NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2009
Release #09-217 Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888) 325-1184
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Composite Decks Recalled by Louisiana-Pacific; Decks Can Deteriorate and Break, Posing Fall Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Composite Decks
Units: About 48 million linear feet (decks vary in size)
Manufacturer: Louisiana-Pacific (LP) Corp., of Nashville, Tenn.
Hazard: The recalled decking can prematurely deteriorate and unexpectedly break. Consumers can fall through broken decking and suffer serious injuries.
Incidents/Injuries: LP has received 37 reports of composite decks breaking, resulting in 14 injuries, including a broken wrist, sprained ankle, minor lacerations and bruises.
Description: The recall includes outdoor deck board and railings sold under the brand names LP WeatherBest®, ABTCo., and Veranda®. They are composite products that look similar to natural wood and were sold in various colors including Tuscan Walnut/Chestnut, Driftwood Grey/Greystone, Pacific Cedar and Western Redwood. Veranda decking products were manufactured by multiple firms; only products manufactured by LP are included in this recall.
Sold at: The Home Depot (Veranda® brand) and building product dealers (LP WeatherBest® and ABTCo. brands) nationwide from January 2005 to August 2008 for between $1.50 and $2.25 per linear foot.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers with the recalled decking should immediately contact LP for a free inspection. If the decking is affected by premature deterioration, LP will arrange for a free replacement.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact LP toll-free at (888) 325-1184 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.deckingnotice.com
I was inspecting a three year old vacant property the other day and the main plumbing line was leaking, The problem with vacant properties is that know one ever knows what’s going on. In the case of this house it wasn’t to bad but it could have been a big problem. I stress this all the time about vacant properties is that the utilities should be turned off during the listing period and once the buyer puts and offer in then have them turned back on this will elimanate the chance of damage to the home. The only thing it may do is delay the inspection date because the uilitiy companies may not beable to get out right away but I think this would be a small price to pay compared to major damage to the home.
I see some crazy things from time to time and I came across this house and I had to share with you what I saw and I am surprised the county did not catch this and or let it go. The floor joist and sill plate on an exterior wall was cut and altered by the heating contractor to allow for the duct work and gas pipe. The fix two 4×4 post. We had a engineer evaluate the property and he was just as surprised as I was to see this kind of handy work. I won’t tell you what the repair cost to the seller was but lets just say it was a pretty penny.
What is a heat exchanger?
The heat exchanger is the metal wall or tubing that is heated up when the burners are ignited. The inside of the heat exchanger allows the toxic flue gases produced from the burners to exhaust out through the furnace flue. The outside of the heat exchanger is where the cold air passes over, becomes warmed, and is blown throughout the ductwork of the home. The heat exchanger is the only wall separating the toxic flue gases from the supply air. If a crack develops in the heat exchanger, there is a potential for carbon monoxide gas to leak over to the supply side and be blown throughout your rooms. Carbon monoxide gas is odorless. The human senses will not detect its presence. However, there are signs. Light-headedness, nausea, and flue-like symptoms are all signs of CO gas leaking into your home. On an extreme case, if the crack in your furnace is bad enough and the conditions are right, you and your family may enter into a permanent sleep.
Longevity
Gas forced air furnaces last approximately 15 years, some more, some less, depending on how well maintained the unit is. Some conditions that may shorten the life of your furnace are: the evaporator unit of the air conditioner leaking onto the heat exchanger causing it to rust out, dirt/dust building up on the high-limit control switch forcing your furnace to turn on and off more frequently, a dirty filter that drastically reduces air flow which also will force your furnace to kick on and off more, or dirt on the burners producing inefficient flames causing excess soot buildup on the heat exchanger. If a furnace is poorly maintained, it is not uncommon to find a crack in the heat exchanger much sooner than 15 years.
Having your furnace annually serviced is one way to help extend its life. When your furnace reaches 10-12 years, it is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed HVAC (Heating Ventilation-Air Conditioning) company to perform a heat exchanger inspection. This test should be performed annually from this point forward until the furnace is replaced. Why? Just as a piece of metal is bent over and over again eventually fatigues and breaks, a similar force is being exerted on your furnace’s heat exchanger. During operation, the thin metal of the heat exchanger is being heated to high temperatures (sometimes over 175 degrees Fahrenheit) and cooled down to room temperature (70 degrees F). Each time, the metal expands as it warms up and contracts as it cools. Eventually, the metal fails and a crack is formed. A crack will always develop in a heat exchanger. How soon depends on the conditions it has been subjected to over its lifetime.
Types of Heat Exchanger Tests
There are three basic types of heat exchangers: clamshell, Serpentine, and tubular. This article is going to focus solely on the clamshell because it is most commonly found on the older models (typically installed before 1990) and is still in use today. The Serpentine & tubular exchangers are common on a portion of the newer furnaces (mid ’80’s - today) and different tests should be applied to these.
Leak Test:
For the clamshell heat exchanger, the most accurate test is the leak test. This test involves spraying the outside of the heat exchanger with a water-surfactant solution and then looking on the inside to see if it has leaked through. If it has, anyone conducting this test is 100% certain a crack exists. This test will find 95%+ of all cracks in the clamshell heat exchangers.
Visual Inspection:
For a clamshell heat exchanger, a visual only inspection is the most ineffective test. Some companies try to fool you by informing you they use “state-of-the-art” video camera systems to look for cracks. What they are admitting is they do not have proper training to inspect your heat exchanger. Using the expensive camera or mirrors, these companies will only find about 10% of the actual cracks. Why will they fail to find most of the cracks? Most furnaces at this stage of their lives have rust or soot buildup on the inside of the heat exchanger preventing anybody from seeing the cracks. Couple this with the fact that CO gas can seep through cracks not visible by the human eye and you can see their shortcomings.
CO Gas Test:
If conducted alone, the CO gas test is another test where the HVAC company is admitting to you that they do not have proper training to inspect heat exchangers. This test has nothing to do with inspecting the condition of the metal of the heat exchanger. This test consists of boring a small hole above the plenum and inserting a carbon monoxide detector. The only useful information this test tells you is if the furnace is currently blowing carbon monoxide gas throughout the home. If they fail to let the furnace run long enough, the crack may not widen to allow the CO gas to leak out. Also, conditions have to be just right for CO gas to be produced. Unless the flame is burning inefficiently and is finding its way through the crack at that specific time when the test is conducted, their CO detector may never register any levels. If a crack is found using this test, chances are a crack existed in this furnace for almost 2 years! That is a long time to chance the safety of the occupants of the home!!!
Smoke Test:
This test consists of setting smoke canisters inside the heat exchanger and seeing if the smoke leaks to the outside. Most companies that were conducting the smoke test in the past have graduated up to the leak test for the clamshells. The main reasons are the leak test is faster, has a higher probability of finding a crack, and does not set off the smoke detectors. One of the downsides to the smoke test, as with the CO Gas test, is if the heat exchanger is not warmed up enough, the test may not find the crack.
Heat Exchanger Warranties
Typically, the hi-efficiency (90%+) furnaces installed today come with a limited lifetime warranty and the 80% furnaces have a limited 20-year warranty. Warranties vary by manufacturer. A furnace that was installed 15 years ago may not have any warranty remaining, but it is always a good idea to find out if one still exists. Today’s warranties are normally transferable from one homeowner to the next if the house is sold. However, a limited lifetime warranty is usually reduced to a 20-year limited warranty if a house transaction occurs. If the heat exchanger is replaced, the warranty is only good for the time remaining on the original warranty. One important and costly fact to remember is the warranty does not cover the cost of labor to remove the old heat exchanger and install the new. Labor for this repair runs in the ballpark of $600-$900! Choosing this route of action is not always the best decision for a homeowner. You end up with a new heat exchanger on a furnace full of old parts that are no longer covered by a warranty. For specific warranty information, please contact your respective HVAC dealer. If you have difficulty locating a dealer for your make of furnace, go to: www.johnmills.net/work/history.html. This website will help you determine who you should try to call.
Ever crawl inside a fireplace and look up past the damper? Or climb up on your roof and look down the flue? There are some telltale signs that are easily identifiable that indicate you should hire a professional chimney sweep. For instance, if opening the damper leaves your face covered in soot, if you can run your pinky finger through the mortar and it falls out like sand, if you can pull bricks out above the roofline and re-align them like Lego® blocks, if you have charred wood in the attic touching the chimney…all of these are serious issues. Don’t laugh. As dangerous as these signs are, home inspectors see these issues too regularly.
In 1998, there were 18,300 residential fires in the United States originating in chimneys, fireplaces and solid fuel appliances, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. These fires resulted in 160 personal injuries, 40 deaths and $158.2 million in property damage.
Chimneys exist to contain caustic flue gases and exhaust them onward and upward into the atmosphere. The condition of the firebox, smoke chamber, and flue are crucial to ensuring a safe home. Below are a few indicators that you have a problem and need to hire a professional:
Unlined Chimney
The National Bureau of Standards tested masonry chimneys in the 1940’s and again in the 1980’s. They concluded that unlined chimneys are extremely unsafe due to the fact that they allow heat to travel through brick very fast. Wood touching the unlined chimney caught fire within only 3 ½ hours of testing. Because of these eye-opening results, they abandoned any future testing on unlined chimneys and recommended that all chimneys be lined.
Missing/Cracked Chimney Cap
If rain or snow can penetrate into the flue, then the liner is subject to extreme changes in temperature. Picture the high heat of the lined walls from the flue gases mixing with cold rain or snow entering from above. The end results are poor drafting that cools down the flue gases too quickly, significant amounts of creosote build-up, acidic flue gases eating away the mortar holding the inside of the liner together, and cracking of clay or concrete and rusting of metal. Exposed over multiple extreme changes, the chimney flue is guaranteed to fail leading to a chimney fire.
Cracked Tiles
As viewed from the rooftop or from the firebox, any signs of cracked tiles indicate the chimney system has a breach. Cracked tiles are a result of extreme temperature changes, usually stemming from one of two sources: the chimney cap issue mentioned above or there was a previous chimney fire that luckily did not burn your house down. Note: chimney sweeps have hi-tech cameras they run the full-length of your flue that can view every inch of the inside.
Missing/Deteriorated Mortar
(Pertaining to brick and concrete block chimneys with clay liners) A clay liner is only as good as its mortar joints. There are three areas to look for this problem: the roof, the smoke chamber (above your firebox), & the attic. If mortar joints are missing or the mortar is deteriorated, then you know you have a serious fire hazard. In the smoke chamber, if a mortar joint is missing, then the wall running parallel to your chimney may be the preferred path of your flue gases. Likewise, the same logic can apply to any missing or deteriorated mortar all the way to the top. My favorite area to check is the section of chimney visible in the attic. This is usually about the height where the flue gases swirl & churn if there is poor drafting or extreme changes in temperature. When flue gases linger, they eat away at the liner and mortar. If the symptoms are bad enough, you will actually be able to slide a screwdriver or sometimes even your finger through the mortar. You will also see blackish/brown creosote residue that has leached through the mortar and run down the outside of the chimney. All of which are fires waiting to happen! The solution on many of these significantly deteriorated flue liners is to install a metal liner inside the clay liner.
Creosote Build-up
Creosote ignites at 451 degrees F. Wood stoves, wood or gas fireplaces, or gas log sets should burn efficiently between 250 – 500 degrees F. A hot fire around 900 degrees F or a small spark from any of the above could ignite the built-up creosote and turn your chimney into a blazing inferno. Chimney fires with heavy creosote build-up can easily reach temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees F. Fires at this extreme crack liners and easily engulf your home into uncontrollable flames.
Rotted Wood Touching The Chimney
The more times wood is heated, the lower its ignition temperature becomes. Add to that moisture from a roof leak usually due to inadequate flashing at the chimney or high humidity levels in the attic due to poor ventilation and rotted wood drops the ignition temperature even faster. With the right combination, the ignition temperature of wood touching a chimney can be lower than that of a piece of paper!
Previous Chimney Fires in Stainless Steel Liners
Not all chimney fires are noticed. Some burn themselves out, but the damage left behind is something you can’t ignore. Chimney fires inside metal liners heat the metal up to temperatures the metal was not designed to handle. Once those temperatures are reached one time, the entire UL listed metal flue liner is breached. Solution: replace the entire flue lining! The one true test if a fire has occurred in a stainless steel flue liner is if a magnet sticks to it. Stainless steel does not attract magnets. Stainless steel that has reached extreme temperatures and has had it’s metal composition changed does attract.
Professional home inspectors look for these issues with chimneys everyday. However, even the best inspector will admit that their knowledge on chimneys is limiting compared to that of a Certified Chimney Sweep. For more information, visit Chimney Safety Institute of America’s website at www.csia.org or The National Chimney Sweep Guild’s website at www.ncsg.org.
Many times during a home inspection we will come a cross a furnace that is not properly vented. The manufacturer has strict venting procedures for many reasons but the most important is to keep you and your family safe. In this video a licensed contractor installed the equipment with out a proper permit from the county and the result is a poor installation. With a 90% furnace you can not run the vent pipe into a metal chimney designed for a 80% furnace. The reason. 80% furnaces are natural draft they need a chimney system to remove the carbon monixide. If this typ of furnace was vent any other way the pipe would never clear the CO. The 90% furnace has a fan that pushes the CO out of the pipe and when it vents into a metal chimney it will condensate and cause the pipe to rust and allow spillage of the CO gas. I would check with your state and or county for guide lines and also check with the manufacture of the equipment your are purchasing. I would also ask the installing contractor if they are going to pull a valid permit for any work that is performed so you as the consumer are protected.
With cool weather on the way you may be wondering just how you’ll manage to maintain your eco-friendly habits and stay warm at the same time. While your home, like most in America, will likely rely on fossil fuels for heat for years to come, it’s still possible to have a “greener” winter.
When it comes to home heating costs, “green” practices can also save you another kind of green - cash. The average American household spends $2,000 on energy costs each year, and half of that total goes to heat and cool the home, according to EnergyStar.
“Making environmentally friendly changes to your heating habits can significantly reduce household energy costs,” says David Kogan, a home-heating expert with Indus-tool.
Here are six simple ways to stay green and warm this winter:
1. Winterize your home. Make sure weather stripping around doors and windows is adequate and in good shape. Check the insulation in your attic. If you can see the wooden beams, you likely need more insulation. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that about 80 million American homes are inadequately insulated. Proper insulation can save you up to 20 percent on energy bills, according to the DOE.
2. Use safe, green electric space heaters. Oil or kerosene heaters present tipping and burning hazards, plus they emit greenhouse gases. Modern electric space heaters are more energy efficient. For maximum safety and efficiency, choose a heater like the Toasty Toes or Cozy Legs flat panel heaters by Indus-tool. Thermostatically controlled, both products put the heat right where it’s most needed - on your feet and legs - rather than inefficiently trying to heat an entire area. “They use less energy than an incandescent light bulb and are safe for use around pets, children or elders,” Kogan says. Visit www.indus-tool.com to learn more.
3. Dress for the season. “Every winter, I’m amazed by the number of people I see dressed inappropriately for the season. You don’t have to sacrifice comfort to look good,” says Diane Artzberger, a fashion expert who blogs about beauty, fashion and cosmetics at www.thebeautyalchemist.blogspot.com. “You can look fashionable and stay warm by layering and choosing fabrics like cashmere, flannel or polar fleece and warm styles like hoodies, turtlenecks and cardigans.”
4. Install a programmable thermostat that will automatically reduce heat settings when you don’t need as much warmth - like when you’re not home or when you go to bed. Homeowners can reduce energy bills by as much as $180 a year with a programmable thermostat, according to the government’s EnergyStar program.
5. When you’re home, set back the heat and get cozy. Use afghans and throws to stay warm. Create a warm atmosphere with candles and the fireplace - just be sure to follow basic safety rules. Don’t leave candles or fireplaces burning unattended and keep flammable items away from the flames.
6. Rely on nature to help heat your home. Not everyone can afford to install solar heating panels on their homes, but you can open the drapes and blinds on a sunny day. The sun’s rays will help warm the house. Use landscaping wisely as well. Cut back shrubs or trees that block the sun from coming in windows. Plant trees on the north side of the house to naturally insulate it from winter’s northern winds.
On average, homeowners will pay 20 percent more to heat their homes this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration. A few environmentally smart changes can make a big difference in how much more winter’s bite will hurt your wallet - and your conscience - this season.
Five Ways to Save Money While Improving Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
The warning letters have already started filling mailboxes across the country. This winter, Americans will face higher utility bills than ever before. While many will see their bills double, some costs will actually triple due to factors such as increased gas and oil prices and greater global demand.
While these factors are beyond your control, there are some steps you can take to improve your home’s energy efficiency; and reduce your costs.
1. Improve your home’s air quality and ventilation.
If your home does not have a ventilation system that provides for adequate air movement, add one that introduces fresh air to increase your comfort and adds to your energy efficiency.
Without adequate ventilation, your home’s heating and cooling systems need to work harder, meaning more energy and more money is required. Furthermore, uncirculated, stale air allows moisture, odors and pollutants to linger in your home. However, there is a solution.
You can eliminate all these problems effectively with the addition of a spot Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) which will provide tempered supply air, making the home more comfortable, while also efficiently yielding energy savings. The Panasonic WhisperComfort Spot ERV is the first ceiling insert ERV in the United States. It exhausts stale air from inside the home and replaces it with fresh air from outdoors, providing builders and homeowners with an affordable way to efficiently meet spot or whole house ventilation requirements.
WhisperComfort operation is designed to work two ways: “Spot Ventilation,” which is suitable for a single room; or “Whole House Ventilation,” which is suitable up to 1,750 square feet. The system features low-rate continuous run using two ducts — one to exhaust stale air; and the other to supply fresh air from the outside. This practice helps ensure that indoor air pollutants are exhausted outside and replaced with fresh air — helping to improve your home’s indoor air quality.
In addition, the WhisperComfort features quiet operation and has a frost prevention mode that automatically turns on when the outdoor temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We are dedicated to improving quality of life through sound environmental practices, and WhisperComfort offers spot or whole-house ventilation at a surprisingly low cost. In addition to the aesthetically pleasing grille design, this new ceiling-insert ERV can be easily installed during new construction or remodeling,” says Dan Hogan, president, Panasonic Home and Environment Company.
For more information about the very affordable Panasonic WhisperComfort ERV,, visit www.panasonic.com/ventfans.
2. Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors and crawl spaces. Visit www.energysavers.gov for instructions on checking your insulation levels.
3. Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home. Caulk and insulate these energy wasting areas.
4. As appliances break down, replace old and inefficient models with ENERGY STAR rated units that require less energy to run. Also look for the ENERGY STAR rating when replacing heating and cooling systems.
5. Study your family’s lighting needs and usage patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls, like occupancy sensors and dimmer switches to reduce lighting energy use. Also remember to systematically replace incandescent bulbs as they burn out with more energy efficient compact fluorescents and LEDs.
For more advice on how to save energy in your home, visit the United State’s Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov and download a copy of the brochure, “Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home.”
Water is a precious resource and even though it flows readily whenever we turn on a faucet, it’s important to conserve. Water is vital to the environment, and conserving water helps our critical ecosystems, but saving water also saves you money. You don’t have to make major lifestyle changes to conserve water in your home; there are easy ways to accomplish the environmentally friendly task.
1. Don’t flush water and money down the drain. Fix leaks promptly. It has been shown that leaking faucets and toilets account for 14 percent of all indoor water use, which can add up to 20 gallons of water per person per day. Don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, pipes and hoses for leaks too, before winter sets in.
2. Take shorter showers by setting a time limit for yourself. Also, try and be aware of the amount of water you are using by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth and washing your hands.
3. Faucets with one-piece waterways can minimize the places that leaks can form because there are minimal joints. Delta Faucet Company’s Diamond Seal Technology reduces leak points with its unique one-piece construction comprised of an integrated diamond-coated valve and InnoFlex waterways.
4. Look for water-efficient lavatory faucets certified by the EPA’s WaterSense program. Lahara bath suite by Delta flows at 1.5 gallons per minute at 60 pounds per square inch, saving about 30 percent more water than a standard faucet, which flows at 2.2 gallons per minute.
5. If your toilet was installed before 1980, install a toilet dam or filled bottle to save water during each flush (make sure operating parts are not affected by these installations). Consider installing a new toilet that uses less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush.
6. When shopping for showerheads, look for models that save water without compromising the shower experience. The Water-Efficient Showerhead with H2Okinetic Technology by Delta actually changes the thermal dynamics of the water, and delivers larger water droplets while using 36 percent less water than a standard showerhead.
7. Landscaping accounts for 20 to 50 percent of all residential water use, so choose drought-resistant and low water consuming plants. Your local home extension service can be found online and can help you choose plants appropriate to your geographic region.
8. Use a landscape watering guide to calculate how long and how frequently to water your plants for optimal growth. A calculator can be found at www.wateruseitwisely.com.
9. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk and save up to 80 gallons of water each time.
10. Check out other water-saving tips by visiting Responsible by Nature at www.deltafaucet.com/green.
The mitigation fan can be mounted on the interior or the exterior of the home. The pipe has to be terminated above the roof line to discharge the radon gas. I hope these are helpful.
