home

Ways to Keep Your Home Safe

Our home is where we feel secure, happy, and comfortable. But you never know that there are bad minds out there that could enter your home, vandalize it or do crimes in it. This doesn’t mean you can’t tough up your home and prevent these criminals and unwanted guests. Night time is when these bad guys do their work, but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it in the daytime, they do and there are many cases too. So suit up and get ready to keep your home safe as we provide you the ways to keep your home safe.

Keep eye-catching stuff

Keep your expensive and valuable things or gadgets out of your front yard or backyard as it attracts burglars and intimidates them to get their hand on that item. Grills are the most common stolen items at homes since their commonly located in the homes yards. A grill with wheels will make the thieves work much easier. There is nothing wrong storing your grill inside your home or garage, it’s for the best. If you don’t have a closed garage, always make sure to lock your vehicle properly, and make sure to put in a well-lit area.

Clear your yards of materials

These objects, tools, or materials can provide the intruder a tool to get inside your home easily, like when you leave a ladder in your backyard, the intruder can utilize it.

Know your neighbors

Do some background checks on them to know if they don’t have any criminal record or so. Also, socialize with them so you can ask them a favor of watching your house when you’re out of town.

Speak with the neighborhood association

If you see problems in the neighborhood regarding the people’s safety, speak to proper officials because it is your right. Common problems are the street lights if you see a street light not working, it is better to tell the association so they could run some solutions to it.

Always use curtains or blinds

Use curtains or blinds to prevent burglars seeing what items you have in your house, preventing them from making your home a subject or choice for burglary. You can also install curtains and blinds in your garage windows or basement windows. For a more high-tech feel, you can have some Home Automation installed in your home – like. motorized window shades installed in rooms, and in your own office.

Eliminate opportunities

Do not forget to leave your fences, windows, and doors unlocked. It will surely cause your home to be a subject for burglary, even more, if visible to the eye of an intruder. So train yourself and everyone in the household to always make sure that everything is locked, especially when night.

Purchase a CCTV system

Having these cameras in your home will make your house safer and could provide evidence of crimes committed in the house or even in the area. Consider purchasing a smart CCTV system since it has more features than ordinary CCTV systems. Smart CCTV systems can let you access the camera through your phone even when you’re not home.  (If you need a great computer consultant for managed computer services, click this line.)

Install motion sensor lighting

You should install a motion sensor lighting system for your home to easily detect burglars, and also alarm you. Having this would also scare burglars and making them have thoughts on entering your home.

Educate yourself and your family

It is better to have knowledge than to just leave your home gadgets to do the work on keeping you safe. But what if the burglar enters and you don’t know how to fight. Enroll yourself and your kids in self-defense to ensure yourself if things go wrong. Not only self-defense but also security and safety techniques and strategies to apply to your home.

Build an emergency doomsday room

Build an emergency doomsday room or bunker. If worst comes to worst that criminals have entered your home armed with weapons, it is better to have a secret bunker or hiding place with food, water, weapons, and medicine. Make sure the bunker is hard to find and access so the intruders won’t find you and your family. Also, make sure that your bunker has enough signal to make a call or a message.

Having a firearms license

Earn a firearms license and be a responsible citizen, purchase a firearm so you could have a weapon in your home. Place the firearm always near to you, mostly beside your bed. Or purchase multiple firearms to ensure yourself of having a weapon when you’re stuck in a certain area.

living room

A Simple Guide To Properly Mount a Flat Screen TV

These days, you won’t be able to find a household without a television set. This handy appliance provides endless hours of entertainment for you and your loved ones. And as our society continues to evolve, so does television sets. The current trend nowadays is to have a flat screen television. This innovation helps save a lot of space without sacrificing functionality or any of its features. As such, knowing how to properly mount a flat screen television on a wall will be quite useful for you. You won’t need to spend money to hire a professional handyman if you have this knowledge with you.

For starters, you will need a drill, measuring tape, a pencil, a screwdriver, and some screws. To help prevent any accident from occurring, don’t forget to wear protective eye goggles and gloves. Plus, bring along a broom because your floors will be dirty once you have successfully mounted a flat screen television.

First and foremost, take the television and its corresponding mounting brackets out of its packaging. Attach the aforementioned brackets on the back of your new television. This is done by tightening several screws that will connect the mounts to your TV. Make sure the mounts are securely attached to your television by nudging it a bit.

Next, you need to find where the studs are located inside your wall. To accomplish this feat, you will need an electronic stud finder to help you out. As soon as you find these studs, mark their location using a pencil. You need to find these studs because they provide the necessary support to hold the mounting brackets and your flat screen television.

After you have located the studs, take your drill and make some holes on your wall. Do keep in mind to use the corresponding drill bit that matches your mounting brackets’ screws. If you use the wrong drill bit, you won’t be able to mount your flat screen television and you’re going to damage the walls at the same time. Furthermore, don’t forget to protect your hands and eyes using protective gear to prevent any body part from sustaining an injury while you are accomplishing this particular step.

Now that you have drilled several holes on your wall, take the other half of the mounting bracket. Test it first if all of its moving parts are intact and secure. Then, place it on the wall with drilled holes and drive the screws through them. Use a screwdriver to do this step and make sure you have a good grip on it. Pick up your flat screen TV carefully and mount it onto the brackets. Move it around to see if the mounts are tight and secure in their position. For the final step, clean up the mess caused by drilling on your wall. After you have done that, you can now enjoy using your new television.  But if you need a home automation professional, click this line!

BATHROOM

How to Unclog a Toilet Using a Plunger

Having a toilet bowl in your house is definitely a life-saver. Back before this handy plumbing fixture existed, people would go to great lengths to get rid of their waste. Nowadays, most people would take the functionality of a toilet bowl for granted. That’s why there will be times when your toilet bowl will malfunction and prevent the water inside of it from being flushed.

Once this happens, you can expect your bathroom floor to be flooded with all sorts of waste in it. This is going to cause a lot of annoyance and trouble for everyone in your home. If you don’t want that unwanted scenario to happen, you better equip yourself with a plunger right away.

Causes of Toilet Clogs

Before you go ahead and learn how to use a plunger, you need to familiarize yourself with the main cause of toilet clogs. Most of the time, throwing any external items in your toilet bowl rather than the trash can cause a blockage. These items include tissue paper, tampons, and diapers, among others. If you are not that careful, plastic shampoo bottles or bars of soap can find their way into your toilet bowl.

All of these items can get stuck in your toilet and block the flow of water. If you don’t want a flood inside your bathroom, you need to be vigilant in preventing these items from being thrown into your toilet bowl. Plus, you also need to remind everyone in your household to throw their respective trash into the proper container.

How to Use a Toilet Plunger

When you encounter a clog in your toilet, the best and simplest way to handle it is to use a plunger. Basically, this tool consists of a handle, flange, and the plunger itself. To use a toilet plunger, you need to have a firm grip on the handle and insert the other end using a 90-degree angle. Now, don’t exert all your effort into that first thrust. You need to go gentle because there will be some air inside the main compartment of the plunger. Using a hard thrust will push the item that’s clogging your toilet farther down your toilet’s drainage system. Once this happens, it will be impossible for your plunger to take the external item out of your toilet.

After you have made the first thrust in a gentle manner, you can now exert more effort gradually. The air inside the plunger will act as a suction to attract the external item. The more you push on your toilet plunger, the item that caused the clog will slowly be sucked into this tool. Once it has entered the compartment of the plunger, carefully scoop it up. This should be done to prevent the clogging material from falling back into the toilet.

Not having a plunger inside your bathroom will be detrimental to you when an item clogs your toilet. This particular bathroom tool is easy to procure and much easier to use. Do yourself a big favor and get one for your household today.  If all all else fails call a great plumber

faucet

Tips for Replacing a Faucet

Today’s faucets are easy to install. You can even purchase a faucet that installs entirely from the top of the sink so you don’t have to crawl around. However, there are still a few things that can help you with a quick and leak-free installation. Use these tips to get started.

UPGRADE SUPPLY LINES

One of the challenges of putting in a new faucet used to be connecting the supply lines without worrying about their leaking. However, the newer style of connectors has gaskets in each end that make the connections almost foolproof. They’re a little more expensive than the older style of connectors but they’re well worth the extra cost.

You don’t even need to make sure that the nut is extremely tight for a good seal. Use your hands to make the connection finger-tight and then use a wrench for an additional half turn. Replacing your supply lines with stainless steel connectors is the best choice you’ll ever make.

SAVE INSTRUCTIONS AND PARTS

When you replace the faucet, you’re going to have tools and other parts that you’ll want to keep around. One of the best ways to make sure you don’t lose anything you might need is to put any extra parts, tools, and instruction sheet in a freezer bag and then hang the bag inside the sink cabinet. You’ll be able to find it if needed for any repairs.

CHECK FOR LEAKS

Whether you’re replacing the sink or you’ve hired a plumber to make the change, check for any leaks. After the sink is first installed, turn the water on and let it run for a few minutes. Then get a tissue and go under the sink. Use the tissue to wipe the joints and see if it stays dry. Even a small leak will show up as a wet spot. Tighten up the connection near any leaks that you find.

TURN OFF THE WATER SUPPLY

This is something that you’ll want to do before getting started. Before you replace a sink or do any repairs, it’s a good idea to turn off the water supply leading to the faucet. Most people forget this step, but it’s an important but simple one to do. You’ll be glad that you did!

When you replace a sink today, they come with instructions and are fairly easy to do. These tips are just a few extra ways to make sure that you end up with a good replacement and avoid any leaks or problems along the way.

Watch this video that will show you how to replace a faucet.

For more information, take a look here: elizabethdrainservice.com

drain

How Cleaning a Septic Tank Can Eliminate the Problem of Clogged Drains

If your home has a septic tank, and you have neglected it for too long, it could be the reason you always have clogged drains. Sometimes, people only think about the pipes and sinks when they notice that water is not flowing as it should.  However, a dirty tank can also lead to this situation. Here are some facts that you may want to know.

Accumulation of Dirt in the Tank Can Block the Pipes

Statistics from reliable sources have shown that tanks that are not regularly cleaned contribute to the blockage of pipes. This is because, at the point where pipes connect to the tank, dirt accumulates and could block it if it is not removed. As a result, the water will not flow into the septic tank fast, and this is how clogging starts. You may be wasting your time trying to locate the materials that are blocking your drains yet all you need to do is to clean your septic tank.

Emptying the Tanks Can Also Reduce Clogging

Sometimes, when the tank is almost full, it tries to slow down the flow of water in the pipes. This is more likely when the pipes enter the tank at a lower level, and there obviously is no overflow. Therefore, when you notice an unusual slowdown in water flow, you may want to check if your tank is almost full already. If it is, just empties it, have it cleaned and everything will come back to normal. A reliable plumber will always tell you when the problem is with your tank.

Regular cleaning of the septic tank should not be a difficult task. You only need to ensure that the plumber has the right cleaning equipment. They also should be able to inspect the tank and detect other problems such as leakages. A properly working plumbing system is what you need in your home.

If you need a thorough discussion on this, it is detailed here: https://elizabethdrainservice.com

door hinge

3 Quick Fix DIY – Squeaky Door Hinges

Doors get a LOT of use around the house. We literally go in and out of them constantly! Sometimes all that wear can cause doors to either get squeaky or to get sticky, depending on what’s going on with them. In order to fix your door hinges, you just need a few minutes.

Here are three ways to quickly banish squeaky or sticky door hinges – DIY style.

1. WD-40

Grab a can of WD-40 and go to town on those hinges. This is your first line of defense, and it’s usually going to work well. Spray the product right into the hinges, then move the door back and forth. You should immediately feel the door loosen as you work it in.

2. Petroleum Jelly

This isn’t as good as WD-40, but it’ll still work. Rub a pea-sized bit of petroleum jelly on the door hinges and then move the door back and forth as with the WD-40. Again, you should feel the door loosen up quickly.

3. Three-in-one oil

You’ll find three-in-one oil at any hardware store – just ask about it. To use this, you’ll have to lift the pins in the hinge halfway up, then lubricate them with the oil and push them back in. Be sure to use a cloth to catch drips as this product can cause stains.

With just a couple of minutes of DIY home magic, your door hinges won’t be a squeaky, stick problem!

nolisy garage door

5 Tips for Quieting a Noisy Garage Door

Over time garage doors can start to make an incredible noise. Not only is it annoying, it can lead you to think that you’ve got something seriously wrong with your garage door. More often than not, a noisy garage door doesn’t actually indicate a bigger underlying problem, but something fairly cosmetic. Still, it’s better to go ahead and get the noise gone if possible for your own peace of mind.

1. Tighten bolts and screws

Unplug the power before you start tightening bolts and screws. Check the door track for broken or loose screws and fasteners, tightening or replacing if needed.

2. Insulate your garage door

Homeowners often opt for non-insulated steel garage doors out of a concern for cost. Unfortunately, non-insulated doors are often noisier than insulated doors. You don’t have to go to the expense of replacing the door though, you can purchase Styrofoam insulation panels and attach them to do the door yourself. This can often solve a noisy garage door problem.

3. Check garage door struts

The long aluminum rails that go across the width of a garage door are called struts. Over time these can need tweaking in order to improve the garage door performance and reduce noise. If your garage door doesn’t have struts, you can call your garage door service provider to see about installing them.

4. Replace garage door rollers

The steel or plastic rollers that are a part of many garage doors can wear out over time and cause a great deal of noise and vibration. Nylon rollers are quieter and more durable than any other option.

5. Lubricate moving parts

Garage doors are inconsistent motion. Over time these moving parts need lubrication in order to function more effectively and quietly. Don’t reach for the WD40 though as it will dry out these parts. Instead, look for a garage door lubricant that’s specially formulated for this purpose. Lubricate the pulleys, the tracks, the rollers, the hinges, and the springs. Not only will lubrication cut down on the noise – it will also lengthen the life of your garage door.

A little DIY garage door maintenance can go a long way in helping you to have fewer problems with your garage doors.  Quieter garage doors are possible!

If all these tips fail and you decided to replace your squeaky garage door with a new one, check out this Garage Door Service. They specialize in replacing residential and commercial overhead garage doors.