June 2019
Keep Your Roof Safe from Winter Accumulations
Snow, sleet, and ice cause well-known winter travel hazards. Slick road conditions require serious driving skills and cause far too many accidents, some with very serious consequences. Severe storms bring school closures that disrupt daily schedules and leave parents scrambling for child care. Everyone who lives in a winter climate learns to handle these situations. However, how many of these individuals think about their roofs?
Get the Right Equipment
Most pictures of snow-covered roofs evoke romantic thoughts of winter holidays or scenes of neighborhood children building snowmen. Seldom do thoughts focus on the potential danger of roof collapses from the excessive weight of snow accumulation. Luckily, there are ways to determine how much snow load on roof you can tolerate. Consider using a snow load calculator that provides a realistic weight estimate to guide your decision about possible snow removal from your roof. There are even devices that measure roof surface deflection to warn of impending damage or collapse. They may even include communications features that send text or email messages.
Know How Much Snow Is Too Much for Your Roof
You’ve become aware of the importance of monitoring winter roof accumulation. Now you need to know when your roof is nearing its limit. Luckily, high school science can help you out. A couple of snow weight calculations should yield a decent estimate of what your roof might be bearing. Then you need to know if you have too much roof snow. Unfortunately, some variables can make it difficult to calculate an accurate snow weight. For example, the water content of snow varies widely, compromising the weight calculation. Your roof design and construction determine the maximum roof load, but rarely is that figure known. However, these calculations should produce sufficient estimates that can give you guidance to make a responsible decision on whether you should have the snow removed from your roof.
If you live in a winter locale, you likely already know how to install snow tires, shovel the driveway and sidewalks, and adjust automobile antifreeze. Learning how to monitor the snow accumulation on your roof can help you manage another critical concern.…
Pest Control Made Simple With These Easy Tips
Have you found evidence that there is something living in your pantry? Do you tend to hear scurrying from within your ceiling? If you’ve said yes to either of these, then chances are, you have a problem with pests. This article contains some helpful hints for taking care of pests.
Use steel wool to plug in openings where rodents can enter. The steel wool makes it nearly impossible for rodents to chew through. Any opening larger than a half inch should be stuffed. It is possible for these animals to make their way through very tiny openings.
Learn the local ordinances and building codes to see what special treatments you have access to so that you can control your pests. Using banned chemicals can affect a home sale later on. Instead, find out what methods of pest control have been used successfully in your area.
Bedbugs have a habit of hiding in tiny places, which makes them hard to eliminate. All holes should be sealed before beginning any type of extermination. By doing so, you can stop bedbugs from emerging from such places after the exterminator has left.
Bushes should be at least about a foot from the house. A lot of insects might live there, no matter what. Having vegetation right up against your home is just asking to have a pest problem, no matter what else you do to keep them out.
Check your plumbing to control your indoor pests. Make sure that all sinks and drains are unclogged, both in and around your home. This organic buildup attracts many insects. Check cleared drains on a monthly basis.
Check out your entire home periodically, even if you have not noticed any pests in your living area. Your home can be affected by underground termites if part of it lies under the ground. Check on the crawl spaces and basement.
Do not leave fallen trees in your yard. Cut up all the branches and the trunk as well to use for firewood. You can also give it to someone else, or sell it if you want to. But, make sure to address the stump regardless. Stumps can easily attract termites to your home.
Do a little research on the rodents or insects that have made your house their home. Discover what appeals to these types of rodents and what they are repelled by. Using an approach geared to the annoying pest you are combating is a good way to ensure your efforts are not wasted.
If you see mice holes in the floor or walls, cut steel wool to size and insert into the holes. Rodents will eat steel wool and eventually die. Fill in the whole with spackle containing steel wool to prevent new holes from being created.
Now, the pest problem is one step closer to ending. Use what you have learned above and take back your home. It is going to take a bit of time, but one day soon you won’t hear scurrying in your …