Fire Damage Restoration Advice
One of the most devastating things can happen to a home owner is to have a house fire. And once the embers are finally smoldered out, the first thing one usually wants to do is to go into the charred remains to see just what are you home can be salvaged and cleaned. However, you should hold off on doing this until you have sought council from your insurance claims adjuster. This way, you can make sure that you do not waste your time, and money, and cause more damage as opposed to repairs. Your insurance adjuster can give guidance on how best to restore and/or replace your destroyed or damaged belongings.
One helpful thing that an insurance claims adjuster can do is refer you to a fire restoration company. Companies such as these can give very helpful tips to prevent further damage from being done to your home and property. Fire restoration companies can even tell you how to restore damaged properties. They will also give you an estimate of the likely price of thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing your home. Even though these services are, more often than not, expensive, it will most likely be a lot less than having to replace your damaged floors and furniture.
Now, if you find that you are incapable of affording the services a fire restoration company can offer, there are certain measures that you can take on your own. However, be sure that your fire marshal approves your plan and deems it safe enough for you to do before you go back into your home.
It is important that the very first thing you do to repair your home is to get as much air circulating through it as possible. The easiest way of doing this is to simply open some doors and open some windows and bring in a fan. If there has been any water damage, perhaps as a result of the fire trucks, you will probably want to invest in a de-humidifier. Any wet items should be dried as soon as possible. You might also want to consider buying a heavy duty vacuum cleaner. If you cannot afford cleaning services, do not use an upright vacuum or attachments because this would only set soot damage further in the carpet. After the vacuuming is done, you should cover the carpet with a tarp, so you do not cause further soiling while cleaning.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Why Should You Switch To A Tankless Water Heater?
Helping the environment, saving on your utility bill, and never running out of hot water no matter how many appliances are using it sounds like a dream, but the reality is that tankless water heaters can give you exactly that.
These have been extremely popular and even mandatory in some areas of Europe and Japan for the past quarter of a century, but the trend is just now hitting the United States and Canada, because we have been shown the benefits of having them.
One thing that makes these little gems so great is that you never have to worry about running out of hot water for your appliances. You can take a shower, run the dishwasher, and the washing machine all at the same time and the hot water just keeps on coming.
Since the water is being heated only when you are using it, you save on your electricity bill at the end of the month. Normal tank water heaters will keep a tank full of water heated whether we are using it or not (even when we are asleep). Homes that have a substantial demand for hot water may save around 15 to 25 percent, but homes that have smaller needs can see savings of possibly up to around 50 percent.
Take advantage of the Energy Tax Incentives Act and you can get a $300 rebate from the Federal government by replacing your old hot water heater with a tankless model.
Using a tankless water heater will also reduce the amount of fossil fuels that you use every day (actually, the electric company uses it) to heat your home’s water supply. Tankless water heaters also last about 2 or 3 times longer than their traditional counterparts and are generally much smaller and less conspicuous. You can have a tankless water heater installed in a large number of places in your home.
So, think about it. You pay less for an endless supply of hot water than you would for a limited supply and you help the environment in a number of different ways. What do you have to lose? Switch to a tankless hot water heater today and take advantage of the government’s rebate before it is gone and they mandate these all across the country. A free $300 from the government is pretty hard to come by and they have been popular in Europe and Japan for the last 25 years, so why not keep up with the times?
These have been extremely popular and even mandatory in some areas of Europe and Japan for the past quarter of a century, but the trend is just now hitting the United States and Canada, because we have been shown the benefits of having them.
One thing that makes these little gems so great is that you never have to worry about running out of hot water for your appliances. You can take a shower, run the dishwasher, and the washing machine all at the same time and the hot water just keeps on coming.
Since the water is being heated only when you are using it, you save on your electricity bill at the end of the month. Normal tank water heaters will keep a tank full of water heated whether we are using it or not (even when we are asleep). Homes that have a substantial demand for hot water may save around 15 to 25 percent, but homes that have smaller needs can see savings of possibly up to around 50 percent.
Take advantage of the Energy Tax Incentives Act and you can get a $300 rebate from the Federal government by replacing your old hot water heater with a tankless model.
Using a tankless water heater will also reduce the amount of fossil fuels that you use every day (actually, the electric company uses it) to heat your home’s water supply. Tankless water heaters also last about 2 or 3 times longer than their traditional counterparts and are generally much smaller and less conspicuous. You can have a tankless water heater installed in a large number of places in your home.
So, think about it. You pay less for an endless supply of hot water than you would for a limited supply and you help the environment in a number of different ways. What do you have to lose? Switch to a tankless hot water heater today and take advantage of the government’s rebate before it is gone and they mandate these all across the country. A free $300 from the government is pretty hard to come by and they have been popular in Europe and Japan for the last 25 years, so why not keep up with the times?
Two Great Ways To Reduce Mold
There are a number of things that you can do to prevent mold growth in your home, but stopping the mold spores from spreading even though they are already in the air is also important. It is important to realize that mold spores are always going to exist in the air that you breathe unless you are in a hospital or laboratory clean room, but reducing the amount of these spores in the air is not as difficult as you may think.
The first thing that you need to do is get rid of any mold infections that already exist in the home. You can do this a few different ways, depending on how far the contamination has advanced. If you try to scrub it off the wall and it comes back a few days or a week later, then it is embedded into the drywall and you need to replace it as soon as possible. No one wants to have to replace a section of drywall in their home, but if mold is embedded into it, this is the only way to get it out of the house. Any building materials that are contaminated with mold will need to be replaced.
After you either do that yourself or have a professional do it for you, you will want to purchase a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter on it. HEPA filters will remove about 99.7% of all particles from the air that is expelled by your vacuum, which means that mold spores, dust mites, and etcetera will not be tossed back up into the air you are breathing when you vacuum.
Another appliance you will want to purchase, especially if you have allergies, is an air purifier that is equipped with a HEPA filter. This is one of the best investments that you can make for your home, since it will keep the air free of the same kind of particles that the filter on your vacuum cleaner will. It removes the mold spores from the air and thus stops them from landing and forming colonies in your house.
Even though these are two great appliances to help prevent mold growth in your house, you still need to do your best to make sure that water leaks and other moisture problems in the home do not develop. HEPA filters only remove 99.7% of particles in the air, which means that there are still another 0.03% floating around and it only takes one.
The first thing that you need to do is get rid of any mold infections that already exist in the home. You can do this a few different ways, depending on how far the contamination has advanced. If you try to scrub it off the wall and it comes back a few days or a week later, then it is embedded into the drywall and you need to replace it as soon as possible. No one wants to have to replace a section of drywall in their home, but if mold is embedded into it, this is the only way to get it out of the house. Any building materials that are contaminated with mold will need to be replaced.
After you either do that yourself or have a professional do it for you, you will want to purchase a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter on it. HEPA filters will remove about 99.7% of all particles from the air that is expelled by your vacuum, which means that mold spores, dust mites, and etcetera will not be tossed back up into the air you are breathing when you vacuum.
Another appliance you will want to purchase, especially if you have allergies, is an air purifier that is equipped with a HEPA filter. This is one of the best investments that you can make for your home, since it will keep the air free of the same kind of particles that the filter on your vacuum cleaner will. It removes the mold spores from the air and thus stops them from landing and forming colonies in your house.
Even though these are two great appliances to help prevent mold growth in your house, you still need to do your best to make sure that water leaks and other moisture problems in the home do not develop. HEPA filters only remove 99.7% of particles in the air, which means that there are still another 0.03% floating around and it only takes one.
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