Safe-Home.com

Question about methane gas detectors for homes.

Q: "What is the coverage area for the natural gas leak detectors you recommend?-Judy"

Answer: Giving an exact coverage area is not possible for a variety of reasons. The best we can say is that a natural gas monitor be mounted near every potential gas leak source. Natural gas is lighter than air and rises to the ceiling above and near the gas leaking appliance. Even inside your home there are air currents in a room due to air conditioning or heating ducts, differences in temperature in a room (warmer air collects near the ceiling, cooler air settling to the floor).

Instruction manuals recommend that a natural gas monitor be mounted near the gas source for the most accurate detection. Mount the detector within 6 inches from the ceiling or on the ceiling at least 6 inches from the wall. Natural gas pools above the source gas, kind of like a stalactite begins from the ceiling of a cave.

We sell one brands of natural gas alarm that is easily installed because of the long cord. The Safe-T-Alert brand is made in Illinois and is UL1484 listed for use with natural gas and propane gas and also work with gasoline fumes and butane fumes. The home unit is the Safe-T-Alert 40-411AC . We sell another unit by Safety Siren Combustible Gas Alarm by Family Safety Products that requires that an outlet be installed near to the appliance at the proper height.

Thanks for your question.

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about John Sterling security window guards, Max Guards, Fixed Guards and Swing Open Guards .

Q:" Hi I am in need of some expertise here. I am interested in window guards to prevent theft through an open window. If I was to purchase this item ,how do they prevent theft on windows that are open?" A US Navy Chief Gunner Wife.

Answer: The security window guards that we sell are mounted on the inside of the home, apartment or other building. Guards can be mounted to protect only the window opening or the entire window. There are three styles: fixed, removable and swing open. The fixed are not for escape: in some places they are banned and in others they are required in non-sleeping rooms for safety. The Max guards remove completely from the mounting bars. The swing open units do just that.

The two kinds that open have a hole for either a clip or a lock so they cannot be opened from outside the building. The bar spacings vary from 3.5 to 4 inches so a hand could get between the bars but removing anything of any size would be difficult. And removing the clip or lock would be difficult to impossible from the outside. The bars are made of steel. The diameter/size varies from a round bar to the angle type bar of the MAX guards.

Please go to our website to figure out which size or sizes of guards would protect your windows. If you have questions, please send us your window measurements and types of windows and we'll guide you.

Thanks for your question.
Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the MO-EDV500 EVA-DRY EDV500 Dehumidifier

Question about the product: "How big of an area does the EVA-DRY EDV 500 work in"?

Answer: It is difficult to be specific because of the many factors involved that can cause higher or lower humidity.

Some variables include:

• Location: Is this in Florida or Pennsylvania? Is this in a bathroom, basement or bedroom?
  
• Season: Is it summer in Pennsylvania or winter?
• How well sealed is the area? A safe or a closet with vented doors?

This dehumidifier is made for small areas like a clothes closet, a gun safe, a small travel trailer, a boat or other small enclosed space. The Eva-Dry humidifier adsorbs about 10 ounces of moisture within 3 - 8 weeks depending on humidity level present. Once adsorbed, moisture cannot leak or spill. What adsorbs the moisture is a specially engineered crystallized silica gel that is odorless, non-toxic and completely safe.

What is handy about this unit is that no power is needed during the adsorption of the moisture. When indicator crystals turn pink, flip out the plug and plug the dehumidifier unit into a power outlet in a well-ventilated area (bathroom with extraction fan, garage, outside, etc.). A built-in heater warms the crystals which expand and release the moisture as water vapor into the surrounding air. A renewal cycle takes about 12-14 hours. When completely renewed, the indicator crystals are blue. Replace in closet, drawer or vehicle and the unit is ready to adsorb another 10 ounces of moisture.

If you have an electrical outlet and want more capacity, I suggest you purchase the Eva-Dry Petite Electric Dehumidifier. We have one running from April through October in our main office. It keeps the printer paper dry so we don't have paper jams. And the water collected keeps the plants watered. It is silent. The capacity is 2 cups and we empty it every other day.

Thanks for your question.
Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the product Product Code: LK-YC12G

Question about the product Product Code: JS-1123-P WHITE 3 Bar Fixed Window Guards 23-42 Inches wide.

Q: "Can this style of window guard be installed on crank out jalousie windows?"

Answer: Yes, this fixed window guard can be installed on a jalousie window. What is important is that the guards are installed so that when the windows tilt they do not touch the bars. This may mean mounting the window bars on the window frame or beyond the frame into the wall studs after first screwing blocks of wood on the sides of the windows so as to make sure the window glass does not touch the window guard.

What you have chosen is a fixed or security window guard. These are recommended for non-sleeping rooms. If you are going to install this in a bedroom or are concerned about escape, please consider a window guard that can be opened by removing a lock pin. For example, the WHITE 5 Bar Lift Out MAX Long Window Guard 21x40-60 In. is a sturdy security window guard that also lifts out for window washing and escape. Also the WHITE 6 Bar Swing Open Window Guard (24-42 in. wide) swings open for window washing and escape.

As one website pointed out, the advantage of jalousie windows is the great ventilation and that they do not obstruct the view. The disadvantage is that the panes of glass are small,are a security risk as they are more easily and quietly broken out than a solid pane and are almost impossible to seal for energy efficiency.

Thanks again for your question.

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the product, Rest-Guard Bedbug Mattress Cover Twin XL 10 Inch High.

Q: "Today on the CBS Early Show there was a segment called "Bed Bugs at College." My daughter starts college in a week and I am concerned about how to protect her and her mattress (an extra long twin) from bed bug bites. What do you suggest? Thanks."

Answer: I suggest you purchase Rest-Guard Waterproof Queen Pillow Cover for her pillow and two extra long twin mattress and box spring encasements. Recommend that her roommates do the same. These covers are comfortable to sleep on. However, we recommend that you add a regular Rest-Guard cover over the encasement in case someone spills something on the bed: you want to leave the encasement on the bed always. In fact, abandon the encasement at the end of the school year just in case there are bed bugs in the dorm.

There are many articles on the internet about mattress and box spring encasements. The main points seem to be:

• Use encasements proactively: prevent the bed bugs from getting into the mattress and box spring
• Encasements can help control bed bugs in an infested dorm by keeping them inside the mattresses and box springs, letting the exterminators do their work in the rooms.
• Use only encasements tested and designed to be effective against bed bugs.
• Leave the encasement in place: use another mattress cover on top if desired.
• Protect the encasement from tears or punctures from the bed frame by padding rough edges before putting the mattress and box spring back on the frame.

From the article recently in US Today, "Ohio State University has seen "several incidents" over the past 15 months, spokeswoman Ruth Gerstner says, including an outbreak in May 2007 in three rooms of a high-rise dorm. Workers treated 114 rooms."

And "At the University of Florida's 4,000 dorm rooms and 980 apartments, "bad" infestations are limited to a couple of times a year, says Wayne Walker, who supervises dorm pest control. The school treats the problem with extreme heat, steam cleaning and pesticides."

What is advised is letting the experts treat bed bug infestations that do it yourself treatments usually fail and just cause the bugs to be more resistant to pesticides.

Thanks for your question and we wish your daughter the best!

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the Medready MR-1500 . Basic Locked Medication Dispenser with Timer and Battery Back-Up.

Q: "My mom is 82 years old and sometimes forgets whether she'd taken her medications. Her medications are taken twice a day and are quite powerful so the results could be a disaster. The Medready MR-1500 seems the best choice since she has no significant hearing or vision problems. How would we set this up to dispense twice a day? And we also want a second pill tray so we can set up the medication for her every two weeks in advance. Thanks, Mitch."

Answer: "After plugging in the battery and the AC power supply, unlock and remove the lid to set the time and alarms. Follow the directions to set time of day for the first and second alarms.Then set the length of time the alarm is to ring. The factory setting is 30 minutes but you can set the ring time from 3 minutes to 250 minutes.

Place one of the enclosed cardboard medication discs over the clock face and load the medication as shown for two doses per day in a counterclockwise direction. Verify the alarm light(s) are on and replace the lid, AFTER sliding the white bar up and AFTER sliding the door closed. MedReady is now ready to keep Mom's medication safe and dispensed only twice a day.

Thanks for your question. And the best to your mom and to you.

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about availability of long lasting, all vegetable based bar soaps.

Q: "I'm looking for a bath soap with no animal products and will not get soft after a few uses." Thanks. Henry

Answer: You've found it! Kirks Original Coco Castile Soap is a bath soap with no animal products that stays firm. It is also hypoallergenic and lathers generously in hard and soft water. I began selling Kirks soaps in 2000 as my late father shared it was no longer available in Western Pennsylvania supermarkets. One Illinois customer who'd been exposed to Agent Orange claimed Kirks is the only soap that doesn't irritate his skin.

Kirks Bath Soap Advantages:

• Luxurious lather in hard or soft water.
• Use as a body soap, facial soap or for shampoo.
• Gentle hypoallergenic soap.
• Biodegradable
• No animal testing
• No animal by-products
• Horse and dog owners use as an animal shampoo.
• Ultra gentle with no drying residue.
• No synthetic detergents.
• Longer lasting than most supermarket soaps.
• Shelf Life: Indefinite.
• Bar weight: approximately 4 oz.
  

We sell it in 6 bar packages, 12 bars packages 24 bar half cases or an
48 bars full cases. Both the cost per bar and the shipping cost per bar goes down as you buy more. We also sell Kirks in a liquid form that is the original formula.

Thanks for your question.
Sincerely, Barbara

Questions about child proofing playground equipment.

Q: "I am in charge of maintenance for a small chain of preschool/day care centers. we've used ground tires as mulch under our playground equipment to reduce injuries. We are now looking for protective padding for the swing set poles, soccer goal posts and other playground equipment to reduce bruises and other injuries. I see that you have pole padding and edge cushioning. How would we install these products?

Answer: Thanks to customers like you and a responsive child safety company, we now sell protective padding for poles as well as the wider edge cushioning. The pole padding comes in lengths of 48 inches and fits poles up to 3.5 inches in diameter. You can use two back to back for larger poles.The most popular color right now is the yellow padding. You can install this cushioning by using wire ties or using a glue such as Liquid Nails.

Pole Padding Specifications:

• Tough, UV resistant exterior.
• Child safe dense padding.
• Superior shock absorbancy.
• Available colors: Bright Red (BR), Bright Yellow (BY), Black (BK), and Tan (TN).
• Interior Dimensions: 2 1/8" diameter.
• Exterior Dimensions: 3 1/2" diameter.
• Thickness: 11/16".
• 48" sticks.

For playground equipment with 90 degree corners or long straight stretches, we sell 54 inch long sticks of lab tested fire resistant padding that is non-toxic and is 2 3/8 inches by 2 3/8 inches. The more popular colors are the brown hearth guard, the taupe hearth guard,, and the black hearth guard . We also sell gray and ivory. If you need corners, we sell those individually or in combination with sticks. For outside use, Liquid Nails or a similar adhesive works best.

Please send us photos of equipment and dimensions so we can assist in your safety proofing. Thanks for your question.

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the products TV Ears and Super Ears amplifiers for TV, theater or conversation.

Q: "My wife complains I have the TV too loud. If I turn it down, I can't hear. What are my choices so I can enjoy TV and keep my wife happy? Thanks. Tom"

Answer: We sell both wireless TV headsets and hearing amplifiers. The more expensive units by TV Ears are superior as the headsets are light weight, volume is easily controlled by adjustments on the headset and what you hear is only the TV set. These units are also ADA compliant which means they pick up signals at theaters and other venues with ADA broadcast signals. Prices vary with the features offered. We currently sell the the TV Ears 2.3 MHz for those with normal hearing. The TV Ears Original system is for those with moderate to severe hearing lost. We also sell two hearing aid compatible units with extra features, the TV Ears Pro and the TV Ears Home Theatre .

The two hearing amplifiers that we sell are the basic SuperEars and the Super Ears Plus These hearing amplifiers are inexpensive and easily portable. Like most amplifiers, they are not direction specific even with the built-in microphones. So you'll hear side conversations and other noises. And you'll have to hold the units or lay them on a table or arm rest. The headsets do have connective wires to the microphone/amplifier unit.

Go to our website for more information. Thank you for your question.

Sincerely, Barbara