The OwnerIQ Blog

Preventing Grill Fires

amabley — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:19:01 +0000

Tired of having your barbecues ruined when a grill fire or flare up burns your meat? While a little charring on grilled meat adds flavor, nobody wants to eat black, charred meat. Here are some ideas on how you can prevent a grill fire at your next barbecue.

Clean your Grill Regularly

If your grill has lava rocks turn them all over before lighting your grill then let it heat up. While it’s heating any build up of grease on the rocks will burn off, then once your grill is good and hot, scrub the grills with a grill brush to get rid of any build up left on them.

Minimize the Fat, Drain the Marinade

Flare ups on a clean grill are caused by fat dripping onto hot coals and igniting, so be sure to trim most (but not all) of the fat off your meat before grilling (a little fat prevents meat from drying out and adds flavor). Also drain any meat that has been marinated before putting the meat onto a hot grill.

Tend your Food

Never leave your grill unattended because even a small fire can turn a steak into a lump of coal in just a few minutes. Be sure to plan for flare ups by leaving some free space on your grill or on the warming shelves so you can move your meat any flare ups.

To locate your charcoal grill user’s manual, gas grill user’s manual, or electric grill user’s manual, visit the ManualsOnline Library.

Preventing Frost in Freezers

amabley — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:31:48 +0000

A freezer with frost is more expensive to run because it uses more energy. Frost also reduces the amount of food storage space in a freezer. Many newer models of refrigerators and freezers come with an automatic defrost feature to prevent frost build-up. If you notice frost in your freezer, follow these steps: turn off freezer, remove contents, melt the ice*, drain the water and wipe dry. Then, you can follow the tips below to help prevent future frost build-up.

* Quick methods for melting the ice:

Put a pan of hot water in the freezer compartment and close the door. Reheat the water as needed until ice melts.
Use the hot air from a hair dryer to melt the ice.
Leave the freezer door open and wait.

Clean your freezer regularly.
Check the temperature of your freezer. If it isn’t low enough, frost can build up. Your freezer’s temperature should be set at 0 degrees.
Make sure the seals to your freezer door are in good shape. If you feel cold air when the freezer door is shut, change the seals. Clean them regularly to keep them in good condition.
Limit the amount of times you open and close the freezer door. After grocery shopping, put all the frozen items in the freezer at the same time so you don’t have to open the door more than once.
Use a dehumidifier if you have a stand-alone freezer. Humidity can cause frost build up.

To locate the freezer user’s manual or the refrigerator user’s manual for the model(s) you own, visit the ManualsOnline Library.

Swimming Pool Fencing for Safety

amabley — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:30:59 +0000

In the heat of summer, a backyard swimming pool looks so beautiful and inviting that sometimes it’s hard to believe something that attractive could actually be deadly. However, statistics show that for children under the age of ten, a backyard swimming pool can be more dangerous than keeping a gun in your house. So it’s no wonder that virtually all municipalities in North America require properties with a swimming pool (and often hot tubs as well) be fenced.

Perimeter fencing

Although specifics vary, in general properties with swimming pools need to be fenced on all four sides with a fence made from substantial materials such as steel, wood, chain link or vinyl. In addition, fences must be at least five feet high and have self-locking gates that latch on the inside and open outward. Additionally perimeter fences should be built low to the ground with narrow openings between the boards so a child can’t slip under or between them.

The fence design should be difficult to climb. For example, many municipalities don’t allow “good neighbor” fences because their offset boards are too easy to climb. If used, chain link fences need to have relatively small diamonds around 1 ½” to 2”.

Pool fencing

While perimeter fencing will prevent neighborhood children from getting into the pool, it unfortunately does little to prevent children living in the house from having access to the pool. History shows us that the majority of children killed or injured in home swimming pool accidents lived in the home, were often in the care of one or both of their parents, and had been out of sight for less than five minutes. Since constant vigilance is virtually impossible for even the best of parents, supplementing perimeter fencing with a fence surrounding the pool itself provides an extra measure of safety for children in homes with pools.

For many years, pool fencing was similar in design and materials to perimeter fencing, and while this type of fence definitely improves safety, it has a couple of obvious disadvantages – it’s permanent and the design may actually obscure vision into the pool area itself.

In recent years an alternative method of pool fencing – soft mesh fencing – has been gaining popularity. Mesh fencing uses metal poles installed in 1 1/2” holes about 4′ or 5′ apart drilled into the pool deck to support a 4′ high mesh barrier extending all around the pool. The soft mesh fencing is very difficult for a young child to climb, while still allowing clear vision into the pool area itself. As well, since the steel poles are installed in holes drilled into the pool deck, they (and the mesh) can be removed when no children are around and the homeowners want more space around their pool. Once a child is old enough to understand how dangerous water can be, the mesh pool fencing can be totally removed and the holes in the deck covered with vinyl caps.

To locate pool-related user’s manuals, visit the ManualsOnline Library.