For the last 4 years and through last weekend, we’ve been clearing snow off our driveway and walkways with the Toro CCR 3650 Single Stage Snowblower.

We inherited this blower with the house (the previous owners were Georgia-bound) and we’re happy to say that overall, it’s performed well through most everything mother nature has thrown at it.

Toro stopped selling this model blower a few years ago and replaced it with the Power Clear 221. While our version has most every feature of the newer model, one notable difference is the plowing width. Our unit features a 18″ width while the newer model sports a 21″ width.

Read on for our thoughts on Toro’s snow blowing machine…

Toro CCR 3650 Snowblower Highlights

The Highs: reliable performance for more than 5 years; electric and pull start; good gas mileage; works great on powdery and even wet snows up to 14 inches tall.

The Lows: self-propulsion is merely adequate; won’t move slush no matter how little; can make a terrible squeaking noise when the load exceeds the blower’s capacity (either through height or density of the snow). Price is too high for a medium duty machine.

The Verdict: A good machine, but for the same money we’d get a self-propelled Craftsman Snowblower or comparable model instead.

Toro CCR 3650 Feature Review

14.5″ Snow Height Capacity, 21″ Width – The Toro features a 14.5″ x 19″ mouth and effectively drives through up to about 14 inches of snow. Any more than 14 inches and the blower quickly becomes overwhelmed and the paddle will begin to slip around the drive axle (causing a terrible squeaking noise). We’ve had some fear that the blower would show degraded performance over time but either it hasn’t happened, or the degradation has been so slow we haven’t noticed.

Self-Propulsion – Toro claims this unit and its successor are self propelled because the snow throwing paddle makes repeated contact with the ground, pulling the unit forward. While this is true, it isn’t nearly as effective as a truly self-propelled machine. We’re partial to machines where the wheels or treads turn independent of an auger drive.

Electric Start – We consider this a must have on any snowblower we’d own. The Toro starts like any typical two-stroke engine. Follow gas mixture, priming and choking instructions and this blower starts up every time. The electric start has worked flawlessly since we’ve owned this unit.

Wheels – 7″ hard plastic wheels sit on each side of a single rear axle on the CCR 3650. We’d like to see more substantial wheels on this model to assist with traversing the snow (10″ or larger). That said, the wheels have worked without a problem and more or less don’t get in the way.

Shoot Directional Control – It’s not shown on the stock photo to the right (it is on the photo at the top), but our model and the Power Clear 221 feature a directional shoot control that can be turned while standing at the rear of the blower. We’ve come to expect these on modern snowblowers and the Toro’s worked as expected, with a 190 degree swivel range.

Fold-up / Storage - One advantage the Toro CCR 2650 has over it’s larger competitors is storage and transport capability. The handle collapses more than 18″ enabling storage in under a total of 40″ of space. The Toro can easily be tucked away under a garage shelf for the bulk of the year when its services aren’t needed. At about 75 lbs., this blower can be easily toted in the trunk of a car or van, more than you could say for its bulkier 2-stage competition.

Toro CCR 2650 Performance Review

Performance – With minor exceptions, the Toro CCR 3650 performs as advertised, moving up to 14″ of snow quickly and easily with all but the wettest of snows.

The 30′ throw distance is a bit misleading, but this is true for many snowblowers. We think manufacturers conjure up the best possible circumstances for measuring the throw on their blowers. Perhaps Toro was testing the blower on unpacked powder with a 10 knot headwind. Expect a 10′ - 20′ throw distance for most snows, and as short as 6′ for tall, wet snow.

Longevity - This Toro snowblower has been in operation for more than 5 years without a hitch. Here in MD, I’d say we use the blower on average about 3 times per year for a total of 12 hours of runtime each year. We’d guess this usage is about average for the typical homeowner in the non-mountainous areas of the mid-Atlantic region.

Maintenance – The Toro CCR 3650 features a two-stroke engine that uses a gas oil mixture. We’ve never changed the air filter or the spark plug on this unit (they are overdue – it’s a project for next Spring). We’re happy that our lack of diligence in this area hasn’t hampered the unit’s performance.

Price & Recommendation

Toro’s MSRP is a whopping $679.00 for the PowerClear 221Q. Expect street prices around $599.00 – $649.00. (For example, Home Depot sells this model for $619.00).

Toro needs to drop the price about $200 to be competitive. At this price point, we’d recommend purchasing a 2-stage heavy duty snowblower (like this Craftsman Snowblower we reviewed last month). The only exception to this recommendation would be if portability and light weight are important factors in your decision.

What do you think? Do you own the Toro CCR 3650 or the Power Clear 221? Weigh in with your thoughts on this model below.

Where to Purchase Multi-Max Accessories

The price of a Multi-Max accessory ranges from about $5- $35. That means you can quickly spend a fair amount of money before you even get started. If you’re looking to purchase Multi-Max accessories and save money, you’re first stop should be a quick look online. After that, Home Depot beats out Lowes on most prices.
Here’s a quick comparison:

The real savings occur when you purchase accessories as a pack. Online, Home Depot and Lowes don’t feature any accessory packs but Amazon has tons of them. Here’s the link:

• Multi-Max Accessory Packs

Multi-Max Accessory Guide

Sanding
For sanding, you need to first attach the Hook & Look pad attachment. All the sanding pads attach to it. There’s sanding paper for wood features 60, 120, and 240 grit pads. There’s also sanding paper for removing paint and varnish. These pads come in 80, 120 and 240 grits.

Item numbers: Hook & Look- MM11, Wood sanding- MM70W, Paint sanding- MM70P

Cutting
There are 6 different cutting accessories. Depending on the blade, you can cut wood, metal, plastic and other soft materials. The longest blades can cut to 1-1/4″ depths. There is one saw blade style (semi-circle) while the rest are flush cut style. These blades are ideal for cutting dowels, door jambs, copper pipe, drywall cutouts and more.

Item numbers: 3/8″ wood- MM411, 3/4″ wood & metal- MM422, 3/4″ wood- MM440, 3″ saw blade- MM450, 1-1/8″ wood & metal- MM462, 1-1/8″wood- MM63

Grout Removal
There are two different carbide grout removal blades- 1/8″ and 1/16″. Pick up the blade appropriate for the width of your grout joints. These make it easy to work on floor tile, wall tile and kitchen back-splashes.

Item numbers: 1/8″ blade- MM500, 1/16″ blade- MM501

Scraping
There are two scraper attachments. The rigid scraper (1-9/16″ wide) is ideal for vinyl, varnish, paint and carpet. The flexible scraper is 1-3/16″ wide and great for removing caulk, peeling paint and adhesive.

Item numbers: Rigid scraper- MM600, Flexible scraper- MM610

Grinding
The diamond paper is 60 grit and also requires the hook & look pad attachment. It can be used for removing thinset, cement and mortar. The carbide rasp is a stand-alone attachment. It’s 24 grit and can be used on thinset, cement, plaster and wood.

Item numbers: Diamond paper- MM900, Carbide rasp- MM920

I love snow days. The best part is that they completely cancel just about all plans giving me a day without obligation. And, in my opinion, the best way to spend those free days is playing games with friends. That’s exactly what we did last night. We played a few different games but the best game was definitely Liar’s Dice!!

Liar’s Dice

Liar’s Dice is a game of probability and deception! You can play with 2+ people (the more, the better) and there isn’t much to setup. Pass out 5 dice and a cup to each player. You may recognize this game from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Here’s how to play:

Liar’s Dice Gameplay

• Put your dice in the cup and shake them up. Caste your dice in front of you so that no one else can see them.
• Take a peek at your dice and the first player begins the bidding. Each bid is for the total amount of a certain number present. For example, you can bid “four 5s,” meaning you think that there are at least four dice on the table with a value of 5. The challenge is that your are bidding on everybody’s dice, not just your own.
• The next player (on the left) has a choice.
  • Raise
    A raise is done by upping the quantity or value. For example, to raise “four 5s”, I’d could call “four 6s” or “five 1s, 2s, 3s, etc.” or even higher.
  • Call liar
    If you don’t think the bid is accurate, call them a liar. Everybody reveals their dice and you find out the the truth.
• Keep going around in a circle, raising the bid, until someone calls liar. After the dice are revealed, the person who was wrong (bidder or caller) loses a die.
• This continues until only one person remains.

Your Take: Favorite Snow Day Activity

So what’s your favorite way to make through a snow day? Do you watch movies? play games? go sledding? build a fire? Do you have any snow-day traditions?

Foam Insulation

Insulating outlets and switches is not that different from insulating a basement. You want to achieve a continuous envelope that prevents air leaks. Foam pads and fiberglass are better than nothing, but can’t compete with spray foam insulation. Foam has the advantage of expanding to fill all the gaps around adjacent objects.

We have some great posts about spray foam. Check out our basement insulation video and spray foam R-values to learn more.

Seal Air Leaks with DAPtex Plus

For this project, DAPtex Plus is exactly what you want to use. It can be used around windows, doors, ducts, pipes, and more. This latex foam comes in a pressurized can with a straw that attaches to the nozzle. The straw enables you to foam tight spaces like the outside perimeter of electrical receptacles. DAP was kind enough to send me a sample to better insulate my home.

How to Insulate Electric Outlets / Receptacles

Please note: under no circumstance is latex foam to be applied in the interior of an electrical switch, outlet box or any other electrical fixture/device.

Exterior Wall
Begin by locating outlets, switches and other electric fixtures that are mounted on exterior walls. One 12 oz. can of DAPtex Plus yeilds a 1/4″ bead for 510 feet. That translates into a lot of outlets.

Prep
Turn off the appropriate breaker and double check to ensure the power is off. Remove the cover and clean away any dirt or debris (like pieces of drywall).

Application
Spray the foam along the outside of the fixture looking for gaps in insulation. Fill voids to 90% capacity and let the foam expand the additional 10%. DAPtex Plus is toolable while wet so you can mold it in place.

Clean up
Remove any excess, uncured foam with soapy water. Cured foam can be scraped away.

Curing
Foam will be fully cured in about 24 hours and have a sponge-like consistency. After it’s fully cured, replace the cover.

What do you think? Have you detected air leaks around electric outlets?

This article is part of our home tax credits series. The information contained in this article is not tax advice. You should consult a qualified tax professional before acting on the information in this article.

You probably already know that the 2009 energy tax credits were extended through the end of 2010. Those credits include 30% back, up to $1500, on insulation products installed in a primary residence.

While the credit is pretty broad, not all insulating products qualify. For example, insulated siding does not qualify under the rules of this credit, because its primary purpose is not insulation.

Let’s take a look at the basics of the insulation tax credit, the requirements for claiming the credit, and what types of insulation qualify. For more information, see energystar.gov.

Insulation Tax Credits Information

The insulation energy tax credit provides 30% back on the cost of insulation materials, up to a total credit of $1500 (equating to a $5000 purchase).  Installation cost (e.g., labor) is not covered for insulation.

The $1500 limit on this credit is an aggregate limit across all covered residential energy improvements. For example, if you claim a portion of the energy tax credit for installing qualifying windows, that would reduce the amount of credits you can take for insulation.

The limit on the credit is also an aggregate across both 2009 and 2010 tax years. In other words, if you take the full $1500 in 2009, you cannot can any credit in 2010.

How to Claim the Insulation Tax Credit

You claim the credit on Form 5695 when you file your tax return for the year the insulation was placed in service. Notice that this is not necessarily the same as the year you purchased the insulation.

Income Limits and Other Restrictions

• There is no income limitation on the credit.
• You do not need to itemize your taxes to take the credit.
• The credit only applies to principal residences. It does not apply for rental properties or second homes.
• The amount of the credit is limited by your tax liability (note: this is not the same as whether you get a refund). You cannot get more money back than you pay to the federal government.

What Types of Insulation Qualify for the Tax Credit?

The insulation tax credit is designed to provide a refund only for those products whose primary purpose is to insulate a structure (there is very specific language in the tax code we won’t go into here).

The good news is that the IRS makes manufacturers declare whether their product complies with the language in the tax code via a Manufacturers Certification Statement (MCS). You can usually find MCS statements for insulation products on the manufacturer’s web site. Here’s an example from Owens Corning. You can also call the manufacturer or look on the material packaging.

Almost all bulk insulation materials qualify for the credit, including fiberglass batt rolls, blow-in insulation (such as NuWool), spray foam insulation, rigid foam board insulation, and more.

Products designed to stop air flow can also qualify, inlcuding products like weather stripping, spray foam in a can, caulk designed to air seal, and house wraps.

Energy Savings from Insulating

Adding insulation in the right locations in your home can decrease your energy bill by more than 30%. For example, we saw a 33% energy savings from installing spray foam insulation in our basement.

Couple that with this energy tax credit and your payback period could be as short as 12 months. That makes this credit really worth a look!

Additional Credits

We’re exploring a variety of home-related tax credits in preparation for the coming tax filing season. If you can’t wait for our articles, you can find a basic listing of home tax credits over at Debt Free Adventure.

TOSCA 5-Minute Install

This faucet touts an amazing 5-minute installation. How you ask? It starts with a patented base that enables you to work above the sink. Flexible stainless steel supply lines are factory installed and required Allen keys are provided. All you need to grab is a pipe wrench, pipe tape and clear silicone caulk (if installing deck plate). Click here to check out the installation guide. Look for a full OPC review in the near future.

TOSCA 5-Minute Faucet™

The 5-Minute Faucet™ combines Italian-inspired design and engineering, resulting in a high-performance kitchen faucet that is easy and quick to install. Each faucet has a pull-out spray head with sprayer and aerated stream, and a single lever handle with a ceramic cartridge valve.

• A great DIY project
• Chrome finish
• High quality: brass construction, extra long stainless steel supply lines, ceramic cartridges, lifetime warranty
• Quick and easy to install
• Works with one or three hole sink surfaces

What the Winner Gets

One lucky winner will be selected at random to receive a brand new TOSCA 5-Minute Faucet™ shipped to their front door- a $129.24 value! If you are looking to purchase, Lowes carries this faucet. Here’s the link:

• TOSCA 5-Minute Faucet

How to Enter the Giveaway

We’ve incorporated the forums into this giveaway again. That means no automatic entries for our email subscribers.

• 1 Entry: Leave a comment on this post
• 10 Entries: Join our forums and create at least 2 forum posts
• 50 Entries: Blog about the Giveaway – If you have a site of your own, pass the word on to your readers! Each blog entry MUST link back to this entry (and should be no-followed since this isn’t about SEO tricks).

Giveaway Deadline

This giveaway ends at 11:59pm, EDT on February 21, 2010. We’ll promptly select a winner and ship the faucet ASAP.

The Fine Print

Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible. Spam entries will not be counted. Spam entries are determined at the sole discretion of One Project Closer. All rules are subject to change without notice.

Recall that last year our basement was entirely uninsulated. The only thing between us and the elements were cinder blocks with basement waterproof sealer applied to them.

Our first floor flooring was freezing, and the entire house was drafty. Ultimately, we selected closed cell spray foam from a variety of basement wall insulation options.

We had a local spray foam contractor install the insulation and our subjective experience since then has been great. (In fact, the basement is now the warmest room in our house). Until now, we didn’t have any objective proof that the investment was worth it.

Now we do.

This energy bill confirms our subjective experience with facts. Take a look (click the picture to enlarge and make the numbers legible)…

Energy Savings Analysis

Last January (2009), you can see that our average energy use for the house was a whopping 146.6 KWh / day! This January (2010), our energy use drops to an average of 97.7 KWh / day. This represents about a 33% energy savings, despite the fact that this year’s daily temperature average was 1 degree colder.

Our house is in approximately the same shape as last year, with the same number of people living in it. There are a few differences in the house:

• Last year, we had a large aquarium that we also heated throughout the Winter. While the heat from that aquarium ultimately leaked back into the room, there would still be some increased cost. Our estimate is that the aquarium used approximately $25 / month in energy.
• This year, we’ve been using the fireplace almost every night. Fireplaces are notoriously energy inefficient. They steal heat from a house at a rate much higher than they add back with radiant heat. We still like to look at the fire, though, and we’re willing to pay for for the privilege. I estimate we’ve been losing about $10-$20 / month in energy to the fireplace.

Other than these two differences, the house is in approximately the same shape as last year, with the same number of inhabitants. In other words, we think the bulk of the 33% savings is directly attributable to the spray foam insulation.

Tax Savings for Spray Foam Insulation

The best part: 30% of the cost of the insulation material will be refunded to us this year through the U.S. Government’s tax credits for energy program.

This makes our payback period for the insulation less than 3 years, and potentially even less than 24 months, depending on how the foam performs in the Winter.

This week’s DIY Round Up is headlined by a post from last Summer that we just discovered! Centsational Girl gives us instructions for building a laundry drying rack.

As usual, Kate delivers amazing pictures and detailed instructions. It’s an idea we may incorporate into our laundry room makeover this Summer. The best part: this craft won’t break the bank!

We’ve also been meaning to share with you Home Construction Improvement’s instructions for how to install replacement windows. Todd’s instructions for this are some of the best on the web. We followed similar steps when we remodeled our townhome, where we  followed Ethan’s advice for what to look for in replacement windows.

This Old House gives us 10 uses for charcoal. We’re no big fans of TOH’s laborious nagivation system (which makes you click about 100 times to read an article), but we did like #10 in their list, which was to add a few brickets of charcoal in a dry rag in your toolbox to prevent tools from rusting.

DebtFreeAdventure gives us several ways to save on electric heating bills. I added 7 more ways in the comments to Matt’s post. Our #1 choice: insulate the attic.

American Basement Solutions gives us six ways to keep water from leaking in through basement windows. This is very useful if you’ve been dealing with moisture or all out leaks around below-grade basement windows.

And finally, with the devastation in Haiti top of mind, we learned from CashMoneyLife that donations to the Haitian relief efforts made from Jan. 12 to Feb. 28, 2010, will be tax deductible for 2009. We think Congress made the right decision on this one, giving people one more reason to give.

I found prices found through Amazon.com and they are all significantly lower than distributor / manufacturer prices.

Filtered Water Pitchers

Filtered water pitchers are a simple option for purifying water. They are easy to use and require no installation. The filters reduce lead, copper, mercury, cadmium, zinc, and other impurities from drinking water. A Brita water pitcher costs about $16 and requires filter replacements every 40 gallons. Filter replacements cost about $6.31 each.

Aqua-Pure Water Filter

I have the Aqua-Pure AP200 Under-counter Water Filter installed in my kitchen. It filters the cold water coming out of my kitchen faucet- reducing any sediment, lead, and chlorine taste and odors. Installation requires mounting the filter beneath your sink and running a supply and return water line. The AP200 costs about $69.57 and replacement cartridges cost about $29.50. Cartridges should be replaced every 2,000 gallons.

Cost Comparison

Lets find out how much filtered water you can drink from the initial filter unit plus one filter replacement.

Brita Pitcher
A Brita Pitcher and one filter replacement will cost you $22.31 and get you 80 gallons of filtered water. That means you pay just under $0.28 per gallon.

Aqua-Pure
The Aqua-Pure unit and one cartridge replacement will cost you about $99.07 and get you 4,000 gallons of filtered water. That results in a little less than $0.03 a gallon!

What do you think? Did you realize how cheap filtered water can be?

I was recently browsing around Lowes.com when I noticed this little advertisement for free shipping on all orders.

As it turns out all orders is a bit misleading. There are a number of conditions, like the order has to be shipped to the continental U.S., the items have to be < 150lbs., etc.

So it’s not quite all orders. It’s more like most orders. Even so, the deal isn’t all that bad.

Lowes Return Policy

A footnote at the bottom of the ad caught my eye: You can return your order at any Lowe’s store for your added convenience.

That’s one of the big benefits of shopping online at a site that’s backed by a brick-and-mortar network. If something arrives at your house and you don’t like it, you can simply return it to the store and get a refund or exchange.

A quick look at Lowe’s full online return policy reveals that the company has very reasonable return requirements… 90 days for most items and a few restrictions for major appliances and outdoor power equipment.

Home Depot Return Policy

I decided to look over at Home Depot and see what the competition offers.

It turns out Home Depot’s online return policy isn’t as friendly: Items purchased on homedepot.com cannot be returned to our stores.

What a bummer!

Home Depot also has many more restrictions than Lowe’s relatively simple policy. The depot has special rules for holiday decor, air conditioners, tractors, appliances, gift cards, furniture, wall paper samples, and more (really, there’s a lot more!)

Brick-and-Mortar Return Path is Essential

It’s hard to know how an online return policy affects a buyer’s decision process, but it seems to us Home Depot is really missing out here. With the big online retailers like Amazon selling more tools and materials each day, Home Depot stands to offer a big competitive benefit to their customers that the click-through stores can’t: local return.

Why don’t they do it? Perhaps because their IT infrastructure isn’t equipped to handle it, or because they sell different products in different markets. Or maybe it’s something even more arcane (like not wanting to flood their local return desks).

Whatever the reason, the competition is offering online return and we hope Home Depot will follow suit soon.

What do you think? What affect does an online return policy have on your buying decision?

P.S. You should pickup a 10% off Home Depot Coupon or a 10% Off Lowes Coupon before you go shopping at either store…