Flounderville Home Improvement

Do you realize that each year, there are 67,800 electrical fires in the home that take the lives of 485 citizens, injure 2,305 more, and cause $868 million dollars in property loss*? Some fires are caused by lightning and faulty appliances, but frequently a lot more are caused by old wiring, bad use of electrical cords, and overloaded circuits. In fact, bad electrical wiring (perhaps done by do-it-your-selfers) causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances. While it is always best to have any electrician work done by a licensed electrical contractor, there are many things you can do within the home or office to help keep your family safe.

Basic stats to think about

- December is the time of year when a lot of electrical fires usually occur.

- Almost all electrical wiring fires begin in the bedroom.

- In the cold months, deaths due to electrical fires are much higher. This is usually due to the increased amount of indoor activities, increased lighting usage, heating, and appliance use.

- In city areas, poor wiring is the cause of over 33% of house electrical fires.

- The home appliances most involved in home electrical fires are central heating units, electric stoves, hair dryers, televisions, radios, and stereo equipment.

These are some simple steps you can take to help prevent electrical fires in the home

- Carefully Consider any Do-It-Yourself electrical project. It is always to have any electrical work done by a journeyman electrician.

- NEVER run an extension cord under a carpet! The foot and chair traffic across the area rug will over time abrade through the cord, causing an immediate fire hazard.

- Small space heaters are the cause of a lot of fires. Keep clothes, draperies, and any combustible material at least three feet away from space heaters at all times.

- Routinely check all lamp cords, extension cords regularly, and look for signs of overheating, frayed insulation, or bent prongs. Always replace all worn or damaged electrical cords immediately.

- Routinely check all of your appliances, especially where the cord attaches, and look for signs of frayed wiring.

- Never let kids play with or near electrical appliances such as space heaters, hair dryers, or irons.

- Never force a 3 prong plug into a two prong socket.

- Never overload extension cords or outlets. As obvious as this sounds, there are a lot of fires that are started by people overloading electrical cords and outlets.

- If you find a light switch that is warm to the touch, or the lights dim when using that switch, call a licensed electrician and replace it at once.

- Routinely check any electrically powered tools. Make sure you replace any tool that gives off sparks, smoke, or small electrical shocks, or overheats.

- Install and regularly check smoke alarms.

- Practice a home escape plan in case of fire.

By following these straightforward steps you can make sure your family and your house is safe from electrical fires.

* U.S. Fire Administration

The holiday shopping season is upon us, in all its merry and jingle splendor. Here is a gift idea that no one should be without, and you can spend as little as twenty-five dollars or up to thousands depending on your budget and the recipients particular needs. To play it “safe” in todays world everyone should have a safe or strong box of some type to hold their most precious belongings and or important documents.

Legal and criminal experts are anticipating an increase in the number of property
related crimes next year, that would include burglary, due to the current economic crisis facing our nation. From the college student staying in a dorm or off campus apartment to the working professional in their own home, to the senior citizen or elderly person living alone or in an assisted living group home; virtually everyone can think of a couple of things that they could not bear to be without. Give the gift of peace of mind and security. It would seem absolutely priceless, if after some tragedy or criminal act a loved ones’ most dearest keepsakes or legal documents were safe and secure because you thought of giving them a safe or strong box this holiday season. Below you will find some considerations and ideas for making that perfect gift for someone that seems to have just about everything.

Retailers of safes offer some small enough to hold some cash and small jewelry, to strong boxes large enough to practically live in, weighing in at thousands of pounds.

Lets talk a bit more about weight, and you will see that it is something to consider for a few reasons: as mentioned about size does matter, the bigger the safe the heavier. If your intention is for the safe to be used to protect valuables from theft, the weight of the safe is often a deterrent. Smaller safes will need to be secured to the floor or wall in order to prevent the would be thief from just walking off with it and its contents. Many smaller safes are designed with this in mind, and come with holes for bolts pre-drilled through the casing. Another weighty consideration is if you should decide to make a purchase from an online retailer check the weight of the unit, as this will effect the shipping costs. Some online establishments do offer free shipping some with stipulations that your order must be over a specific amount or only offer free shipping on specific models.

The variety of models that are available is absolutely dizzying. There are two basic trains of thought that will help in making the decision as easy as possible:

First, think about what the person would be putting in the safe. Are they just going to put away a few small pieces of heirloom jewelry, some cash in case of an emergency and perhaps their last will and testament; or are they going to want to secure precious works of art, coin collections, stock and bond certificates, corporate legal documents, electronic data records, or collections of firearms.

Second, consider your budget, how much do you intend on spending on the priceless gift of peace of mind and security for this individual, couple or family. You are not going to find a two-hundred cubic foot, 4 hour fire safe for under twenty-five dollars; you will however find a very nice fourteen pound, .18 cubic foot, security chest that may be just perfect for the loved one on your shopping list.

Submersible sump pumps are useful in preventing flooding in your basement. Most basements are equipped with sump pits that act as collection points for fluids that seep in through cracks. They suck up this excess water and remove it to outside the house.

They were probably invented in New England, USA. They were first used for eliminating the troubles of flooding of basements. Modern day pumps are part of all new apartments that have a basement. By installing this kind of appliances for preventing floods in pre-existing homes, owners can greatly reduce their house insurance rates.

The pumps, as their names obviously suggest, are sump pumps that area submerged in the collection pit. The inside of the pump is completely insulated to prevent any short circuiting problems, but this creates a small problem. It is hard to access the pump in cases of floods where water has completely covered your basement and your pump.

Submersible sump pumps are usually equipped with in-built check valves, which are one-way water valves. They allow water flow from and out of the pump and on to the drainage pipe, whilst not letting any water or any dirt from flowing back into the basement. To prevent any clogging up of the drainage pipes, installation of covers and seals is recommended. In this way, the maintenance cost of the appliance becomes as less as possible.

The power consumption is comparatively very less, and requires around one hundred and twenty volts of power. In emergencies where grid power is unavailable, a battery power system comes into play. It is basically an automobile battery, and power generators can also double up as emergency power sources for pumps.

Although these pumps are low maintenance, frequent checkups for 5 years are always beneficial so as to keep the sump pumps in a usable condition for years to come.Grime and dust must also be frequently cleared from pit. If this is not done, then the parts of the pump will get contaminated and water to start flowing into your basement.

While cleaning, you must start by unplugging the system, and scooping the dirt from the collection tank. A vacuum cleaner can be used to accomplish this task. The final step is testing the pump by trying to reconnect the detached pipes and ensuring that all parts are working correctly.