The Handyguys cover two topics in this show. We discuss fraud, abuse and lack of accountability with the U.S. government’s Energy Star program and then discuss basement egress requirements.

Energy Star Fail

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) [sorry, said it wrong in the podcast] investigated the EPA and Department of Energy’s Energy Star Program and discovered fraud and abuse. GAO obtained Energy Star certifications for 15 bogus products, including a gas-powered alarm clock. In addition, the GAO determined that many products which do not carry the Energy Star labels actually met Energy Star standards.  If the GAO can have bogus products passed by the system, where does that leave consumers who rely on the Energy Star label for real world appliances and products?

The better method for energy usage verification is to check the particular device for actual electrical usage. This is expressed in WATTS on a label or in the documentation. The lower the number, the less electricity the appliance consumes. The same method can be used for water usage.  Items like dishwashers are measured in gallons per cycle or estimated gallons per year. Try and do your own apples to apples comparisons using the documented information instead of looking for a government sticker.

Unfortunately, the Handyguys have not had much success with these supposedly more efficient appliances. We ranted about appliances a while back in Episode #79. Well, we got started again in this podcast. Washing machines that hardly use any water just don’t get clothes as clean, dishwashers that use less water leave gunk on dishes.

You can read the GAO report here

and you can read the DOE/EPA response to the report here

The government is working to fix the administration of the Energy Star program by spending more taxpayer money. “EPA and DOE have launched a new two-step process to expand testing of ENERGY STAR qualified products…the steps are part of an overall effort by the Obama Administration” (paraphrased from Energy Star site).

Basement Egress

Bilco Doors being installed in new construction

The Handyguys set aside a few minutes to discuss basement Egress requirements and options.

If you are finishing your basement, be sure to check your local code requirements. A secondary means of exit from your finished basement space is a typical requirement. A basement bedroom also requires a direct secondary egress. Small windows wont cut it. Instead a window or door must be large enough for a person to exit easily and for fireman with an air pack can enter.  Again, please check your local code requirements for egress.

Egress options range from large windows to walk out french doors for daylight basements.  Brian and Paul discuss the pros and cons of the various egress options including the bilco Doors you see in the image.  When planning your finished basement, be sure to plan and budget for proper egress.

Related shows:

1. Basement Systems And Listener Questions
2. DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready
3. Finished Basement Planning And Dealing With Building Codes

In this episode of The Handyguys Podcast we take a question on garage heaters and have some follow-up thoughts on the CarMD product we discussed in episode 91.

Garage Heaters

We received a great question from Captain Kent about heating his garage so he can work on his honey do list. Its excerpted here:

Hi guys! I have a question for you. Last year I purchased a home built in the 80′s and I’m slowly morphing into this Handy-Guy-Do-It-Yourselfer-Inspector-Gadget kind of guy.

I figure my garage being 800 square feet that I can utilize this space in the cold months to do projects out there. In any case, I ripped all the sheet rock off the walls and am about 60% deep in the project of fully insulating the garage. I’m installing Champion windows, a new back door from Lowes, and even insulating the inside of the 20 foot main garage door with a neat Owens Corning garage door insulation kit. I’m doing everything myself accept the walk out door and windows…so far anyway.

I’m a pilot by day and a Handy Guy Podcast Warrior by night. We battle our garages on our days off and then compare notes at 41,000 feet. We decided we are probably both going to go with a hanging natural gas type heater but here comes our question. We thought about just breaking through the wall and piping one of our main house heater ducts into the garage for heat. When the garages are all insulated and sealed up it shouldn’t take a lot of heat to keep them warm, or warm enough to work out there. We were not familiar with any homes that have done this before and figured there must be a good reason for us NOT to do this. We decided to ask you guys if you know of any reason why we would NOT want to simply tap off and route one of our main house ducts into our garages for heat?

Thanks Brian and Paul, keep the podcast coming! I’d be in the poor house if I had to hire somebody to do all the jobs this house needs!

Captain Kent

Utilizing house heat

You need to maintain separation between the house and the garage to prevent easy penetration of flames and fumes. The building codes in your area likely prohibit any garage connection to a forced air central system. Of course, the story would be different if the garage were converted into living space.  In this case, a critical factor is the size of the current hvac system. If your house heat is hot water it might be possible to add a zone from your boiler for in-floor radiant heat.

Permanent installed heat

If you want a permanently installed heat source the best method is using a ceiling mounted heater. These beasts provide the most heat without interfering with handyguy duties or parking a car. The ceiling mounts provide a choice of  gas or electric. Lennox has one that looks nice.

Portable temporary heat

Portable heat will be much less expensive to purchase. You have several options such as portable electric, kerosene or propane. Paul has a portable propane and Brian has a kerosene heater. In Brian’s uninsulated garage the kerosene heater barely does the trick when its cold out and is useless when its fridged out.  Each kind of heater has its pros and cons.  We discuss these in the podcast.

CarMD Revisit

We talked about the CarMD scanner for your car back in Episode 91. The scanner is used to read errors in your vehicles computer to help you diagnose problems. When The Handygusy checked out the units they were impressed but they didn’t have any error codes on their vehicles at the time.  Things of changed and now both Brian and Paul both coincidently have their dreaded “check engine” brightly lit. The CarMD scanner read the error code *and* provided likely solutions with cost estimates for repairs! Well done CarMD, very cool.

Related shows:

1. Magnogrip, Carmd And Permaflow Review
2. Can You Save 50% In Your Energy Bill With A Space Heater?
3. Repair a leaking water heater T&P and planning for a new deck

Furnace filters are a critical component of your heating and cooling system.

Make sure they are changed regularly. We discuss the myriad of choices in furnace filters in this podcast.

The Handyguys group filters into three different categories, good, better and best. Whats best for one person may not be the best for another. The standard filters are good for most people. They permit the furnace to operate as it was designed. When selecting a filter you would typically replace with one equal in size and type to the filter already install on your furnace. This may be a a non-pleated fiber type filter. This type is also the least expensive, costing about $1.50 or $2.00 at the local True Value hardware store.

If you desire a replacement filter that has a higher MERV or MPR rating (see below for definitions) there are several choices at True Value. Go into the store with your measurements and pick one out. A higher rated filter will catch and filter more particulates from the air.

The high end filters will have electrostatic capabilities and can actually filter microscopic bacterias, smoke or other fine particulates from the air.

The industry provides ratings for filters.

MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a number from 1 to 16 that is relative to an air filter’s efficiency. The higher the MERV, the more efficient the air filter is at removing particles. At the lower end of the efficiency spectrum a fiberglass panel filter may have a MERV of 4 or 5. At the higher end, a MERV 14 filter is available.

MPR is a term used by 3M and stands for Microparticle Performance Rating. It is actually part of the MERV rating, and measures how efficient an air filter is at capturing particles between 0.3 and 1 micron in size, which make up 99% of the air’s particulate matter. Smoke, bacteria, and smog particles fall within this size range, so if filtering these out of the air is important to you, MPR is a good standard to examine. MPR is used to compare furnace filters to one another, and cannot accurately predict how a furnace filter will actually perform in your particular home environment. The higher the MPR, the more efficient the filter is at capturing these small particles.

Lastly – Don’t forget about our contest. We are giving away this awesome toolkit. Check out the details on how you can win by listening to Episode 87 of The Handyguys Podcast.

Win this tool kit!

Disclosure

Related shows:

1. Fall Home Improvement Checklist
2. Using Leaf Blowers Vs Rakes And Repairing Leaky Showers
3. DIY Drama, Old Tractors And New Counters

The Handyguys address a listener question about his air conditioning and then talk about basement finishing systems.

Our listener Marc used our new call-in feature on the website and asked us about his air conditioning system. Marc’s question, in summary is

I live in a ranch style house that has two HVAC zones. We spend most of the time in only half of the house. Would it be OK to turn off the system in the half of the house we don’t use?

Great question Mark.

Before we answer – Mark has a great podcast and website for woodworkers called The Wood Whisperer. If you ever want to be inspired to do some woodworking yourselves make sure you check out what Mark is doing online.
OK, back to marks question. Short answer is yes. You will have spill-over from one half to another. A simple solution would be to just put up a heavy drape to keep the cool air in the part of the house you are in. We would also recommend not turning off the system completely but just turn it back. An automatic setback thermostat can help with this. There could be issues – Does the system share duct work throughout the house? Will the “design committee” allow for such a guy thing as a curtain in the middle of the house? Does the floor plan even allow for a separation?

Maybe you can make friends with an HVAC guy, invite him over for a beer, and ask his opinion.

Listen to the podcast to hear Marc ask his question and for our more detailed answer.

Thanks to Owens Corning for the picture of their system going in

Basement Finishing Systems

The Handyguys, Brian and Paul, have both done DIY basement finishing. We have been asked our opinions on so called basement finishing systems. These are not DIY solutions. A company will come in and use their system of pre-fabricated panels to put up your walls.

Handyguy Paul found an old webpage where the author recounts his experience with one of these systems. Check it out – Owens Corning Basement System Experiences.

Brian and Paul discuss the pros and cons of these systems. Listen to the podcast for all the details. Oh, and we ran out of time. Make sure you check out next weeks episode (link wont work until next week) where we finish the discussion! If you subscribe you will get the new show automatically. Cool.

Related shows:

1. Basement Systems Continued and How To Remove Paint
2. Listener Questions – The Steven Show
3. DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready

In this episode of The Handyguys Podcast we discuss air-conditioning.

Air-conditioning is not something the typical handyguy or girl is familiar with. We turn it on and expect it to work as designed. What can we do if it doesn’t cool? Are there specific things to look for before calling in a pro to troubleshoot?

With high humidity and soaring temperatures this summer, the last thing you want to deal with is a broken air conditioner. But when an old air conditioning system fails, you will be faced with the tough and often expensive decision of whether to repair the existing system or purchase a new one.

Repairs on an existing unit may be the least expensive immediate option, but could cost you more in the long run since older systems tend to break down over and over and consume more energy and drive up cooling bills more than newer systems. However, there are times when simple repairs can prolong the life of an air conditioner, making immediate replacement a less sensible option.

Since the Handyguys are not experts in this area and we want to help you make an educated decision, consider the following tips from Bill Cunningham, a home cooling and energy efficiency expert with Lennox. Bill shares a great deal of wisdom and experience with residential central air-conditioning systems, regardless of who manufactures your system. He suggests homeowners ask the following three questions before making the decision whether to repair or replace:

1. Is the air conditioner on its last leg? Excessive energy consumption and frequent repairs are the trademarks of a worn-out system. If the air conditioner is more than 10 years old, replacing the aging system with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified system can save time, money, and headaches – and keep you cooler and more comfortable in the long run. If the system is less than 10 years old, routine maintenance is almost always the way to go. In fact, an annual check-up can significantly increase the air conditioner’s performance and extend the life of the unit. Listen to the podcast for more information.
2. Are your energy bills going up, up and up? While the cost of electricity is on the rise, an older, less efficient air conditioner may also be the culprit when it comes to high energy bills. By replacing an 8 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating) cooling system, which is much less efficient than the current SEER level allowed by law, with a 15 SEER system, homeowners can save approximately 47 percent on energy bills and up to $3,095 over a five-year period. Energy calculators, such as the one available on the Lennox site can help consumers compare the savings of different high-efficiency systems and determine whether to repair or replace an older unit. Listen to the podcast for more information.
3. Did your home feel like a steam room even before the air conditioner stopped working? A poorly operating air conditioner or one that is not properly sized for the home can contribute to excessive humidity. Leaky ductwork can also cause humidity problems. When making the decision to repair or replace, talk with a reputable home cooling contractor about the humidity problem to determine if you need to replace the existing system with one that is the right size for the home or if the issue can be resolved with repairs or duct sealing. Listen to the podcast for more information.

We also discuss with Bill a few things you can check yourself before calling a service tech.

1. Does your thermostat use batteries? Many of the fancier thermostats use batteries. If your batteries are dead your system will not work.
2. Did a breaker trip? Its an easy check and will save you the cost of a service call. Look for a tripped breaker if you have no fan or no cooling. You likely have separate breakers for each.
3. Did someone turn it off? Systems usually have switches for killing the power before service. There will be one near your outside unit as well as near your inside unit. There may also be a switch at the top of your basement stairs or somewhere nearby.

Listen to the podcast for more information.

Don’t forget – If you like this content you can subscribe and get it on your MP3 player or notifications in your email of new shows. You can also follow us on twitter.

Related shows:

1. Vehicle Choices, Air Conditioning Leaks And Mower Carb Repair
2. Fall Home Improvement Checklist
3. Energy Star Fraud And Basement Egress Requirements

The Handyguys complete their basement finishing series with an interview of a basement refinishing expert Roger German.

Part 2 of 2 of Roger German’s interview, Part 6 of the basement finishing series.

Brian and Paul complete their interview with basement remodeling expert Roger German. Mr. German is the author of Remodeling a Basement from the Taunton Press’ “Build Like a Pro” series of books. This is the second half of our interview.
In part 2 of the interview, Roger discusses the following:

• Basement Extras
• Lighting
• Drop Ceiling vs. sheet rock
• More on water mitigation

Thanks to listening to this interview with Roger German.

This post will conclude our 6 part series on basements. As always if you have any questions about any DIY or home improvement topics feel free to contact us. You may also comment on these posts.

In next weeks episode we will address several listener/reader questions as well as provide plans and give guidance on building and arbor for your garden.

Related shows:

1. Part 1: An Interview With Roger German (The Basement Guy!)
2. Finished Basement Planning And Dealing With Building Codes
3. DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready

The Handyguys give an overview of how to plan for your finished basement.

Part 3 in the Basement Finishing Series

Now that your basement is ready to finish, you need to develop a plan to execute that construction job down under. The Handyguys know some creative visionaries can see the complete construction plan in their head and just start driving nails until they have a beautiful basement. However, for the rest of us, we need to write out some basic plans, study the building codes, and determine whether we have enough money to complete the work. That’s right, you are going to need a handful of hard earned cash to get your basement finished well.

But where do you start? First, you should determine if you can afford to finish your basement. The Handyguys tell you how much it will cost per square foot to get the job done. Make sure you can afford the job before you begin making your plans.

Once you have determined that your wallet is up to the task, get out the graph paper or install a design program such as Google Sketch Up to draw out your new basement. The Geeky side of the Handyguys suggests using the computer, but it certainly is not required. The building inspector just needs a drawing that shows your dimension, windows sizes, outlets and other items that the Handyguys discuss on this episode.

What about code issues? What do you need to consider to get those plans right? There is more to consider then just electrical loads, outlet placement, etc. You need to do load calculations on your HVAC system to make sure that it can handle the load of your additional living space. If your central heat cannot take the load, you will want to consider other sources of heat (generally you do not need to cool the basement space as the earth does a sufficient job).

The links below may be helpful for fulfilling your local codes. However, you must determine the codes that are established in your local jurisdiction! That is the only way to be compliant.

Check out the podcast for more information and view these helpful links:

General code checklist

Heat Loss and Gain Worksheet

Related shows:

1. DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready
2. Part 2: An Interview With Roger German (The Basement Guy!)
3. Material Choices When Finishing A Basement