Every technology created to solve a problem comes with its own set of problems. Garrett Hardin
Sustainability is the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely. Home products succeed or fail over time and change as negative effects are corrected. Inspectors, wedged between the immediacy of a home purchase and long-term sustainability, are leery of new products, often with good reason.
Air fresheners
Plug-in liquid and aerosol air fresheners degrade indoor air quality. Even “green” fresheners emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Tightly sealed homes amplify the physical effects of these secondhand scents.
Best bet: Find the source of smell and treat it. Go fragrance-free
“Flushable” Wet Wipes
The world’s sewers are clogged with wet wipes. Slow to degrade wipes combine with grease to create giant clogs known as Fatbergs. The result: iceberg-sized maintenance and repair costs
Best Bet: Never flush wet wipes, cooking grease, dental floss or other non-human waste except toilet paper
Accordion drains
Accordion drains used to connect fixtures to traps aren’t sanitary.
They’re a DIY dream: cheap and easy to install. The code says:
“Drainage fittings shall have a smooth interiorwaterway of the same diameter as the piping served.”
Best bet: hire a plumber who doesn’t play the accordion
Ribbed Surface Water Drains
Ribbed drains, like accordion drains, are cheap and easy to install.
They work on steep slopes but not low ones. Ribbed drains with a slope less than 2/12 sag allowing water to flow backward during heavy rains. Because internal waterways are not smooth and uniform they clog.
Best Bet: install hardpipe drains with cleanouts on gently sloping sites
Air and Water Filters
Half the 1” wide pleated fabric filters I check are fouled. Dirt in your HVAC appliances and ducts affect performance and feed mold and parasites.
Ditto for water filters: dirty kitchen faucet, refrigerator and whole-house filters contaminate instead of purify
Best bet: install 4” wide pleated fabric filters: their greater surface area limits duct pressure drop
If you’re not committed to scheduled filter maintenance hire someone who is
Ionization Smoke Alarms
Overall risk of fire death has remained roughly constant between 1977 and 2009 despite a widespread increase in alarm installations. The reason: Ionization alarms don’t detect smoldering fires as well as flaming ones. Photoelectric alarms are better at detecting smoke
Best bet: install combination ionization/photoelectric alarms
Gutter Guards
The logic of gutter guards is obvious: today’s higher, steeper roofs make cleaning hazardous.
But guards can’t handle concentrated flow from adjacent surfaces and heavy rain.
Best Bet: Use the money you save by not installing guards to pay an insured contractor to clean your gutters
For more information, scheduling, and knowledge of How Homes Work contact Dan at
www.comprehensivehi.com
