How to Use Do-It-Yourself Toxic Mold Test Kits
May 14, 2008
VANCOUVER, CANADA. Many homeowners, landlords, renters, property managers, business owners, and employees want to know, and need to know, the precise identities of the various toxic mold species inhabiting their home, rental property, or place of work, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector and author of the mold book Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
To identify correctly toxic mold species, take these two steps: (1) use do-it-yourself mold test kits to collect mold samples during a thorough and complete building mold inspection and investigation; and (2) send the collected mold test samples to a mold laboratory for mold analysis and mold species identification.
Testing Visible Mold Growth
If a resident or occupant sees mold growing on a wall, ceiling, floor, heating or cooling duct register, or any other surface, he can scrape mold particles off the mold growth area onto the sticky surface of the opened mold test kit.
During such scraping of the mold growth, the tester needs to wear rubber gloves and a full-face respirator mask with organic vapor filters (such as the 3M brand from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store) to protect against toxic mold exposure.
Vacation Break for Electrical Machines
May 14, 2008
Are you overloaded? Have you become a part of the highly stressed modern working environment? You may need a break - a vacation, a change in environment, a change of pace…
Similarly, machines can be overloaded too. Those that were designed for a particular system are often pushed to their limits when new requirements emerge.
Just like the final straw that breaks the camel’s back, electrical machines too, can reach their breaking point. If there is no vacation for them, they will burn.
Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to stop the current in a circuit before any damage can occur - create a vacation or a break for them.
A circuit breaker is one of the ways to prevent motors (or other electrical machines) from burning due to overloading. All electrical motors produce heat when running. At the time of a fault, this heat builds up at a much higher rate than it can be dissipated. This can result in damaged equipment, fire or even explosion.
The electrical protective device like the circuit breaker is designed to de-energize the circuit before this heat level becomes dangerous.
There are basically 2 means of activating a break - thermally (heat) or magnetically.
How To Brighten Up Your Home With These Flower Arrangement Ideas
May 13, 2008
A beautiful flower arrangement piece can become the focal point of the room you choose to decorate. It’s truly fascinating how we can combine different flowers to create a mesmerizing bouquet. With the vast selection of colors, fragrances and shapes, you can create or readily buy a flower arrangement piece that will speak to you and others walking in the room what you want to communicate.
First thing to do is decide where you will be placing your flower arrangement. Will it be placed on the floor in your hall, on top of a piece of furniture?
What about the space where your arrangement will sit? Will you need a finished piece that is tall, round, wide or full? What is the decor of the room you’ve selected that will contrast powerfully with your flowers?
Don’t limit your creativity!
There are several design styles you can choose from and we have included a variety of design here for you to get those creative juices flowing.
Use these as a guide to creating your own flower arrangement style. Pictures of the flower arrangements below can be found at our site.
Bud Vases
Choosing Blinds For Damp Atmospheres
May 12, 2008
There are some important things to consider when choosing blinds for the kitchen and bathroom. The conditions in these rooms vary somewhat from the rest of the house, so it is important that care is taken to choose suitable blinds. Hence, it is not just the aesthetic appeal that is important, but also the durable and maintenance of these window treatments.
When it comes to designing the appearance of a bathroom or kitchen, it is a common mistake to apply the same rules to these rooms as the other rooms in the house. The practicality is that the both the bathroom and the kitchen have different requirements to just about any other room. Consider hot showers and baths, or boiling kettles and simmering saucepans. This creates a hot damp atmosphere that the window blind will have to be able to cope with. Not only must the blinds be able to provide the necessary appeal and avoid privacy, but also be able to withstand the conditions. That is why you get blinds and then you get kitchen blinds and bathroom blinds.
Carbon Monoxide Can Be Deadly–Early Detection Monitors Make It Easy to Protect Your Family
May 11, 2008
If you burn gas, kerosene, or wood in your home to produce heat for cooking or warmth, you need to monitor the level of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is odorless and can easily build up to dangerous levels. Ordinary carbon monoxide detectors don’t sound an alarm until certain levels of carbon monoxide accumulate in the air. New monitors show the amount of carbon dioxide in the air at any given time, so you can take action well before levels reach the danger zone.
HOW CARBON MONOXIDE GETS INTO THE AIR IN YOUR HOME
Carbon monoxide is the major toxic combustion by-product that is created when gas, kerosene, or wood is burned to produce heat for cooking or warmth. Other combustion by-products include formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitric acid, and vapors from various organic chemicals.
Carbon monoxide and other combustion by-products are produced when fuels do not burn completely. All fuel-burning appliances need air for the fuel to burn efficiently. When a generous supply of fresh air is available and the fuel is burning properly, there is little danger of poisoning. But when there is inadequate ventilation or the appliance is not operating properly, carbon monoxide is produced and can gradually overcome and even kill an unsuspecting bystander.
Spring Chores at the Cabin
May 10, 2008
Whether you live in your cabin year round or it’s been closed up for the winter, it’s time for spring cleaning. It’s hard to get motivated. We’d all rather be out playing in the sun and enjoying the spring after the long cold winter. I thought I would share my “to do” list and some helpful tips to get you started so we can both get the chores done.
I like to start with my fireplace. Hiring a local chimney sweep is not always possible in very rural areas such as we live. I have a heavy 25′ chain that works very well. From the roof I remove the spark arrester then slowly drop one end of the chain down the chimney, holding onto the other end. Slowly rotate the chain so it rubs firmly against the inside of the chimney. Keep swirling the chain for several minutes, pull out the chain, clean the spark arrester with a soft brush and replace the arrester. Keep in mind 2 things: 1. make sure the pitch of your roof is safe to stand on and 2. Your chimney must be straight with no elbows for this technique to work. If the pipe has an elbow use the chain technique then disconnect the pipe at the elbow to clean it with a wire brush and remove the ash and pitch. Reattach the pipe. All that’s left is to clean the inside of the fireplace or wood stove, remove all the ash and pitch residue that has dropped from the chimney cleaning. I use oven cleaner, a Teflon scrubby then window cleaner on the heat tempered glass when the pitch has built up that awful amber film. My wood stove gets a new coat of black stove polish too.
22 Fun Things To Do With Your Dozen Rose Gift
May 9, 2008
Your dozen rose gift doesn’t only have to decorate your favorite room. Roses are about romance and enjoying the moment they are given and received. I’ve discovered some fun ways to use roses to create a stimulating day or night.
So read through this list of fun rose goodies.
Spice up your relationship and turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day you will both remember. Select your favorite and have fun!
* Send your partner a dozen roses of their favorite color along with a check for a hundred kisses.
* Order a dozen roses, eleven red and one white. In your personal message write something like: "In every bunch there’s one that stands out ? and you are that one".
* Want your partners’ eyes to glow? Order a bouquet of different colored roses and place each one in a different place in your home. Where you place the dozen roses, also place a small card (decorate it nicely if you like) where it will state the meaning of each colored rose and how that meaning fits in with your lives.
How to Be Your Air Conditioner?s Best Friend
May 9, 2008
There are a few things you can do to take care of your air conditioner and make its life a little longer and a little easier.
How does your air conditioner work? Simply stated, an air conditioning unit removes heat from the air and blows it outside with an outdoor fan. An indoor fan pulls room air across an evaporator coil filled with refrigerant and transfers cool air into your home. Obviously, the movement of air by fans is a big part of the system. That’s why it is so important to replace the filter at least once a month.
As dust is picked up, it is trapped on the filter, and you would be surprised how quickly the dust accumulates. Trying to pull air through a clogged filter just makes the fan work harder, raising your utility bill.
The same is true for the fan in the outdoor unit. Make sure the outside of the unit is away from shrubs and other vegetation growth, and keep the unit as clean and free of leaves and dirt as possible. Provide at least five feet of clearance at the top and two feet on all sides of the unit.
Choosing Your Builder: Cheapest Quote Wins?
May 8, 2008
You have your 3 quotes from each potential builder so choosing the one you are going to trust with your re-modelling, new garage, extension etc. should be easy, shouldn’t it? Unfortunately most homeowners would consider this the end of their search for a builder when in fact what you should be doing next is the second most important if your home improvement project is to run smoothly (what’s the most important? You will find the answer at the end of this article).
When asking a builder for a quote you should always ask him to include with his reply, the name, address and phone number of the job he is currently working on as well as the last two jobs completed. If you have your quotes but didn’t ask for references, do it now.
Why do you need to check references when surely the cheapest quote should get the job? Perhaps your cheapest quote has a habit of adding the dreaded extras on to his final bill where as your second quote does not. Perhaps your dearest quote always finishes his jobs ahead of schedule and time is of the essence to you.
Building Your Dream Home ? Part 2
May 7, 2008
Razing the Cottage
With new house plans and permits in hand, subcontractors hired and a Septic Design in process, it was now time to raze the existing cottage. I considered employing the local fire department to burn it down, however I chose the demolition route instead. Though I did not contact the Fire Department, I was convinced that this route would have led to multiple delays and pitfalls, as I would have been at the whim of several town employees and weather conditions. The demolition route required only the excavator subcontractor and had less weather related schedule risks. In addition, the demolition cost and effort was very reasonable. Within two days, it was as if the cottage never existed on the land. It is important to note, however, that the cottage was relatively small. It was 22′ x 30′. If the cottage had been significantly larger, then the Fire Department route may have made more financial sense.
