From the editors of Tool Box Buzz, Home Construction Improvement and Concord Carpenter
Volume 105
What's New?
Hey Guys,
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Last week was a very busy week for us. Rob and I traveled to Plano Texas to visit the new North American Headquarters for Hilti. Hilti has made a significant investment in new facilities in TX that allow them to not only serve their clients better, but also work on product development with a new state of the art testing facility. We were very impressed by their new facilities, and even more impressed with the culture of
their team and how they are making significant impacts on our industry with safety and productivity. We'll share more from that trip in the coming weeks.
This week I want to switch gears a bit and focus on protecting our homes. Sunday morning I was reminded about this topic due to a very close call with fire at my own home. After cooking breakfast Sunday morning, I left a pan on the stove with some water in it, burner on, trying to release some stuck grease/food.
Unfortunately, I had a brain cramp and left that pan on the stove, and drove to a store about 20 mins away. My wife was also not home and shortly after arriving at the store I got a message from our home security system for a smoke and heat detector alarm at the house.
To make a long story short, our security system notified the local police and fire department at the same time. The fire department was able to enter our home before I could get there and remove the
pan before a serious fire started. I'm certain that without the security system it's likely our home would have been severely damaged or completely lost to fire. I wanted to share this as a reminder about protecting our most significant investment, and being prepared for life's missteps.
~ TODD
todd fratzel
Beginners Guide to Home Automation
Today homes are getting smarter with the advancements in home automation. Home automation allows us to control heating and cooling remotely, monitor security systems, and lock and unlock doors from afar. If home automation seems confusing and overwhelming then this article will get you going so the topic isn't so scary.
It used to be that installing a security system involved fishing wires and paying a hefty price especially if the system was installed in an existing home. Today there are many home security systems available that work with remote devices so that the installation is very inexpensive and in many cases it can be a simple DIY project.
The system that Todd has in his home was from XFinity
and it is also a remote system like the one pictured above. These systems can provide motion detectors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, window and door alarms and even video surveillance.
If you're considering a home security system check out this article and learn more.
Water damage is one of the most expensive things to fix in your home. A leaking furnace, shower, washing machine or sink drain can all cause thousands of dollars in damage. The key to minimizing the damage is obviously stopping the water leak as soon as possible. That's usually easy to do if you see the leak but often times the leak happens when we're sleeping, not home, or in an area of the house that's not
used often.
Today there are some really great products on the market that make water leak detection easy and inexpensive. The device shown above is a perfect example and one we think is a great solution. Check out the article for more information.
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