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Basement Renovation
A finished basement can be a great place where you can entertain your family and friends by putting in a recreation room which includes a pool table, ping pong table, pinball machine, and/or dartboard.
Before a basement renovation you should:
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Home Security Systems Provide a Safe Environment for Family Members
There were 4 million household burglaries in the United States,
nearly 500,000 resulted in bodily injury, and 20,000 resulted in
homicides, frightening statistics. Additional statistics reveal
that a home without a security system is three times...
Inspecting a Home
Inspecting a House Before you buy any house, take the time to thoroughly inspect the structure and mechanical systems. Costly repairs can often be avoided or at least anticipated by a preliminary inspection before a purchase offer is signed. If...
The Most Sensible Investment Decision You’ll Ever Make
So much advice is bandied about on the internet and even on the street about what makes a sensible investment, what makes a good investment and what makes a secure investment.
Well – when you consider that for most of us our own home is actually...
Why Choose a Home Improvement Loan?
If you are looking to increase the value of your property by adding an extension, or double glazing, new conservatory, patio, heating system, or new kitchen a home improvement loan could be the easiest and cheapest way to make those improvements...
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Checklist: Do I Need to Replace My Chimney Cap?
As you are cleaning leaves out of your home’s gutters, dealing with Christmas lights, or adjusting a satellite dish, don’t forget to evaluate your chimney caps while you’re on the roof. Chimney caps are those mesh-sided enclosures (usually made of stainless steel, copper, or galvanized steel) atop your chimney to prevent water, animals, bird droppings, and leaves from entering your home. A once-a-year assessment of your chimney caps’ condition can be well worth your time for protecting your house. Here are four things you can easily check on your chimney caps:
1.Are the chimney caps there?
If there have been high winds in your area, your chimney caps may have blown off. Properly secured chimney caps withstand most high winds, but exceptional winds can do damage, including blowing chimney caps off.
2.Are the chimney caps securely attached?
Time, wild animals, or high winds can degrade the security of your chimney caps’ attachment to your flues or chimneys. You can retighten screws or reapply a sealant if your chimney caps are no longer securely attached.
3.Are the chimney caps rusting through?
Galvanized steel chimney caps generally last about three to five years before they become too rusted to serve their purposes. In salt water environments, galvanized chimney caps corrode even more
quickly. Stainless steel and copper chimney caps usually have lifetime warranties, so they are good replacement choices for those who don’t want to be replacing their chimney caps every few years.
4.Are the sides of your chimney caps clogged?
The mesh or screen sides of your chimney caps may get clogged with leaves or other detritus forced into the mesh by very high winds. More frequently, chimney caps’ mesh can get clogged with soot and creosote, especially if you are using unseasoned, green firewood. This clogging is most common in chimney caps designed with smaller mesh holes for use in wildfire prone areas. If the mesh sides of your chimney caps are clogged, your fireplace’s or woodstove’s draft will be reduced, leading to poor performance or even to a chimney fire.
When you head up to the roof, take along a metal tape measure, paper, and pencil. In case you find you need new chimney caps, you will have the tools at hand to measure your flues or chimney crown for their replacement chimney caps.
About the Author
Susan Penney appreciates simple ways to make our homes renewing spaces for our families. She invites you to visit http://www.fireplacemall.com for fireplace accessories to serve your fire-less or your fire-filled fireplace.
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