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Orono Weekly TMmes, Wedneday ue9, 1~993 t. SALLY STAPLES associate broker 623-6000 S 1 24 hour pager REIMAX CORNERSTONE REALTY LTD., REALTOR gOO ~ Exclusive 701d Bowmanville" Area $259 ~ Executive Home on 10 Acres Huge Private Yard - Bowmanville Commercial Store-front - Orono THE ONE RAL ESTATEcOMPANY WEESTSATON1 NTEHUE About fluorescent bulbs: For background and general, lighting, the ultimate energy-sav- ing light bulbs are fluorescent ones. The most famniliar type'is the standard fluorescent bulb, consist- ing of a single glass tube with metal prongs at the ends. These bulbs are usually straight, but one variety is circu- lar; its prongs are situated where the ends of the tube meet. The cost, of standard fluores- cent bulbs i s generall1y abou t three times that of ordinary incandes- cent bulbs having the samie watt- age. Fluorescent builbs, however, typically produce six to 10 times as much ligyht and last 13 times as long, lbased on comparing a stan- dard 40-watt incandescent bulb with a 40-watt fluorescent one. T'he chief reason that fluores- cent bulbs last longer is that, un- like incandescent bulbs, they have no filament. Fluorescent light is produced when electricitW, ner- gizes particles called phj.)phors which coat the inside of the tube, ENTIRE LENGTII, Because fluorescent light is emitted along the-entire length of the bulb rather than from a single point, as with incandescent bulbs, its Most effective use is where diffused rather than focused light- ing is needed. Good locations for standard fluorescent lighting are overhead (cnclosed in fixtureswith or with- out shades, called diffusers) and near the upper corners of walls. in the' latter location, suffi ts strips of finished wallboard or panel ing -can bceînounited paraI ]ei to the bulbs to hide thern whcn viewed head 011. 1By leaving the space above or below the bulbopen, or by install ing ad(ifI user, I it caii be directcd on t<) the ceiling or 'walls Io) softly illumîina te large areas. Another good location for stan- (lard f luorescent lights is bcîicath kitcheri cabinets. Siall i xtiîrcs with short hulbs 1<) (o 11S niches long are availIahI cfor thîs as k. (I silig (i clie I< i ltiiiiale c(tmili tops greatl yreduces the amounit of overhead lighting needed for that purpose. Thie Jack of a filament also miakes fluorescent bulbs resistant to vibration and roughi handling, which are hazards to miost incan- descent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are therefore also a good choice for workshops, basements and garages. l But most fluorescent lights do not operate well at low tempera- turcs. If you plan to instaîl a fluo- rescent bulb where temperatfurës may drop below 50 degrees F, choose one designed for the tem- peratures likely to beencounitered. Fixtures for fluorescent bulbs must also be designed for cold temperatures; select o ne' whose ballast (a voltage-regulating de- vice found on aIl fluorescent bulbs) is rat ed for the saielem- peratures as the bulb. The quality of light produced by a fluorescent bulb depends largely on its phosphors. Standard phosphors enîil lighit [rom relatively few areas of' the spectrum. As a result, fluorescent light is often criticized as harsh, cold and poor in rendering colors. In fact, most standard fluores- cent hnlhs deliver lîght [bat is propcrly termied "cool" anI whicli dulîs reds, imparting a bluish tinti to whites and greens. These bulbs are called cool-white. Tbey are most appropriate for daytime use to suùpplement natural light. LONG EST LIFE To get the longest life lror al fluorescent bulbs and at the saine tinesave themost inienergycosts, use thenri where leaving [hein on for a few hours al a time is justi- fied. Turning fluorescent-l ights on and off at fréquent intervals short- ens their lir'e. But silice the cost of replacing a preinaturely failcd bnlb is less ilian thle cost of, tle cleci icît y used to operate il un- ncecessarily, il inakes sense to turiî tlle liglîts of-l I whcn ttcy aie îlot iiecded evi f onI y loi a le w (SOP) An annual roof inspection serves a number of purposes. There's routine maintenance to be performed, areas where problems are likely-to develop should be checked, spot inspections should be performed after severe storms and a regular inspection for roofs that are older than three years should be down to make sure that everything is in good working order. For sloped and flat roofs, the tîrst item of routine main tenance is to make sure thatwater drainage systems, eavestroughs and downs- pouts on a sloped roof, and the central drain on a flat roof, are in good working order. This means that they should be cleaned regu- larlyof leaves, twigsoranyanimal débris that may block draining water. PRO i t',CT DRAIN On a il ' t roof, the central drain ~h 0uld also be protected by a wire asket [o prevent debris from l'locking the passage of water., Plumbing vents and roof venti- lainunits should be chccked to make sure they are not allowing water into the roof cavity or have dctriorated. If the units appeaï to be rusting, they should bc cleaned with a steel brush and pailited uis- ing a specially fornmulated anti- rust coating. On a slopcd roof, the downs- pout should.travel to the ground and direct the water away from the founidation walls.- Water that pools around the founidation wilI gradu- ally erode the earth from under the foundation walls and can lead to severe structural damage. As well, pooling -water cati also result in danîp basements. For these rea- sonrs, sorie, authorities recom- niiend that downspouts be voided imto a drywell some 7 metre s away fromn the side of the building. A peaked roof can generally be exainred by standing farcien ough away [rom the building so that YOLI cani check the roofing mnaterial with a pairol ox)vcrfI iîours ('ai eshouîd bc taken to, examine all sîdCs. SLATE HAS LONG LIFESPAN If the roofing material is slate, check to see if any pieces are miss- ing. This usually indicates that nails used to attach the slate to the roof have rusted through and if this is the case then more nails will be in the process of rusting and a fair amount of repair work will have to be donc. The lifespani of a slate roof is longer thian that of the metal flash- ing, usuall1y cQpper, that is used to join disparate roofing elements together, such as the joint between two sections of a roof or where the chimney comes through the roof. For this reason, be closely ex- amined from time to time. If any deterioration is encountered, a roofer experienced with both slate and copper should be called in. Asphalt shingles should bc examined to make sure that there is an adequate granular coating on the surface and that the lines of the shingles are relatively flat. The granular coating prevents the sun's harmful ultraviolet ra- diation from causing the shingle to deteriorate. When the granular coating begins to wear off, it's time to consider a reroofing job. .Other signs pointing to asphaît shingle degradation are curling or warping shingles, also called cup- ping. This occurs when the adhe- sive tabs holding down the. shingles lose their ability to grip. Slopedroofs should also be in- spected to make sure that the roof decking, the wooden surface to which roofing material is attached, is not warped or wavy, the result of inadequate roof ventilation or perhaps poor construction. REDIUCEe RECYCLE Annual roof inspection Caft me to -buy or sell .. Orono and area s real estate rep. Res: 983-9782 Tel: 576-3l11 Wonderfulyear-round home on Rice Lake, ào- 1 1 -------------- =