Quite a few homes have fireplaces, but not all of them are fit to be used as they are because they have not been cleaned in so long that when you do try to use them, it fills the house with smoke. This can do a lot of damage to the inside of the home, including ruin the paint on your walls, your curtains, and discolor your carpet. It is also a health risk, since breathing this in is not good for anyone, but the elderly, people with allergies, pets, and children are especially affected. Fortunately, though, in most situations you can make a fire that will not smoke up your house without much trouble as long as you follow a few rules.
The damper of your chimney needs to be open before you do anything. Burn some paper or other easily combustible materials in the fireplace, because you want to warm the chimney up. Cold air in the chimney is will push the warm air down and cause the smoke to fill up the room.
Open up the windows in the house and make sure that there is enough air circulating to ignite the fire. A home that is insulated well might not have enough of a draft to allow the wood to catch on fire.
You should also have some fireplace bricks underneath the grill to add some more air circulation to the process. More draft in the fireplace will make it easier for the fire to ignite.
The top of the fireplace also needs to be cleaned out regularly, since anything that gets stuck in it like leaves, sticks, bird nests can keep the smoke from being able to escape and so it floods back into the house, which is exactly where you do not want it.
You should also have the fireplace cleaned by a professional cleaning service if possible, since a layer of creosote is likely built up on the inside of the chimney. This is a tar-like substance that results from burning wood in the fireplace and if your chimney has not been professionally cleaned before and you have lived in your house for many years, then it is time for it to be. Creosote can catch on fire and cause the whole house to burn down, so having it cleaned out is essential.
To keep your fireplace functioning the way that it should, you need to know how to use it and take care of it and by the time winter gets to you, you will be able to enjoy your fireplace once again.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Repairing Tile Grout Helps Stop Water Damage
When the grout between the tile in our bathrooms becomes cracked, loose, or missing, water is allowed to get underneath the tile and damage the wooden floor underneath it. This damage can eventually become structural and cause the need for replacement of the entire floor or at least a sizeable portion of it. This will not only cost you quite a bit of money, but will also cause the loss of at least a day or two in repairing it. Not many people want to have to tear up the tile on the floor in the bathroom or on the walls of the shower and then tear up the floor, too. Repairing grout is not a difficult job to do and it is something that you can do yourself to keep your floor waterproofed.
There are a few different kinds of grout that you can use to repair the cracked or missing grout in your bathroom. There is unsanded, sanded, epoxy, or acrylic grout and depending on the kind of tile that you will use the grout between, you will need to use one instead of the other. If you have marble tiles, you should not use sanded grout, since this will etch the marble irreparably. Use acrylic or unsanded grout on marble tiles.
Mix the grout according to the manufacturer’s instructions and before you go to replace the grout, the area should be cleaned with a mixture of water and vinegar. Use a grout saw to take out the damaged and loose grout, but be careful not to chip the tile. Dampen the joints with water and use a paper towel to soak up the water. The joints need to be filled up and the surface should be rounded out with a stick. Use a damp sponge to get rid of the excess.
Allow the grout to set firmly in the joints and the directions on the grout package should tell you how long this is going to take. A grout sealant should be applied over the grout after it dries, since this grout is going in an area that is going to be wet.
Clean the tile with a damp rag after the sealant dries and allow it to dry again. After the cloudy haze starts to appear on the tile, use a dry towel to polish this off.
You do not need to hire a professional to do these small home improvement jobs. Most of the time jobs of this size can be done by you and you will save a significant amount of money doing them on your own.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
There are a few different kinds of grout that you can use to repair the cracked or missing grout in your bathroom. There is unsanded, sanded, epoxy, or acrylic grout and depending on the kind of tile that you will use the grout between, you will need to use one instead of the other. If you have marble tiles, you should not use sanded grout, since this will etch the marble irreparably. Use acrylic or unsanded grout on marble tiles.
Mix the grout according to the manufacturer’s instructions and before you go to replace the grout, the area should be cleaned with a mixture of water and vinegar. Use a grout saw to take out the damaged and loose grout, but be careful not to chip the tile. Dampen the joints with water and use a paper towel to soak up the water. The joints need to be filled up and the surface should be rounded out with a stick. Use a damp sponge to get rid of the excess.
Allow the grout to set firmly in the joints and the directions on the grout package should tell you how long this is going to take. A grout sealant should be applied over the grout after it dries, since this grout is going in an area that is going to be wet.
Clean the tile with a damp rag after the sealant dries and allow it to dry again. After the cloudy haze starts to appear on the tile, use a dry towel to polish this off.
You do not need to hire a professional to do these small home improvement jobs. Most of the time jobs of this size can be done by you and you will save a significant amount of money doing them on your own.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Repairing Wet Basement Concrete
Water leaking into the basement through concrete walls is something of a nuisance if it does not cause structural damage and if it does, well, then it is a much bigger problem that needs to be dealt with. Whether you use your basement for storage or for an extra bedroom or an entertainment area, having a wet basement tends to create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Musty smells from mold growth will result, especially if there are things in the basement for the mold to feed on, such as paper or furniture. Not only is the smell quite repulsive, but the mold also creates a health risk for anyone living in the house. Mold often gets transferred from room to room by people and pets, so the infestation being mainly in the basement will not stop it from getting to other areas of your house.
So, what can you do to waterproof your basement walls? If there are already cracks in them, particularly in the middle of the wall, then sealing up the cracks is a fairly easy job to do. The only thing that you need to really do is determine what kind of material that you need to fill in the cracks with.
Caulking the crack shut does not work because it does not bond to the concrete and water will eventually cause it to come loose and just fall out. Cement does not work, either, since it is rigid and concrete is always moving, expanding, and shrinking.
Using a low-pressure injection of concrete is one of the best things that you can do to correct this problem. While it used to be expensive and need a heavy amount of equipment to accomplish, you can do it these days with a normal caulking gun.
Expandable polyurethane is one material that you can use to fill in cracks allowing water into the house. While it does not give the concrete any added strength, it does create a waterproof barrier. The polyurethane will bond to the crack whether water is seeping in through it at the time or not.
Go around the exterior of the house and find where water could be seeping inside. This could be around the foundation where water settles into pockets because the soil is not piled high enough around the house. You can fix this by getting soil from another area of your yard, if possible, or purchasing some and packing it in these pockets around the house.
If the problem is ground water, one of the only things that you can do about this is to install a drain system in the yard so the soil does not get oversaturated.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
So, what can you do to waterproof your basement walls? If there are already cracks in them, particularly in the middle of the wall, then sealing up the cracks is a fairly easy job to do. The only thing that you need to really do is determine what kind of material that you need to fill in the cracks with.
Caulking the crack shut does not work because it does not bond to the concrete and water will eventually cause it to come loose and just fall out. Cement does not work, either, since it is rigid and concrete is always moving, expanding, and shrinking.
Using a low-pressure injection of concrete is one of the best things that you can do to correct this problem. While it used to be expensive and need a heavy amount of equipment to accomplish, you can do it these days with a normal caulking gun.
Expandable polyurethane is one material that you can use to fill in cracks allowing water into the house. While it does not give the concrete any added strength, it does create a waterproof barrier. The polyurethane will bond to the crack whether water is seeping in through it at the time or not.
Go around the exterior of the house and find where water could be seeping inside. This could be around the foundation where water settles into pockets because the soil is not piled high enough around the house. You can fix this by getting soil from another area of your yard, if possible, or purchasing some and packing it in these pockets around the house.
If the problem is ground water, one of the only things that you can do about this is to install a drain system in the yard so the soil does not get oversaturated.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
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