Hi All! Wick here. It looks like I play the banjo but I don’t. I just know that one strum and do it forever. This reminds me of house terms. I hear a lot of people use house terms like they know them but they don’t. I’ve labeled this common ailment “mishouseanunciation”. Today let’s look at the most commonly misused house terms!

Let’s talk electrical:

“220.  221. Whatever it takes.” Be the first person to let us know what movie this classic phrase was first uttered and win a prize! There are 2 types of systems that provide electrical power inside your home. 220 volts and 110 volts. 110 volt system is a safer way to deliver electricity because it has half the voltage running through it. You appreciate that fact when you accidentally electrocute yourself installing a gfi outlet. Larger appliances like your water heater or dryer run on 220 volts which typically need double the power.  

Fuses vs breakers. Fuses are older style safety devices found in a fuse box. They are one time use. If a power surge happens the fuse blows (just like the fuses in your car) which protects the house but you then need to install a new one.  A breaker on the other hand (found in a breaker panel) can be used multiple times.  

Let’s chat chimneys:

The firebox is where you put the wood and make a fire. The hearth is what you make the fire on top of. The flue is the channel from the fire box to the top of the chimney where the smoke escapes. The damper is the small door you can open and close to allow smoke to exhaust out or close it off to keep the cold out when not in use. For example my chimney has 2 flues. One for my fireplace and an older one that was used to exhaust an oil furnace. My fireplace flue has a damper on it. The flue for my old oil furnace does not because it’s not needed.

Lastly: 

Let’s talk framing.  Headers,  joists (roof and floor), collar ties and rafters.  

Headers span an opening. They are a single beam or a sandwich of 2 2x’s of differing widths (maybe 2×8’s or 2×10’s) that span an opening. Found over openings like this or doors or windows. Headers allow the opening to exist.

Floor joists are the boards going across the floor that make the floor and support the wood floor or tile floor that’s on top of it.  Ceiling joists are the same but for the ceiling. They hold the drywall up.

Rafters are pretty much like joists but they specifically are the sloped pieces of wood that hold up the roof shingles.  

Lastly, collar ties are the shorter pieces of wood that connect one rafter to another rafter providing support to the roof to keep it from collapsing in on itself.  Ceiling joists help with this effect as well.

That’s it! Now you too can walk around your house, pulling up your pants every so often and start throwing around house terms.

I hope this was helpful! As always if you know anyone wanting to buy or sell a house please let us know! We would love to help them out:)

Thanks for watching!!