Safety First?

As I mentioned before, I won an Home Energy Audit from the Crunchy Chicken blog.  So I finally got it done last week.  I just received the actual report, which I will post in a few days once I get a chance to fully read it.

After following the guy along during the audit and asking a lot of questions, I found that there were a few things that needed to be done, and soon if we wanted to save some energy during the summer months.  So during my lunch break from work, I headed over to Home Depot to get some sealed (Air Tight) can light fixtures to replace the few that I have that back into the attic, that act like giant sieves.

The Good Wife and boys had gone to King's Dominion for the day, and were staying there all evening to catch the fireworks display.  It's not the 4th yet, but apparently they do it several times during the summer.  That meant that I had uninterrupted time to get a few jobs done around the house.  To the upper bedroom I went, with new can light fixtures in hand.

After playing around with the first one for a little bit, I was able to move the existing fixture out of the way so I could put in my "remodel" version, that allowed me to install it from the room side of the ceiling.  Everything went fairly well.  Then I had to do the next one, which was above the stairs going up to the room.

After a little thought, I figured I could use the extension ladder as a platform to stand on as it straddled the stairs.  Dragging the extension ladder all the way up to the base of the stairs, I found out that I couldn't get it around the corner and up the stairs.  It just wasn't going to fit.  After returning the extension ladder to the garage, I went back up to the bedroom to look at my situation and figure out a solution.

I had a step stool, and a six foot aluminum ladder.  There had to be some way to get up to that light.  A little rearranging of the ladder and stool and...

voila!  I had an aluminum ladder two steps down resting against a step stool that was straddling the top step.  I was able to climb three steps up on the aluminum ladder, my feet at the height of the step stool and get the job done.

From the bottom it looked a bit more ominous.  It worked pretty good and I only had one scare where I was leaning too far to the left, and the ladder made a pivot on that leg and let the right side swivel over and off the step.  A quick freeze play, and a gentle dismount from the ladder did the trick and I was back on solid ground.

The job was finished up with out any further event, and you can tell a noticeable difference in that room already, where there isn't the air pouring in or out through those can lights.  Now you can put your hand up to the light and there is no heat at all.  On the stair light, I even put in an LED bulb that was built into the trim.  It was pricey, but the boys leave that light on all the time.  Now I don't have to stress over it since it will be using so much less energy.

I don't recommend using a ladder in this manner, and if you do, you are doing so at your own risk.  It allowed me to finish the job when there was no one else at home, so I could get onto the next job...installing the new basketball hoop that we bought last Thanksgiving and still had in the garage.  It's not done yet, but will be this weekend!