Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [health-and-safety]

53 questions
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10 answers

Is it more economical to use hot water before boiling or to bring cold water to a boil?

Since the arrival of our newborn, we have been using the stove to boil water in order to sterilize the nipples, bottles and rings. Which got me thinking, is it more economical to start off using hot water to help accelerate the boil or are we better…
Handy Man
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15
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What kind of gloves should I wear during electrical work?

What kind of gloves should I wear during electrical work? I need to know which glove material is most suitable for this kind of work, as I wish to purchase the proper gloves.
J. Seal
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13
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2 answers

Must I remove asbestos from my heating vents?

I've got an old house with some asbestos tape on the heating vents, and some old floor tiles which are asbestos suspects as well; duct cleaning firms won't do cleaning on the vents with the tape present. Do I really need to call in the space suit…
SqlACID
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13
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6 answers

Should gloves be worn when working with concrete to prevent it from coming in contact with skin?

I was told recently that concrete is slightly corrosive. Should gloves be worn when using concrete or is it fine to handle concrete as long as its not done on a regular basis?
PriestVallon
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11
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3 answers

If polyurethane is not food safe, why is it used on dining tables?

Why do online sites say that polyurethane isn't food safe, and is there some way I can use it on my kitchen worktop and still be safe? I don't prepare or store food directly on it or use it as a cutting board. I have it sealed with shellac now, but…
Keith Walton
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11
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8 answers

Why is my brand new PEX clear tubing turning green near the water heater?

I just moved into my house with brand new PEX (uponor) plumbing. I used clear for the hot and cold instead of red and blue, because I bought everything myself and I thought it would prevent wasting too much. I installed the PEX tubing myself after…
brfox
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3 answers

Would running a band saw or cnc machine in my basement be safe?

I'd like to get a band saw and drill press but I don't have room in my garage so I'd like to put it in my basement. The problem is I don't have any ventilation to remove sawdust so would having it in my basement be impractical / unhealthy?
Digimas
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9
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2 answers

How to detect mildew or fungus?

We live in an apartment, and since a couple of months, my girlfriend suffer from all sort of lung/breath/throat problems. ( Multiple visits to the Doctors give the same result: she has nothing, might be allergy. But she also have been tested for…
FMaz008
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9
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1 answer

When to replace respirator filters?

I've got a respirator like this one: I assume with the particulate filters (for dust) you just change them when they get hard to breathe through, but what about the organic vapor or chemical cartridges? How do you know when they need to be…
Brad Mace
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9
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2 answers

Add grounding to a 9th floor apartment in country with no electric code at all

I live in a 9th floor 1940s-era apartment in a country with no electrical code and no professional licensing for electricians. My 'electrician,' such as he is, is a security guard who does wiring on weekends for extra money. He is obviously not a…
Jack B
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7
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3 answers

How can I determine what is in my water?

My question is, how can I determine exactly what these "floaties" are that I see in my drinking water? I know that I sound crazy and more than a little obsessive-compulsive....my wife tells me this all the time. For a while, we had a Brita water…
SalarianEngineer
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7
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2 answers

What dangers are there with disturbed asbestos drywall?

We had a repipe job done on our home 5 years ago. I was stupid and did not research the company before they destroyed drywall throughout the house. After the pipes were replaced they informed me that they do not repair the drywall and it is my job…
Colleen Hanson
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How can I prevent unpleasant smells and organisms in our water tank?

There is an 8000 liter water tank on top of my house which provides water for the house. Bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. often start developing in the tank, giving unpleasant smells, etc. The water is ground water that we pump up there with our own…
Fiksdal
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Do Old Houses Have a Pre-determined Lifespan?

Taking into consideration the building supplies that were available in that time period for that particular geographic area (say, a major metropolitan city in the mid-western United States), do homes built in the late 1800s have definite points in…
Shawn Holmes
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If it is important to humidify the air in winter for one's health, how then do you prevent condensation from forming on the inside of windows?

The optimum zone of the relative humidity of one's home at any given time is between 40% and 60%. This is the range to ensure that the humidity does not damage one's health or one's furnishings, in either direction. My hygrometer notified me that…
Fil
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