Dimmer Switch On Ceiling Fan = Fire Hazard

I love dimmer switches; I use them to control almost every light in my house.Installing a dimmer switch is a common enough DIY project, but like any other DIY project, I often find them installed improperly.  The most common problem I find is when dimmer switches are connected to a ceiling fan.

Standard dimmer switches should never be used on ceiling fans because they could damage the fan motor or they could overheat and start a fire.  To know whether a dimmer switch is intended for use with a fan, all you usually have to do is remove the switch cover; there is typically fine print right on the front of the switch saying whether or not it can be used with a ceiling fan.

The photo below left comes from a fan speed controller - this is what needs to be used on a ceiling fan.  The photo below right comes from a standard dimmer switch, and this should not be used on a ceiling fan.

 
When I find a dimmer switch that is designed for incandescent fixtures connected to a ceiling fan, I always recommend repair.  A safe repair can be as simple as replacing the dimmer switch with a standard toggle switch, but you also lose the ability to dim the light.

If the wiring for a ceiling fan is already in place in your home (ie - you have separate wires for the fan control and the light control), it should be fairly easy for a qualified person to wire up separate controls for the fan and the light, which will include the ability to dim the light.

If the ceiling fan was a retro install, there probably won't be proper wiring in the wall for separate fan and light controls; not to worry though.  You can actually purchase a device that will do this - it consists of a wireless remote and a receiver that gets wired directly in to the fan.  These devices work very well, and as far as I know, they can be used with any ceiling fan.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections
    

Could My Radon Monitor Be Broken?

One of the more awkward conversations that I had with a home seller this year dealt with a high radon test at his home in Minnesota.  We performed a radon test for the buyer, and the test came up high (over 4.0 pCi/L), so the buyer asked the seller to install a radon mitigation system.  The seller wasn’t happy about this, so he called us up to complain.

We had performed a radon test for the seller when he bought the home four years ago, and the test was below 4.0 pCi/L.

I could understand the seller’s frustration; I would have been frustrated too.  How could this be?  Was our electronic radon monitor broken?  No, it really just came down to timing.  Radon levels constantly fluctuate throughout the day, and even throughout the year.  There are many factors that affect radon test results - so many that you'll never get the exact same results twice.  A few of the larger factors include:

• Where the test was placed in the home.
• Barometric pressure.  Rainy weather = lower pressure = higher radon levels
• Ventilation systems.  An HRV running at full speed can cut radon levels in half.
• Windows open vs closed.  Houses always act like chimneys; warm air rises.  This creates negative pressure in the basement and positive pressure at the upper levels.  When windows are open at the upper levels, the house will act even more like a chimney, which increases radon levels.  That's right; opening windows on the upper levels can actually increase radon levels in the basement, which is where the test is placed.

With all of these factors, why even bother with a short term radon test? Because it helps to decide whether or not radon is a problem that needs to be dealt with.   The overall seasonal average typically won't be too far off from the short term test.

I performed a radon test at my own house for 96 hours, and as you can see from the graph below, the levels didn't vary all that much.  The overall average came out to 2.6 pCi/L.  If you were to only look at the highest levels in a 48 hour period for this test, the average would still only be 2.9 pCi/L.  I've performed many tests at my house throughout the year, and the average is consistently between 1 and 3.

For the record, we have every one of our electronic radon monitors calibrated annually.  While radon levels may be volatile, the accuracy of our tests isn't.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections
    

How To Trick Out Your Hand Soap Dispenser

One of my least favorite chores in the kitchen has always been re-filling the built-in hand soap dispenser at my kitchen sink.  Through years of extensive research in to this matter, I've discovered that I'm not alone.  Approximately 57.3% of soap dispensers in the Twin Cities metro area remain unfilled; sitting next to the empty soap dispensers, I often find unsightly store-bought bottles of hand soap.


I have many reasons to not refill my soap dispenser.


For one, they're difficult to access.  Mine is so tough to get at that I need to lay on my back under the kitchen sink just to unscrew it.

They're difficult to fill.  Why are the openings so damn small?!  The photo below shows what used to happen to me every time I would try to fill my dispenser.  I've tried a funnel, but this doesn't work either - the soap is too thick.



Another problem is getting the dispenser screwed back in place under the counter - it's very difficult to see under there.  I actually installed a fluorescent light inside my kitchen cabinet to help with this chore.
Finally, this is a grueling task that demands action about once a month.  If I only had to do it once a year, that would be fine, but we wash our hands in the kitchen more than anywhere else in the house, and the tiny container doesn't hold much soap.


But now... I DON'T HAVE TO FILL MY DISPENSER ANY MORE.

While inspecting a home in Minneapolis last year, I came across an unusual container for the hand soap dispenser while looking under the kitchen sink.  Instead of having a tiny 8 oz container screwed to the dispenser, there was a long tube dropping down in to a Costco-sized container of hand soap.

For a split-second I figured the owner had broken their soap container, but I quickly realized that this was no accident, my friends.  This was a stroke of genius.

No more refilling the soap container.

No more running out of soap every month.

No more back-breaking acrobatics while reaching under the sink trying to unscrew the soap container.

No more tears of anguish and frustration trying to pour liquid hand soap in to a 3/8" hole.

You too can do this.  Just pick up three feet of 1/4" plastic tubing, cut it to length, and replace the little plastic tube coming out of your soap dispenser with this long tube.  Now drop it in to a huge container of hand soap.  That's it, that's all.  The Home Depot by my house sells a twenty-five foot roll of this plastic tubing for under three dollars. Many hardware stores sell this stuff by the foot, and you can even cut it to length with a pair of scissors.

Now just sit back and marvel at your tricked-out hand soap dispenser.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections
    

Six Things To Consider Before Testing For Radon On The Home You're Buying

If you're buying a house in Minnesota and you want to have it tested for radon as part of your inspection contingency, here's a list of six items that the EPA says you should consider before you have the test conducted.

Where the radon test will be located

The radon test should be placed in the lowest level of the home that could be used regularly, whether it's finished or not.   I've said before that radon tests should never be placed in crawl spaces, but what if the basement ceiling height is 6' 11" ?  The Minnesota State Building Code defines a crawl space as "Areas or rooms with less than 7 feet ceiling height measured to the finished floor or grade below.” (MN Rules 1309.0202)    This is a grey area that should be discussed ahead of time.

Who should conduct the radon test

 Call Structure Tech, duh!  We've been testing radon in Minnesota for more than twenty years.

What type of radon test to do

A radon test performed with a continuous electronic monitor can be completed in as little as 48 hours.  The other type of test that is most commonly used for a real estate transaction is a charcoal canister test.  This type of test must remain in the home for minimum of 72 hours, and then the canisters must be sent to a lab for analysis.  Do you have time to get the testing completed?

When to do the radon test

The occupant of the home must maintain closed house conditions for 12 hours prior to, and throughout the duration of the radon test.  This means keeping windows and doors closed, except for normal traffic.  A few things that make this difficult would be if the seller is moving, if the home is under construction, if it's new construction, or it's a hot week in August and the home doesn't have air conditioning.  Stuff to think about...

How the seller and the buyer will share the radon test results and test costs

The issue over the test costs is a no-brainer; if the buyer wants a test, they should pay for it.  If the seller doesn't want to know about the test results, they should make that clear ahead of time.  Whywouldn't the seller want to know?  If the test is high, this must now be disclosed to any future buyers if the deal falls apart for any reason.

When radon mitigation measures will be taken, and who will pay for them.

This is the big one.  Ideally this would be decided ahead of time, but I've never heard of this actually happening.  If the radon test comes up high, most home buyers will ask the seller to install a mitigation system, but will the seller be willing to do this?

While I'm certainly an advocate of radon testing, one of the few times that I don't recommend testing for radon at the time of a home purchase is when the results aren't going to make any difference. In other words, if the buyer has decided to purchase a home regardless of the radon levels and the seller is unwilling to mitigate high levels of radon, there's no point in having a professional test performed ahead of time.  The buyers would be just as well off performing a long-term test on their own after they purchase the house.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections