- Prepare vehicle for traveling to grandmother’s house. Build an emergency kit and include items such as blankets or sleeping bags, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, compass and road maps, shovel, tire repair kit and pump, extra clothing, flares, and a tow rope.
- Drive the sleigh and reindeer safely. Avoid driving in a storm. If travel is a must, let someone know the destination, the route being taken to get there, and how long it should take to arrive. If the car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along the predetermined route.
- Help prevent the spread of the flu. Stay home if sick. Wash hands with soap and water as often as possible, or use an alcohol-based hand rub. Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, and throw the tissue away after use. If a tissue isn’t available, someone should cough or sneeze into their elbow, not their hands.
- Follow Santa’s fashion lead – dress in layers. When it’s cold outside, layered lightweight clothing will keep a person warmer than a single heavy coat. Gloves and a hat will prevent loss of body heat.
- Use a Red Cross-trained babysitter when attending holiday festivities. Red Cross-certified babysitters learn to administer basic first aid; properly hold and feed a child; take emergency action when needed and monitor safe play. Some may be certified in Infant and Child CPR.
- Avoid danger while roasting chestnuts on an open fire. Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If leaving the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove. This is important because unattended cooking causes nearly 90 percent of all kitchen fires. Never leave flame candles unattended. Better yet, use light bulb candles instead.
- Be a lifesaver during the holidays. The Red Cross recommends at least one person in every household should take first aid and CPR/AED training. Visit www.redcrossphilly.org for details.
- Designate a driver or skip the holiday cheer. Buckle up, slow down, don’t drive impaired. If someone plans on drinking, designate a driver who won’t drink.
- When the weather outside is frightful, heat the home safely. Never use a stove or oven to heat the home. Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Install smoke alarms.
- Cut down on heating bills without being a Grinch. Get the furnace cleaned and change the filters. Make sure furniture isn’t blocking the heat vents. Close off any rooms not in use and turn off the heat in those rooms. Turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater.
- Home for the holidays? Travel safely. Check the tire air pressure and make sure the windshield fluid is full. Be well rested and alert. Give full attention to the road – avoid distractions such as cell phones. If someone has car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible.
- Resolve to Be Red Cross Ready in the New Year. Get ready now in case someone in the household faces an emergency in 2012.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Christmas Safety tips
The Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross has issued their 12 safety tips for the Christmas season. So if you would, take a break from wrapping presents, baking sweets and hanging ornaments to take a quick look at the list and give your house a quick once over for safety during the holiday season.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
More winter safety tips from Gehringer Mechanical
With the bad weather upon us, and as rain turns to snow then eventually ice, it's important to make sure that you've made those last minute preparations to your home for winter. If you remember our previous blog entry on "How To Properly Winterize Your Home" and followed those steps, you are well underway to having a safe winter.
We'd like to remind you of some safeties issues brought to you by our friends at the National Fire Protection Association regarding space heaters.
In our previous entry, we discussed that Gehringer Mechanical offers portable generators and backup energy sources for your home in the event of the loss of power. Quite often, when people lose power they will also seek the use of portable space heaters to reduce the amount of energy being used by the backup generator.
We'd like to remind you of some safeties issues brought to you by our friends at the National Fire Protection Association regarding space heaters.
Based on 2005-2009 annual averages:
- Heating equipment fires accounted for 18% of all reported home fires in 2009 (second behind cooking) and 22% of home fire deaths.
- Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third (32%) of home heating fires and four out of five (79%) of home heating fire deaths.
- The leading factor contributing to home heating fires (26%) was failure to clean, principally creosote from solid-fueled heating equipment, primarily chimneys.
- Placing things that can burn too close to heating equipment or placing heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding, was the leading factor contributing to ignition in fatal home heating fires and accounted for more than half (53%) of home heating fire deaths.
- Half (49%) of all home heating fires occurred in December, January and February.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Generators and Backup Power Sources from Gehringer Mechanical
With the pending severe winter weather coming, it's best to be prepared for all possibilities. One of those possibilities that we know all too well in the Pennsylvania area is power loss. To keep vital elements active such as heat and light, we'd recommend that you use a backup power source or generator that will keep you going until the utility companies can restore normal service. Gehringer Mechanical offers a full line of backup power sources and generators. We can assess your needs for power based upon your home during one of our service calls. Feel free to contact Gehringer Mechanical for more information about these items.
Friday, October 14, 2011
How to prepare your house for winter from Gehringer Mechanical
During these mid-fall months, it is the perfect time to start thinking about winterizing your house. As we all know in this area, the winter sneaks up on us quickly and once the snow starts falling it's too late to prevent costly repairs that could have been prevented. Here are a few tips to help you avoid expensive repairs or having to call for emergency repair services.
10 Easy tips to Winterize your Home for the Winter
1. HVAC - Furnace Inspection: The HVAC repair experts at Gehringer Mechanical can inspect your furnace and clean your ducts. We can also make recommendations for which filters to stock up on. If you use a hot water heater, we can bleed your valves and ensure they are prepared for the upcoming freeze. Gehringer Mechanical can also replace your old thermostat with a programmable one that will help you keep energy costs down.
2. Fireplace Inspection: Make sure that you have your fireplace properly cleaned out by a professional service to clear it of rodents, birds and additional build up that may have taken place during the summer or spring months. Store your firewood in a dry spot away from the exterior of the home.
3. Inspection of Exterior, Doors and Windows: The staff at Gehringer Mechanical can perform a thorough inspection of entry points to the house to ensure that they are properly sealed. Gehringer can weatherstrip doors caulk seal the windows. An additional service is basement inspection to make sure that any windows or external entry points to the basement are properly sealed. We also install storm windows if those are needed for the property.
4. Roof, Gutter, Spout Inspection: We can check your attic to see if you need additional insulation to prevent ice dams and warm air leakage. Gehringer Mechanical will inspect your flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home or form ice sheets. We offer roof and tile inspection, as well as gutter and downspout cleaning.
5. Service Your Seasonal Equipment: Make sure you have drained the gas from lawn mowers, blowers and other items that you will not be using for the next several months. Afterward, they should be placed in dry storage along with the rest of your gardening equipment. Also, make sure to have your snow blowers are tuned up and ready for immediate service. You should inspect and replace, if needed, snow shovels. If you use ice choppers, sand or bags of ice-melt, you can often find good deals on these items now before they are in high demand.
6. Foundation Inspection: Have the Gehringer Mechanical service team inspect your foundations. We can inspect crawl spaces and seal up foundation cracks. Personally, you can rake away debris and edible vegetation from the foundation of the home as well as inspect for dry rot or pet infestation near crawlspaces. If you find anything, contact an exterminator immediately.
7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Whether you choose to do it yourself, or have the Gehringer Mechanical team do it during a service call, have smoke detectors in every room and have a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace or water heather. Make sure that you have extra batteries and at least one extra smoke detector. You should also inspect your fire extinguisher. If it is more than 10 years old, the extinguisher should be replaced.
8. Prepare Outside Surfaces and Landscaping: The team at Gehringer Mechanical can seal or resurface driveways, brick patios or wood decks. You should check with a landscaper or tree service to see if your trees should be trimmed to avoid winter damage and are not a risk to house or electrical wires. Move sensitive plans indoors or to a climate controled greenhouse.
9. Plumbing: The expert plumbing staff at Gehringer Mechancical can inspect your entire plumbing system to make sure there are no critical leaks or weak valves. They can also insulate all exposed plumbing pipes. They can also instruct you as to where your water main is located in the event that you need to shut it off in case of emergency. Make sure you drain your air conditioning pipes and shut off the air conditioner water valve. Lastly, if you plan on heading out of town during the winter, make sure that the heat is set to a minimum of 55 degrees.
10. Have an emergency kit: Make sure that you have a fresh box of matches, lighters, indoor candles and flash lights that you may need in the event of a power outtage. Make sure you have the phone number to the Utility Companies in a visable location next to the number of the Gehringer Mechanical Emergency Repair Department. Make sure you have ample amounts of extra batteries for all battery operated devices.
10 Easy tips to Winterize your Home for the Winter
1. HVAC - Furnace Inspection: The HVAC repair experts at Gehringer Mechanical can inspect your furnace and clean your ducts. We can also make recommendations for which filters to stock up on. If you use a hot water heater, we can bleed your valves and ensure they are prepared for the upcoming freeze. Gehringer Mechanical can also replace your old thermostat with a programmable one that will help you keep energy costs down.
2. Fireplace Inspection: Make sure that you have your fireplace properly cleaned out by a professional service to clear it of rodents, birds and additional build up that may have taken place during the summer or spring months. Store your firewood in a dry spot away from the exterior of the home.
3. Inspection of Exterior, Doors and Windows: The staff at Gehringer Mechanical can perform a thorough inspection of entry points to the house to ensure that they are properly sealed. Gehringer can weatherstrip doors caulk seal the windows. An additional service is basement inspection to make sure that any windows or external entry points to the basement are properly sealed. We also install storm windows if those are needed for the property.
4. Roof, Gutter, Spout Inspection: We can check your attic to see if you need additional insulation to prevent ice dams and warm air leakage. Gehringer Mechanical will inspect your flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home or form ice sheets. We offer roof and tile inspection, as well as gutter and downspout cleaning.
5. Service Your Seasonal Equipment: Make sure you have drained the gas from lawn mowers, blowers and other items that you will not be using for the next several months. Afterward, they should be placed in dry storage along with the rest of your gardening equipment. Also, make sure to have your snow blowers are tuned up and ready for immediate service. You should inspect and replace, if needed, snow shovels. If you use ice choppers, sand or bags of ice-melt, you can often find good deals on these items now before they are in high demand.
6. Foundation Inspection: Have the Gehringer Mechanical service team inspect your foundations. We can inspect crawl spaces and seal up foundation cracks. Personally, you can rake away debris and edible vegetation from the foundation of the home as well as inspect for dry rot or pet infestation near crawlspaces. If you find anything, contact an exterminator immediately.
7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Whether you choose to do it yourself, or have the Gehringer Mechanical team do it during a service call, have smoke detectors in every room and have a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace or water heather. Make sure that you have extra batteries and at least one extra smoke detector. You should also inspect your fire extinguisher. If it is more than 10 years old, the extinguisher should be replaced.
8. Prepare Outside Surfaces and Landscaping: The team at Gehringer Mechanical can seal or resurface driveways, brick patios or wood decks. You should check with a landscaper or tree service to see if your trees should be trimmed to avoid winter damage and are not a risk to house or electrical wires. Move sensitive plans indoors or to a climate controled greenhouse.
9. Plumbing: The expert plumbing staff at Gehringer Mechancical can inspect your entire plumbing system to make sure there are no critical leaks or weak valves. They can also insulate all exposed plumbing pipes. They can also instruct you as to where your water main is located in the event that you need to shut it off in case of emergency. Make sure you drain your air conditioning pipes and shut off the air conditioner water valve. Lastly, if you plan on heading out of town during the winter, make sure that the heat is set to a minimum of 55 degrees.
10. Have an emergency kit: Make sure that you have a fresh box of matches, lighters, indoor candles and flash lights that you may need in the event of a power outtage. Make sure you have the phone number to the Utility Companies in a visable location next to the number of the Gehringer Mechanical Emergency Repair Department. Make sure you have ample amounts of extra batteries for all battery operated devices.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Heating Repair Services offered in the Pottstown Pennsylvania
While the Gehringer Mechanical name is well known as an active and successful business in the city of Boyertown, they also offer a variety of services in the Pottstown area as well.
With the winter months fast coming upon us, it's imperative that you have your HVAC unit inspected and repaired to avoid costly winter emergencies.
Heating and Air Conditioning for Gas, Oil, and Electric
**We offer 24 Hour Emergency Service**
**If you are calling before 7:00 AM or after 5:00 PM Monday - Friday or anytime on Saturday or Sunday please call our After Hours Emergency Number: 484-256-0708
Immediate service in the following areas:
CITIES: Pottstown, Boyertown, Reading, Collegeville, Gilbertsville, Douglassville, Phoenixville, Oley, Fleetwood, Royersford, East Greenville
COUNTIES: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery
With the winter months fast coming upon us, it's imperative that you have your HVAC unit inspected and repaired to avoid costly winter emergencies.
Heating and Air Conditioning for Gas, Oil, and Electric
- Warm Air Furnace Installation
- Water and Steam Boiler Installation
- Electric Heat Pumps Installation
- Water Source Heat Pump Installation
- Duct Installation
- Air Conditioning Installation
- High Velocity Air Conditioning System Installation
- Ductless Mini Split System Installation
- Digital Thermostat Installation
- Multi-Zoned Systems
- Clean and Service all Types of Heating and Air Conditioning Systems
- Industrial and Commercial HVAC Installation and Service
- We are now an authorized Trane equipment service provider!
- We also service Weil - McClain boilers
**We offer 24 Hour Emergency Service**
**If you are calling before 7:00 AM or after 5:00 PM Monday - Friday or anytime on Saturday or Sunday please call our After Hours Emergency Number: 484-256-0708
Immediate service in the following areas:
CITIES: Pottstown, Boyertown, Reading, Collegeville, Gilbertsville, Douglassville, Phoenixville, Oley, Fleetwood, Royersford, East Greenville
COUNTIES: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)