Furnace blower makes too much noise
Q: Our home has a 20-year-old furnace that works fine in all respects except one. When the blower is on, the rush of air is terribly loud at the intake grill in the hallway. According to our home inspector, the blower velocity can be changed from high to low speed by simply changing some wires. We're wondering if there are any negative side effects to this solution.
A: The high-speed setting on a furnace blower is generally intended for air conditioning purposes, rather than heating. When the system is operating in heat mode, slower air circulation is recommended. In most cases, the blower speed can be lowered without any adverse effects.
If you check the manufacturer's rating plate on your furnace, you may observe a listing of temperature ranges for each speed setting. For low blower speeds, the range is usually between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This means the temperature of the heated air blowing from the room registers should be 40 to 70 degrees hotter than the air that is drawn through the intake grill. This is something you can check with a thermometer.
However, don't try to adjust the system on your own. Have it checked by a licensed heating contractor to confirm that there are no other problems with the system.
Q: The home I'm buying is located in a new subdivision where all of the houses have clay tile roofs. My home inspector pointed out a roof condition that is different from the other houses in the neighborhood. On those houses, the roof tiles along the eaves have pieces of metal to keep out the birds. On the house I'm buying, this hardware was never installed, and birds have been nesting in some of the open gaps.
When I asked the builder why my roof is not the same as the others, and he said "bird stops," as he calls them, are not required on tile roofs. If this is so, then why do the other houses in the area have them? Should I insist that he add the bird stops?
A: The use of bird stops on tile roof edges is advisable but is not a requirement of the building code. Bird stops have become increasingly popular, but roofing contractors often omit them in order to be competitive in their bids. However, because bird stops are installed on the other new homes in the subdivision, it would be reasonable to insist that the builder have them added to the one you are buying.
Unfortunately, this is not the only way some contractors cut corners on roofing hardware. Another example is the omission of rain gutters. If you check around your neighborhood, you may notice some homes with gutters, some without, and some with partial gutter systems. Installation of all such hardware is not mandatory, but their omission is definitely for the birds.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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