Making resolutions for the new year is easy but sticking with them isn't so easy.  Again this year one of my resolutions was to get rid of stuff that I don't need.  I have been making at least one trip a week to the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store on West 7th street and have been dropping off a few items each time.

This week in addition to some coffee mugs and kitchen utensils I dropped off a bunch of ethernet cables, a hundred miles of phone cable and a grip of USB cables.   They will be sold for twenty five cents each.  

I took the picture before I found several more cables but you get the idea.  Some were in the original  wrapper because every time I buy a new USB device a cable is included.  I am not sure where all the phone cable came from.  I saved one ethernet cable and a phone cable just in case and I still have more USB cables than USB ports even though I have a seven port hub. 

cords and cables

One of the disadvantages of having a home office is that it is super easy to accumulate stuff.  

Also see Out with the old and in with the new

Only in Minnesota do we include photos of the new furnace when we list a home for sale.  The weather has been wonderful these past few days but we know we are living on borrowed time and today is the first day of winter. 

I wrote this post in 2008 and it continues to get traffic during the colder months when Minnesotans have to deal with the cold and the beast in the basement.  

Like a trip back in time.  I found these furnaces in some of the homes for sale.  I encounter a few  each year, usually in the older neighborhoods near downtown St. Paul. 

Some people call them octopus furnaces because of the way the heat ducts take up the whole basement.  They are called gravity furnaces. The unit in the first picture burns heating oil. Most of the gravity furnaces were converted to burn natural gas when the prices of heating oil went through the roof in the mid 70's. For those who are too young to rememebr the oil tank was in the basement and a truck came by on a regular basis and filled the tank.  In the 70's there were price increases and a shortage. The trucks stopped coming on a regular basis and it got cold.  

The gravity furnace is like a forced air furnace except with out the force.  The air is heated, the hot air rises up through the duct work. These furnaces last forever but are often replaced because they are not energy efficient as forced air funaces and they take up a lot of real estate in the basement.   The large asbestos wrapped duct work makes home owners a bit nervous.   Handling and removing the asbestos is best left to a professional and cost a couple thousand dollars.

The pictures were taken with my phone and I have quite a collection but these are my favorites.  The furnace in the middle was particularly frightening.

If you live in the city of St. Paul and need a new furnace we still have the city fix up fund. There are income restrictions .

faucet

This is probably mostly for new homeowners or for people who are new to Minnesota. 

It is time to turn off the water to the outdoor faucets.  Disconnect the hoses and put them away.  

Easy to do:

1.  Turn off the water from the inside of the house. 

2.  open the spigot on the outside.  

What happens if you don't turn the water off?  Pipes can freeze and faucets can be destroyed by ice.  

Here we go with the winterize your vacant home 2011 edition.  This nice warm fall is bound to end one day. 

October 15th is considered the beginning of the heating season here in the Twin Cities.  If you home is vacant you need to either winterize it your self or hire a pro. The water needs to be turned off and the pipes drained.  Most people can do this themselves by turning off the water and turning on the faucets. Don't forget to drain the toilets. The water heater needs to be drained and that isn't that hard to do either it has a valve on it.  There should also be a valve to shut off the gas to it.

Boilers are another matter.  The water should be drained and I have a forced air unit so I don't know much about boilers. If you use a company to inspect and repair your boiler call them.

Even if the heat is left on your home still needs to be winterized.  If the furnace stops running and the pipes freeze trust me the home will be destroyed.  I have seen how a home looks after a few pipes have burst and it isn't a pretty picture. 

**Bonus tip**

If your home is going to be vacant do not forget to let your insurance company know because if you have a claim and they find out it is vacant they may not pay out.  Insurance companies are all about collecting premiums not paying claims. 

smoke detector

The Saint Paul Fire Department is trying to get the word out about project safe haven

The Saint Paul Fire Department invites homeowners to take part in "Project Safe Haven". Those interested will receive a safety checklist and a short form to fill out when completed. When finished, contact us and firefighters will make a courtesy visit to your home to make sure your smoke alarms work.

If needed, they will install a free smoke alarm and/or a digital carbon monoxide detector. The program is FREE and open to Saint Paul owner-occupied single family homes including townhomes and condos.

Call 651-228-6273

Topiary 

Barbed wire 

These pictures may not have been taken in Minnesota but I am using them to illustrate a point.  Landscaping makes a huge difference and is the only home improvement that I can think of that can give up to a 1000% return on the dollar.  For homeowners who plan on selling during the warmer months some hanging baskets, a freshly mowed lawn and carefully trimmed hedges can help your home sell faster and for more money. 

Low maintenance landscaping is best.  Home buyers are sometimes put off by elaborate gardens that they may not have the time, interest or experience to maintain.  The bushes in the top picture are maintained by the gardener which is also an option.  If you need some landscaping advice start at your local neighborhood garden center.   

 
ice dam

If you have not had water leaking into your home yet this winter consider yourself lucky.  Many of us have been plagued by ice dams and roof leaks. They are worse than ever this year because of the heavy snow we got in December that never melted, and is mostly still sitting on the roof.   We started taking on water on Christmas day and have been having problems ever since.  We have lived in the same house for many years and have never had problems with a leaky roof.   

Last week we had an ice dam and some snow removed from one of the roofs.  It stopped the water from coming in but not before a window and a ceiling were damaged. 

The dams are caused by melting snow on the roof and heat leaking out from the house.   The water pools on the roof because the ice dam prevents it from rolling off the roof . . hence the term 'dam'.  It does not matter how new your roof is you can still take on water.

Having ice dams removed costs between $300 and $500 dollars an hour.  Companies that offer ice dam removal are very busy and some are hiring additional help.  

The safest way to have them removed is by using steam.  There don't seem to be any snow rakes left in the Twin Cites. If there were I would also recommend using one to remove snow from the roof to prevent ice dams from forming.  It isn't just snow on the roof that causes ice dams.  The University of Minnesota Extension web site has some great information about what causes ice dams and how to prevent them.