Rising temperatures and long awaited sunny days make summer an ideal season for getting work done around the house. Whether you’re cooling off indoors or working on your tan, take the time to perform some simple, routine home maintenance. You’ll have a safer home if you catch problems and wear-and-tear before they become hazards. Cooling […]
Hail doesn’t discriminate and rarely comes with an advanced warning – it can happen anywhere, at any time. Between 2000 and 2013, U.S. insurance companies paid out more than $54 billion in hail damage claims, with 70% paid between 2008 and 2013. In 2015 alone, the United States had more than 5,000 hailstorms. While most […]
Floods can occur anywhere, with floodwaters rising gradually or flash floods striking suddenly. Flash floods are the number one weather-related killer in the United States — most flood fatalities happen because people try to drive through deadly waters rather than avoid them. (Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2005) Water’s powerful force can easily overtake vehicles caught in […]
HEPA (High‐Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuums differ from conventional vacuums in that they contain filters that are capable of trapping extremely small, micron‐sized particles. A true HEPA filter can trap 99.97 percent of all airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. To illustrate how small this is, a human red blood cell is usually between 6 and 8 microns wide. […]
A winter storm is an event in which the main types of precipitation are snow, sleet or freezing rain. Why can winter storms be so dangerous? Most deaths from winter storms are not directly related to the storm itself. People die in traffic accidents on icy roads. People die of heart attacks while shoveling […]
Roof Rakes According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IIBHS), an average roof can handle up to four feet of fresh snow before it’s stressed. However, as snow packs down from multiple storms, anything more than two feet of packed snow could cause a roof collapse! If you expect a lot of […]
Water penetrates into structural cavities creating trapped pockets of saturation. The detection of water in these areas can often only be discovered with sophisticated moisture detection meters to decrease undetected moisture which will continue to cause damage. This damage, at a minimum, will cause odors. Greater damage will surface when materials delaminate, shrink, split and further […]
Radon is a gas that has no color, odor, or taste and comes from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium in the ground. You can be exposed to radon by two main sources: Radon in the air in your home (frequently called “radon in indoor air”) Radon in drinking water. Radon can get into the […]
Regular maintenance of your home heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) is critical to ensure its long life and efficient operation. Proper maintenance of this system can help keep your loved ones safe from extreme temperatures —and may also help save you some money. The HVAC system heats your home during the cold winter […]
With the first snowfall hitting our area and freezing temperatures on the way, here’s some tips for removing snow safely and effectively. Stretch First Don’t be in a hurry to get outside. Stretch thoroughly using the same sorts of moves that runners, mountain bikers and other athletes use. Stretch your hamstrings, stretch your back, and […]