Cleaning your dryer vent and lint screen on a regular basis helps minimize lint buildup, lowers the risk of a fire, and ensures that your dryer runs effectively. Dryer lint fires are extremely common and dryer fires account for $238 million in property damage every year. Thankfully, the risk of dryer fires can be [...]
Swimming pool lights are important safety features that increase a swimmer’s visibility at night and help observers to locate swimmers. Locating swimmers during an emergency, such as drowning, is imperative and pool lights can potentially be lifesaving. While pool lights are beneficial from a safety standpoint, they also improve the aesthetics of a pool, [...]
Many homes, particularly in rural areas, rely heavily on wood burning fireplaces for home heating. Fireplaces can also serve as an aesthetically pleasing and comforting addition to a home. Chimneys and their respective safety features for wood burning fireplaces are essential. Safety features such as rain caps and spark arrestors are important additions to [...]
Here in the Pacific Northwest, where winter temperatures can drop below freezing, swimming pool winterization is particularly important. Winterizing your outdoor swimming pool can help to prevent a variety of issues, including damaged pool equipment, cracked or broken plumbing lines, algae growth, and more. Heating your pool throughout the winter may not economically feasible [...]
Swimming pool filters are an essential component of a pools water circulatory system and help to maintain clean water for swimmers. Filters are plumbed into the plumbing network after the pool pump and before the pool heater. A pool filters main purpose is to trap dirt and debris and prevent it from entering the [...]
Vapor barriers are an important installation for all homes. However, vapor barriers in homes build on a slab or with a finished basement will not be visible or accessible. A vapor barrier should be made of 6-mil black polyethylene plastic and is designed to prevent moisture vapor in the underlying soil from reaching the [...]
Garage door openers offer a convenience that help people save time and effort when entering and exiting their garages. Over time, garage door technology has evolved, and now we can open garage doors with a touch of a button, and an electric motor does all the work. Before electric mechanical devices were invented, springs [...]
Earthquakes are one of the most destructive forces on earth and can cause devastating damage to the structure of a home. Damage can include a home sliding off of its foundation, masonry breaking apart, plumbing lines snapping, and gas lines rupturing. Fires are common in the aftermath of a seismic event and can easily [...]
In an electrical panel, you will find a variety of different types of wire gauges, circuit breakers, and bus bars. Three types of wires that you will see in any electrical panel are hot, neutral, and ground conductors. Hot conductors are usually colored black or red, neutrals are white or gray, and grounds are [...]
Many homes built in North America have crawlspace or basement foundations. A crawlspace is a small space below the lower floor for a home, usually 3 or more feet high, that is used for routing building components such as plumbing, electrical and HVAC equipment/ductwork. The crawlspace also allows access to under the building’s subfloor [...]
