The Electric Fire Revolution by Keith Barrett

Electric fires were once viewed as being rather old fashioned. Now they seem to be one of the most stylish home accessories around. What's brought about this change in attitude towards the simple electric fire?

If you think of an electric fire as being a little device that sits in a corner of a room, pumping out heat while looking ugly, then it may be time to think again. These appliances are increasingly being seen as a stylish accessory that should be present in every home.

How has this happened? In order to find out more about the story, we need to take a closer look at the way in which properties are heated.

Looking back through the ages of human civilization, it's clear that the most basic form of heating was the open fire. Used for centuries, this was a simple way of heating a home, but it wasn't necessarily the easiest and most efficient solution.

We know that the Romans developed underfloor heating, successfully heating water and moving it around beneath buildings. In more recent decades, the development of central heating systems has led to a transformation in the way in which homes are heated.

Indeed, it's almost expected that a newly built property should include a central heating system, with all that entails. That means that many buildings will have a gas boiler and some radiators, rather than the traditional chimney that was the sign of previous means of heating a home.

Yet, despite these developments, it's clear that many people like the thought of open fires, with their real flames and the cosy atmosphere that they help to generate. As a result of such thoughts, many home owners would like to have a wood or coal fuel stove in their house.

Unfortunately, the lack of a chimney or open fireplace can make that difficult. This is where electric fires can help.

Wall mounted electric fires don't just look good - they also help to solve a problem. Since they don't require a chimney or an existing fireplace, they are a flexible alternative to a real fire.

They can easily be installed in most properties and fix directly to a flat wall. Such a solution is ideal for people who live in newer properties, or in older homes where a fireplace has previously been removed.

The secret behind the growth of electric fires has been this flexibility, combined with the fact that the look so stylish.

An electric fire is a great way to transform any room.

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Broken Glass Safety by Trevor Ambrose

SAFETY TIPS FOR HANDLING GLASS

This is only guides to work with broken glass and should not be seen as the complete safety way to handle broken glass. Every situation is unique and we advice rather to call us to come and check out the situation.

Remember: Broken glass is dangerous and should rather be handled by professionals.

1. Remove people from the area - especially children and pets.

2. Wear shoes at all times after glass is broken in the area.

3. First try to vacuum up broken glass rather than trying to pick it up.

4. Wear leather / thick rubber gloves to pick up large pieces of glass if confident and the glass is still in tack.

5. Wear eye protection to prevent glass pieces from blowing of shattering into your eyes.

6. If raining, try to attach plastic bag to frame where possible, if at all.

7. Do not stand underneath broken glass at any time.

8. If glass door or window has a crack, carefully stick masking tape across cracks.

Some Questions and Answers

Q: Why does some glass shatter and others crack?

A: Depends on the treatment of the glass. Toughened glass (also known as tempered glass) is a type of safety glass that has increased strength and will usually shatter in small, square pieces when broken. It is used when strength, thermal resistance and safety are important considerations. Using toughened glass on windshields would be a problem when a small stone hits the windshield at speed, as it would shatter into the small squares making visibility difficult and it would also be likely that the wind would blow the small squares into the driver and passengers. In commercial structures it is used in unframed assemblies such as frameless doors, structurally loaded applications and door lites and vision lites adjacent to doors. Toughened glass is typically four to six times the strength of annealed glass.

Q: How do I remove broken glass from a carpet?

A: Pick up the larger pieces first and then vacuum over the carpet with a powerful vacuum cleaner. The fragments that are deep down in the carpet will eventually work their way up so you are going to need to be careful, even if you vacuumed. Wear your shoes and kind of "wipe" your feet in that area as it might help some of the glass slivers to "flip" up to the top of the carpet so the vacuum can get it. If you suspect finer pieces of glass is still present in the carpet, make use of professional carpet cleaning services.

Q: What are the different colours for splash backs?

A: Splash-backs can be ordered in any Dulux Colour. For an exact colour match we recommend using Starphire Glass which gives the truest reproduction of any colour. Splashbacks are most commonly seen in Bathrooms, Kitchens, Elevators and Bars.

Q: What is a Polished Edge?

A: A polished edge creates a small chamfer on the top and bottom of the glass giving a smooth and safe edge.

Q: What is a Bevelled Edge?

A: Palmer's Glass can do bevels from 10 to 30mm. A bevelled edge sees a tapering of the glass from the desired width in, out to the edge of the glass.

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