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Keep Your Residence Safe From Electrical Threats

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Things to Consider when Building a Bird Deck House

February 17, 2025   Matt

Things to Consider when Building a Bird Deck House

Bird deck houses are one way of making your home feel brighter and livelier everyday. It is the first thing that you can look at in the morning and the thing to see once you want to relieve some of the stress of your day. Believe it. Birds and bird houses in your home can make a lot of difference not only to your home but also to your life.

Building a bird deck house can be easy if you know what you are doing. There are some guidelines that you can learn from those who have done it. Bird experts have also some things to say about how to properly make your own bird deck house.

Overall, below are some of things you have to consider when building a bird deck house.

1. Ventilation.

You probably would not want to suffocate the birds inside your house. And you probably would not want to make them feel like they are your prisoners too.

What you need to do is to provide proper ventilation in your bird deck house. If you have one that is fully covered, consider putting on holes on the top, bottom and the sides. You do not need to do this if the bird deck house has an open space where birds can move out and about.

If you have a pet bird that you do not want to fly away from you, consider having bird houses that lets the air in naturally.

2. Roof.

Having a roof on your bird deck house is a means of protecting the birds from wind and rain. It is also one way of preventing bigger animals from playing and eating the birds inside.

In addition, the roof can prevent moisture from seeping inside the bird house. This serves the same purpose as the walls that you need to have in the bird house.

3. Space.

If you have more than one bird deck house in your house or garden, keep them some feet apart from each other. Having the appropriate space between bird deck houses is a way of reducing conflicts that might arise between the birds.

Birds are also like human in terms of protecting their territory. They also do not want other birds to trespass into their space. It is better to give them the appropriate space that they can have for their own.

4. Material.

The best material to make your bird deck house from is wood. They are more durable than metal that can rust and cartons that rot. Avoid using paint as much as possible. They tend to secrete vapors that can harmful for the birds.

Check out for unwanted visitors in your bird deck house. They can be insects or mice capable of causing harm and injury to the birds. Regular checking and cleaning can prevent these things from taking advantage of what you consider as pets.

The main purpose for putting up a deck in your bird house is to attract more birds. Your bird deck house will be a waste if birds are not visiting and coming back to it. An exception is when you already have the birds to put into your bird house. But for those who do not have, then the bird house should be a point of attraction and a regular safe place where birds can stay.

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Tackling Plumbing Projects – Ideas To Help You Succeed (2)

February 14, 2025   Matt

Tackling Plumbing Projects – Ideas To Help You Succeed

Did you know that loose pipes might be responsible for the hammering sounds in your plumbing? If this interests you, you might wish to check out all of the other great information in this article. Take a few minutes and learn all you can learn about plumbing today.

Keep an eye on the grout between tiles in your bathroom. Watch for cracks and areas where the grout seems to be falling out, and repair them immediately. Small grout crack issues can be easily repaired by pulling out the bad and putting in new grout. Allow any new grout to dry completely before exposing it to water.

Repair a leaky faucet as quickly as possible. Most leaky faucets are caused by a worn or damaged seal, which can easily be replaced, but you need to attend to it quickly. A slow leak can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day, costing a lot of money in the long run. If the faucet is really old, sometimes it’s worth replacing the entire fixture.

When the temperature drops below freezing, protect exposed pipes from the weather by adding a source of heat near the pipes. Ranging from electrical tape applied directly to the pipes to small space heaters placed near exposed pipes, keeping the temperature above freezing can prevent costly repairs caused by frozen pipes.

During the winter months, your water heater works the hardest. To keep it in optimum condition, flush it out before winter arrives. Flushing the system helps remove the sediment buildup, which causes internal corrosion of your water heater, shortens its lifespan, and reduces heating efficiency. Connect a hose to the faucet near the bottom of the tank and drain several gallons by directing the water into a nearby drain.

Tub drains can get clogged by hair and debris easily, but may be hard to access. Make use of an afghan hook to reach in and snag clogging materials. These hooks are available at most craft stores. Use slow, measured movements to avoid breaking the hair as you are pulling it out.

Insulate your pipes well to avoid winter freezing in your pipes. When your pipes are frozen, you have no water, so you want to do all you can to prevent this from happening. If you have any pipes that aren’t insulated, you can find various household items, such as newspaper and foam to be effective in insulating the pipes to protect from freezing.

Routinely check your appliance connections and faucets around the house for any kind of obvious leaks or nearby signs of moisture. Not only do even the smallest leaks lead to a large waste of water and money, they also can lead to damage to your home or even the development of harmful molds.

In conclusion, there could be simple or difficult reasons for problems with your plumbing. Those scary noises from your basement might just be from something as simple as loose pipes. Use the great advice provided here so that you can identify and resolve all of your plumbing issues.

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Avoid Problems Painting Aluminum and Vinyl Siding

February 12, 2025   Matt

Avoid Problems Painting Aluminum and Vinyl Siding

Anyone with older aluminum siding is well aware of the paint chalking problem. Just rub your hand along the old siding and the chalky old paint will be all over your palm. Trying to get paint to stick to this could be a real problem. This is due to oxidation of the paint. Siding manufacturers originally referred to this problem as a “benefit”. They called it, “self cleaning”, as the paint literally washed off the house.
Older vinyl siding is also a problem. UV light fades vinyl siding over time and the siding becomes very unsightly.
Many unfortunate homeowners and contractors have experienced the dismay, when they repainted their homes, only to find the new paint peeling off a few months later. Both problems with older aluminum and vinyl siding can be overcome with proper cleaning, surface preparation and re-painting.
Cleaning
You will need to rent a powerful pressure washer with at least 3000 psi. You will want a pressure washer powerful enough to remove most of the old chalky paint off the aluminum siding or, to remove any dirt buildup on the old vinyl siding.
Start at the top course of siding and work your way down. You will need to keep the pressure wand fairly close to the siding surface to effectively remove the old paint. In some areas, you may find that the paint comes off to the bare metal. Be careful near windows, corners, soffits and doorways. The water under pressure, can be forced behind these areas causing damage. You can add TSP or other cleaning solutions to the reservoir for mildew, algae or other grime built up. If you do use a cleaning solution, be sure to completely rinse it off with your pressure washer. You should allow your home to dry for several days in dry, sunny weather before proceeding to the painting process.
If you are repainting vinyl siding or vinyl coated aluminum siding, you may need a surface de-glosser. This is a solvent type product used to remove any shine on the surface and to help your first coat to adhere better. You will have no trouble finding a good de-glosser at your local paint supply store.
Application
I like a commercial type airless sprayer. It will draw the paint directly out of your 5 gallon paint pails, through the hose and into your spray gun. These are available to rent at many tool rental locations and even some paint supply stores that supply contractors. If your paint is real high quality latex, it will be thicker than regular latex paint and will require a more powerful airless sprayer.
Priming
This step is equally as critical as the step above. Actually, the cleaning and surface preparation phases will make or break the results of your project.
I like a latex paint additive called emulsa-bond for the first coat. Emulsa-bond is a bonding agent you will add to the first coat of paint or primer, to help it to bond to the old siding.
I buy the best grade exterior latex paint, rather than oil or other solvent based paint. Latex paint seems to keep up with the expansion and contraction of the siding very well. The high quality latex paint I buy needs no primer. I add the bonding agent directly into the first color coat. Check with your paint supplier whether or not to use a primer. The rule of thumb is, when in doubt, use a primer. If you use a primer, add the bonding agent into it before applying. There are also bonding agents available for oil or other solvent based paints. One type is called penetrol. These are usually available at a painting contractor supply store.
Many contractors will spot prime areas, especially where bare metal is exposed. I don’t like spot priming because it can lead to an uneven looking top coat. When I put a primer coat on, I prime the entire home. This gives a uniform surface finish later on.
Finish Coat
Your top coat will be color only. You should check with your paint manufacturer to see if you need one or two top coats after the base coat. Like I mentioned above, buy the highest quality exterior paint.
In Conclusion
Proper cleaning and surface preparation are the two main ingredients to a successful painting job. A bonding agent in the first coat is also very critical to avoid paint peeling off later on. Using these techniques, I’ve re-painted homes that have lasted far longer than the original factory applied finish.
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Landscaping Around Trees

February 11, 2025   Matt

Landscaping Around Trees

Most homes have a few trees in the yard. Since they provide shade when it is too hot outside, it is only right that you landscape around the trees to make part of the beautiful scenery.

So how do you do that? The first thing you have to do is get in touch with arborist, a horticulturist or a forester. This is because planting around trees the wrong way can damaged the roots and kill the tree. Once they have established a protected root zone, you will be able to plant flowers and shrubs without any problems.

Instead of planting these on the ground, you can use planted boxes which does a great job of reducing mower damage. If you do decide to use these, be sure to maintain the soil at the original level and that the installation edging materials do not cut the tree roots.

The water requirement for plants and trees are also different. For instance, grass and plants have to be watered daily or three times a week. While the tree on the other hand only needs one application.

To prevent this from happening, you should also construct an irrigation system that is able to cater to the needs of both. You can make this happen by putting the water lines in one corridor outside the protected root zone.

But if it has to go through, make sure bore a hole only two feet below grade. Again, the improper way of doing this will compromise the tree’s stability and health.

But what if you suspect that something is wrong with tree? For that, you will have to inspect the base of the tree.

All trees have a natural root flare located at the base. If there is no flare and there is an excess fill, this has to be removed in order to save the life of the tree. Some of the work can be done by hand while the rest is done with a machine.

So if you want to landscape around trees, it is best to lay a 2 to 4 inch later of organic mulch at the base of the tree and then extend this outward to the protected root zone. Examples of these include wood chips and shredded bark. They must not be piled up against the tree trunk because this keeps the bark wet that leads to the growth of bacteria and fungi.

You must not also use landscaping fabrics or sheet plastic underneath mulch because they prevent oxygen and water going to the roots of the trees.

It is advised to prone out dead, low and rubbing branches. You must never pull on the healthy ones because this will reduce the tree’s ability to withstand heavy winds.

Irrigation must be done in the absence of precipitation. This should be done regularly during the fall until the ground freezes with periods that allows the soil to dry.

If you follow the tips mentioned, you will soon have a nice yard that surrounds a tree. Of course landscaping around trees is just one way to make your yard look good. But as this case has shown, planting flowers or shrubs into the ground and watering them is not as easy as it looks because you also have to pay attention the needs of the tree so both will be able to live.

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Find Tips To Successful Plumbing Projects For The Home

February 09, 2025   Matt

Find Tips To Successful Plumbing Projects For The Home

You need to have some knowledge of what to look for and expect from doing your own plumbing. You need to know what resources are available to you and who can provide you answers as to what you need for your future plumbing jobs. The tips below can help you with how to start.

If water backs up from one sink to another, it is because the lines are connected. The part of the branch line for one device might be higher than another, but most likely there is also a blockage in the branch line connecting the two devices as well. This blockage must be cleaned.

To prevent pipe banging when you turn on the water, think about rubber blankets or straps. Instead of assuming the pipes need replaced, consider anchoring them or buffering them. If your pipes are plastic, leave them some room for expansion and contraction. If pipes do not leak but just make noise, eliminate the noise.

To avoid wasting water and having a potentially high water bill, check your home for leaky faucets periodically. Fix any leaks that you find right away. You may be able to do the repair yourself, but if not, you may have to seek the services of a plumber to make the repairs.

Never pour grease down the kitchen-sink drain. This will help you avoid clogs in your kitchen sink. Place grease in a can or other receptacles and dispose of in the trash. Grease that has congealed on pots, and pans can be wiped off with paper towels that can be thrown in the trash.

To prepare for the cold weather, properly drain all outside faucet bibs and turn off the water supply to those faucets. A piece of foam taped to the outside bib can provide excellent insulation to prevent any remaining water from freezing or splurge for a specialty cover that comes complete with velcro closures.

You can save money on a plumber by using a power auger yourself to clear a clogged toilet line. Check with local home improvement stores or other venues where you can rent power tools. You may be able to rent an auger yourself for a fraction of the cost of hiring a plumber, although you will have to be able to remove and reset your toilet yourself if you do not have a main line cleanout.

If water is flooding your home, immediately switch off the main electrical power. If water comes into contact with any electrical components, it can become a fatal situation. Once the power is off, then deal with the flood water. Put your own and your family’s personal safety first, and show each member of the family how to shut off the power.

As you have seen in the above tips, there is a lot of knowledge you can acquire before starting to do your own plumbing and it’s this knowledge that can help you with your future plumbing jobs. Do everything you must to find out what you need to get started.

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Air Purifiers, Are They Worth The Money?

February 07, 2025   Matt

Air Purifiers, Are They Worth The Money?

When you suffer from allergies or asthma, you may think it may be a good idea to purchase an air filtration system for your house. But one legitimate question would be: is it worth paying the money? Experts say that it can ease your symptoms, but that is true only if you make other changes in your environment, too.
These changes concern avoiding the carpeting, finding another place for your pets and using air conditioning during the warmer months in order to get rid of the pollens or allergens. You should as well clean the air filters, the air conditioner filters, and the duct filters every season. Another possibility is not to open your windows and to avoid staying a lot outdoors, during the period when your allergies are acute.
If you have tried all these and didn’t find adequate relief, then it may be better for you to think about using an air filter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the American Lung Association recommends air filtration for those who suffer from allergies and asthma, but not as a solution per-se. Controlling the pollution and ventilation that can cause allergies is more important; there are arguments on whether filters can give relief from asthma in a house that is clean and well ventilated. Air cleaners may be helpful in some situations and may help reducing allergy or asthma symptoms, but that air cleaning is not the one to reduce consistently the symptoms.

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