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Best Temperature To Set Thermostat In Summer

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Best temperature to set thermostat in summer

Controlling the temperature inside your home or business has never been easier, especially with the widespread use of programmable thermostats and the growth in “smart” thermostats. You can easily adjust your thermostat to any temperature you like, adjust settings when you are away from home and even control indoor humidity. If comfort is your main goal, bump the temperature down as low as you like. If you’re more concerned about energy costs—but you’d still like to be comfortable—that takes a little more finesse.

We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume that just about everyone falls into the second category. You want to be cool and comfortable inside your home and make your living spaces a desirable place to be temperature-wise. By the same token, you don’t want to spend a lot of unnecessary cash to make that happen.

The best summer thermostat settings for you really depends on … Read Full Post »

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Sprinkler and Irrigation Conservation Guide | Smart Irrigation Month

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler

There are many ways to save water, but during the summer, the most effective water conservation improvements come from your sprinkler and irrigation system.

With just a little bit of knowledge, you can save water while keeping your landscaping healthy during hot, dry conditions.

Smart Irrigation Month Tips

  1. Know how much water your lawn needs

The amount of water your lawn needs depends on a lot of different factors including climate, soil type and grass type.

The trick is to water deeply but infrequently. You get deep roots with deep watering. As a general rule of thumb, do not water more than 1-inch deep each time.

  • Measure your sprinkler output by placing some tuna cans (or a similarly sized, flat-bottomed container) around your lawn.
  • ¾ to 1 inch of water is a good amount each time you irrigate.
  • You can get the average output by measuring the depth of water in each can and then dividing by the … Read Full Post »

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Humidifier Benefits: How To Keep Your Home Comfortable

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Humidifier Benefits

Keeping your home as comfortable as possible can be pretty tricky. Sure, you know that you need a great air conditioner installed in your home and that there will be times during the winter season when you’ll have to run your heater. Other considerations, though, such as the humidity in one’s home, can be easily overlooked.

It can be difficult to know how to control humidity in your home. This is a serious problem, as low humidity is a common issue in homes throughout our area. If you suspect that the air in your home is too dry, whole-house humidifiers can resolve the problem. Read on to learn more about humidifier benefits and why you might consider investing in one for your home.

Minimize Potential Damage To Your Biggest Investment

You may know that very humid air can lead to problems throughout the house, including mold growth. What you may not realize, … Read Full Post »

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Keep Pests Off Pets During the Dog Days of Summer

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
Keep Pests Off Pets During the Dog Days of Summer

You protect your home from pests, but what about your pet? Things only get worse during the dog days of summer.

Pests that love pets include fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and even bed bugs. These pests aren’t just annoying, they could be extremely dangerous. According to CDC data, “illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S.”—mostly due to warming temperatures. Many pests, especially biting insects, thrive in the heat. The diseases they may carry—Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya—are also sensitive to temperature changes.

Some key findings of the CDC report include:

  • A total of 642,602 cases of disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or flea were reported in the U.S. and its territories from 2004 through 2016.
  • The number of reported tickborne diseases more than doubled in 13 years and accounted for more than 60 percent of all reported mosquito-borne, tickborne, and fleaborne disease cases.

With so … Read Full Post »

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How To Remove Calcium Deposits From Pool

. Posted by in • Houston
How to remove calcium deposits from pool plaster

You do what you can to keep your pool clean and well-maintained. You skim for leaves, bugs and other debris. You sweep. Even when you are not sure you need to, you vacuum.

Compared to some of your neighbors, you feel like a responsible pool owner.

One day, you notice that the plaster seems to be discolored right around the water line. What’s going on?

If this has happened to you, you are absolutely not alone. This is one of the more common questions pool owners have, along with another frequent query: Why is my pool green? Most likely, if you notice stains along your waterline, you’re dealing with a calcium deposit. Unfortunately, it tends to be very difficult to clean calcium deposits.

You’re likely wondering how to remove calcium deposits – but, what exactly are they?

What You’ll Learn:

  • Understanding Why And How To Remove Calcium Deposits
  • Why You Need To Remove Calcium From Pool Tile
  • How … Read Full Post »

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What Causes High Humidity In A House?

. Posted by in • Austin
What causes high humidity in a house

When the temperatures begin to climb, you may detect some changes around your home. Perhaps you catch a whiff of musty air and notice that your windows are getting foggy. Or, maybe you’re relaxing in the kitchen with a glass of lemonade and suddenly you start sweating even though you’re not exerting any physical energy beyond lifting your glass. You might even spot damp spots on your walls and what looks like mold in your shower.

If any of this sounds familiar, your home may have a problem with excessive humidity because your air conditioner is not controlling the level of moisture in your indoor air. Not only will it make you hot and uncomfortable, but also high interior humidity can cause more serious problems like mold, mildew and rust, along with posing potential health risks.

In parts of the country that have hot and humid climates, homeowners often call AC repair … Read Full Post »

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Centipedes In Texas: Dangerous Or Nothing To Worry About?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Centipedes in Texas

Does the very thought of centipedes and millipedes make you shudder? If so, you definitely aren’t alone. Fear of centipedes even has its own name: chilopodophobia (centipedes are arthropods belonging to the Chilopoda class, which gives this particular phobia its name).

Even if you’re a nature-lover to your core, there’s just something a little skin-crawly about all those many, many feet attached to that long, smooth, armor-like body. It’s hard not to recoil instinctively when you discover one of these critters under a rock or while digging in the dirt, but are centipedes in Texas really as creepy as many believe? What should you do if you come across one in your yard or, worse, inside your home? Let’s find out by learning more about these insects, along with Texas millipedes and other similar creatures.

What Risks Do Centipedes Pose?

The word “centipede” literally means “one hundred feet,” as it derives from … Read Full Post »

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Digger Wasp: Beneficial Or Dangerous?

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
digger wasp

Bugs and pests are typically considered a nuisance when they make their presence known inside or around your home. Unlike most other insects, though, the digger wasp is actually one to embrace, possibly even invite, into your backyard.

Not convinced? It’s the truth: The digger wasp feeds on other insects and pests that are harmful to the growth of a healthy lawn. And as such, this wasp can actually rid your lawn of other unwanted pests. These insects also help your lawn’s ability to soak water into the ground, aerate the soil and pollinate flowers in your backyard.

There are many subspecies of digger wasps. Despite the differences amongst species, these creatures have one thing in common: the females dig into dry dirt when it’s time to create a nest for their offspring. To make this job easier, all female digger wasps have rigid front legs, which they use to … Read Full Post »

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6 Ways to Keep Your Garden and Yard Pest-Free Without Chemicals

. Posted by in , , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
6 Ways to Maintain a Pest-Free Garden and Yard Without Chemicals - How to Garden Without Pests or Pesticides

Today, we’re talking about how to keep your garden pest-free without the use of pesticides or insecticides. It’s a common question for people who want to maintain an organic yard or garden.

While it may not be easy, it is possible. So, don’t give up! Let’s turn that black thumb into a green thumb.

What is Organic Gardening?

Reconnecting with nature and all its beauty is a great way to heighten your awareness to the world around you, both big and small. Unfortunately, gardening is more complicated than it seems, as any true gardener knows.

First off, the soil is alive with a small-scale world mostly unknown to us. One scoop of soil can be home to hundreds of thousands of fungi, thousands of protozoans, and a huge assortment of microscopic creatures known as cryptozoa.

In the 1980s, Jostein Goksøyr and Vigdis Torsvik (Norwegian scientists), gathered a gram of soil from a nearby beech forest … Read Full Post »

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Midges In Florida: A Nuisance Or A Larger Problem?

. Posted by in • Orlando
Midges in Florida

See if this sounds familiar.

You decide to fire up the grill for dinner. Everything is going great—until you feel the familiar bite of a bug. Then it happens again. Suddenly, you think of another twinge. Each time, you can’t see what could be attacking you.

At first, you assume it must be mosquitoes, but none seem to be around. Then you see the swarm. Dozens of tiny, flying insects hovering nearby in a cloud. Sandflies. Biting midges, or sometimes more commonly called “no see ‘us.”

You think they’re annoying, but at least they’re not dangerous. Or are they? What can you do if you don’t want to deal with these pesky pests?

Many Florida residents wonder if there is anything they can do to deal with midges. Why? First off, they’re everywhere. They can be incredibly annoying if you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors around sunrise or sunset.

Because most people have just seen … Read Full Post »

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