Drywall Have Water Damage? Start Here!

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Water damage can affect many different areas in your home but one of the most common places it affects is drywall. Most people not sure how to start so we found this article that we hope will help.

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SPONSOR FOCUS: If you need Denham Springs homeowners associations dryer vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

If you have water damage on a part of your drywall–say, from a leaky roof over that spot or a plumbing problem–you don’t need to replace the whole wall. If the damaged area isn’t more than few square feet, you can cut it out and set in a replacement piece of drywall. It’s important to work off studs so the new section is solid, and you’ll need to plan on taping and sanding the seams over a few consecutive days.

Things You’ll Need

Electronic studfinder

Tape measure

Pencil

Long level

Razor knife

Drywall saw

Screwgun

Drywall screws

Piece of drywall the same thickness as the existing drywall

Mesh drywalling tape

Bucket of pre-mixed drywall compound

Drywall application knife (looks like a very wide putty knife)

Drywall sandpaper

Use your studfinder to locate the nearest studs on both sides of the damaged area. With your level, make two vertical pencil lines at the centers of each of the studs, with the lines running high enough and low enough to span the damaged area.

Use the level again to mark two level horizontal lines between the vertical lines, one above the damage, the other below it. You should now have a perfect square perimeter around the damaged area, with the vertical lines of the square centered on studs.

Use your screwgun to sink drywall screws along the vertical lines, half an inch outside the square and every 6 inches along the line.

With your drywall saw and razor knife, cut out the square at your pencil line. You should end up with a square hole in the wall, with half the widths of the studs visible on either vertical side, leaving the screws just outside the vertical sides to secure the nondamaged parts of the wall to the studs.

Cut your new piece of drywall an 1/8 inch smaller than the dimensions of the square. Set your level along your marks, running your razor knife along the edge of the level, then snapping the drywall at the line and cutting it away from behind.

Set the new piece of drywall in place in the hole. Use your screwgun to put screws along the vertical edges of the piece, into the studs.

Lay mesh drywalling tape over all four seams and spread drywall compound over the seams with your drywalling knife. Let it dry for a day, then hand-sand the drywall compound and apply a second, lighter coat of it along the seams. Repeat the process a third time, with the lightest coat, then give a final sanding and paint it.

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Interested in avoiding a flood? Checkout this article about avoiding a flood by maintaining your washer.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.ehow.com/how_5164670_replace-drywall-water-damage.html

Warning Signs That Your Dryer Vent Ducts are Clogged

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn helpful tips and tricks to be able to see the warning signs if that your dryer vent ducts are clogged and need immediate attention.

View Warning Signs That Your Dryer Vent Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hello my name is Jeremy Leake and I???m with Dryer Vents Plus. Dryer Vents Plus is a dryer vent cleaning and repair company. Were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and we’ve been operating for the past 6 years and we service south Louisiana.

Today I???d like to talk to you a little bit about your dryer efficiency. A few tips that you can use to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your dryer and things that you can pay attention to. Very simple first you want to look at the dryer lint screen. If the lint screen does it’s job it catches about 75-80% of the lint but the rest goes on through the dryer and clogs up the vent.

If you ever notice that you have a dryer vents screen that’s collecting on only half the screen or if it’s collecting on both sides or you notice that it???s not collecting any lint at all that is a problem. That’s a sign that your dryer vent is clogged up and you have an air flow issue. If the air is not flowing through properly lint won’t collect properly and that’s a sign that you need to look for to have the vent cleaned out.

Another thing you can look for is the heat of the dryer. If the heat of the dryer is warm that’s what you want to look for but if it’s hot to the touch then you don’t want to keep you hand on it it’s too hot then that’s a sign that you have an extremely clogged up dryer vent and you have an issue that needs to take care of.

Another thing is if your clothes are taking too long, especially jeans and towels, to dry then you want to give us a call to come out and clean out the dryer vent. Another simple thing a lot of people overlook is the space between the wall and the dryer if you keep about 4 or 5 inches between the wall and the dryer that will alleviate the problem that you could have with the dryer vent hose behind the dryer. You want to leave enough space so that there’s not getting crushed back there and the air duct has enough space there to blow through.

Those are a few simple things you can look at while you???re doing your laundry. If you have any of these issues you can always reach us. Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus. Our phone number is 225-612-7752.

Prevent Accidental Flooding From Your Washer

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn how to prevent accidental flooding from your home’s washing machine.

View Warning Signs That Your Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hi. I’m Jeremy with Dryer Vents Plus. Today we’re here in the laundry room where I would like to help you get more out of your dryer.

Today we’re going to talk a little bit about washing machines, primarily washing machine hoses. If you have the old rubber hoses in the back of your washing machine, those hoses over time, they get brittle. They can cause a rupture and that would cause a house flood. That’s the leading cause of house flooding.

Part of our service, what we do is change out those rubber hoses with the stainless steel braided hose. The stainless steel braided hose has got a reinforced braid all the way around it to stop that line from rupturing. This is part of our service. It’s something that we can do on a regular basis for you. I would suggest you get this done every four, five years. But it is something that we can take a look at whenever we come out to service your dryer vent.

Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus here to help you get more out of your dryer.

Exterior Dryer Vent Cleaning

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn if your dryer vents need to be cleaned out by looking at the outside air vent.

View Warning Signs That Your Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hi. This is Jeremy Leake from Dryer Vents Plus and today we???ve moved outside of the laundry room to the exterior exhaust. We want to check the air flow in this vent.

Also we want to take a look at these louvers. These louvers are a notorious place for lint to get caught up in. Think of that lint getting in these little crevices and it’s very tenacious the lint. It can get stuck in there. It’s almost like paper-mache. It builds up and builds up.

Over time if it dries out, it can clamp these little things shut and it could reduce your air flow and that, even though the dryer is working fine, will inhibit the efficiency of the dryer. You can see these are all moving fine and there’s a lot of air moving through there. That’s what you want. But this is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem.

So from time to time, you should come outside when the dryer is on and make sure your flaps are opening up. Make sure you have lots of exhaust coming out.

Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus, hoping you get more out of your dryer.

Maintaining Your Home is Important

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Every homeowner knows that it’s important to maintain their home but most don’t know what needs to be done or when it should be done. We found this article that should help you out.

From the article:

Home maintenance is one of those things that’s easy to forget or put off, because many tasks only need to be done once in a while or a few times a year. If you’re not careful, though, you can end up being that house in the neighborhood with the overgrown yard, peeling paint, and a list of expensive, but possibly could-have-been-prevented repairs.

So the problem is knowing what you need to do to maintain your home and when. Our solution: A one-click-to-subscribe Home Maintenance Calendar that lays out all the most common, necessary home maintenance tasks so you won’t forget.

What to do in the fall

Outdoors:
-Take down window screens to store (label them for quickly putting up in the spring, and repair or replace now, if needed). After you wash your windows, replace with storm windows.
-Seal windows and doors with weatherstripping and also check caulking (you can save as much as 15% on your heating bill, according to This Old House). Replace seals as necessary.
-Check roof for leaks, damaged or missing shingles, and pests hiding in vents.
-While you’re up there, check chimney for leaks, bricks and mortar falling apart, and, again, pests.
-Yard cleanup! Trim trees and shrubs closer than 3 inches from your house.
-Check your outdoor faucet for leaks, then drain and turn them off. Store hoses.
-Clean gutters and downspouts. Bob Vila will tell you how. Gutter covers of some kind can also help keep debris out of your gutters.
-Clean, oil, and store garden tools. (You could also store them in a bucket of sand to prevent rust.)
-Clean and store patio furniture (or cover with weatherproof material).

Indoors:
-Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries, if needed. Also check fire extinguishers. This is a good time to do fire drills and review your emergency documents.
-Remove air conditioners or protect with weatherproof cover (if applicable).
-Check attic for insulation, leaks, hiding squirrels, etc. A simple attic inspection is easy to do when you know what to look for.
-Flush out water heater to get rid of the sediment.
-Bleed radiators if you have hot-water heat. Don’t do this when the system is use, because the water will be hot.
-Vacuum and clean refrigerator coils.
-Inspect kitchen and bath fixtures and cabinets for leaks, and prevent water damage by re-caulking or re-grouting counter tops and tiles in the kitchen or bathroom as necessary.

What to do in the spring

Outdoors:
-Wash windows and replace storm windows with screens.
-Check gutters and downspouts and clean if necessary.
-Check outside walls for damage or deterioration (e.g., brick work or siding repairs, peeling paint)
-Check your deck for water damage or stains. A pressure washer can help rid your deck of mold and moss.

Indoors:
-Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries, if needed.
-Check basement for cracks or leaks, dampness and mold.
-Inspect kitchen and bath fixtures and prevent water damage by recaulking or regrouting countertops and tiles in the kitchen or bathroom as necessary.
-Check clothes dryer vents and rid them of lint.

If you have a question for us contact us today!

To view the entire article click here: http://lifehacker.com/5844978/how-to-stop-neglecting-your-home-and-keep-it-from-turning-into-the-money-pit