Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

Gardening And Landscaping: How To Find Bargains On The Internet

May 18, 2022   Matt

Gardening And Landscaping: How To Find Bargains On The Internet

Any person who has spent time designing a landscape scheme and planting and tending to flower beds and vegetable patches has come to understand that gardening and landscaping can become a most expensive undertaking. Perhaps you are a person who has embarked on a trek involving gardening and landscaping. If that is the case, you likely have also found yourself interested in finding ways in which you can save money on necessary gardening supplies and landscaping materials.

In the brick and mortar world, there are a wide array of different store that specialize in gardening supplies and landscaping materials. As a general rule, these various specialty shops maintain an inventory of goods that tend to be priced on the high side. Of course, there are also discount retail stores that carry gardening items on a seasonal basis for what might be considered a more reasonable price. However, many an ardent gardener has complained that while the prices may be better in a discount retail store, the selection may not be as broad as a “green-thumber” might desire.

One solution that works for many people who love to garden but who do not want to break the bank in the process is turning to the Internet and World Wide Web. In recent years, there has been a steady growth in the number of Internet based websites that cater to people dedicated to gardening and landscaping.

In many instances, an Internet-based gardening business is able to avoid the high overhead costs associated with comparable stores and outlets in the brick and mortar world. These Internet venues are then able to pass the savings they enjoy on to their customers. In othere words, a typical gardener is able to obtain high quality products online (and a good selection of this type of merchandise) as a cost markedly lower than what might otherwise be found in shops and stores operating in the proverbial “real world.”

By taking the time to “surf” the Net — by taking a break from planting and tending to plants out of doors — a gardening enthusiast will be able to find exactly the types of gardening supplies and landscaping materials that are needed to develop a beautiful lawn and garden. A gardener will be able to find everything from seeds to plants to all manners of gardening supplies at one or another of the different Internet venues now in operation specializing in this type or merchandise. In the end, by shopping online for garden related merchandise, a person will be able to create exactly the type of garden and landscape he or she desires — and will have money to spare when all is said, done and planted.

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Contracting Helps Save on Energy Costs

May 13, 2022   Matt

Contracting Helps Save on Energy Costs

To improve energy efficiency, some companies are doing more than just turning out the lights at the end of the day.

As soaring energy costs increasingly affect the bottom line of U.S. businesses, the “energy performance contract” has become an attractive solution for commercial building owners. This contract is a financing or operating lease offered by an energy service company, also known as an ESCO, to help businesses improve the energy efficiency of their buildings or facilities.

The key to energy performance contracting is to use long-term utility savings to fund the improvements. The ESCO often guarantees energy savings that will meet or exceed annual payments to cover all project costs, usually over a contract term of seven to 20 years.

“A building owner either pays a utility for an inefficient building, or they can pay an ESCO to improve their building,” says Jeff Stokes, a vice president at World Energy Solutions, a publicly traded ESCO (symbol: WEGY) based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

World Energy Solutions strives to reduce kilowatt usage by up to 30 percent. The company offers a variety of services, including utility billing and rate analysis, energy auditing, installation of building improvements, building systems maintenance and ongoing monitoring and verification of the energy savings.

ESCOs can provide flexible and unique ways to finance their services. For example, World Energy Solutions offers to pay the

total up-front cost of installation as well as equipment maintenance in return for an 80 percent share of the actual savings realized over a minimum 10-year period.

“In some cases, our company will fund the entire installation, at no charge to our customer, and live off the savings we generate over a certain amount of time,” says Ben Croxton, chief executive officer of World Energy Solutions.

ESCOs not only identify energy-saving opportunities, but also develop engineering designs and specifications and manage the entire process. They also can provide staff training and ongoing maintenance services.

Even the federal government has gotten into the act, and for good reason: Executive orders that require federal agencies to use 35 percent less energy by 2010 in comparison to 1985 levels will require billion in energy projects. Much of that will go to “Super Energy Savings Performance Contracts,” offered by the Department of Energy.

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Landscaping Stone

May 03, 2022   Matt

Landscaping Stone

If you have interest in using landscaping stone in your yard, garden, koi pond or walkway, don’t limit yourself to the traditional. Consider finding or shopping for unique stones to add flair or accent to your plans. Landscaping stone can be versatile, used for simple decoration or as a foundation for much more.
Some of the uses for landscaping stone include flooring, such as for a patio, foundations for outbuildings, such as a gazebo, or even outbuildings completely made of stone. Fireplaces look great in stone (just watch out for river rock; pockets of steam could heat up and explode in a fire pit or fireplace) as do bases for planters. Entire columns could be made of stone, either as end caps for a stone wall or to support lamps or planters.
Whatever you eventual use of landscaping stone, seek out the unusual. Below are just two examples of what you might find.
Geodes
Geodes, on the surface, seem like unremarkable, round, fist sized lumps of white or tan rock. They could serve well in a planter or flowerbed for a little hardscaping, but the real gem about these rocks lays inside. Some geodes are lined inside with layered siliceous material of various color or even clear quartz crystals; the effect is a wavy, smooth, crystalline surface. You may not have a diamond-saw handy to slice one open, but you should be able to find nice specimens in a rock shop. They make great bookends for indoors, and can frame a showcase plant in your garden.
Thunder Eggs
It is almost worth using Thunder Eggs as a landscaping stone just for the great conversation possibilities. If the name was not unusual enough, it is also the State Rock of Oregon (although it is more a stone than a rock, but I suppose State Stone is asking too much.) Thunder Eggs are very much akin to geodes, as they are a shell filled with agate. They are different from geodes in that they have a solid center, often displaying a great contrast between the rocky shell of brown and the milky white and clear crystal center. Even solid, undivided Thunder Eggs are interesting to look at, with bubbly protrusions that do give the appearance of some strange egg.
Check with rock shops that cater to rock hounds for some unique finds. While the expensive might prohibit you from paving your patio with Thunder Eggs, a combination of a few unique specimens with more traditional landscaping stone would work well with almost any plan.

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Essentials of front-yard landscaping

April 28, 2022   Matt

Essentials of front-yard landscaping

Front-yard landscaping is one of the most important aspects of overall landscape design. Careful attention should always be given in landscaping the front-yard because it is the place that most people see very often—especially when they get to your house.

Getting started

When doing a landscape for your front-yard, the first major consideration would be your personal taste and preference. It is a must that you design your front-yard landscape in such a way that you want to see it not because of what other people tell you. To know what you really want, have a picture of front-yard landscape from different directions of going into the house.

By doing this, you can have an accurate assessment what are the things that you need to incorporate in your landscape design. When you do this, make sure that you have a pen and paper at hand so you can immediately jot down the list of the things that you need, the areas you need to improve on, and what are the parts of the front-yard that should be hidden or removed.

Also, take note of the accessibility in terms of entryways. This is very important because you can ensure you and your family’s safety when there’s accident such as fire and other calamities. While you’re at this, also take note of your front-yard’s planting needs so you can meet it once you start with your front-yard landscaping.

The following are just some of the things that you need to pay attention to when you start with your front yard landscaping:

1. The architectural features, structures, and the plants. Architectural features are very important because these are just some of the permanent features of the front yard. You need to invest on this because this will be a very big part of your front yard for a long period of time. It is best to carefully plan the selection of materials to be used so the harmony and balance in your landscape will not be ruined.

Also, take note of structures such as steps and other entry points. When it comes to choosing plants, make sure that they can survive all throughout the year. You should also know how to place them properly to complement overall look of the front yard.

2. The entries. This is also a very significant part of front yard landscaping because it greatly impacts the entrance of your home. In landscaping entries, make sure that they are cleared enough and exude an inviting air. One great tip is to use plants that lead people to the main door of your home. You can also add structures such as dim lampposts and trellis as well as accent shrubs and potted plants to accentuate the entry way.

3. The walks. The best thing to do when landscaping walks in create a patent that will follow that natural access for walking. This is very practical to avoid people—especially children—in stepping on areas that they should not step on. You can opt for straight paths, which are the least expensive, but you can also opt for curved ones using logs and other materials.

4. The steps. The steps are also a significant part of any front yard landscaping because it connects the path where people walk. When you do your landscape, make sure that the steps are noticeable or obvious so people would be careful in stepping on it. To make it more noticeable, try using plants as accents.

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Fiber Optics Jobs Available

April 23, 2022   Matt

Fiber Optics Jobs Available

Telecommunications is fast shedding its reliance to copper telephone wires and even those heavy duty coaxial cables, as fast as likewise laying down miles upon miles of optical fiber for use in broadband application: radio, internet and video.

And that is fiber optics in telecommunications only. Medicine has begun exploring the recently unknown zones of the biological anatomy with the means of precision image enhancing quality of fiber optics. Industry has shown a lot of promise with fiber optics as its uses in sonar and sensor equipment is superior to the old radio technology. And yet, scientist and physicist are relatively convinced that there are still many to uncover about fiber optics.

Do you know what I’m talking about? I am talking about job security. And job opportunity. Knowledge in fiber optics practical applications can be a huge ticket to any rewarding profession. It should be obvious, the demands over these materials are mounting; way more than existing factories can produce in quality. That makes fiber optics jobs available the highest rewarding entries in the job market as of today.

Here’s a compilation of fiber optics jobs available in the job market.

Fiber Optics Cable Manufacturing

These work demand involves the production of optical fiber, fiber optic amplifiers, attenuators and filters, fiber optic receiver, transmitter, transceivers, fiber optic terminals and terminators, and optical fiber polishing machines. Practically all sorts of products used in optical fiber installation and optical fiber systems. And ever since the decrease of production costs of glass threads, the ever increasing trend of fiber fed media, and the revolutionizing movement of telecommunication companies (Hello, Verizon?), Fiber Optics Cable Manufacturing have their hands and mouths full at the moment. The only cure is a variable influx of engineers and technicians that can contribute to the fiber optics cable manufacturing scene.

Check this out:
www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/ExpiredJob.aspx?job_did=J8G68Z6QKV06MCTLLSZ

Fiber Optics Sensors Engineer

Since fiber optics has extensive usage as sensors and detectors on a number of sensor equipment such as SONAR, fiber optics technician jobs are more then ever regularly popping out on short notices that is as fast being gobbled up by watching and waiting opportunity grabbers.

Most requirements for fiber optics jobs available aside from 1 to 2 years relevant work experience would be a college degree, preferably engineering, electrical, or relevant technical majors. Career enhancing opportunities like Fiber Optic Training Program at Corning Cable Systems (at: www.corningcablesystems.com) allows familiarization with practical fiber optics, installation, maintenance and design, as well as testing and troubleshooting.

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Got Plumbing Problems? Use These Easy Tips! 3

April 18, 2022   Matt

Got Plumbing Problems? Use These Easy Tips!

You may not know this, but plumbing is actually a fairly simple concept, when approached correctly. Once you have a good understanding of how everything works, then even the largest projects will appear to be a lot more simple. Read on for more great advice about plumbing in your home.

To winterize a house that will sit unused during the winter months, you must completely drain all of the pipes. After turning off the main water supply, let all of the water drain from the faucets, toilets, and water heater (turn off the gas). Add a quart of antifreeze to sinks and the tub to prevent water from freezing in the drain trap.

In the winter months, if you live somewhere where temperatures fall below freezing, leave your faucets on a little bit to let a thin stream of water through. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing, which could be a major problem for you and all the pipes in your home.

If you’re connecting a new gas appliance in your home you absolutely need to have the right connector to add it to your gas plumbing. Universal connection kits are readily available at home improvement stores which will make the connection between your flexible hose and the iron supply pipe tight and safe.

You need to winter-proof your house. You have to make sure you switch of the master circuit breaker or the shut-off valve before you leave your house. Since one small hole or congested water can quickly freeze and cause pipes to break and expand, you need to drain and open all outdoor and household water lines.

Using a snake tool to remove blockages is very easy. Just insert the tool a few inches into the drain, and then turn the handle to change the direction of the snake head and search for blockages. Continue moving down slowly and searching until you find the cause of your blockage.

If you can’t turn off a main valve to your entire home when you go on vacation then turn off the valves to each water line. For example,if you live in an apartment, turn off the individual valves in your bathrooms and kitchen. Don’t forget to drain out your dishwasher’s hose and get the valves behind your toilets.

Tub drains can get clogged by hair and debris easily, but may be hard to access. Make use of an afghan hook to reach in and snag clogging materials. These hooks are available at most craft stores. Use slow, measured movements to avoid breaking the hair as you are pulling it out.

Do you have a sump pump in your home? You should check it each spring to make sure that it is operating properly. Pour a few buckets of water into the sump pit. When you so this, the pump should turn on quickly, discharge the water, and then shut off without any issues.

In conclusion, there is a lot to know about plumbing, but it all ends up being well connected in the end. Build on any knowledge that you already have and you can take care of just about any home improvement project or plumbing issue that you might be faced with.

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