Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sprinkler Prices Will Probably Go Up Soon in Dallas

Lately, Not long ago, the government has made some stricter state-wide standards for Texans, which dictate that sprinkler systems fitted in 2009 need to be extra efficient in curbing water wastage. The disadvantage, however, is that this would cause an upward shift in expenses for residents who are ,by now, struggling in this cruel financial downturn.
New state-wide standards regarding irrigation systems have either been implemented or are being considered in major Texas cities that hold over 20,000 citizens. The administration, therefore, needs to inspect sprinklers in such cities to make certain that they comply to the new rules; and above all, people now need to take into consideration new laws introduced to curb down water wastage. Thus, prepare to have government officers checking your sprinkler systems for conformity, {and they don’t care if you fixed the sprinkler yourself or called professional Dallas plumbers}.  However, getting a Dallas plumber to install can be the safer option.
According to reports, about 50% of pure water that is for public consumption is consumed on outdoor activities like watering plants. So you do not require a graduate in Math to appreciate massive amounts of processed, public water goes wasted every week. Star Telegram quoted a Dallas plumbing inspector emphasizing the need for effective water usage, since the administration is finding it tough to provide clean water to the people.
Anyway, forecasters predict this will result in notably higher prices for new sprinklers. Even though it would probably payback more than the price over its lifetime, the payback period would not become clear before a number of months if not years; and since economic conditions are getting worse day by day, a good number of people can rather decide not to have a sprinkler system. For this reason, it’s very likely that the trade of sprinkler systems can receive a bit of a shock.
Some may argue that this rule can hurt the sprinkler manufacturers in Texas ; however, the government’s decision is certainly based on some data. It takes resources on a permanent basis to produce and maintain water supply. Therefore, it is unwise for the admistration to pay no heed to this water wastage.
This new standard can create a couple new prospects for a professional Dallas Plumber as several households will call them to install new sprinklers. However, as the overall number of households using costlier sprinklers would decrease, there will finally be a loss in sprinkler repair jobs.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Sleepless in ATL

There’s nothing like insomnia to really get you riled up – and for many who can’t stand the heat, nights in Atlanta can be a real trial.  Different factors can lead to a lot of open-eyed nights, where the stifling temperatures combine with other distractions to keep locals awake far longer than they should be.

How about when something small catches your attention?  The littlest thing can start to irritate your mind and banish sleep from you.  It could be the sounds of your home settling…or just the endless drip of a leaking faucet.

Maybe you tried to fix it yourself, located some basic tools and fooled around with the whole mess for awhile, thinking about the cost of calling in the Atlanta plumbers.  Well, not an Atlanta plumber.  are high-rent!  Try again – call around and find a shop that can accommodate your small projects.

The point is this: something as small as a leaky faucet can take up a lot of your time.  And that means that small projects are sometimes quite a necessity.  The other point is that homeowners are much more likely to let something go after a half-hearted try at a DIY solution.  An initial burst of inspiration may have just given way to apathy and neglect.  But that’s no solution, and thinking otherwise just ends up with things getting done the long way around.

A property owner who’s been burned once, though, might be leary of letting another visitor to the scene of the crime.  The thing is, getting a good reliable plumber may take some calling around.  Different shops are widely different: they may be really helpful or sketchy.  But when you take the time to call around, and really put some work into it, sooner or later the right one will come along.  And then you can work with them to take care of your home dilemmas.  When that’s all finished, keep up connections with the plumbers who did the job right, so that next time there’s a part of your plumbing system keeping you awake at night, you’ll know to call an Atlanta plumbing shop, instead of just sitting there counting sheep.

Find your Plumbing Match in the City of Angels

There was a guy who lived out on a nice street in Pasadena who got dumped by his long-time girlfriend just because of his plumbing: to put that differently, she couldn’t stand the shoddy state of his bungalow.

They got along swimmingly, enjoyed the same downtown restaurants, and generally kept out of each other’s hair during those delicate early-morning moments (and if you’re one of those ‘relationship aficionados, you know that’s easier said then done).  They seemed like destiny incarnate – but one day, over a shouting match about the standing water in the ground floor tub, she grabbed her purse and walked out into the So.cal sunset never to return.

Later, moaning about how it all could have been avoided with a call to a the Los Angeles plumber, he confided that he was to blame, as the topic had been a longstanding source of disagreement.  He knew a lot of the stuff was not in working order, and it has been long since time to put in some needed fixes.  It wasn’t a matter of money…not exactly.  Calling Los Angeles plumbers,, he said, was just too much of a hassle.  Maybe you know how this guy feels; just like with any contractors in L.A., any little project can turn into a lot of drama.  Why can’t some of these Los Angeles plumbers,  just skip the narcissism and get on with the job?  Why the wraparound mirror shades, the made-up accents, the gratuitous cut-off shirts and continual banter about how great they are?

Well, okay, not all Los Angeles plumbers,  are like that, and that was the thing about our hapless Romeo: he never took the time to see that one bad Los Angeles plumbing,  experience doesn’t account for all of the hard-working, industrious, and genuinely cool Los Angeles plumbers,  in the city.  He could have done a little more research, kept his romance aflame, and got on with the rest of his life…as it was, he quickly found another starlet to date, but the point is, for those who want to avoid being left ‘Under the Bridge’ in that city we live in, the City of Angels…it just might start and end with calling in the pros to fix your ancient hardware, your broken toilet or your drizzling shower.  Keeping your girl happy means providing the working hot and cold water…as the unfortunate plumber-phobic citizen found out.

Capital Plumbing

Just like with anything in the nation’s capital, D.C. plumbing is a harried, sprawling mess, at least according to some who labor there on the grid of thrown-together structures and clustered water systems that support a huge population with different home improvement needs and widely differing socioeconomic arenas.

No matter what part of Washington you’re working in, from Capital Hill out to the suburbs, dealing with plumbing can be something you need to spend significant time addressing.  For a homeowner, property investor, or anyone handling a potential problem, a Washington plumber can be a godsend.  Finding good Washington plumbers is the key to keeping a D.C. property kept up to the standards enforced by city inspectors and others bent on protecting the property values and functionality of D.C. neighborhoods.

Call around and get a good Washington plumbing shop and then give them an interview to see if they’re up to the task of getting all of your fixes in, whether it’s dealing with difficultly spaced pipes, or bailing out a broken appliance.  When you have estimates, also find out how they will do the job, not just how much they will charge, and stay involved to ensure that you get the fixes you paid for.

Staying on top of a plumbing project may take a few days.  You should keep an eye on all of the work done daily, especially if the initial information you got was vague and unhelpful.

Also, don’t be afraid to put in your own two cents, if you know what you’re talking about.  Direct your own work the way you need to so that that in the end, you don’t wind up inheriting just another fiasco.  You may need to ask questions about city policies or physical realities that restrict what you are trying to do.

In the end, sticking with Washington plumbers will help you conquer the D.C, plumbing grid.

When you’ve found the Washington plumber you like, keep them on speed dial.  Your search is an investment in your home, something you’ll want to keep for the road ahead.

Help with the Big Stuff in Connecticut

Just because Hartford, CT happens to be the home of some of America’s most swanky institutions and estates doesn’t mean we instantly know what a Hartford property owner may go through when attempting to set up a failing or malfunctioning plumbing system or do some light troubleshooting.  The property in question may be a new and improved downtown building or a historic mansion on a faroff hill, off of a rural road, that literally hasn’t been touched for decades.

One thing the Hartford plumber will have to figure out is what it will take to modernize the existing hardware to what can be easily tinkered with.  A lot of a home plumbing makeover goes into installing “user-friendly” systems that can stand up to future fixes: leaving the original heavy fixtures in place means that for every bump or thump, the Hartford plumbing van has to navigate the winding trail or busy city road anew.  And that means a lot of money out of the owner’s pocket.  That’s why overhauls are critical for an owner to wants to outfit a building that isn’t getting any younger.

Your the Hartford plumbers might replace old pipes with metal fittings, tighten up {pipes|fixtures}, or get in a re-do of that systems that outfit baths, kitchens, or devices like water heaters.  Anything in the home can be considered for a routine upgrade to avoid more potential problems down the road.

The trick is keeping an eye on what’s been done and identifying where you want the parameters of a project to end when it comes to your precious piece of real estate.  Another trick is knowing that your helpful the Hartford plumberis reliable enough to trust with this big job as well as other small ones.

But, when a property owner finds the right fit, and keeps channels of negotiation open, they can avoid a lot of hair-pulling experiences they may go through to give ‘life support’ to their Hartford home.

Plagued with hard water in Providence

A letter writer recently sent a missive to a local Providence newspaper with a call for help attached: her shower, she insisted, was acting up: a device that delivered a steady stream for years had gradually dried up with no apparent cause, other than her supposedly haunted home in a historic district of the capital city – or so the story goes.

It wasn’t some kind of local hex, but just a combination of time and hard water: the deposits from the hard water in her local well had accumulated on the shower head and blocked its pores until it seemed like the water pressure had been turned down by some invisible hand.  The attendant Providence plumber, sent out by a benevolent city desk reporter at the weekly paper, found that the problem could have been easily avoided.

Soaking a shower head in vinegar or a similar substance can rid your shower head of gunk and make it work like new again.  It can be hard for a homeowner to tell whether the problem is hard water deposits or a broken shower head, and so Providence plumbers (as well as those elsewhere) often have to inform their clients about what their repair needs actually are.  But if your shower has been reduced to a drizzle over a matter of months, it doesn’t hurt to try the easiest solution first, and do a quick water deposits check before getting a plumbing shop to do design-intensive work.

Either way, just like the original damsel in distress, for whom the local Providence plumbing shop ran to the rescue, you can benefit from a little sound advice from professionals to get your shower up and running quickly, or to give you the lowdown on the best fixes for an ailing shower.

If anything ever goes wrong ever, always contact a local plumbing expert to help you with your home's internal workings!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Why Interior Design Has Very Solid Prospects

Interior design is the discipline that tackles anything that might be found within the bounds of an interior space. Fixtures, color, walls, windows, lighting, and texture are all components of what interior design is all about. Designers and the discipline itself are all concerned with developing areas that are practical yet eye-appealing to its users.

Interior design draws upon many disciplines like architecture, environmental psychology, product design, and general decoration. Interior design continuously grows as industry and designers are surfacing by the minute as people in this day and age are beginning to realize what it can achieve for their interiors.

Practicing designers ordinarily set their focus on certain specific specializations such as residential and commercial design for corporations like hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and office buildings. Before, interior design was thought to have been only concerned with residential areas. Currently, though, interior design is more evident in other areas than in the past. Buildings and space projects that are barely concerned with any {aspect} of design are now being taken care of by designers. Schools, hospitals, and even prisons are {receiving} design thought.

Several practitioners have industry specializations and deal with lots of specific design matters in areas such as healthcare, institutional design, and hospitality. As an example the team at interior design london focus heavily on law firms. In this evolving world, expertise in interior design are not dying away. They are continuously growing and are only constrained by a designers {imagination}.

Interior design {revolves around} {several} different disciplines, and designers must learn these to be {successful} in their craft. Interior design doesn't just call for imagination; designers must be familiar with structure, function, computer technology, and even craft fields. Designers must also become skilled at specialized, visual, and even cultural disciplines.

In order to be an efficient and knowledgeable designer, the {field} generally requires {completion} of a postsecondary program of study. A bachelors degree is the usual {requirement}. Upon finishing their schooling, designers are also expected to take licensure examinations before they are permitted to work professionally.

At the present time, careers in interior design are {proving} to be more profitable than before. There are a wide array of employment opportunities that can be found in this field. Interior designers employed by big corporations  ordinarily work on {a day-to-day} basis and are paid for their daily working hours, or placed on a salary. Independent and self-employed designers, {on the other hand}, usually work on a per project or {contract} basis.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Build Your Swimming Pool Now

Above Ground Swimming Pool Build

The winter is the time of year when many people begin to think about their summer holidays with thoughts of lounging on a beach somewhere hot. But the colder months are also the best time of year to build your own swimming pool.

The current world-wide economic downturn is forcing many people to postpone their planned home moves as property values continue to depreciate. Uncertainty in the housing market is leading to many people looking at their existing homes and considering ways that they can enhance their property. Rooms in the roof, extensions, new kitchens and garden makeovers are all excellent ways to make the most of your current property and improve the quality of your life. Another is to install a swimming pool in your garden.

Many consider pool building as a summer project. But building during the cooler months brings a number of advantages. You will find that out-of-season swimming pool pricing can be very favourable indeed, providing some significant savings over the prices charged during the peak months. The availability of the swimming pool that you want is another factor that is influenced by the time of year. You'll find it easier to find the exact pool that you want during the low-demand period of the year. Also, delivery and installation can be more favourable outside of the peak summer months.

The big advantage is that your new swimming pool will be ready to use as soon as the weather turns that little bit warmer in the spring. As soon as that warm weather appears you can be sure that your swimming pool supplier and installer will be immensely busy with a backlog of orders and installations to fulfil.

My advice to anyone who has been toying with the idea of having their own swimming pool installed in their garden is to gather a few quotes from reputable swimming pool suppliers now. You should be able to negotiate a substantial discount and get yourself a bargain swimming pool installed and ready for some summer fun.

Making Your Own Home Solar Power

One of the main drawbacks of having solar energy power one's home is the prohibitive cost of the solar panels. Though sunshine is always free, and there is no overhead cost for the solar cells, the total cost of having the system installed is the main drawback for many people from making this alternative energy source the secondary rather than the primary energy source at home. But in the last few years, the over-all cost of solar panels have been falling because of the many technological advances which provide cheaper alternatives, plus the increasing demand, make this an energy resource that would be hard to resist. It's time to learn how to make solar power...

Here's what you pay for with energy. First off though it may seem that the monthly power costs paid to a utility company is purely for the cost of the energy, guess again. The energy coat is but a small parcel of the total monthly bill paid and almost thirty percent goes to all sorts of charges and taxes that go into the original amount of the monthly bill. So you can see that you not only pay for the power you use, you pay for the expensive power plants.

Multiply this amount by say, five years or sixty months. This will roughly get you the total cost of power consumption for the last five years, give or take fifteen percent in adjustments. This amount roughly is the cost of the installation of the solar panels for one's home.  You should learn how to make your own solar power now and save money in the future.

And with the solar panels, the use is not for just five years it is until there is sunshine that can be harnessed even on a cloudy or rainy day. Also, the full cost is paid for the energy you will consume and not to pay off pencil pushers in an administrative office of a utility company. Learn more at Home Solar Power Reviews and learn all about making your own home solar power.

So as you can see, the costs of the solar panels are upfront, but its use is as limitless as the sun itself unlike the conditionalities attached to the fossil fuel power generated by current utility companies. Give it a thought since the more you think, the price of the solar panels keep falling until it is cheap enough to be the best energy resource available.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

How to Tell if You Really Need a Bathroom Remodeling Planner

You are tired of looking at your dreary walls and rusty pipes in your bathroom. It’s time to do something about it. However, you have never been one to make remodeling decisions on your own. You need remodeling ideas from someone with an eye for color and function. You need the expertise of a bathroom remodeling planner.

Bathroom Remodeling Planners Take the Stress Away

In some ways, it is true, a bathroom remodeling planner is a luxury. If you have a strict budget, they can help you adhere to it, though. Bathroom remodeling presents particular challenges and stresses in choosing the appropriate bathtub, sink, toilet, colors, etc. This is where bathroom remodeling planners come in handy.

What if the planner has different ideas from yours about what should be done with the room? For example, you certainly do not want to have to pay money for a bathroom remodeling planner to structure your bathroom in a way that you are completely dissatisfied with.

A professional bathroom remodeling planner does not do all the planning and designing work alone. The planner will work with you every step of the way so that you get the bathroom you’ve always wanted. First, you will want to schedule a meeting between you and the bathroom remodeling planner. For this first meeting, you will want to present all your ideas and, possibly, some sketches showing what you’d like your bathroom to look like.

You will also want to make sure the bathroom remodeling planner is aware of your budget. Ideally, your planner should either have a complete catalog of what the company offers, or the two of you should go to your local home improvement center and make a list, along with the prices, of how much preferred materials will cost.

You will need to find out what services your bathroom remodeling planner provides, as they do not all provide the same services. Some bathroom planners work for a contractor and some bathroom planners may also play the role of the contractor itself. Finding the right planner takes research and consideration of all the options available to you.

By Chet Lystrom

Remodeling Your Old Bathroom Tile

There are several ways to renovate your old ceramic bathroom tile.  You can surf the web for good ideas.  The internet is full of how to articles, particularly on remodeling old bathroom ceramic tile.  However, you need to take what you learn on the internet with a grain of salt and you should always back up your research with other sources.  You can visit local tiling stores, read how to books, and get advice from contractors.  The information you learn can help in your decision to do the project yourself of hire a contractor.

What Your Working With

Knowing what you want to replace your old ceramic tiles with before you start your project will help a lot.  If you want to keep the same type of tile and the same color, then remodeling old bathroom ceramic tile should be easy.  Just take a sample tile with you when you go to find the replacement tile.  By carrying it with you, you’ll have no problem matching it to replacement tiles for an easy job.  If you want to replace it with other tiles of a different type and color, price them and see how much they cost per square foot.  The measurements and prices are going to be important so that you know how much to budget for your remodeling old bathroom ceramic tile project.

Do It Yourself

If you plan to do the remodeling yourself, dig in and find out exactly what you need to do.  You should keep in mind that the details of how to remodel old bathroom ceramic tile may vary according to the brand or texture, so you should inquire about those specific types when finding out how to remodel old bathroom ceramic tile.

Ask everyone you can, shop owners, contractors, even your handyman uncle if you have one, everyone that has knowledge about how to remodel old bathroom ceramic tile.  You’ll be excited to use your new bathroom, but be sure to let it dry completely before you do!

By: Chet Lystrom

How To Calculate The Cost Of Bathroom Renovations

Because no two bathrooms are the same, no two costs of bathroom renovations will be the same. Even if the same person built your house and your neighbor’s house, the cost to renovate the bathrooms would be different.  There are so many variables to keep in mind which contribute significantly to costs.

Size Of The Floor Space

Getting a good idea of the size of the area you are remodeling will give you a more precise idea of what the cost of bathroom renovations will be.  If you are leaving the floors alone but are renovating the walls, you still need to know the square footage of the walls.  Knowing exactly how much space you are working with will determine what materials you need and how much you can purchase within your budget.  It may be helpful to draw yourself a little diagram and jot down all the measurements you take.  If you have to make a guess at a measurement, guess high.  That way you’ll be sure you have what you need and won’t be short on materials.

Type Of Materials

The cost of your bathroom renovation will be more accurate if you consider the type of materials you want to use.  Hand-painted ceramic tiles look incredible, but they cost a fortune.  Perhaps you can contrast some decorative tiles with plain (and cheaper) tiles made from synthetic or composite materials.  If you want to use tile on the floor or walls, you’ll need to decide what kind of tile you want.  Choosing one kind of tile over another, ceramic versus hand crafted, will make all the difference to your cost.

Labor

Shop around for a few different estimates before choosing a contractor  Make sure the contractors give you estimates in writing.  This estimate should be free.  The estimate should include the cost of labor and materials to be used.  Without experience, tackling a bathroom renovation on your own can be difficult.  Not having the experience can also dramatically increase the cost of your bathroom renovation.

There are other tools available online, like remodeling cost calculators, if you don’t have the time to meet with several contractors regarding your bathroom.  You’ll just need to input your total square footage and the materials you plan to use into the online calculator.

By: Chet Lystrom

Friday, January 23, 2009

Increase Your Home's Value with Spa Style Bathroom Remodeling

If you wish to have spa style bathroom remodeling, go ahead and indulge yourself with the facilities and comforts that spa style bathroom offers. Before you begin though, be very clear that this could be an expensive venture. If you are keen and willing to take a loan, then visit your bank and enquire about it. Take your time and interview the available contractors in you area to find out which one fits your requirements. Some contractors have different payment plans, so make sure you check them too before starting on a spa style bathroom remodeling. While this will increase the value of your home it still needs to be financially manageable. A spa style bathroom provides you a good relaxation right at home.

Check Before You Start Any Remodeling Project

Check with your contractor if you need to add more space for your spa style bathroom remodeling. You can get started implementing your plan if the changes you want to make can be done it the space of the current bathroom. If you are planning to increase space by breaking a wall, you better get a permit to avoid hassles. Check with your city government to find out what this entails. This will save you from problems of attending a court trial later on. Also, you can concentrate on your spa style bathroom remodeling without any hindrances.

Funding
There are various methods to accommodate your spa style bathroom remodeling. If you have sufficient credits, you can opt to take a bank loan by providing them with supporting documents. You can try mortgage or reverse mortgage of your home. A lot of times contractors are more than happy to assist you with a payment plan. Check out all your options and be prepared before starting your spa style bathroom remodeling.

Planning
Planning is the most important part of the spa style bathroom remodeling project. You must first decide on how you want your bathroom to be. Take tips from magazines or remodeling books. The Internet can also be a great source of ideas and resource for the latest trends and fashions in bathroom remodeling. Check out with your friends if they have a spa style bathroom and know the facts which will not only help remodel your bathroom, but also in planning additional costs involved in maintenance. Exhaust all the options and make sure you are completely satisfied with the plan before starting on your spa style bathroom remodeling project.

By: Chet Lystrom

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Bathroom Planning Can Be Fun

Have you ever looked at your bathroom and wish it looked a little different, or maybe a little more modern? There are a variety of ways to breathe new life into your bathroom from rearranging the room to installing new components. When bathroom planning, there are a few things to consider like budget, room, and what component you'd like to put in first. Local contractors can take your measurements and ideas and give you a pretty accurate idea of how much your new bathroom will cost so you can budget accordingly. Then, once your bathroom planning is complete, you can get to work on your remodeling project to create the bathroom of your dreams.

Current Space Or Add To It?

When you are planning out your new bathroom layout, think about whether or not you'll have enough room in the existing space. If, for example, you don’t have the space to put in that large sized shower you’re looking forward to installing, you might need to add a little space. You can do this by knocking out a wall or doing whatever you have to do. This is of course going to cost extra, but it’s all information you’re going to need when figuring out your budget. The room you have available to expand into is going to be your main concern. Expanding the bathroom on the edge of a home, into the yard, shouldn't be a problem. However, if you only have a little bit of space to work with, this can seriously hinder your bathroom planning progress.

What to Put in the Bathroom

Now that you know what kind of space you have to work with, you’re going to want to fill it with the various components, such as sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, and whatever else you want to put in there. You’ll also want to decide if you’re going to go modern or if you’re going to go for a slightly older look. Once you choose a style, stick with it. You don’t want to put in a modern sink, for example, if the rest of your components are older. Which ever you choose, just have fun expressing yourself in your bathroom plan. The best part comes, though, when you’re all done and you can finally look at your finished product and know that you planned it all by yourself.

By: Chet Lystrom

NYC Plumbers Can Rescue You From a Garbage Disposal Nightmare!

If your garbage disposal isn’t flowing, it’s blocked. It’s not worn out or disconnected to a charge, it’s just plain jammed up with food (or some other item that accidently got in there). So how much of a problem is this, really?

 

A homeowner with a blocked garbage disposal unit may have trouble deciphering whether the block is inside the unit or in the drain pipe. In fact,the observer will often be flummoxed. So, a few little tests might be the best course of action for figuring out a fix.

 

You can take a broomstick or other tall object and use it to move the flywheel around in the unit. Or you can plunge it from the sink side and watch for the offending matter to come up. The wrench that usually comes with your garbage disposal unit is also a good diagnostic tool for shifting what’s inside your unit tank.

 

If the problem is in the garbage disposal drain, your question becomes a different one. Do you want to get your own hands into the mix, or do you want to call a NYC Plumber to deal with the whole thing? In this case, it often comes down to experience. If you’ve never seen it done before, call some NYC Plumbers , the pros, and watch how easy it is to get that blockage out. The next time you see your drain getting quickly backed up, or when something’s out of whack with the water flow in your sink, you may be able to tackle the problem on your own, or, if time is of the essence, you can rely on the same NYC Plumbing shop

to deliver the trusted services you can bank on to get a quick and easy fix. Either way, you’ll have some extra knowledge on this particular type of repair work.

 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Using Home Solar Power

The use of solar panels to generate energy for your home is fast gaining ground not just in the United States but all throughout the world. There are many advantages to it, such as lowered energy costs, near silence operation and the absence of harmful pollutant by products from it use. This begs the question on why it is not the more popular source of energy instead of fossil fuels? It's time for a home solar power review...

The drawback to this alternative source of home energy is the high cost of the solar panel installation for such a small purpose of heating up a home or its water system. The average cost of the materials for the solar panel, and the expertise needed to install both the panel and the power pack is still quite prohibitive. But in the last few years, many technological advantages have made solar panels for home installation much more affordable to the common individual homeowner. And aside from that, many other applications are being explored to use the energy generated by home solar power panels for household appliances and not merely one's desktop calculator.

The best yardstick to determine the economic viability of solar home energy use is the use of these solar cells to power children's toys. Also, new edition electric shavers can use solar power to do its work. There have also been advances in the use of solar panel energy to recharge batteries for extended use. With a small kit and whole bunch of rechargeable batteries, one can use a natural, renewable resource to a man made rechargeable energy source. To learn more check out this Home Solar Power Review site.

With these simple appliances able to harness solar energy for home use, it is but a little time and a little patience until the bigger appliances at home would be able to use solar energy for its operation. These are a result of relying too much on foreign oil and fossil fuels instead of clean renewable energy sources. The hope is that one day we will have cheap and reliable home solar power panels so everyone can afford and use them.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Vital Bathroom Remodeling Steps To Know

Do you have a need to organize the remodeling process? If you are looking to learn about the bathroom remodeling steps that you you can't overlook, read on. You'll be introduced to a number of ideas, steps, jobs, and more so that you can make general improvements to your bath area. Try some bathroom remodeling steps discussed in this article.

Most people would prefer to remodel their bathroom because it looks outdated or if they are not satisfied with the overall ambience. However, with so many things that need to be changed, you have no idea where to begin. There are some tried and true bathroom remodeling steps that are important to keep in mind.

Bathroom Remodeling Step #1: Start Afresh

The first thing that you need to do is get rid of everything that annoys you about the bathroom. This would minimize the confusion and will also help you in visualizing things that you would like to replace with.

Bathroom Remodeling Step #2: Don't Overdue It with the Decorations
People always refer bathroom as “restroom” as this is supposed to be the place where you can collect yourself. This becomes harder to do when the room is cluttered as the regular rooms of a house. The most important step in the bathroom remodeling steps is to keep the shopping for decorations at a minimum. A non cluttered bathroom can be very comfortable.

Bathroom Remodeling
Step #3: Check for Quality

When you have made up your mind as to what you want to place in the bathroom, you can choose the materials accordingly. The quality matter when selecting products for you bathroom remodel. The durability of the material is guaranteed in a higher priced material. Cheap things will need to be replaced more often.

Additional Information

The Internet is a great place to research trends and styles in current bathroom redesigns. Also try your local home improvement center, where customer service can help you find everything you are looking for. One resource you can't overlook are the interior design magazines. A proper research would help you find things that you would need to create a wonderful bathroom.

By: Chet Lystrom

Remove Harmful Particles From Your Home with an Air Cleaner

It might come as a surprise, but the air that you breathe in daily is actually pretty dirty. And worse than that, it's not likely to get any cleaner in the future. You're not even safe in your own home. The amount of polluted air in modern homes is so bad that it can put your health at risk.

For this reason you have to make certain that the air you breathe is as clean as it possibly can be. Happily, it's easier to accomplish this than you might think. By simply investing in a good quality air cleaner, you can make a significant improvement in the air quality in your home.

Air cleaners effectively remove harmful pollutants present in the air within the home. In this category are various kinds of possibly harmful allergens such as pet dander, dust and chemicals. This can prevent suffering from illnesses such as bronchitis, flu, pneumonia and even the common cold, not to mention numerous respiratory conditions.

You can also eliminate many common household smells with a home air purifier. These include tobacco smoke, gases, pesticides, cat litter and aerosols. Substances such as glue, paint and varnish give off volatile smells and an air cleaner will eliminate these too.

An air cleaner is also very useful for fighting all sorts of particles in the air such as mold, bacteria and viruses that surround us constantly. These pollutants can lead to health problems if you breathe in too much of them.

There are several kinds of air cleaners available. Among the choices are the ionic, UV and HEPA air purifier. These kinds of purifiers can successfully clean the air and also take away odors and vapors very effectively.

Having understood the reasons behind installing an air cleaner it is then important to find a model that will meet your needs as far as your indoor conditions are concerned. Of course, having appropriate ventilation in your home will turn out to be a big help too. To get the most efficient use from your air cleaner, make sure to air out your rooms regularly to release some of the pollutants in your home.

Staying Cool in ATL

It’s hot in Georgia – even when New Yorkers are braving inhospitable winters, Atlanta’s citizens are running around jacketless.  The southern climes are hotter than many places we call home, but what about during the summer, when that heat seems just unbearable?

That’s when Georgia’s people turn to the usual remedies for temperature troubles: hot tubs, Jacuzzis or whirlpools.  All of these interior or exterior installations can keep the family cool by providing temperature-controlled hydrotherapy.

As a result, these comfort solutions are in constant demand.  But for many homeowners, getting them installed on the property is just the beginning of trying to find out how best to keep their new toys running.

Water conservation is a concern these days, and with big water users like hot tubs and spas, the issue is only compounded.  How can a household balance its ‘luxury consumption’ with its ‘everyday’ water use? 

One way is with a top-to-bottom home water use analysis.  For this, you may want to call in a local Atlanta plumber to get expert counsel on what’s going through the most water daily and how to maximize benefit through placement, installation and maintenance of all of your water-slurping gear.

Atlanta plumbers can find ways to conserve that never occurred to you…and that’s why a Atlanta plumbing shop that offers a comprehensive consultation can be a godsend for Atlanta homeowners that want to get serious about controlling their water bills.  Call up your trusted Atlanta plumbing shop and ask if they provide this kind of service, and if they don’t find another shop that does!  A little investment up front can lead to long term savings.

...And always call a plumber if you encounter an emergency!  That way, your problems will be solved quickly and professionally.

Features Of An Easy To Use Portable Greenhouse

There are many associated benefits as to why individuals or households would desire to grow their own vegetables.  Some of those gains would include a safety element from knowing how the food was farmed.  In addition, it may be more affordable.

Likewise, in order to draw out the growth season or perhaps get a fresh jump on a growth season, one may like to invest in a portable greenhouse.  If so, there are certain characteristics that a portable greenhouse should incorporate.  Those characteristics should include the style of overlay, simplicity of fabrication and storage.

Portable Greenhouse Cover

A movable garden greenhouse is a building that is purchasable on the marketplace and is designed for those who love gardening.  It frankly is a building that holds an environment that is conducive to the development of plants.  Specifically, it sustains the appropriate temperature, protects the plants from harmful elements such as the wind and preserves the proper moisture.

To verify that the movable greenhouse furnishes these primary operations, it is vital that the overlay of the portable greenhouse be well fabricated. Consequently, there are certain qualities to the roof that must be incorporated.

Those qualities should include the substance that the cover should be made from. Generally, the cover should be long-lived, provide for sunlight to enter, extend UV protection and lessen moisture build up. There should also be windowpanes and screens constructed into the cover

In addition, the windows and the doors should have the option of being fastened. This can commonly be accomplished through using lightweight fasteners.

Ease Of Assembly

Another critical choice to look at when selecting a movable greenhouse kit is the simplicity in which the movable greenhouse can be assembled.  For illustration several movable greenhouses can be removed from the transport cartons and assembled quickly.  Usually, this procedure takes less than an hour and requires no tools. 

Other easy portable greenhouse kits only necessitate the unit to be withdrawn from the package and put up by only hauling up on the frame.  Once in place a bar that stabilizes the unit is positioned suitably.  After the frame is put in position the cover can then be installed.

Simplicity Of Storage

A factor that you will also want to consider is storage for the portable greenhouse when you are not using it.  You will have to factor in the size of the unit when broken down and the area thsat you have available for storage. 

Oftentimes portable units can simply be tore down by removing the stabilizing bar and pressing down any levers to grant the unit to collapse.  Additionally, these units simply are inserted in the durable cover which can act like a storage bag.

Read more on indoor greenhouses

Great Carpet Cleaning Tip

As a professional carpet cleaner for many years I have dealt with all kinds of issues.  Here are some quick answers to some of the most common questions I get asked.  You can also find out more here on this Carpet Cleaning website our or Colorado Carpet Cleaning site.

How Often Should I Clean My Carpets?

The answer here always depends on the home owner.  If you have a few kids and the carpet gets daily wear then you should look at cleaning your carpets at least twice a year and maybe a third time for just the high traffic areas.  Waiting until your carpets look dirty is the worst time because all that dirt and oil build up may not come out because of how extensive it is.

If you live alone and have no pets and not a whole lot of carpet traffic then most likely you only need to have your carpets cleaned once a year.  After I mention this I often get asked why the carpets even need to be cleaned once a year because these people are taking very good care of their carpets and they are immaculate.It's a very honest question to ask and one most people would think of.

Imagine this, you put a shirt on the ground and walk on it for 12 months.  Yes you may be walking over it with just your socks but it still gets very dirty.Now in a years time are you going to pick that shirt up and wear it.  The answer is of course not.Of course your going to wash your shirt first.  Carpets are great at hiding dirt.  You want to be able to sit and even lay down on your carpets with out having to worry about how dirty they are.

Regardless of how little traffic your carpet gets you want to have them cleaned at least once a year.  Almost all carpet manufacturers will also tell you to get your carpets cleaned once a year as well.  Doing so will really help the over all life and looks of your carpet.

This quick tip was brought to you for Garry from L & M Carpet Cleaning.  If you live in the Northern Colorado are and looking to get your carpets cleaned then swing by our Carpet Cleaning Fort Collins website.

Sure Fire NBA Betting Tips

Are you looking for more NBA Betting Tips? There are so many different sports you can bet on. NFL are probably the more popular sports game for people to bet on but for me NBA are more easily to win. There are so many more games and more opportunities to make money.

There are a few forms of betting you can do with NBA betting. One of the easiest and relaxing way to do is futures betting. This is the time you place a bet before that season starts and you will need to predict something you would not know for months ahead.

Individual futures betting means you bet on a certain player. You can bet on what player you think will lead the league in points, rebounds and assists. You can also bet on player you predict that would win the most valuable player of the year. The good thing in picking on these bets is that you don't need to bet with a lot of money. There are so many players in contention for every award that each one you win pays extremely well.

You can do futures betting on team level. This is the place you predict teams that will win their divisions, conference or league championship. These pay very good.

Please do not skip my NBA Basketball Betting Tips if you want to get some sure firing tips to skyrocket your NBA winning rate!

Season betting gives you a hell lots of opportunities in making more money. You can make at least 3 different bets in every nba game. First of all, you can bet which side to win the game. Second, you can bet which team you think will cover the spread. And finally, you can bet under or over of the total points for the game. For instance, the betting service will put the over under at about 200 points for a game. If you think both teams combined score will be over 200 points, you bet the over.

Betting NBA basketball can be very happy and money making. The best way to sky rocket your NBA betting profit is to get professional advice to aid your betting.

I am using a very marvellous NBA basketball betting system for my personal advice. They help regular people like me win 97% of our bets. I've recorded a 80-0 win with this system I'm using. I have no but higher praise to John Morrison's Sports Betting Champ.

I Want To Download Wii Games For Free - Find Out How Right Here!

The recent outbreak of Wii gaming consoles has definitely got your head stucked to the latest Wii games.In order to satisfy this Wii "need", the additive Wii gamers out there are already asking if they're able to download Wii games straight from the World Wide Web, free of charge. I'm a Gabriel Fox, a professional gamer myself and I'd tell you that's exactly what I do to feed my Wii addiction - I download Wii games online.

"But I'm finding for sites that I can download Wii games for free!" You asked? Yep, I won't even doubt that, I agreed, is there anyone in this world who doesn't like free stuff?However, bear one point in mind, it's nice to have something free, but these free things come with risks, and that totally depends on whether can you afford to risk your personal computer to the viruses and trojans, or not.

I've been downloading Wii games all these time, for totally free, in a sense. What I'm saying here is that I've subscribed to a Wii games download site for a one time payment membership fee. This is a totally brilliant way to go about because for such a cheap price I'd get to unlimitedly download Wii games onto my PC and then transfering them to my Wii console.

If you're a complete newbie about downloading and burning Wii games, I'd suggest you subscribing to a Wii games download site that includes a full-scale walkthroughs, perferably step-by-step video walkthroughs to help you easily download Wii games for free.You've got to make sure that these Wii game downloading sites employ the one-time-subscription system, and that their databases contain different kinds of medias like movies, musics, TV shows within the package.

It's quite easy to dig out these Wii games download sites if you've done proper research. However, if you're looking for ways to find out which is a better Nintendo Wii download site to look for, that doesn't have any viruses or trojans, it's going to be a tough work to do. You can check out my Nintendo Wii Download sites Review for more information about various Wii downloading sites.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Ionic Air Purifier Technologies - Defender or Destroyer?

Introduction

Ionic air purifiers hold the promise of clean air, purified of all known harmful contaminants that threaten our health. Air is made impure by substances unseen by our naked eye. The weapons against such are very likely to be invisible to our eyes as well. Intuitively, the logic appeals to me. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution as google throws up an avalanche of controversy within seconds. Even though I am tempted to quickly get an ionic air purifier to clean the air I breathe, it is clear that more time and effort is needed. The search for an ionic air purifier must focus on its safety aspects as much, if not more, than its effectiveness against contaminants.

The recent China melamine saga that killed infants also is a timely reminder to us that in buying into any technology or any product, all claims by manufacturers and distributors must be screened to the fullest extent that our resources permit. This is even more critical when the key reactive agent is unseen to the human eye. My investigation of ionic air purifier technologies falls within this realm, as the reactive agents are ions that are invisible to our eyes.

In this article, I am laying out the roadmap as I look into the existing ionic air purifier technologies in the global marketplace. Trying to understand the science behind the technologies seems to be the logical place to begin searching for the ideal ionic air purifier. The current key trend appears to be the creation of a potent invisible defence shield against airborne molecular contaminants that threaten our well-being. The dominant global health threat under the scrutiny of scientists is the avian flu virus.

Types of Ionic Air Purifier Technologies

Broadly speaking, air purification technologies can be deployed in either passive or active modes. Passive typically means that impure air is drawn into the air purifier for the reactive agents to work on before re-emerging as cleaned air into the environment. Active generally means dispersive processes by which the impure air is penetrated and purified by the reactive agents. Combinations of both passive and active modes are often found in many types of ionic air purifiers.

In the global market today, ionic air purifier technologies include the following categories:

(A) Ion generator - positive and negative ions
(B) Ion generator - negative ions only
(C) Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)
(D) Electrostatic filter
(E) Combos

Ion Generator - Positive and Negative Ions

This combination of positive and negative ions appears to show the most promise for the future of ionic air purifier technology. Pioneered by the Japanese corporate giant, Sharp Corporation, they are known as plasmacluster ions.

Plasmaclusters of positive and negative ions encircle and latch onto harmful bacteria and viruses in a deadly grip. When this happens, hydroxyl is produced. Hydroxyl, also known as nature's detergent, is a powerful reactive species that plucks out hydrogen molecules from the organic structure of these airborne particulates thereby destroying them. This chemical reaction generates harmless by-products, the main of which is water.

A differential ion generator is used in this technology, comprising a positive and a negative ion generator which can be powered in alternate cycles to control the type of ions generated.

Advocates of the positive and negative ions combination claim that a balance of both these ion types is to be found in places like waterfalls and pristine forests, i.e. this is the actual state in nature. Adherents of the negative ions technology expound the view that negative ions dominate these natural habitats and that positive ions are harmful. In this regard, I have yet to find independent scientific studies as evidence for the contradictory claims of both camps.


Ion Generator - Negative Ions

The traditional ionic air purifier produces only negative ions. Currently, this technology dominates market share but it is under serious threat from Sharp's plasmacluster positive and negative ions technology.

It is claimed that nearly all harmful airborne particulates like dust, smoke and bacteria etc have a positive charge. Negatively charged ions are naturally attracted to these particulates until they sink to the ground by sheer weight. Vacuuming removes these neutralised impurities and therefore protects us from them. Weighing down the particulates does nothing to destory them, according to critics, and merely walking on them causes the air to be polluted again.

Apparently, there are a number of ways to produce negative ions. It is critical to know the various methods as each may have different by-products, some harmful and some which are not. These methods include:

(1) Water method - this employs what is known as the waterfall or Lenard Effect. Water droplets are splashed onto a metal plate where a small electric charge is applied. This simple action results in the splitting of water droplets, causing the production of large numbers of negative ions. No harmful by-products result from using the water method to produce ions.

(2) Electron radiation method - this is based on a single negative discharge electrode needle. Negatively-charged electrons are produced by the millions when a high voltage pulse is applied to the electrode. An advantage of this method is that no ozone is produced. This is believed to be due to the application of a "smaller" energy pulse.

(3) Corona discharge method - this is based on a dual electrode model, a sharp metal electrode and a flat electrode. A very high voltage is applied between the two electrodes. This causes the movement of electrons between the electrodes thereby ionising the air in between them. A criticism of this method is the production of harmful by-products like ozone and nitride oxide.

Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)

This technology is commonly applied in a passive mode. It is also based on the powerful reactive agent hydroxyl which purifies impure air that is pulled through the air purifier.

Germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly shone on a catalyst (usually titanium oxide) to produce hydroxyl, oxygen and peroxide, all of which are potent oxidising agents that are very effective at destroying the organic structure of micro-organisms and gaseous volatile organic compounds.

Complete and comprehensive action is the pillar of POC technology. Proponents of this technology claim that POC inactivates ALL categories of indoor pollution, including:

(1) airborne particulates i.e. dust, pet dander, plant pollen, sea salts, tobacco smoke, industrial and car pollution, etc

(2) bioaerosols i.e. contagious or infectious biological compounds (e.g. viruses and pathogenic bacteria) or non-infectious and non-contagious (e.g. non-pathogenic bacteria, molds, cell debris)

(3) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) i.e. gaseous chemicals or odours - benzene, toluene, chloroform, ethanol, formaldehyde, etc, all common emissions from everyday products of our modern home.

Critics of POC zoom in on the power effects of hydroxyl, claiming that they cannot differentiate between the organic structures that make up molecular contaminants and our lung tissue, eye cornea or nose membranes.

Electrostatic Filter

This technology appears to have originated in heavy industries which produced abundant pollutants. The typical electrostatic filter ionic air purifier includes two electrodes sandwiching a porous dielectric material. The dielectric material impedes electrical conductivity whilst the electrodes efficiently conduct electricity.

As impure air is drawn into the electrostatic purifier, it passes through the dielectric material which acts as a sieve. Electrostatic forces between the electrodes causes airborne particulates i.e.smoke contaminants, dust, etc, to adhere to the dielectric surface. Out of the other end of the purifier, cleaned air is recirculated.

Frequently, an ion source is planted just before the electrostatic filter to electrically charge the airborne particulates. These impurities, so charged, stick more effectively to the dielectric material.

Critics of this technology point to the production of harmful ozone in the ionisation process.

Combo Ionic Air Purifiers

To cater to the various adherents and critics of the diverse technologies, combos incorporate all or some of the above types of technologies. Combos may include:

(1) adsorptive materials such as activated carbon or oxygenated charcoal (known for its extremely porous large surface area) are added to POC technology to enhance the removal of VOCs;

(2) oxidizing catalysts like titanium oxide are coated on various components of all types of air purifiers to enhance VOC elimination;

(3) reducing catalysts such as manganese dioxide are coated near the exit outlets of many air purifiers to reduce reactive species like ozone and nitric oxide which may be harmful;

(4) generating ions by differing methods such as using microwave, UV light, radio frequency waves, and direct current;

(5) tweaking the specifications of any ionic air purifier technology so as to attain the well-known HEPA status without actually using HEPA filters.

Obviously, the process of selecting the most efficient and effective ionic air purifier involves analysing a deluge of information. I have barely skimmed the surface of the safety issues of each technology. I will also be studying in detail the claims of each technology. It is natural to want to quickly want something that promises to improve the air quality in your homes, offices, factories, schools etc. But I urge you to do your homework and check back here for updates as I continue to look for the ideal ionic air purifier.

To easily receive updates on new articles, subscribe to The Ionic Air Purifier Blog today.

Skip Hire

 

[When you say skips you think about the open top container kind of skip rather than the delicious prawn cocktail flavoured crisps.]

[I wish my skips tasted like the crips because right now I have 3 skips on my driveway, it’s a right eyesore. These skips are massive, huge builders skips. I just wish I could eat them up!]
[I ordered these skips from who I thought was a well reputable company, promising the earth along with their skips. Instead of getting the skips for the time I asked, I have been left with them for coming up to 3 months now. After countless ringing, letter writing and threats, I have now lost the will to live.]
[I am in the business of ripping off scummy students by overcharging them for a damp filled, box room, in a considerably questionable part of town. ] [For easy skip hire Mayfair, call freephone 0844 884 6667.]
[A nosey no good neighbour had called the council on me. They said I had to do up the house or forget renting it. Unbelieveable really, what a joke. The skips were part of this renovation.]
[I stupidly chose price over quality of service and found the cheapest supplier of skips I could find. I will sell those skips soon though on ebay if they aren't picked up, I am sure someone out there will have some use for 3 skips. I might try and take ownership of them and then sell them back to the cowboys that failed to pick them up.]
[I have put on enormous amounts of weight, the only thing I can think of for this reason, is I have been comfort eating. And everytime I look at the skips on my driveway, the yellowness of them makes me dive in my cupboard for a pack of delicious skips. I think i may sue them or at least send them my gym membership bill!]
[Maybe this is a sign for me to stop cutting corners, and look maybe at recommended companies to use in future, this way I may get the job done, and when you look at the bigger picture, I may save money, even if initially it looked dearer! ]

[I will never look at skips in the same way again. The type of crisp or the big waste collectors. All thanks to a rubbish service.]

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Enable Your Bathroom Get more safety by the Safety Bath Mats

Safety bath mats is a kind of furniture that is usually used to cover the bottom of the tub. From generation to generations, many people used porcelain bath tubs for bathing and they never lid it with safety bath mats. Some people may be able to survive bathing rituals without cracking their heads open. However, it doesn't have to be the same. You still need to equip your bathroom with safety bath mats.

Stepping Into the Bathtub is Quite Risky

Healthy individuals with good coordination and a well developed sense of self preservation seldom think twice about stepping into a bathtub that doesn’t have safety bath mats. They assume that the only people who slip and fall when standing in the bathtub are the very old who have problems with degenerative bone conditions and balance matters. It can also happen to the very young who simply don’t know any good.

The unfortunate thing is that anyone can have a slip and fall accident while showering in a tub that is not attached with safety bath mats. It only takes a second for a foot to slip out from underneath you, and for you to collapse. It is potentially cracking your head against the end part of the tub. You could end up breaking your hip even if you are able to prevent your head from connecting against the side of the tub.

Safety bath mats are grips that are supposed to be stuck to the bottom of your bath tub. You need to attach the safety bath mats a short distance from one another. Your foot will only slide a short distance on the slippery tub by placing the safety bath mats close together.

You can imagine as a first time parents, you and your spouse need to learn a lot of things on how to maintain your baby. Simple things like buying natural baby bath and giving your baby at bath can be quite daunting at first. Being wary on taking care the baby reminds us how important the bath safety is. The mat will prevent it from sliding far enough out from under you that you crash. The installation of handrails is one more precaution that can be used to help prevent you from cracking your head open while in the bathtub.

The softened water increases the odds of having a slide and fall accident while in the bathtub. Thus, consider disconnecting the bath tub facet from your water softener when you are placing the safety bath mats on the bottom of your tub.

It is not enough to keep slip and fall accidents simply by placing safety bath mats inside your tub. Many people fall and suffer from traumatic brain injuries when they step out of the shower and skid over the wet floor. Especially for your baby, since you still want to keep the wiggly kids warm as they dry off after a bath, a baby bath robe is a good solution. Surrounding your tub with bath mats immediately wiping up puddles of water will go along way towards preventing a journey to the emergency room.

You should know that it is not a boring job to spotting such bath mats in your bathroom as a safety precaution. In fact, there are several fun and colorful safety bath mats available on the market. You can make your bathroom prettier with those fun and colorful safety bath mats.

Ionic Air Purifier Technologies - Solid Science or Slick Commercial Marketing?

Introduction

Ionic air purifiers hold the promise of clean air, purified of all known harmful contaminants that threaten our health. Air is made impure by substances unseen by our naked eye. The weapons against such are very likely to be invisible to our eyes as well. Intuitively, the logic is compelling. But these days, finding a simple and quick solution is rare. Googling the subject unearths a ton of controversy. It is quite clear that the urge to rush out and buy an ionic air purifier must be suppressed at the moment. Product safety must take precedence over effectiveness in choosing an ionic air purifier.

The recent China melamine saga that killed infants also serves as a reminder to us that in buying into any technology or any product, all claims by manufacturers and distributors must be examined to the fullest extent that our resources permit. This is even more critical when the key reactive agent is unseen to the human eye. Investigating ionic air purifier technologies falls within this ambit as the reactive agents are invisible ions.

This article is an overview of existing ionic air purifier technology in the marketplace. As laypersons, I believe we have to adopt a back-to-basics approach to try and understand the technologies. The current key trend appears to be the creation of a potent invisible defence shield against airborne molecular contaminants that threaten our well-being. The dominant global health threat under the scrutiny of scientists is the avian flu virus.

Types of Ionic Air Purifier Technologies

Broadly speaking, air purification technologies can be deployed in either passive or active modes. Passive typically means that impure air is drawn into the air purifier for the reactive agents to work on before re-emerging as cleaned air into the environment. Active generally means dispersive processes by which the impure air is penetrated and purified by the reactive agents. Combinations of both passive and active modes are often found in many types of ionic air purifiers.

In the global market today, ionic air purifier technologies include the following categories:

(A) Ion generator - positive and negative ions
(B) Ion generator - negative ions only
(C) Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)
(D) Electrostatic filter
(E) Combos

Ion Generator - Positive and Negative Ions

This combination of positive and negative ions appears to show the most promise for the future of ionic air purifier technology. Pioneered by the Japanese corporate giant, Sharp Corporation, they are known as plasmacluster ions.

Sharp Corporation's marketing efforts focus on the ability of plasmacluster ions to surround and cling on to harmful airborne bacteria and viruses. When this happens, hydroxyl is produced. Hydroxyl, also known as nature's detergent, is a powerful reactive species that plucks out hydrogen molecules from the organic structure of these airborne particulates thereby destroying them. Harmless by-products, mainly water, are generated by this chemical reaction.

This technology uses a differential ion generator, comprising a positive and a negative ion generator which can be powered in alternate cycles to control the type of ions generated.

Advocates of the positive and negative ions combination claim that a balance of both these ion types is to be found in places like waterfalls and pristine forests, i.e. this is the actual state in nature. In contrast, proponents of negative ions technology insist that negative ions fill natural habitats and that the presence of positive ions is harmful. In this regard, I have yet to find independent scientific studies as evidence for the contradictory claims of both camps.


Ion Generator - Negative Ions

The traditional ionic air purifier produces only negative ions. This technology appears to have the main market share currently but is facing a serious challenge from Sharp's plasmacluster positive and negative ions technology.

It is claimed that nearly all harmful airborne particulates like dust, smoke and bacteria etc have a positive charge. Negative ions from the air purifier attach themselves to these particulates until they get weighed down and fall to the ground. Thereafter, simple vacuuming removes these impurities. Detractors of negative ion technology believe that the "overweight" particulates on the ground are not destroyed and that the mere act of walking on them re-contaminates the air.

In addition, there appears to be several methods of producing the negative ions. This is important because different methods produce different by-products, some of which may be harmful. These methods include:

(1) Water method - this employs what is known as the waterfall or Lenard Effect. Onto an electrically-charged metal plate, water droplets are splashed. This splits the water droplets, a process in which large numbers of negative ions are produced. No harmful by-products result from using the water method to produce ions.

(2) Electron radiation method - this is based on a single negative discharge electrode needle. Millions of negatively-charged electrons are produced when a high voltage pulse is applied to the electrode. This method does not result in ozone being produced. This is due to the application of a "smaller" energy pulse.

(3) Corona discharge method - this is based on a dual electrode model, a sharp metal electrode and a flat electrode. High voltage is applied between the electrodes. This causes the movement of electrons between the electrodes thereby ionising the air in between them. This method has been criticised for the production of harmful by-products like ozone and nitride oxide.

Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)

This technology is commonly applied in a passive mode. The key reactive purifying agent is hydroxyl, nature's detergent.

Germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly shone on a catalyst (usually titanium oxide) to produce hydroxyl, oxygen and peroxide, all of which are potent oxidising agents that are very effective at destroying the organic structure of micro-organisms and gaseous volatile organic compounds.

Comprehensive defence is the key strength of POC technology. Proponents of this technology claim that POC inactivates ALL categories of indoor pollution, including:

(1) airborne particulates i.e. dust, pet dander, plant pollen, sea salts, tobacco smoke, industrial and car pollution, etc

(2) bioaerosols i.e. contagious or infectious biological compounds (e.g. viruses and pathogenic bacteria) or non-infectious and non-contagious (e.g. non-pathogenic bacteria, molds, cell debris)

(3) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) i.e. gaseous odours and chemicals - toluene, chloroform, hexane, ethanol, formaldehyde, ethylene etc, all common emissions from everyday products of our modern home.

POC technology has been criticised for relying on hydroxyl which are believed to attack with equal tenacity the organic structures that make up molecular contaminants and our lung tissue, nose membranes and eye cornea.

Electrostatic Filter

This technology appears to have originated in heavy industries which produced abundant pollutants. In the most common electrostatic filter arrangement, there is a porous dielectric material positioned between two electrodes. Dielectric materials do not conduct electricity while metallic electrodes are excellent conductors that transmit and receive electricity.

Contaminated air is drawn into the electrostatic puriifer and made to pass over the dielectric material which acts like a sieve. Electrostatic forces between the electrodes causes airborne particulates i.e.smoke contaminants, dust, etc, to stick to the dielectric surface. Purified air is pushed out of the purifier and re-circulated.

Quite often, an ion source is placed before the electrostatic filter to impart an electric charge to the airborne particulates. The impurities, now carrying an electrical charge, stick more effectively to the dielectric material.

The general criticism of ionisation technology applies to electrostatic filters as well i.e. that harmful ozone is a by-product.

Combo Ionic Air Purifiers

To cater to the various adherents and critics of the diverse technologies, combos incorporate all or some of the above types of technologies. Combos may include:

(1) adsorptive materials such as activated carbon or oxygenated charcoal (known for its extremely porous large surface area) are added to POC technology to enhance the removal of VOCs;

(2) oxidizing catalysts like titanium oxide are coated on various components of all types of air purifiers to enhance VOC elimination;

(3) reducing catalysts such as manganese dioxide are coated near the exit outlets of many air purifiers to reduce reactive species like ozone and nitric oxide which may be harmful;

(4) generating ions by differing methods such as using microwave, UV light, radio frequency waves, and direct current;

(5) tweaking the specifications of any ionic air purifier technology so as to attain the well-known HEPA status without actually using HEPA filters.

Obviously, the process of selecting the most efficient and effective ionic air purifier involves analysing a deluge of information. The safety issues of each technology will need much more investigation. I have also not examined in greater depth the claims of each technology. It is natural to want to quickly want something that promises to improve the air quality in your homes, offices, factories, schools etc. But I urge you to do your homework and don't forget to visit me for updates as I continue my search for the ideal ionic air purifier.

To easily receive updates on new articles, subscribe to The Ionic Air Purifier Blog today.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Key Methods Of Good Flat Roof Repair

I know from experience that finding a leak in a flat roof can be somewhat difficult and expensive.  In our home it took three different roofers to identify the place in our flat roof that a leak was coming from.  The reason why identifying leaks in flat roofs is difficult is that very often the place where the leak shows in the ceiling below can be quite different from the point at which the leak is occurring in the flat roof itself.  

The best places to look for leaks on flat roofs are flashing or junctions or seals of any kind.  Now, flashings are used at the point at which the roof joins non-roofing material such as brickwork.  As an example above our kitchen extension we have a parapet wall that is at one edge of the roof and flashing goes from the roof to the parapet wall.  

As reported at flat roofing, a competent roofer should first examine such flashings to identify gaps through which water could maybe pass. Flashings are typically made of a metal material like lead.  

It is also usually challenging to test for leaks on a flat roof in the way you would on other types of roofs. It could take hours for water to trickle down to the ceiling below from the moment you poured it on a suspect area on the roof. What this amounts to is that pratically, its very hard to test and then track multiple suspect places.  This is covered in more detail at the epdm flat roof web page.

The key to effective flat roof repair is to recognize in advance the areas that are likely to be susceptible to leaks. The best test regrettably is to carry out the work to close suspect gaps and then wait to see if the leak persists. Hence flat roof repair is heavily dependent on the integrity and intelligence of the contractor you hire.

Get the Right Air Purifier with Air Purifier Review

Air purifier review can do you so many favors in your quest for the best air purifier. Along with the rising of people using air purifiers, there are a lot of names have come out in the market. Brands are in a range of choices. And up to now, the companies have been generating more and more varieties of air purifiers. Some producers have produced purifiers with different colors that would match your homes. Others have crafted the purifier systems in different shapes and constructions. Others would even perform of the quality and the new piece of air purifiers. But between all the hype in the air purifier world, it is not so easy to decide which one to pick. We can only find out which one is best if we spare some time to read an air purifier review.

Air Purifier Review Regarding The Brand

The first thing talked about in an air purifier review is the brand. A critic usually would always see what brand you are keeping. If it's a generally renowned trade name and if it has been in the appliance industry for quite some time, that can be a good point for the critic to evaluate you at a much higher rate.

The increased pollution is among the changes that have come into the surface. And this substitution has a tight correlation with the air that we breathe. It finally put many bodies at risk. However, with the invention of fresh air purifiers, things have improved. There is no need to breathe in fumes and other dangerous particulate matter as well as allergens all over again.

To be precise, since an Ionic air purifier has been a long standing trade name in the industry, the review would rate quite well in the market. So it only makes sense for the critics to rate the product that way. If you happen to notice, critics always evaluate a good branded item at a better rank, even in other home usage items. No matter which way you view it, it is always a fact that reviewers would rate an item through the name of the product. So you have to try it and test it for yourself to know if a certain item is really good.

Air Purifier Review Regarding The Quality

The quality of a goods is the most seen aspect by the credible critics. This is to know if it can be rated higher in an air purifier review. More often than not, experts are given a chance to work on a certain product and try it at home. They use it for quite some time and acknowledge how well it works for them. If they are satisfied with the benefits they get from a particular purifier brand, the rates would obviously go high as the consequences. But if they will be disappointed with a certain brand, then you can just expect the ratings to climb down. Therefore, it is important for manufacturers to satisfy dependable critics so they can get a good endorsement from them.

Air Purifier Review of People's Choosing

The consumer's conclusions can also be considered as an air purifier review. People with bronchitis, for instance, have reported that they do find breathing easier with an Ionic Pro Compact air purifier as part of their bronchitis management strategy.Keep in mind – an Ionic Pro Compact air purifier will never substitute for your medicine or for your doctor's instructions.You also still need to keep your home as clean and free of dust as you can.

People would certainly search for the buy and test it themselves if more and more people declare that the item is good. If a certain brand earns the heart of many, that can be a very good "plus point" because you can get the support from the users themselves. However, it is always safe to test the product yourself and see if it really brings good benefits to you and your homes. You can also be sure that you obtain the best air purifier if you take a peek at an air purifier review.

Health Gains with the Most Effective Home Air Purifiers

Air purification is a flourishing industry as more and more people recognize the underlying benefits of breathing fresher air. With reasonable costs of around 100 bucks for several brands they can be afforded by most individuals. Over the years of collecting doctor bills from the fallouts of taking in impure air this seems to be a pretty reasonable price to pay. All the same, there are a few very tangible differences in air purifiers that you ought to be aware of before making a final decision about which model is correct for you. In fact, you might be pleased to learn that the most effective home air purifier isn't necessarily the most costly version on the market.

A New Technology

Ionic purification works by binding ions to contaminants and employing a collection plate to remove them from the air. It's a fresh technology that has profound potential yet, and it will continue to be improved as the years pass. Regrettably, numerous makes create ozone as a result. While you may think that ozone is good for the environment if you recollect the big scare near the finish of the 20th century with the gaping hole in the ozone layer, ozone is unhealthy. Consequently, the most healthful home air purifier is one that doesn't make ozone, which can exacerbate allergies and even increase the chance of an asthma attack.

Rather, the optimal home air purifier ordinarily utilizes HEPA filters (for the time being, until the processes of ionic air purification are amended and healthy enough to be used in the best house air purifiers). For people unfamiliar with the term, HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air, and these filters have been reported to remove up to an impressive 99.7% of the impurities from the air you breathe. The term HEPA isn't any particular make or brand name rather it is the type of filter that numerous high end purifiers use. The government has set standards for effeciency on these and you should make certain that the brand you are looking at satisfies these standards.

Using the most effective home air purifiers permits you to breathe more easily, which can give you more energy and allow you to sleep better at night. Individuals suffering from ailments induced by allergens will acknowledge the health benefits almost instantly.You won't suffer from the same dramatic life changes that result from pollens and dust. As an added bonus the best home air purifiers will make your home smell fresh and clean which is a real plus for those who have got pets or who smoke. Too often people get engrossed with pills, diets, and exercise alone for good wellness, but wholesome air is every bit as important.

Why A Simple Dressing Table Stool Can Rejuvenate Any Lady's Boudoir

A classical movie would not be complete without the leading lady brushing her lovely locks at her dressing table as the camera attempts to capture the full beauty of the maiden. Or perhaps you remember the table your grandmother once sat at, and that your mother adored. Yet at each of these dressing tables, the stools are what allowed the leading lady in the old movie or your grandmother relax while pampering themselves in the mirror.

The dressing table is somewhere comfortable where you can put all of your cosmetics, skin creams, and perfumes for easy access. You can also put your hair products like gels, hair spray, blow dryers and curlers so that you can glam yourself up in style.

Think of the convenience of a one stop shop; if all your glamour needs are all in one place, how much time do you think you will save not having to run around looking for them? More and more women are noticing that buying a dressing table stool for their room has made that room their most treasured room in the house.

Most women love to be pampered. Get in the habit of feeling like a Hollywood actress as you sit on your dressing table stool and prep yourself for the day.

Stools are so easy to assemble and make for a great accessory to a room that won't lighten the pocketbook too much at your local retailer. There is a modern bed headboard maker in London that also makes quite beautiful stools that are shipped globally. Not only do they brighten a room and put a smile on our hearts, but they make the day sweeter. Dress your table up even more with some feathers, lights, or beads around the mirror.

Really, you could have so much fun with your dressing table. It is really one of those novelties that has gone out of style. Recently, however, they have become more popular because of women changing the way they think. A dressing table is a great way to rejuvenate a woman's day. So get a gift that your woman will love forever.

Monday, January 12, 2009

How Much Do You Know About Standing Seam Roofing

Standing seam roofing is typically composed of preformed pans. These pre-formed pans usually measure about 18 to 24 inches wide. You can find these plans running parallel to the slope of your roof and are then joined to adjacent pans through a double locked system. If you are not very familiar with these things, ask somebody to show what these things look like.

You do not need to climb the roof if you are afraid of heights, just asks somebody to bring you samples of standing seam roofing materials right into your office. When the person delivers the sample materials to your office, ask that person to explain to your how these things work and why you need to put something like these pans in your roofing system. The more you know about standing seam roofing, the more you will be able to contribute something intelligible during discussions with your roofing contractor.

There are lot of materials that can be utiltised for your standing seam roof. But, if your roof material is metal, you should have your metal for your standing seam roofing. There are many manufactures and builders all over the country that are manufacturing this type of products.

Since these things are mostly prefabricated, you will need to make sure that you get the correct measurements of your roof so that you can get the right sizes of standing seam roofing. You may also order custom made standing seam roofing for your building if you want to. There are many  companies all over the country that accepts made to order standing seam roofing.

Note that there will come a time when you will need roof repair and you soon come into contact with terms like standing seam roofing. If you have no idea what these things means, you will have a difficult time following the discussions between you building engineer and your roof contractor.


Myths And Facts About Household Fires

Fire is a deadly threat to every household. It can strike without warning. There were over 380,000 residential fires in 2005 in the U.S. annually results in some 16,000 injuries and deaths as reported by the NFPA. We must all be prepared by using fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and escape ladders for fire protection.

Smoke alarms provide early warning when fire happens. Smoke alarms are best, most efficient way to alert your family of a fire in its beginning stages. The greater number of smoke alarms you have placed throughout you home the better the likelihood you and your family will be alerted to a fire.

Your fire extinguisher is a tool that should only be used to extinguish small contained fires. Strategically positioning fire extinguishers throughout your home will greatly increase the chances of keeping a small fire from getting out of control and causing major damage, injury or even death.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) categorizes fire extinguishers. The ratings determine what size and type of fire that an extinguisher should be used on. Fires are classified under three categories A,B, or C."A" class fires consist of mainly wood paper and or fabric as the fuel source. "B" type fires are primarily flammable liquids and oil based fires. Finally, "C" type fires are energized electrical fires.

The number preceding the A, B, or C rating determines the size fire the extinguisher has been tested to be effective on. A 10-B:C extinguisher has been tested to, under most conditions, put out a 25 square foot fire of either flammable liquid or energized electrical equipment. A 5-B:C fire extinguisher is rated to fight a 12.5 square foot fire that is flammable liquid or electrical based.

Proper preparation of your home by the use of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors as well as having well thought out escape plan and rehearsing it and having each family member knowing what to do can help to save your home and family.Tragedies caused by fire can be prevented!

It is recommended that homeowners install a minimum of one smoke detector on each floor of your house most importantly near sleeping areas. Another good idea is to place an emergency escape ladder on every floor above the main level. It is also smart to install a fire extinguisher in a convenient location on each level. If you have a large home, you should consider more than one extinguisher per level

The minimum protection for most homes includes installing one smoke alarm and one fire extinguisher on each level. However, check your local building code for detailed smoke alarm and CO alarm requirements.

Where to Download Nintendo Wii Games

Can I download Wii games online? Many people are now using the Internet to download Nintendo Wii games, it is becoming more and more popular. Downloading Wii games online is much cheaper than buying Wii game after game from the shops. Nintendo Wii is a awesome gameplay console supported with modern unseen piece of controllers with a very vast range of games, however, keep buying these games might be very expensive to you in the long term.

There are now sites on the Internet that offer you the chance to download Wii games much cheaper than buying them from the shops. There are various types of game downloading sites though so be extremely careful. There are pay per download sites that suit gamers who only want to download 1 or 2 particular games, and there are wii download sites which charge you a small 1 time fee for unlimited downloads access.

The membership fee is so cheap that it is only the price of a Wii game or maybe a little more, no outrageous addtional charges or monthly fees. Also there are also illegal free torrent download sites which I would advise you to keep away from, as not only are they not legal but definitely contain tons of trojans and spyware.

A good site to download Wii games will also offer other types of media to play on your Wii such as Movies, Music and TV shows. Also from a good site you'll receive a number of great options such as easy step by step guides on how to find and download the game of your choice, as well as all the tools and software needed to transfer and burn your games ready to play on your Wii, and whats more a trusted site will have 24/7 customer support in case you have any problems.

I have done a very very honest review site where you can download Nintendo Wii games online.