It can be very confusing these days when you go to the hardware store to buy a light bulb. It used to be you just chose the wattage bulb you needed and put it in the fixture. I hope the information below helps you find the best bulb for your application.
Read below to understand how each light bulb produces light and check out the table I created below to compare one bulb to the other.
How is the light produced?
Incandescent
An electric current passes through a tungsten filament, heating it to a temperature that produces light.
Halogen
It is an advanced form of incandescent light. However, the tungsten filament is encased in a quartz envelop which is filled with a halogen gas.
CFL (Compact Fluorescent)
An electric current is driven through a tube containing argon and a small amount of mercury vapor. This generates invisible ultraviolet light that excites a fluorescent coating (called phosphor) on the inside of the tube, which then emits visible light.
LED (Light Emitting Diode)
An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light.
Light Bulb Comparison Chart
* Did you know that the original Easy Bake Oven used a 100 Watt incandescent bulb to produce the heat required to bake?
During the process of buying or selling a home, your clients often learn about recommended or required repairs and upgrades. Of course, the first thing homeowners want to know is, “How much will that cost?”
Pillar to Post is pleased to offer their popular Residential Construction and Remodeling Estimates cost guide, which provides estimated cost ranges for repair and/or replacement of the major systems and components in a home. It also includes general guidelines for the life expectancy of those systems. This information can help you make informed decisions when considering home repairs or improvements. Below is just a sampling of a list of estimated costs for hundreds of repairs/upgrades.
Floors
Hardwood Floor Refinish $3-$6 / sq. ft
Carpet-clean $125 / room
Ceramic Tile $6-$11 / sq. ft
Kitchen Renovation $7,500 +
Kitchen counter – laminate $45 / lin. ft
Kitchen counter – marble $80 / lin. ft
Security System
Alarm System $2,500
Alarm Monitoring $35 / month
Deck
Pressure Treated $15-$30 /sq. ft
Custom Designed & Built $55-$80 / sq. ft.
Windows
Skylight $800 and up
Casement – replace $50 / sq. ft.
These estimates reflect the average basic costs for supplies and installation of building materials in United States and Canada. Costs may vary depending on regions, upgrades, complexity, and disposal fees.
For complimentary copies of our Construction and Remodeling Estimates cost guide, please contact your local Pillar To Post office, or download from: http://www.pillartopost.com/costguide
Or download the pdf here Repair & Upgrade Cost Guide
Thanks to the city of Littleton, CO for providing this information.
Post Date:02/10/2017 1:00 pm
Over the past several months, the City of Littleton has received calls from citizens who have noticed rats around the community. Littleton Code Enforcement typically manages inquiries regarding rats. If a property has a persistent rat issue, pest control companies can assist. Rat issues are somewhat cyclical, based on the predator population. Disease has decreased the number of coyotes in the southwest metro region in the past several years and rats have been reported on the increase in communities throughout the metro Denver area. “Mange hit the fox and coyote populations pretty heavily and since they feed on mice, rats, and rabbits, it makes sense that their populations are on the rise,” said Littleton Humane Officer Terry Carr.
The city’s building permitting process requires that all construction sites are kept free of trash and ensures routine scheduled pick up if there are dumpsters on-site. Property owners and managers can also minimize rats from becoming a nuisance on their properties with a few simple tips:
Tips for preventing a rat problem
Cut back tree branches that are touching your roof.
Tree branches damaging roof
Tree branches damaging roof
Asphalt granules in gutter
Evidence of roof damage
It may not seem like a big deal but tree branches, not matter how small , that touch your roof can cause significant damage. When the wind blows the leaves and branches can scrape off the asphalt granules that act as the protective surface of your shingles. Once the granules are gone the underlying materials are exposed to sun, rain, hail, ice and snow. A shingle that is designed to last 30 or even 50 years will no longer do it’s job. You may find your insurance won’t cover the repair or replacement should your roof start to leak. Take care of this relatively simple task today.
Ice Damming
Colorado often has weather conditions causing a freeze/thaw cycle which can cause damage to our homes and it’s components. The freeze/thaw cycle occurs when the temperature falls below freezing and returns to above freezing at frequent intervals over a period of time. One of the most damaging effects on our homes caused by the freeze/thaw cycle is called “ice damming”.
What is Ice Damming?
Ice damming is caused when the heat from a house begins to melt the snow on our roof from underneath. This melted snow or water runs towards the edge of the roof. When the roof has an overhang where the heat does not melt the snow it creates a snow or ice dam at the edge of the roof. This dam traps the water and prevents it from flowing freely into the gutters and forces it to back up under the shingles or other roof layers. The freeze/thaw cycle will cause this to continue until a leak or damage to underlying roofing materials occurs.
What can cause the conditions that result in ice damming?
Ice damming can occur for a number of reasons. The most common causes are 1) north facing sides of roof with large overhangs, 2) Improperly ventilated attic spaces, 3) Un-ventilated soffits
Evidence of Ice Damming
How can I tell if I have an ice dam?
One of the main indicators that an ice dam may be forming is the presence of icicles. Although you might find icicles hanging from a roof to be pretty they are most often an indication of a problem.
How do I prevent ice damming?
Heat Cable Installed
Improve ventilation
To increase the life of your water heater here are some recommendations:
#3 is one of the recommendations I can help you with. Luckily, repairing screens is so simple it’s crazy not to do it today.
Repairing a plastic or fiberglass screenMost screens today are made from plastic or fiberglass and small holes can easily be patched.
You can purchase a simple patch with self-sticking adhesive on one side from your local hardware story. The patch comes in a 3″ x 3″ square and can be cut to size. Apply the patch directly over any small hole or cut in the screen and you’re done!
For really small holes you can simply use a small amount of household cement, the patch will be next to invisible.
Repairing metal screens
Although metal screens are much less common they are still around on many homes. But repairing them can be just as easy.
You can purchase a ready made metal screen repair patch or you can cut a patch from an old screen. If you’re cutting a piece of screen yourself it should be at least 1/2″ – 1″ larger on all sides than the hole you’re repairing.Unravel several strands from the patch and if necessary bend the strands along the edges.
Slip the bent strands of the patch through the screen and fold them over on the opposite side to hold the patch in place.
A small amount of household cement on the ends of the strands may help keep them in place over time.
If you’re screen is damaged beyond repair you can easily replace the screen by following some simple steps. Here’s a link to my blog post that will walk you through the steps.