Home Renovations and Hazardous Chemical Exposure
The last few decades have given us an abundance of DIY instruction, videos and even television channels dedicated to the subject of home renovation. The appearance of the big box hardware stores is directly tied to the popularity of how simple most of these projects can be.
Proceed with Caution
The sweat equity most homeowners earn is something of which to be proud, especially when it proves to increase a home's value, encouraging many to take on flipping houses as a career. However, there are some serious precautions that need to be taken before embarking on a home renovation, especially in bigger or older homes.
Hazardous Chemicals

Asbestos
One of the most dangerous hazardous exposures having emerged from the demolition involved in home renovation. Known to be a human carcinogen, asbestos minerals are composed of long heat resistant fibers that were once spun so they could be woven into the material universally used in home insulation and fireproofing.
The danger exists from breathing in these fibers that easily become airborne. The particles from asbestos when inhaled cause damage to the mesothelium in the lungs, resulting in mesothelioma that may not appear until many decades later. Despite banning this material in all modern construction, older construction is at risk of exposing residents and those performing any work on that construction. Always wear a protective breathing apparatus when dealing with asbestos.
Mercury
Mercury is an inorganic substance used in older thermostats and in light switches that were once used in older homes. While Metallic Mercury doesn't absorb through the skin, it will vaporize even when exposed at room temperature. The scary part is these vapors are odorless and colorless.
The dangers to humans from Mercury exposure are:
- Developmental, affecting the organs in the process of development
- Gastrointestinal, affecting the digestive system
- Renal, affecting the kidneys and urinary tract
- Neurological, affecting the nervous system
- Ocular, affecting the eyes
Lead
Lead is another inorganic substance less commonly used yet still present in the paint, pipes and within the walls in older homes. Historically, lead found in paint chips that babies innocently chewed on was responsible for giving them lead poisoning. Since then, lead content in paint, caulking, ceramic products and pipe solder have been greatly reduced. Older pipes that tend to corrode will release lead particles.
The dangers to humans from Lead exposure are the same as those for Mercury with the addition of the following:
- Cardiovascular, affecting the blood vessels and the heart
- Musculoskeletal, affecting the skeleton and muscles
- Reproductive, affecting newborns and the reproductive system
- Hematological, affecting the forming of blood
Radon
Radon is an odorless, tasteless, invisible, radioactive gas created from the degradation of uranium. It is concentrated in the rocks and soils in the earth and seeps into homes through cracks and breeches in structures located in low-level areas. Radiation exposure from radon can occur through improperly ventilated spaces causing cancer and damaging the lungs.
Given these dangers, permits are required in many counties for remodeling jobs. Involving the permit office and the local health department to engage inspectors is the best way to learn what hazardous exposures are present in your house.

By Brian Turner

Guest Contributer

Brian.Turner752@Gmail.com

For more information: http://www.mesotheliomafund.com

It finally happened the first rain in the Bay Area and the first snows in the Sierras, Fall is here and winter is approaching, even if it is a little late this year,since it is almost Thanksgiving.

Since rain has began to fall especially in cities like San Francisco it is important to make sure your sewer lines are free of roots and other debris. The reason that it is so important in San Francisco is the rain water flows from the roof to your house sewer, If the sewer is restricted it could cause a flood in the house or basement.

Speaking of basements don't forget that pump some of you have in your basement or under the house, NOW is a good time to give it a test to make sure it's ready for the winter season

And last but not least give the water heater the once over make sure that if it leaks it won't ruin anything. Remember that more water heaters fail in winter than summer.

If you have any questions about getting ready for winter give us a call at 415-334-0733 or email Info@PlumbingPro.com

I took a tour of the San Francisco Oceanside Treatment Plant Tuesday with a group of plumbers from the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors association of San Francisco.

If you have never been, what a facility! Most of the plant is underground, in fact some of the roof area is designed to handle hoofed animals from the zoo.

The Plant processes 20 % of the citys sewage, to be exact thats 17 Million gallions of sewage a day in dry weather and up to 60 million gallons in wet weather.

The first thing the tour guide told us was to that the only thing to go down a toilet should be one of the 3 P's (Poo, Pee, and Paper) we have been telling clinents this for years. In fact anything that does go down that shouldn't has to be removed before the sewage can be processed.

The sewage in eleven hours goes though 3 processes before being pumped 4.5 Miles out to sea. in the process the plant creates enough methane gas to make electricity that power 30% of the plant.

One of the things that really impressed me was how clean the whole facility is, it did smell in some areas but not as bad as you might think.

If you would like more information on the sewer plant or a possible tour, go to :http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=396

I Didn't write this this Blog I borrowed it from My friends at Accent Plumbing The information really hits home so I wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy George

Selecting any type of home service company is a frightening prospect for most homeowners. Here’s how to increase the odds that you will make as good of a decision for other industries as you have for plumbing when you selected Accent Plumbing.or George Salet Plumbing <Grin>

This is a different list than you’ll typically see from a consumer magazine or government agency. Few people, for example, want to call three to five companies for an estimate, especially if you need service quickly. People simply want someone who will do a good job at a fair price with the minimum amount of hassle. Almost no one is going to call past customers, check with the licensing board, or investigate the amount of insurance carried. Our list focuses on things you can do quickly and practically.

Use Social Media

Are you social? Asking your friends through Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and other social media sites is a great way to find a social good service company and minimize the odds you will select a poor one. It’s the fastest way to ask a lot of people for a referral. To improve the quality of the information you get, ask your friends and contacts to share their personal experiences.

Use Review Sites

The next best thing to recommendations from friends are public review sites. There are three types of review sites. The first charges you and charges the companies listed. You can pay for this information if you want, but the quality of the reviews is no better than you can find on the second type of review sites, which are the free sites.

Free sites include Yelp! and Google. In Yelp!, simply select your search term and city to see what reviews are available. For Google, search for the type of service and “near” and the town name. If either fails to return enough entries, try another town, a larger town, or the county.

The final type of review sites are known as slam sites. All they carry are negative reviews. A company’s failure to appear on a slam site usually means the company has few customers. Most large companies eventually appear. Some sites even offer a consulting service to “assist” the business owner with his reviews. Think of this as extortion to make bad reviews disappear. The consulting service makes the usefulness of these sites suspicious at best. Plus, the least reputable companies are the ones most like to take advantage of the service. Given that the free review sites include both positive and negative experiences, it’s best to avoid the slam sites.

Look at a Company’s Website

Once you start to zero in on a service company, check out the company’s website. A poor website is not necessarily an indicator of poor quality, but it does show less professionalism and an inattention to details compared to companies with good sites. The complete absence of a website should be a red flag. Most professional companies have websites. Most fly-by-nights do not.

Check for Professional Affiliations and Community Involvement

While you are visiting the company’s website, check for professional affiliations and signs of community involvement. Examples of professional affiliations are membership in a trade association like the National Federation of Independent Businesses or an industry association, the local or national chamber of commerce, and business alliances like the Service Roundtable. These affiliations are signs that the company is committed to professional improvement.

You may or may not find signs of community involvement on the website, but a quick Internet search of the company name and the community or the principal’s name and the community should return service and civic club activities, charitable activities, youth sports sponsorships, and so on. These are companies committed to the community and more sensitive about their reputations.

Look for News Articles

Searching for the company under a search engine’s news tab may not reveal much. However, it is likely to uncover companies under pressure from authorities for poor business practices.

Look for Tangible Clues About the Company

Are the company’s trucks professionally marked and clean? If you can recall seeing one of the company’s field service personnel, was he or she wearing a uniform or a dirty pair of jeans and a t-shirt? Did the employee look like someone you want to invite into your home?

Ask Around

While not as efficient as posting a question on social media, call of few trusted friends to ask for recommendations. Call the “centers of influence” you know. Centers of influence are the people who are especially well connected and seem to know everyone in town.

Ask other service companies for their recommendations. Many will only recommend companies to their customers they believe will take good care of them.

Trust Your Intuition

In the end, the company you call will be the one you feel best about. Trust your intuition over anything else.