LDR Cleaning & Restoration Earns 2010 Better Business Bureau Complaint Free Award
LDR Cleaning & Restoration earned a Better Business Bureau Complaint Free Award for 2010.
This Complaint Free Award is awarded exclusively to Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited businesses, recognizing their commitment to complete customer satisfaction and honoring their superior performance in the area of ethical business practices.
LDR Cleaning & Restoration has been proudly serving all of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin since 1991.
Preventing Frozen Pipes
An average of a quarter-million families have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter, all because of water pipes that freeze and burst.
And recovering from frozen pipes is not as simple as calling a plumber. An eighth-inch (three millimeter) crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons (946 liters) of water a day. Both plastic (PVC) and copper pipes can burst.
By taking a few simple precautions, you can save yourself the mess, money and aggravation frozen pipes cause.
Before the cold hits
Insulate pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Remember – the more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
Heat tape or thermostatically-controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes. Be sure to use products approved by an independent testing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., and only for the use intended (exterior or interior). Closely follow all manufacturers’ installation and operation instructions.
Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out and the heat in. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
Disconnect garden hoses and, if practical, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.
When the mercury drops
A trickle of hot and cold water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall.
Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.
Before you go away
Set the thermostat in your house no lower than 55°F (12°C).
Ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it’s warm enough to prevent freezing or
Shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it will be deactivated when you shut off the water.
If your pipes freeze
Don’t take chances. If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber. If you detect that your water pipes have frozen and burst, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve in the house; leave the water faucets turned on. (Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shut-off valve is and how to open and close it.)
Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame. Water damage is preferable to burning down your house. You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe with the warm air from a hair dryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe. Do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water because you could be electrocuted.
http://www.statefarm.com/learning/loss_prevent/learning_lossprevention_frozpipes.asp
Why is there ice built up on my roof?
Ice Dams
An ice dam is an accumulation of ice at the lower edge of a sloped roof, usually at the gutter. When interior heat melts the snow on the roof, the water will run down and refreeze at the roof’s edge, where temperatures are much cooler. Eventually, the ice builds up and blocks water from draining off the roof. This forces water under the roof shingles and into your attic or down the inside walls of your home.
Take these steps to avoid ice dams:
- Keep the attic well ventilated. the colder the attic, the less melting and refreezing on the roof.
- Keep the attic floor well insulated to minimize the amount of heat rising through the attic from within the home.
- As an extra precaution against roof leaks, have a contractor install and water repellent membrane under your roof covering.
Frozen Pipes can be disastrous! Here’s how to prevent them…
Frozen pipes ruin and disrupt hundreds of thousands of homes every winter. Since it’s not easy to recover a pipe once it’s frozen, it’s best to know how to prevent what will inevitably be a disastrous situation.
Copper and plastic pipes are most susceptible to bursting and a cracked pipe can spill up to 250 gallons of water in one day! Just imagine how much damage that much water can do to your home or business!
Frozen Pipe Safety Precautions:
- Before the cold hits insulate all pipes throughout the crawl and attic spaces in your home. Exposed pipes are the most susceptible and need special care in winter time.
- Heat tape can be used to secure pipes and keep them warm all winter.
- Seal up any leaks that allow cold air to enter in the space.
- Disconnect all garden hoses
- A drip of hot and cold water can keep your pipes from freezing over night.
- Open cabinet doors to allow heat to circulate especially under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- If traveling always set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit
- When traveling for a long amount of time, shut off and drain your water system
When a Pipe Freezes:
Don’t take any chances. Call us immediately so that we can fix the problem before the ice melts and too much damage is done. Never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame.
Fantastic Testimonial
LDR Construction Services, Inc.
I want to thank you people for all you did to help me get my home back to normal. Having never dealt with anything like this before, I had not a clue what needed doing. Dave Kasten, his assistants Jordan and Cory, and later, David Roach helped calm my initial panic and explained thoroughly what had to be done and why. While I had trouble dealing with the noise of the 2 dehumidifiers and the 2 Vortex fans, that dried everything up and prevented mold, I’m grateful. Four days of noise, as opposed to severe problems down the line, were tolerable, if not comfortable.
Your workmen were all very polite, all patient with my many questions (an I had dozens of questions!) and catered well to my needs of doing what they needed to do in afternoons, not mornings, due to my health problems.
I hope no one I know ever goes through what I did, but if I ever hear of such a thing, I will suggest they contact your company. Even the delay in getting the replacement flooring was worth the wait for the 2 men who placed the flooring were so efficient it was like watching an artist at work.
How do they rate restaurants? With stars? A 5 star restaurant is tops? Well, you business gets 5 stars- or five thumbs up- or whatever signifies “tops!”
Thank you again.
Susan Pepin
Holiday Fire Safety
While it is easy to think that a fire in your home would never happen to you, there are more potential risks around your home than you may think, especially during the winter months. Fires get out of hand so quickly that it can take just seconds for a spark to fill a room with smoke. A recent study shows that within three seconds of ignition, a dry scotch pine Christmas tree is completely ablaze; within 40 seconds the entire room in engulfed in flames that release dense and deadly toxic smoke. The good news is it can take less than one minute to help prevent such a tragedy. What can you do to help keep your family safe this holiday season? Prepare, Plan, and Prevent.
1. PREPARE- First, be prepared. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home and near all sleeping areas. You should test your smoke alarms every week and make sure that you can hear them from behind closed doors. Involve children in the testing so that they know what the alarm sounds like and what they should do if it goes off. You should also change the batteries at least twice per year. An easy way to remember this is to get in the habit of changing batteries when you change clocks for daylight savings time.
2. PLAN- Be sure your family has a fire escape plan in place. Make a quick drawing of the floorplan of your home and identify at least two exits from every room. Go over the plan with your kids and identify a meeting place outside the house, such as mailbox or neighbor’s driveway. Be sure to hold a fire drill and practice getting out of the house with your children at least twice per year. Families with infants or very young children should plan how to get those children out. Older children can be taught to stay low in case of fire, feel doors before opening them, and never return to the house once they have gotten out.
3. PREVENT- In addition to being prepared, there are also some simple ways to help prevent some of the most common causes of home fires during the holidays. Many of these steps only take a minute and can prevent what could be a lifetime of regret.
Tips for a safe Thanksgiving holiday
On Thanksgiving Day, there are 3 times more kitchen fires than on any other day during the year. Here are some things you can do this holiday season to keep your home and family safe.
- Never leave hot food or appliances unattended while cooking.
- Always be alert when cooking. Do not cook under the influence of medication or alcohol.
- Keep anything that can catch on fire at least three feet from the stove, toaster over, or other heat source.
- Keep the stove top, burners, and over clean.
- Do not wear loose fitting clothes that can catch fire if they come too close to a burner.
- For recipes that require frying, grilling, or broiling food, stay in the kitchen. When baking or simmering foods, check frequently.
Here are some things you can do to keep small children safe during the holiday cooking.
- Create a three-foot “kid free zone” around the stove.
- Never hold a child while cooking, drinking, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
- Hot items should be kept from the edge of counters and tables.
- Do not use a tablecloth or place-mat if young children are in the home.
- When children are old enough, teach them to cook safely and always with help from an adult.
Have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Do Your Air Ducts Need Cleaned?
If you have one or more of the following conditions, it is recommended that you have your ducts cleaned at a minimum of once per year, if not twice.
- Your home contains smokers.
- You have pets in your household.
- The area you live in is known for having high pollen count.
- The area you live in has high levels of moisture or humidity.
- You have recently completed a home renovation project or you have just purchased a newly constructed home.
- Frequently use chemical cleaning products.
- Your home has suffered flood damage.
- You live near industries that emit a lot of smoke and other pollutants.
- There are rodents such as mice and rats running through the ducts.
Contaminants in your ducts can affect your health. As the particles blow through the home, occupants are at a high risk of inhaling them. This can lead to such health problems as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, sinus problems, constant coughing and sneezing, severe allergies, headaches, and sleep problems.
Some benefits of having your ducts cleaned include:
- Good for your heating/cooling system: Most duct system failures occur because of an accumulation of dust and dirt. By cleaning your ducts, your system will be more efficient and could lower your energy costs. The EPA states that a buildup of just .042 inches of dirt on heating or cooling coil can result in a 21% decrease in efficiency.
- Healthier children: If you have children, you know that they need to eat healthy and get regular exercise to grow into healthy adults. Because children’s immune systems are still developing, they are at a higher risk of illness.
- High risk individuals: People who already have a health condition such as asthmatics and the elderly will benefit a great deal. They will breath better and the risk of developing respiratory illness will be reduced.
Once your air ducts have undergone a thorough cleaning by trained professionals, there will no longer be any containments being blown throughout your home.
National Preparedness Month Coalition Member
LDR Cleaning & Restoration has been recognized for participating in the National Preparedness Month during September.
Do you and/or your business have a Disaster Preparedness Plan?
Is your furnace ready?
With our first freeze of the year in the weekend forecast, it would be a great idea to start up and run your furnace today. Open windows and remove the burnt dust smell that emanates from furnaces that have been setting idle for months.
Here are some other helpful furnace tips:
- Have LDR clean your ducts. Call today to schedule.
- Have an HVAC professional inspect your furnace.
- Stock up on furnace filters and change them at least monthly.
- Consider changing to a programmable thermostat.
- If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
- Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.
