Blog Navigation Menu Construction Needs in Times of Disaster How To Clean Out A Clogged Drain Easily Posted by admin on May 12, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How To Clean Out A Clogged Drain Easily Cleaning out clogged drains can seem pretty complicated, but the right techniques and knowledge can allow you to clear out any drain with tools that you already have in your home. Improper application of cleaning techniques can lead to quite a bit of frustration and wasted time. So here are a couple of the most common methods for removing clogs, along with some tips on how to maximize their effectiveness: The Plunger The most basic and obvious option is to get a plunger and work the drain until it opens up. However, many people make the mistake of not forming a seal with the plunger before starting. If there is no seal, then the plunger will be much less effective, since it will be unable to force air and water into the drain. Instead, some of that force will escape under the lip of the plunger, meaning that a significant portion of your efforts will be completely wasted. To rectify this, you should try to add water to the drain until there is enough to cover the lip of the plunger. This will make a seal easier to form, which will ultimately increase the effectiveness of the technique. You might also be wary about using a regular plunger on your sink, since plungers are quite awkward to utilize at such heights. On top of that, you might have some sanitary concerns about using the same plunger on your toilet and sink. Thankfully, there is a specific type of plunger that is perfect for such situations, and that is a bellows plunger. If you are intent on using a plunger to clean out your sink, then buying a bellows plunger can make that process a lot easier. Baking Soda and Vinegar You can also use a chemical solution to break up the clog, of which there are several different options. However, the safest option is to use baking soda and vinegar, which won’t harm you and won’t be too harsh on your drain. As far as amounts go, you will need up to 2 cups of baking soda and 2 cups of vinegar. You will first want to add half a cup of baking soda to the drain and then wait 10-20 minutes to allow the baking soda to fill the water around the clog. You will then want to add half a cup of vinegar to the drain along with a bit of hot water. This should lead to a rapid foam-like expansion. Try to cover up the drain if possible, since this will force the majority of the reaction downwards and into the clog. If the clog is still there after 20-30 minutes, then you can attempt the process again, increasing the amount of baking soda and vinegar each time. If you still need further help with your clog, contact plumbing repair companies, such as Salinas & Sons Rooter Service. Learn More Creating A New Kitchen? 5 Organizing Tips For During And After The Remodel Posted by admin on May 12, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Creating A New Kitchen? 5 Organizing Tips For During And After The Remodel When planning your kitchen remodel, it’s important to create a good storage and organizational system from the outset. Without a plan in place when you design and fill it, your brand new kitchen may well become a clutter-filled mess quickly. Here are 5 tips to avoid this fate. Sort and Categorize. As you sort through your kitchen when prepping for your remodel, take the time to sort through things as you go. Remove everything from drawers, cabinets and shelves. Place them on a large flat surface such as the kitchen table and sort them into categories. Remove duplicates or tools that you haven’t used in a year or so (not counting seasonal cooking items). Then donate or throw out these unnecessary tools, depending on their condition. Make a Storage Plan. Once you sort through existing kitchen paraphernalia, create a rough plan for your use of the new cabinets and drawers. How you organize your tools will help inform the design of the overall kitchen. Consider how you prepare and cook, then plan to store well-used categories in convenient places. And don’t forget to account for certain clutter that naturally evolves in a working kitchen — things like paperwork or manuals, food containers and extra utensils. Use Clear Storage. The easier to see items, the easier it is to use them. Clear containers instead of opaque or metal ones make identification of all types of kitchen items easier. Wire is another good choice for visibility. Wall hangers, racks and hanging hooks keep things out and visible while still being out of the way. Make Storage Accessible. Any items you store in a manner that’s hard to reach are more likely to go unused. Avoid this by adding Lazy Susan rotating storage systems in deep or corner cabinets. Pull-out drawers in cabinets and wire baskets on shelves also help make it easier to reach things. Create Stations. Grouping like-use items together is a good way to keep them organized. You can create “stations” for common kitchen tasks such as a coffee station, breakfast station or a snack station. This not only helps keep things in their right places, but it also keeps foot traffic flowing better in the kitchen. By thinking about how you will organize your new kitchen, you can ensure you create the right remodeling design. This will help save money, time and energy. And the end result will be a kitchen you will love for years to come. Learn More Tips To Help Your Garage Door Weather The Winter Posted by admin on Apr 8, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tips To Help Your Garage Door Weather The Winter When winter approaches and cold temperatures start to set in, it’s important that you take steps to protect your garage door from damage. With ice, salt and slush accumulating around the door and in the track, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Taking the time to care for the door before the winter weather sets in and throughout the season will help you avoid the risk of track damage or a seized garage door. Here are a few tips that might help. Give Your Door The Best Structural Chance During the early fall season, inspect the garage door, track, rollers and springs. Look for any signs of wear, binding or damage. If there are any problems, address them now so that they cannot worsen through the winter. Sometimes, the cold temperatures can intensify problems. Freezing weather may even lead to cracks and failure of weakened components. By calling your garage door technician now, you can reduce the risk of these issues. Keep The Outside Out The more airtight your garage is, the less damage the door is likely to suffer from the weather. Replace all of the seals and weatherstripping around the garage door. This will keep the cold drafts out, but it also reduces the risk of moisture and cold affecting the garage door motor or track. Clean The Door Sensors Garage door sensors are a vital part of the safety of the door. You’ll want to make sure that the sensors are clean at all times. In the winter months, this is particularly challenging because of the slush and ice. These things can form a film over the sensor, blocking it and potentially putting your family at risk. Wipe the sensors clean at the start of the season, and then check them regularly during the winter. If you have any issues with the door’s opening and closing response, dirty sensors may be to blame. Tackle Track Lubrication When the weather gets cold, you’re going to want to opt for a winter lubricant for your garage door track. Unlike the traditional spring and summer lubricants, a winter product has a silicone base. This helps it to withstand cold temperatures without allowing the door to bind up in the track. You’ll also want to consider lubricating the springs so that they don’t suffer drying and cracking in the cold winter weather. For more information, contact Shank Door or a similar company. Learn More How Expensive is It to Replace Garage Door Springs? Posted by admin on Apr 8, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How Expensive is It to Replace Garage Door Springs? Broken garage door springs are inevitable. After the garage door ascends and descends enough times, the springs will wear out and will eventually break. This will lead to a garage door that simply will not open. You could try to repair the springs yourself, but the process is very dangerous, given the weight of a garage door, and is better left to professionals. But when trying to consider whether you should have your garage door springs repaired, an important factor to consider is how much this decision costs. How Long Garage Door Springs Last Garage door springs will typically last for 10,000 cycles. A cycle consists of the garage door rising and lowering. Depending on how frequently you use your door, such as if you have a family who is frequently coming and going, you may need to have your springs replaced in as little as a year unless you have your springs replaced with extended life springs. While more expensive, their lifespan makes them less expensive overall. Identifying That You Need a New Spring To determine if you need a new spring, open your garage door manually. If the spring is working properly, the garage door should remain in place. However, if the spring is not working properly, the garage door should shut immediately after you let go. How Much It Will Cost Typically, you will have to pay for an hour’s worth of labor, even if the project takes less than an hour to complete. Garage door spring repairs can cost more than the replacement of a garage door due to the danger associated with replacing the springs, though this depends on the company and the type of door repaired. On the low end, a replacement can cost $350, while on the high end, a replacement can cost $2,000. Some Garage Doors are More Expensive to Service Some garage doors are more expensive to repair than others due to the complexity of repairing the door. Custom roll-up doors and custom wood doors are the most expensive to repair. Single roll-up doors and single tile-up doors are less expensive to repair. In general, the more expensive the garage door model, the more expensive it will be to repair springs. Business Garage Doors Vs. Home Garage Doors The cost of having your garage door serviced will depend on whether the garage is part of a home or business. Commercial garage doors can be more expensive to repair, thanks to the difficulty of accessing the garage. However, regardless of the cost, you should have the garage door spring repaired as quickly as possible. For more information about garage door spring repairs, visit this page. Learn More Why Vinyl Is A Prime Window Material Posted by admin on Mar 16, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Why Vinyl Is A Prime Window Material Changing your window fixtures is a large investment, but it is a great way to make some big changes to the style and efficiency of your property. Many people change their windows because their existing fixtures have aged to the point that they are no longer energy efficient. The window could be leaky, making it more difficult to maintain the desired temperature in your home. If you are in the market for new windows, and want a product that is very energy efficient, you should definitely consider vinyl. This article explains why vinyl is a great material for residential window replacement. Vinyl is Water Resistant When it comes to window construction, having a waterproof frame is very beneficial. You want a material that can withstand normal rain without needing to be repainted or waterproofed. Vinyl has a very smooth finish that is impermeable to water. This means that, no matter how old the window gets, it will remain waterproof. Even if the vinyl is scratched or dinged, you don’t really need to worry about water damaging it. In fact, this is why vinyl is a common material in storm windows. Storm windows are installed in areas where natural disasters and flooding are common. During a severe flood, a vinyl storm window can be submerged in water for an extended period of time without any weakening of the window. Vinyl is Colorful Is also important to note that vinyl comes in a wide range of different colors and textures. Some people mistakenly think that vinyl just looks like a plastic. Of course, white seems to be the most common window color, but there are many more options to choose from. You can choose a warmer earth tone or beige color that will match better with your existing color schemes. If you are willing to invest a little extra money into your windows, you can even have your vinyl custom dyed to fit your exact color requirements. Another perk of having dyed window frames is the fact that scratches and dents are not as visible. You don’t need to worry about scraping off the top layer of paint and exposing the raw material underneath. In the long run, vinyl will look great because it is fade and scratch resistant. There are many other reasons to choose vinyl over the other options on the market. If you want to be truly sold on vinyl, go to a site like http://www.faswd.com or look at it in person and you will see how high quality it looks and feels. Learn More 3 Custom Features To Integrate Into The Design Of A Truss Roof System Posted by admin on Feb 19, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on 3 Custom Features To Integrate Into The Design Of A Truss Roof System Whether you are building a home or doing an addition to your home, truss roof systems can be an affordable and efficient way to complete the design of your roof. Wooden trusses can be a great way to cut the costs of building a roof, as well as give you many options for custom features with little extra cost. The custom features that you may want to have in your home can include things like ceilings, exposed timbers and exterior features. Here are some of the things that can be done with the roof truss design for your home: 1. Adding Custom Ceilings Into The Design Of Your Trusses Today, wooden trusses are designed with computer programs, which makes it easier to create custom ceilings in the design of the truss-work. This can include things like coffered boxes and tray ceilings with angled corners. Simple features can be added, and then finished with more detail by the carpenter that installs them. You may want to consider talking with the truss company about leaving box spaces for features like arches, curves and dome ceilings that can be finished with special ceiling kits. You can ask the truss service if they can make some of the ceiling elements for you when they are doing the trusses. 2. Give Your Home Exposed Timbers With Integrated Finish Timber In Trusses Another great feature that you may want to consider doing with your trusses is exposed timbers. This can be done by adding timber features to the bottom cords of trusses. The main structure of the trusses will be constructed of stock lumber, such as pine, while the exposed timber elements can be a material of your choice. This can be done with woods like cedar, oak or cypress. Heavier materials like cypress may need to have extra support for the extra weight that the trusses will carry. 3. Add Decorative Exterior Features With Custom Truss Work Outside Your Home In addition to the features inside your home, there are also custom elements that you may want to add to the exterior. Some of the features that you may want to consider adding can include things like exposed rafter tails, which can add to the timber look that you may have inside your home. This can be done by making the ends of the trusses with finished timber materials. You may also want to consider using custom timber trusses for the design of the exterior, which can be done with materials like cypress. This can be a great accent for gables and covered porches with exposed timber designs. These are some of the things that can be done with the roof trusses of your home. If you are ready to design the roof of your home, contact a company like Truss Components of Washington and talk with them about some of these custom features to include in the design of your truss system. Learn More Clean And Maintain Your Heater Before You Call An HVAC Professional Posted by admin on Jan 30, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Clean And Maintain Your Heater Before You Call An HVAC Professional If the weather is cold and your furnace does not seem to be working properly, there are some things you can do before you call an HVAC professional. First, follow the instructions in your owner’s manual to clean and maintain your heater. Also, try the following procedures if your heater still does not seem to be working properly: Check the Pilot Light – The pilot light may have gone out at some point and may need to be relit. If you don’t see a flame, push down on the pilot button on the gas valve and light the pilot light with a wooden match. If the pilot light is lit make sure the flame is blue, even, and not flickering. Check the Fuse – Turn off the electrical power to the heater at the main electrical panel. Look for the heater fuse in the power box and replace it with a new one as it might be blown. Reset The Motor – If you have recently had a power outage, the heater motor may need to be reset. Look for the reset button near the motor housing and press it. If no response, wait about 30 minutes and do it again. Check the Filter – If you haven’t changed the furnace filter in a while, it probably needs to be replaced. The fiberglass furnace filters and the pleated furnace filters can become clogged and ineffective after a while. Remove the filter and brush it off with a soft brush. Take it with you to a heater repair store or hardware store and get a replacement filter and reinstall. Dust – Brush the dust off all of the heating vents, internal heating elements, and external heating ducts. Do this with a small soft paint brush for the internal elements and a larger duster on a stick for the ducts. Blow the dust off of the pilot light by blowing air on it with a drinking straw. This will direct your breath to the exact spot on the pilot light valve that is dusty. A dirty pilot light valve can cause your furnace to not recognize the pilot flame and not run properly. After dusting, pick up all brushed off dust debris and discard. These are a few basic things you can do to maintain your heater. If your heater still does not work, call for an HVAC professional heating repair person to come to your residence and restart your heater. You will be glad you had a professional come out and give your heater a thorough examination and repair and replace any damaged parts. You can be confident that you and your family are safe with a fully-functioning heater. Learn More « Older Entries Next Entries » About Me I live in the middle of the desert, so I never thought that flooding would be a problem. However, a few months ago my town was hit with a huge storm. These freak storms are called "Hundred Year Storm" because the chances of them happening are once in a hundred years. Needless to say, no one was prepared for the aftermath--especially not the city sewage system. All this extra water had no where to go, and suddenly, I found my basement flooded. It wasn't a fun experience, but we dealt with it the best we could. Since then, I have spent a lot of time looking into different options for sewage, water lines, and other related things. We're now even looking into building a new house. This blog is the result of my ongoing research. 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