Posts Tagged ‘heating’

COMMERCIAL PLUMBING ADVICE

February 13th, 2010

Starting a new company can be very difficult and cost a lot of money. Sometimes some business owners will go to great lengths to save on whatever they possibly can, including plumbing costs for their new office or business. It can be tempting but if you will be serving people in a restaurant or just an office, you don’t want there to be any minor mistakes that could end up costing even more money.

You need to think about the long run and save money by hiring a professional commercial plumber. They will be able to make sure that you have the perfect professional atmosphere that your office or restaurant needs.

Starting a new company means a lot of paper work. Don’t try to add to that stress by doing your own renovations and/or plumbing. If you do decide to do it all on your own you will have to look into and work with any city requirements.

It can be really convenient to have a professional plumber on hand who can do the job the right way the first time. So, while you are working on your new business, they will make sure that all of the city requirements will be met and that your company will be up and ready to go when you are.

Restaurants can be a difficult business to start up. Let professionals plumbers help by working with you to choose some top equipment as well as help you install it. They will be doing most of the work so you can focus on other work that you need to do.

If you are renovating a bathroom for your restaurant or business, make sure that you follow the same basic design and layout as the rest of the building. You can tell a lot about a company by the attention that they give to small details, that includes the bathroom.

There is a huge difference between a plumber you find online and a commercial plumber. Some companies focus on both home and office needs. You want to find a specific commercial plumber to make sure that they understand the requirements and restrictions when it comes to commercial property and buildings.

It never hurts to double check the work of those that you are planning on using. Find out if you can get any references and talk to those that have used these services before.

It’s important to have a trustworthy plumber to take care of your plumbing needs and air conditioning, and heating

How to Unclog a Drain Yourself

February 4th, 2010

Clogged drains can be very annoying. So can losing valuable items down the drain. Here are some tips for unclogging a drain by yourself.

The first thing you should try is to find a liquid drain product that works with your plumbing system. Some drain cleaners are only meant to be used with certain pipes. Read the drain cleaners carefully to make sure they are compatible with your system.

If you already have a cleaner be careful with them. Don’t mix different types of chemicals when cleaning. Many cleaners won’t be compatible with each other and shouldn’t be mixed.

If there are chemicals in a trap don’t unscrew it. You will want to suction that out before you try to remove the trap. Chemicals that have been sitting can become rather strong, and have a possibility of burning you when it spills down.

The best way to unscrew a sink trap is to loosen the end nuts. Some nuts can be taken off by hand, but many of them will need to be loosened with a pipe wrench. Keep a bucket nearby to catch any liquid that comes free of the trap.

If you are looking for something lost down the drain, stop the water flow down the sink immediately. That way the item will be stuck in the trap and not lost down the water line. Remove the P or S trap and spill all the contents in the bucket before setting the trap aside.

If you can’t find your valuable after sifting through the contents of the bucket, it might still be stuck inside the trap. Sometimes they get caught on the slime and buildup in the piping. Hold the trap over the bucket and run some water through the trap to see if it could still be in there.

Before placing the trap back on, check the washers or nuts for any damage. If you notice any that are misshaped replace them. Its better to replace any damaged washers now so you don’t have to worry about having to deal with a leaky sink later on.

It’s important to have a trustworthy plumber to take care of your plumbing needs and air conditioning, and heating

RGF’s PHI(TM) Technology Inactivates H1N1, Study Confirms

November 27th, 2009

RGF Environmental has released a study conducted with Kansas State University for the inactivation of H1N1 on stainless steel surfaces. The study demonstrates how RGF’s Photohyroionization (PHI(TM)) Cell provides inactivation of Influenza H1N1 (Swine Flu) or 99+% under controlled laboratory conditions. This study is the first in a series being conducted by Kansas State University.

The PHI(TM) Cell, also known as the Guardian Air, is designed to eliminate sick building syndrome risks by reducing odors, air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), smoke, mold and viruses. The PHI(TM) Cell is installed into a building’s heating and air conditioning system air ducts and it uses light, water and oxygen to produce “Mother Nature’s friendly cleaners” – hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxides. These cleaners circulate through your conditioned air space and kill airborne and surface viruses, bacteria, mold, odors and VOCs before they can spread.

For thousands of years humans have been breathing these “Friendly” cleaners. These naturally produced cleaners kill bacteria and viruses, leaving only oxygen and hydrogen behind which means no chemicals or residue are left anywhere.

RGF’s Guardian Air is effective because it is an aggressive system as compared to other whole home air purification technologies. Other air purification technologies are passive systems. For example, if a visitor sneezes in your living room, the only way most air purifiers will kill the bacteria from the sneeze is if the bacteria by-passes all people and objects in the room, travels to the vent and passes through the air purification system. With the PHI(TM) Cell technology the cleaners are already present in the air and kill the bacteria before it has a chance to be inhaled by another person or attach to a surface. In fact, in a simulated sneeze laboratory test, the Guardian Air was shown to reduce microbials by 78% within 3 feet of a sneeze.

America’s largest restaurant chains , hotel chains, theme parks, cruise lines, and public schools and hospitals have adopted the PHI(TM) Cell technology as part of the Indoor Air Quality protection plan. Business owners and home owners feel more comfortable knowing that the quality of the air has been improved. Recent inactivation test results for the H1N1 virus or Swine Flu have shown that Guardian Air is a must in the fight against the Virus. Guardian Air has also proven extremely effective against viruses and bacteria including, SARS, Bird Flu, Norwalk, MRSA, E-Coli, and strep.

Having trouble with your furnace during the cold winter months? Metro Heating and Cooling provides Repair, maintenance and installation for Furnaces and Air Conditioning. Metro Heating and Cooling Providing Heating and Air Conditioning Repair to the following areas: Greater Dallas area including Mesquite, Garland, Richardson, Plano,Allen, McKinney, Addison, Rockwall, Carrollton, Grapevine, Arlington, Royse City, Forney, Terrell, Flower Mound, Lewisville

categories: guardian air,PHI cell,swine flu,h1n1,air quality,air conditioning,air conditioner,heating,cooling,air conditioning repair,air conditioning service,ac repair,furnace,heating service

Woodburning Stoves “” 8 Useful Tips To A Warm And Intimate Home

November 26th, 2009

It welcomes you in and instantly soothes your cold hands and feet. The smell of wood crackling in the stove and a pot of tea brewing on the side. Yes, we are talking about woodburning stoves in your home. It’s not just economical but is very pleasing to the eye as well and it will instantly add a new value to your home.

To help you with your purchase, here are some tips from the experts:

1. Do buy your stove from a reputable company and one with many years of experience in installation. It is not wise to go the DIY route unless you are super handy around the house and know exactly what you are doing.

2. Make sure that your stove is approved by a governing body. You need to have piece of mind that your stove won’t melt and set your house on fire.

3. It goes without saying that it is a must for you to purchase a carbon monoxide detector. If the stove has a smoke leak, the detector will sound an alarm instantly and will give you enough time to react.

Of course a stove like this cannot just stand alone in a corner, it needs to be dressed up a bit:

1. Storing your logs – There are beautiful range of baskets and log carriers in stores today. I personally love the basket as it promotes atmosphere in the room. You can easily gather your logs from outside by using your basket, and without much effort you will have a fresh set of logs.

2. Remember you will work with heat and it’s imperative that you take care when you fit the logs into the stove. Find a well crafted set of gloves that are specially treated with a substance that does not heat up. You need them to cover and protect your hands and arms as well.

3. You are going to save an enormous amount of money on your gas bill, and imagine if you could save 20 percent even more. Get yourself a heat reclaimer. This gadget is fitted onto the stovepipe and will disperse the surplus heat back into your room.

4. Also useful for your stove is a thermometer. It will indicate to you if you are over-heating or under-heating the room. It can attach to the stovepipe or onto the stove top.

5. There are also a few kettles and steamers you could have as they are useful as cooking utensils. Make some popcorn the old fashioned way or steam some water to humidify the room.

Woodburning stoves are not just economical for cooking the odd stew or making some hot chocolate, they are fun to have in the home is it always gets people talking – that’s what you want in your home communication!

There’s nothing quite so welcoming as a beautiful woodburning stoves in your home. It is the best way to keep your home warm and a very economical way to heat up water or just steam the room when the air gets too dry. More info on stoves and electric firelighter a click away.

Rigid Foam Insulation Beads For Attic Insulation

November 13th, 2009

Rigid Foam insulation is often used for unfinished buildings and everyday products including installing attic insulation. The beads are shaped under extreme heat and pressure to custom fit. There are three types I will discuss each one and their uses. I will also discuss precautions to take with this insulation. Before long you will have a better knowledge when installing attic insulation

The first type of rigid foam board is polystyrene, or bead board. Because beads expand to fit it’s often used in every day products. Its density can vary according to type and amount of beads used. Bead Spacing allows for water to absorb so a vapor diffusion retarder is needed.

The next type of rigid foam board insulation is polystyrene known to most as bead board. This product has beads that expand to make a perfect fit; this characteristic makes it ideal in every day products. The quantity of beads used allows for different thickness. Unfortunately bead spacing allows water absorption.

The third is polyisocyanurate and polyiso foam boards this product has varies strengths allowing it to maintain shape and stability. It can be used in extreme high, low temps effectively, making it ideal for installing attic insulation. When used with aluminum foil facings makes a perfect moisture barrier.

Before using rigid foam insulation when installing attic insulation, there are two things to consider, moisture and flame resistance. Because of climate change moisture can escape and be trapped into the walls, causing mold and wood rot. It is highly recommended to use a vapor diffusion retarder. It takes a lot for rigid foam board insulation to ignite but when it does it burns steady. Resistant material like panel, dry wall or gypsum wallboard over top of the insulation is required

Bugs like to make nests in the insulation so if you are insulating basement or floors it is wise to use insecticide treated insulation. Also by placing the insulation on the inside you will discourage bugs.

Next we will discuss flame resistance and sunlight damage. Although it takes a lot to burn when the rigid foam board insulation begins it will burn steady. It is required to use a fire resistant material like gypsum wall board, panel or dry wall over top the insulation. If you are installing attic insulation you need to protect the insulation with roofing felt, tar, asphalt, rubberized paint or acrylic silicone.

Of the three types of insulation; loose fill, batt and blanket and rigid foam board insulation this type has the cheapest initial start up cost. Although it can be used for many things, this product will be counter productive if installed wrong or safety precautions are not correctly taken. Before you begin installing attic insulation please read safety precautions carefully check with local building code regulations.

More interesting stuff on expanding foam insulation and similar subjects is available at AtticInsulationGuide.com – click a link and you will be in the right place for all attic conversion queries and related matters. Click on a link now !

categories: Attic Insulation,Insulate The Attic,Foam Insulation,Spray Insulation,Attic Improvement,House Insulation,Attic Conversion,Attic Ventilation,Roof Insulation,Roof Padding,Insulation,Home Improvement,Save Energy,Heating

Air Conditioning Tricks

October 18th, 2009

Air Conditioning functions by exchanging hot air from inside a building to the outside air. To do this some very basic refrigeration standards need to take place. One of the most critical pieces that allow this take place is the condenser coil. This is usually the aluminum coil the surrounds the air conditioning compressor.

What occurs inside this outdoor equipment is a very basic state modification of the refrigerant inside the cooling system. The refrigerant that changes from a liquid to a gas inside the indoor coil goes to the outside where the compressor compresses the gas under elevated pressure. When this occurs the gas also becomes extremely hot. The hot gas then departs the compressor to start moving through the long tubing in the condenser coil. While the gas cools it transforms again to a liquid form going back indoors to begin the cycle all over again.

Huge problems start if the condenser coil turns out to be so blocked up with grime that the hot gas in the condenser coil does not cool enough to change the hot air back to a liquid form. When this occurs the cooling process does not occur and then air conditioner runs but is not cooling.

The compressor starts to get very hot and the ultimate outcome will be the death of a compressor. Because of these reasons the condenser coil must be kept sanitary and free of debris at all times when the air conditioner is running. Cleaning the coil is a very basic procedure, Here are a few guidelines to follow when doing this. To clean the coil a number of basic tools are needed. A garden hose with a nozzle, wrenches to take out the condenser fan, a garden sprayer for applying the cleaning solution. The initial thing is to remove the power to the outdoor unit.

There must be an off switch of some type near the condenser. Then remove the fan from the condenser unit. Normally this will be the top of the unit. The fan can normally be laid away carefully without cutting off the wires to the motor.

Carefully wet down the coil using the garden hose. If you have very elevated pressure water where you live be cautious that the water pressure does not curve over the fins on the coil. These are so slim and fragile.

Jason Myers is a professional writer and he writes mostly about heating and air conditioning news. He’s also interested in writing about nutrition advice guides.

You May Encounter These Basement Problems

October 10th, 2009

If you are considering finishing your basement and making it into a room in your house that can be used, there are a couple of obstacles along the way. It is common for basements to be both dark and cold which will make them uncomfortable unless you make some changes.

Basement lighting can be quite important as the basement is naturally dark. If you dont provide adequate lighting for whatever type of room you turn it into, your basement space will not be as hospitable as it should be. Lighting can also be used to enhance and highlight areas of a room and this can be perfect for a basement. Especially if you turn it into a game room or a movie room, lighting will become an integral part of your new basement.

Track lighting can be used in a case where you are turning your basement into a room where you will be having friends over and entertaining in. Track lighting looks cool in a bar setting, a game room setting, and any other type of room that you want to look special and highlight certain aspects of. If you are going to be using your new basement for a family room or a playroom, more consistent and bright lights should be used so that the whole room is lit well.

One of the difficulties of finishing a basement and turning it into a usable room is the fact that basements are cold. Heat rises and so the basement is always going to be the coldest room in the house. Many people are discovering they can use their basements for much more than just storage but they are also finding out they have basement heating issues that need to be resolved.

Basement rooms almost need their own heating system, as it is a waste of money to continually heat the whole house just so the basement stays warm. Often times the basement is too cold to use and yet the rest of the house is a comfortable temperature. Using stand-alone heaters could solve this heating dilemma but the problem with that is that you would have to turn on the heater every time you want to use the basement room and wait for it to get to a comfortable temperature. Some sort of a stand-alone heating unit that is temperature triggered to turn on and off and keep the basement at a constant temperature is probably the best solution.

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Radiant Heat Is Your Best Choice

October 4th, 2009

What a wonderful feeling, when you enter a friend’s house and step on floors that are warm and heated. Many of us may have considered radiant heated floor installation, but will never follow through with the thought. It seems like a great deal of annoyance to tear up your floors to gain access underneath, and the excessive price is also a deterrent.

It is rare now for a house to be built with only radiant heat and most times it will just be included in the master bathroom and maybe the kitchen. But this is only in more expensive top of the line homes where maybe that is an option. It is unfortunate that most people will never get to experience radiant heat in their home because of the cost and hassle of having it installed.

After a cold winter of dry heat pulsing through your house, you might be interested in radiant heat under the floors. The best part of radiant heat is that it does not swirl the hot air around the room and from room to room. Radiant heat just slowly and gently rises, never drying out your skin like forced air heat. It is also totally silent so you never know when it is on or off.

Radiant heat in houses is rare as it costs more to install. Homebuilders are usually trying to build houses cheaply so they can make the most money and radiant heat would up their costs. Unfortunately for us homeowners, most of us will never fully appreciate radiant heat because we will never experience it.

When you explore the pluses and minuses of radient floor heat you have to first know what your budget is. Putting radiant heat throughout your house, whether it by hydronic or electric heat, can be expensive. Because of this, most people only install it in a couple of key rooms such as the master bathroom. Radiant heat is better on your skin in the winter when it is so dry and this is probably the biggest advantage of having this kind of heat. You can’t imagine the difference between the dry forced air and radiant heat until you try them both.

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Basement Remodeling Basics For DIY Homeowners

October 3rd, 2009

Anyone looking for ways to get some added space in their home should not overlook the basement. Some houses have unfinished basements that are unused and can be remodeled to become any type of room that is needed. Most local contractors can remodel your basement to make it a fully functioning room in your house that the whole family will enjoy using.

People are using their basements for things such as wine cellars, bars, game rooms, offices, guest rooms, and many other exciting alternatives. The basement might be cold and damp now but with some work and money it can become another valuable room in your house and in the process add monetary value to your home. When buying a house, people are much more likely to buy one that has a fully functioning finished basement over one that doesnt. So, when you are thinking of home improvement projects, you might start with your basement and see what kind of interesting ideas you have.

When you are remodeling or finishing your basement, you are going to have to decide what color or colors to use. The color you paint the walls is important in any room of the house but especially so in the basement. This is because basements are usually dark as they lack the natural light that comes through from windows.

Colors you might want to stay away from are blacks, greens, and blues as those colors help to make any room look a little darker. Your basement needs colors that will bring life to the room and those colors are the various shades of orange, red, and yellow. Lighting can also be important as you can use effective lighting to create a brighter look and atmosphere if your basement looks too dark.

Basements are secluded from the rest of the house and so they can be made into rooms that you can make a little noise in and not bother the rest of the house. If you are a musician or just like music, you might consider turning your basement into some sort of a music room. Likewise, you could also put in noisy tools in the basement if you like woodworking and making things as you will be less likely to disturb the rest of the house. Take this opportunity to turn your basement into a room you truly want and can use for many years to come.

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Basement Finishing Basics For DIY Homeowners

September 28th, 2009

Anyone looking for ways to get some added space in their home should not overlook the basement. Some houses have unfinished basements that are unused and can be remodeled to become any type of room that is needed. Most local contractors can remodel your basement to make it a fully functioning room in your house that the whole family will enjoy using.

People are using their basements for things such as wine cellars, bars, game rooms, offices, guest rooms, and many other exciting alternatives. The basement might be cold and damp now but with some work and money it can become another valuable room in your house and in the process add monetary value to your home. When buying a house, people are much more likely to buy one that has a fully functioning finished basement over one that doesnt. So, when you are thinking of home improvement projects, you might start with your basement and see what kind of interesting ideas you have.

If you decide to finish your basement, one of the important decisions you will make is to pick the right colors. As most basements dont get a lot of natural lighting and some get none at all, the color of the walls becomes very important. A basement can become dark and dreary if the correct colors are not chosen.

When you choose colors for your basement, you might stay away from the greens, blacks, and blues as they can sometimes create a darker room that is what you are trying to avoid. Better colors to experiment with are yellows, reds, and oranges that will help add an upbeat feel to any room. Another thing you should pay careful attention to is the lighting as that can help greatly with adding energy to the basement and making it an exciting room.

Anyone contemplating what to do with their basement should know that they can be very creative with it because it is a room that is removed from the rest of the house. This means it can be used for things that might disrupt the house if it were on one of the main floors. If you like to play music or do woodworking, those are two things that might disrupt things if you did them upstairs but in a basement they would be just fine. You should take the opportunity to transform your basement into a room that you can use and enjoy for many years to come.

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