Telescoping Ladders: Perfect for Everyday Home Use
When you don’t have a lot of space in a room and you need to reach some high spots, a telescoping ladder is what you need. A telescoping ladder is one of the best hassle-free equipment you can have in your home—it combines security and safety with convenience to provide sure-fire ways to perform those DIY home repairs or cleaning. Generally, these ladders are folding ladders that fold outwards (like a telescope, thus the name) until they form a full-scale step ladder. So a telescoping ladder is basically a ladder that can be stored neatly into a closet.
As you can imagine, the main point of telescoping ladders is portability and convenience. Being rather compact when folded and lightweight, these ladders can easily be carried and tucked away in small spaces. And when unfolded, a telescoping ladder would be just around the size of a regular ladder and can reliably support a decent amount of weight. Perhaps the only trade off for portability is more limited weight-supporting capability—it won’t be able to carry as much as a regular ladder can.
In general, regular ladders can hold up to in excess of 300 pounds. A telescoping ladder is reliable at around 225-250 pounds. The locking mechanisms used to set the metal bars supporting the unfolded ladder can only hold so much weight, after all. Upon unfolding or extension of the telescoping ladder, spring-loaded metal tubes lock into their proper places, and the metal bars are placed for support. Being a mechanism of locks and springs however, a telescoping ladder can’t distribute weight as effectively as one solid bar can, and pressure can be placed extraneously on the small metal knobs. Too much weight and the entire ladder can bend or break at one or multiple points—so heavy duty work is not recommended.
But in terms of portability and everyday use, telescoping ladders come out on top. Probably only rope ladders can match them for their ease of storage and convenience. Of course, rope ladders can’t compare in reliability and will need to be set up first (meaning you still need a ladder to get up there and tie the rope ladder in place). So for everyday home use, a telescoping ladder scores five out of five stars.
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Leave a commentCLAY TILE ROOF REPAIR
Clay tile roof is one of the most beautiful roofs. It is long lasting, durable and resistant to climate conditions. And its characteristic red color gives your home charming Mediterranean look. Although this type of roof is very strong, sometimes you just have to do clay tile roof repair. The reason for leakage can be broken tiles but more often the reason is damaged metal flashing or fasteners. If you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer you can do the repair; otherwise it is better to call well trained roofing contractor and have him do the job.
Before you start with repair, there are few things you should keep in mind. First of all, do not lean the ladders directly against the tile roof; clay tiles break easily. Also, avoid walking on the roof for the same reason.
Clay tile roof repair begins with removing the tile that is placed above the broken one. Use piece of wood to lift up the tile but do it very carefully; you do not want to damage more tiles. When you lift the tile, you can reach the roofing nail and remove it with pry bar. You have to break the damaged tile; use the chisel and hammer to do that. Remove the broken pieces and attach the tile clip to the roof on one end and to the replacement tile at the other end. Slide new tile in place.
If the clay tiles are not secured with nails but with mortar, you will have to crack the mortar first. Remove the cap tiles and soak the tiles few hours in the water. Mix a mortar; use one part of cement and three parts of the sand. Add some water to get stiff mixture. Using trowel spread some mortar on the tile and put it in place. Remove the excess of the mortar.
You might have troubles trying to find matching tile. If you know the type or the manufacturer, that can help you to buy the right kind. If you can’t find the exact match, you can use the tiles from the back of the roof or some other less obvious spot.
If the tile is not broken but only cracked, you can fix it easily. Just put some tile roof sealer into the crack and when it hardens the crack is sealed. You can find roof sealers in different colors; choose the one that matches the color of your clay tiles.
DIY Home Repairs: Do It Safely, Do It Right
Every year, at least 200, 000 British people end up in the hospital because of DIY-related accidents. If you want to make home repairs yourself, how can you avoid injury?
The most important thing is to use common sense. Never attempt home repairs without being 100% sure of what you are doing. Accidents can occur from using the wrong tool, doing a job wrong, or trying to do a two-person job by yourself. You especially should be careful if your proposed repair requires you to work with gas or electricity. These volatile substances can cause explosions or fires, as well as fatally poisoning or shocking you.
Many people attempt home repairs out of a sense of pride or obligation. Men especially may fall into this type of thinking. Some men think their masculinity itself is at stake if they cannot perform a needed home repair. Women sometimes pressure their husbands or boyfriends to repair items in the home because they also mistakenly think that it’s a man’s job to do this. Similarly, some women may attempt to perform repairs themselves out of rebellion against this attitude.
Simply put, home repair should never have to do with your feelings about yourself as a man or a woman. You should only perform home repair if you are qualified and confident about your skills.
You should also never attempt to do a job yourself that requires more than one person. Some people’s pride requires them to attempt to do everything themselves. But sometimes you need an assistant for safety’s sake. Falls off wobbly ladders or injuries from a garage door falling on you can easily be avoided by having someone else hold equipment or help you to carry it.
Always use the proper tool or tools for each job. Minor shortcuts like using a screwdriver head to hammer in a nail might not seem dangerous, but this is a bad habit to get into. If you use an inappropriate tool in some instances, you can seriously hurt yourself or people around you.
Similarly, take your time when doing home repairs. Don’t rush through a job to prove you can do it or to move on to another job. Instead, go slowly and deliberately. Take the time to put on protective goggles or other safeguards before beginning home repair projects, and be careful when using tools. It is easy to slip while cutting, sawing, or drilling and seriously injure yourself if you are in too much of a hurry. When the job is finished, take time to unplug tools and store them appropriately. Putting knives and other sharp tools into locked boxes and storing them on high shelves may save not only you but also your children from unnecessary injuries. You also prolong the life of your tools by storing them properly, which saves you time, money, and aggravation in the long run.
DIY home repairs can be immensely satisfying. If you use common sense and take safety precautions, you can soon become a DIY guru.
Posted in DIY Home Repairs | Accidents, Bad Habit, Boyfriends, British People, Common Sense, Diy Home Repairs, Electricity, Explosions, Fires, Garage Door, Home, Instances, Ladders, Masculinity, Person Job, Proper Tool, Rebellion, Repairs., Right, Safely, Sake, Shortcuts, Stake, Volatile Substances | Leave a comment