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Keeping Your Pet Cool in Summer

It’s normal for people to get out and enjoy the sunshine during the summer season. But, you have to consider several things and take extra care during the warmer months, especially if you have a dog.  

Aside from uncomfortable for dogs, excessive heat and sun can lead to heatstroke. Oftentimes, it can be deadly for your dog.  

Today, we are going to share with you a couple of tips to make sure that you and your dog can both safely enjoy the summer months.  

There are a lot of things to think about in summer to make sure you and your pet are comfortable and cool at all times. Here are some of them: 

Groom Your Dog Regularly 

If you really are a responsible dog owner, you know that the coat of your dog is going to affect their temperature. Naturally, a dog with long or thick coats will insulate more heat. This means that they might find it a lot harder to cool down in the warmer season. You should always ensure that your dog is having routine grooming. You should also think about clipping thick or long coats for summer. This will help keep your dog as comfortable and cool as possible. If you want to know more about dog grooming, click here.  

Time Your Walks 

In extremely hot temperatures, you need to stop walking your dog in the middle of the day. Both the pavements and the air temperature will be risky and uncomfortable for your dog. You should instead walk them in the evening once the sun has gone down or early in the morning before the sun is completely out. 

Avoid the Car 

If possible, you should not travel in your car with your dog at all. You need to keep the AC on and the windows open if you do have to travel with your dog. You should also ensure that your dog has a lot of water. When traveling, cooling coats and cooling pads are also an ideal choice.  

In summer, you should not leave your dog unattended in a vehicle. Temperatures inside an idle vehicle can rapidly become very risky for the dog, even with a window open. Aside from being uncomfortable, it can really be deadly for your dog if you leave it in a hot vehicle. Even if you’re leaving your dog for a couple of minutes, it is simply not worth the risk. 

Keep Your Dog Well Hydrated 

During the hot weather, dogs also require more water, just like us. This will help them keep hydrated and cool. You have to always ensure that your dog has a continuous supply of cool, clean, and fresh water in your home. To make sure that the water is cool constantly, you will have to regularly top up your water than normal. You have to ensure you carry a portable dog bowl with you if you are planning on taking out your dog. You should also carry a water bottle so they can hydrate while walking.  

How to Care for Your Carpet

Many families have to use carpets on their floors for protection. The fluffy surface of a carpet is great for families who have children and elderly members, as they are the ones most prone to falling. The cushioning that a carpet provides serves as the padding underneath the feet. It also prevents many cases of rough slip and fall.  

 Carpeting is also a great choice for homeowners who have lots of traffic going in and out of their homes. Wood is particularly difficult to walk on. Carpeting is easier because it’s softer. It also reduced the noise and vibrations as it absorbs the sound of foot traffic. That means you’re also soaking up all the noise inside and outside. This is ideal if you live in an apartment complex with people living above and below you.  

 What You Should Know About Carpet Installation 

 There are more benefits to installing carpets in your home. Listed below are some of the reasons why you must consider adequate carpeting. But along with these benefits, some disadvantages may also set in. Here are the things that you need to know more about carpets.  

 1. Carpets are generally affordable.  

 Carpet installation generally costs less than other types of flooring. Stone, hardwood, and other flooring systems tend to be more expensive when it comes to labor and craftsmanship. Carpet installation is more rational as carpeting comes in one large roll that is cut to match the rooms of a home. 

 2. Carpets are prone to odors.  

 Animal odors are carpeting hazards. To cover animal odor, people tend to spray fragrant powders on them. But unless carpets are cleaned, the odor and stain aren’t gone. Most carpet powders sink into the fibers, and that makes tha lot harder to clean.  

 3. Staining is a common carpet problem.  

 Professional carpeting cleaning is necessary to remove carpet stains and possibly prevent them in the future. If you have kids and pets in your family, you have to be very vigilant of your carpets. Remove stains as soon as they happen so as not to stain the carpet fabrics. Professional cleaners have the tools and equipment to handle stains. Call them up as soon as you find that it’s difficult to remove any stain on your floor.   

 4. Use light-colored carpet only in areas where there’s less traffic.  

It’s highly encouraged that you install dark color carpets in high traffic areas of your home. If you really want to use light-colored carpets, you may do so in certain parts only. As a rule of thumb, bedrooms, living rooms, and playrooms must have dark-colored carpets.  

 Hire Professional Carpet Cleaners  

 Your carpet may last forever if you care for it well enough. There are other strategies that you may do to maintain it. You may start by regularly cleaning it, which means vacuuming it periodically and removing spills as they happen. If you need help with carpet cleaning, click here. The professionals are just one phone call away from you. 

Fixing the Problems with Reinforced Concrete

Concrete, by itself, is a very durable building material. Rome’s Pantheon is a magnificent structure. It is the world’s highest unreinforced concrete structure, and it is still in its excellent condition, even after 1,900 years of existence. Yet, many concrete buildings of the last century collapsed, from bridges and highways to homes. Most concrete structures built this century will get damaged before its expected end of life.  

This might seem strange given the existence of antique structures. The critical difference is that today’s construction process integrates the use of reinforced steel concealed inside the concrete, which is known as the rebar. Steel is made primarily from iron and one of iron’s unalterable characteristics is that it rusts. It destroys the integrity of concrete structures. That’s also the reason why it is expensive to repair them.  

Steel and Concrete  

Steel restructuring was a remarkable achievement of the 19th century. The steel bars add strength, allowing for the construction of tall, cantilevered structures and smaller, less backed slabs. It speeds up building times, as these slabs need less water to pour.  

Such principles, encouraged by the assertive, and sometimes repeat promotion of the concrete industry during the 20th century, led to its massive popularity. Reinforced concrete is competing with more durable building materials like steel frame and the traditional bricks and mortar. It has substituted environmentally sensitive, low-carbon alternatives around the globe, such as mud brick and rammed earth. These traditional practices may also be the most sustainable options.  

History of Reinforced Concrete  

Early 20th century architects claimed that reinforced concrete is expected to last very long, perhaps for a thousand years. But in reality, they only last for 50 to 100 years, sometimes even less. Local building codes generally allow buildings to last for many decades. However, deterioration may begin in as few as ten years.  

Many architects and engineers point to the natural relationship between concrete and steel. They have identical thermal expansion properties, and the concrete’s alkalinity may help resist corrosion. But there’s still that lack of information and knowledge about their other properties in relation to temperature changes that are associated with sun exposure.  

Why Use Steel? 

The various alternative materials that can be used for concrete construction, like stainless steel, fiber polymer composites, and bronze aluminum aren’t commonly used still. Developers find the ease of reinforcing plain steel to be much more appealing. But many developers and designers refuse to consider the ongoing costs of concrete repair, replacement, or maintenance.  

 There are strategies that can solve the steel corrosion issue, like cathodic protection, where rust-inhibiting electrical currents hold the entire structure together. There may also be new interesting approaches for monitoring corrosion, which is done by acoustic or electrical means.  

Hiring Qualified Concrete Experts 

It is difficult and expensive to recycle concrete. Over time, reinforced concrete decreases its strength and may catalyze certain chemical reactions that accelerate its decay. The world needs to reduce its concrete use but this will not be possible without constructing long-lasting buildings. If you need more information about concrete, click here. 

The Important Aspects of Concrete Installation

Concreting is among the most important processes of building construction. Property owners are paying huge sums of money for the concreting process and other similar civil works. For the correct execution of the concreting processes, the following things need to be tested. An experienced site engineer should also be hired to oversee these processes.   

 1. Stability checking   

 Centering and formwork must be checked to assure appropriate level, support, and alignment. They may collapse during concreting in case the supports aren’t stable and strong. This can be a serious safety problem and may result in a total waste of time, money, and resources. Before, during, and after the concreting process, an independent supervisor must observe the efficiency of all centering and shuttering supports.  

 2. Proper plank and plate installation   

 Plates and planks have to be properly checked and oiled by the site engineer. In case the plates weren’t oiled properly, they may get damaged when the plates are stricken. If that happens, damage to the concrete surface will occur, and it’s going to be a bit difficult to repair. It will also lead to a poor finish.  

 3. Sealing   

 Holes must be thoroughly checked and properly sealed. If the concrete is not sealed, then it will have holes where leakage may occur. Water leaking through the concrete will give it an unsuitable finish.  

 4. Strengthening   

 Before starting the concreting process, all reinforcement details must be reviewed according to the blueprints. It should be thoroughly checked for bar width, lap joints, cut length, bar length extension, beam-column joints, and footing. Improper placement and detailing of the structural element will lead to poor working conditions and even structural failures.  

 5. Reinforcement  

 Reinforcement is among the key facets of concrete work. Reinforcement bars must not be exposed to the weather. If they aren’t shown in the blueprint, then they should be fitted with the minimum recommended cover. Proper bars or blocks should also be supplied with spacers. If the metal rods are not properly covered or exposed to sunlight, the result is corrosion or rust formation. It eventually causes concrete spills.  

 6. Strengthening  

 The concrete should be duly strengthened to withstand its load. The supports should be held in place to cover the lower and upper layers of the concrete. If there isn’t enough support, then the rods could be disturbed and won’t be even.  

 7. Materials 

 An adequate amount of cement, aggregates, and sand must be ensured to be on site before any construction is started. If there’s not enough material accessible when doing concrete work, then work interruption may occur. There will also be unnecessary joints within the structure.   

 8. Mixing  

 To ensure the seamless flow of labor and access to materials, position the mixer optimally.  Also, the mixing needs to be minimized and regularly checked. The proper mixtures should be added for the best results.  

 If you need more help or information about the concreting process, click here. There will be professional concrete contractors from the team to answer your inquiries about your concreting project.  

How to Prevent Septic Tank Damage

By default, septic tanks are systems that are designed to function properly without complications or the need for human intervention or repair. For over 100 years, septic tank systems have worked as a simplistic solution to an endless supply of waste generated in hundreds of millions of tons per year. 

Septic tank systems are not foolproof and will definitely need repair at one point or the other. Many systems are connected to the drain field, at some point, will have to be repaired or replaced. The connections to these systems are usually made through underground pipes and lines allowing the safe passage from the tank to the wastewater.  

 The buried lines and the tank itself can be disturbed or shifted as a result of anything heavy, such as a heavy equipment rolling over the field where the tank is located.  On the other hand, ground changes like severe storms and natural shifts can also saturate the soil to a point where the structure starts to move. A faulty system may not work at 100%, resulting in damp spots, backups, and odors.  

Why Septic Tanks Get Damaged  

Tree roots also play a major part in septic tank issues. Root systems can crack through the walls of the tank quickly, and can act as a mesh barrier that prevents proper waste flow. Planting trees or large shrubs around your drain field can lead to unwanted roots within your network that can cause problems that have to be removed. Worst-case scenario is a stoppage or backups. If your home or company is linked to a septic tank network, keep these useful tips in mind to avoid future costly repairs.  

 1. No heavy equipment 

 Never allow heavy equipment to drive over your septic tank, septic lines, and drain fields. As stated earlier, the tanks can get easily damaged by a heavy object sitting over it. Doing this keeps you from having to pay excessive repair charges in the future.  

 2. No parking  

 Do not use the area above your septic system as parking space. Lighter cars can also move the surface area and cause damage below ground level. You have to know exactly where the septic tank is located in your home.  

 3. No planting  

 Avoid planting any shrub or tree in the surrounding areas of the septic tank. In a few years, the rooted can create a barrier to the system, causing massive damage. You can plant anywhere else in your lawn, but never near a septic tank.  

 4. No antibacterial products 

 Avoid using antibacterial products unless in your bathrooms and sinks unless it’s a strict daily regimen. Anti-bacterial products have agents that destroy healthy bacteria that can disrupt the health of your septic system.  

 These tips should help you keep your septic tanks in the best condition. To help with your septic system, you can hire septic tank service professionals. One of the best places to find them is on the internet. Click here if you want to be served by the best. The professionals can repair and install septic tanks according to your home’s needs.