Navigation Menu+ How Your Construction Workers Can Have a Refuge During Storms Uncategorized Search for: About Me I'm Anita Kubelek and my husband works for a construction company. He's been with them for over ten years now, and they still talk about the storm that hit his second year in. They had been working outside when a lighting storm hit. The men had no where to go, and nothing to protect themselves with. I, as you can imagine, was livid when he told me. With the amount of metal that they work with, I think it's important to protect the men. The best way I can think of doing this, is by letting others know how much they do. Archives December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 How Your Construction Workers Can Have a Refuge During Storms Have A Lawn? Two Reasons Why You Need To Install An Automatic Sprinkler System Posted by Anita Kubelek on 5:43 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Have A Lawn? Two Reasons Why You Need To Install An Automatic Sprinkler System Few things are more beautiful than seeing a gorgeous home with a landscape of green grass in front of it. However, while people may look at the lawn in admiration, they may not understand all of the work that goes into keeping it that way. If you want to maintain an aesthetically appealing landscape, you shouldn’t have to spend a good portion of your time holding a water hose over it. That’s where an automatic sprinkler system comes in. Learning more about the benefits of having an automatic sprinkler system can help you determine if you should install one today. Good Lawns Pay You Back One of the most compelling reasons why you should install an automatic sprinkler system is because of how it can be a worthy investment. A good lawn can increase the value of your home by an average of 28 percent. This can bode you well if you decide that you’re ready to sell your house. You want to build up a reputation for having a nice lawn. Even if you’re not aware of it, people will pass your home and comment on how good your yard looks. This ingrown reputation may go a long way toward helping to cut down on the time it takes to sell your abode, since come people may equate a well-taken-care-of lawn with a house that was equally cared for. The last thing you want is scraggly, brown grass that looks as if it has been neglected. It doesn’t reflect so well on your housekeeping abilities, and may cause individuals who would have been interested in buying your house to look elsewhere. You Won’t Be At The Mercy Of The Weather Another reason why it is so beneficial to have an automatic sprinkler system is because it frees you from the tyranny of the weather. Whether you are going through a particularly dry season, or if there has been excessive rain, your sprinkler will kick in with the correct amount of water that is needed to maintain lush grass without the threat of over or under moisturization. Modern sprinklers are built with sensors that can detect the amount of moisture in the soil. If it’s a rainy season, they won’t kick in, while dry seasons will have them doing overtime. You won’t have to wonder about how much to water your lawn, and this can go a long way toward keeping your yard in good condition. Don’t miss out on the benefits of having lovely grass. Install an automatic sprinkler system today so your yard can always be a colorful oasis. For more information, contact a professional company like T & J Landscape... read more 2 Tips To Prevent Your Hot Water Heater From Leaking Posted by Anita Kubelek on 2:40 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on 2 Tips To Prevent Your Hot Water Heater From Leaking A hot water heater is ideal to have during the colder months. Without a water heater, the water that comes out of your plumbing will be cold. A water heater that is properly maintained can heat up the water throughout your home for years without any problems. If your hot water heater is neglected, it can cause the heater to leak. In many cases, when the heater begins to leak it is a result of poor maintenance. If the leak persists, then you may be forced to purchase a new water heater. A new hot water heater can be costly. As a result, there are a few tips that you should keep in mind in order to prevent your water heater from leaking. Flush Your Tank Regularly It is common for sediment and other debris to build up in your water tank. The more you use the water heater the more sediment you will accumulate over time. If the sediment is allowed to sit in the tank for too long, it can cause corrosion. The corrosion will eventually weaken the water heater and cause it to leak. In order to prevent this, you should flush your water heater tank regularly. This will help to clean out the tank and completely remove any sediment. If you use your water heater regularly, then you should flush it at the end of each season. Check Your Drain Valve Regularly The drain valve is located towards the bottom of the hot water heater tank. It is used to flush any excess water and sediments from the tank. However, a faulty or loose drain valve can cause your water heater to leak. A drain valve can become loose due to physical impact or from the vibration that happens each time the heater turns off and on. The drain valve can loosen up fairly often if you use it regularly. Therefore, you should check to make sure that your drain valve is tightened at the end of each season. If your drain valve is loose, you can tighten it up using a screwdriver. If the drain valve leaks after it has been tightened, then it may be damaged and will need to be replaced. A leaking water heater can be a sign of extensive damage to your heating system. Therefore, use these tips to ensure that you are able to prevent any leaks from your hot water heater. To learn more about water heaters, contact a business like First Class Plumbing of Florida... read more How To Keep Your Hardwood Deck Looking Great Posted by Anita Kubelek on 3:43 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How To Keep Your Hardwood Deck Looking Great Hardwood decks are beautiful when properly maintained. However, when they aren’t properly maintained, they can quickly succumb to the elements. By knowing how to properly care for you deck, you’ll keep it in the best shape possible for years to come. Cleaning Your Deck With a hardwood deck, you will want to clean and reseal it at least once per year. If you live in conditions where the sun is especially harsh, you may want to clean and reseal your deck twice per year. Direct sunlight dies out the hardwood, and causes boards to split and warp. If you don’t perform maintenance as needed, this could lead to your deck needing to be replaced much sooner than you anticipated. To clean your deck, take a long-handled nylon scrub brush and some warm soapy water and scrub your deck. Be sure to scrub your deck by going with the grain; scrubbing against the wood grain can damage your deck. If you don’t feel comfortable using soap to wash your deck, you can use a power washer to remove excess dirt from your deck’s surface. While using a power washer, you never want to focus the water stream in one spot. Focusing the washer from the power washer in one spot can cause the wood to wear away in that spot. If you don’t own a power washer, many large hardware stores offer power washer rentals. Stripping The Old Finish After you’ve scrubbed your deck, you will want to strip away the old finish using a deck stripper. To apply the deck stripper, you will want to use a long-handled paint roller. Apply the deck stripper with a paint roller lets you make sure you only use the amount of deck stripper needed. After applying the deck stripper, you will want to use water to wash it off your deck. You can use a hose to do this on the highest spray setting, or you can use a pressure washer. As you spray, you should notice the finish on your deck washing away and revealing bare wood underneath. As the water reveals the stripped wood, keep moving the water stream along the boards to avoid damage to your deck. Resealing Your Deck You can reseal your deck in a few ways. One of the easiest ways to do this is to let the deck dry after you’ve stripped away the old finish, and then paint it. Painting your deck is an attractive way to protect your deck from the elements, and coordinate it to your home’s color palette. If painting your deck isn’t for you, you’ll have to stain and then seal your deck’s surface. After choosing your desired shade of stain, you will want to apply the stain using a natural-bristled paintbrush. Apply the stain in long strokes. To avoid lap marks on your deck, keep the edge of each board wet with stain as you apply it. This will prevent the stain from layering. After your stain has dried, apply a coat of deck sealer to your deck’s surface to finish the job. Contact a custom deck builder for more... read more Tips For Fighting Algae Growth In Your Pool Posted by Anita Kubelek on 8:03 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tips For Fighting Algae Growth In Your Pool When it comes to managing your swimming pool, it’s important that you’re attentive to keeping it free of algae. An algae bloom occurs in your pool when algae spores contaminate water that hasn’t been properly sanitized and filtered. Algae can contaminate a pool from many sources, including leaves blown in during a storm or even a small spore you’ve picked up and carried into the pool on your body. Although no treatment methods will completely prevent an algae bloom, there are options to make your pool less inviting. Here are some tips to help you combat algae in your pool. Use a Chlorine Treatment One of the best things you can do to keep algae from growing in your pool is to treat the water with chlorine on a regular basis. The chlorine serves as a sanitizer, and it prevents the algae from reproducing in the water. Treat your pool with fresh chlorine once a week, and keep floating chlorine tabs in the water for extra benefit. Keep the Pool Clean Swimming pools are targets for leaves and debris. All of that debris can contribute to algae growth. The debris breaks the chlorine down, which makes the water more vulnerable to algae. That’s why it’s important to keep the pool clean. Skim the water daily and clean out the filter basket at least every couple of days. Run Your Water Filter Make sure that your pool filter runs for at least six to eight hours each day. This ensures that you are filtering particles out of the water on a regular basis. The longer your water has fine particles in it, the greater the chance that you’ll have algae growing in the pool. Make sure you replace the filter as needed so that the water stays clean. Check it once a week or so to make sure that there’s no visible debris in it. Any time the filter is obviously dirty, that means it’s time to replace it. Back flush the filter to clear out any debris that might be inside the pump, then install the new filter. As you can see, there are several things you can do on your own to help keep algae to a minimum in your swimming pool. If you do have an algae bloom, you’ll want to call your local swimming pool repair and maintenance company to help you clean and sanitize the pool again to eliminate it... read more Want Peonies In Additional Locations? Learn How To Divide Them! Posted by Anita Kubelek on 11:39 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Want Peonies In Additional Locations? Learn How To Divide Them! Peonies are a beautiful and fragrant addition to any landscape. In fact, you likely want them in more areas to add color and to make your landscape look more complete. To do this, you’ll need to wait till the fall season to divide your peonies. This guide explains the steps. Step 1: Grab Your Tools and Supplies a pair of handheld gardening shears a pair of gardening gloves a small garden spade a garden knife Step 2: Trim to the Ground When the fall season hits, you should not have any pretty blossoms left. If you do, simply clip them off and place in a vase of water to enjoy indoors. Grab your gardening shears and trim each leafy peony stem at about 3-5 inches above the ground. Be sure to clip each stem and add them to your compost or discard them. Step 3: Dig Up the Clump With a garden spade, dig around the peony roots left in the ground from your trimmings. Be careful not to get too close to the peony stems to avoid damaging the root system. Dig about 6-8 inches under the surface until the clump easily lifts from the ground with the spade. Step 4: Remove Soil From the Roots Keeping the clump near the hole you just created, shake and dust off the soil from the peony root system. This will allow you to easily see the larger, more tuberous roots and the smaller, more fibrous roots as well as the crown and the eyes of the plant. Step 5: Cut Through the Crown Each new plant section needs a piece of crown, one tuberous root, and 3-5 eyes to thrive well. With a garden knife, cut through the crown to divide the plant. You can make as many divisions as your plant will allow, depending on the size of the bulb. Step 6: Plant in the New Space Using your spade once again, dig a shallow hole according to the width and depth of your newly divided plants, remembering not to plant them too deep. Be sure each peony plant is about 3 feet apart. Cover the new plant with about two inches of soil. Water the new plant and keep the ground moist to help the plant settle in until winter approaches. As your peonies grow, you’ll have the beauty that you’re looking for. Ask your landscaping contractor for help if you run into any issues with these steps. One company that might be able to assist you with your goals is Beltran Paving &... read more Important Septic Tank Maintenance Tips Posted by Anita Kubelek on 6:31 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Important Septic Tank Maintenance Tips Have you recently moved to a new house that has a septic tank? Are you trying to find out what sort of maintenance a septic tank requires? Although a septic tank does require a little more maintenance than a city sewer line, they are still easy to use. Here are some tips to get the most out of your septic system: Avoid watering the septic drainfield. If you’re not sure where the drainfield is located, you can ask the workers who come to perform your next septic tank cleaning. However, the drainfield is usually fairly obvious from above. It’ll be the section of your lawn that is lusher and greener than the rest. A septic tank works by filtering out solid materials and letting the liquids escape into the surrounding soil. The liquids will carry nitrogen and compounds that can increase plant growth, leading to the previously mentioned fast-growing grass. If you water the drainfield, the soil may become too saturated with water to allow any more to escape from the septic tank. This could eventually lead to an overflowing tank that requires a premature septic tank cleaning. Since the septic tank will keep the surrounding soil moist enough for plant growth, there is no need to add additional water to this area. Don’t flush inorganic materials. Never flush anything down the toilet or sink drains unless it says it’s safe for septic tank use. Some people will flush kitty litter, cigarette butts or baby wipes down the toilet. Unfortunately, these types of materials won’t break down and will quickly clog up your septic tank. Even tissues or paper towels are bad. To avoid needing frequent septic tank cleaning, you should also check to make sure your toilet paper is appropriate for a septic tank system. Spread out laundry use. Too much water at once can overload a septic system and cause problems. The septic tank needs time to be able to process and drain water. This is especially true if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain. Your soil will already be wet with rainwater and will be unable to take much water from your septic system. So if you have a large amount of laundry every week, avoid having a specific laundry day. Instead of doing all your laundry on the weekend, spread it out over the rest of the week. By doing laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday instead of three loads on Saturday, you’ll help prevent an overflow situation that requires septic tank... read more Essential Supplies For The Amateur Electrician Posted by Anita Kubelek on 8:55 am in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Essential Supplies For The Amateur Electrician If you Intend to perform your own minor electrical repairs and upgrades, there are a few tools and supplies that you’ll need for almost every task you undertake. You can then buy additional supplies according to specific need for a project. These supplies include: Wire cutter/stripper While it’s true that you can cut wire with metal snips and strip insulation with a razor knife, neither can be done with the ease and accuracy of a wire cutter. This hand tool resembles a hybrid of scissors and pliers, with a cutting edge at the base of the blades, round grooves in the center of the blades, and a flat gripping surface at the end of the blades. The round grooves in the blades are sized and numbered according to the gauge (thickness) of wires from which insulation will be stripped. For example, if you are stripping the insulation from the end of a fourteen gauge wire, you will simply place the wire into the metal groove that is printed with a “14”, close the blades completely, and pull the wire through the blades. The insulation is then stripped away from the wire at the chosen point, cleanly and without nicking the wire. Voltage tester This simple unassuming tool can be a literal life-saver. It is used to test if electric current is flowing through an electrical component, and should be used as a safety measure even if you have turned off a circuit breaker before beginning a project. A voltage tester consists of two wires equipped with metal probes and connected to a small light bulb. If both probes make contact with a component and the light comes on, then electric current is still present. For example, if you wish to change a wall outlet, you will first turn off the breaker that controls the flow of power to the outlet. However, breakers can be labeled incorrectly, or you can accidentally flip the wrong breaker. Place one prong of the tester into each parallel slot in the outlet. if the voltage tester doesn’t light, the outlet isn’t powered. Wire nuts and electrical tape Wire nuts are used to secure connected wires. They resemble the cap on a toothpaste tube, and are sold in various sizes. When two wires are twisted together, a wire nut is then twisted onto the wires until it can twist no more. After all that twisting, electrical tape is wrapped around the open end of the wire nut and the ends of the wires, both to secure the nut and keep moisture from entering. Buy a pack of assorted wire nuts and a roll of electrical tape, and they can be used on several projects before needing to be replenished. Of course, you should leave the complex tasks, such as panel upgrades, to a professional electrical... read more Poor Cooling Quality? Ice Or Debris Blockage May Be Your Problem Posted by Anita Kubelek on 2:05 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Poor Cooling Quality? Ice Or Debris Blockage May Be Your Problem Of all of the problems that an air conditioning unit could have, poor air cooling quality can be one of the most confusing. The system is obviously working and there’s some cool air coming out, but it isn’t as cool as you’d like it to be or there isn’t enough air flowing into the room. Before trying to replace the air conditioning unit or going into a deep attempt at taking everything apart, consider a few target maintenance areas. Air Filter And Intake Inspection And Maintenance The first area to check is the air filter. An air filter in any system is responsible for blocking large debris such as dirt and dust. Air is allowed to flow through a pre-determined series of pores or gaps, but these gaps can be clogged if the blocked dust becomes too much for the filter. Cleaning off or replacing a filter is a basic troubleshooting step, but there could be bigger problems. Rips and tears in the filter could expose the interior of the air conditioner unit to heavy amounts of debris, which requires deeper cleaning and may result in permanent damage if allowed to go on for too long. As you inspect the filter, search the area for anything that could have punctured the filter. Are there any yard tools or personal belongings outside that could poke the filter? Could a sharp object or other projectiles be thrown into the filter cage while mowing the lawn? Tears are not a common occurrence for filters replaced within the manufacturer’s suggested time frame, so don’t dismiss the damage as a small issue. You should also review your installation technique. Make sure that you or the personal installing the filter isn’t catching the filter on any hooks, screws or mounting pieces on the filter, which can ruin the filter’s potential from the beginning. Ice Blocking Can Be Confusing Certain extreme heat and humidity conditions can lead to ice blocking or a freeze inside the air conditioning unit, which locks some of the internal components in place. If the air conditioning unit temperature is too low and there’s enough humidity (or other liquid sources, such as rain) building up in the interior of the unit, the cooling process could freeze the excess liquid. The result is either no cool air, low cool air movement or complete air conditioning unit failure. There’s no set temperature for “too low,” as the temperature depends on how hot it may be outside and the level of humidity. If it’s a hot, humid day and you notice that the air conditioner isn’t pushing out enough cool air, try turning off the unit for an hour or two to allow the ice to melt. Ice blocking can be difficult to fix, and may need targeted heating or replacement of ice-damaged components. If you’re not getting any cooling results within a few hours, contact an air conditioner services professional like Metro... read more What You Can Do To Extend The Life Of Your Asphalt Driveway Posted by Anita Kubelek on 4:18 pm in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What You Can Do To Extend The Life Of Your Asphalt Driveway Asphalt driveways have an expected life of approximately 15 years. The actual length of time that an asphalt driveway will last depends on factors like the quality of installation, the climate and the kind of care it gets. As a homeowner, you can take the following steps to maintain your asphalt driveway and make it last longer. The following steps should be done every few years. Patch Small Potholes Holes can only be filled after they’ve been completely cleaned out, so use a wire brush to loosen the debris in the hole, then clear out the hole using a shop vacuum and a broom. Then, fill the hole with a product called blacktop patch. To do this, fill the hole with patch and tamp it down. Put more patch on the hole, then tamp it down again. When the hole is finally slightly overfilled, drive over the hole in your car to firmly press the patch into the hole. Fill Cracks as Needed Cracks get filled with a substance called cold-pour crack filler. Clear out the cracks in your driveway using a pick or an awl, then vacuum the debris as you did when you were filling the potholes. When this is done, cover up the cracks with cold-pour crack filler. Many asphalt crack filler products are designed to fill cracks of specific widths, so pay attention to the product’s specifications at the time of purchase. Buy products that are designed to fill cracks of the size you’ve seen on your driveway. Allow the crack filler and pothole patch to cure for a day before moving on to the next step. Sealcoat Sealcoating is the final step after filling in the potholes and repairing the cracks. Sealcoating is a protective layer installed over your driveway to protect the asphalt from UV rays and water penetration. Sealcoating is relatively easy to install using a squeegee and can be done in an afternoon. Sealcoating is not intended to be a crack filler, which is why you’ll want to be sure your driveway’s cracks are completely filled by the time the sealcoat is applied. Sealcoat is available from home improvement centers and can be done as a DIY project, although asphalt paving services can use commercial-grade materials that can last longer. Once the driveway starts to need patching and crack filling more often than every few years, talk to an asphalt paving contractor to find out if it’s time for you to repave your asphalt driveway. He or she will be able to give you a quote and may be able to give you one or two suggestions for making your driveway last just a little bit longer. Visit a website like http://www.phend-brown.com for more... read more How To Install A Stainless Steel Liner In Your Chimney For Your Wood Stove Posted by Anita Kubelek on 8:52 am in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How To Install A Stainless Steel Liner In Your Chimney For Your Wood Stove The ceramic tiles inside brick chimney stacks for wood stoves can crack over time and prevent you from safely using the fireplace until you get your chimney fixed. Repairing or replacing the tiles can take a lot of time, effort, and money. Fortunately, there are other options like inserting a stainless steel liner. Here is how you can install a stainless steel liner in your chimney. You Will Need: Chimney Liner Kit Caulk Gun Caulk Utility Knife Hacksaw Screwdriver Ladder Heavy-Duty Rubber Gloves Helper Purchase Chimney Liner Kit There are chimney liner kits that will provide everything you need to get the job done if you don’t want to purchase the items individually. A kit will contain a single flexible stainless steel liner, top plate, rain cap, and two tee connectors (vertical and horizontal) that connect the wood stove to the liner. Preparing the Liner for Installation The liner will come rolled in plastic wrapping. You should cut the wrapping off with your utility knife and unroll the liner. Make sure you unroll the liner on a soft surface like grass to prevent stones or sticks from poking holes in it (you probably won’t be able to get the liner to stay totally straight, so do the best you can). The vertical tee connector has a hole cut out in its side. Attach the female end of the vertical connector to the bottom of the liner and secure it in place with a clamp. Carefully slide the vertical connector and liner down into the chimney until your helper yells up at you that you have reached the thimble in the chimney (the thimble is the hole in the chimney that the pipe from the wood stove goes into to move the smoke and excess heat from the stove into the chimney). Connecting Wood Stove to Liner Take the horizontal tee connector (which has a hose clamp on the end of it) and push the clamp end into the thimble. Slide the clamp over the bottom of the vertical connector. Tighten the screws on the hose clamp until the connectors are firmly attached to each other and the seam between the connectors is sealed. Attach the stove pipe to the end of the horizontal connector sticking out of the thimble. Attach Top Plate and Rain Guard Climb back on the roof and place weather resistant silicone over the top of the chimney stack. Slide the top plate over the liner and set it over the old chimney top. There are 8 bolts (two to a side) on the top plate that you’ll tighten to hold the plate to the top of the chimney. You will need to cut the excess liner off with a hacksaw so the liner is even with the collar on the top plate. There is a hose clamp on the top plate you have to tighten to secure the liner to the plate. Place the rain guard over the top of the top plate collar and liner. Secure the rain guard by tightening the hose clamp at the bottom of the guard to the collar of the top plate. For more information about chimney maintenance,... read more Page 1 of 41234» Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress