Steps You Need To Take To Recover From Fire Damage in Your Home

Seeing your home on fire can’t be easy.

Even if only a portion of it burns down, it’s still painful to witness something you worked so hard to acquire or build go up in flames.

Then again, there isn’t much you can do while the fire is still ongoing. By the time firefighters declare the fire under control, your home will have already sustained fire damage.

What’s critical is what you do once the fire is out.

You will need to take steps toward fire damage restoration, among other things, and ensure that you and your family will recover from the disaster just fine.

Secure Your Family and Find A Place To Stay

Whether it’s a fire or some other disaster that strikes your home, your top priority is to ensure your loved ones' safety. Make sure that everyone is safe, then find a place to stay not only for the night but for some time, depending on the degree of fire damage to your home.

Whether you decide to stay at a hotel or with relatives or friends, you will need to check your home insurance policy if you have one. A standard homeowners insurance policy has an ALE or additional living expenses provision, which will pay for your meals, hotel bills, and other expenses you incur while your home is under repair.

Call Your Insurance Provider

Another important thing you must do after—or even during—a fire in your home is to place a call to your insurer. Since fire is a covered peril in a standard home insurance policy, it’s best to give your provider a heads up that you will be filing a claim so the entire process can start as soon as possible.

With your home insurance coverage, you will have the money not only to pay for the cost of repairing the damaged parts of your home but also to replace the personal belongings you lost in the fire. Furniture, appliances, clothing, computers, and other possessions are usually covered by home insurance.  

Wait Until It’s Safe To Enter Your Home

Naturally, you would want to enter your home as soon as possible, but you can’t do that right away, given that it’s still dangerous to do so. Aside from the heat, soot, and fumes, your home's structural integrity may have been compromised by the blaze.

Wait until the proper authorities declare the area safe before entering your home to try to salvage some of your belongings or assess the extent of the fire damage.

Ask For Police Assistance In Securing Your Home

If your house was only partially burned, that means some of your belongings could still be intact.

With you staying elsewhere for the next few days at the very least, your home could become a very attractive target for burglars or looters.

You also run the risk of coming home to the sight of squatters in your living room, drawn by your conspicuous absence from the premises.

Contact the police, who can lend some assistance in securing your home for the days that you’re not there.

Document All Fire Damage

When it’s safe to enter your home, document all the fire damage. Proper documentation is extremely important for insurance purposes, so take photos and videos of charred walls, collapsed ceilings, and any other evidence of the fire.

Call Your Utility Providers

In all likelihood, you never had the time or opportunity to switch your gas or electrical mains off at the onset of the fire that hit your home.

In any case, firefighters will be doing that as they put out the fire, you still need to call your utility providers and inform them of what happened.

Wait for word from the fire department if it’s safe to turn on the gas and electricity. Under no circumstances should you switch them on without their say-so.

Contact A Fire Damage Restoration Company

While you can always personally take on the gargantuan tasks of cleaning up the fire damage to your home and restoring it to the way it was before the fire hit, it would still be best to leave them all in the hands of professional fire damage restoration specialists.

A fire damage restoration company is staffed by well-trained, extensively-experienced, and well-equipped technicians who know every technique necessary to perform excellent fire damage cleanup and restoration. By the time they’re done, you can be sure that your home will look like a fire that never hit it at all.

Guest Contributor: Rachel Anderson

Water-wise Gardening Advice: How to Save Water in Your Yard and Garden

Countries around the world have seen persistent drought-spells and dam reservoirs hitting their lowest points in decades, and in some cases, water-restrictions have become a common occurrence. In times like these, it’s crucial for everyone to re-evaluate their water priorities and reconsider ways of protecting their gardens as they are the ones taking the hardest hit. 

Reducing water usage in gardens doesn’t necessarily mean letting your plants wither and die. It simply means being water-wise and resourceful which may require more work and preparation, but such an investment will pay off by helping both the environment and your pocket. 

Here are several water-saving tips to help your garden and yard stay healthy.

Prepare your soil

The key to maintaining a water-efficient garden lies in understanding the soil, good planning and its preparation. Each type of soil is different and can be improved in many ways. Compost helps water retention by adding nutrients needed for plants to grow better and stronger. 

Good-quality organic matter will improve the structure of your soil and with mulching, the flowerbeds and the area around your trees and shrubs will also prevent water evaporation during dry spells. You can also use water crystals for the same purpose and with the addition of water-retentive granules to your compost, even more moisture will stay locked in the soil. 

When it comes to your lawn, there’s no reason to panic if you notice brown or yellow spots during dry periods. When the rain returns, it will quickly recover. However, it helps to be water-savvy with your irrigation, by mowing the lawn a bit higher and giving it deep watering just once a week to boost the root system.

Pick the right plants

For a wonderful green garden that requires no excess amount of watering, after proper soil treatment, your next step is selecting the right plants that are low on water needs. Choose native varieties that can withstand dry spells and lots of sun, and add trees and tall plants for cooling shade. There are lots of plants that have evolved in dryer climates and need very little water to survive, such as lavender, verbena, mimosa and palm trees. 

Water your garden at the right time

Many homeowners over-water their gardens which is not only wasteful but it also demands more work. You can easily prevent this by checking your soil at spade depth – if it’s moist, leave it be. It also depends on your soil type. If it’s clay, it may seem damp whether it’s been irrigated or not, and sandy soil can seem dry even if it has been watered. In these situations, inspect your plants for signs of water stress. If you notice leaves changing color or position, it may signify water shortage. 

Use the right amount of water

Using the right amount of water depends on your soil type. Heavy soils need less watering than light sandy ones whereas clay-based soils need lots of water but can be watered less often. The common rule for plants to stay healthy and keep growing is giving it up to 24 liters per square meter once a week.

Choose the best watering techniques

The right watering technique will also help you maintain your garden well. You can opt for sprinklers for your lawn and unplanted areas as they have great coverage. To target specific sections of your garden, it’s best to use watering cans and hoses. They might be more labor-intensive, but they’re also very precise.

Seep hoses allow water to slowly seep through holes in the hose and being buried under soil and mulch, less water will evaporate. An automated irrigation system is the most expensive option, but it's also one of the most effective and water-saving options as it limits the amount of water used by letting it drip slowly and only when you program it to do so.

Collect rainwater and reuse old water

Even in the dryer parts of the country, it's possible to collect large amounts of rainwater from your house roof. It's not easy to store large amounts, but if every home in the country managed to collect around 160 liters that would give 4 billion liters of free water that can be used for garden watering.

Another way to be water-savvy is to use greywater (from showers, washing up and washing machines). By way of diverters, this greywater can be used efficiently in your garden. Household soaps aren't harmful to plants, but do avoid using water that contains bleach, dishwasher salt or any strong chemicals.

Maintaining a lush and healthy garden in hot climates can be challenging, but with these tips, it's possible to grow a beautiful garden you can truly be proud of and enjoy year-round!

Guest Contributor: Kurtis Wilcox

Bathroom Upgrades That Save Water

Bathrooms use a lot of water. In fact, this is the room that uses most of the water in your home. The toilet accounts for 26.7% of all water usage, on average. The shower adds 16.8% to that figure. The interesting part of this is, while you can’t avoid using water, there are ways to upgrade almost every fixture you have to reduce water usage.

Below, we’ll cover the bathroom upgrades that will go easy on your water bills and the environment — while turning your bathroom into a more beautiful, contemporary space.

Choose a Low-Flow Toilet

Modern toilets use a lot less water than older ones while providing plenty of flushing power. In 1992, a U.S. law was passed that mandated all new toilets sold within the U.S. to use 1.6 gallons of water per flush or less. Contrast that with older toilets, which can require twice or even four times as much water — 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. You can see where replacing those older toilets can save a lot of money while upgrading the look of your bathroom.

Replace Your Showerhead With a Low-Flow Showerhead

This is an inexpensive upgrade that you can install — and it could save you many times over on your water bill. On average, if you took seven-minute showers 25 times per month, a regular showerhead flowing at 2.5 gallons per minute would use 440 gallons of water. Replace it with a low-flow model that uses about 1.5 gallons per minute? That number drops to 262 gallons per month, which saves you roughly 2,000 gallons each year.

Opt for a Low-Flow Faucet, Too

Similarly to showerheads, you can install low-flow faucets to help rein in water usage. Though the bathroom faucet isn’t among the largest water users in the bathroom, this still chalks up to big savings. Standard faucets use about 2.2 gallons per minute, but if you get a water-saving faucet, it could consume between 0.8 and 1.5 gallons per minute.

Rethink the Bathtub

Hot baths are undeniably a relaxing luxury — but they also use a lot of water. The average bathtub will need between 25 and 50 gallons for a fill — whereas a 10-minute shower with a water-saving showerhead will use roughly 25 gallons of water. The first thing that you can do where the bathtub is concerned is to treat baths as a luxury. It’s perfectly fine to indulge once in a while, but daily baths can drive up your water usage.

Another great way to reduce water usage during baths is to replace your tub with a water-saving bathtub. These are quite unique in that they’re designed to hold less water than a traditional bath while giving you the same comfort. Essentially, they’re designed to fit the contours of the human body, which allows you to soak while using far less water.

Combine New Fixtures With Good Habits

The upgrades mentioned above will save a lot of water yearly, making them well worth the investment. They’ll enhance the look of your bathroom, too, replacing old and worn fixtures with new, stylish ones. 

Past that, you can save even more water by combining your updated fixtures with good habits:

• Make sure to shut the bathroom faucet off when you’re not actively using the water. In other words, don’t let the water just run while brushing your teeth.

• Minimize shower time and treat baths as a luxury to ease water usage.

• Regularly check your plumbing. Leaks account for up to 13.7% of water usage within the home. If your toilet keeps running, faucets drip or pipes seep, that is water being wasted. It may not seem like much, but it adds up over the course of a year. Worse, plumbing leaks could cost you even more if they go unnoticed long enough to cause rot or some other kind of damage to your home.

Saving water means investing wisely in fixtures. Nowhere is this more important than in the bathroom, which is the biggest water consumer in any home. Consider upgrades to bring your water bills down and to give your bathroom a much-needed update.

Author bio: Erica Garland is Content Marketing Manager at Modern Bathroom and has 15-plus years of experience in the bathroom renovation industry. Modern Bathroom sells a variety of products you would need for any bathroom renovation project. With such a large selection of vanities, faucets, sinks, toilets and showers, Modern Bathroom is sure to have the perfect piece to give your bathroom an updated look.

4 Lighting Tricks to Brighten a Dark Home

Does your house feel dark like a cave? If you want to brighten it, the following are some lighting tricks to brighten a dark house. These are a combination of advanced ideas and beginner tips. They will ensure you maximize what you have while bringing more light into your home. 

4 Lighting Tricks to Brighten a Dark Home

There are four sure ways you can use to brighten a dark home. They do not require a big budget, and you can work with what you have. Read on to make your home brighter today!

1. Light Your Walls

Lights on walls will keep your edges bright. If you have lots of ceiling or pot lights, try installing shades that aim both down and up. LED Light Ideas recommends using a pair of sconces to make a room twice as bright, as long as the sconces have been placed strategically. 

When adding lights to a ceiling (especially pot lights), consider placing a few closer to the walls. The move will ensure the light is cast down onto the walls. It is a great way to highlight details such as brick or traditional cabinetry.

If you are looking for a sophisticated approach, make a focal point of a loved art piece by using a picture light. Table lamps are also a good option for spreading lights across the walls. Go for classic drum shades with openings at the bottom and top for the best effect. 

2. Use Mirrors

It is common for people to use mirrors to brighten a dark house. The idea is that mirrors will reflect light around the room. To get the best results, make sure your ceilings and walls are painted white. 

White bounces light, especially LED light. This means it will send more light around a house. Since white is a non-hue color, it doesn’t absorb any color. As such, it is the best way to scatter light in a dark house. 

3. Use Blue Colors

Compared to yellow-toned light bulbs, natural light is cool. Adding blue is recommended as it offers a crispness that is a reminder of the sky. Additionally, cool blue does not clash easily. It can work with any accent color you would like to add to the mix as part of your interior decoration. 

4. Balance Things Out

Ultimately, a natural interplay between shadow and light is crucial for implementing lighting tricks to brighten a dark house. The lowlights and highlights from the lights and shadows are pleasing to the eye. 

No one can say they like the inside of a super-bright store that has perfectly even lighting but uses harsh fluorescents. At the same time, the right LED lights will ensure you do not spend excess money on power bills. 

You can add lights to brighten the dark corners of your house. However, be a bit subtle and avoid overdoing it. A few shadows are important. They give your home a sense of life and means your space has depth. This is what makes your house feel like a home.

Conclusion

If you are thinking of making your house brighter, there are a plethora of options you can use. Take note, not every guide you get will give you the results you want. You need to take into consideration the interior of your home before you make any decision. 

You can use the four tips mentioned above. However, make sure you balance them out. Use each tip where appropriate. For some people, using all four will work in their house. For others, it will not. Find a balance for using the above lighting tricks to brighten a dark house to make sure you get the best lighting for your home. 

Guest Contributor: Allen Michael

Plumbing Upgrades to Increase Your Home's Value

When selling your home, a smart piece of advice to follow is to try and raise its value as much as possible. Even if you are not planning to sell at the moment, it is always clever to invest in your home. There are many ways to do it, but one of the best approaches is to use plumbing upgrades to increase your home's value. With that in mind, let's see what your options are.

Low-flow Faucets and Showerheads

A smart investment that will surely raise your home's value is installing low-flow faucets and showerheads. First of all, this will help you reduce water consumption. In turn, your bills will also be lower.

A low-flow faucet will help you reduce energy consumption and lower your bills.

This improvement will turn your home into its more modern version that will attract buyers if you decide to sell it at one point.

Fix clogged drains

Clogged drains will lead to leaking and may result in damaging pipes and floors. When it comes to fixing clogged drains, always call a professional plumber. You should not risk this by trying to fix it on your own. If you don't do it well, it may cause even more issues.

Replace the old toilet

Replacing the old toilet with a new one will not only increase your home's value, but it will also leave a good impression on anyone who comes to visit. Taking care of our hygiene and health is invaluable. A new, unused toilet will be a nice addition to your home.

Furthermore, toilets start to leak after some time. Flushing becomes inconsistent, and strange noises may appear. These are all signs of old toilets.

Additionally, if you want to invest more money, you can purchase smart toilets with heaters, increased water pressure, low water consumption, and all kinds of additional features. It is a costly investment, but it may earn you more money in the future.

Pipes insulation

If you live in an area that gets quite low temperatures for even part of a year, insulating pipes is of utmost importance. This will not only help you to keep your home warm, but it will also prevent pipes from breaking or freezing.

The best of all, this is an easy and quick home upgrade with huge benefits for the entire place.

Add a dishwasher to your kitchen

Washing dishes manually is a process that belongs to the past. We live in a fast-paced world today, and there is no time to waste on washing dishes.

A dishwasher will help you save time and make the entire process of washing dishes a lot easier.

This investment can go a long way. The best thing is that there are brands that are eco-friendly. Once you experience the joy of washing dishes in a dishwasher, you will never switch back to the manual process.

Sprinklers

Adding sprinklers to your beautiful lawn will raise your home's value substantially. This kind of plumbing upgrades will:

• keep your lawn watered at all times, which will result in saving you the time of doing it manually

• increase your curb appeal

• help you cool down on a hot day

There are many different types of sprinklers. If you go with an automated sprinkler system, you can schedule the entire program in advance. Just make sure to have the proper place to store your sprinklers over the winter.

The best approach is to use your garage or a storage unit spacious enough to accommodate everything. Have in mind that the sprinkler system is fragile. Even a minor issue with its mechanism can make it malfunction. Furthermore, do not allow for the hose to be damaged, or you will have a leak that will destroy your lawn.

A sprinkler system will make your lawn more beautiful.

Adding a faucet in your backyard

This plumbing upgrade will not only increase your home's value but will also add to its functionality. If you have a sprinkler system, it will be easier to connect it to a water source.

Even if you just have a hose, it will be easier to use a faucet in the backyard than take the hose in the house to connect it.

Furthermore, if you organize a picnic or barbecue with friends, everyone will appreciate a drinking water source outside.

Adding a small fountain

This fixture is more on the extravagant side than on the efficient one. A fountain does not have that many uses, but it can elevate the overall look of your place. However, it is important to have the feel of your neighborhood in mind. Only install a fountain if you’re sure it will fit in with its surroundings.

A water reservoir

Installing a water reservoir in your backyard can turn out to be one of those plumbing upgrades that will increase your home’s value. First of all, you can use it for the irrigation system. Next, you can always use it for an emergency. The best of all, it is free and completely safe. Even if you decide to move at some time, water reservoirs are easy to relocate.

Adding a hot tub or a pool

Here are two investments that can really increase your home's value. A hot tub is a luxury not all homes have. Most people must pay good money for a spa to use a hot tub for a few hours. If you do opt for this, understand that hot tubs require regular maintenance.

When it comes to adding a pool, this is a more difficult process. It requires a lot of space and professional assistance. Furthermore, maintaining pools can be costly as well.

The most important thing to think about is your goal of installing a pool or a hot tub. If you wish to sell the place in the future, think about the buyer. Not everyone has the money or the need for a pool.

Plumbing upgrades to increase your home's value

We hope you found some interesting ideas among these plumbing upgrades to increase your home's value. Before you start making any changes, think about your budget and what you are trying to accomplish. While these fixtures can add value, it is not smart to just pile everything up, thinking it can work together. Speak with a plumber and ask for a professional opinion before you make any changes.

Guest Contributor: Sophia Perry

Why You Ought to Call A Professional Plumber for A Blocked Drain Situation

One of the hassles in home maintenance is the frequent occurrence of blocked drains. Every house owner will agree that blocked drains can be the most complicated of problems if not dealt with caution. It creates a foul stench in the house if left neglected and can also cause leakages to take place. No doubt, it is not a very pleasant sight to behold when it spills over.

Thus, the best remedy at the very first sign is to have the problematic drain unclog the drains to prevent any more blockage. Sometimes the blocked drain can be quite complicated, especially when the blockage is quite deep. In such situations, hiring the services of a professional is more beneficial than doing it on your own. They are also the risk of causing damages when performing repair work on clogged drains without the necessary tools and experiences.

Benefits of calling a professional:

The following are some of the benefits that you can reap when hiring a professional for blocked drains.

• Safer and efficient: You will come across several methods prescribed for unclogging drains. Some of these commonly used methods involved the use of chemicals, which often can cause the drain and pipeline to get damaged. It will cost you quite a hefty sum in repairs. Thus, hiring a professional plumber to unclog your drain is often recommended rather than performing the task yourself.

• Hygiene: Blocked drains are a nasty business and are fertile ground for the breeding of diseases causing germs and bacteria. Not to forget the foul stench it can produce. Thus it is essential to have your clogged drains handled by professionals who use eco-friendly chemicals to clean your drains without damaging your pipes and drains while getting rid of the bad smell.

• Quick and experienced: Professional plumbers have years of experience in the handling and repairing of block drains and other plumbing concerns. It would take an amateur quite a fair amount of time to deal with thorny issues, if they do not have experience and lack of proper tools in such settings. Modern plumbers are equipped with some of the most advanced technical gadgets for aid in plumbing work, e.g., in complicated plumbing works. Plumbers would send down a tiny camera attached to a tube and push it down to see what is congesting the blocked drain and provides a clearer image.

• Quick spotting of problem: What causes a blocked drain can be several. Often the cause is hard to identify within all the dirt and grime. Professionals are trained and have years of experience. They can spot problems and where the source is without much probing. No doubt, the expert will help you in finding solutions for your problem without the risk of causing extra damages.

Standard methods used in repairing blocked drains:

Professional plumbers work with many types of equipment in repairing blocked drains. They take into consideration the time of drain they are working with; shower head drains require a specific kind of tool while sinks and toilets need a whole different type of set tools for fixing. Standard methods used are the usage of hand tools, electric eels, chemical treatment, high pressure jetting, CCTV camera and pipe relining, and so on.

It is advised to hire the services of a professional plumber to help you unclog the blocked Drains. Often conducting repair by oneself without the proper knowledge and tools will make matters worse, resulting in damages in pipes and drains as well as causing leakage inside the house.

Guest Contributor: David Fenton

How to Cut the Dry Air in Your Home this Winter

Have you noticed that when it gets colder outside, your throat gets scratchy and your skin gets dry? These side effects are often from low levels of humidity. Dry air also causes nosebleeds, dehydration, and irritates respiratory illnesses like allergies and asthma. How should you manage these unpleasant effects? You can take the following steps to increase the humidity in your home:

Seal any gaps and add weather stripping to your windows and doors. The cold outdoor air is extremely dry; when it gets inside your home, it compromises your humidity levels. Places where your heated air escapes provide entry points for dry air to infiltrate. Arm yourself with weather stripping and a caulking gun, and get ready to seal off any cracks or gaps. The better insulated your home is, the less cold air can get in (and the lower your utility bills will be). 

Purchase a hygrometer. Don’t play a guessing game when it comes to your air humidity levels - use a hygrometer to find the precise percentage! It’s recommended that you maintain a relative humidity of 30-50%. Setting up a hygrometer in your home will allow you to know exactly how moist your home’s air is. Remember, there is such a thing as too much humidity, which can cause mold growth; stay within the zone that the experts recommend.

Set up a humidifier. Control the humidity in your home with a humidifier; its purpose is self-explanatory. It diffuses water into the air to gradually increase the levels of moisture in your home. You can buy a couple of portable units and place them in the driest rooms, or purchase a whole-home humidifier to circulate moisture throughout the home. If you don’t want to pay any cash for a humidity-making machine, you can try leaving out large bowls of water in front of windows and let sunbeams evaporate the water.

Buy a few house plants. Want to add a green touch to your home? Purchase some real house plants and water them often. Their leaves and soil will hydrate the air. Plants can even remove impurities from the air, making your air more moist and cleaner. When the outside world is blanketed in a layer of white snow, it’s comforting to see leafy flowers and trees flourishing within your home.

Stay away from the oven. The intense heat from the oven can dry out the air - try to use the stove or microwave instead. One trick to increase humidity is to boil some water on the stove (and don’t cover it with a lid); the steam it emits will add moisture to the air. Putting some fruits and/or flowers into the boiling water will turn your humidity generator into an air freshener, as well. 

Hang wet clothes on an indoor clothesline. Before you move your clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, take a pause. Using your dryer for clothes can make the air drier. But when it’s freezing outside, an outdoor line will turn your clothes into icicles. Hang them on an indoor clothesline instead. It may take them longer to dry, but it will increase humidity, and save you money on energy bills.

Open the door when you shower and let your bathwater sit in the tub. This tip is only an option for you if your house is relatively private - your roommates or family members may not appreciate it. The steam from a shower collects in the bathroom when the door is closed, but left open, it can spread throughout your home. After taking a bath, leave the water in the tub to evaporate instead of draining it immediately. 

Stay on top of dusting and vacuuming. After you’ve sealed your home completely, you may be enjoying your warm and fully insulated household. This comes with one downside: polluted indoor air becomes trapped inside your home. Dust settles on your furniture and stays there, which can irritate allergies and dry out the air. You should take a more proactive approach to cleaning in the dry winter months. If you have carpets, vacuum them frequently, or try a steam cleaning treatment.

Don’t dry dishes in the dishwasher. Using your dishwasher is a convenient way to wash your dishes, and you can use the steam it produces to hydrate your home. Before the drying cycle of your appliance begins, power it down and open the door. Pull out each rack and allow your dishes to air dry while the steam fills the air. 

Drink lots of water. If you are having trouble increasing the moisture levels in your home, then make sure you are hydrating yourself. Drink several cups of water each day to alleviate some of the side effects of dry air. If your skin feels tight and itchy, use a moisturizing lotion.

Sometimes, a case of the winter blues can be helped by more humidity in the air; it’ll get rid of your scratchy throat, dry skin, and frequent nosebleeds. Keep an eye on your home’s humidity levels when winter comes, and use the above tips and additional tips from indoor air quality to keep the winter air in check.

Guest Contributor: Christie Simon

19 Beautiful Pergola Ideas

Pergolas are becoming more popular because of their potential to transform the backyard. Pergolas are not usually, but can be, attached to a house or structure, that provides a sitting area or shaded area that shelters objects, and allows a slight breeze and sunlight, but prevents harsh direct sunlight. There are so many different ways to build them, different patterns, colors, etc. You have the ability to make it look unique.

Pergolas are the perfect structure to build over your outdoor furniture.

A long L couch is a nice addition underneath the pergola, it gives off a modern look.

Pergolas do not have to be big, you can add them where ever to add personality to the back yard.

adding string lights to the pergola gives off a beautiful glow.

Although pergolas aren’t usually attached to the house, it can be done and it does end up looking beautiful.

Something that is not as popular is a 3 tier pergola, it looks beautiful and classy.

Adding sheets gives it the classy and elegant look.

Plants add character to the pergola and gives climbing plants a structure to grow.

Guest Contributor: Tiffany Powell

Different Types of Commercial HVAC Systems

Whatever business type you have, it is essential to keep your customers and employees comfortable every time. It is possible by providing the best Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC) system in your building. The HVAC system is a legal requirement for hospitals and restaurants. However, you may not have any idea which one is right for your establishment.

Not everyone knows how HVAC systems work and how they differ from each other. Here are the advantages and disadvantages when using the three types of HVAC systems.

Single Split System

Single Split System is the most affordable type of HVAC. It is not surprising how this is the most popular type of smaller commercial building. With its control for heating and cooling, it is cheaper to implement than others. This system is ideal for commercial spaces such as offices, server rooms, restaurants, and retail shopping.

However, you still can not consider this as a perfect system. Typically, this system includes air conditioners on refrigerant lines and furnaces that circulate air in a single system. But, the spaces that want to control individually will need an outdoor unit each. These units will take up too much space, which can be a problem.

Multi-split System

The multi-split system has few similarities with the Single-Split system. The only difference is the energy-sufficiency and space-saving benefit that it can offer. With this system, you can connect up to nine indoor units into a single outdoor unit. This feature makes it aesthetically pleasing, especially if there are HVAC access doors. Moreover, it features sensors that can detect changes in temperature and automatically adjusts it.

Despite the savings it gives to its users, there is a reason why it is not as popular as the Single Split system. The drawback of this almost perfect system is the cost of installation. It is not easy to install and may take time to finish. It is why the installation cost may be higher.

VRF Systems

A Variable Refrigerant Flows or VRF system is the best option for businesses with medium to large spaces such as hotels or office buildings. There are two types of VRF systems: Heat Recovery and Heat Pump. The Heat Recovery system heats and cooling at the same time to different areas of your building. It is best for buildings with smaller rooms. Meanwhile, a Heat Pump VRF can only function for heating or cooling at once. If the building has larger open areas, this is the better option.

However, there can still be some disadvantages when using the VRF HVAC system. Because it tends to be larger than the previous designs, it is harder to maintain and detect which areas have issues. It does not help that they are prone to leaks from time to time. To ease this, the installation of HVAC access doors is essential.

Before anything else, you have to ensure that the HVAC access doors come from high-quality materials. Fortunately, Access Doors and Panels have efficient access panels that can make maintenance easier. To know more, contact us at 1-800-609-2917.

Guest Contributor: Chris Jackson

5 Reasons Why You Need a Water Reservoir

Over the years, weather patterns have become increasingly hard to predict. The indicators through which we used to define seasons have gone through an evolution, thus making it difficult to predict any change in climatic conditions. Before, we could tell what month marked the beginning of rainfall, but that’s not the case in recent times. As a result of these factors, water has become scarce, and storing has become common. It is due to these reasons that water storage and the use of reservoirs have become a general practice in homes and several facilities. 

A water reservoir is pretty much self-explanatory. It is an enclosed space or equipment where water is collected for later uses; as a matter of function, reservoirs aid water collection and storage. As a main part of our daily lives, water finds usage in every part. We cook, wash, clean, drink, and do much of our daily activities with it. The need for the availability of clean and freshwater in the home is not debatable. 

Having a constant water supply is vital for everyone as the smooth run of daily activities depends largely on it. Whether you source your water from the rain,well or other available sources, storage gives you the liberty of usage without restrictions. Without further ado, here are five reasons why owning a reservoir is a good idea:

1. Reserving water is free and safe 

Storing water in the reservoir is one of the best ways to save yourself from paying water bills. When it rains, and your roofing system has the appropriate calibration for water storage, you’re collecting water without paying a dime. In addition to this, you can collect as much as you like. That’s why some people use more than one reservoir. 

Rain is a source of clean and freshwater. However, for those still with concerns regarding its quality, you could have your reservoir designed with filters that purify all the water coming in. 
Unlike water running through a piping system, you are sure that there are no drugs and chemicals used on it as it comes directly from the source. You can also use this for your plants and other animals. If you cannot afford a filter system, you may consider washing your reservoir from time to time or keeping your roof clean. However, it’s better to do both.

2. A reservoir is easy to relocate. 

The installation of a reservoir is economical and eco-friendly. We know that sustainability is the long term goal of any property. Having a water reservoir gives you this luxury while giving you an above-average value in the marketplace.

Besides that, if you plan to relocate from your present abode, you can move your reservoir with you (as long as it’s moveable). Another thing about reservoirs is that you measure your water usage and set a limit. This is almost impossible with municipal piping systems because water is released at volition.

3. Flavor and odor 

Water is tasteless but not without flavor. When you drink water with bad taste, the flavor alone gives you the details. The same is true for odour. For instance, water from the well is known to have a rotten egg odor or sulfur-like smell if it is unhealthy. This is because of the absence of the iron-eating bacteria that makes the water safe for consumption. 

That is to say, the flavor and smell help you know the quality of water. Water reservoirs are great for dissipating sulfur odors since ventilation occurs. This is easy because sulfur’s odor is susceptible to air; a water reservoir can achieve the same function. 

Furthermore, holding water in a reservoir gives it plenty of time to settle down, thus leaving your 

water clear. Again, you can treat the water, thus delivering quality water to the entire house.

4. In case of Emergency

Water reservoirs give you the confidence of water availability when emergencies occur. For instance, if your well dries out or the water connection becomes faulty, a water reservoir is an alternative source. You can rely on the volume inside the reservoir. 

None of these reasons for storing water is as appealing as the idea of it being an emergency source of drinking water. Of course, water is sold across the globe in different containers, but water from the source has a crispy fresh taste that you’d love. As long as you’re sure that the water entering the reservoir is in good condition, you’re sure of what you’d have. To be double sure, you can protect the content of the reservoir. 

Out of the need to make the most of their resources, people sometimes keep water in jugs, water bottles, etc. Surely, they are a sort of short-term storage, but water reservoirs work for the long term. These other containers are more susceptible to damage and leeching. To make things easier, reservoirs exist in many variations, so you can always make the right pick for your needs. They come in sizes, shapes, and capacities. 

Water reservoirs are easier to refill and curtail any risk of contamination. Two of the primary resources to be shut down first are water and power grid in any disaster or breakout. You will live without electricity, but how long can one survive without water? 

5. Your irrigation system

Seasons change; therefore, there’s almost always a period of water shortage. This is not to say that water is completely unavailable; rather, it’s scarce. During these periods, plants like humans are on the receiving end, and food becomes scarce. 

In urban locations, where people have indoor gardens, it is not uncommon to grow their food and vegetables. So, if you choose gardening as a hobby or you like to grow plants, a water reservoir is a good way to store up water for your plants. At times when there’s drought, your plant will survive because you can connect a pump and a timer to distribute water to them. Apart from keeping your plants healthy, this serves as a source of water all year round. 

As you can see, having a water reservoir is essential. Whether you choose to save up on bills or protect the environment, it is ideal for everyone to have a self-sustainable water system. With this, we can take advantage of consuming clean and safe water always.

About the Author

Oyegoke Motolani Oluwakemi is a born writer. Standing by the values of originality, creativity and reliability, she creates content for MG Construction and Decks, about backyard beautification and full remodeling.