Author: Fit Marker

Could Installing Solar Panels Cause any Damage to my Roof?

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Fit Marker in roof restoration

Solar panels have more benefits than they do disadvantages. The bulk of people find that solar panels boost the efficiency of their property with the aid of always reaching their required electricity needs. At the same time, the installation price is high. They assist us by saving money as other energy sources such as natural gas are much more expensive. It is common to find that installing solar panels eventually saves people money. If considering solar panels, it is good to consider and comprehend all the advantages and drawbacks.

It’s common to have solar panels placed onto the roof of a residence, this serves to distract from or disguise their presence. Almost all house owners desire for their new solar panels to not be visible as they value the aesthetics of their home, especially the roof. If a roof isn’t in great condition, pests and water can easily make their way into the home. It is vital to always be cautious when installing something onto your roof. Thinking about that, getting solar panels on your roof can result in further damages if it is not in great shape. Ensure that you consider all the following points;

What Condition is Your Roof in?

Roofs which might be already weakened by damage are much easier to severely damage. If everyday maintenance is not carried out on your roof, it is critical that you keep in mind the benefits and downsides to solar panels. Problems which may be present on your roof and will get worse after putting in solar panels include; weakened regions of the roof, any holes and any missing shingles.

It is vital to address these troubles before putting in solar panels. Pressure is applied in your roof when solar panels are installed and this pressure can result in the above troubles becoming worse. An accountable homeowner ensures that these troubles are taken care of.

Complete all Repairs

It is the most advantageous to make sure that all required repairs are performed before installing any solar panels. Additionally, this should be done alongside a professional roofer to ensure your roof is thoroughly inspected prior to getting solar panels, this will immediately make any issues known and save you money in the end.

By having these issues known and consequently solved will eliminate any future problems with both your solar panels and roof. Remember that a damaged roof will result in more and more issues than just your roof needing small repairs. Vermin and mould issues can also arise due to this and these further cause unwanted damage to your roof. These issues can all be solved by a professional roofer. When all of these have been made aware, you will be able to effortlessly install solar panels onto your roof.

Making sure that your roof is in great condition will assist you in avoiding any issues that could possibly arise. Consider whether getting solar panels will be safe in your situation by asking your local professional roofer and pondering all the benefits and disadvantages.

Cons Of Epoxy Floors

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Fit Marker in Flooring

Epoxy floors are becoming more popular as time goes by, but that does not mean that this flooring solution is perfect. Before you can decide to have to this type of floor installed in your working institution or home, here are a few cons of epoxy floors that you should be aware of.

The Cons OF Epoxy Floors.

1. Slippery.

Epoxy floors might be skid resistant when they are dry, but when the floor is wet it becomes slippery. That is why it is advisable that you texturize epoxy floors to minimize the risk of falling when the floor is wet. However, this will only cost you more since you will be required to do it regularly.

2. Temporary.

Even though epoxy floors are durable, they are not a permanent flooring solution. That means you will have to replace the floor after using it for some time. Furthermore, epoxy floors can easily get damaged when heavy items are dropped on the floor. When this happens, cracks easily start to develop and the damage can spread if not repaired as soon as it is noticed.

3. Sensitive And Difficult To Install.

Installing epoxy floors is not an easy task and you must be a trained expert to do this kind of work. If the floor is not installed correctly, then it does not last as long as it should and you will be forced to installed a new one. Moreover, epoxy floors coating gets damaged very easily and can only be applied when the moisture levels are very low.

4. Need Special Products For Maintenance.

Besides the cost of installing this beautiful floor, you also need to add the cost of maintenance in your budget. That is because you required to buy special products for cleaning the surface. Without these special chemicals and cleaning acids, it becomes difficult to get rid of tough stains. Furthermore, you are also required to buy protective gear as well such as eyewear, protective gloves, and breathing devices to protect you from inhaling these chemicals.

5. Smell.

Epoxy floors also have very strong fumes. Especially when the surface is wet. That is why it is advisable that you keep the surface dry to minimize the smell. You should also keep distance when the coating is being applied especially if you do not have a breathing device.

Conclusion.

By acknowledging the cons of epoxy floors, you will be able to decide whether this type of flooring solution is best for you or not.

Tips On What To Do In A Plumbing Emergency

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Fit Marker in Plumbing

Nobody likes the thought of dealing with a plumbing emergency. However, the chances are sooner or later you will experience one. What do you do when it does happen? Read on to find out what to do in a plumbing emergency.

Turn The Water Off
The very first thing you need to do is turn the water off, especially if you find a leak or any other kind of plumbing issue. A small leak may seem harmless, but it can easily cause thousands of dollars in damage to nearby structures. If it’s a faucet or toilet leaking, then find the fixture that sends water to them and turn it off.

In the worse case scenario, turn the main water supply off. Take a look at your water meter because this is the area where the main shut off is usually located. Just make sure you act quickly because you don’t want water to get all over the place.

Assess The Situation
After you’ve turned the water off, you want to assess the situation. Have a look around and determine what kind of damage has been done and where the leak is coming from, if possible. Basically, you want to gather as much info as possible when assessing the area.

When you call the emergency plumber, they’ll ask you a few questions. This is why assessing the damage is a must. You’ll be better prepared and the emergency plumber will be in a better position to let you know whether it’ll be a quick fix or if extensive work will be required.

Call A Plumber
Next, it’s time to contact a plumber. Not all plumbers provide emergency services. Take the time to do quick research on emergency plumbers that serve your area. Better yet, you should do this now because it’s better you have an emergency plumber chosen even before you need their services.

Find a plumber that charges reasonable rates and one that is highly experienced with handling plumbing emergencies. Also, find out what their response time is like because you want to hire a plumber that will arrive as soon as possible and will fix the problem quickly.

The first thing people tend to do in a plumbing emergency is panic. It is a nerve racking experience, but the key is to stay calm and do the above. The next time you are faced with a plumbing emergency, make sure you remember this article.

Some Of The Most Common Home Electrical Problems

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Fit Marker in Electrical

If you currently own your own home, you know that there are many problems that can arise throughout the time you are the owner. Some of those problems may be related to your electrical systems. This can be anything from the circuit breakers that have gone out to the physical wiring itself. In some cases, it could be a very simplistic problem that can be resolved in minutes by a professional. At other times, you may have to rewire an entire home because the wiring is outdated or is in some way damaged that will require this type of repair. Here are some of the more common electrical problems that occur at home that you should be aware of.

Problems With Your Outlets

One of the most common problems that you will have with the electrical system at your home revolves around the outlets. One of the problems is that too many of the outlets are connected directly to one circuit breaker reducing the amount of electricity that can go through to the outlets themselves. By plugging into many appliances, you can overload the circuit breaker, causing it to trip. This will require an electrician to either increase the size of the circuit breaker, or they may have to rewire several of the outlets going to different circuit breakers.

Problems With Shorting Out

Another common problem is the advent of shorts that will occur, causing not only your electrical outlets, but all of the other electrical systems in your house to be compromised. In most cases, this has to do with damage to the wiring. Once the wiring is replaced, everything will function as it should. A short can also occur when the insulative barrier between the wires becomes compromised, causing them to lose their continuous flow from the source of electricity to the appliance in question.

These are just a few of the more common home electrical problems that you may encounter. Whether you are renting, or if you are the owner of the house, these will need to be resolved as quickly as possible. It is imperative that you resolve shorts as fast as you can so as to avoid the potential of electrical fires. It is easy to find either an apprentice, journeyman, or even a master electrician that will be more than happy to diagnose and eventually fix the problems that you are facing. Just be sure to evaluate each one, looking at testimonials available, before choosing an electrician to fix any problems that you have with your electrical system.

To ensure that your home or business is safe and secure book a quote with the Electrician Geelong team today.

Finding Some Of The Top Air Conditioner Brands On The Market

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Fit Marker in Air Conditioning

AC unit If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, you’ll want to be careful about what you buy. You should make point of buying from one of the best brands on the market. Here’s how you can find some of the top brands available to you.

Find A Well-Established Brands

In most cases, the most reputable air conditioner brands aren’t brands that are new to the market. The best brands have been around for quite some time. When you’re exploring your shopping option, you should seek out brands that have been around for several years or more.

When a brand has plenty of history, that company has had time to iron out the kinks in their business plan. They’ve learned how to produce top-quality air conditioners that offer plenty of value. It will also be easier to research a company if it’s been around for some time.

Read Reviews

See what people are saying about different air conditioners on the market. Find out which brands are consistently getting rave reviews. If a lot of people are praising a company’s air conditioners, there’s probably a good reason for that.

If your goal is to find the best brands out there, you’ll definitely want to take the feedback of others on board. When people take the time to write a review for a product, it usually means that the product made a strong impression. Whether a review is positive or negative, it can tell you a great deal.

Look At The Warranties Different Manufacturers Offer

A comprehensive warranty can be a sign of quality. If a brand offers an excellent warranty on their products, it’s safe to assume that their products are very reliable.

When you’re looking at different air conditioners, you shouldn’t just focus on the product itself. You should also take a close look at the warranty. See how long the warranty lasts. Find out what is included in the warranty.

Some manufacturers are known for their excellent warranties. If you wind up buying an air conditioner from one of these brands, you’ll probably be very happy with it.

Take the time to find some of the top air conditioner brands out there. Don’t buy just any air conditioner. Look carefully at your choices, and learn more about different brands. If you’re able to find your best options, you’ll be able to choose an air conditioner that you’ll be thrilled with. If you want a professional to help you with the process the team at Air Conditioning Geelong can not only help you to make the right choice they can also handle the installation.

Picking Out The Perfect Shower: A Helpful Guide

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Fit Marker in Plumbing

Are you looking for the right shower for your needs? Well look no further, here we will look at some key points that will help you to pick the shower of your dreams. Some of the keypoints to consider are:

Size

The first and potentially the most important point is to identify the space that you have available to install your shower. Do you already have a place defined for where your shower will go and is that this area a definite size. You may be in a position where you are designing a new bathroom and can potentially find the shower of your dreams and design the rest of the bathroom around that space. Thinking about the size of the shower is vital and something that you will need to get right. We recommend talking to a professional such as the team at Plumbers Geelong who can help you measure the area correctly and give you the best options for your circumstances.

Budget

Unfortunately, there is a big range in price when you are looking at doing a bathroom fit out or redesign. Exactly how much do you want to spend on the new shower. You can purchase a great range of brand new showers with a variety of prices. Getting educated on the showers that are in your budget will help you focus your time and energy on discovering the right shower to suit your needs. A great place for this can be online or visiting your local plumbing or bathroom store.

Design

Showers come in a huge range of colours, looks and styles. The best way to get an idea of what options are available and what would suit your needs is simply go to a showroom or get online. I find Pinterest has many great examples. See the link for some ideas Bathroom Ideas

Features

Another important thing to take into account with regards to picking out the perfect shower is definitely the features that you most desire. Would you like a steam option? Are you wanting heads in a number of locations? Do you want shelfs in several areas? Should you aren’t sure exactly what is available, you ought to take a moment to learn about everything that has gone out there. This should help you understand more about the options and then choose what will perform best for your needs.

In conclusion, when you want to choose the perfect shower there are numerous things that you will need to consider. By thinking about the size, the colours, the budget, and also the special features, it will be easy to generate a great choice as far as the latest shower you choose goes. Use these guidelines to help you as you go along.

Interior Lights For Your Home

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Fit Marker in Electrical

Good lighting is one of the keys to making your house a home. Here we look at some interior lighting options to make your home really shine.

Probably the most popular kinds of interior lighting are what is known as recessed lights. These lights are actually set inside the ceiling or even walls as opposed to hanging or being mounted. This helps to create the space that you need, they can also be angled in different ways to create different lighting effects in particular rooms.

Another very popular interior lighting option is wall scones, these are available in a variety of design styles and sizes to offer you a range of lighting design ideas. These lights are permanently coupled to the wall and they are reminiscent of old-fashioned lights that lit up rooms and hall ways. These can work extremely well when combined with something like a chandelier.

Speaking of the chandelier there are also a wide range of modern hanging light system that are perfect for your dining room or entertaining areas. In addition to lights alone, you can get these fixtures with fans too which adds another aspect of practicality.

In addition to these types of permanent lighting systems, also you can benefit from portable lighting systems, like floor and desk lamps. These are great for different tasks such as computer use, sewing or office work. While many floor lamps only have one bulb, others contain several lights that could be arranged to create soft light throughout the room. Alternatively, desk lamps are useful for focused light. A combination of these may be efficient for ensuring which you have proper lighting regardless of what task you might have undertaken.

Continue for more information on interior lighting options and also have a professional electrician install the systems you choose. Electrician Geelong is an expert at all forms of lighting design and installation.

3 Things To Look For In A Roof When Purchasing A Home

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Fit Marker in roof restoration

Are you in the market for a home because if you are, one of the things you’ll want to look at is the roof. You’re probably wondering what to look for in a roof when purchasing a home. If you are, then continue to read on because we’re going to tell you three things to look for.

1. Ventilation System

A roof has to have a good ventilation system because this allows for the circulation of air around the roof cavity. The last thing you want is to buy a home that has a roof that doesn’t have an adequate ventilation system. If the system is poor, then you could end up dealing with major issues at some point in the future.

A poor ventilation system can lead to many issues. The more issues that arise, the more money you’ll spend on repairing it. If you’re not sure whether or not the roof has a decent system, then hire a professional such as Roof Restoration South Adelaide to inspect it for you.

2. Leaks And Breaks

If a roof is prone to leakage, then you are only asking for trouble if you don’t have it fixed. This is why you want to make sure the roof of the home you’re potentially buying doesn’t have any leaks in it, and make sure the roof is in good condition and has not been damaged.

Fixing leaks is important because roof leaks can damage the interior of your home. If a roof is damaged and not repaired, things typically get worse. Always inspect the roof for leaks, broken or missing tiles, and then you can decide whether or not you should buy the home.

3. Mould

Check the roof for mould because mould is bad for numerous reasons, with one that it has a bad smell. It is also a sign that there is possibly a leak somewhere within the roof. Not only that, but mould can make a roof look unattractive. The good news is you can hire a professional to remove the mould from the roof and make necessary repairs to it, if you go ahead and purchase the home anyways.

When you buy a home, make sure the roof has a good ventilation system. Always look for leaks and breaks too, and don’t forget about inspecting it for mould. If you’re not too sure how to spot these things, then your best bet is to hire a professional roofer.

What A New Homeowner Should Know About Their Roof

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Fit Marker in roof restoration

If you just bought a home and are new to owning homes, you need to pay attention to your roof. You want to get it checked out by professionals regularly and you want to make sure you keep it in good shape. Otherwise, it could cause you a lot of expensive problems in the long run.

You’re going to want to find out whether or not the roof is in good shape when you have a new home. You can hire a roofer to come out to do an inspection for you so you can see if there are issues or find out that everything is okay with it. It’s best to get an inspection done right away if you haven’t had one done since you’ve bought the house. In fact, you should get an inspection done on a regular basis just in case something goes wrong with your roof.

If there has been any bad weather in your area, you should have someone come out to make sure your roof is okay. From storms to days where the wind is blowing hard, anything can happen to your roof when the weather is not cooperating. You want to keep an eye out for things like leaks after particularly bad storms or really windy days and you should have a professional out to look at the roof even if you don’t see any problems in case there are any that are small and need to be patched up.

It’s better to take on roofing issues when they are small than to wait for them to get worse over time. It costs a lot more money to take care of a bad roofing issue than it does to take care of a small one that doesn’t require that much work to get taken care of. You’re going to want to research your options when it comes to the different people that can help you with your roof. Find a service that is well reviewed and that you can trust to let you know whether you have roofing issues or not.

There are a lot of roof problems that can happen if you don’t take care of your roof on a regular basis. Make sure you have a professional come out to check out your roof for you a few times a year. Once you find a problem, get it taken care of as quickly as possible.

What Is A Positive Geared Property

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Fit Marker in Property Investment

Positive geared properties are defined as properties that generate a positive rental cash flow for owners. These tend to be rental properties that earn a higher amount of rental income as compared to the payable expenses; including mortgage payment, interest, property management costs and property rates among others. It is worth mentioning that the positive cash flow is a gross amount, with the applicable income tax still included.

In most cases, positively geared properties are located in regional areas. This is where demand for rental properties is usually high, while the vacancy rate is relatively lower. Although these properties do attract capital gains, the rate of appreciation is much lower.

Advantages

Perhaps the main appeal around positive geared properties is that they add more money into your pocket. As previously mentioned above, these properties earn a positive cash flow. This means that as the owner, you get to cover all the necessary expenses and still have some cash left to line your pocket.

Another advantage of investing in positive geared properties is slightly reduced risk exposure. Since positive geared properties can literally pay for themselves, owners are exposed to a reduced level of risk if they were to get into financial troubles. For instance, the net cash earned from the properties can be used for your own upkeep if you were to lose your job.

Furthermore, you would not be forced to sell off the investment under pressure and in unfavorable conditions due to cash troubles. This is because the investment pays for itself.

Positive geared investments also raise the owner’s attractiveness to lending institutions. This is because the lenders view the positive cash flows and reduced risk exposure as favorable.

There is a common misconception that positive geared properties are associated with low capital appreciation. This is mainly because the properties are usually located in regional areas, where property value appreciation rates tend to be relatively lower than those experienced around inner-cities and the suburbs. However, the property values are known to fluctuate from time to time due to the rental demand fluctuations experienced in regional areas.

Although this is true, the rental rates are likely to grow over time, further increasing the positive cash flow amount. This is the case especially considering that the mortgage amount stays constant.

As you can see from the above, positive geared properties have a lot to offer. Their appeal depends on whether their advantages line up with the investors goals.