smart tipsbe informed

February 2010

Condensation on your windows???

You can stop or minimize condensation by monitoring the amount of water vapor in your home.

As the outdoor temperature drops you must lower the amount of water or humidity in your indoor  air.  If you have a central humidifier on your furnace and you see moisture accumulating on the windows, chances are you need to manually adjust the setting.

You should also use exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms that exhaust air outdoors, not into an attic space.

Indoor plants, aquariums, laundry that is drying indoors, interior painting, cooking, crawl spaces that have no vapor barriers, etc. all can aggravate and contribute to window condensation and should be controlled whenever possible.

Older homes can have window-condensation issues, but they are not always as bad as those experienced in newer homes. The reason is simple. Old homes are often very drafty. The influx of cold air mixing with the interior air made the relative humidity of the air lower. Cold air is dry by nature, and when it is mixed with warm air, the humidity drops as does the dew point!

A word about Radon Gas... 

The EPA estimates over 20,000 cancer deaths per year are a result of exposure to radon gas.

That is more than the annual number of U.S. fatalities due to drunk driving, carbon monoxide poisoning and fire/smoke exposure combined (based on 2008 figures).

Smokers can increase their risk of lung cancer three fold with exposure to elevated levels of radon gas.

A few points to consider…

Homes should be tested every two years to ensure elevated levels are not present.

Every house is different, we have literally tested homes just a few doors from one another where one house comes back with elevated levels while the other is low.

Radon maps are based on high level data that is reported.  If a test is not reported to NYS, than the data is not reflected in the maps. 

Maps are compiled at ZIP code level, not by street or neighborhood.

We have found elevated levels in virtually every community of WNY.  There are certainly areas traditionally thought to not pose significant radon risk, yet we have found pockets of elevated levels  in these communities.

Additionally, even if a house has a mitigation system the home should still be tested to be sure the system is working properly.  We have found a number of instances where the mitigation system was not working properly and the home continued to experience elevated levels.

And the thing about granite countertops and increased exposure to radon – I would call that an urban myth.  According to the EPA, insufficient data exists to support the argument of increased radon risk as a result of granite countertops

Time to 'Green-Up' 

For recycling purposes, what’s best: plastic bottles or aluminum cans? Cans have the edge.

Reduce your reliance on aluminum foil, plastic wrap and sandwich bags.  Put re-useable zip lock containers or Tupperware to work for you, you will save money and reduce your landfill contribution.

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