- Check for loose or leaky gutters. Improper drainage can lead to water in the basement or crawl space. Make sure downspouts drain away from the foundation and are clear and free of debris.
- Low areas in the yard or next to the foundation should be filled with compacted soil. Spring rains can cause yard flooding, which can lead to foundation flooding and damage. Also, when water pools in these low areas in summer, it creates a breeding ground for insects.
- Use a screwdriver to probe the wood trim around windows, doors, railings and decks. Make repairs now before the spring rains do more damage to the exposed wood.
- From the ground, examine roof shingles to see if any were lost or damaged during winter. If your home has an older roof covering, you may want to start a budget for replacement. The summer sun can really damage roof shingles. Shingles that are cracked, buckled or loose or are missing granules need to be replaced. Flashing around plumbing vents, skylights and chimneys need to be checked and repaired by a qualified roofer.
- Examine the exterior of the chimney for signs of damage. Have the flue cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep.
- Inspect concrete slabs for signs of cracks or movement. All exterior slabs except pool decks should drain away from the home's foundation. Fill cracks with a concrete crack filler or silicone caulk. When weather permits, power-wash and then seal the concrete.
- Remove firewood stored near the home. Firewood should be stored at least 18 inches off the ground at least 2 feet from the structure.
- Check outside hose faucets for freeze damage. Turn the water on and place your thumb or finger over the opening. If you can stop the flow of water, it is likely the pipe inside the home is damaged and will need to be replaced. While you're at it, check the garden hose for dry rot.
- Have a qualified heating and cooling contractor clean and service the outside unit of the air conditioning system. Clean coils operate more efficiently, and an annual service call will keep the system working at peak performance levels. Change interior filters on a regular basis.
- Check your gas- and battery-powered lawn equipment to make sure it is ready for summer use. Clean equipment and sharp cutting blades will make yardwork easier.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Spring Home Maintenance Tips
After a long, dark winter, spring's bright sun and warm winds are,
well, a breath of fresh air. The only downside? All that sunshine
spotlights your leaf-filled gutters, cracked sidewalks and the dead
plants in last year's flower beds. Dwight Barnett, a certified master
inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors, shared this
checklist to help you target the areas that need maintenance so you can
get your chores done quickly, leaving you time to go outside and play in
the sunshine.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Keep Your Family Safe From Home Fires
Although deaths and injuries from
residential fires have decreased in the past several years, deaths from
fires and burns are still the third leading cause of fatal home injuries
(CDC). Seventy percent of these deaths are from inhaling
smoke. Two-thirds of deaths from home fires occurred in homes with no
smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Fires are more likely to happen in
certain areas or by certain equipment in your house. Be extra careful
while you're cooking, smoking, around candles, furnaces, electrical
cords and fireplaces, and with children, toddlers and babies nearby.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking equipment, most often a range or a stovetop, is the leading cause of reported U.S. home fires and home fire injuries. Fortunately, there are things you and your family can do to protect yourselves. |
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Smoke Detectors and Your Home
How to buy a smoke detector, with smoke alarm types and
features, the number needed for a home, combination detectors and fire
alarm manufacturers.
Every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people die in home fires and another 18,000 are injured. Additionally, house fires cost almost $8 billion in property damage annually. Many victims do not die of burns but rather smoke inhalation, because fires often occur at night when victims are asleep. Smoke detectors are the best way to prevent these catastrophic results. The risk of dying from a home not protected by a smoke detector is twice that of a protected home. Of course, it is essential that the detector is operational: Approximately 95% of U.S. homes have at least one smoke detector, yet 20 percent of fire fatalities occur in homes with broken or disabled detectors. A smoke detector stands guard around the clock, and when it first senses smoke, it sounds an alarm, often buying a family the precious time it takes to escape. The most common alarm is a beeping noise that is piercing and persistent enough to alert homeowners to danger.
Other types of alarms include a voice detector, which has verbal commands pre-recorded in addition to an alarm. Examples of the pre-recorded commands are ”Fire, get out!” or “Smoke alert!” or Low-battery alert.” One version of this type may even have a parent’s voice pre-recorded (studies indicate that children are more likely to respond quickly to a parent’s voice).
Strobe detectors are smoke alarms that are designed to meet the needs of the hearing-impaired. These smoke alarms use strobe lights that flash or vibrate to alert those who are unable to hear standard smoke alarms. There are also detectors that respond with tactile stimulation such as bed shaking.
Battery and Hardwired Smoke Detectors
Most smoke detectors are battery powered, but some, particularly those installed during house construction, are wired into a home’s electrical system. Most of the ones that run on line voltage (household current) have a battery backup in case a fire knocks out the house’s electrical power. Battery-powered detectors are easier to install. Smoke detector batteries insider both battery-operated and hard-wired smoke detectors last approximately 6 months. When they need replacing, the detector will chirp every minute or so to indicate that the batteries are expiring.
The main problem with battery-powered smoke detectors is that people don’t maintain them. All battery-operated detectors are supposed to signal a low battery, but you have to make sure they’re working; newer models won’t close if the battery is removed. New lithium battery models last up to 10 years; the entire unit is disposable.
Smoke Detector Types
There are many brands of smoke detector on the market, but they all fall under two basic types—ionization chamber detectors and photoelectric detectors. Both types have two basic parts: a sensor to sense the smoke and a very loud electronic horn to alert people.
Ionization detectors use a radioactive source that produces electrically charged molecules (ions). This sets up an electrical current within the detector chamber. When smoke enters the chamber, it attaches to the ions and reduces the flow of electrical current, which sets off the alarm. Ionization detectors are better at detecting the smaller amounts of smoke produced by fast, flaming fires.
Photoelectric detectors use an optical detector sensor (a photo beam) and go off when smoke from a smoldering fire is dense enough to deflect that beam of light.
Dual detectors Because homeowners cannot predict the type of fire that might start, a combination smoke detector—called a dual-sensor smoke alarm—is actually the wisest choice.
Smoke Detector Features
Depending upon quality of smoke detectors, some also offer:
• A remote-control mute button that can be linked to a television remote control to silence nuisance alarms.
• Safety lights to provide illumination during an alarm.
• Silence buttons that will quiet the alarm for a few minutes at a time. Detectors with this feature are commonly placed in kitchens.
• Transmission of a signal to a central monitoring station as part of a security alert system.
• Intercommunication of hardwired smoke detectors that guarantees if one alarm in the house goes off, they all go off. Even if the fire is detected in the basement, people upstairs will hear an alarm.
Addressable Smoke Detector Systems
Addressable smoke detection systems provide knowledge of the exact location and status of every device. The alarm decision is generally made by control equipment rather than an individual detection device.
Addressable system features include:
• The alarm can be investigated before a fire service is called.
• The system can tell you which device needs maintenance.
• Each detector is uniquely identified, and the exact location of each unit is displayed at the fire control panel.
• Any cut wires or short circuits do not generate nuisance alarms.
• Each sensor can be adjusted to its own unique environment.
• Nuisance alarms are less likely because the system uses multi-sensor detection
• Many incorporate strobe lights as a means of alerting the hearing impaired.
Combination Smoke-CO Detectors
Combination detectors are gaining in popularity because they combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection. They are available as CO and ionization alarms and CO and photoelectric alarms.
By purchasing these combo alarms, you would have fewer alarms to place in your home (except that many CO alarms mount in the typical wall outlet placed low on the wall while the optimum smoke alarm placement is on or near the ceiling).
Interconnecting CO detectors warn you of problems in remote areas of the house—especially important in multi-level homes. They can be linked through hard wires or wirelessly and set off all the alarms if any one goes off.
Source: www.hometips.com
Every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people die in home fires and another 18,000 are injured. Additionally, house fires cost almost $8 billion in property damage annually. Many victims do not die of burns but rather smoke inhalation, because fires often occur at night when victims are asleep. Smoke detectors are the best way to prevent these catastrophic results. The risk of dying from a home not protected by a smoke detector is twice that of a protected home. Of course, it is essential that the detector is operational: Approximately 95% of U.S. homes have at least one smoke detector, yet 20 percent of fire fatalities occur in homes with broken or disabled detectors. A smoke detector stands guard around the clock, and when it first senses smoke, it sounds an alarm, often buying a family the precious time it takes to escape. The most common alarm is a beeping noise that is piercing and persistent enough to alert homeowners to danger.
Other types of alarms include a voice detector, which has verbal commands pre-recorded in addition to an alarm. Examples of the pre-recorded commands are ”Fire, get out!” or “Smoke alert!” or Low-battery alert.” One version of this type may even have a parent’s voice pre-recorded (studies indicate that children are more likely to respond quickly to a parent’s voice).
Strobe detectors are smoke alarms that are designed to meet the needs of the hearing-impaired. These smoke alarms use strobe lights that flash or vibrate to alert those who are unable to hear standard smoke alarms. There are also detectors that respond with tactile stimulation such as bed shaking.
Battery and Hardwired Smoke Detectors
Most smoke detectors are battery powered, but some, particularly those installed during house construction, are wired into a home’s electrical system. Most of the ones that run on line voltage (household current) have a battery backup in case a fire knocks out the house’s electrical power. Battery-powered detectors are easier to install. Smoke detector batteries insider both battery-operated and hard-wired smoke detectors last approximately 6 months. When they need replacing, the detector will chirp every minute or so to indicate that the batteries are expiring.
The main problem with battery-powered smoke detectors is that people don’t maintain them. All battery-operated detectors are supposed to signal a low battery, but you have to make sure they’re working; newer models won’t close if the battery is removed. New lithium battery models last up to 10 years; the entire unit is disposable.
Smoke Detector Types
There are many brands of smoke detector on the market, but they all fall under two basic types—ionization chamber detectors and photoelectric detectors. Both types have two basic parts: a sensor to sense the smoke and a very loud electronic horn to alert people.
Ionization detectors use a radioactive source that produces electrically charged molecules (ions). This sets up an electrical current within the detector chamber. When smoke enters the chamber, it attaches to the ions and reduces the flow of electrical current, which sets off the alarm. Ionization detectors are better at detecting the smaller amounts of smoke produced by fast, flaming fires.
Photoelectric detectors use an optical detector sensor (a photo beam) and go off when smoke from a smoldering fire is dense enough to deflect that beam of light.
Dual detectors Because homeowners cannot predict the type of fire that might start, a combination smoke detector—called a dual-sensor smoke alarm—is actually the wisest choice.
Smoke Detector Features
Depending upon quality of smoke detectors, some also offer:
• A remote-control mute button that can be linked to a television remote control to silence nuisance alarms.
• Safety lights to provide illumination during an alarm.
• Silence buttons that will quiet the alarm for a few minutes at a time. Detectors with this feature are commonly placed in kitchens.
• Transmission of a signal to a central monitoring station as part of a security alert system.
• Intercommunication of hardwired smoke detectors that guarantees if one alarm in the house goes off, they all go off. Even if the fire is detected in the basement, people upstairs will hear an alarm.
Addressable Smoke Detector Systems
Addressable smoke detection systems provide knowledge of the exact location and status of every device. The alarm decision is generally made by control equipment rather than an individual detection device.
Addressable system features include:
• The alarm can be investigated before a fire service is called.
• The system can tell you which device needs maintenance.
• Each detector is uniquely identified, and the exact location of each unit is displayed at the fire control panel.
• Any cut wires or short circuits do not generate nuisance alarms.
• Each sensor can be adjusted to its own unique environment.
• Nuisance alarms are less likely because the system uses multi-sensor detection
• Many incorporate strobe lights as a means of alerting the hearing impaired.
Combination Smoke-CO Detectors
Combination detectors are gaining in popularity because they combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection. They are available as CO and ionization alarms and CO and photoelectric alarms.
By purchasing these combo alarms, you would have fewer alarms to place in your home (except that many CO alarms mount in the typical wall outlet placed low on the wall while the optimum smoke alarm placement is on or near the ceiling).
Interconnecting CO detectors warn you of problems in remote areas of the house—especially important in multi-level homes. They can be linked through hard wires or wirelessly and set off all the alarms if any one goes off.
Source: www.hometips.com
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Custom Home 1
A builder may pour the foundation and raise the roof, but only you can make your new house a home. A seasoned architect offers tips to help you avoid costly and heartbreaking mistakes.
Your new house is an exciting, and mind-boggling experience for you; it is routine for the builder ("been there- done that"). These attitudes often tend to clash. Building your new house should not (and cannot) be a passive exercise. A myriad of decisions have to be made, by you. Where you are unable, or unwilling to make decisions, you will force the builder to make them. To make sure your new home fulfills your own vision, follow these guidelines:
Understand Your Contract
You will party to a contract involving a massive amount of money when you sign on the dotted line for the construction of your new house. By so doing, you abdicate NONE of your basic legal rights; therefore, know them, and exercise them!
Start by reading the contract and understanding it. You are paying (or will pay over the next 25-30 years) for the knowledge of the builders -- their experience and ability. PLUS you are paying your builders a profit above their expenses. What do you expect in return? How do ensure that you get what you expect?
COMMUNICATE - WRITE IT DOWN - COMMUNICATE- WRITE IT DOWN - COMMUNICATE - WRITE IT DOWN. Anything you add to the house after the contract is signed, the builder will keep track of -- assiduously! Anything you delete or reduce, YOU keep track of -- assiduously!
Source: Jackie Craven, Architecture Guide, about.com
Your new house is an exciting, and mind-boggling experience for you; it is routine for the builder ("been there- done that"). These attitudes often tend to clash. Building your new house should not (and cannot) be a passive exercise. A myriad of decisions have to be made, by you. Where you are unable, or unwilling to make decisions, you will force the builder to make them. To make sure your new home fulfills your own vision, follow these guidelines:
Understand Your Contract
You will party to a contract involving a massive amount of money when you sign on the dotted line for the construction of your new house. By so doing, you abdicate NONE of your basic legal rights; therefore, know them, and exercise them!
Start by reading the contract and understanding it. You are paying (or will pay over the next 25-30 years) for the knowledge of the builders -- their experience and ability. PLUS you are paying your builders a profit above their expenses. What do you expect in return? How do ensure that you get what you expect?
COMMUNICATE - WRITE IT DOWN - COMMUNICATE- WRITE IT DOWN - COMMUNICATE - WRITE IT DOWN. Anything you add to the house after the contract is signed, the builder will keep track of -- assiduously! Anything you delete or reduce, YOU keep track of -- assiduously!
Source: Jackie Craven, Architecture Guide, about.com
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