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Wed, May 15, 2024
How To Create A Luxuriously Cozy Fitness Room I...
65% of Americans prefer to workout at home than at a local gym. Having a home gym is convenient and can be purpose-built to suit your fitness needs and, with the addition of some luxury features, can help you to de-stress and relax at the end of the day, too. Nothing says luxury like a home gym that’s fully outfitted. By incorporating an extensive range of fitness equipment, a hot tub by a warming patio heater , and a room dedicated to yoga where you can meditate by a cozy fireplace, your home gym can be a truly relaxing and luxurious retreat for boosting your health and wellness.
Choosing the right fitness equipment for you
Kitting your home fitness room out should be done to your needs, rather than buying equipment that you think should be in a gym but that you have no intention of using. If you enjoy jogging outside for cardio and want a home gym for weight training then prioritize free weights and weight machines. Similarly, if your goal is to shed some pounds and improve your fitness , then you should look into some cardio machines. Elliptical trainers, treadmills, and exercise bikes are all good options that allow you to have variation with your workouts. Having a television or sound system can provide you with some entertainment and motivation while you’re working out , so consider installing these, too.
Adding a touch of luxury and relaxation
One of the perks of a gym membership is that you can get additional features, such as hot tubs, access to a pool, and saunas. If you’ve got the space, then adding some of these touches to your home fitness suite can be well worth it. Not only can they help you to relax after a long day at work, but it can also help with recovery times after intense exercise. Having an outdoor pool and installing a hot tub area with it can be an option if you don’t have space indoors. Including a cozy outdoor fire or patio heater can make the space feel even more inviting and you’ll be more likely to use it in colder months and in the evenings too.
Creating a cozy yoga area
Perhaps all you want from your fitness room is somewhere warm, cozy, and relaxing where you can practice yoga , pilates, or meditation. Creating an ambiance will be an important part of this and a fireplace can be a great feature that helps to warm the room too. Space is key, so keep either a whole room or a small part of your fitness room free from bulky equipment and away from noise. Calming music, scented candles, and dimmed lights can be all you need. Basic equipment, such as a yoga mat, pilates balance ball, and resistance bands can be kept nearby for the days you feel like mixing up your workouts.
A fitness room in your home can be a great investment that adds some real luxury to your home. For cozy and relaxing spaces, fireplaces can significantly contribute to the ambiance, as well as being a great focal point that makes any space feel inviting.
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Wed, May 15, 2024
Effective Ways to Keep Pests Out of Your Firepl...
Pest such as cockroaches, rodents, and ants can make their way into your home from many sources, and it is important to keep your home sealed against them to avoid health consequences and discomfort. Pest types vary according to state and some years are worse than others - for instance, 2018 year saw flies, ants, and mosquitoes plague people in 41 states, with around 34% of people seeking professional solutions. Proper installation of fireplaces will help reduce the risk of pests entering your home in warm and cold seasons alike but you can take additional steps to keep your home 100% pest-free.
Installing a Fireplace Door
A fireplace door that is resistant to heat can be completely shut when your fire isn’t burning. This is key during winter, since small animals and rodents can seek warmth in homes, making an entryway though your chimney. Installing a door will make your home considerably less interesting, and you can keep rodents completely out by shutting the chimney once the embers are no longer aflame.
Organize Your Firewood
If you have a large storage space for your firewood, ensure that the logs are organized according to the date of acquisition. Make sure to burn the oldest logs first, since insects have a greater likelihood of producing a sizable colony in old wood. Be particularly strict with log use if you live with people with allergies and respiratory conditions. Toxic pests can trigger asthma and other allergies. In fact, around one third of people with other allergies are also allergic to cockroaches. Symptoms of exposure include everything from chest pain to wheezing. To keep these issues at bay, ensure that logs are neatly and clearly stored so that everyone in the family knows where they should be taking wood from when they wish to start a fire.
Buy Recently Cut Wood
Unless you cut wood yourself, buy wood cut in the recent months to ensure it is fresh and pest-free. If supply of fresh wood is low, consider contacting local logging companies, tree services, and professionals in the reclaimed lumber industry. Check wood before you bring it indoors, ensuring that beetles, carpenter ants, and termites are absent. Bring wood in at the moment you will be burning it, to avoid insects infesting other items of furniture in your home.
Store Wood Optimally
You should store wood far from the fireplace; ideally, all wood should be stored outdoors. Aim to store wood off the ground, to reduce the amount of moisture buildup in the wood. To achieve this goal, consider storing wood atop a makeshift table made of bricks or concrete blocks. To ensure bringing logs to and fro is easy, invest in a log trolley. These are available for $30 or less and can be considered a small investment in your back health. Free reclaimed wood is sometimes available from excavating companies, owners of old barns, remodelling contractors and the like.
Insects and rodents can make their way into your fireplace either through old logs or through the chimney. Fireplace doors and chimney flues will keep rodents out, while using new wood and storing logs outside will ensure insects do not infest your home. Pests can have a big effect on your family’s health and this is especially true for those with asthma and other allergies. The good news is that being vigilant and organized will reduce the chances of a home infestation to zero.
Wed, May 15, 2024
Gas Valve Test - Main Operator Resistance
There are two instances where you will measure resistance when checking a valve for faulty main burner operation.
The first is measuring the main operator resistance in order to verify that there may be a problem with the gas valve. By disconnecting all wires from the TP and TH terminals, and then placing your meter leads on these terminals with your multi meter set to resistance (R) you will get a reading that should fall within the following parameters:
- SIT 820 ‐1.75 to 2.75 R
- Honeywell VS8420 ‐3.1 to 3.6 R
Before taking a resistance reading, zero your meter by touching the two leads together. If the reading is not '0', subtract this number from the number you get when measuring the Resistance.
Wed, May 15, 2024
Fireplace blower — will it make a difference?
Fireplace blower can make a difference, however it will not be a huge difference. Blowers do not make heat, if they did, all you would need is the blower and forget about any device burning fuel. That being said, the blower can move the heat away from the appliance into the space where the heat can be felt.
That is called convection heat whereas units without blowers can only generate radiant heat. Overall we do recommend blowers for wood and gas heating appliances. One thing to keep in mind is when you install a blower on your fireplace, you will hear the sound of the blower motor plus the sound of air moving. In some cases this may be objectionable. Most blowers we offer also include a method of discontinuing the use of the blower during certain periods.
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Wed, May 15, 2024
Open Circuit Thermocouple Test
The open circuit test will tell you the amount of voltage that the thermocouple is capable of producing without any load, or when it is disconnected. Depending on the type of fireplace you are looking at, there is more than one way to obtain this reading. The most common way of obtaining it is to disconnect the thermocouple from the valve by unthreading the thermocouple connector nut with a 3/8" open end wrench.
Next attach the leads of your multi meter to the end positive contact and the copper casing using alligator clips. After ensuring that your multi meter is on the proper range, light the pilot and hold in the control knob until the readings on the multi meter stabilize. This should take about 45 seconds. A reading of 18 to 30 mVDC should be expected. Your reading may be negative or positive depending on the polarity, but this is not important.
Should your reading be low, check your pilot flame before replacing the thermocouple.
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