Ho Ho Ho!
Just a short holiday address to make up for the lack of recent material presented here lately. Now in keeping with the theme of these pages I wont get into mindless drivel like how to keep the dead tree you bought the day after thanksgiving green and healthy. It ceased being healthy the day they killed it and besides you are going to be assaulted on the morning 'news' programs by Christmas tree experts with advice for that type of thing. I am more concerned with Santa Claus. That's right Santa Claus. Do you want him getting black lung from coming down your filthy chimney? If you use it get it cleaned and inspected because chimney fires caused by creosote and soot build-up burn down houses every year and that cozy fire you are cuddled up to isn't as romantic if it's in the backyard cause your house burned down. Now what about the reindeer? What type of landing can they look forward to on your roof? Do you want them skidding off the end of your runway because of loose shingles or leaf build-up? The Winter here in Fl where I am is the perfect time to have your roof inspected and any repairs/replacement handled. Winter typically offers extended periods of dry weather and business is usually slow for roofers who will be happy to deal with you to keep their men working through the lean time of year for construction work. All standard due diligence applies so don't let holiday cheer get in the way of your due diligence. Check licenses, insurance, references, and the BBB rating for your roofing candidates. Don't wait till the spring rains to find out you have a problem and be told you have to wait because the roofer is really busy with all the other people who waited till the spring rains to find problems.
What about the standard homeowner/renter preventative maintenance? Will Santa have to use the 'outdoor bathroom' if he has a little too much milk and cookies on board because your pipes froze? Even if you are renting you ought to do what you can to prevent this because it may be the landlords responsibility to fix it but you are the one without water and the landlords works fine so it won't be on a priority list.
Is your electric bill eating all your Christmas cookie money? A lot of us are heating places in the home we don't need to. Do you have unused rooms in your house? If it is feasible then think about shutting the vents off in those rooms and closing the doors. This not only cuts down on sq footage being heated it also increases the airflow to the rooms you are heating warming them faster thereby decreasing the run time on your A/C unit. Heavy curtains on windows that are opened during the day let the sun help warm you up. Close them at night and they will help keep warmth in. Lower the thermostat at night most people sleep better slightly cooler and again it reduces the run time on the unit.
I'll have more later after I catch up on the useless stuff being shoveled on TV and have time to figure out some of the good stuff that's being left out.
Just a short holiday address to make up for the lack of recent material presented here lately. Now in keeping with the theme of these pages I wont get into mindless drivel like how to keep the dead tree you bought the day after thanksgiving green and healthy. It ceased being healthy the day they killed it and besides you are going to be assaulted on the morning 'news' programs by Christmas tree experts with advice for that type of thing. I am more concerned with Santa Claus. That's right Santa Claus. Do you want him getting black lung from coming down your filthy chimney? If you use it get it cleaned and inspected because chimney fires caused by creosote and soot build-up burn down houses every year and that cozy fire you are cuddled up to isn't as romantic if it's in the backyard cause your house burned down. Now what about the reindeer? What type of landing can they look forward to on your roof? Do you want them skidding off the end of your runway because of loose shingles or leaf build-up? The Winter here in Fl where I am is the perfect time to have your roof inspected and any repairs/replacement handled. Winter typically offers extended periods of dry weather and business is usually slow for roofers who will be happy to deal with you to keep their men working through the lean time of year for construction work. All standard due diligence applies so don't let holiday cheer get in the way of your due diligence. Check licenses, insurance, references, and the BBB rating for your roofing candidates. Don't wait till the spring rains to find out you have a problem and be told you have to wait because the roofer is really busy with all the other people who waited till the spring rains to find problems.
What about the standard homeowner/renter preventative maintenance? Will Santa have to use the 'outdoor bathroom' if he has a little too much milk and cookies on board because your pipes froze? Even if you are renting you ought to do what you can to prevent this because it may be the landlords responsibility to fix it but you are the one without water and the landlords works fine so it won't be on a priority list.
Is your electric bill eating all your Christmas cookie money? A lot of us are heating places in the home we don't need to. Do you have unused rooms in your house? If it is feasible then think about shutting the vents off in those rooms and closing the doors. This not only cuts down on sq footage being heated it also increases the airflow to the rooms you are heating warming them faster thereby decreasing the run time on your A/C unit. Heavy curtains on windows that are opened during the day let the sun help warm you up. Close them at night and they will help keep warmth in. Lower the thermostat at night most people sleep better slightly cooler and again it reduces the run time on the unit.
I'll have more later after I catch up on the useless stuff being shoveled on TV and have time to figure out some of the good stuff that's being left out.
