Homes Plus
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DECEMBER 2015 HOMES PLUS 7 WATER TREATMENT SPECIALISTS WHEN IT COMES TO WATER ONE CALL DOES IT ALL! Water filtration & purification Water conditioning & filtration COMPLETE WELL PUMP & PLUMBING SERVICE Residential • Commercial • Industrial Full Service Interior Remodeling and Additions 262-782-7185 Visit our showroom: Monday-Friday • 9 am- 5 pm DESIGN SELECTION INSTALLATION All Plumbing Repairs & Installation Water Heaters (Standard & Tankless Style) Well & Sump Pumps, Pressure Tanks Drain Cleaning & Emergency Service 20880 W. Enterprise Ave., Brookfield • www.snkpump.com 24 Hr. Emergency Service CALL 262-782-7190 247601022 Dear Jim: We enjoy burning our mason- ry fireplace, but dislike the mess of using firewood. We saw boxes of artificial firel- ogs on sale. Are they a reasonable alterna- tive to firewood and do they pollute more or less? — Sarah J. Dear Sarah: Burning real firewood (called cord wood) can get messy and be a hassle storing and handling the wood. When you buy firewood that is called "split and seasoned," the pieces often are too big to easily get the fire started. Even if you are strong and can swing an axe and a 10-pound maul over your head, it may be difficult to split these pieces. Using artificial firelogs is a reasonable alternative to burning real firewood. Fire- logs have a unique contour on the top of the log to produce realistic-looking flames. The only drawback to using them often and for long periods is the cost will be greater than using real firewood. For the occasional or short two- to three-hour fire, the actual cost difference is not significant. Burning real firewood does create air pol- lution and it is limited in some communi- ties. Firelogs burn significantly cleaner than real firewood producing 85 percent less carbon monoxide, 70 percent less par- ticulate matter and 50 percent less visible smoke. In the past, firelogs were made from saw- dust held together with petroleum waxes. Their heat content comes somewhat from the burning sawdust, but most from the waxes. The sawdust acts like the wick of a candle. These firelogs produce a significant amount of heat per pound. They keep waste sawdust produced at wood mills and woodworking companies from ending up in landfills. Because of interest in the environment and higher costs of waxes today, many fire- logs are now made with less expensive nat- ural vegetable waxes. Since the vegetable waxes are a form of biomass, burning these natural firelogs is almost global warming neutral. An environmentally-friendly type of fire- log, Java-Log, is made from recycled coffee grounds. The coffee odor is not noticeable when they burn. The high heat content of coffee grounds produces 25 percent more heat than standard sawdust firelogs. Their flames are more colorful and bright. Firelogs create less creosote buildup than real firewood in the chimney. Special anti- creosote firelogs are available to use regu- larly to reduce creosote buildup. Saver Sys- tems (www.saversystems.com) makes an anti-creosote spray liquid for wood fires. Use a couple squirts each fire. No-wax, compressed sawdust firelogs and bricks are also available. Since they are 100 percent real wood, they can be burned just like real firewood. They are made by com- pressing waste sawdust which makes the particles to stick together into a solid block. The following companies offer artificial firelogs: Bio-Diversity, 570-884-3057, www.bio-div.com; Duraflame, 209-461-6600, www.duraflame.com; North Idaho Energy Logs, 208-267-5311, www.northidahoenergy- logs.com; and Pine Mountain, 877-402-5185, www.pinemountainfire.com. Dear Jim: We are having a new shingle roof installed this week. I know the attic needs more ventilation. Is it better to install several whirlybird vents or a single ridge vent across the top? — Brian H. Dear Brian: A long ridge vent at the peak of the roof is more effective overall. The whirlybird (turbine) type draws well on windy days, but not as well on still days. A ridge vent also is at roof peak, the hottest part. Since you are having the roof installed, definitely go with the ridge vent. If you are doing the work yourself on an existing roof, several whirlybirds will be easier to install. (Send inquiries to James Dulley, The Free- man, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244, or visit www.dulley.com.) JAMES DULLEY Exploring alternatives to regular firewood James Dulley Java-Log is made of old coffee grounds and natural vegetable waxes. It burns brighter and hotter than sawdust-based firelogs.