While sports venues were the first to take advantage of the many benefits offered by fake turf, this artificial surface is also gaining a foothold in the residential market.  Home builders are finding that low-maintenance landscaping can be a strong selling point for property in certain markets. Perhaps the most significant of these areas is the realm of senior housing.

Despite the ongoing housing crisis, the area of senior housing continues to be a profitable one.  Last year, the oldest of the baby boomer generation reached sixty years of age, meaning that this large portion of the population will soon create a significant rise in the number of senior citizens in the country.  With people living longer and longer thanks to medical advances, it’s clear that housing for seniors will continue to be a growing market for years to come.

So what is it that makes residential artificial grass such an appealing option for this type of housing?  While seniors may be healthier than ever, that doesn’t mean that they’re up for spending hours maintaining an extensive landscape.  Many seniors are looking into high-end retirement communities as well. These housing developments often offer a wealth of amenities for residents to enjoy.  Purchasing artificial grass wholesale means that builders have a cost-effective building material that they won’t have to pay someone to maintain.  Artificial turf has been used for a variety of purposes in these developments, including stretches of green that stay vibrant year around and croquet or bocce ball courts.

Ten years ago, the Atlantic Coast region was struck by Hurricane Floyd, a Category 4 storm that brought record rainfall and flooding to much of the region. With Hurricane Floyd cutting a path of destruction down the East Coast, diesel generators, from Florida to the Carolinas, were at a premium for weeks on end as people looked to cope with power outages that took weeks to repair.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Floyd would have an impact on how local and federal officials would plan for such instances. In particular, one of the areas addressed was bringing in emergency generators to provide power at government buildings: many offices were closed for weeks, which was especially problematic as many residents had a need for immediate assistance in the storm’s aftermath.

Many residents along the Eastern seaboard have learned too late about the impact of not having planned for an emergency such as a hurricane by having supplies such as food, water and a power source such as John Deere generators. Hopefully, people will remember Hurricane Floyd and make sure to be prepared for any instance.

There are many types of insulation you can choose from when you decide to insulate your home. Before you decide on the type of insulation, you must determine where you want to install/add insulation and the recommended R-values for areas you want insulated.

There are four basic types of insulation: loose fill, batts and blankets, rigid board and spray foam.

Loose-fill Insulation - include loose fibres or fibre pellets blown into building cavities using special equipment. While it costs more, it is perfect to fill nooks and crannies easily, reduces air leakage and provides better sound insulation. While loose-fill insulation has an R value of 3-4 per inch, cellulose fibre has approximately 30% more insulating value than loose-fill rock wool.

Batt and Blanket Insulation - is made of mineral fibre. This being either processed fibreglass or rock wool. These are generally used to insulate below floors, above ceilings and within walls. It is the least expensive options but requires careful installation for effective performance.

Rigid Board Insulation - this too is made commonly from fibreglass as well as polystyrene or polyurethane and is available in a variety of thicknesses with a high insulation value of around R-4-8 per inch. Use mostly for reproofing work on flat roofs (repair leaking roof), basement walls and perimeter insulation at concrete slab edges.

Spray Foam Insulation - it is a two-part liquid with polymer and a foaming agent. It is sprayed through a nozzle into walls, ceilings and floor cavities and then expands into a solid cellular plastic which fills every nook and cranny. Remember, it should be applied by professionals only using special equipment.

As the number of electrical outages keep rising from storms, brownouts and other issues, more people than ever are looking to get back-up power for their homes in case of an outage. This is understandable and commendable, but it can also be confusing if you’ve never shopped for a generator before. Before you spend big money on a 100 kw generator, it’s good to know some generator basics.

No matter what generator you wind up getting, you will want to have an automatic transfer switch installed professionally into your power grid. This will automatically transfer the power to and from the power grid and your generator in case of an outage. Not only does this save you from having to manually do it, but it prevents the power “backing up” – which could cause electrical fires or electrocution to yourself or power workers.

Also, there’s no need to get a generator that is far more powerful than you need. A good rule of thumb is to add up the power usage of the various appliances and items you need to have powered during an emergency. 15 kw John Deere generators (or from another supplier) should be more than enough to do the trick to power your house.

All Breakers offers same-day shipping for new and reconditioned circuit breakers including ITE circuit breakers, cutler hammer breakers, Zinsco circuit breakers, and FPE circuit breakers.

We know that when it comes to diesel generators, Florida isn’t the only place where the technology is applied. That’s why it’s always helpful to hear ideas from around the world, as well as information about different generators, from a Perkins diesel generator to a Broadcrown generator and beyond.

To facilitate the transfer of ideas and create a dialogue among the power generation community, Caterpillar Inc. has launched a forum called the Power Generation Online Community. Billed as “an interactive forum where consulting specifying engineers and other power generation professionals can exchange ideas and best practices,” the forum is free to use and prior experience with Cat power generation equipment is not required. The forum is located at www.catelectricpowerinfo.com/connect.

According to Cat’s Electric Power Division Manager of Marketing Communications, “The goal of the online community is to provide a place where users can find answers to questions and interact with their peers. Caterpillar is hosting the forum, but the primary goal is to help people in our industry connect with each other around the clock and around the world.” Users from more than 100 countries have joined the forum so far, talking about everything from emissions requirements to emergency generators to automatic transfer switches.

As with other online forums, the Cat forum allows users to create new topic threads and give “kudos” to other users whose input is deemed valuable. In addition, users can highlight the best responses to their specific questions and tag posts with relevant keywords.

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