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Make sure your well water is safe.

repairfinder — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:35:41 +0200

Forty-seven percent of the United States depends on ground water for
their basic drinking water supply. Having a basic understanding about
ground water quality will help ensure that your well is supplying
potable water for your household.

Along with human activities, water quality is affected by a
combination of natural processes. Most relate to chemical compositions
underground. However, other factors such as biological, physical, and
radiological conditions can affect water quality as well.

The National Ground Water Association recommends that water well
owners have their wells checked and tested by a certified and/or
licensed contractor every year to ensure water safety. You can find
these licensed contractors on Repairfinders.com

Hard Water

The most common problem associated with ground water may be
hardness, generally associated with an abundance of calcium and/or
magnesium dissolved in the water. Hard water has not been shown to
cause health problems, but can be a nuisance as it may cause soap curds
and deposits to form on pipes and other plumbing fixtures. Over time,
this can reduce the diameter of the pipes.

Calcium and magnesium are found in ground water that has been
exposed to certain rocks and minerals, especially limestone and gypsum.
When these materials are dissolved, they release calcium and magnesium.
Hard water is considered bad for your plumbing, but people with heart
or circulatory problems may want to consult their physician about
drinking softened water, because the softening process removes calcium
and magnesium, and adds sodium to the water.

Iron and Manganese

A “rusty” or metallic taste in water is a result of iron, and
sometimes manganese, in ground water. They not only create a bad taste,
but they also can stain pipes and clothing.

Iron and manganese are naturally occurring, and most ground water
has some amount of dissolved iron and manganese in it. It comes from
contact with minerals that contain iron, such as pyrite.

There are several treatment methods. Installing a water softener may
help if iron and manganese are present in low quantities and the
softener is designed for their removal. Aeration (the addition of
oxygen to the water), chlorination, and feeding ozone or hydrogen
peroxide can aid in the precipitation of iron, which it is removed from
the water by filtration. Potassium permanganate feed with manganese
greensand filters, and some recently designed synthetic media, will
remove iron and manganese, as well.

Nitrogen

Most nitrogen in ground water comes from the atmosphere. Some plants
can “attach” nitrogen from the atmosphere onto their roots. The
nitrogen not used by the plants is then released into the soil.

Nitrogen compounds also can work their way into ground water through
fertilizers, manure, and urine from farm animals, sewage, and landfills.

The most common forms in ground water are ammonia, nitrate, and
nitrite. Nitrates can be especially toxic to children under six months
of age. Exposure to ammonia also presents a health risk. It is toxic to
aquatic life such as fish, and it interferes with water treatment.

There are a variety of treatment methods to correct this problem,
including reverse osmosis systems with water softeners to remove
nitrates and nitrites, and oxidation to remove small amounts of
ammonia. However, treatment should be a last resort. Removing the
source of contamination is the first priority. You should also be sure
to protect the area around the wellhead from contamination by animals
or fertilizers.

Silica

Silica comes from the weathering of silicate minerals in the ground.
It causes no harmful effects to humans, but large amounts can cause
scaling in pipes that impacts water flow, and it can interfere with
iron and manganese removal.

Sulfur

Sulfur can occur in ground water in two forms: sulfides and
sulfates. Sulfides are naturally occurring in much of the United States
in limestone containing organic materials; ground water affected by
oil, gas, and coal deposits; in marshes and manure pits; and in the
byproduct of well-established iron bio films. Sulfates often come from
the dissolving of minerals, such as gypsum and anhydrite.

A “rotten egg” smell coming from your water indicates the presence
of hydrogen sulfide gas. Along with creating an unpleasant odor and
taste, sulfides cause corrosion to plumbing and darken water.

There are several methods for treating sulfur. Aeration, ozone,
hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine (best followed by filtration) are
effective against dissolved hydrogen sulfide or gas. A reverse osmosis
system, nanofiltration system, or a negative ion-exchanger also can be
effective in reducing sulfates. Filtration is necessary in combating
sulfur formation as a mineral or in bio films.

Total Dissolved Solids

TDS, as it is commonly known, is the concentration of all dissolved
minerals in water. It is the direct measurement of the interaction
between minerals and ground water.

TDS levels above 1000 mg/L will usually yield poor tasting water.
Levels above 2000 mg/L are considered undrinkable due to taste, and
levels more than 10,000 mg/L are defined as undrinkable.

Water softeners with a reverse osmosis system are effective in lowering the TDS to satisfactory levels.

Additional Treatment Information

For more information on water treatment methods, you should contact a well specialist. There are many listed on Repairfinders.com .
All it takes is a moment of your time, and remember that when it comes
to something as life sustaining as water, you do not want to hold for
tomorrow, what you should do today.

A nice way to bring a little elegance to...

repairfinder — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:57:48 +0200

See here is the deal. There is a lot I know about hardwood flooring, and there is a lot that many of you do not know about hardwood flooring. There are also many things I really want to let out to the public, so that customers can be more informed. If you are looking for a decent person to lay down flooring for you the first place you should always go is Repairfinders.com!

What to expect from…

Installation of Prefinished Floors

A basic definition of prefinished flooring is when the boards that are to be installed already have finish on them. In fact, most companies put from 5-9 coats of finish on their prefinished wood.

Prefinished Hardwood floors are quite popular right now, because they have many advantages over the alternative, site-finished floors:

During installation, you skip all the dusty mess that goes along with sanding
The boards are already finished, so as soon as they are down you can walk on them. No waiting for the horrid-smelling finish to dry.
Since the boards are finished in a factory and have 5-9 coats, the finish is very hard, smooth, and durable.
Because sanding and finishing is skipped, a prefinished floor can be installed in half the time, saving you money on labor.

There are, however, a few disadvantages to prefinished floors:

Borders, inlays, and other fancy flooring tricks are hard or impossible for the installer to do, because they usually require sanding.
When boards are cut in the factory, the heights and thicknesses can vary by up to 1/32nd of an inch. Because of this, in order to avoid sharp edges, all prefinished boards are beveled on all sides. This creates grooves between every board, and accentuates the seams (note: Some people like this look, but few like the feel on their bare feet).
The wood is more expensive (although since you save money on labor, your ending price is usually very similar to the price of site-finished).

For most people, the only disadvantage to prefinished flooring is #2. Since the floor is not sanded after it is installed, there will be unevenness that the installer has no control over.

What to expect from the finished product.

Nail holes/heads. The installer should set all nails and fill all holes. As a result, there should be no visible nail heads or nail holes. However, if you kneel down and look closely, you should be able to find where the nail holes used to be, because no wood filler (or wood putty) can be a perfect match to a wood grain.

In addition, there should only be a few nail holes in most floors. In fact, most of the time, a simple, square room can be installed without any nail holes at all. However, keep in mind that many situations will require a board to be top-nailed, resulting in nail holes.

Cracks and Creases. Any time a board comes together with another board, it forms a crease. These creases are what make hardwood floors look how they do. On a prefinished floor, these creases are much more pronounced, because the edges of each board are beveled down at about a 45-degree angle. there is nothing the installer can do about these bevels, except to sand down the whole floor and refinish it, which negates the purpose of a prefinished floor, and is not the installers responsibility (In other words, you would have to pay extra for it (probably at least $2.50 per square foot extra)).

When you look at a hardwood floor, there are the creases that go along the length of the wood, and go all the way across the floor (with the grain), and there are small creases in between boards in the same row (against the grain). The smaller creases, as a rule, should be evenly distributed around the floor, with none coming within 6 or 8 inches of each other. Seams that are close together, or clumped in one area, leaving another area seamless, are the signs of a poor installation job. They are not, however, a good enough reason to demand that your floor be ripped up and reinstalled at the installers expense. Usually in those cases, you have hired a very inexpensive installer, and you got what you paid for. If it is a big deal to you, you might talk about getting the floor redone at a discounted cost.

Any crease in a wood floor has a chance of becoming a crack, for various reasons. One may be a milling imperfection in some of the boards (such as one board being slightly thinner than another is). Expansion and contraction may be another reason. In general, wood will expand in the summer and contract (shrink) in the winter. This causes gaps to open up between boards. It is not always good to fill these cracks, because when the boards expand again, it could push the filler out, or even buckle the wood.

On the other hand, cracks that are caused by milling imperfections or installation mistakes/problems should be filled by the installer (with the possible exception of smaller cracks if significant expansion is expected after the installation).

After installation, there should be (in most cases) no visible cracks when viewed semi-casually from a standing position (and without a magnifying glass, please).

Scratches, gouges and other surface problems should not be visible when the installer is done. If the board was damaged when it arrived at your house, the installer should not have installed it. If it happened after the installation, but the damage was caused by the installer, he/she is responsible to fill it, fix it, or replace the boards affected. If, however, the damage is caused by another contractor or worker, or any residents or guests in the house, the installer is not responsible to fix it, and is perfectly within his/her rights to charge extra if you want it fixed (However, charging extra to fix one small scratch that he/she can fix in two minutes, may be considered a little rude).

Expansion Gaps. Because wood expands and contracts (due mostly to changing humidity and temperature), installers will leave expansion gaps between the wood and everything else (walls, other floors, etc.). In general, these gaps are between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch. This can create a problem sometimes on remodeling jobs, especially in kitchens.

Many houses do not have any trim (or baseboard) around the bottom of the cabinets in the kitchen. When wood floors are installed in these conditions, there will be a visible, ugly expansion gap left over. The homeowner should work with the installer to select (and pay for) baseboards, trims, or caulk solution.

Baseboards. It is common for the installer to remove and reinstall baseboards when he is hired to install a floor (for a price that should be included in the estimate). This can sometimes cause problems with older baseboards. The installer is responsible for any damage done to the baseboards due to his/her own negligence or hurriedness. The installer is not responsible for any damage that already existed, or that occurred because of the brittle state of the baseboards or excessive fastening to the wall (i.e. too many nails and/or glue). Be prepared to deal with at least one broken piece of baseboard. Many times the damage can be fixed with a little painter’s caulk and a coat of paint, so do not get too broken up about it.

In conclusion, please remember that it is a floor and it is meant to be walked on. If you get down on your hands and knees and study the floor, you will find cracks, holes, scratches, and many other imperfections. When inspecting a floor, it should be done from a standing position in normal light. If you can see problems from that position, that is when you should point them out to the installer. People who refuse to pay because of common imperfections that are expected in wood floors are setting themselves up to be blacklisted or overcharged by other contractors in the future. Nobody wants to deal with an unreasonable customer.

To find a qualified professional who can complete this for you and much more, the best place to go is Repairfinders.com. On repairfinders.com you will find dozens of listings in your area, that are hardworking, honest, and reliable. Check it out today and don’t forget all the businesses listed offer free quotes!

Computer Blues...

repairfinder — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:26:08 +0200

Hello there! How are yall doing on this warm day? My computer has been acting real finicky as of late, so I hope that I can get this out to yall on time. I know how much yall enjoy reading what I think. Well since my computer is acting funny I think it would make a fine discussion. Computer repair is a very important thing… It is very important indeed…

A computer repair technician is a person who repairs and maintains computers and servers. The technician’s responsibilities may extend to include building or configuring new hardware, installing and updating software packages, and creating and maintaining computer networks. Computer repair technicians work in a variety of settings, encompassing both the public and private sectors. Because of the relative newness of the profession, institutions offer certificate and degree programs designed to prepare new technicians, but computer repairs are frequently performed by experienced and certified technicians who have little formal training in the field.

A repair technician might work in a corporate information technology department, a central service center, or a retail computer sales environment. A public sector technician might work in the military, national security or law enforcement communities, health or public safety field, or an educational institution. Despite the vast variety of work environments, all computer technicians perform similar physical and investigative processes, including technical support. Experienced technicians might specialize in fields such as data recovery, system administration, or information systems. Some technicians are self-employed or own a firm that provides services in a regional area. Some are subcontracted as freelancers or consultants. This type of technician ranges from hobbyists and enthusiasts that volunteer or make a little side money, to those who work professionally in the field.

The repair of problems can range from a minor setting that is incorrect, to spyware, viruses, and as far as replacing hardware or an entire operating system. Some technicians provide on-site services usually at an hourly rate. Others can provide services off-site, where the client can drop off at the repair shop. Some have pickup and drop off services for convenience. Some may also take back old equipment for recycling. While computer hardware configuration varies widely, a technician works with two basic types of hardware; units limited to a location (desktops, mainframes and supercomputers) and more portable (laptop and handheld) devices. Technicians also work with and occasionally repair a range of peripherals, including input devices like keyboards, mice, and scanners, output devices like displays, printers, and speakers, and data storage devices ranging from external hard drives to specialized high-storage desktop computers called servers. Technicians involved in system administration might also work with networking hardware, including routers, switches, fiber optics, and wireless networks.

When possible, repair technicians protect the computer user’s data and settings, so that after repair, the user will not have lost any data and the technician can fully use the device with little interruption, and then diagnose the problem. So if you are having issues with your computer like I am having with mine, you should go to repairfinders.com and find a repair technician to solve the problem. Addressing the issue, the technician could take action as minor as adjusting one or several settings or preferences, but could also apply more involved techniques like installing, uninstalling, or reinstalling various software packages. A reliable, but somewhat more complicated, procedure for addressing software issues is known as a restore, in which the computer’s original installation image (including operating system and original applications) is reapplied to a formatted hard drive. Well folks, Im about to hope on to repairfinders.com to fix the computer of mine. If yours is giving you problems, I suggest you do the same!