Renee's blog

We've been busy working on the project in Istachatta, Florida. It is keeping us busy. We've rebuilt a bathroom, rescreened a 50' porch, redone the flooring on the porch, reworked a rotted bay window, and replaced some doors. There are two front doors, one upstairs and one downstairs. Replacing these doors was great! We went to the local recycled building supply store and found two fabulous front doors for $100 each. One is solid mahogany. We lovingly refinished the doors and they are beautiful. We are probably going to use an Imperium central vacuum system, made in the USA, that is definitely a green alternative to other central vacuum systems. It's made of all recyclable steel, has an on/of switch at the unit to prevent energy loss from vampire power, and has 100 % recyclable packaging. It's also earned the Rug and Carpet Institute's Indoor Air Quality Seal.

Check out the Imperium CV7700

We bought our second house on the Withalacoochee River in Florida. This is a neat stilt home on about three and half acres. The river frontage is actually wetlands and we rebuilt a 300' dock leading down to the river. We used the old lumber for the foundation of the dock. So far we have torn out the kitchen and the bathrooms, plus we pulled up some nasty carpeting. I am looking for green options as we remodel the place. We sell some very high quality green cleaning products in our business, and I think this is what I am going to use to clean windows, screens, etc. We have a septic tank on the property, but the nearby neighbors just completed building their home and they have composting toilets. When they first told us about them, I thought the process was going to be really yucky, but I was surprised by how clean it really is. I don't think we're going to replace the septic tank, but they were quite interesting. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

We all know that recycling is an essential part of any conservation effort, and that's what green building is all about. But if we are honest, there are a lot of us that have to weigh the benefit of recycling against our own time constraints. There are lots of businesses that recognize this and now offer their customers free recycling. I first noticed this on the Apple website, but then I began to notice many other online companies joining in. If you are replacing an old appliance, look for a company that offers free recycling. They should have a green page on their website where their recycling policy is clearly stated. What seems to be the usual policy is this: if you send them the old appliance they will recycle it for you. This works great for smaller appliances, like toaster ovens, central vacuums, or intercoms where your shipping costs may only run twenty or thirty dollars, but for larger items like stoves and refrigerators check out recyclingcenters.org. They will give you the addresses for all the recycling centers in your area.

Since my son first developed asthma in 1994, indoor air quality has been a crusade of mine. Information has now become readily available for consumers and you can find all kinds of information and products to improve the indoor air quality in your home. I recently spent some time on the website of the American Lung Association, and they have a wealth of information on the topic of indoor air quality. These are their top ten tips for a healthy home:
1) Declare your home a smoke-free zone. Secondhand smoke can cause serious health problems, especially for children. Ask smokers to take it outside.
2) Good ventilation reduces indoor air pollution. Leave doors between rooms open most of the time for better air circulation. Open windows when possible to allow for a good supply of outdoor air. Install exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove moisture and chemicals from the house.
3) Keep humidity levels low with a dehumidifier or air conditioner, as needed. Clean both regularly so they don't become a source of pollutants themselves. Fix all leaks and drips in the home, as standing water and high humidity encourages the growth of mold and other biological pollutants.
4) To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, have all fuel burning appliances inspected by a qualified technician once a year. Install a carbon monoxide detector near your sleeping rooms. 5) To keep dust mites and other allergens to a minimum, clean regularly. Wash bedding materials in hot water (at least 130°). Consider replacing carpet with area rugs that can be taken up and washed often.
6) Fit your gas range with a hood fan that exhausts the air outside. Use the fan or open a window when cooking to remove gas fumes.
7) Check commercial cleaning products and pesticides for toxic ingredients, and use according to manufacturers directions. Keep your home well ventilated when using these products. Consider switching to less toxic alternatives.
8) Test your home for radon. Use a radon test kit labeled "Meets EPA requirements".
9) Never leave a car or lawn mower running in an attached garage or shed. Avoid the use of unvented heaters or charcoal grills indoors.
10) Call you local Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA for more information about avoiding indoor air hazards in the home

The Codding Cottage is a state of the art home located in the historic neighborhood of Laurel Park in downtown Sarasota. According to the website for Josh Wynne Construction (the builder), this home will easily surpass the minimum scores required by USGBC's LEED Platinum for Homes accreditation. They even have a green certifying agent overseeing the project. We are very excited about this home because our company is installing the central vacuum system. Central vacuum systems are an important addition to any green building project, because of their sustainability and positive impact on indoor air quality. A central vacuum system vented to the outside earns 5 LEEDS points.

Just a little continuation of our outside venting discussion. We knew most major manufacturers gave the green light for outside venting...so I spent a little bit of time and went to the websites of some of the better known central vacuum brands. Very quickly I found their endorsements for venting outside. Here is a compilation of all that information. Manufacturers Recommend Venting Outside

Myths I have read online....

* JFK is still alive.

* I can lose 20 lbs. in 5 days.

* If I wake up in a bathtub filled with ice I should not stand up because someone has kidnapped me and stolen my kidney.

But perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have read online recently is this, if you vent your central vacuum system, you risk causing a fire. Like all myths, this one has no basis in fact. We could refute the information point by point, but that seems like a huge waste of time, and I don't think you all want to read that anyway. So we decided to go to the other experts in our field and let you know what they have to say about central vacuum systems and fires.

1. We have made calls to the "Big Four" in the central vacuum industry...Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo to confirm that venting a central vacuum system will not put you at risk for causing a fire in your house. Each and everyone of these companies agreed that venting will not cause a house fire, nor have they ever heard of a fire being caused by venting a central vacuum system.

2. Winston LIndsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing (VacuMaid), referred us to the National Association of Home Builder's "National Green Building Standard" which awards 5 points for central vacuum systems "VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE". I can hardly imagine that the NAHB would recommend venting to the outside if there was a risk of causing a fire.

3. HGTV Pro has an article on Central Vacuum Systems, and this is what they have to say, "High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

If you are installing a central vacuum system and indoor air quality is important to you, venting outside is imperative. Please consider what the experts are saying and do not be confused by myths about central vacuum systems causing fires.

Things I have read online....

* JFK is still alive.

* I can lose 20 lbs. in 5 days.

* If I wake up in a bathtub filled with ice I should not stand up because someone has kidnapped me and stolen my kidney.

But perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have read online recently is this, if you vent your central vacuum system, you risk causing a fire. Like all myths, this one has no basis in fact. We could refute the information point by point, but that seems like a huge waste of time, and I don't think you all want to read that anyway. So we decided to go to the other experts in our field and let you know what they have to say about central vacuum systems and fires.

!. We have made calls to the "Big Four" in the central vacuum industry...Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo to confirm that venting a central vacuum system will not put you at risk for causing a fire in your house. Each and everyone of these companies agreed that venting will not cause a house fire, nor have they ever heard of a fire being caused by venting a central vacuum system.

2. Winston LIndsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing (VacuMaid), referred us to the National Association of Home Builder's "National Green Building Standard" which awards 5 points for central vacuum systems "VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE". I can hardly imagine that the NAHB would recommend venting to the outside if there was a risk of causing a fire.

3. HGTV Pro has an article on Central Vacuum Systems, and this is what they have to say, "High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

If you are installing a central vacuum system and indoor air quality is important to you, venting outside is imperative. Please consider what the experts are saying and do not be confused by myths about central vacuum systems causing fires.

I usually talk about the indoor air benefits of central vacuum systems, which makes them ideal for green building. Lately, the idea of sustainability has caught my attention...it is not strictly about environmental issues, but that is definitely a part of it. Sustainability is about meeting human needs while preserving the environment so that those needs can continue to be met in the future. This is why central vacuum systems are without a doubt a great contribution to a building project developed around sustainability. A central vacuum system made of steel, means the materials are recyclable...if it has the Lamb Ametek motor with a carbon brush interrupter then the motor will last longer, which reduces the use of raw materials....and because central vacuum systems do last considerably longer than portable vacuum cleaners, again, raw materials are conserved.

Central vacuum accessories and parts are a bit more challenging when sustainability is the goal. Purchasing a cyclonic central vacuum system without bags or filters is a good place to start because you will have no paper bags or filters, thus reducing the impact on the environment. A powerhead with a cogged belt that shuts off when the brush gets jammed will mean you don't have to replace your powerhead as often, another raw material savings. Unfortunately tools with brushes wear out. There are some tools for floors, dusting, and upholstery that allow you to remove the bristles. Imperium makes an upholstery tool with slide on bristles. If you remove the bristles the tool would last for years and years...usually it is the bristles that wear out.

Just some thoughts on central vacuum systems and sustainability.

If you are looking for a vacuum cleaner and Indoor Air Quality is important to you, there are some things you need to consider. I ran across an article in HGTVpro.com under their "Best Practices" tab. It some great information about why you should consider a central vacuum system instead of a portable vacuum cleaner.

"Poor IAQ can lead to asthma issues, allergy complications, dizziness, fever, headaches, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. While many homeowners might think their home looks clean and healthy, what they can't see could be hurting them. Conventional vacuum cleaners, even units with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, can stir up and circulate dirt, dust, pet dander, and other potentially dangerous allergens around the room, making them more difficult to remove".

The article goes on to discuss the advantages of a central vacuum system and why you should ask your builder to install one. As you read further, they let you know a central vacuum system is easy to install, and this is true. So, consider, if you are relatively handy, installing one yourself. Most people don't know that they can install a central vacuum system in an existing home.

If you do install a central vacuum system to improve the Indoor Air Quality in your home, the article brings up one other very good point about venting your central vacuum system. For years we have been advising customers to vent their central vacuum systems outside, if it is at all possible. Initially, this advice was born out of our own experience. You see, when my husband and I were first married we owned a beautiful Irish Setter named Rusty. He was a marvelous dog, but he had a very distinctive dog odor. At that time we had a central vacuum that was not vented outside, and so the exhaust was vented back into our garage. Every time we turned on the central vacuum, if you were in the garage, you would smell Rusty. My husband likes to say, even after Rusty went to doggy heaven, he was still with us, all we had to do was turn on the vacuum. After Rusty,we owned a Labrador Retriever and another Irish Setter (both smelly dogs) but we vented our central vacuum outside so the smell was gone. This is why we began recommending outside venting for central vacuum systems. We knew if the odor was vented back into the garage, other unhealthy particles were also coming out of the exhaust.

Of course we know there are always exceptions and sometimes venting outside is not the best choice, but we also know the advantages are undeniable. HGTVpro agrees with us:

"High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

Read the HGTVpro article