Muhammad Mukarram Technical Services L.L.C

Category Blog

Manage Hotel

The basic principles of Managing a Hotel are simple and similar, no matter what the Star classification of the Hotel is (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Star Hotel (Based on the Services and Facilities they provide), or if it’s a large or a small Hotel or if the hotel is operated independently (Managing the Hotel under your (Hotel Owners) Name) or part of a Hotel Chain (Managing Hotel under someone else name and paying them fees for using their name). The bigger the Hotel gets, in terms of the number of Rooms and the number of Restaurants and Bars, the number of Staff increase and also the number of Titles and Positions of the Staff working there. The primary and basic Business of any Hotel or a Resort is providing Rooms, Food and Drink to Guests (Customers).

They are classified as City Hotels (which mainly cater for Business Guest), Resorts (which cater for Guests on Holiday or on Vacation in Holiday and Beach Side Destinations), Airport Hotels (which are close to Airports and mostly cater to transit Airline Passengers and Airline Crew), Casino Hotels (Hotels which have licensed Gambling facilities), Convention Hotels (which have Convention and Meeting facilities for large number of Guests), Motels (Mainly in the US, which cater to Guests Traveling by road and who wish to stop over for overnight) , Bed and Breakfast (Mainly in Europe, which are small Hotels catering for Guest at reasonable pricing).

Letting out Guest Rooms, Letting out Conference Rooms for Meetings and Conferences, Letting out Ballrooms for Weddings and Functions and Sale and Service of Food and Drink in Restaurants and Bars are the primary source of Revenue on which Hotels rely.

As time passed by Hotels started generating Revenues from Spa (Providing Massage and Treatment Services) ,Health Club (Gym), Boutiques in the Hotel Lobby, Golf, Outside Catering, Serving Airlines through Flight Catering etc.

The primary Operational Departments of a Hotel are Front Office Department, House Keeping Department, Food and Beverage Service Department, Food Production Department (Kitchen).

Front Office and House Keeping Departments together are also known as Rooms Division Department.

Front Office Department deals with Guests Reservations: for Guests who want to stay in the Hotel , it also deals with Guest Registration when Guest check in to the Hotel, through dealing with Guest requests and Complaints during a Guest stay in the Hotel to finally collecting and processing Guest Payments, when Guest Finally check out of the Hotel.

In smaller Hotels Front Office Department is simply known as Reception.

Receptionists, Guest Service Agents, Cashiers and Front Office Manager form part of this Department.

Second Operational Department which is closely related to Front Office Department is House Keeping Department, which deals with the cleaning of Guest Rooms and Public Areas (Restaurants, Bars, Conference Halls, Ball Rooms and Offices etc).

In medium sized to big Hotels House Keeping Department also has an on premises Laundry for the washing of Guest Room Linen (Bed Sheets, Towels, Pillow Cases etc), Guest Clothes (for an extra Fee) and Staff Uniforms. In smaller Hotels this function is normally outsourced.

In smaller Hotels it’s simply known as Maid Service.

Room Maids, Housemen, Laundry Supervisor and Executive House Keeper form part of this Department.

Third Operational Department is Food and Beverage Service Department, which is a collection of all Restaurants, Bars, Conference halls and Ball rooms in the Hotel. It also includes Room Service.

Waiters, Bartenders, Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager, Room Service Manager, Banquet Manager and Food and Beverage Manager form part of this Department.

This Department deals with the Service of Food and Drink to the Guest and later for the collection of Payment from Guest.

Fourth Operational Department in a Hotel is Food Production Department or Kitchen. They cook Food for the Guests in the Restaurant, Bar, Room Service, Conferences, Functions and Weddings.

Cooks, Kitchen Stewards, Commis, Chef de Parties and Executive Chef form part of this Department.

Other than the four main operational departments mentioned above there are small ancillary departments which help in the proper functioning of a Hotel.

They are:

Accounts Department: Deals with the Money of the Hotel: all the Receipts and Payments of Money .Check if everything is accounted for and there is no pilferage (Stealing). Pays Salaries to Staff, Payments to Suppliers and deals with Books of Accounts for Taxation purpose. They also make regular reports for Owners and Managers, to give them the correct financial picture (if the Hotel is making Profit or Loss).

Human Resources or Personnel Department: This Department Recruits or Hires new staff deals with Employee Disciplinary Procedures, Employee Reward and Recognition Systems, Staff Attendance, Staff Holidays and Leave, Hiring, Firing, Promotions, Demotions and Transfers of Staff. They also deal with Employee Benefits like Social Security, Employee Insurance, Health and Safety of Staff and matters related to Staff Pay.

Training Department: This Department is part of Human Resources Department, deals mainly with Staff Training.

Sales and Marketing Department: deals with promoting the Hotel and its Restaurants and Bars to increase the Room Occupancy and Sales and to also increase sales of Restaurants, Bars, Functions and Conferences. They also take care of Advertising, Promotions and Public Relations of the Hotel.

Engineering and Maintenance Department: deals with the proper maintenance of Hotel Building and Equipment, lighting, Air Conditioning, Hot and Cold Water in Rooms and Restaurants, Plumbing, Painting, Carpentry Repairs etc.

Purchase Department: deals with the Purchase of Goods and Items (Food, Drink, Stationery and Equipment etc), required for the proper functioning of a Hotel.

Store Department: deals with the Receiving, Storage and Issuing of Goods and Items (Food, Drink, Stationary and Equipment etc) to various Departments in the Hotel.

Security Department: deals with the Security of Staff, Guests and the Hotel Property.

They are also responsible for the Fire Safety.

Finally, there is the IT (Information Technology) Guy, who takes care of the Computers and the Networking Systems in the Hotel, Hotel Website, Emails and Printers etc

Every Department can function on its own with a Department Head/Supervisor. But, to give proper Guest Service, Maintain Standards and to Increase Hotel Revenue you need a coordinator who can coordinate, guide and control all the Departments in the Hotel. That is when the Hotel Manager/ General Manager come in, to coordinate the Functions of all the Departments and take the Hotel in the right direction.

So in a nutshell, Managing Hotel is all about keeping the Guest happy by providing him good product (Room, Food and Drink) and service and thus ensuring his/her return which will ultimately lead to the profitability of the Hotel and its Owners. This is just a brief introduction to Manage Hotel or a Resort.

Source by Santosh Koripella

5 Simple, Basic Home Maintenance Steps

While, for most people, the value of their house, represents, their single, largest, financial asset, it’s somewhat amazing, so many, do so very little, to protect it, to the best of their abilities. While we’ve all heard the adage, An ounce of Prevention, and some, heed this advice, when it comes to their health, etc, and even some of their other investments, etc, few homeowners do so, regularly. This article will attempt to, briefly, examine, review and discuss, 5 simple, home maintenance steps, which go a long way, towards protecting this investment, in a way, which makes sense, from a more bang, for the buck, perspective.

1. Resealing: Nearly every driveway, uses some sort of paved surface, and most rely on blacktop, because it works well, and is relatively, cost – effective. This tar – based, surface, is what, nearly every road, uses. Because of weather changes, chemicals (such as salt, etc), we generally witness, a degree of wear – and – tear, which begins with slight cracks, and irregularities. Rather than let this go, and hope for the best, or try to ignore it, an effective, cost – efficient way, to proceed, is to seal, this area, on a regular basis. In areas, where there is a significant difference in weather, and temperatures, on a seasonal basis, especially, doing this in the fall, will often prevent further damage, etc!

2. Leaves: Commit to regularly clearing, and removing leaves, both, from ground surfaces, including gardens, lawns, and other surfaces, as well as from roof areas, including leaders, and gutters! Doing so, significantly reduces greater challenges, and potential expenses, such as deterioration, and damage to leaders and gutters. Depending on one’s comfort level, this can be done, by the homeowner, himself, or, by hiring someone, to do it for you!

3. Paint chips: Whether on the inside, or the exterior of a house, addressing paint issues, sooner, rather than later, is the most cost – effective, approach! When there are exterior, paint – chips, scrape and repaint, before it gets worse!

4. Clear drains: If you hope to avoid ground water, issues, it’s important to, commit to clearing the exterior drains, so they can do their job, as designed. Remove leaves, and other obstructions and/ or impediments, so you aren’t faced with unwanted flooding, or excessive, avoidable icing, etc.

5. Seal windows and doors: Is air leaking from below, beneath, or the side of exterior doors, etc? Are your windows keeping the cold out? Paying some attention to this, and using items, such as caulk, door – sweeps, etc, will save energy costs, and keep your house, far more comfortable.

These may seem obvious, but many people, still, don’t address them! Taking these 5 simple, basis, maintenance steps, is a great preventive measure!

Source by Richard Brody

Something About Air and Water Cooled Chillers

The most common compressors used in refrigeration are reciprocating, scroll, screw-driven centrifugal. With various refrigerants chillers used in industry in industrial application, chilled water or other liquid from the chiller is pumped through process. Industrial chillers are used for cooling of products and factory machinery in a wide range of industries.

They are often used in the plastic industry in plastic processing like injection molding, blow molding, extruders, laminations, p.P. Films, rigid p.V.C. Pipe, calendars, chemicals, pharmaceutical process, dyes intermediates, mineral water soda process, paper converting, coating chill rolls, plating and anodizing, lubricants/oil cooling, dairy, bakery, food products, dehumidifier, conditioned air, welding equipment, cement processing, vacuum systems, x-ray diffraction, analytical equipment, compressed air and gas cooling.

Chillers are usually small in size (cooling capacity), usually from 1 tons to 100 tons.

Central chillers generally have capacities ranging from ten tons to hundreds or thousands of tons.

Water chillers can be either water cooled or air-cooled. Water cooled chillers offer efficiencies better than air cooled is due to heat rejection at or near the air’s wet-bulb temperature rather than the higher, dry-bulb temperature but it is used in conjunction with cooling tower.

The heart of the chiller is the refrigeration compressor. This is a pump that uses electrical energy to pump refrigerant around the system. Depending on the application like size or operating temperature, a different compressor pumping technology is used. Smaller chillers use refrigeration compressors like rotary compressors, scroll compressors, and reciprocating compressors. Larger chillers use refrigeration compressor like reciprocating compressors, screw compressors, absorption compressors, and centrifugal compressors.

Source by Sunil Dumbre

The Difference an Ergonomic Arm Sling Makes

An arm, shoulder, or collar bone injury is not incapacitating, but it needs tender care for a full recovery to be made. An arm sling was built to serve this purpose. By immobilizing the area around the injury, your body can work its healing magic and in time, the functionality can be restored. It matters the kind of arm sling you go for. Certainly arm slings are not made equal. While their purpose is shared, the comfort levels offered are different.

You need not settle for the hospital-issued sling if you find it has any number of undesirable characteristics. Your main take away from the hospital should be how to wear the sling, and how long to do so. Otherwise, you can buy one that is more ergonomic and comfortable.

An Assortment of Options

A cursory search for arm slings will reveal to you just how many designs there are. They are built based on the part of the upper body that they are to offer support to, the height of the sling, and the level of support they are to give. With the options being so abundant, how do you navigate through them all?

Design

The best arm sling should have an ergonomic built. It should conform to your shoulder to offer the greatest achievable comfort. Other characteristics, such as one hand adjustment and thumb loops are desirable.

Size

Your upper body build will determine the size of the sling to get. Ideally you want something that fits your arm as if it was custom-built for it. It should be comfortable for your arm to sit in without restricting circulation. The best ones offer an adjustable height. They are designed for either right or left hands, although universal ones are easy to find.

Material, Padding

The construction of the sling can employ any number of materials. Simpler designs use mesh fabric for better ventilation while others come with higher quality materials that emphasize on comfort. The strap should be well padded, as it will bear the weight of your arm entirely. The strap that distributes the weight evenly across your shoulder is the best. It should offer some degree of ventilation as well.

The cost should also be considered too. Arm slings are not inherently expensive, but deluxe options tend to be a little on the higher side.

An ergonomic arm sling will take away the distress as you recover from your injury, or surgical procedure. While it won’t make people stop asking about what happened to your arm, it will, at the very least, make you comfortable enough not to be annoyed by them. Remember to wear your sling as instructed by your caregiver.

Source by G Sonali

How to Tell If Your Air Conditioner Is Running Efficiently

If you live in a climate where the temperature goes up frequently, then an AC can make the living conditions much more pleasant and comfortable. As is the case with many pieces of technology, an AC also loses if proper functioning after a period of use. It is essential that you keep on gauging the efficiency of your AC so that if issues arise, they can be rectified before it’s too late.

Here are some tips on how to tell if your air conditioner is running efficiently.

Prepare your AC for testing

You should replace your furnace filter and then remove all vent coverings. This is necessary to ensure that airflow is smooth and not restricted. Just pull out the loose vents or use a tool to pull out any tight-fitted covers. Sometimes you might need help from an AC maintenance company if you need to remove the vents which are placed in an outdoor unit. They can do this job more efficiently and safely.

Determine the different ducts of the AC

You should know which are the supply and the return ducts in your AC. In order to determine this, place a tissue over each duct. If the tissue starts flying away from the duct, then that is your supply duct, whereas if the tissue paper is sucked in, then that is your return duct.

Check the Temperature of Both Ducts

You can do this in some very simple steps. Turn on your AC, and let it run for at least 15 minutes. Then take a thermometer and place it inside the supply duct. Check if the thermometer is below the current room temperature to ensure a correct reading. You can use any thermometer, even a refrigerator thermometer will work. Remember that the supply duct is that part of the AC that throws cool air into your room. Keep the thermometer over there for 10 minutes. Note down this temperature.
Now go to the second step and keep the same thermometer on the return vent, again for ten minutes. As said before, the return vent is that part of the AC which pulls in the room air and delivers it to the HVAC system. Note this reading too.
Now subtract both the readings to calculate your results.

Results Will Tell the Efficiency of Your AC

If there is a difference of 20 degrees between your supply and return ducts, then your AC is working fine. But if this temperature is less than 20 degrees, then this can tell you that your AC is not working efficiently. There can be many possibilities of this problem. One may be that there is a leak in the system, or another may be that you need to replace the HVAC filter.

Source by Mike Petty

How to Prepare Your Children For Life

My experience around Africa and in some parts of the world is that nowadays nobody is teaching our children our ways. There are no conscious efforts to have our children get the right type of education that would ensure that they have a chance to survive, not to talk of thriving. We have even lost the only basic element that is part of the colonially bequeathed education – integrity. What we are concerned about today is to get our children to pass examinations and get paper qualification.

For this purpose, parents have bought certificates for their children; they have arranged to have other people write examinations for their children. The latest in vogue now is to arrange and pay money to unscrupulous school teachers and other special classes to arrange for “special centres” for their children to write examinations where answers are written down for them on the board.

The above is the reason we have university graduates who are armed robbers and kidnappers because they cannot afford to survive in the real world as soon as they left schools. In most African cities today, there is no chance of survival for those who had only secondary school education. This is because; they merely got poor reading and writing skills for the period they spent in schools.

To survive in this world today, and this is would be more complex tomorrow, we need life skills education and personal development. While life skills would ensure that we have the capacity to provide service to others and get paid doing so, personal development would ensure that our mind and heart and mental faculties are developed to be able to think and create products, programmes, ideas and services that would enhance the quality of our lives.

What is being advocated here is that from secondary school level or as early as they can handle it, our children should be thought how to produce food, even if you are living in the cities this can still be thought with backyard gardens or hanging plants in baskets and pots right inside your rooms or by the wall. They should be thought how and why to provide service to other people. They should be thought house/home operation skills such as plumbing, electrical wiring and fittings, carpentry and furniture maintenance, decoration, cooking, sanitation, etc. This is one of the major things that differentiate the advanced and advancing societies from us.

They should be prepared to know that from age 12 or as soon as is practicable, they should be start making a living and start saving for their education and other voluntary services or for supporting the family. This is irrespective of the wealth or riches already existing in the family.

They should be taught the importance of reading and writing down their experiences, maintaining journals of all their activities, experiences, feelings, thoughts and events in the life of their family and the community.

They should be taught very early in life to love studying the scriptures and other motivational books so that they can gain wisdom required for relationships, associations, team building, networking etc, required for a wholesome community living in this day and age. The opportunities are limitless.

Money is a critical element in human interaction. Money is used to create wealth. It is surprising that our people spend between 12 and 16 and sometimes 20 years in schools and are not taught a single thing about how to create or accumulate wealth. As a result, our people come into living and do nothing except to “pursue money”. This is the bane of our society today. This is why our children are taking to crime as a sign that they are smart. This is why ‘our leaders’ or those who masquerade as such only loot the treasury. It is all because they never learned how to create or accumulate wealth. They think wealth could be stolen. Being fools, they perish with the money they looted from the public treasury and the treasury of their organizations.

With life skills education and personal development, we would engender an evolutionary trend that would make this world answer the end of its calling and glorify the name of God, our Creator.

People in our own generation and the current generation have lost it. But we can ensure that our children do not lose it also by providing these two types of education for them.

What do you think? Do you have ideas and strategies to achieve this idea?

If you would like to get help in the daunting task of raising your family, we can help you. Success Publishers publishes success strategies on relationships, personal transformation and development and wealth creation. Check out my resource box.

Source by Francis Nmeribe

What Services Are Provided by Demolition Contractors

Demolition contractors perform several services that include removing homes, buildings, and structures from their respective sites. They perform their removal duties assigned to them by different companies. After completing a demolition project, the demolition contractor is also responsible for removing building materials and debris from their site.

These contractors perform different services, which includes the following-

  • Demolition of wood
  • Demolition of drainage system
  • Demolition of concrete structures and buildings
  • Demolition of underground piping
  • Demolition of asphalt surfaces.
  • Demolition of old railroad tracks
  • Demolition of structural construction

Professional Services

Demolition company’s services are the only option to count on when you want to tear a residential or a commercial structure within the schedule since demolishing the entire structure is just a one-step of the whole demolition project. Demolition contractors are largely contacted these days to handle the large portion of fallen debris very securely and safely. They are well trained and experienced in their job without causing any risk of damage to the demolition site. Their services include professional tools and special equipment to haul large chunks of demolished structures, including lead pipes, a few hazardous items, and beams. The demolition team is well trained to clear the job site using the necessary heavy-duty tools and equipment.

Waste Management and Environmental Responsibility

Demolition companies are specialists who know what should be done with the fallen waste material and debris after finishing the demolition work. As soon as the demolition work is completed, they smoothly transport and dispose of the materials at the designated waste management sites. They efficiently manage waste materials such as asbestos, a dangerous material, and handle them with care. The contractors also use some of the waste materials in recycling or reusing, including pieces of wood and metal.

Inspecting and Quality Assurance

The demolition contractors carefully inspect the demolition site, and on ensuring that the site has been cleared properly with no shards of metallic objects or toxic waste substances leaving behind the surrounding environment, they allow the commencement of new building construction in that site. They ensure that there are no environmental risks involved in the whole demolition work. They deal carefully with leaks in the plumbing line or gas lines. They check the quality assurance by ensuring no spillage of harmful material has taken place in the vicinity, resulting in serious injuries. Ignorance of quality assurance may lead to legal consequences as well. Thus they effectively perform their duties of inspection.

Safety Measures

The demolition contractors take several safety measures such as –

  • Fencing the site of demolition
  • Setting up clothing, equipment, and other personal safety measures.
  • Use special sackcloth to cover the building to protect the building’s perimeter from falling rubble.
  • Installation of scaffolding.
  • Taking help of the municipal police or a security company to safeguard the building.

A good demolition company follows the safety protocols in the job site and takes care of the health and safety of the public and its workers. It also ensures the security of its employees and the workplace.

Other Services

Demolition projects are unique, and each of the project’s specifications and requirements is different. So the demolition company always meets the requirements by paying attention to detail. They follow an in-depth process and offer a job review survey to ensure that customers are fully satisfied. Other services include-

  • Making a Pre-project plan
  • Assessing the site properly
  • Cleaning site regularly
  • Safety and health assessment

Source by Shalini M

Mechanical Seal Installation For Centrifugal Pool Pumps

Your swimming pool pump is one of the key component in your pool filtration system; however, there will be times when it will require some major repairs. One of the more common repairs done on a pool or spa pump is the replacement of the mechanical seal. This is one of those repairs that could cost you a pile of money. A more cost effective way of doing this repair, is learning how to do it yourself.

Purpose of the pump seal

All centrifugal pumps have a shaft seal installed. The purpose of these shaft seals is to stop the water or liquid that is pumped from leaking along the shaft. Understanding mechanical pump seal designs is very important. It teaches you how a basic mechanical seal works. So how do I change the seal on my swimming pool pump? Please understand! Some pump seals are installed a little differently in some swimming pool and spa pumps; however, the principle purpose of the seal is the same. And that is to stop leaks.

Mechanical seal repair

Before you begin your seal repair, you have to kill all electrical power source to the pump motor. Once the power source is disconnected, you have to lock out the main circuit breaker. This will prevent any accidental switching of the power.

Tools and resources needed for the seal replacement

Replacement of pool pump mechanical seals require some basic tools and parts for the job. These are items such as:

  • An open end wrench set as well as a good ratchet set.
  • A new mechanical seal for the new install.
  • A set of flat screw drivers.
  • Emery cloth (sand paper).
  • A bearing puller. To help remove the pump impeller.
  • A new replacement impeller. This will only be needed if the one that is on the pump needs replacing.
  • A new volute paper gasket. You will not be able to re-use the original one.
  • Hammer or heavy duty rubber mall.

Now that you have the tools and parts needed for the repairs, you can proceed.

Steps to a successful shaft seal change

  • Double check that your main circuit breaker is off and locked out.
  • Close the valves on both the discharge and suction side of your pool pump.
  • Loose the bolts that is holding the motor in place on its base plate.
  • Back the motor away from the pump section and secure the flex coupling.
  • Loose the drain plug on the volute housing to release and drain the pump housing.
  • Loose the bolts that connect the volute cover plate to the volute.
  • Loose the pump stand blots and separate the cover plate from the volute. Using the back away bolts. You may need to use your hammer to lightly tap the cover plate away.
  • Using your ratchet, remove the bolt that is holding the impeller in place.
  • Pull the impeller off the pump shaft. If it is hard to remove, use the bearing puller to aid in its removal. Inspect the impeller for wear and tear. This will determine if it has to be replace. If the impeller is in good condition, use care in its removal. You don’t want to crack or bend the impeller.
  • Once the impeller is removed, remove its holding key from the slot on the shaft.
  • Using your screw driver, remove the spring and the rotating component of the old seal from the extended end of the pump shaft.
  • Next, remove the ceramic (stationary component of the seal) from the seal recess in the volute cover plate. To do this, you have to turn the cover plate over and gently tap the damaged seal out.
  • With the old mechanical seal completely removed, inspect the pump shaft and sleeve along with the seal recess for damage. There are times when you may have to replace the pump shaft but that is another repair within itself.
  • Clean the seal recess with emery cloth and water and dry thoroughly. Clean the extended end of the shaft and sleeve to remove all the rust and dirt.
  • Open the new mechanical shaft seal, be careful not to touch the polished face of the seal faces. Also do not rest the mechanical seal on down on your work table. The faces of the pump seal is easily scratched and once this happens you seal is not longer useful. It will leak.
  • Install the stationary part (ceramic portion with the black rubber cup) of the seal into the volute cover plate. Remember it has to installed in exact manner as the old one. Also check and make sure that this part of the seal is inserted all the way into the seal recess on the cover plate.
  • Now slide the rotating part of the pump shaft seal over the extended end of the shaft. Carefully push it down towards the polished face of the ceramic piece in the volute cover plate.
  • Insert the impeller key into its slot on the pump shaft.
  • Position the impeller over the shaft, aligning the slot of the impeller with the key and slide it into place.
  • Replace the impeller washer and blot and tighten.

Now you are ready to re-assembly your pool centrifugal pump.

But first you need to replace the volute paper gasket and secure it in place with a little RTV silicone sealant. Always use non-hardening silicone lube on all your swimming pool and spa pump repairs. DO NOT use Vaseline or any other lubricants made with petroleum. They can cause problems by eating away some paper and plastic gaskets. Once the paper gasket is in place, you can begin your re-assembling of your pump.

  • Slide the volute cover plate assembly into the volute of the pump housing.
  • Line up the holes for the cover bolts.
  • Insert the bolts and tightened in a crisscross pattern. This helps the cover plate assembly to slide into place without the impeller binding to the walls of the volute. housing.
  • Re-insert the flex coupling into its hub and slide the motor back into place; thus aligning the hub on the motor to the end of the flex coupling.
  • Insert the holding bolts for the motor. Align the pump and motor to ensure proper operation. Failure to do this will cause your mechanical seal to fail again.
  • Open the valves to both the discharge and the suction side of your pool pump.
  • Restore the electrical power supply to the pump motor.
  • Run the pump system and check for any leaks.

Congratulations! You just saved yourself a pile of money, by replacing the mechanical seal on your pool pump. I invite you to visit my site, where you will find a wealth of information that will help you manage your pool/spa correctly. Just click the link in the resource box.

Source by Elkin H Jones

Oreck Vacuums Vs Simplicity Vacuums

Oreck vacuums are the best known on the market owing to the millions of dollars spent advertising every year. Simplicity vacuums are rarely advertised yet sell in the millions due to in-store demonstrations and word-of-mouth. Both machines are very similar. They weigh around 8 lbs so are easy and light for almost anybody to use. Both have excellent filtration, they clean the air down to .03 microns at 99.97% efficiency. You won’t be choking on dust. You also won’t have to buy filters because the polypropolyne micro fiber bag does it all! Both machines employ a direct-fan system to create the air-flow. The fan pushes enormous quantities of air into the micro-filtration bag, this system cleans you carpet much better than the indirect -motor design used by Hoover, Dyson, Eureka etc.

The Oreck uses a wooden brushroll to agitate the carpet and groom the fibers, this is much better than plastic brush rolls found on all department store vacuums. Plastic brush rolls can easily warp and melt if pet hair or string wraps up into the ends. Requiring an expensive replacement. The Simplicity goes a step further, they use a steel brush roll with replaceable brushes, years from now you can spend 10.00 to replace the brush strips instead of 50.00 on a whole new brush roll. The belt is made the same way as the serpentine belt on your car, and is guaranteed for life. The Oreck, and most other vacuums, use a big rubber band known as a “slip belt”, that requires periodic replacement.

Tidewater Sew-Vac Inc sells both brands,new and rebuilt. Before buying your next vacuum, go to your local Oreck and Simplicity Dealer and do a comparison yourself. Either brand will give you excellent cleaning and you will get great in-store service, and that is something you will not find at a department store or X club!

Source by Erik Tate

Pre-Insulated HVAC Duct Cleaning and Maintenance

The air ducts in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning or HVAC system are responsible for producing acceptable indoor air quality. While they are more commonly attributed for being a source of ventilation, these ducts also serve a primary purpose in air conditioning through thermal insulation. As a bonus, they also help improve energy efficiency.

Why you should have your air ducts cleaned

With these important roles and advantages, it is important to make sure that they remain in top quality. Most HVAC air ducts rarely need to be cleaned. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency sees no need in having your air ducts cleaned unless no one in the household is suffering from any unexplained symptoms, illnesses, or allergies, or unless there are clear indications that the ducts are already dirty and contaminated.

However, there is still a need to keep your air ducts clean even before such health hazards are already present. This isn’t just about ensuring thermal comfort in your home; it’s also about ensuring the safety of everyone at home. Your entire family breathes in the same air coming from your HVAC system, and it’s a lot better to prevent any harm than put your family’s life at risk because you’ve neglected the proper maintenance of your air ducts.

But how do you know if it is time for you to clean them? Here are some tell-tale signs:

  • You sweep and dust the house more often than usual because it seems harder for you to get rid of dust. Even after cleaning, there are still some visible dusts that you see floating around in the air.
  • People at home experience sinus problems, nasal congestion, and headaches during or after sleep.
  • There’s very little or almost no air at all coming from the vents into the rooms in your house.
  • People at home get sick constantly or experience allergies more often than usual.
  • People at home experience signs of sickness such as sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, nausea, or a burning and dry sensation the eyes, nose or throat.
  • When you turn on the air conditioner or the furnace, a stale or musty odor comes off of it.

Pre-insulated HVAC duct cleaning

Just as with other types of ductwork, the duct liners and boards of pre-insulated HVAC ducts can be cleaned easily using special non-metallic bristles. However, to avoid any damage from mishandling, thorough cleaning should be performed by a professional duct cleaner. He will be able to get rid of all dust, cobwebs, calcium deposits, debris, hair, and whatever else shouldn’t be inside.

As a rule, ducts must be inspected (and cleaned if necessary) every 1 to 2 years.

Source by Allan Esposo