Efforts to enhance home energy efficiency have spurred a growth in a variety of alternative lighting sources that use less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. With this improvement comes a greater variety of light quality, although this latter property has become obscured amidst the exci
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02/27/2010
Clothes Closet Lighting People don't often think about the fire risks posed by the light in their clothes closet, but it's one of the few places in the house where a source of high heat can get too close to flammable materials. Lighting must be installed safely with adequate separation from clo
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02/23/2010
Ozone generators intentionally produce the toxic gas ozone and are sold as air cleaners for commercial and residential applications. Specifically, they are advertised to deodorize, disinfect, kill or remove dangerous or irritating airborne particles in indoor environments. What is Ozone? Ozon
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02/19/2010
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining. As water backs up behind the dam, it can leak through the roof and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation and other areas. How do ice dams form? Ice dams are formed by an interaction
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02/19/2010
Building technologies and fashions have followed well-known trends that allow inspectors, clients and anyone else interested to roughly determine when particular buildings were constructed. Here are some methods based on a building's materials, components and styles. Estimates of Building Age
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02/19/2010
Oriented stand board (OSB) and plywood are wood structural panels made by compressing and gluing pieces of wood together. While OSB and plywood appear similar and are generally interchangeable, the different ways that each material is manufactured contribute to each having its own unique strength
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02/16/2010
Lightning is the "visible discharge of static electricity within a cloud, between clouds or between the earth and a cloud," as defined by Underwriters Laboratories. Lightning is unpredictable and a serious threat to buildings and their occupants virtually everywhere. Facts about lightning: Benj
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02/15/2010
Water may be essential to life, but, as a destructive force, water can diminish the value of your home or building. Homes as well as commercial buildings can suffer water damage that results in increased maintenance costs, a decrease in the value of the property, lowered productivity, and potenti
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02/13/2010
Electrical panels are boxes that house circuit breakers, which are are safety devices that stop the electrical current if it exceeds the safe level for some portion of the home electrical system. Safety : Many people, even experienced electricians, have been killed or seriously injured while op
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02/12/2010
When an electric current crosses an air gap from an energized component to a grounded component, it produces a glowing plasma discharge known as an arc. For example, a bolt of lightening is a very large, powerful arc that crosses an atmospheric gap from an electrically charged cloud to the grou
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02/12/2010
