What's new at Concord Carpenter?
Hi Folks,
This weeks newsletter is all about getting ready for winter.
If your like me and live up north then you're probably spending your weekends getting ready for the inevidable snow. Chores like raking leaves, pruning trees, fertilizing lawns, blowing out irrigation systems, closing pools, etc.
For me it was time to close my outdoor water feature; a disapearing water fountain. I built this fountain a few years back and it's always a sad day to have to close it for the winter. If you like water features - I have the BEST online instructions on how to build a disappearing fountain like the one in the photo below - see PDF instructions here
Closing A Water Fountain
Most outdoor fountains are made to stand up to the elements, but precautions have to be taken to ensure that water does not freeze in your fountain and cause it to crack, or damage your pump during the cold winter months.
Tips for Your Home this Fall:
The fall season, is a good time to give your house a good inspection and get it ready for winter. Before the weather grows colder it's important to prepare and prevent costly damage later on.
- Check all window and door locks for proper operation, inspect door weather stripping.
- Check your home for water leaks
- Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs. consider buying a battery back up type that turn on the light if the power fails.
- Have a heating contractor check and service your heating system every year
- Protect your home from frozen pipes by sealing air leaks and insulating rim joists.
- Replace your furnace filter
- Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel is gone. Tune up and test your snow blower.
- Test your emergency generator and keep the fuel fresh
- Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper
- Remove bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor electrical fixtures
- Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Test the alarms and replace if over 10 years old.
- Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss
- Disconnect your hoses and turn off the water.
- Clean your gutters
- Fertilize the lawn
Take Back Your Day Contest:
Win $1000 prize pack!
This is a contest that's easy to enter and one you have a great chance of winning!
In order to enter and win you have to have a messy garage, workshop or tool storage area.
Bosch is looking for the messiest workshop, garage, truck, or tool storage area they can find.
Take a photo and send it in!!!
The Click and Go System is a tool storage system designed to improve efficiency and productivity.
Click this link, submit a photo to show your disorganization and enter to win a $1000 prize pack.
Time Is Valuable So Get It Back!
ACC Subscriber Tool Givaway
ACC newsletter subscriber, Julin from Appalachian Ironworks in Virginia, won the DEWALT Recip Saw giveaway - Congrats Julin!
Appalacian Ironwoks is locally owned and operated business and fabricate anything out of metal. Check out their website Appalachian Ironworks they make very cool metal railings and gates.
Next months giveaway will be from Irwin and the focus will be on hand tools and outfitting a new carpenter or woodworker or updating your old hand tools.
Recent ACC Articles Of Interest
DECK SAFETY
There are approximately 40 million decks in the United States and only half of those are code compliant. Deck safety is a real problem
Is your deck safe?
Deck safety retrofit
COOL WORK LAMP
The folks at Festool recently sent me their Festool Syslite LED Work lamp to review and evaluate on the job site.
The SysLite best features are the fact that it is cordless and has a long-lasting internal battery as its main power source, but can be easily charged or run with the included wall and car chargers, or used with a compatible Festool battery as an auxiliary power source to the internal battery.
Festool Syslite LED work lamp review
GUN SAFETY
Somehow folks do not get the incredible importance of balancing that safety from strangers and safety of their family from having an unsecured firearm. The solution to balancing both concerns is to utilize a quick access pistol safe.
SentrySafe quick access piston safe
SAVE YOUR HEMLOCK TREES
If you have Hemlocks you probably have a woolly adelgid (HWA) infestation and may not know it. Treatment for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgida varies widely depending upon the size and number of trees to be treated.
How to treat Hemlocks for the Wolly Adelgid
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