Cisterns are tanks that store water for a variety of purposes, such as irrigation, fire suppression and drinking. Uses Potable water may be stored in cisterns for such purposes as drinking, bathing and dishwashing. Treated water may arrive from public water sources or filtered from rainwater in a catchment system. Non-potable water can be stored […]
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Manufactured homes no longer have to be the simple, rectangular, boxy trailer homes of the past. Depending on the size of your home site, you can choose from single-section or multi-section designs. Homes range in size from 900 to 2,500 square feet and can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Here are some […]
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This article seeks to clarify some elementary electrical terms and concepts that are sometimes confused. Basic Electrical Measurement Units Voltage, measured in volts (V), is the measure of potential energy per unit of charge. Using a “water-in-pipes” analogy, voltage in the electrical system is similar to water pressure in a plumbing system. High “pressure” or […]
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How Steel Corrodes Reinforcing steel bar (rebar) exposed to air oxidizes or rusts through the conversion of the iron in the steel to iron oxide or iron carbonate due to the CO2 in the atmosphere. The oxide formed is a loose material that has a greater volume than the original iron — about 17 times […]
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One of the largest tax breaks for owners of investment property comes in the form of depreciation, or the loss in value of a property over time due to physical deterioration. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows owners to take a tax loss every year based on this depreciation over the useful life of […]
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Defective cribs, especially hand-me-down and homemade models, can pose serious hazards to young children, including strangulation, entrapment and overheating. Government manufacturing standards set in 1973 have greatly improved crib safety, yet defective cribs continue to be responsible for the highest child injury rates of any nursery item. In fact, approximately 50 infants each year are […]
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Condensation, also called sweating, forms on building materials when the temperature drops below the dew point, which is the temperature at which droplets of water vapor are forced so closely together that they coalesce into liquid water. Because of their characteristic thermal conductivity, components made of metal are usually the first places where condensation will […]
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Earthquakes are a serious threat to life and property not just in California, but in many parts of the United States. Areas of the country that are less prone to seismic activity typically have less stringent building codes that govern earthquake preparedness. Catastrophic earthquakes are rare, but even minor ones can cause substantial damage to […]
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According to the InterNACHI Residential Standards of Practice, a home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of a residential dwelling that is designed to identify observed material defects within specific components of that dwelling. Part of the home inspection includes the inspection, identification and description of the heating system, which includes heat pumps. The inspector […]
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Crawlspaces are host to a large number of conditions that may harm the house or inspectors. Never enter a crawlspace without proper personal protective equipment. Crawlspaces are notorious for the nasty discoveries made there by inspectors, and it isn’t hard to figure out why; for one thing, their cool, dark environment attracts undesirable pests and […]
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