Fire Extinguisher Install

Installing the fire extinguisher was really easy. It is an extremely comforting feeling knowing you are have plan in place in case something happens.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Today we installed our carbon monoxide detector in our basement. 

Carbon monoxide (CO), also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal biological functions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide


Sadly
Carbon Monoxide Statistics:

Carbon monoxide (CO) is the number one cause of poisoning deaths in the United States. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, "there are approximately 2,100 unintentional deaths from carbon monoxide (CO) every year in the U.S. and the use of CO Alarms could potentially prevent many of these fatalities." In addition, more than 10,000 CO injuries occur annually from this colorless, odorless and tasteless poison.

http://healthandenergy.com/carbon_monoxide_poisoning.htm


We installed this one:

This First Alert Plug-in Carbon Monoxide Alarm has a battery operated backup. It easily plugs into any standard outlet with no additional mounting necessary. Battery operated backup ensures alarm works even during power outages. Mute button silences any nuisance alarms. Single button also tests alarm functions. Utilizes electrochemical sensor for increased accuracy. 7-year limited warranty. Meets UL standards.

It was really easy to install. I simply inserted the back up batteries and plugged it in. Easiest safety device we have ever installed.

 

Air Infiltration

Continuing our quest to stop the cold air drafts. This post we started placing plastic over the windows. In the store they sell the really clear plastic where if you do a great job of installing you don't even know it is there. Well because of our son 

I decided to go for a 4 mil plastic. It is much thicker and when my son grabs it I hope much less likely to tear.

You can purchase the same double side sticky tape. One word of caution is to make sure your walls are clean. If your tape doesn't stick this is all for naught. You can make an alcohol wipe to clean your walls.

Choose your window, measure a couple inches past the frame to allow the plastic to fully cover the window.  Measure your plastic. Cut and apply to wall. Really simple. Effective and Ugly.

The only good thing about this is that last week we had a contractor on site measuring to install new windows. They are currently on order. So hopefully by Christmas or the 1st of the year we will have all new windows throughout the entire house.

Master Bedroom Insulation

With old man winter just around the corner we are sealing air gaps and installing insulation. Currently our heat is set to around 75 degrees F. I know we should lower it but our ancestors are from Africa.

There are quite a few ways to discover air gaps around your house.

First just turn off all the lights in the house around noon and just look for light coming in.

Another way is to light an incense and slowly go around your house. Anywhere there is a draft the smoke will bend and you know you have a problem there.

Finally, you can use mother nature. Spiders generally build their spider webs where there is a draft. So next time you see cobwebs in a corner pull out a infrared thermometer to see if there is a difference. You would be surprised how accurate this method is.


And below is just a picture of some insulation we added to the master bedroom.