Author: Tim Austin

Prices for chimney sweep services soar

Posted on by Tim Austin

Chimney sweeps probably perform one of the oldest occupations in the world. The profession can be dated back to the 12th century when the first chimneys were built to draw the smoke from roaring fires out of ancient castle fireplaces. The growing number of towering chimney stacks and clay chimney pots which popped up across the country in the 18th and 19th centuries during the time of the Industrial Revolution turned chimney sweeping into a very popular profession. But only when the chimneys were built to be big enough for a man to pass through did the profession lose the disreputable image which it had acquired during Victorian times due to the abhorrent practice chimney sweeps had of sending small boys up dangerously narrow chimneys in which they frequently got hopelessly stuck and sometimes even suffocated.

Nowadays a chimney sweep is often considered a symbol of luck: in parts of Great Britain they are extremely popular at weddings where they are thought to bring the bride luck. And in Germany small pipe cleaner chimney sweeps in pretty little plant pots are often given as a gift on New Year’s Day.
Prices for chimney services soar

But not everybody can count themselves quite so lucky: the “Gebührenverordnung für Schornsteinfeger”, the new act regulating the fees which chimney sweeps can charge for their services, has resulted in a price increase of up to 60% for a third of all households in Germany. And although according to the media portal “Der Westen”, the changes, which have been in place since January 2010, will not affect the other two thirds of all families, this will come as small consolation to those who will have to dig considerably deeper into their pockets when the chimney sweep comes knocking at their door.

For those affected the new legislation will prove to be a bitter pill to swallow. These additional costs come on top of the costs which members of health funds are already having to pay for an ailing health care system, and with an imminent rise in VAT looming on the horizon some families will be looking for other ways to cut their household budgets and save money on other essentials.

For example electricity. But here’s where we can help. You can literally knock £100s off your electricity bill by switching off certain appliances like set-top boxes, hi-fi systems and DVD recorders at night instead of just switching them to stand-by, and also by identifying – and eliminating – the true electricity gobblers in your home.

An energy meter from Trotec will provide you with just the information you need to unearth these nasty little culprits. Information including the exact amount of energy each of your appliances is consuming and just how much that relates to in hard currency.

And with a bit of luck you will end up saving more than you had hoped for.

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Infrared cameras unmask leaks the human eye fails to see

Posted on by Tim Austin

save energy with infrared cameras

An infrared camera is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment. One of its outstanding features is its ability to detect energy leaks in buildings using infrared technology and to make these leaks visible to the naked eye.

Infrared cameras can be used to create thermal images or real-time video sequences of the outer walls of buildings or the rooms inside in order to allow you to determine where the chinks and gaps in your building’s insulation are so that immediate steps can be taken to remedy the situation and cut spiralling energy costs.

The thermal images which the camera generates reveal a fascinating colour spectrum which clearly distinguishes between cold and warm spots. Warm colours like red, yellow or orange represent the warm spots, the places where warm air and precious energy is seeping out of the building. Cooler colours, like green and blue, show you where the cold spots are. These are the places where cold air is making its way into the building, often making heating futile.

Inspections which are carried out on the outside of buildings are especially effective, because they show you just where the thermal bridges and cold leaks are. Such inspections are even more effective in the colder winter months when the warmth that escapes through any leaks or cracks in the building is captured vividly in strong shades of colour by the infrared camera. Typical weak spots from an insulation point-of-view are poorly sealed windows or doors, windows and doors with simple glazing or even whole facades or roofs which have been poorly insulated.

How can I put the results of my thermal imaging camera to best use?

The results provide restoration and renovation experts with valuable information which forms the basis of their calculations and their further actions. But the results can be equally valuable for tenants and home-owners who can then decide which course of action to they need to take.

Some of the steps you need to take can be very simple:

  • Windows – by putting up heavy curtains or drapes and sealing off windows with tape or window foil you can effectively keep the cold out and keep the warmth in
  • Doors – sealing tape and door or letterbox draught excluders, including the rather sweet homemade stuffed ones, provide a particularly effective means of combatting the cold.

Knowledge is power. Knowing where the cold leaks in your house or flat are can save you endless trouble and strife. Cupboards, cabinets, commodes and beds should not be placed up against walls that have been identified as having cold leaks. For more information see our blog article

Mould and how to prevent it – 5 golden rules for tenants

Do I have to buy my infrared camera or can I hire one too?

As a tenant or home-owner you may not want to invest in an infrared camera for you might consider to be a one-off inspection. Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Our infrared cameras are also for hire.

TKL , the hiring division of our group, has a selection of prime cameras.

Bring some colour into your life and find out where the weak spots in your home or flat are.

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Mould and how to prevent it – 5 golden rules for tenants

Posted on by Tim Austin

How to prevent mould

For many home-owners and tenants living in apartments or flats there is one sight which causes them great discomfort and fills them with utter disgust – mould. Yet mould is not only unsightly, it can quickly become dangerous and trigger allergic reactions or make a house’s or flat’s occupants very ill. All the more reason then to prevent mould from occurring in the first place and to find out more about what causes mould and what can be done to combat it.

One of the biggest causes of mould is the difference in temperature between the cold outside walls of a building and the heated rooms inside. That’s why the best form of insulation is insulation which is applied to the outside of the building. As a home-owner you can do something about it: you can carry out modernisation work and fix exterior cladding to the outside walls – as a tenant you can’t. This is why we have compiled a list with 5 golden rules designed to help those who in such cases cannot help themselves simply because they are living in rented accommodation and therefore unable to take the necessary steps that would make mould less of an issue and more a thing of the past.

Rule No. 1:

Do not put any furniture up against outside walls or the corners of outside walls.

If you are unable to follow this rule, because you are pushed for space and wouldn’t know what to do with certain pieces of furniture, then try to make sure that there is at least 10cm between the outside wall and the piece of furniture in question.

Rule No. 2:
The rooms in your flat have to be evenly heated.

This includes bedrooms which many people insist on not heating, because they believe that they will then be able to sleep better when they go to bed. This may be the case, but turning the central heating right off is going to give mould the chance it needs.

Rule No. 3:
Open the windows at least twice a day.

And when we say open, we mean open. Not just a crack, but wide open for about 5 to 10 minutes. This gives the air enough time to circulate. The stale, used air goes out and the fresh, hopefully clean air comes in.

Rule No. 4 :
Make sure that bathrooms are aired properly after a hot shower or hot bath.

This is sometimes much harder than you might first think: some windows are simply too small to be adequate and some bathrooms have no windows at all. In such cases a dehumidifier is just the right device. It extracts the moisture out of the air and creates just the right indoor climate.

Rule No. 5:
The relative humidity of a room should not be higher than 65- 70%.

It can be a little higher – along the walls, for example, where it can be as high as 80%, but this is an exception. If you’re looking for a way to measure the relative humidity, try one of our thermohygrometers. They are designed to do just that.

Oh, and by the way… If you are having an earnest problem with mould in your flat, then you are generally entitled to hold back some of the rent. This is, however, a sword which can cut both ways: landlords often try to turn the tables on tenants by claiming that the mould is a result of gross negligence on the part of the tenant who has not been airing the flat adequately.

Do you have or have you had problems with mould in your apartment or flat? Write to us and tell us about it. Or let us in on your secret if you have any other useful tips or golden rules which you would like to share with your fellow readers. We would love to hear from you.

TROTEC. For a better world.

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Explosive gas concentrations – allotment holder blows hut sky high

Posted on by Tim Austin

You need only open the paper to read about another spectacular accident involving a gas explosion and the tragedy that then unfolds. Only last week a number of newspapers including DerWesten reported on an incident in which a 56-year-old man from Dortmund who had been making himself a cup of coffee in his idyllic little allotment blew himself and the hut which he had only finished renovating the week before up when the gas cooker that he had been trying to ignite exploded. The explosion rocked the allotment and sent shock waves through the community and blocks of building stone hurtling in all directions and onto the roof of a nearby school. The man, who suffered serious facial burns and other injuries including damage to his respiratory tract, was able to call emergency services on his mobile phone before being rushed to hospital where he is condition is still said to be critical.

Flammable gases become dangerous when they come into contact with the air, or the oxygen in the air to be more precise. It is the concentration which is decisive. If the concentration is too low, or below the LEL (lower explosion limit) as the experts say, then the mixture is too lean and there is – for the time being at least – no risk of an explosion. Strangely enough there is also no risk when the mixture is too rich, i.e. the percentage of combustible gas or gases in the atmosphere is above the upper explosion limit (UEL), because then there is not enough oxygen in the air for it to become flammable. If, however, the concentration of flammable gas or gases lies at a certain level between these two limits, then there is, as the case above showed, a real risk of an explosion.

The gas which the allotment owner or tenant used would have probably been propane gas – the type commonly used for portable cookers and campers stoves. If the concentration of propane gas in the air lies between 2.1 and 9.5 %, then the atmosphere becomes explosive – with all the resulting consequences.

Different gases have different concentration limits: Natural gas, the gas used by many people to heat their homes, is primarily made up of methane, a gas which becomes explosive when the concentration is between 5 and 15%.

Trust TROTEC then to come up with another measuring device which affords a means of protecting you and your family by detecting gas concentrations that escape from leaks or broken pipes and warn you when the gas concentration is 10% below the lower explosion limit. The BG30 Gasdetektor from TROTEC is such a device – easy to use and especially effective. A small investment which could even one day end up saving somebody’s life.

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Better safe than sorry

Posted on by Tim Austin

A dropped dehumidifierMoving house is a traumatic experience. It comes, as the saying goes, third only to bereavement and divorce. It is understandable then that many people, especially elderly citizens, who are unable to carry heavy boxes and furniture or cannot afford a removal firm, and younger first-time movers who are flying the nest try to get all the support they can by enlisting the help of family and friends to lighten their burden and prevent the costs of moving from spiraling.

But stop! If you don’t want to end up being the friend in need at the end of the day – and splitting with friends or family because of a broken mock Ming vase, a smashed computer or a dropped dehumidifier – then it often pays to have a word with your insurance company first in order to clarify whose insurance covers any breakages or damage that occur as a result of you being kind enough to help a friend or family member to move house.

Interestingly there is in fact an insurance company that does cover such damages – no, not Lloyd’s of London in this case but the AXA insurance company, which sells a special policy designed to take a great weight off your mind and not make you have to rely on another insurance company’s gesture of good will.

So prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Ring, write or talk to your insurance agent before you agree to help out when somebody thinks the time has come to move house – and visit our website and learn more about our over 600 strong selection of machines , devices and equipment in and around the fields of dehumidification, industrial and construction heating, indoor climate control and infrared thermography and see what we could have done for your family or friends in their old house and what we can do for you in yours.

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I would call mine Eric

Posted on by Tim Austin

high pressure areas to give away

In times of tumbling economies, fears of double dip recessions and falling house prices what better a way to spend your money than on something that not everybody has, something really special. No, not a piece of land or a hole on the moon – or a square foot of the rain forest, which is at least a very commendable start – no, as of September the 29th 2010 you can give your name, or somebody else’s, to a heavenly constellation that is this time not a star or group of stars but a system of either high or low pressure moving across the face of Europe!

The perfect gift one could be excused for thinking. Imagine the surprise when your wife of twenty years finds out that instead of buying her those wickedly expensive earrings, that timelessly-elegantly classic cashmere cardigan or those luxuriously soft lamb leather boots which she has always wanted for your china wedding anniversary, you get in touch with the Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin) and pay 199 euros to have a system of low pressure which brings misery and suffering to whole nations named after her.

And what about Christmas? Don’t forget – only 108 days to go. If you feel like digging a little deeper into your pocket this time, you can tack an extra one hundred euros onto your bill by splashing out on a system of high pressure that you have decided to name after one of your family members, which unfortunately does not include the dog, who most families would probably regard as being more than just a trusted companion and faithful friend. Men’s names are allowed – and so are women’s – but no double names and no company names either.

But just in case you’re thinking that this is a hoax, this is where we set you straight. The whole idea of sponsoring systems of low and high pressure across Europe is the brainchild of the meteorologists at Freie Universität Berlin who thought that this would be a good way to generate income for the Institute of Meteorology at their progressively modern university. If you’re interested, just go to http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/ and make somebody happy in 2011.

By the way, although the low pressure systems in 2010 all had and will have women’s names and the high pressure systems men’s, the situation will be reversed in the coming year when the high pressure systems will then be called Brunhilda, Helga or Hannelore and the low pressure systems will be called Hans, Christian – or Eric. This is a result of the pressure put on the met office by women campaigners who went up in arms at the practice established in 1954 of giving high pressure systems which account for gloriously sunny, pleasantly dry weather men’s names and low pressure systems, which are responsible for drab, damp and overcast weather, women’s.

But if all this talk about high pressure systems and low pressure systems has turned your thoughts to the weather and the effect it could have on your day – sticky, hot weather in the summer, dipping temperatures, cold, crispy days in the winter and wet. rainy weather with high humidity levels the rest of the year round, then you will be pleased to hear that Trotec, the brand name in heating solutions, dehumidification and climate control has just the right heaters, dehumidifiers and air conditioners for you and your own individual application. Just follow the link below and find out for yourself.

Trust Trotec. The name in heating solutions, dehumidification and climate control.

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High humidity levels in Asia: Apple iphone owners left out in the rain

Posted on by Tim Austin

high humidity levels

It is not uncommon for humidity levels in Asia to reach 95%. Too much for the Apple iphone according to an article in the South China Morning Post. The phone’s onboard moisture sensors, so called Liquid Submersion Indicators (LSIs), react extremely sensitively to such conditions and switch the cult objet d’art off. Thousands of customers have already been affected.

But worse is still to come: Apple’s one-year warranty expires in case of damage caused by moisture – the company assumes that their cult smartphone has then either been dropped into a swimming pool or left out in the rain. And the warranty clauses are carefully worded with regard to temperature and relative humidity operating and storage ranges, leaving nothing to chance. This development obviously does not go down well with the Apple enthusiasts whose world suddenly goes pear-shaped when their company refuses to accept any responsibility. To date there is no sign that the iphone users can expect either compensation or sympathy from the company giant.

And Asia is much closer than you think. The relative humidity in bathrooms can also reach very high levels, especially when somebody is having a hot bath or shower. And how many smartphone owners, people who like listening to mp3 files or who want to be sure that they don’t miss a call, take their prized possessions into the bathroom with them? But it is exactly these environments that can present a grave problem – not only to your iphone but also your health. Mould thrives on high levels of moisture and as we pointed out in our blog last week: Mould can be a killer. This is why we at Trotec recommend using dehumidifiers to extract excess moisture from the air, especially in bathrooms, windowless rooms or cellars where high levels of moisture can often be compared to a time bomb ticking over and waiting to go off.

The time has come for you to take responsibility into your own hands and create your own dry zone – before it is too late. Check the relative humidity in your home, flat or apartment with one of the many moisture meters from Trotec and bring down moisture levels in bathrooms, basements, cellars and cubby-holes with one of our state-of-the-art, low-priced iphones – sorry, mobile dehumidifiers.

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Mould can be a killer – do something about it today

Posted on by Tim Austin

Dangerous mould

For at least 14% of the population in Germany 2008 was a bad year. Bad because almost a sixth of all the people questioned during a survey conducted by the German Federal Office of Statistics declared that the homes, flats or bedsits that they were living in were affected by damp.

Compared to the rest of the European Union, Germany didn’t do at all badly: the average number of homes or dwellings suffering from damage as a result of dampness was 17% EU-wide, with countries like Slovenia, Bulgaria and Hungary topping the list with 30.2, 30.4 and 30.8% respectively. But this is hardly a statistic to be proud of.

And they are not just statistics. The statistics equate into people, and in Germany alone this meant that around 12 million people were having difficulty with dampness and suffering from the effects that this was having on their homes, their families and their lives.

Dampness is a problem that shouldn’t and can’t be taken lightly. Dampness caused by damaged roof coverings or brickwork, subsidence and cracked walls, slipped or missing roof tiles, leaking drainpipes or blocked gutters, poorly-maintained window and door frames or condensation because new houses are sealed off so tightly that there is not sufficient ventilation can not only reduce the value of your property or the contents therein, it can greatly reduce the quality of life. The reason for this is that mould and fungi thrive on dampness. And mould and fungi not only attack your furniture, clothes, books and other possessions, they also attack your health. Many respiratory illnesses, skin irritations, allergic reactions or eye and throat conditions can be traced back to aggressive mould strains which can even prove lethal, especially to those who are already weakened by some other disease or illness or those who have a compromised immune system or are very young, very old or very pregnant.

So what can be done?

Eliminate the cause of the dampness. Get that roof or drainpipe fixed, do something about that window or door that needs to be repaired and address the problems you are having with condensation or subsidence. But don’t – on any account, don’t – just ignore the problem and wait for it to go away.

A tragic case involving the famous Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy and her husband made the headlines a few months ago when it was reported that the couple, who lived in a luxurious home in an affluent neighbourhood in Los Angeles, had succumbed to their illnesses which in all probability had been triggered by damp or excess moisture which had developed in their home.

There are thousands and thousands of homes all over Germany, Great Britain and the EU that are in dire need of repair – and dire need of a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers which combat condensation and remove excess moisture from the air before it can settle on your possessions and work its way into your walls, carpets and curtains. Dehumidifiers which not only regulate your indoor climate but also clean the surrounding air by filtering out airborne particles like pollen, pet hairs and dust which can also easily pose a real problem to your health. Dehumidifiers which can save money, worries and even lives.

Go here to see our selection of dehumidfiers…

You won’t regret it.

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MultiMeasure Basic or MultiMeasure Professional Series – that is the question

Posted on by Tim Austin

Trotec Multimeasure Basic Series
After having yesterday introduced our readers to the merits of the MultiMeasure Professional Series, a series comprising a range of high-quality precision measuring devices designed to provide professionals with the tools they need to measure moisture in building materials, wood, walls, floors and ceilings and a variety of different parameters including air temperature, air velocity, air flow rate and relative humidity, it would seem only appropriate to present the virtues of another much-acclaimed series from Trotec, the MultiMeasure Basic Series – and to answer the question that many of our readers will be asking themselves: which one is better?

The answer: neither of them is better.

The MultiMeasure Professional Series is, as the name implies, a series developed by professionals who have accumulated years of experience in the fields of fire and water damage restoration, construction diagnostics and thermographic imaging and then harnessed this experience and know-how to provide other professionals with the measuring tools they need to carry out their own specific applications.

The MultiMeasure Basic Series has the same high standard of quality and the same aspirations as the Professional Series: to provide the people who use the measuring devices with the best possible tool for their own individual applications and the best possible price for each of our products.

The difference between the two series is not a quality issue. It is a matter of application. The MultiMeasure Basic Series is designed for users who are looking for a low-price entry model that does not comprise on quality. These models are not equipped with all the functions and features one’s heart could desire, they are equipped with just the features and functions you would expect to find in a model that provides you with the basic means to do exactly what you want it to do – without any of the unnecessary and costly paraphernalia which you often find in more expensive models.

The models in the MultiMeasure Basic Series have been honed to meet the demands of semi-professional applications. Applications that you can carry out in your home, in the workplace, during your free-time or at when at work. Two models which illustrate the strengths and – erm, strengths – of the series exceptionally well are the exceptionally popular BC15 thermohygrometer and the equally successful BM30 moisture meter.

The BC15 is a hand-held measuring device designed to determine the ambient temperature and relative humidity in the home, the office, in production lines and laboratories and even in florists. Features like a crisp, clear, easy-to-read backlit display, soft-touch keys and min and max hold functions are all features which you would expect to find in much higher-priced models and ones which you would sorely miss on less well-equipped ones.

The BM30 measures moisture in walls, floors and ceilings using the non-destructive method. This means that you no longer have to tear any holes in your walls or ceilings or rip up floors to detect moisture before then digging deeper to determine the cause or the source. Nowadays you can comfortably rely on the meter’s dielectric measuring method to provide you with the necessary information. The BM30 is equipped with the same excellent features as the BC15: backlit display, soft-touch keys, min and max hold function and an auto power off function which saves energy and conserves battery power. As you can see, it pays to go green.

These then are the arguments in favour of each series. You decide which series is better for you, because you decide on the application.

But no matter what model you choose, or which series – the MultiMeasure Professional Series or the MultiMeasure Basic Series – you simply can’t go wrong with Trotec.

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Trotec MultiMeasure Profesional Series – Developed by professionals for professionals

Posted on by Tim Austin

Measuring instruments professional series

“A workman is only as good his tools.”

There’s a lot of truth in this old saying. There are exceptions of course: tennis players like the legendary Rod Laver, the extremely-talented but hapless three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick and the notoriously incorrigible Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs, who in his later years also achieved legendary status by challenging the all-time great Wimbledon Ladies tennis champion, Billy Jean King, to a match dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes” to prove his theory of male dominance – only then to get wiped off the court in straight sets – all at least at one time in their career swapped their sophisticated, hi-tech tools – their tennis rackets – for a simple kitchen utensil – a frying pan – in a display of their skill, knowledge, experience and ability – and still won !

But these are just that – exceptions. Generally speaking, it would be safe to say: the better the tool, the better the job you can do with it. This is why Trotec designed the MultiMeasure Professional Series, a high-quality series designed to provide you
with only the best in tools, a series designed by professionals for professionals. Professionals who themselves have been out in the field and who have spent years in the field of humidification and dehumidification, indoor climate conditioning, construction diagnostics and infrared thermographic imaging. Years in which they were able to gain a wealth of information, know-how and experience which they then channeled into a series of tools that measure a variety of different parameters ranging from relative humidity, air and surface temperature and air velocity and volume to moisture in building materials, wood and different surfaces.
The MultiMeasure Professional Series comprises of high-precision measuring instruments famed for combining cutting-edge technology and ergonomic design with an extremely high degree of accuracy, reliability and robustness. Measuring devices like the T 660 moisture meter, a hand-held moisture meter which bears all the hallmarks of a reliable and superior device “made in Germany” and which is able to detect moisture up to a depth of 4cm below the surface of floors, walls and ceilings. Or the T 2000 S, a multi-measuring device par excellence which is especially popular among professionals like architects, surveyors and engineers who appreciate the device’s accuracy, reliability and flexibility and who use it for a whole host of non-destruction applications to determine air, surface and material temperatures and moisture in a sheer endless number of woods and building materials.

Yet despite the fact that the tools in the MultiMeasure Professional Series incorporate state-of-the-art technology and that they are built to last, they don’t come with the price tag you would expect to pay for such a piece of professional equipment. This means that they do not only provide you with accurate and reliable readings, they also provide you with excellent value for money.

And as if that were not enough, the MultiMeasure Professional Series comes complete with a wide range of accessories which make it easier for you to select just the sensor or electrode you need to carry out your own individual application.

So why make do with a frying pan? Buy yourself a measuring device in the MultiMeasure Professional Series from Trotec and feel the difference.

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