Are Robots effective in cleaning Residential air ducts?

The short answer to the above question is simply…NO!

While robots certainly have their place in this industry it definitely in not in residential air duct systems, not only are they very ineffective but the risk of losing one of these VERY EXPENSIVE Robots inside your duct system is something that no experienced Duct Cleaning technician would ever take.

Robots can be quite effective in commercial applications, However, residential duct systems are a very different beast altogether, It is unlikely that even the most experienced duct cleaner would ever be able to clean more than 20% to 30% of any residential duct system with the use of a robot.

I could write a book on all the reasons why a robot will NEVER get your home’s duct system cleaned, the reasons are just too numerous to list here.

I would challenge any duct cleaning company, that they can not effectively clean the average residential duct system with the use of a robot…There’s just NO WAY!

What typically will happen when a duct cleaner shows up to your house with his almighty robot, is that he will begin to explain to you how your particular home’s duct system will simply not accommodate the use of a robot so therefore he will resort to using the standard manual tools.

I am here to tell you…that is the same story they use in virtually 100% of the households they encounter.

The way I figure it is this, If I can only clean 20% to 30% of the system with the robot and I must use the standard tools for the remaining 70% to 80% of the system, I may as well just use the standard tools on 100% of the system…It just makes perfect sense to me!

So although an advertisement that shows a FANCY-DANCY Robot may look good from a customers perspective, Believe me when I tell you that they are simply not effective in a typical residential system.

If a Duct Cleaning company tells you otherwise, I suggest that you ask them if they are willing to show you proof that their Robot is reaching all areas of your Ducts.

Pat Johnson – President of Enviro-Pure Air Care ductcleaningottawa.com/ An Air Duct Cleaning Company in Ottawa, Canada

Pat has many years experience in the Duct Cleaning Industry and has written numerous articles about Duct Cleaning practices.

Copyright © 2005 megazowie

In these days of so much hype about organic this and all-natural that, is the whole water filter craze just more hot air from health nuts trying to convince us that we’re dying one unfiltered swallow at a time? I’m no health nut, and definitely not into all things organic, but I’m a big fan of water filters!

Think water purification is a relatively recent pursuit? Think again. Historians believe that the first use of water filters was over four thousand years ago! But it wasn’t until the last several hundred years (especially since the invention of the microscope) that significant advances in water filters were made.

Put simply, a water filter is just an instrument which removes impurities from water by using a fine physical barrier, or a chemical or biological process. The specifics can get pretty complicated, but the details of the process really don’t concern me a whole lot. What interests me are the end results!

Some of the terms you’ll see when researching water filtration can be pretty serious. Terms like “Electrodeionization,” “Plumbo-solvency reduction,” “Coagulation,” and “Flocculation” are enough to make Joe Bluecollar think that it’s all just another bunch of hot air. But really, water filtration is something that can make a noticeable difference in our daily lives.

There’s nothing like a clear, cool (or room temperature, as I prefer), pure glass of water. It’s refreshing, satisfying, and should taste good too. But what if it doesn’t? A water filter is probably an easy sell in that case.

However, sometimes your water can taste not-so-good without you realizing it. My challenge is to try a water filter and just see if your water doesn’t taste noticeably better! Compare a glass of filtered and a glass of unfiltered side by side and see if there’s a visible difference. Brew some tea and perform another test. Chances are, the results will clearly be in favor of filtered water.

Maybe the health nuts are right, and unfiltered water is causing cancer left and right in addition to becoming a precursor to Armageddon. Myself, though, I’m not too worried about it. Water filtration offers enough tangible, real-world, common-sense benefits that those of us who aren’t health nuts can easily see that using a water filter is in our best interest.

In fact, if you’ll excuse me, I need a refill!

For more information and tips on

Using drywall tools for finishing Sheetrockusually takes some practice but you may get the hang of it sooner with some professional tips.

More experienced finishers may use trowels but we do not recommend this for beginners. It will be easier to learn to finish using mud pans and drywall knives.

Always start with clean pans and knives. Drywall mud pans are elongated plastic or metal pans that will hold the joint compound you are using. The plastic pans come with a metal blade along one or both sides of the long lip. This is used for wiping and cleaning your knife.

Usually, drywall finishing requires at least three different sized knives. We recommend having a 4" or 5" knife, an 8" knife and a 10" or 12" drywall knife.

Most beginners do not clean the knife often enough nor do they use enough pressure. Both sides of the knife blade should be swiped over the pan blade every few seconds of use, with enough force to actually sharpen the knife. This also keeps the mud on the knife from drying. Dried mud particles are responsible for most scratching in the finish. (It’s also wise to mix the joint compound in the pan regularly).

Fill the pan to a level you are comfortable lifting. You will be holding it suspended most of the time in your non-dominant hand. It does not have to be full to the brim.

When taping drywall and spotting nails the goal is to apply enough mud to fill any dents and valleys in the wallboard. Bubbles in the tape coat are the result of not applying a smooth, COMPLETE coat of mud underneath the tape. Apply enough pressure to firmly adhere the tape to the seam, then completely scrape any excess mud from the wall.

To cut the tape to the desired length, try holding the tape firmly against the wall with the drywall knife. With the knife at an angle, pull the loose end of tape to make a clean cut.

You will have more control over your second and third coats if you encircle the knife handle with the thumb and last two fingers (ring & pinky). Hold the first two fingers of your hand on either side of the blade to create pressure on the outer edges of the knife.

We hope you will find these tips and techniques useful whenever installing and finishing drywall in your own home improvement projects.

Lynn Solana has been involved in the drywall profession for many years and has survived numerous home remodeling and building projects. From hiring contractors to working hands on, she has experienced the entire spectrum of home improvement. These tips are just among hundreds more that she shares on her website. If you have a remodeling project, check out Drywall Finishing Tips now! drywallfinishingtips.com drywallfinishingtips.com

So often we plan picnics for the weekend and feel aghast to see the swimming pool cloudy and murky. Probably, we can blame tough work schedules, health issues, personal problem etc for not keeping proper care of our swimming pool but the underlying truth is that we ignore Pool Maintenance. Pool Maintenance is not a specialist’s job, and anyone with some basic awareness about pools can easily do it.

The most important thing in Pool Maintenance is water sanitization. You can use chlorine or bromine-based compounds (once in a day) to prevent bacteria growth and reduce algae formation in the pool water.

Besides, one must also use water pumps to circulate sanitizers to all parts of the pool water and also to filter our debris that usually accumulates on water surfaces or at the bottom. To gain maximum benefits from sanitizers, experts recommend adding them in evenings since sunlight could vaporize chlorine and reduce its amount in water.

During seasonal changes, one must take special care of pool water. After heavy rains, we often see that pool water becomes heavier and loses its clarity as well. To purify it, experts advise to add a shock dose (3-4 times more than usual intake) of chlorine to get the water back to normal.

One must also remove dead leaves and debris that accumulated in pool water after a windstorm. These particles often imbalance water purity; thus, experts advise pool owners to test Ph levels regularly. The ideal Ph level is 7.4.

Cleaning of Pool surfaces is another aspect that one must look at carefully. With usage and time, surface water is accumulated with sun-oils, body fats, algae, airborne pollution and other dirt. Thus, one must clean the pool surface along with the water line once in a week.

Maintenance-Resource.com Maintenance provides detailed information about maintenance, aircraft maintenance, car maintenance, equipment maintenance and more. Maintenance is the sister site of e-BoatLifts.com Pontoon Boat Lifts.