Saturday Shots: Pruning!

It's Saturday! Instead of waiting for something to go wrong with your house, be preventive. After a couple shots of morning espresso, let's spend 15 minutes taking a quick look around... and maybe making a couple of quick repairs.

Saturday Shots: Pruning!

Well, I've sent my wife to Buena Vista for a ladies' retreat... and I'm home with the kiddos. Just popped the potatoes in the oven and I'll be grilling burgers in just a few minutes... 

I love pruning trees & shrubs. Once I get started, I'll keep going until my blisters have blisters, leaving my hands sore and tired for days. Regardless, the satisfaction of whipping nature into submission is inexplicable. 

My first real pruning efforts were not appreciated. I pruned the top 10 feet off a 15-foot juniper. It never recovered. 

Since winter is getting closer, let's focus on the areas that matter most:

• branches hanging over the roof should be pruned back at least 2-4 feet from the edge of the building. (Fire defensible space is 10 feet minimum)
• conifers are generally happiest when trimmed in the fall. 
• flowering cherries should have been pruned by now, but it's not too late.
• dead / damaged / diseased wood should be taken out any time. Diseased wood should be burned or taken to your enemy's property where it can spread (Don't forget to pray for them.) if you need a warm cell for the winter.
• branches hanging over parking areas should be considered hazardous. (My Subaru still has "hail damage" from parking under a pecan tree in the fall... and have you ever been hit on the head with something falling from a tree?)
• branches hanging over your neighbor's fence should be evaluated as to strength. If you see areas of the tree that are hollow (or the top is dead/broken off), the health of the tree is likely compromised. Better to control the falling branch than have it damage your fence and friendship.

If you do live in a fire-prone area, now would be the time to begin giving consideration to any defensible space changes you might like to make. From this past summer's fires, the homes that survived victoriously were those with fire-resistant roofing materials AND those that had followed a clear defensible space plan.

Until next week, enjoy your day off!

~ Jon

"A shot of prevention is better than a venti of cure." 

The Fine Print: Because of the general nature of this advice and the individual application thereof, neither the Merriam Agency nor Jon Barron assume any responsibility for any loss, cost, damage, injury or expense which may be incurred or suffered as a result of the use of this information or your own foolishness

Saturday Shots: Fire!

It's Saturday! Instead of waiting for something to go wrong with your house, be preventive. After a couple shots of morning espresso, let's spend 15 minutes taking a quick look around... and maybe making a couple of quick repairs.

Saturday Shots: Fire!

Last week, we looked at the heating system. This week, let's tackle an easy one... the clothes dryer. Every year, over 17,000 home fires are a result of poor dryer maintenance. 

Dryers rely on moving heat and air through the clothes to the outdoors to work properly. If your clothes are taking a long time to dry, it is an indicator that there may be a problem. If lint builds up in the exhaust pipe or inside the dryer, it slows the air flow and allows heat to build up – and causes lint to build up on the heat source... this can be worse than awful.

The Dryer: 

Go turn on the dryer. (No heat is necessary.) Head outside, put your hand up to the vent... you should feel alot of air coming out. This video has more ways to check your vent. Many people don't realize how much lint can get past the screen, especially if we clean it while the dryer is running (like I do). You can try cleaning with the hose on your vacuum, but probably won't have much success since the lint builds up at the bends. Some other options: 

1. Watch videos on youtube, 
2. Head to the nearby home improvement store and fetch one of those fancy duct cleaner kits.. or 
3. call a duct cleaning company if it's too far or complicated for you to clean. 
4. Pull the duct system apart yourself & clean it thoroughly. 

Taking Care of Your Laundry Area

• Clean the lint trap every time you use the dryer
• Avoid drying foam-backed rugs or athletic shoes... stuff falls off and will quickly reduce air flow.
• Turn the dryer off when leaving home.
• Read the owner's manual to understand manufacturer recommendations. (some suggest removing a panel to check for lint build-up.
• Inspect the seal on the lint screen... be sure it is there & not torn.
• Avoid piling clothes on top of the dryer.  That helps ensure clothing does not fall down behind the dryer.
• Clean out behind and underneath your clothes dryer periodically (today is a good day).
• Use metal pipe for your dryer vent.  Plastic pipe will melt.  Metal rigid or flexible vent pipe will stand up to a lint fire much better.
• Use extreme caution when laundering items that might have flammable liquids on them.  Wash clothes contaminated by gasoline, cooking oil or finishing stains at least twice and then line dry them.  Often, one wash won’t remove all of the flammable liquid.  The clothes dryer will elevate the temperature of the contaminated clothing and it may start an auto-ignition reaction that will end in a fire in your clothes dryer.
• Tip from one of my clients... Double-check the pockets. We all know that crayons, pens, and lipstick can be messy... but a lighter can be catastrophic.  

When you're done, I'd recommend making notes in a small notebook or computer file, in case you find something similar in a couple months or years. 

Until next week's 15-Minute Check-up, enjoy your day off!

~ Jon

"A shot of prevention is better than a venti of cure." 

The Fine Print: Because of the general nature of this advice and the individual application thereof, neither the Merriam Agency nor Jon Barron assume any responsibility for any loss, cost, damage, injury or expense which may be incurred or suffered as a result of the use of this information or your own foolishness.