House Myths

(c) 2001 Jim Morrison

Everyone knows heat rises. Actually, everyone says heat rises, but that is an oversimplification. The fact is: heat will travel toward cold in any direction. Relatively warm air is lighter than cold air, and it will rise under the right circumstances. I thought I’d take this opportunity to dispel a few other myths and I’ll start with my all time personal favorite:

Heating systems that burn natural gas are clean and therefore need no servicing. The truth is that there are no mechanical-combustion devices that don’t need servicing, period. My own Dad neglected to have his gas fired boiler serviced for more years than he would admit to and I was there the day it was cleaned. The inside of that boiler looked like it had been burning coal. Most of the gas burning heating systems and water heaters I see are spilling some of the combustion products into the basement. It isn’t because gas is any worse (or better) than other fuels, it’s because people don’t take care of them as well as they should. A gas fired heating system should be thoroughly cleaned and serviced annually. And the same is true for your gas fired water heater.

Doing it yourself saves time and money.

Performing repairs to your own home can be rewarding, but in the vast majority of cases the job would be done better, faster, and factoring in the value of your own time, cheaper to hire a pro. Installing an exterior floodlight, for example, seems like an easy job to some, but do you really think your floodlight will be as safe, or work as well, or last as long as one installed by a good licensed electrician? It won’t. They know the applicable codes, have better tools, and have access to higher quality materials than you’ll find in your local home store, too. Not to say you can’t do it yourself, it’s just that in most cases, it makes good sense to hire it out.

New homes are stronger and better than old homes because they’re built “to Code”.

Let’s begin by understanding just what "The Code" is. The Massachusetts Building Code is a set of minimum standards to which construction is supposed to conform. Simply meeting the requirements of the Building Code is like getting a D- in school. It’s a passing grade, but nothing to brag about. It's the crappiest house you can get away with building. Very few builders exceed the Code requirements anywhere in their structures (often because homebuyers fail to recognize the value in doing so), so most of the new homes being built today are just a 2x4 away from a failing grade. I wrote this column within the confines of my 150+ year old house. I wonder how many homes being built today will be here 150 years hence. I’m willing to bet that most homes built in the 80’s boom won’t be. (You can collect from my heirs if I’m wrong.)

Since the building commissioner signed off on my new house, that means the house is perfect and meets every code requirement?

The city inspector’s job is far bigger than most people realize. If you have some extra time on your hands, you should bake them some brownies and bring them down to the office. These people would love to spend a few hours on every residential structure being built in their jurisdiction, but they don’t have the time or the personnel. I’ll bet most residential homes being built in the Commonwealth have had a municipal inspector in them for fewer than 20 minutes in total. That isn’t enough time to inspect the framing, let alone plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. Truly well built homes exceed the Code requirements, but those are few and far between. Builders are expected to police themselves and some do a better job than others. Don’t assume anything and if you have any questions or doubts, ask the building commissioner or hire a professional inspector.

Old homes are better than new homes. They just don’t build ‘em like they used to.

Walking across my dining room floor will make you reminisce of your schoolyard trampoline. In many ways, it’s a good thing they don’t build ‘em like they used to. Another reason they don’t is because they burned down more frequently in the old days too. Houses are much like the people who live in them. They are similar and unique, organized and disorganized, young and old, some are in better shape than others, but they all have their issues. There are no bad houses, only bad owners. But all things considered, I’ll take an older (pre 1960) home every single time.

Circuitbreakers and better then fuses.

They are more convenient, but not better and certainly not safer. Fuses are safer than circuitbreakers because they have a much lower failure rate. It seems counterintuitive, but go ask your electrician. Fuseboxes come with their own set of issues, but they are inherently safer than circuitbreakers.

Jim Morrison
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