It’s hard to believe but the holidays are almost here; and while the main focus is family, merriment, and a day for home cooking, it’s important to remember that along with the holidays comes the potential for cooking fires. In 2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,630 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving—the peak… Read more »
It’s important to keep your gutter system clear for a number of reasons. First, maintaining your gutters is key to keeping your walls and foundation protected from water damage. Second, unkempt gutters can become a haven for small animals that can do damage to your roof and home. In short, having clean gutters protects your home. … Read more »
Hurricane season runs from June through October, but late August and September are typically when things really heat up. Ocean waters are warm and storms off of Africa are plentiful and that means up here in New York we need to keep an eye out in order to prevent hurricane damage. Damage from hurricanes ranges… Read more »
Ironically enough, even on a sweltering summer day, you can find your AC unit coil or refrigerant lines encased in ice! So how can you keep your coil from freezing? The first thing you can do is make sure you don’t have a dirty air filter. Good airflow is vital to keep your air conditioner… Read more »
While rare, lightning kills an average of 49 people each year in the United States, and hundreds more are injured. Beyond that, lighting can cause severe damage to your home’s electrical systems and electronic equipment as well as everything else should a fire break out if your home is struck by lightning. Lightning is the… Read more »
Before you fire up the grill or the fire pit this summer, be sure to check and see if there are any red flag warnings or fire weather watches. A fire weather watch is issued when weather conditions are favorable for dangerous fire conditions. A red flag fire warning means that fire conditions such as… Read more »
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) our indoor environment is two to five times as toxic as the outdoor environment. One of the causes of toxins in our environment comes from mold. Mold can cause allergies, eye irritation, skin and throat irritation, nasal stuffiness, and other health problems; it also can lead to the… Read more »
Most of us are happy to see that the spring thaw has arrived and warmer weather is upon us. However, melting snow and spring rains can wreak havoc on our homes. In order to prevent water from seeping in, and the water damage that follows, it’s important to know how to prevent flooding from reaching… Read more »
Whether you’ve had a washing machine leak, a leaky water supply line, or an AC unit leak into the ceiling, water damage to drywall is bad news. Drywall is made of white gypsum mineral rock sandwiched between thick exterior paper. While it’s a great construction material due to its ease of use and versatility to… Read more »
The coldest part of winter has yet to reach us, but it will be here soon and that means that water pipes are in danger of freezing and causing tremendous water damage when they do. While exposed piping is most at risk, it is possible for both hot and cold water pipes on the inside… Read more »