Photo: tchaffordbasementssystems.com
I grew up in a split-level, the house style that dominated suburbia in the decades immediately following World War II.
The middle floor—the one that “split” the upper and lower levels—was built upon a crawl space. You could get to it from a hole in the wall that was covered by a plywood panel, but as children we rarely ventured through.
When my elderly parents sold the house a few years ago, it fell to me (with some help from my step son) to clean out the space before the new owners moved in, and I was reminded of what a creepy place it was.
Batts of soggy fiberglass insulation hung haphazardly from the joists. Dim light filtered in from vents in the walls. There were some unpleasant signs of rodent activity and what looked like mold covering some of the joists. The damp concrete walls were as bare as when they were poured more than 50 years prior.
In those days, common building practice was to insulate the floor above the crawl space and to leave the crawl space’s wall vents open, so any moisture buildup would vent to the outside—a monumental design flaw, as it turned out.
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- Bio-Blaze Ethanol Fireplaces Burn Virtually Anywhere
Bio-Blaze Ethanol Fireplaces Burn Virtually Anywhere
Veniz ethanol fireplace from Bio-Blaze
Call it the PC-ification of the fireplace.
A company called Bio-Blaze is selling a line of portable, vent-free fireplaces that you can roll into a room or out onto a patio, hang on a wall, or use as a centerpiece. Many designs are available; all are based on a simple concept: the burning of corn-based ethanol.
Because it’s ethanol being burned, these units give off small, cheery, golden flames, but there’s no smoke, soot, or smell. And because the burners are small, Bio-Blaze fireplaces give off little heat.
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Save Money with a Hybrid Furnace
Hybrid systems are comprised of a gas furnace and electric heat pump. Illustration: My Air Today
We had to make so many decisions when we built our new construction home. I didn’t realize it at the time (having never built a home before), but perhaps our most important decision-making centered around the HVAC system.
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