Lots of people have fireplaces in their homes, but keeping them clean and smoke free takes some maintenance and effort on the part of the homeowner. The fireplace will not maintain itself, even though there are some fireplace cleaning logs on the market these days. These will not completely replace a professional cleaning, though, so you should have one of these done at least every year or two.
You should also have the proper tools stored next to your fireplace and these are available in many different materials and types. Cast iron is a good and durable material, but fireplace tools are also available in brass, pewter, nickel, and etcetera. There is a large selection on the market and you will surely be able to find what you are looking for.
A fireplace blower can help build up the fire and add more heat to it. You have probably seen one of these before and it can be a real help when first starting to build a fire.
Fireplace tongs can be used to move around logs that are obviously too hot to pick up with your hands and this is necessary, since the logs will not always be exactly where you need them to be to get the most heat and longevity out of the fire.
A fireplace poker can be used to stir around coals and spread them so that the heat is more evenly distributed. This helps larger logs catch on fire faster than they normally would.
A shovel is used to clean out the ashes that are left after a fire is out and a small broom is necessary to keep the area immediately outside the fireplace cleaned up.
If you are having problems building a fire that does not spill smoke back into the room, you need to make sure that nothing is blocking the chimney on top of the house. Leaves, bird nests, and sticks can clog it up during the spring, summer, and fall and make it completely unusable.
Using the correct wood is also important; logs that are freshly cut and have a lot of moisture still in them will smoke instead of catch fire. Use logs that are dried out and try to store them in a place where they will not get wet.
Start the fire slowly by building it up with paper and small sticks at first to get the chimney warm. Warming up the chimney is important so that the air inside it becomes warm instead of cold. Cold air pushes the warm air and smoke down and back into the house.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Fire-Related Water Damage
That sounds kind of strange, does it not? Water is usually one of the last things that you tend to think about when your house is on fire, except for wanting lots of it to put the fire out with. When the fire trucks come and start the business of putting the fire out with gallons and gallons of water, we are typically overjoyed, except for those of us who know that the water they pour onto and into our home can be almost as damaging as the fire itself. Ceilings and walls become soaked in water, not to mention the rest of the home’s appliances, furniture, and fixtures. The insulation in the attic is not safe, either, because once it gets wet, it becomes completely useless in protecting your home from the heat and cold during the summer and winter seasons. It weighs down on your ceiling’s drywall and can eventually cause it to collapse if not replaced soon.
There are plenty of things that you can do when you have a fire in your home and you return to it to find not a dried out shell of a building, but a soaking wet interior.
Wait to turn on any household appliances or any lights while you are in standing water. This includes carpets that are soaked with water and make splashing sounds when you walk across them. It is also very important that you do not do this while standing on concrete floors. The possibility of electrocution is high.
If you start to enter a room, look up at the ceiling. If the ceiling is sagging down, then it is probably due to water that has been retained in the attic or because of insulation that has gotten soaked and is weighing down on the drywall. Do not enter this room. Instead, check out the damage to the attic, if possible.
Whatever clothing that you have in your home should be removed and hung outside to dry, if possible. Leaving wet clothing in your home to dry will ruin them because of the fact that mold will set in within about 24 to 48 hours after water exposure.
Whatever you do, do not attempt to vacuum floors that are wet. Using a wet vacuum cleaner to do this is the only option, but only do this after the electrical circuits in the house have been checked and found to be undamaged.
Remove any books and magazines that have colored covers from the floors. The dyes from these will run and stain your floors and carpet. These should be removed as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
There are plenty of things that you can do when you have a fire in your home and you return to it to find not a dried out shell of a building, but a soaking wet interior.
Wait to turn on any household appliances or any lights while you are in standing water. This includes carpets that are soaked with water and make splashing sounds when you walk across them. It is also very important that you do not do this while standing on concrete floors. The possibility of electrocution is high.
If you start to enter a room, look up at the ceiling. If the ceiling is sagging down, then it is probably due to water that has been retained in the attic or because of insulation that has gotten soaked and is weighing down on the drywall. Do not enter this room. Instead, check out the damage to the attic, if possible.
Whatever clothing that you have in your home should be removed and hung outside to dry, if possible. Leaving wet clothing in your home to dry will ruin them because of the fact that mold will set in within about 24 to 48 hours after water exposure.
Whatever you do, do not attempt to vacuum floors that are wet. Using a wet vacuum cleaner to do this is the only option, but only do this after the electrical circuits in the house have been checked and found to be undamaged.
Remove any books and magazines that have colored covers from the floors. The dyes from these will run and stain your floors and carpet. These should be removed as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
Dealing With Storm Damage
A hurricane or a flood can be a devastating experience for home and other property owners and cleaning up after the fact can be a daunting task, especially if it is the first time that you have to deal with a problem such as this. If it is your first home that is affected, you might not have a good understanding of where to go after the waters and storm clouds have receded off into the distance. Sometimes hiring a professional to deal with extensive damage is often one of the best and safest things that you can do, but not everyone can afford a professional.
One thing that you should be very concerned about is downed power lines. If you have a downed power line on your property, ALWAYS assume that the downed line is a live one. Do not allow anyone to touch it or, if it lies across your driveway or the street where you live, drive over it. Not even an experienced electrician can tell you if a line is live just by taking a look at it.
After the storm is gone and the electricity has been returned to your home, the first thing that you want to do is turned the electricity to your home OFF so that you can take care of getting rid of the standing water that may exist in your home. This is especially important after a hurricane or a flood when there is likely to be standing water. Do what you can to get things dry as soon as possible without using an artificial heat source to do so. Remove wet furniture from the house and put them outside to dry.
Water damage is a serious risk during these times and during a hurricane, there is likely to be some kind of debris on the roof if your home. Remove this debris and check for any holes that might have been made in your roof during the storm. If there are holes, cover them up with tarp the best that you can, especially if you are expecting more rain. After you do that, go into the attic and assess just how much water has leaked into it. Insulation that has gotten wet should be removed immediately. It is no longer any good and only creates excess weight on your ceiling.
If you prepared for the hurricane before it reached your city or town, then odds are that you will not have many windows that have been blown out due to high winds. If you did not have time to prepare properly, however, you might have quite a bit of glass to clean up. If you are not expecting more rain, leave them uncovered to help dry the house out after you get rid of the broken glass.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration contractors and
Mold Remediation companies across the united states.
One thing that you should be very concerned about is downed power lines. If you have a downed power line on your property, ALWAYS assume that the downed line is a live one. Do not allow anyone to touch it or, if it lies across your driveway or the street where you live, drive over it. Not even an experienced electrician can tell you if a line is live just by taking a look at it.
After the storm is gone and the electricity has been returned to your home, the first thing that you want to do is turned the electricity to your home OFF so that you can take care of getting rid of the standing water that may exist in your home. This is especially important after a hurricane or a flood when there is likely to be standing water. Do what you can to get things dry as soon as possible without using an artificial heat source to do so. Remove wet furniture from the house and put them outside to dry.
Water damage is a serious risk during these times and during a hurricane, there is likely to be some kind of debris on the roof if your home. Remove this debris and check for any holes that might have been made in your roof during the storm. If there are holes, cover them up with tarp the best that you can, especially if you are expecting more rain. After you do that, go into the attic and assess just how much water has leaked into it. Insulation that has gotten wet should be removed immediately. It is no longer any good and only creates excess weight on your ceiling.
If you prepared for the hurricane before it reached your city or town, then odds are that you will not have many windows that have been blown out due to high winds. If you did not have time to prepare properly, however, you might have quite a bit of glass to clean up. If you are not expecting more rain, leave them uncovered to help dry the house out after you get rid of the broken glass.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration contractors and
Mold Remediation companies across the united states.
Different Types of Dehumidifiers
You might have used a humidifier in your room or your child’s room during sickness at one time, but what exactly does a dehumidifier do and in what circumstances do you need to have one in your home?
Dehumidifiers are often used in damp areas of the home to keep the humidity down; this reduces the chances that mold will begin to grow in that area of the house.
There are a few different kinds of dehumidifiers and if you are intending on purchasing one, them you might want to familiarize yourself with each kind and purchase one depending on your own situation. These types include chemical absorbent dehumidifiers, dehumidifying ventilators, and heat pump dehumidifiers.
A heat pump dehumidifier extracts water from the air utilizing a heat pump. This is somewhat similar to the pump that you find in an air conditioner. The fan inside the dehumidifier brings the air inside the unit and a coil inside it is kept very cold so that the moisture in the air being drawn across it condenses. This water drops into a bucket that fits into the bottom of it. A second coil that is heated brings the cold air back up to room temperature and pushed back out into the home. This is the most efficient type of dehumidifier for use in private residences.
The type that works the best in warm climates is the chemical absorbent type. This kind of dehumidifier uses a desiccant (a drying chemical) to absorb the water from the air that is pulled inside the humidifier by a fan. It is also expensive to operate and so this kind of dehumidifier is much more efficient for large business buildings and industry complexes. Homeowners should not purchase one of these.
A dehumidifying ventilator has what is called a sensor controller and what most other humidifiers have, an exhaust fan. What the sensor controller does is turn the unit on when the humidity in the home or office building reaches a certain level. These are not very efficient in homes that are located in humid environments because they bring air from outside the house to the inside. These are most often used in basements and cellars. Unfortunately, these can also depressurize whatever room they are located in and this can cause the spilling of gas. Any gas furnaces near by should be properly vented.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Dehumidifiers are often used in damp areas of the home to keep the humidity down; this reduces the chances that mold will begin to grow in that area of the house.
There are a few different kinds of dehumidifiers and if you are intending on purchasing one, them you might want to familiarize yourself with each kind and purchase one depending on your own situation. These types include chemical absorbent dehumidifiers, dehumidifying ventilators, and heat pump dehumidifiers.
A heat pump dehumidifier extracts water from the air utilizing a heat pump. This is somewhat similar to the pump that you find in an air conditioner. The fan inside the dehumidifier brings the air inside the unit and a coil inside it is kept very cold so that the moisture in the air being drawn across it condenses. This water drops into a bucket that fits into the bottom of it. A second coil that is heated brings the cold air back up to room temperature and pushed back out into the home. This is the most efficient type of dehumidifier for use in private residences.
The type that works the best in warm climates is the chemical absorbent type. This kind of dehumidifier uses a desiccant (a drying chemical) to absorb the water from the air that is pulled inside the humidifier by a fan. It is also expensive to operate and so this kind of dehumidifier is much more efficient for large business buildings and industry complexes. Homeowners should not purchase one of these.
A dehumidifying ventilator has what is called a sensor controller and what most other humidifiers have, an exhaust fan. What the sensor controller does is turn the unit on when the humidity in the home or office building reaches a certain level. These are not very efficient in homes that are located in humid environments because they bring air from outside the house to the inside. These are most often used in basements and cellars. Unfortunately, these can also depressurize whatever room they are located in and this can cause the spilling of gas. Any gas furnaces near by should be properly vented.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Flood Damaged Documents
There are hundreds of different kinds of important documents and books that we could have in our homes that might become damaged during a flood or a hurricane and if the copies that we have are the only ones in existence, then safeguarding these items is very important. Whether it is a marriage certificate or a birth certificate, proof of insurance, or any other type of legal document, if it gets ruined due to being submerged in water, you might be in some trouble.
If you are already the victim of a flood or a hurricane and you have to take care of these documents that have already become damaged, then you might not exactly know how to deal with these items. After you have made sure that the electricity is off in your home after the waters have mostly receded is essential. You should do this before re-entering parts of your home that still have standing water in them. Find the documents you need to restore and if they are only damp, then it is possible to just lay them out to dry on a flat surface on their own. If they have been submerged for a while, then the best thing that you can do is take them to a local freeze-dry facility to have them treated.
When packing items to take to a freeze-dry facility, you should purchase freezer wrap from a local department or grocery store. You will use this to separate your papers and books from each other in the boxes you will pack them into. Find the most important documents that you wish to restore and afterward, find the less important ones such as books or anything that is considered “one-of-a-kind”. Pack these items into boxes and label the outside with your name, address, phone number, and any other pertinent information. Do not pack these tightly in the freezer paper.
After your documents have been taken care of and dried efficiently, the best thing to do is to invest in a waterproof and fireproof safe to pack these things in. Cash, jewelry, these documents, and anything else that you wish to have protected against the elements of nature will be very safe in one of these. Once you invest in one and see it work during a fire or a flood, you will be very happy that you made the investment. It will save you both time, effort, and money to invest in an appropriately sized safe.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina flood water damage restoration and other states such as
Connecticut water damage restoration companies across the united states.
If you are already the victim of a flood or a hurricane and you have to take care of these documents that have already become damaged, then you might not exactly know how to deal with these items. After you have made sure that the electricity is off in your home after the waters have mostly receded is essential. You should do this before re-entering parts of your home that still have standing water in them. Find the documents you need to restore and if they are only damp, then it is possible to just lay them out to dry on a flat surface on their own. If they have been submerged for a while, then the best thing that you can do is take them to a local freeze-dry facility to have them treated.
When packing items to take to a freeze-dry facility, you should purchase freezer wrap from a local department or grocery store. You will use this to separate your papers and books from each other in the boxes you will pack them into. Find the most important documents that you wish to restore and afterward, find the less important ones such as books or anything that is considered “one-of-a-kind”. Pack these items into boxes and label the outside with your name, address, phone number, and any other pertinent information. Do not pack these tightly in the freezer paper.
After your documents have been taken care of and dried efficiently, the best thing to do is to invest in a waterproof and fireproof safe to pack these things in. Cash, jewelry, these documents, and anything else that you wish to have protected against the elements of nature will be very safe in one of these. Once you invest in one and see it work during a fire or a flood, you will be very happy that you made the investment. It will save you both time, effort, and money to invest in an appropriately sized safe.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina flood water damage restoration and other states such as
Connecticut water damage restoration companies across the united states.
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