Helpful Home Tips
Archive for January, 2010
Fireplace and Chimney Maintenance
Fireplace and Chimney Maintenance
When cold weather arrives or temperatures decrease, our minds turn to warmth; and, what better way to feel that warmth along with the emotional relaxation you crave than to light a fire in your fireplace and lounge before it with a good book or a glass of wine. While, this is a romantic thought, you do need to contemplate the dangers involved in having an indoor fire and make sure your fireplace and chimney are in top-notch shape.
For example, soft woods like maple, elm, or sycamore may not be your best choices for an indoor fire as they burn somewhat brighter, but also faster than hardwoods do. To ensure that you have a slow, hot fire, use hardwoods in your indoor fireplace. Hardwoods that are appropriate for indoor burning include woods like oak, hickory, ash, hard maple and locust.
Make sure your wood is seasoned before you actually burn it. Seasoned wood, a drying process, takes about nine months from the time of the wood’s cutting to be suitable for indoor fireplace use. However, if you split green wood immediately, the time for drying is lessened by about five to six months. Also, check your seasoned wood before you carry it into your home to make sure you aren’t bringing in bug-infested wood.
Another consideration to think about before using your fireplace each season is the condition of your chimney. Call a professional chimney sweep to clean your chimney yearly and check for cracks or a build-up of creosote. You can check this for yourself by using a high-powered flashlight and a mirror. If you can see red or pink brick, your chimney is probably free from creosote; however, if you see black furry debris clinging to the walls of the chimney, you’ll definitely want to have your chimney cleaned before using it.
Other good fireplace practices to follow include:
• Keep your chimney clean and in good repair.
• Use glass doors or a fire screen to contain sparks.
• Make sure you open the damper before building a fire.
• Don’t have furniture, books, or other burnable materials near your fireplace.
• Don’t go to bed or leave while you have a fire burning in your home.
• Don’t leave children unattended in a room where a fire is burning in the fireplace.
• Remove cooled ashes and store them in a metal container.
• Use cured hardwoods, not soft woods.
A crackling fire adds a certain warmth and ambiance to your home. Make sure you use your fireplace wisely and keep it in tip-top shape so you can safely enjoy it’s warmth for years to come.
Many people also have outdoor fireplaces and firepits in their backyards. While the maintenance required for an outdoor fireplace or firepit is less than the maintenance for an indoor fireplace you still need to ensure that your outdoor fireplace or firepit is free of debris and in good working order before you start enjoying fires outdoors.
What to Do If You Suspect You Have a Hail-Damaged Roof
A hail storm passes through your community. You aren’t sure if you have any hail damage to your roof or not, but you want yours repaired immediately, if it is damaged. What should you do? First, you can either inspect your roof yourself or contact a local licensed & insured roofer to inspect your roof for you. Hail damage results in a random pattern of strike marks in various sizes on shingles; so, if you inspect your roof yourself and see a pattern of damage, you most likely do not have damage caused by a hail. Hailstones leave “bruises” in the mat of shingles, which you can usually detect with your fingers by probing in and around the craters of the shingles.
If your inspection of your roof indicates to you that damage has occurred and you believe you have a hail claim, call your insurance company or agent. An adjuster will be assigned to come to your home, inspect the damage to consider the nature and extent of the damage, and give you an evaluation of what your insurance offers in the way of repair compensation. Depending upon the circumstances, the adjuster may or may not require your physical presence to review the damage. Before the adjuster’s visit, you may want to prepare a written list of items which you also noticed were damaged during the hail storm, such as windows, shutters, siding, fascia, ceilings, and satellite dishes, for the adjuster’s consideration during his evaluation.
Most home owner’s insurance companies require you to take any steps necessary to prevent further damage to your property after a hailstorm. Consequently, if you need to make the necessary repairs before the adjuster can personally inspect the damage, you may want to videotape or take good quality photographs of the damage and retain any damaged items, such as carpet or furniture, for the adjuster to examine when he/she does come to your home.
Take time to locate your home owner’s insurance policy and become familiar with it. You may discover that you have additional coverage you had forgotten about. In addition, make sure you also are aware of what the policy requires you to do to file a claim; and, double-check your policy’s exclusions, so you will know what is not covered by your policy. If you need to replace personal property, try to locate as many receipts as you can to provide an accurate record of how much you paid for replacement items.
After inspecting the damage, your insurance adjuster will prepare an estimate of the cost to repair your roof. Depending upon the nature and extent of damage, your adjuster will recommend repair or replacement. The adjuster will also calculate the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of your roof immediately prior to the hailstorm. If your roof was worth 75 percent of the value of a new roof, you will be entitled to 75 percent of the estimated cost to repair or replace the damaged area. Also, your deductible will be subtracted from the estimated ACV amount.
Check your policy’s deductible. Some home owner’s insurance companies charge a higher deductible for wind and hail damage than for damage caused by other circumstances. If you think that repairs to your roof will cost less than the amount of your deductible, you may not want to file a claim. Some insurance companies consider occurrences of wind and hail damage, even if no money was paid out, when they review whether or not to renew your policy each year.
Take note that if after working with your adjuster and insurance company, you believe they have not lived up to the provisions in your insurance policy, you have the right to file a complaint with the Department of Insurance. The Department of Insurance is, however, an administrative agency and not a court of law, so they are not able to decide questions of fact, such as whether or not damage to your roof was caused by hail or other factors. They can review the company’s handling of your claim though to ensure they complied with insurance laws and make the insurance company accountable for their actions.
How to Determine If Your Shingles Have Been Damaged by Hail
Hail results when frozen water drops are lifted in turbulent wind during a thunderstorm. These frozen raindrops then increase in size and eventually fall to earth as balls of ice driven to earth by a combination of gravity and wind forces, causing hail stones to fall anywhere from pea size (1/4 inch diameter), that cause little roof damage to marble size (3/4 inch in diameter), that cause some damage to roof materials, to golf ball size (1 1/2 inches in diameter), that typically cause severe roof damage. Hail size as well as the resulting roof damage caused by that hail tends to be localized causing some roofs to be damaged, while others are not. Wind direction in addition to roof pitch are important factors in the instances when homes are damaged by a particular hail storm; and, direct impact of hail on a shingle is more damaging to a roof than that of a glancing blow.
Assessing hail damage of your roof is usually accomplished by a roof inspection that occurs several days to several months after the hail event that caused the actual damage. You should also speak to a Licensed & Insured Roofing Contractor for an opinion on the damage. The determination of whether or not hail actually fell at a site is determined through statements and weather reports. Inspection of thin, aluminum fixtures attached to your home also helps verify hail impact. And, while denting on the fixtures may not impede their function, the denting does lead to a suspicion of roof damage and may instigate you to have your roof inspected by a qualified roofing inspector or contractor. For example, you may notice that condensing unit fins on your air conditioning system are deformed after a driving hailstorm; and, although this damage may or may not impair the overall operation of your air conditioning unit, odds are your roof has some hail damage and needs to be inspected.
If mild hail impact marks appear on your shingles, they will most likely dissipate over time with virtually no effect on shingle life. However, if impact marks are severe, they may cause splits in your shingles and adversely affect the life of your shingles. In particular, hail damage to asphalt shingles typically includes severe granule loss, material removal at the edges of the shingles and penetration through the shingles. Newer asphalt shingles are more resistant to hail impact than older shingles, as asphalt becomes more brittle with age. Warmer shingles are more compliant and more resistant to fracture from hail as compared to colder shingles. In addition, shingles that have a structurally sound substrate are more resistant to hail damage than those without a sound substrate; and, flexible roof sheathing allows shingles to flex during hail impact causing damage, while more rigid roof sheathing supports shingles during hail impact and results in less shingle damage.
Recently, roof shingle manufacturers have started listing products that conform to Underwriters Laboratories Test Standard UL 2218, which classifies the resistance of a particular roofing product to hail damage. This test is performed by dropping steel balls onto samples of shingle material and observing the damage. The rating system in this standardized test designates a Class 4 material as one that is the most resistive to hail damage, while a Class 1 rating is the material that is least resistive to hail damage. Consequently, some insurance companies reduce premiums when Class 4 shingles are used. Some roofing manufacturers, however, take issue with some of the testing methods used by the UL 2218 test, arguing that shingle aging and thermal environments are not taken into account in the test. So, check with your home owner’s insurance company before replacing shingles on your home or choosing roofing material for a new home construction project.
While most hail-related damage is cosmetic and does not affect the useful life of roof shingles, some hail-related damage cases severe wood splitting, significant granule loss, penetration of the shingle, and fracture, all of which require shingle replacement. Consult a local qualified roofing contractor if you think you may have shingle damage caused by a hail storm or if you are in doubt as to whether or not you need to replace shingles after a hail storm.
Gutter Cleaning Tips
The purpose of gutters is to route runoff from a very large surface—your home’s roof—to a place where rain can drain away from your house. As a result, gutters protect your home’s siding, windows, doors, and foundations from water damage as well as help prevent flooding in your basement.
For gutters and downspouts to function properly, they must be clear of leaves and debris. If they are clogged, drain outlets will dam up and rainwater will fill the gutters, back up, overflow, and eventually pull gutters loose from their mountings. In addition, when water pools in the troughs of your gutters, it will result in wood gutters rotting and sheet-metal ones rusting.
You can hire a service to clean your gutters, or save yourself a few bucks and do it yourself. As a general rule, gutters require cleaning at least twice a year, more often if your roof is directly beneath trees or you live in a region with frequent storms. You’ll want to take on a gutter-cleaning task only if you know you can work safely from a ladder or can safely navigate on your roof. If your roof line is higher than a single story, you’re probably better off hiring a professional gutter repair & service technician.
All you’ll need to clean your gutters yourself is a sturdy ladder. To begin, make sure you place your ladder on a firm, level base. You’ll most likely find that a tall stepladder is easier to use than an extension ladder. If you must lean an extension ladder against a gutter, protect the gutter from bending by placing a short piece of 2 by 4 inside it. Be sure to stand on the ladder with your hips between the rails, don’t lean out over the sides of the ladder, and never stand on the top two rungs.
If your roof has a low pitch and you’re comfortable working from the rooftop, you may find that it is easier to work from the roof rather than from a ladder. Only attempt to climb up onto your roof under extremely safe conditions and never climb up on your roof in wet, icy, or windy conditions. Try to wear non-slip shoes, and don’t lean over the edge or work near power lines. Wear heavy work gloves to protect your hands since gutters often have sharp metal parts or screw points sticking out into their troughs.
An alternative method for cleaning gutters, sometimes used by home handymen on low-sloped roofs, is to blow-dry debris out of gutters with a leaf blower. If you chose this method, wear goggles and a dust mask to prevent eye injuries. If you have a leaf-catching gutter system, make sure you remove the leaf-catching screens before cleaning.
Steps to Cleaning Your Gutters
First, scoop out any loose debris in your gutters. Start at a drain outlet at the low end of any gutter, and use a narrow garden trowel to scoop out loose debris. Work away from the drain outlet. Scooping out debris is easiest when the debris is slightly damp and pliable, not soggy or dried and encrusted; therefore, you may want to pick a time to clean when it has rained recently. Scoop the debris into a plastic garbage-can liner for an easy cleanup.
After scooping out the debris, hose out your gutters. Use an on-off high-pressure nozzle mounted at the end of a water hose to wash out each length of gutter. Work toward the drain outlet for easy runoff. Hosing out your gutters is a messy job; try to avoid splattering mud all over your house. Use a stiff scrub brush to break loose encrusted dirt.
Finally, take time to clear out any obstructions in your drainpipes. If water doesn’t drain freely through drainpipes, try flushing debris down them with a hose. Use a plumber’s auger (snake) to free and pull out hard-to-remove debris from the bottom.
Composting
If your yard or garden is looking a little lackluster, you may want to consider composting as an inexpensive and environmentally safe way to enrich your soil and liven up your greenery. Composting, a process for recycling waste into humus, not only creates rich fertile soil for your gardening needs, but will also contribute to a reduction in the amount of waste that goes into your local landfill. And, with a compact composter, you can process top-quality soil easily and efficiently in your own backyard.
Estimates show that approximately 20 percent of landfill materials are suitable for composting. Not only does composting of this 20 percent save landfill space, but it can reduce fuel use for the transport vehicles of waste, reduce your expense of purchasing fertilizer, return much-needed nutrients to your soil, and minimize the amounts of chemical fertilizer polluting the environment.
Materials that are compost-friendly include grass clippings, leaves, flowers, brush, harvested vegetable plants, wood ash, eggshells, produce peelings, coffee grounds, plain pasta, fruit, and stale bread. Serious composting experts also include bones, meat, and fat in their composting bins. If you want to include these items, make sure you check with your local government to see if this is allowed as some municipalities have ordinances against composting certain items since these ingredients can attract bugs, odor, and wildlife. Also, a good landscaping company should be able to tell you the local laws.
Bacteria are the primary microorganisms that break down the materials you will put in your compost bin. Representing 80 to 90 percent of the working ingredients in your composting mixture, bacteria growth is the most important process that needs to take place in your bin. To cater to this process, you must build and maintain your bin or pile by conscientiously monitoring and maintaining it to create heat, water, and carbon dioxide, with heat being the most important ingredient. (Healthy compost piles will generate core heat of about 140 degrees.)
To begin composting, all you need is an area or bin in which to pile your collected waste materials. To aid in the initial set-up of your composting project, heap materials together after breaking them up into the smallest particles you can manage to encourage the process and generate heat for your microorganisms to begin their work. During this first stage, the mesophilic stage, your compost will settle and begin to sag after a week or so. Next, during the thermophilc phase, you’ll see your compost heat up, indicating that the harmful bacteria have died off and your materials are breaking down. You can assist this process by making sure your compost is damp, by using a garden hose to wet it, and that the core has sufficient oxygen, by turning the pile once or twice for the next three months. At about four months along, you’ll notice the pile begins to cool and see the materials forming into a uniform texture. Once your compost is a rich brown color, is earthy smelling, is free of large debris, and is crumbly, it is ready to use.
If you want a perpetual supply of compost materials, start and maintain several compost piles throughout the year having several composting piles at differing stages of the process so you always have a natural fertilizer at your disposal.
Repair Potholes Quickly
Unattended potholes continue to deteriorate and will only get worse over time.
Cracks in the asphalt pavement that allow water infiltration will someday lead to a pothole. Potholes are a result of the asphalt failing, but are largely a result of the base underneath failing prior to the asphalt pavement. The underneath base rock becoming saturated will begin to deteriorate and weaken, thus not being able to support the asphalt pavement surface. This is when the cracks in the asphalt really begin to multiply.
Pothole repairs need to be addressed early. When the asphalt surface beings to severely crack, water can easily penetrate into the underlying base rock and potholes will soon follow. Potholes can be avoided if the severely cracked asphalt is repaired before the asphalt pavement cracks so bad that it begins to break apart and is displaced due to the lack of underlying base support.
Potholes can ruin a good day but the repair can be very simple if caught in enough time. The existing cracked asphalt must be removed from around the damaged area to within 1’ beyond the cracked surface. This will ensure that the deteriorated underlying base is not contaminated due to water infiltration and other chemicals. The base stone will need to be removed is contaminated. The existing stone can be salvaged in most cases but must be properly compacted prior to replacement of the hot mix asphalt. Liquid tack must be placed on the vertical sides of the asphalt area (most cases the asphalt will be saw cut). This will bond the new asphalt with the existing asphalt. The new hot mix asphalt must be properly compacted and you are in business.
Remember to catch potholes early and sometimes even before the asphalt becomes a pothole. A pothole only gets bigger over time increasing the cost of the repair. Early repairs are quicker and less costly.
Well-Water Testing
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, private well water should be tested yearly, and in some cases more often than that. A report by the Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), states that annual, well-testing is essential, especially for nitrate and microorganisms such as coliform bacteria, which may indicate that sewage has contaminated your well. These recommendations point out certain circumstances when additional testing should be done, including testing when a new infant is living in your house or if your well is subjected to structural damage.
Doctors and pediatricians warn that children are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses that may come from contaminated wells. Consequently, since well owners are primarily responsible for their own wells, are not subject to federal regulations, and only minimally regulated by states, it is imperative that well owners keep close checks on the healthiness of the well water that flows into their homes. With proper care, well water is very safe; however, wells that become contaminated by chemicals or pathogenic organisms are hazardous to a household’s well-being.
The most common contaminant in wells is nitrate, which comes from sewage or fertilizer. The presence of nitrates in water can be a problem for infants under three months of age in particular because they cannot metabolize nitrate. Water with a nitrate concentration of more than ten milligrams per liter should not be used to prepare infant formula or given to a child younger than one year old. Using bottled water for infants when nitrate contamination is detected, or when the source of drinking water is not known is your best bet for keeping your child free from nitrate poisoning.
Statistics show that water contamination is inherently local, and that families with wells need to keep in contact with state and local health experts to determine what should be tested in their community. For instance, some parts of the country have arsenic, radon, salt intrusion or agricultural runoff that may get into the water supply. In these communities, you should be very conscientious about testing your well water. There are some kits for well water testing, but to insure that yours is safe, contact a qualified licensed plumber to test your well water for toxins and contaminants.
Blog post provided by: Roswell, Ga Sewer System Experts
Green Plumbing Ideas
If you want to contribute to the environmental conservation movement, one easy place to start is to initiate some green plumbing practices or install some green-friendly products in your own home. A few simple adjustments in your plumbing practices will have a substantial impact on your consumption of water and energy. Such practices will not only impact the environment, but will save money in the long run by lowering your utility bills as well. In addition, going green with your plumbing needs can have a great impact on the amount of toxins and greenhouse gases in your home, making your home a safer, cleaner place to live.
By taking some relatively simple steps, you can make your home more green friendly. Installing efficient fixtures and appliances, using environmentally friendly pipes and cleaners, as well as some more advanced solutions such as conversion to solar water heaters, gray water recycling, or rainwater harvesting can drastically reduce the environmental impact you make daily. To reduce the amount of water you use, install low-flow and aerator faucets and shower heads, as well as ultra-low flow toilets. And, while these changes may seem pricey at first, they will ultimately decrease your water bill, possibly saving you up to 50 percent on water usage and your bill. Installing faucets that use sensors to shut off while you lather your hands can save up to 70 percent of the water used by manual faucets, saving as much as one gallon of water per usage. Dual-flush toilets with their two handles (one to flush urine and one to flush waste) can save up to three gallons of water per flush.
Another simple practice you might want to incorporate into your green plumbing projects is rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting is accomplished by directing roof runoff into barrels, tanks, or cisterns rather than allowing it to run into gutters, downspouts, and sewers. Rainwater harvesting not only provides a free source of water for your garden and lawn, but will take some of the burden off your municipal storm sewer systems too. And, for even more water conservation and a bit more effort, you can use harvested rainwater for showering, laundry, and toilet flushing. Rainwater harvesting can even be used as a source of free drinking water, though it may require treatment before consumption.
Blog post provided by: Alpharetta Ga Licensed Plumbers
Bathroom Floor Options
If you are replacing your bathroom flooring or installing flooring in your new home’s bathrooms, you’ll want to carefully choose the type of flooring that best serves the needs of your household. Your choice of bathroom flooring is important because you’ll have to live with that choice for many years. While there are numerous options for bathroom floor materials, you’ll want to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option. In general, your options include carpet, wood, tile, vinyl, and bamboo.
Carpet
Carpet is not a good choice for a bathroom floor. Not only is it difficult to keep clean and dry in a bathroom setting but when moisture soaks into carpet, serious damage occurs to underlying materials causing them to deteriorate. In addition, moist carpeting can result in mold below the surface of the carpet and set you up for respiratory hazards and germs. Consequently, carpet is probably not an option you’ll want to seriously consider for your bathroom flooring.
Wood
If you choose carefully, wood is a viable option for bathroom flooring. Standard wood flooring is not your best choice though as it can be damaged by moisture. However, you can have a wood-like floor in your bathroom by using laminate flooring or engineered wood flooring. Laminate flooring is flooring that provides a layer of decorative, waterproof material over wood chips. Engineered wood flooring is flooring specifically designed to resist moisture. Unfortunately, moisture sometimes seeps into laminated flooring, so if you want wood flooring in your bathroom, engineered wood flooring is probably your best option.
Tile
The most popular choice for bathroom flooring is ceramic tile. A natural design choice for bathrooms, tile flooring is relatively inexpensive, completely waterproof, easy to clean and ascetically appealing. Whether you choose subway tile or some other style, ceramic tiles come in colors and shapes to complement any bathroom décor. Glass tile is also an alternative and has all the advantages of ceramic tile except it is somewhat susceptible to scratching.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring for your bathroom is one of the best and most used options available. Though less visibly appealing, vinyl is cheap, versatile, easy to install and moisture resistance. In addition, vinyl is relatively maintenance-free and durable. If cost is the determining factor for your bathroom flooring, vinyl is the option for you.
Bamboo
Moisture resistant, mold resistant, eco-friendly bamboo flooring is gaining momentum for bathroom flooring among traditionalists as well as cutting-edge designers because of its green-friendly features. Though a viable bathroom flooring option, bamboo is still a relatively new addition to bathroom flooring, making it very expense to purchase and install.
Make sure you research your options for bathroom flooring before choosing one. And, don’t forget to consult a licensed plumbing contractor or servicer to make sure your selection is workable for the plumbing system you already have in your home or the plumbing system you are planning to install.
Blog post provided by: Alpharetta, GA bathroom remodeling plumbers
Green Plumbing Practices
In general, green plumbing practices are practices of making use of environmentally friendly, energy efficient practices in your choice of plumbing materials and the use of those plumbing materials. The goal of these green practices is to conserve our natural resources for the future and improve the environment, or at least not destroying it more than we already have. An added bonus to going green in the plumbing arena is that by conserving energy and water, you not only save the environment but you save money as well.
The top five ways you can make your home more green-plumbing friendly are:
1. Repair leaky faucets. One leaky faucet can waste over twenty gallons of water per day. So, if you are not sure that your pipes, sinks, and toilets are leak-free, contact a qualified plumber to check these out for you and have him/her repair any that are leaking.
2. Use high-efficiency toilets. You can save a lot of money and water by replacing your older or larger tank toilets with smaller high-efficiency tanks. Many of the newer water saving toilets allow for a dual flush feature, enabling you to choose a half flush or a full flush for even more water saving.
3. Insulate your pipes. Homes with piping in exterior walls cause water heat loss during cold months. As water travels from an exterior wall pipe to your faucets, it takes the water longer to warm up as it comes out of your faucet than it does with interior wall piping systems. Installing insulation around these pipes will cut down on this heat loss and save you energy and hot water costs as well.
4. Install low-flow shower heads and faucets. By installing low-flow shower heads and aerators for your sinks, you can limit water flow from shower heads and faucets and save water and money.
5. Replace your old water heater with a tankless water heater. Traditional water tank heaters constantly heat your hot water. Tankless water heaters save energy by heating only the water you need at the moment. Estimates show that tankless water heaters reduce energy costs by up to 40 or 50 percent as compared to water heaters with a tank. An added bonus to tankless water heaters is that you may even be able to get a tax credit for purchasing and installing one. Check with a qualified plumber to determine what type of tankless water heater you should purchase and how to take advantage of any tax credits due you for doing so.
By taking some relatively simple steps to change some plumbing features in your home, you can save money and energy and contribute to preservation of the environment.
Blog post provided by: Marietta GA licensed plumbers