Category: Home Improvement

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Raccoon Trapping Safety Tips

Trapping a raccoon can be tricky. Spotting those little critters is easier at night. Their little glowing eyes give them away when they’re looking into a light. In this home improvement article we are going to discuss how to safely trap raccoons. Contact a local wildlife authority to make sure it is legal to trap raccoons in your jurisdiction. Get the proper license before trapping a raccoon. This ensures you understand the legalities, and the potential dangers involved in trapping those pesky little critters. If where you live there is no license required, look at all the risks involved in trapping. A couple high risk dangers include you or a family member getting rabies, or one of your pets. Here’s a few techniques on how to safely trap raccoons, and proper raccoon removal Oakville ideas.

Trap location

Before starting your trapping experience, pick a good location to place your cage. The cage size should be sturdy, and at a minimum 12 x 12 x 36 with a trip pan. Place your cage on a flat surface where you have recently spotted raccoons. Once trapped raccoons will dig, claw, scratch, and bite to escape. Place your cage in an open area away from anything they could destroy.

Bait

A good bait to use is pieces of bread. Do not use meat of any kind as this will attract dogs, and cats. Marshmallows are another option. Leave a nice trail from the back of the cage to approximately 5 feet outside of the trap for a good lead in.

Critter Disposal

Check your trap daily. If you come upon a trapped raccoon, be cautious. Never put your fingers inside the trap. Disposing the raccoon can become a challenge. The raccoon is alive and want’s its freedom at any cost. At this point you can either call the local animal control agency to dispose of the raccoon. Another method if you are properly licensed is to transfer the animal to a safe location. Transfer the raccoon a minimum of 5 to 10 miles away. If you are unsure of how to dispose of the raccoon, call a licensed professional.

Trapping Safety

Raccoons can be a menace in your home. Your safety is vital as well as all living creatures in your area. Be a smart, ethical trapper. Just as you are reading this article, reading regulations, and stories from other trappers is essential to your success. Always remember to never place a trap if you’re unsure of the trapping laws and regulations. Raccoons are wild, and dangerous. Practice the safe trapping tips outlined in this article. Always let someone know that you are trapping raccoons. One final tip to share is this, bring along a partner just in case if medical help is required.

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What is Humane Squirrel Control

Squirrels have always had a love-hate relationship with humans, particularly in urban areas. While their furry appearance and mischievous antics are certainly a delight, at other times they can be quite annoying. For example, when they keep emptying your tray of bird feed.

However, for most of us, it is not easy to eliminate squirrels by treating them as pests. This is where humane squirrel control makes sense as it gets rid of squirrels without any harm being caused to them. Thankfully, there are a number of ways through which it is possible to humanely get rid of squirrels including use of safe repellents and mechanical solutions.

Here are a few proven humane methods provided by animal control Oakville to combat squirrel infestation from your property.

1) Make sure your yard is free of squirrel food: Abundance of food supply is perhaps the main reason why your yard is overrun with squirrels. They love to forage on nuts, acorns and other tidbits of food items that tend to make their way on and around the yard. Similarly, squirrels love to hang around trashcans that are not sealed to for left over food items. Removing the food items from their adopted home, through the help of a rake and properly fastened trash can, will ensure that squirrels will move elsewhere for sustenance.

2) Make your bird feeder is squirrel proof: Nowadays you will find a lot of bird feeders that are intelligently designed to keep the squirrels away. In addition, you should ideally place the feeder away from a tree or your house so that the squirrel cannot leap on to it.

3) Use organic squirrel repellent: Organic repellents can be highly effective in making the squirrels abandon your premises as their sanctuary. They are made of pungent peppers with high scoville scale. Other repellents are made from the urine of predators and used as a spray around the yard and the trees.

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When You Should Call A Plumber And When You Shouldn’t

Not all plumbing projects are ideal for the DIY especially when you need special tools. Despite of your skills for home repairs, you may need to seek a professional help from an Master Plumber. Below are situations which you cannot anymore handle the task by yourself, so give the job to the right person.

Low water pressure. There many factors that affect the water pressure in the water lines. One main reason is the obstruction of debris, rust, or trash in the water lines which can affect the meter and faucet aerators. Another reason is the poor design of water supply lines. There are times also that the water pressure coming from the city supply is low.

A professional plumber can assess the real cause of this problem.
No supply of hot water. During winter season, no one would like to take a bath without hot water. Call an emergency plumber to assess if there is a bad heating defect on your hot water tank or possible the igniters and thermocouple burners of your gas heater failed to operate normally. A plumber can tell if your heater needs repair or replacement. In the event that the unit needs to be replaced by a new one, the plumber can immediately dispose the old unit and look for a replacement on the same day. It is more cost-effective in terms of labor.
Main Sewer Stoppage. If you are having a hard time to drain your toilets, bathtubs, and showers, the root cause of the problem is probably the main line. Rather than renting a sewer rodding machines that might damage your sewer, look for a service provider that offers drain-cleaning service. Any trouble can be handled by them.
Tub Replacement. This big project needs a highly skilled plumber with modern tools for a well-done job. A bathtub clog can be also experienced in the long run. Call a plumber as your bathtub begins draining slowly, before it leads to a full clog.
Frozen Pipes. Before you attempt to thaw the pipe, close the water shutoff valve and open a nearby faucet. Frozen pipes might cause burst or crack. Immediately call a plumber if this will be the situation.
Dripping faucet. One of the common household problems is a dripping faucet. A slight leak if left unchecked may lead to a lot of wasted water. Take note that 1 drip of water per second can waste up to 3, 000 gallons of water per year.
plumber

Plumbing requires skills and special tools, and a good plumber is equipped with these two important factors. If you need a professional plumber in your area, Prompt Plumbing and Drainage in Thornhill, ON has professional plumbers with long years of experience in handling small to big plumbing projects. The company is known for its affordable yet good quality of work.

Call anytime of the day and look for the best plumber Thornhill. Whether your pluming and drainage repair issue is simple or complex, we have the best solution for your plumbing problem.

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How to Replace a Furnace Filter

The furnace is an important appliance at home. It offers heat so that nothing freezes inside your home during winter while it provides purified and cool air during summer time. Since it is an important appliance, it is imperative that you check it every month and change its filter whenever dirty. This practice lets you maximize the efficiency of the appliance and to prolong its life. Mike Holmes recommends changing your furnace filter 3 times a year.

However, it is quite surprising that most homeowners know little about their furnace. Hopefully, they learn how to provide a DIY maintenance to this appliance for such maintenance is not a hard thing to do. It is not necessary to seek the help of an expert just to replace your furnace filter since you can do this by yourself. How do you do that? Hold on as this article discusses the step-by-step process on how to replace your furnace filter. This step-by-step process works both ways in electric and gas furnaces.

    1. Turn off the appliance and find the filter. The filter appears similar to a mesh fabric expanded across a rectangular frame. To easily locate it for the first time, you can refer to your furnace’s model manual. Such reference manual will describe where the filter is and how you can correctly open the door on your furnace model.
    2. The purpose of a filter is to eliminate dirt and other debris from the air that flows through the furnace. To determine if it’s already dirty, remove the furnace filter and hold it where there is light. When you can no longer see light passing through it, it is time for you to replace it. Replacing the filter periodically is necessary to avoid major repair costs. Once you do not change the filter, there’ll be insufficient airflow that passes through it which can then cause the furnace to overheat and automatically shut down.
    3. Discard the removed filter and purchase a new filter. Make certain this new filter is the right one for your furnace type and brand. Once it does not fit, it’s not the right one. Do not force inserting it and replace it with the right one.
    4. Insert the filter in the same, exact way that the old filter came out. This step is very important for the filtration is unidirectional, which means that the filter should be inserted so that the airflow is straightforward through it within the correct direction. In most cases, filters are made from fiberglass material, with one side that is quite oily. Such side is commonly in front of the blower while the other side accumulates the filtered material for removal. To make things easy for you, simply find the arrows on your new filter and then turn them towards the direction of the airflow.  One thing to keep in mind: Do not insert the filter in a backward manner for this will inhibit the efficiency of your air filter.
    5. Turn on the system and check if it’s working properly. Is it working? That’s good then. You did a great job in replacing your furnace filter.

See? It’s easy to replace them, and now you can actually buy furnace filters online with PureFilters Canada. Check your furnace system now and see if its filter also needs to be replaced.