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When fall actually started!
A whole month of rain! Record high mold levels! General dreariness... Then a gorgeous fall day and lovely evening at the river. #misc

Paul Cummins
Sep 29, 20181 min read


Make anything less squeaky, without the oily drip!
I use this on stiff windows, reluctant sliding doors and those spring-loaded steel balls used to keep doors closed. Click on image for...

Paul Cummins
Sep 7, 20181 min read


This house would make for an interesting inspection!
I've seen dog, cat, burrower bee, ant, termite, wood pecker, racoon, squirrel, mice and rat damage but no beaver dams yet! Be sure to...

Paul Cummins
Sep 5, 20181 min read


Drying without Kinks or Danger
Whenever you move into a new place I recommend you replace the dryer vent pipe. It is supposed to be cleaned every six months but people...

Paul Cummins
Aug 29, 20181 min read


Don't waste money on expensive disposable air filters for your furnace!
The filters on your furnace are not there for human health--they are there to prevent relatively large particles from clogging your heat...

Paul Cummins
Aug 28, 20181 min read


Tankless need regular descaling!
I have seen these installed above washer/dryers where they can't be reached for maintenance. They can last for 20 years. Imagine how...

Paul Cummins
Aug 15, 20181 min read


Fill those cracks in your concrete driveway!
This shows a repair to a damaged well cover in my yard. With Niefarg, which sounds like a disease you don't want. Click on image for link. #concrete

Paul Cummins
Jul 27, 20181 min read


Can save you from a moldy attic!
This switch senses humidity and turns on the bathroom fan automatically! Good for basement and top floor bathrooms. If moisture doesn't...

Paul Cummins
Jul 24, 20181 min read


The Sun's Power!
93,000,000 miles a way, a billionth of it's energy hitting the day side of earth, and yet it's mere glancing reflection off a window can...

Paul Cummins
Jul 23, 20181 min read


Heat Recovery System for Good Air
Just did my second house with a fuel oil leak. Felt loopy after just about 20 minutes in the utility room. If the leak went through the...

Paul Cummins
Jul 20, 20181 min read


Save money with easy duct insulation!
Have been in some cold crawlspaces and utility rooms during these hot days. This double reflective attic insulation is clean, easy to...

Paul Cummins
Jul 14, 20181 min read


HVAC Repair or Replace?
This time of year it takes me all evening to re-hydrate after a couple of attics. Thank goodness for a working air conditioner at home! ...

Paul Cummins
Jul 8, 20182 min read


Baffled by Lack of Ventilation
The current solution to preventing mold in attics is very low tech: vents along the soffits and a ridge vent. Here's what soffit vents...

Paul Cummins
Jul 7, 20182 min read


Moldy, damp walls in basement or crawlspace!
Unfortunately fixing this is not easy. The walls need to be cleaned of grime and efflorescence (the white build up of salts leaching...

Paul Cummins
Jul 7, 20181 min read


Save Water! No more bothersome flappers!
Replace your old toilet innards with this new dual-flush water saver system for siphon toilets in about 15 minutes—the hard part is...

Paul Cummins
Jul 6, 20181 min read


A dryer vent to be proud of!
Give up on those ugly, plastic dryer vents, that clog easily and rats can chew through (Yes it happened to me... rats died in bathroom...

Paul Cummins
Jul 5, 20181 min read


Moss on a roof is quaint but makes it deteriorate sooner.
So will pressure washing your asphalt shingles! Round -up will not kill moss...something to do with being the first land plant. A...

Paul Cummins
Jul 1, 20181 min read


Water heater safety isn't that simple.
Although a water heater tank is basically an overgrown Thermos bottle, we inspectors see common installation issues that can...

Paul Cummins
May 24, 20182 min read


That Ol' Asphalt Driveway...
It can be resealed yourself but requires careful preparation, the right materials and one or two fine days. Also, if the driveway is a...

Paul Cummins
May 21, 20181 min read


Security film beats bars any day...
This photo shows security film on a bathroom window. Before the invention of the film the glass within 18 inches of the floor, or over...

Paul Cummins
May 9, 20181 min read
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