Monday, August 18, 2008

3 long days of home repairs

Just finished three very long days of home repairs.
I believe everything cost about $2700, which includes:

1. Two new Whirlpool eSmart gas powered 50 gallon water heaters
2. Cleaned and repaired gutters
3. Repaired exhaust flus for several appliances (stoves, dryer, etc...)
4. Repainted two ceilings, removing water marks and other stains
5. Installed mesh covers over critical areas of gutters to prevent further over flow and leaf build up
6. Repainted eaves of house
7. Fixed leaking skylight
8. Recaulced second floor windows to prevent drafting and water penetration
9. Installed towel bars in powder room
10. Installed new fan in master bathroom

Actually the new fan is incredibly silent. It's quite expensive as fans go - About $160, however, it's so quiet it's hard to tell if it's working. I've always had a problem not being able to hear my wife talk while I'm in the shower. Very frustrating when you're trying to coordinate busy schedules in the AM.


I learned a few things about hot water heaters:

1. buy the 12 month warrantee heaters - they have extra insulation and superior quality - they don't need a thermal blanket
2. they seem virtually identical except the e-smart from lowes which has a slightly higher efficiency factor 0.61 vs. 0.57
3. make sure you have enough room to ventelate the heater if you're using it in a tight space
4. my whirlpool and i imagine other water heaters has a special metal element that should be changed every three years. I believe it manages water hardness.
5. The eSmart line communicates by blinking, which sucks, but no one else provides an lcd interface
6. You probably don't need your water heated to 120 degrees, which will burn skin in 5 minutes.

I'm pretty pleased with the work that was done.

I estimate about $1400 on supplies and materials and $1300 on labor. Not bad for 3 days work. What do you think?

Regards,
makingourway

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