Archive for August, 2011
Cool Suggestions on Air Conditioning Maintenance
When it gets muggy-ier than usual, you know who,or what is to blame: your cooling system is not performing its obligation. You’ve been told that air conditioners need periodic service tune ups to run properly, or else you will find yourself hurting every time cool air snuffs out. Before the mad heat gets in your head, call your air conditioning repair service. They will perform a comprehensive check of your home’s cooling needs. In no time, you are back on the cold front, cooled down and cheery.
By comprehensive check, these champions of ventilations will reevaluate and determine the size of air conditioner that you need based on your home’s cooling needs in relation to the coverage area. Trust them to get their estimations right on, by square footage.
A responsible air conditioning repair service company also analyzes your cooling needs taking into account the other aspects of your dwelling: window placement, the presence of direct shade, energy efficiency rating of windows and doors, and building envelop or lack thereof. With these factors in mind, an air conditioning professional makes sensible recommendations for cooling your home in a more energy efficient manner.
While you pray and expect efficiency, be prepared to pay a little now for the routine service, or compensate a little more than that if it turns out to be a major repair. Think of how you pay your auto mechanics for going the extra mile – getting your trusty automobile back on track, with better brakes on.
Listen when your air conditioning repair service guy tells you, yet again, that an air conditioner is a very tough piece of equipment. “You can keep it running on, day in and day out. It is engineered to withstand all sorts of abuse…” He will preach you on those points, and will be quick to add that “This is great in most respects, but don’t be complacent about maintenance…” Keep nodding, it’s all true.
True enough, for each year of operation, without regular maintenance your air conditioner loses about 5 percent of its original efficiency. The good thing is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance – or minor repair job if a deficiency is found out in your unit. Please take note that a properly serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying your home.
Another way of looking at it is “economics.” Because, according to studies, with regular tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of its original efficiency – this means that the cost of an regular tune-up is recovered very quickly in savings from reduced repair costs and on your monthly electric bill.
One of the most important items that your air conditioning repair service company will check in the air conditioner is the coolant level – commonly know as Freon. The maintenance should also include checking the amp draw of the compressor, cleaning the condensing unit coils, checking that belts are well adjusted, oiling the fan motors, and checking the system operating temperatures and pressures against the manufacturer’s specifications.
Get The Most From a Bathroom Faucet
When selecting a bathroom faucet there are many things to consider. If you are just replacing a faucet in your current sink then much of your decision will be pre-determined. In an existing sink it will be necessary to purchase a bathroom faucet that will fit the pre-drilled holes in your current basin, but there are other things to consider.
There are three main types of faucets as listed below, and each of these has variations that may be more applicable in a particular type of installation.
*Centerset faucets are a common choice with spout, faucet and handles all integrated on a single base that is attached to the sink,
*The widespread faucet features handles and spout as individual pieces and mounted to the sink or the countertop depending on the application.
*The single-hole faucet is one unit and requires one hole. Spout and the lever controlling water temperature and flow are one unit
Disc and cartridge faucets are a better grade of faucet and what is most commonly purchased today. Water control is facilitated by these assemblies, and they are much more maintenance-free than the compression faucets which were used for many years.
If you are starting fresh and replacing the basin as well, then selecting between a single-hole, a centerset, or a widespread will just be a matter of preference, and matching up to the new basin you will be purchasing.
When installing a vessel sink, you will however, need to take extra care in the faucet system that you select. Vessel or above counter sinks occasionally are drilled for faucets. However this is not the norm. The majority of vessel sinks have no drillings, and the faucet is installed either in the countertop, or in the wall behind the sink. Countertop installation is the most common and least complicated.
In the case of vessel sinks, you will also need to consider the height of the spout. Special faucet systems called vessel fillers are available in many styles and finishes to pair with a vessel sink, and make for a beautiful centerpiece in a bathroom vanity. These vessel fillers have a taller spout to accommodate the height needed above the vessel, and that focuses water flow into the center of the sink where it is deepest to reduce splash.
Then, there is also the waterfall faucet. These faucets are often presented in a package of vessel sink and faucet and coordinate in design and color. They can also be purchased as a standalone item. The waterfall faucet is the new trendy option in faucet design.
The waterfall faucet is very fashionable, and an interesting fixture. This is a single unit. Water comes up a center pipe and is delivered onto a round disk which is contoured so that water will spread out and then flow downward into the sink or vessel. The buildup of water in the disk creates a waterfall effect as it flows over the edge(Sometimes the water is delivered onto a different shaped device-I used the circular example because it is the most common, and easiest to describe). A slim lever is provided to control amount of flow and water temperature.
Faucet finish options
And just when you thought you were done, the question of finish comes up. The finish on your bathroom faucet can add a compelling feature in your bath design.
The most popular finishes today are the brushed or satin finishes, with their ease of maintenance. Unlike the glossy finishes these require no polishing and diminish the appearance of fingerprint and watermarks. Behind these choices are the oil rubbed bronze, Venetian bronze, weathered copper and black iron. Antique brass is another popular choice, especially in a bath design centered around a Vintage style, but look stunning also in a contemporary bath.
The Right Kind Of Swimming Pool Resurfacing
Ah, summer – baseball, backyard barbecues, and swimming pool resurfacing. That’s correct, swimming pool resurfacing. Once an occasional chore every other year, it’s now practically a once-every-other-decade spring or even summer pastime (for those who like to wait until the very last minute) – all thanks to the new do-it-yourself fiberglass pool resurfacing in a can made possible by modern chemistry.
Swimming pool resurfacing done right means fiberglass in this day and age. Swimming pool resurfacing is an important aspect of pool ownership, just the sort of restoration that is made periodically to counter the effects of corrosion. Regardless of whether constructed of gunite, concrete, plaster, or wood (espcially wood), swimming pools will deteriorate over time to the point that a complete resurfacing is not only advisable but necessary.
Thankfully, as previously mentioned, modern technology has made it possible for the best kind of resurfacing, fiberglass resurfacing, to be performed entirely by oneself safely and relatively quickly. Best of all, it’s as permanent as any job handled by licensed contractors but much less expensive.
Fiberglass swimming pool surfaces have a proven track record of more than three decades now as a durable coating that happens to also provide other benefits, such as decrease operating coasts. Fiberglass is a material that bonds extremely well with existing surfaces, giving pools a nice sheen that makes them appear to be brand new.
This wondrous product is now available in simple cans like paint, readily applicable and requiring no sand-blasting. Permitted for both commercial and residential use, do-it-yourself fiberglass resurfacing will need less maintenance than even marcite or vinyl pools. Additionally, with proper care you won’t have to worry about your swimming pool’s surface for another twenty to thirty years or more!
Much less prone to staining. Gorgeous shiny protective shell. All easily applied and ready for duty within one day. That’s pool resurfacing in the 21st Century. Now that’s progress!
