In any old house, five things could cause a catastrophe for you and your family. And knowing how to handle these hazards properly is the key to maintaining safety. Let’s talk about these five things and how best to avoid them. So read and take notes to make sure you are protected.
- lead paint hazard
Lead excretion is especially dangerous for children. But if your home was built 3 decades ago, there is a good chance your home used lead paint. In fact, the earlier the structure was built, the more likely it was to contain lead.
The most common places where you will find lead-based paints are the mouldings and trims (windows, doors, baseboards, etc.). Lead poisoning usually occurs when grinding and cleaning old paint, which releases some particles. These particles can be easily inhaled. For your own safety, if you are making repairs, you will need to call an EPA certified contractor, who is trained for repair, maintenance and painting.
- Lead pipe risk
If your home still has your original plumbing, it would be wise to leave it to a licensed plumber to check the general condition of your plumbing to find out what materials.
Though lead traces from another area where lead is used in other pipes are usually not a threat, you should get your peace of mind by testing your water with the help of home test kits.
- Asbestos Hazard
When it was first launched, asbestos was seen as a wonder product. It is made of natural minerals and is completely fire resistant, extremely durable, excellent insulation and is very light. Unfortunately, it can also be fatal if inhaled. Prolonged exposure often leads to a deadly lung cancer called mesothelioma, among other problems.
Asbestos is used for all types of building materials such as pipe insulation, tile, roofing materials, lining, insulation, and many others. Asbestos products are not officially banned in Australia until 2003, but it has been left long ago after people discovered the potential health problems associated with the exposure.
Asbestos is usually safe if not broken. If you have it at home, you can leave it alone if it is in good condition. However, the collapse and used asbestos products represent a real danger that must be immediately fixed by an asbestos removal contractor who is accredited and trained to manage asbestos. The reason is simply that an asbestos removal process requires a highly safe protocol to ensure that the deadly fibres are not released into the air.
Therefore, this material should not be handled by persons other than professionals. Get more information at your local council about a secure asbestos removal procedure and how to get help from a licensed asbestos removal contractor
- Old wiring danger
An old wiring is not a threat if it is not destroyed or it’s using knob and tube. Knob and tube were one of the first standardized designs for wiring. There would be nothing threatening if it’s undamaged, except that as old (rubber) insulators may quickly break and left wide open wires, which can easily cause a fire or electric shock. If your home still has a knob and tube, it should be replaced as soon as possible by an authorized electrician.
Secondly, the decayed insulation. Cotton insulation is used in most old wired cables and it can last for many decades, but over time, it will begin to degrade. If you have a wiring outlet or any other connection spot where the insulation is broken or lost, you are risking yourself. In addition, most older homes do not have a ground cable, which goes to outlets and accessories. While this presents no real danger, it provides a degree of stability and protection compared to this obsolete method. Ask a licensed electrician to inspect your home if you are in doubt.
- Balloon frame
Most people do not even know what a balloon frame, not to mention the dangers they may pose. By itself, the container frame is not dangerous. The balloon was one of the types of home construction before most builders have moved to today’s standard platform. The problem with housing is that when a fire is set from the basement, it will go through the attic and burn the whole house down.
The balloon house with the frame can be resolved with fire-locking coils pins. This is not the most urgent issue a landlord can face, but it is a hidden danger, which most people do not know. Another solution is to re-work the stud bays with fire resistant insulation. If you have a way to access the stud bay to fix the balloon frame, you must take this chance to add insulation and fire blocking to keep your home safe.
Staying in an old house is as well as everything else. You must have good management.Hopefully, you are better prepared now and more aware of your home.
In a variety of situations you might come across, an air mattress can really come in handy. You have many comforting options to choose from whether you are spending the night at friends’ and relatives, going camping, or having guests sleeping over. Some air mattresses are being as comfortable as your very own everyday bed mattress due to its evolution that has really come a long way. They are no bigger than the average sleeping bag, when deflated, for your convenience and portability and come in different sizes like single, twin and double.
An air mattress is something you will really appreciate after a long day when you’re tired and just want to get to sleep because it can be a very convenient alternative to a real bed, and some of the better ones inflate within 60 seconds. A big advantage of an air mattress is that the mattress has a separate chamber for each side so that you can both attain different levels of firmness if you’re sleeping with your partner and that you can adjust the firmness of your sleep surface with ease.
The Sleep Number bed is a good example of a top quality air mattress or air bed which built with many separate air chambers which can be adjusted to your sleep preference. so take the time to find the one that is best for your needs since there are hundreds of different types of air beds on the market. make sure you do a little research because the prices range from a few dollars up to a few thousand dollars and this may just be a great place for you to start.
One more time, I’m having the problem of book cases. What Should I do? Should I go ahead and purchase or should I build or should I render all the thousands of books that I have in boxes? You know why I’m worried? I’m moving once more. This is what happens each time I move. I always need a brand new place of abode that would provide sanity and where I can stay forever. I have to move every single time because of a crazy landlord or a roommate who is drunk, passive, aggressive, and crazy or possibly a thief. I truly hate going through the trying packing procedure. My books today remain in boxes in this period where I am not certain whether your home is permanent or at least long lasting. I just put those I need on bookcases that are even makeshift boards and bricks. Some cases they are milk crates or cardboard boxes.
You can join me as I breathe a sigh of relief, finally. Now, I am about to buy my very own property. After living away from Mommy and Daddy for twenty five years and moving from one house to another thirty-something days, I am going to be getting my very own residence. I’m now happy for my bad books as now they can get a breather too. Happily, they have escaped the mold, bookworms, etc. What I will do now is to put them in book cases. Should I place them on built-ins? I have lots of options, but I’m also faced with another issue of what kind of book cases style will match with it. There are endless options, really, particularly when one considers the inside decorating styles like the modern, Mediterranean, French, etc. There’s also the baroque and Goth and conventional and mission and eclectic, etc.
I apparently prefer the hardy and understated of this Mission Style book instances. You know why? Today they take their influence from their function and their own history. For Mission Style furniture, this is utilitarian at best.
It was just after the 17th century that book instances became purposefully crafted. This was once the English readers found the need for keeping and collecting books. This led to the use of bookcases in schools and libraries, and homes of scholars and book fans, according to the compilers of this Antique Collector’s Dictionary. The studying and researching world have picked up and passed on the novel case construction civilization. By way of example, Georgian breakfront (right-wing wing) publication cases were assembled). These were followed by “upper platform glazed” bookcases. Then there were the Regency period dwarf bookcases.
Part of the functional Mission Style collections of furniture. Most houses, all thanks to the link and influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement that’s spreading. This motion was naturally, engineered in the Lloyd Wright. Today, the publication cases that are the best choices are those that have simple lines and are assembled.
Have you ever felt that your house is too warm during summer, even when your air conditioner is running properly? Have you ever shivered yourself inside your house during winter? You might need to check your HVAC system. Probably there is something wrong in the system. It is okay if you are still clueless about your HVAC system. Read through this article to find some useful advice for solving HVAC problems!
Whenever you have any problems with the HVAC, calling a contractor to handle it must be the first thing that comes into your head. However, seeking for a reliable contractor turns out to be a challenging thing to do. That is why you need to ask for some referrals from your loved ones. Ask your family and friends who have faced some similar problems. This is a shortcut to get yourself one reliable contractor for the job. You can also look for references from your colleagues or co-workers.
Once you have found a contractor to get the job done, you must ask for a paper contract and sign the agreement. This is important to ensure that the contractor will work as what you have agreed on. There are several contractors who try to skip this step to make a fortune from adding more bills to the customers. You can avoid the fraud if you have an accurate price and warranty written on the paper. This way they can’t change this information, and you can bring any occurred problems to the court.
Now when you already have good experiences with an HVAC product or contractor, you can share the information with other people. Post a review online so other people can easily get helped when they are looking for a contractor or a brand to trust. You can also check other reviews online to get yourself more references about it.
But if you haven’t had one and you are looking for an HVAC system to be installed, you may want to pay attention to the given deals and refunds. There are so many ENERGY STAR units that come with a large refund. You must do a little research and gain your knowledge about HVAC system to help you choose on one of your options. A little research may save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the installation costs later. So, pay attention to the detail!