While a house fire may be one of the most preventable disasters to happen to a home, a wildfire can be one of the least preventable on a small scale. Prevention of wildfires requires that a large number of people do what they can to make sure that the wildfires that do start are not manmade, but this awareness is only just now starting to catch on. When the fire is creeping toward your home, you are not likely to care what caused it, only what you can do to slow it down and in fact, there are a few different things that you can do to minimize the damage.
You may enjoy living in a more rural area, but you are at a disadvantage when it comes to wildfires because this is where they begin. One of the bad things about living in a rural area is that fire departments are not as prevalent, so the response to your home may not be as quick as you need it to be.
If you are contemplating having a home built for you, have it made of fire-resistant materials. Houses with an exterior made of brick, stone, or even metal will resist catching on fire much more than those that have exteriors made of wood or vinyl siding.
The most important exterior surface of your home is the roof. This is the largest surface area on the exterior of your home and it should be made of fire-resistant materials instead of the traditional wooden or oil-based shingles. Everyone knows that oil catches on fire very easily, so if you live in an area that is prone to wildfires, you may want to have another roofing material put on your home. Something else to do with your roof if a wildfire is nearby is to wet it down with the garden hose. This will give a little extra protection against the firebrands that are being carried in the air by the wind. Wetting the exterior walls of the house and wood decks is also a very good idea.
Do not allow any dead vegetation to build up in the yard. This includes grass cuttings, sticks, dead plants, and leaves. If a wildfire starts before you have a chance to get these dead organic materials cleaned up, all you can do is soak them and the rest of the yard with water via the hose and hope for the best.
Trees should also not be located close to the house, especially if the branches hang over the roof.
Dror Klar is a writer and promoter of
Newark NJ Water Removal
and
Charlotte Flooding Emergency Service Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Flooded Vehicle Facts
When you go to buy a used vehicle, the last thing on your mind is whether or not the car has been submerged in water before. This is not as rare as you might think that it is and a used car dealer or an individual defrauding a buyer is not uncommon, either. In order to protect yourself from flooded vehicles that you may not know how to look for correctly, there are a few things that you can do.
The first thing that you need to realize is that not all vehicle history reports are created equal. These reports do not list all of the damage done to a vehicle or all the work that has been done on it simply because these things are only listed if the person who owns the vehicle makes a claim on it with their insurance company. If a vehicle is flooded and the owner does not file an insurance claim, then the damage is not recorded as ever having happened at all. Vehicle history reports are useful, but you should realize that not all damage may be included.
Look around the trunk and glove box of the car and see if you can find any signs of rusting, sand, or silt. These are signs of being exposed to water. Also look for these signs under the seats and in any nooks and crannies that these things may settle into.
While you are in there, inhale deeply and notice what the car smells like. If there is a musty smell, then this is probably due to the presence of mold growing either in the carpeting or the upholstery. If there is an air freshener smell, then you may be dealing with someone who is trying to cover up another odor of some kind. Be wary of air freshened vehicles.
All electronic components need to be checked. Be sure that they are in working order before purchasing. Some electronic items are expendable to some vehicle owners, but if many of them are not working, consider it a possibility that the vehicle has been submerged. Test the turn signals, windshield wipers, and etcetera.
Look around under the dashboard and see if any of the wires appear to be brittle or cracked. If they are or they crack when you try to flex them, then they have probably been exposed to water.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Charlotte Water Damage Restoration and other cities such as
Sayreville NJ Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
The first thing that you need to realize is that not all vehicle history reports are created equal. These reports do not list all of the damage done to a vehicle or all the work that has been done on it simply because these things are only listed if the person who owns the vehicle makes a claim on it with their insurance company. If a vehicle is flooded and the owner does not file an insurance claim, then the damage is not recorded as ever having happened at all. Vehicle history reports are useful, but you should realize that not all damage may be included.
Look around the trunk and glove box of the car and see if you can find any signs of rusting, sand, or silt. These are signs of being exposed to water. Also look for these signs under the seats and in any nooks and crannies that these things may settle into.
While you are in there, inhale deeply and notice what the car smells like. If there is a musty smell, then this is probably due to the presence of mold growing either in the carpeting or the upholstery. If there is an air freshener smell, then you may be dealing with someone who is trying to cover up another odor of some kind. Be wary of air freshened vehicles.
All electronic components need to be checked. Be sure that they are in working order before purchasing. Some electronic items are expendable to some vehicle owners, but if many of them are not working, consider it a possibility that the vehicle has been submerged. Test the turn signals, windshield wipers, and etcetera.
Look around under the dashboard and see if any of the wires appear to be brittle or cracked. If they are or they crack when you try to flex them, then they have probably been exposed to water.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Charlotte Water Damage Restoration and other cities such as
Sayreville NJ Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Keep Mold Off Your Things
Unfortunately for us, where there is organic matter such as plants and animals, mold is also there in the form of spores or colonies. It is on the ground we walk on and in the air that we breathe, so there is not that much that we can do to totally escape it unless you live in a home with an air supply that is very strictly controlled. Aside from living in a clean area of a hospital or a laboratory, getting away from mold completely is not really an option.
Keeping mold off of your belongings probably does not seem like a difficult thing to do if you have never had to deal with mold on anything that you own before, but if you have, then there might be a few things that you are not doing that you should be.
For example, wet clothing or towels should be washed as soon as possible, preferably within about 2 days to prevent mold from starting to grow on them. Whatever you do, do not throw these items on your floor or in a laundry basket anywhere and just leave them there. Even worse, do not cover them up with dry clothing and forget that the wet ones are underneath, since this will mold the entire batch. While that is bad, there is something else that you can do that is even worse: putting wet clothes on the floor of a bathroom closet that has carpet on it. The clothes and carpet will both mold and you will end up having to take the carpet up to get rid of it.
Try not to pack your clothing into your closet so tight that air cannot circulate in it. This is a problem mostly for people that have large amounts of clothing that they do not wear, but refuse to throw away or take to the thrift store. Your clothes need to breathe to keep from being contaminated with mold, since mold likes to grow on dust as much as anything else.
Strangely shaped baby bottles and other items in our kitchen cabinets can also become moldy if we have a hard time getting them completely dry. This happens most often when someone does not have a dishwasher with a dry cycle or when the item is just washed in the sink. To keep these items from molding on the inside, especially the ever important baby bottles, put them inside the freezer for storage until you need them again.
Dror Klar is a writer and promoter of
CT Flood Water Removal
and
Elizabeth NJ Wet Basement Flooding Emergency Service Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Keeping mold off of your belongings probably does not seem like a difficult thing to do if you have never had to deal with mold on anything that you own before, but if you have, then there might be a few things that you are not doing that you should be.
For example, wet clothing or towels should be washed as soon as possible, preferably within about 2 days to prevent mold from starting to grow on them. Whatever you do, do not throw these items on your floor or in a laundry basket anywhere and just leave them there. Even worse, do not cover them up with dry clothing and forget that the wet ones are underneath, since this will mold the entire batch. While that is bad, there is something else that you can do that is even worse: putting wet clothes on the floor of a bathroom closet that has carpet on it. The clothes and carpet will both mold and you will end up having to take the carpet up to get rid of it.
Try not to pack your clothing into your closet so tight that air cannot circulate in it. This is a problem mostly for people that have large amounts of clothing that they do not wear, but refuse to throw away or take to the thrift store. Your clothes need to breathe to keep from being contaminated with mold, since mold likes to grow on dust as much as anything else.
Strangely shaped baby bottles and other items in our kitchen cabinets can also become moldy if we have a hard time getting them completely dry. This happens most often when someone does not have a dishwasher with a dry cycle or when the item is just washed in the sink. To keep these items from molding on the inside, especially the ever important baby bottles, put them inside the freezer for storage until you need them again.
Dror Klar is a writer and promoter of
CT Flood Water Removal
and
Elizabeth NJ Wet Basement Flooding Emergency Service Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Mold and A Few Prevention Steps
Unfortunately for us, mold and its spores happen to be just about everywhere we are and there is not much that we can do to escape it, short of living in an environment where the air supply is strictly controlled. Not many people want to live out the rest of their lives in a laboratory or the most clean areas of a hospital.
Most people are aware of mold’s existence, but not many people know exactly what it is. Some people do not even realize that mold is a fungus just like mushrooms are, only that it can do us harm if left growing unchecked in large amounts. These fungi grow in almost any color that you can think of and even though some of them are fairly toxic and can cause you significant harm, most of them are harmless. Not only can they cause significant health problems, but they are also fairly unpleasant to look at and this is generally an important factor when you are selling a home that is contaminated with it.
Some molds are allergenic and they can cause not only aggravation of existing allergies or respiratory conditions, but they can also cause the onset of completely new allergies that did not exist prior to exposure.
Mold typically grows in homes that have moisture problems. This not only includes water seeping into the house at some point, but also having a high amount of humidity indoors. This can be controlled somewhat by putting the temperature in your home at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can help with the humidity in certain rooms of your home that are exposed to moisture every day such as the bathroom, laundry room, basement, and kitchen by installing exhaust fans in their ceilings. This will help remove the excess moisture and warm air from the room.
Another way to prevent mold is to clean up any water spills as soon as possible. Water damaged surfaces are common to have mold growing on them, since when something organic stays wet or in a humid environment for more than 48 hours, mold will start to grow on it. Try to keep water spills cleaned up and dry them as quickly as you can.
Mold also grows on wet items in the laundry room or the bathroom that have been forgotten about. Unfortunately, most people add to the problem simply by throwing dry clothing on top of them before they become moldy and making the problem worse.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration Paterson NJ and and other cities such as
Old Greenwich CT Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Most people are aware of mold’s existence, but not many people know exactly what it is. Some people do not even realize that mold is a fungus just like mushrooms are, only that it can do us harm if left growing unchecked in large amounts. These fungi grow in almost any color that you can think of and even though some of them are fairly toxic and can cause you significant harm, most of them are harmless. Not only can they cause significant health problems, but they are also fairly unpleasant to look at and this is generally an important factor when you are selling a home that is contaminated with it.
Some molds are allergenic and they can cause not only aggravation of existing allergies or respiratory conditions, but they can also cause the onset of completely new allergies that did not exist prior to exposure.
Mold typically grows in homes that have moisture problems. This not only includes water seeping into the house at some point, but also having a high amount of humidity indoors. This can be controlled somewhat by putting the temperature in your home at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can help with the humidity in certain rooms of your home that are exposed to moisture every day such as the bathroom, laundry room, basement, and kitchen by installing exhaust fans in their ceilings. This will help remove the excess moisture and warm air from the room.
Another way to prevent mold is to clean up any water spills as soon as possible. Water damaged surfaces are common to have mold growing on them, since when something organic stays wet or in a humid environment for more than 48 hours, mold will start to grow on it. Try to keep water spills cleaned up and dry them as quickly as you can.
Mold also grows on wet items in the laundry room or the bathroom that have been forgotten about. Unfortunately, most people add to the problem simply by throwing dry clothing on top of them before they become moldy and making the problem worse.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration Paterson NJ and and other cities such as
Old Greenwich CT Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Water Damaged Consumer Electronics
Spilling water or any other liquid onto a laptop or a cell phone is one of the last things most owners of these items would like to do, but a lot of times this cannot really be avoided. Whether it is a cup of coffee, soda, or just plain water, most people think that if they spill this onto any electronic item that they own, the item is irreparable. Most assume that the item is completely dead and just needs to be replaced. This is not usually the case, even if the object becomes completely submerged in water.
If the device does not have electricity running to it at the time, even if it is completely submerged in water, it can usually be saved as long as you let it dry completely before you try to use it again. The only real thing that you have to worry about when you submerge something electronic in water while it is on is just how long it stays under the water. Over 20 seconds can usually cause irreparable damage, but as long as you can get the item out in less than this time, it should be able to be repaired.
As soon as the devices comes into contact with water or another liquid while it is turned on, you need to get rid of the power source immediately. If the device is connected to a wall outlet or a car plug, unplug it from the source of the power first and DO NOT reach into the liquid to obtain the item. React quickly, but try to hold onto common sense at the same time. After you do that, dry off the surface with a paper towel and put the item into a bowl of uncooked rice or something else that will draw out the moisture. Leave it in the bowl for a day or two to be sure it is completely dry.
If you have an item that has been submerged in flood water, you might need to consult a professional on this one. Mud, silt, and other particle debris may have gotten inside the system, so even if it dries out completely, more damage can happen if you try to use it. Flood water or not, do not turn the device on before it is completely dry. This is the worst mistake that you could make while it is still wet.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
Chicago Water Removal
Charleston SC Water Damage Repair
If the device does not have electricity running to it at the time, even if it is completely submerged in water, it can usually be saved as long as you let it dry completely before you try to use it again. The only real thing that you have to worry about when you submerge something electronic in water while it is on is just how long it stays under the water. Over 20 seconds can usually cause irreparable damage, but as long as you can get the item out in less than this time, it should be able to be repaired.
As soon as the devices comes into contact with water or another liquid while it is turned on, you need to get rid of the power source immediately. If the device is connected to a wall outlet or a car plug, unplug it from the source of the power first and DO NOT reach into the liquid to obtain the item. React quickly, but try to hold onto common sense at the same time. After you do that, dry off the surface with a paper towel and put the item into a bowl of uncooked rice or something else that will draw out the moisture. Leave it in the bowl for a day or two to be sure it is completely dry.
If you have an item that has been submerged in flood water, you might need to consult a professional on this one. Mud, silt, and other particle debris may have gotten inside the system, so even if it dries out completely, more damage can happen if you try to use it. Flood water or not, do not turn the device on before it is completely dry. This is the worst mistake that you could make while it is still wet.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
Chicago Water Removal
Charleston SC Water Damage Repair
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