December
1999 Newsletter
- November's $100 winner...and
more!
- December's $$
Saving Tip - Water Temperature
- Christmas
Lights - Energy Efficiency
- Re-caulking - Tips
from a European Tilesetter
- Our Sponsors
- Something to think
about
1. November's $100
winner...and more!
We've picked a winner for our free
draw in November!Congratulations to Lisa Christie of Calgary! You've won $100toward your project.
To prepare for the millenium, we
have revamped our web page,making it more user friendly and attractive! Please check it out @www.home-workcanada.com
and give us your feedback.CoyoteGrafx did a great job for us and were very accomodating.
We highly recommend them - www.coyotegrafx.com
We hope to see you Jan. 13-16th at
Home Expo, Calgary's Home& Renovation Show at the Roundup Center, Stampede Park. Our
booth is right beside Builder's Big Putt, so before you putt for
the
big prize, come visit us!
2. December's
$$ Saving Tip - Water Temperature
Many households have the hot water
temperature set at 140
degrees thinking that it will clean clothes better and disinfect
dishes. Actually, it requires water at boiling temperatures for at
least 20 minutes to disinfect. No water heater will produce this
high
temperature safely. Keeping the water too hot just pushes up your
utility bills and increases the chances of scalding, especially
for
children in a bath.
Check the temperature of the hot water at the kitchen faucet with
an outdoor thermometer. Let it run for a minute or so to
stabilize.
The hot water temperature should not be higher than 120 degrees.
This is hot enough for all household tasks except automatic
dishwashing. Most newer dishwashers have built-in preheaters to
bring the water temperature up to the required level, usually
about
140 degrees.
(Jim Dulley)
3. Christmas
Lights - Energy Efficiency
The time has come to decorate our
homes for the holiday season!
Here are some tips to keep your electricity bills at a manageable
level this season!
The most energy-efficient type of Christmas lights are midget
bulbs. These are very small tubular-looking bulbs that use
significantly less electricity than standard colored bulbs. For
example, an entire strand of 35 midget bulbs uses less than 20
watts of electricity as compared to about 7 watts for a single
standard bulb.
The midget bulbs are available in strands of more than 100 bulbs.Although each bulb in the 100-bulb strand does not burn as
brightly
as one in a fewer-bulb strand, the additional bulbs appear more
decorative. Therefore, you use less electricity with the same or
better decorative appearance.
When a midget bulb burns out, even though the other bulbs in the
strand stay lit, replace it as soon as possible. Otherwise, the
life of
these remaining bulbs is reduced. You can determine the proper
replacement bulb voltage by dividing the number of bulbs in the
strand into 120 volts. For example, a 50-bulb strand uses 2.5-volt
bulbs. If you do still like to use the standard-sized bulbs, select the
newer
energy-efficient cool bulbs. These cool bulbs use only about 5
watts, much less than some of the older bulbs.
4. Re-caulking
- Tips from a European Tilesetter
Last newsletter, I included an
article about re-caulking around your
bathtub with a thick bead of caulk. I was contacted by one of our
listed contractors who specializes in tile setting, and though
most
of the article was correct he suggested that a thin bead of caulk
be
used instead. He was kind enough to send me information to
forward on to you. Thanks for the tip Walter!
It is best, when recaulking around your bathtub, to use a thin
bead
of caulk, as a thick caulk bead expands and pulls together more in
changing temperature than a thin caulk bead. A thick bead
will
therefore pull off from the tiles much faster than thinly applied
caulk. The temperature change on the surface of a thinly applied
caulk bead is immediately the same as on the material behind,therefore there is not a build up of condensation and tension.
With
a thick caulk bead it's different. It takes time for the heat or
cold to
go through it. This builds up condensation and tension which
causes peeling off and cracking. Thin beads tend to stay on much
better as there is a stronger bond.
5. Our
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsors for their
continued support!
Please find out more about our sponsors while visiting
our web page.
- Remax House of Real Estate -
Keaco Services
- Phantom Screens
- The Blind Doctor
- Blinds 2000
- High Security Lock Co.
- Pillar to Post Home Inspection - Realty
World Tempo
- Richardson Rug & Upholstery -
Handles & More
- Window Works
- Paint'N'FauxFX
New this month:
Magiclean Cleaning Services Inc.: Specializing in
residential
and commercial carpet and upholstery cleaning, as well as
flood
and fire damage clean up and restoration. Call: 229-3323
(Please let them know you found them through Home-Work!)
6. Something
to think about
Here is a nice story I read the
other day. It's something to think
about as we all lead busy lives that are sometimes overwhelming.
The carpenter I hired to help me restore my old farmhouse, had
just
finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose
an
hour of work, his electric saw quit, and then his ancient pickup
truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. Upon arriving, he
invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front
door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching tips of the
branches with both
hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing
transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he
hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my
curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen
him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he
replied. "I know I
can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure,
troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So I
just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then
in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing
is," he smiled,
"when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't
nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
May you all have a happy and healthy Holiday Season surrounded
by family and friends. Until the year 2000.....
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