There are a large number of house fires every year in this country and around the world, but the damage that they do to homes and families can largely be avoided if you follow a few simple guidelines. These will greatly reduce the amount of risk that your home will catch on fire as long as you are consistent with enforcing them.
The first thing that you need to do is know that most fires start in the kitchen. The largest reason for this is that many people leave things cooking on the stove so they can go to another room of the house and take care of another chore, watch tv, or even leave the house to run an errand. You should never, ever leave your home while something is on the stove unless someone is still there to watch it for you while you are gone. Even clothes dryers need to be turned off if you are planning on leaving the house.
Rags and paper towels soaked with gasoline should never be tossed in the garbage with other combustible items. These items should be laid out flat outside somewhere so the gas will evaporate. Do this somewhere away from heat.
If you clean anything with turpentine or gas, please do it outside. The fumes from both of these items are heavier than air and will sink to the floor. Sparks from electronic items or wall outlets will ignite the fumes, possibly resulting in an explosion.
Space heaters should never be used near combustible items and if you have to use a heater on a carpeted surface, the heat should be emitted from a portion of the heater that is up and away from the floor. Space heaters with short legs that sit low to the floor should not be used on carpet at all. You should also not use these appliances to dry wet items of clothing, even if you are sitting there watching them.
Your chimney needs to be cleaned out every year and the creosote build-up removed. Creosote is a result of burning wood in your fireplace, coats the inside of the chimney, and is extremely flammable.
You should have at least one 5 pound fire extinguisher. If your house only has one floor, the best place for it is in the kitchen and if your home has more than one floor, there should be one on the other floors, as well. This makes sure that the fire does not get out of control while you run to the other end of the house to get the fire extinguisher.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Cell Phone Water Stickers
Cell phones have become a part of our everyday lives and there are not too many people these days who do not have one at their disposal almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you have one or not, though, you probably understand that letting these crucial items come into contact with water is not a good idea, but what some people do not understand is that their phone’s warranty does not cover this kind of damage.
In recent years, there have been a number of cell phone manufacturers putting water damage stickers inside the phones to determine whether a phone has been in contact with water. This solves the problem of people making false claims to the manufacturer and getting a free phone supposedly due to a defect in the phone itself, but for the honest consumer, this can be a problem for those who live in areas that are subject to high amounts of humidity. It has been discovered that humidity alone can set these stickers off. A powdered dye is placed underneath the sticker and when it gets wet, it changes the sticker’s color from white to red. This makes it easy for a technician to reject a warranty claim on the grounds of water damage, even if no other signs of water damage are available.
If you are confident in your ability to take apart electronics and put them back together, you should be able to locate these stickers inside your phone and cover them with a piece of satin-backed scotch tape. You would want to do this if you have very humid summers where you live and you do not want to have to purchase a new phone if it stops working for some un-water related reason. The first sticker should be located near the battery pack, but the second one is deeper inside the phone and probably located on the circuit board itself.
If you do drop your cell phone in water, get it out immediately and remove the battery. If it is attached to the AC adapter and plugged into the wall, unplug the adapter FIRST and do not put your hand in the water. Remove the battery, SIM card (if your phone has one), and dry the exterior off as quickly as you can. To get the inside of the phone dried as quickly as possible, put it in a bowl of uncooked rice at least overnight. Do not try to power on the phone until you are absolutely certain the inside is dry. Electricity running through the item while it is wet will be what does the damage, not the water itself.
In recent years, there have been a number of cell phone manufacturers putting water damage stickers inside the phones to determine whether a phone has been in contact with water. This solves the problem of people making false claims to the manufacturer and getting a free phone supposedly due to a defect in the phone itself, but for the honest consumer, this can be a problem for those who live in areas that are subject to high amounts of humidity. It has been discovered that humidity alone can set these stickers off. A powdered dye is placed underneath the sticker and when it gets wet, it changes the sticker’s color from white to red. This makes it easy for a technician to reject a warranty claim on the grounds of water damage, even if no other signs of water damage are available.
If you are confident in your ability to take apart electronics and put them back together, you should be able to locate these stickers inside your phone and cover them with a piece of satin-backed scotch tape. You would want to do this if you have very humid summers where you live and you do not want to have to purchase a new phone if it stops working for some un-water related reason. The first sticker should be located near the battery pack, but the second one is deeper inside the phone and probably located on the circuit board itself.
If you do drop your cell phone in water, get it out immediately and remove the battery. If it is attached to the AC adapter and plugged into the wall, unplug the adapter FIRST and do not put your hand in the water. Remove the battery, SIM card (if your phone has one), and dry the exterior off as quickly as you can. To get the inside of the phone dried as quickly as possible, put it in a bowl of uncooked rice at least overnight. Do not try to power on the phone until you are absolutely certain the inside is dry. Electricity running through the item while it is wet will be what does the damage, not the water itself.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Here Is How To Prevent House Fires
Fires happen all over the world, but the fires that happen inside a person’s home are often the most preventable and all it takes is a little diligence and some common sense to discover what the fire hazards in your home are and how to get rid of them when you find them.
It is a fact that most house fires happen in the kitchen. Even though a great number of these small stove fires go unreported because they do not do any damage, you really need to learn what you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place, because it only takes a second or two for a small fire to spread into a much larger one. House fire prevention begins in the kitchen by learning that you should never leave anything on the stove unattended unless it is an emergency and you should never leave the house to go and run errands during this time unless someone is going to be there to keep an eye on the cooking.
You also need to be careful with deep fryers and electric skillets. Any appliance that emits a large amount of heat needs to be monitored consistently to make sure that it does not overheat and catch on fire and you should not ever have to use an extension cord with these. Small extension cords like the ones you would use for lamps will NOT work and will melt. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy duty one with a gauge of at least 14.
Heating shortening and oil in the kitchen also poses a significant problem, since it is so flammable. Heat these slowly so that they do not burn and do not catch on fire and if you have to leave the room, turn them off or have someone watch them for you.
Space heaters are also a big problem during the winter time and like with deep fryers and electric skillets, do not use an extension cord with these. Do not place them near drapes or other fabric items and keep children away from them. Also try not to leave them on overnight while you are sleeping unless you absolutely have to and even then, make sure you take the necessary steps to keep flammable items away from them. Do not use these in the bedrooms of small children due to the amount of flammable stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that are likely to be there.
The worst thing that you can do is let yourself become comfortable with these appliances and allow yourself to think that you know what you are doing and a fire cannot happen to you. Letting your guard down in this manner is what causes a large amount of house fires.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.waterbasementct.info and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
It is a fact that most house fires happen in the kitchen. Even though a great number of these small stove fires go unreported because they do not do any damage, you really need to learn what you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place, because it only takes a second or two for a small fire to spread into a much larger one. House fire prevention begins in the kitchen by learning that you should never leave anything on the stove unattended unless it is an emergency and you should never leave the house to go and run errands during this time unless someone is going to be there to keep an eye on the cooking.
You also need to be careful with deep fryers and electric skillets. Any appliance that emits a large amount of heat needs to be monitored consistently to make sure that it does not overheat and catch on fire and you should not ever have to use an extension cord with these. Small extension cords like the ones you would use for lamps will NOT work and will melt. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy duty one with a gauge of at least 14.
Heating shortening and oil in the kitchen also poses a significant problem, since it is so flammable. Heat these slowly so that they do not burn and do not catch on fire and if you have to leave the room, turn them off or have someone watch them for you.
Space heaters are also a big problem during the winter time and like with deep fryers and electric skillets, do not use an extension cord with these. Do not place them near drapes or other fabric items and keep children away from them. Also try not to leave them on overnight while you are sleeping unless you absolutely have to and even then, make sure you take the necessary steps to keep flammable items away from them. Do not use these in the bedrooms of small children due to the amount of flammable stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that are likely to be there.
The worst thing that you can do is let yourself become comfortable with these appliances and allow yourself to think that you know what you are doing and a fire cannot happen to you. Letting your guard down in this manner is what causes a large amount of house fires.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.waterbasementct.info and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
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