center of the ridge vent. The chimney requires two inches of clearance from any combustible material.

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A attic insulation shield is required in an open attic so that insulation does not come in contact chimney. A locking band is required to join the two four foot sections together. On the roof, a vented adjustable flashing attached to the roof.

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The chimney passes through this flashing and rises 3 feet above the roof line. A storm collar goes around the chimney to prevent water from entering the flashing vents or running down the chimney.

I purchased the following items for the stove pipe connector assembly:

(all sizes 6 inches in diameter)

Part Name Simpson Stock Number
DVL black pipe 12 inch section 8606
DVL telescoping section 29 to 48 inches 8646
DVL 45 degree elbow X 2 8645
DVL to Duratech chimeny adaptor 8647
DVL to stove adaptor w/damper 8679

The connector pipe assembly was also straight forward. Each piece is secured with three sheet metal screws to the next piece. This is very important because the connector pipe expands and contracts as it heats up and cools down. If the pieces are not fully secured they can work themselves apart and you would not want that to happen. The stove adaptor is available without a damper. I had to use two 45 degree angle elbows to make the connection to the chimney support box in the ceiling.

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The real test for for a chimney installation is whether or not it drafts properly. When I am lighting a fire or putting more wood in the stove, no smoke comes into the house. With no fire in the wood stove, I can feel an up draft at the chimney exit on the roof, if I put my hand near the chimney cap and the stove door is open.

For some very good information about installing wood burning appliances, check out this article at Hearth.com

Popularity: 10% [?]

Oct 02 2 comments
Heating, Home safety

Cleaning A Woodstove Chimney

We had really nice weather today, so when I got home from work, I took the opportunity to clean the wood stove chimney. If you use a wood burning appliance, the chimney needs to be cleaned at least once a year to remove any soot and creosote build up. It is important because creosote is flammable and creosote build up is a recipe for a chimney fire, which is really dangerous. In addition to yearly cleaning, the chimney should be inspected every two weeks during heating season.

Creosote is formed when wood smoke condenses on the inside of a cool chimney. This can happen if the wood stove is running too cold, or the chimney is improperly installed. A modern wood burning appliance should have no visible smoke when it is running properly. This means that all the smoke is being burning in the firebox, so it cannot condense on the chimney. Every wood stove has an optimum working temperature range. Our little Jotul F-100 works best at between 400 to 600 degrees F (204 to 316 degrees C). We purchased Condar Chimgard magnetic thermometer and placed it on top of the stove to check its temperature.

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In addition, a properly installed chimney is the engine that drives the stove. A chimney that is the wrong diameter will never heat up and will not draft properly. Similarly, a chimney that is too short will also not draft properly. Both of these conditions will cause the wood stove not to work properly. For our stove, Jotul specifies a 6-inch inside diameter chimney at least 14 feet tall.

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It is inevitable that some creosote will form on a chimney when the stove is first starting. That is why it needs to be cleaned every year. When the wood stove was installed, I replaced the old chimney with Simpson DuraTech Class A chimney. The stove connector pipe (goes between the chimney and the stove) is double wall Simpson DVL. The double wall connector pipe allows closer clearances than single wall pipe. I like both products.

To clean the chimney requires a little planning. First, there is a cast iron baffle in the top of the Jotul F-100 stove that needs to be removed and cleaned. I don’t know why, but there always seems to be some ash accumulated on top of this baffle. It is a pain to get out, but somehow is harder to get back in.

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Once the baffle is removed, I cleaned the stove thoroughly to remove all of the ash from the previous heating season. Then I placed a medium sized fan in front of the stove to create a strong updraft in the chimney.

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On the roof I removed the chimney cap by turning it counter clockwise and lifting up. Then with a six inch chimney brush I purchased at the local hardware store, I brushed up and down inside the chimney. The updraft created by the fan blows all the small soot particles up and out of the chimney. Anything larger will fall down against the updraft and end up in the back of the stove. I spent about 15 to 20 minutes on the chimney until brushing did not produce a cloud of soot from top of the chimney. I did not see any creosote build up on my chimney, only some blackish brown soot.

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Next I removed the stove connector pipe and took it outside to clean it out using the same 6-inch brush.

Then, when I am all done with cleaning the connector pipe, I put it all back together again. The baffle is a real pain in the rear end to get back into the top of the Jotul stove. It only fits in there one-way, and it is heavy. The rest goes together easily. When everything is all together, I cleaned out the stove one more time and declare the project done!

When you are cleaning the stove, it is a good time to check all the gaskets and seals to make sure the appliance is still functioning properly.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Jul 30 0 comments
Home safety

Fire safety and prevention

This is one of those things we hear a lot about, but really can’t be overstressed. To me is seems that almost all fires and fire related injuries are preventable. Like anything else, a plan is needed. A good fire plans should have three main points:

1. Fire Prevention
3. Limiting fire damage
2. Fire Warning and escape

Fire prevention is the most sure way to keep you and your family safe. Things that we take for granted like electricity, heating and cooking appliances are the most likely starters of home fires.

Fires starting from electric source can be due to damaged or frayed cords, over loaded outlets, old or underrated wiring, use of improper fuses, damaged appliances and so on. The National Fire Protection Agency oversees the National Electrical Code (NEC). Most electricians simply call it “The Code” or “Code.” The NEC is in place to establish a uniform standard for building inspectors to use when evaluating new wiring. It is the standard for electrical safety.

Christmas time is an especially tragic time of the year to have a fire, and yet, with all the Christmas lights and other decorations, overloaded outlets and extension cords are common. If an extension cord or electrical cord feels hot when in use, it is overloaded and its use should be discontinued.

Other areas where fires can start heating appliances. The furnace or boiler should be serviced once a year. Gas and oil fired hot water heaters need to also be serviced once a year. Make sure the chimney is clean and clear of debris. The rest of this stuff is common sense like don’t use your kitchen stove to heat the house, don’t put combustible material near your stove where it can come in contact with a hot burner. Don’t store flammable liquids inside your house. If you have a wood stove, make sure the chimney is cleaned once a year. Make sure your vent for you clothes dryer is clear of lint. Don’t leave burning candles unattended.


Paulthurst41 Thumb Kiddie Fire Extingusher
Limiting fire damage. Every house should have at least one medium sized all purpose fire extinguisher on hand. All purpose means all fire classes, which will be noted on the fire extinguisher as A B and C. These are dry chemical units which work well on any type of fire.

Fire clases:

A class A fire is combustibles like wood and paper. Water, dry chemical or CO2 will work on these types of fires.

A class B fire is liquids such as oil and gas. This includes cooking oil. Water will spread this type of fire around. Dry chemical or CO2 will work on these types of fires

A Class C fire is electrical. This is were an electrical circuit is still energized and there is arcing and sparking. Dry chemical or CO2 will work on these types of fires. If the electricity is turned off, this type fire usually becomes a class A fire.

If something catches fire on a stove, the best thing to do is put a cover on it. If the fire has gone beyond control, get everyone out of there and call the fire department. Smoke inhalation is the most common fire related injury and a serious risk. Nothing is worth risking your life over.


Paulthurst41 Thumb Kiddie Smoke And CO DetectorSmoke Detectors and other warning devices. Most states require that any residential dwelling have a smoke detector installed. I recommend there be several and most importantly, the batteries get changed twice a year when the clock change over for daylight savings time occurs. If you have a combustion type heating device (something that burns gas, oil or wood) in your home, it is very important to have a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon Monoxide (CO) results from incomplete combustion. It is odorless, colorless, and will quickly render someone unconscious and eventually dead. A combination smoke and CO detector is slightly more expensive but well worth the money. Plug in CO detectors are also available, either unit will work fine.

Make sure to have an evacuation plan, including a meeting place once out of the house. Practice your evacuation plan with your children to be sure that they know what they are supposed to do if the smoke detector goes off. This is very important. Often parents are injured or killed because they go back into a burning structure to rescue children because they are unaware that everyone is already escaped.

Popularity: 2% [?]