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Garages are an area where a lot of accidents happen. We use them to store our cars, as a wokshop, and to collect all manner of hazardous materials. In short, a garage can be a very dangerous place. Here are some tips to reduce some of your risk. If you have an attached garage, you should have 5/8 inch Type X Gypsum wallboard (Fire Code Sheet Rock) as well as fire tape on the walls and ceiling to act as a fire barrier should a fire start in the garage. This type of wallboard may be referred to as "one-hour board" or "has a one-hour fire rating". This does not mean that a fire will be contained for one hour. It means that all requirements of an ASTM E 119 test were successfully met in a testing laboratory furnace for at least 59 minutes and 30 seconds for that specific assembly/system and with those specific components of the assembly/system. Factors and fire sources are too variable to ensure fire safety for one hour. Instead, Type X Gypsum will slow the spread of the fire to the main living area. Hopefully, long enough for the fire department to respond. Installing a pull down ladder into the attic area of the garage will compromise the fire rating of the ceiling. If a pull down ladder must be installed (and is in compliance with local codes) then it should be covered with Type X Gypsum wallboard. Be certain to check local building and fire codes for requirements specific to your location. Safety Equipment:
Components of the photo-electric sensor are installed on each side of the garage door frame not more than six inches above the floor of the garage. Height is extremely important. If the sensor is higher than six inches, it could miss the very thing it is designed to protect and that is anyone (child or pet) lying on the floor of the garage under the descending door. The pressure sensor is located in the garage door opener mounted to the ceiling of the garage. The Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) recommends testing both the photo-electric and auto reverse features monthly to ensure they are functioning. To test the photo-electric sensor, press the button on the garage door and pass an object through the sensor's beam. The door should immediately stop and return to the fully open position. If it does not, have it serviced by a qualified professional. To test the reversing feature, first make certain the garage door is properly balanced. 
One other test needs to be performed on the garage door. It's called a force setting test. Grasp the bottom of the door as
it is closing (about waist high). The door should readily reverse to any upward pressure you apply against the door. If it
does not, the force setting may be excessive and need adjusted. Most openers have a force setting adjustment. See your
owner's manual about making the adjustment.Your garage door may not have a photo-electric sensor. However, it must have the reverse sensor. Garage doors can weigh over two hundred pounds and if it closes on a child or pet and does not reverse, serious injury or death will result!! Take a few moments to ensure your garage door's safety features are functional. In addition, to your garage door's safety features, you will want to visually inspect the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other door hardware for signs of wear. 
Regularly lubricate the moving parts of the door with a silicon based spray only. However, do not lubricate plastic rollers and
plastic idler bearings. Consult the garage door owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations.Section joints, hinges, tracks, springs and other garage door parts can be a pinch point hazard. Teach children never to play around garage doors and never let children play with or operate the garage door opener. 
The garage door button should be placed a minimum of five feet above the garage floor so children can not reach it. Photo-electric eyes are not full proof. If your vehicle extends beyond the garage door opening and someone closes the door, the garage door will likely strike your vehicle. Even though it extends beyond the opening, the body of the car is higher than six inches so the photo-electric eye may not "see" it. While the reversing mechanism may operate, damage to both your car and the door may occur. A couple of safety notes that you should always adhere to: 1. Garage door springs and cables are under very high tension. If handled improperly, they can cause serious injury and death. Only a certified technician should adjust them. 
Do not attempt to repair or adjust springs yourself.2. Never remove, adjust or loosen the screws on the bottom brackets of the door. These brackets are connected to the spring by the lift cable and are under extreme pressure. Stairways leading to and from the garage area should be well lit and equipped with safety rails. Garage floors should be kept clean and free of debris or clutter. Clean up all spills as soon as possible. Toxic products such as anti-freeze, paint thinners and lubricants should be stored in their original containers and kept in a locked cabinet. Gasoline, diesel and kersosene should be stored in small quantities in containers appropriate for those liquids and clearly labled. Gasoline should always be stored in red containers, diesel in yellow containers and kerosene in blue containers. We suggest that gasoline be stored in a Type II metal safety can. That means the can must have two openings; one for pouring and one for filling. It must also include a flame arrestor, preferably of brass, within the can to protect the contents from external flames or ignition. It also dissipates heat. The city of Bellingham, Washington Fire Department offers the following information with regard to the flammability of some volatile liquids: "Gasoline is readily available and routinely used in most households. In spite of the routine use of gasoline, many people are unaware of or unappreciative of the dangers of gasoline. Gasoline is dangerous because it is highly volatile. The fumes are capable of ignition up to 12 feet away from a pooled source. It can float on water and may spread long distances, making ignition and flash back possible. Gasoline may ignite from a nearby spark, flame, or even static electricity and become a "fireball" with a temperature of 15,000 degrees F. Two physical properties explain why gasoline is significantly more hazardous than other flammable liquids found in the home:
Gasoline is termed Flammable because of its Low Flashpoint and High Vapor Density. Kerosene and Diesel Fuel are termed Combustible because their Flashpoint is greater than 100 degrees F. Gasoline produces ignitable vapors that are 3 to 4 times heavier than air and can travel for great distances along the ground. Gas vapors tend to accumulate in low or enclosed spaces. These vapors can then be ignited by a nearby open flame, such as a pilot light of a waterheater."
 graphic courtesy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Always use an appropriate bin or rack to store hand tools such as shovels and rakes. Stacking them against the wall of your garage creates a trip hazard. Lockable storage cabinets should be used to store hand power tools and sports equipment should merit their own storage cabinet. It will prevent children from exploring more dangerous locations if their sports equipment is in its own cabinet. Use a little common sense when it comes to shelving. Place heavier items on the lower shelves and lighter object high up. It will be much easier and safer to retrieve an item. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can be a real danger particularly if your garage is attached to the house. Never leave your car running inside the garage even if the garage door is open. Carbon monoxide can reach dangerous levels and be drawn into the living area if your furnace happens to be located in the garage. If you have a central air conditioning unit or heat pump, the blower is located in the furnace portion of the equipment and, if the blower is running, it will draw the CO into the house whether it is summer or winter. Never leave greasy or oily rags lying around. Dispose of them promptly after use. Oily rags can spontaneously combust if left unattended. Ensure your garage is well lit using flouresent fixtures. Flourescent lights cost less to operate, last much longer and are easier on the environment. Never use barbecue grills, smokers, deep fryers or electric generators inside your garage. (we're very tempted to say, "DUH!" but we're professionals so we'll refrain from that.) Store pool chemicals in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions to prevent combustion and accidental poisoning. Keep a sturdy step stool in the garage to help reach items that are stored overhead. Make certain all electrical fuse boxes or breaker panels are locked to prevent children from opening. Ensure outlets are equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GCFIs). If your garage has an air compressor always discharge the compressed air after each use. It only takes a few minutes to recharge the tank. Never store propane tanks in your garage. The only safe place for them is outside. Make certain they are stored upright so the pressure relief device can operate correctly. Also make certain the tank valve is closed and never use a propane tank unless it is equipped with an Overflow Protetion Device (OPD) valve. OPD valves have three lobes on the handle instead of the five or more found on older valves. If you store garbage containers inside your garage, make certain they have lids that close tightly to keep out unwanted visitors such as chipmunks, squirrels and mice. If you store power mowers inside your garage never leave them running inside the garage. Treat their exhaust no differently than your car. Keep your garage swept clean of all cobwebs and dust to reduce the likelihood that spiders will take up residence. Black widows and brown recluse spiders can pose a considerable risk in many parts of the country. Attics: To properly inspect your attic you will need to gain access to it. This is an area that you need to be extremely careful especially if you are not familiar with attics. Never step between the rafters. In most cases it is only 1/2 inch thick sheetrock and it will not support your weight. You can find yourself in the room below and injured very quickly. Make certain to wear breathing protection (a filter of mask) to protect you from any fiberglass insulation in the attic. Wear long sleeves and gloves. You should also wear some solid head protection to protect you from roofing nails protuting through the roof decking. If you are not comfortable inspecting your attic then you may want to hire a handyman to make the inspection for you. Look around the attic to see if you can see light infiltrating from outdoors indicating a hole in the roof. This could be caused by a missing piece of trim, siding or just an error in construction. It may also be an area created by squirrels or raccoons (depending on where you live) to gain access to the attic. Hey! You like your house, why shouldn't they? Examine the roof sheeting and rafters for any signs of water stains. Discoloration in the sheeting should be give close scrutiny. The inside of the facia board (in the diagram above it is the board to the left of the soffit vent) should be closely inspected. It is a common area for leaks. Pay attention to all roof junctions, including valleys. Check the attic insulation for sections that are matted. Cellulose insulation that has been frequently wet will clump together. Fiberglass insulation will usually display a discolored ring or be matted. Check around any stand pipes that pass through the ceiling to the outside for signs of water leaks. Make certain none of the vent pipes stop inside the attic. They will create a moisture problem inside the attic. In addition, sewer vent stacks that end inside the attic can cause hazardous gases such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane, as well as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to be vented into the attic. Check to see if the roof or rafters are sagging or appear to be disfigured, cracked or rotted. Snow loads can place great stress on a roof. Water leaks can create framing faults. Look around for any signs that pests have been in the attic. Look for droppings, fur, chewed wood or areas in the insulation where it appears they might have nested. If you find any signs they have been present determine how they gained access and repair the area. Check electrical runs and make certain there are no open splices present. Any junctions should be made inside a junction box and be made with appropriate connectors.
The pictures at the right show a few of those types. They are designed to exhaust air out of the house. Air intake generally occurs through soffit vents. The soffit is the lower edge of the roof. You can see in the diagram below how air enters the attic through the soffit vent and exits through, in this case, a louver vent.  homedepot.com A minimum of one square foot of ventilation for every 150 square feet (1/150) of attic is the recommended ratio when a vapor barrier is not used. If a vapor barrier has been installed then the ratio can be reduced to 1/300. Look for any signs of insect damage such as termites or wood boring insects. If chimneys pass through the attic, look for loose mortar joints or any signs of soot or smoke on the masonry or any metal chimneys. Look for any signs of leaks around the sheathing and framing near the chimney. Insulation: Insulation is rated by its R value. The R value indicates an insulation's resistance to heat flow and the higher the R value, the greater the insulating efficiency. The R value depends on the type of insulation, and includes its material, thickness and density. The thickness of the insulation in your attic is less important than the R value of the insulation because the R value per inch differs between types of insulation. For example:
Below is a map and guide from The U.S. Department of Energy indicating the amount of insulation needed in each part of the country. Just match the color from the area where you live to the color on the chart.
They also have a calculator for insulation recommendations specific to your home. Here is their Insulation Fact Sheet. If you are considering adding additional insulation, remember that the new insulation on top of the existing attic insulation, will cause the existing insulation to compress a small amount. As a result, your total R-value will decrease a bit. If the new insulation is more dense than the old insulation the affect will be intensified when compared to similar insulations. You can compensate for the compression and still achieve your desired R-value by adding about one extra inch of insulation if the old insulation is fiber glass, or about 1/2 inch if the old insulation is rock wool or cellulose. To calculate the total R value simply calculate the R value for the old insulation, calculate the R value for the new insulation and add the two together. Cellulose is about 80% post-consumer recycled newspaper. The rest is a fire retardant, usually sodium borate, boric acid, or ammonium sulfate and all deemed safe for humans. As a side benefit, it repells insects and rodents as well as mold. On the down side, cellulose can trap heat around recessed lighting fixtures, which can cause them to overheat so caution should be used when adding insulation around those fixtures. There are two long-term concerns with cellulose insulation; both centered on water. 1). If the insulation gets wet, it can lose its fire-retardant chemicals because borates are water soluble and they can leach out of the insulation. 2). Since the insulation is a wood fiber product, it can act like a sponge if water can get to it. On the plus side, blowing the insulation in ensures it fills every nook and cranny and makes the job a lot easier. Fiberglass batts, on the other hand, have to be cut and fitted around timbers to ensure an air tight seal. Once again, don't forget to check the roof baffles (see diagram above) so you don't cover the soffit vents if you are using blown in insulation. Here's a trick to help you assess how much blown in insulation you have installed. Tack vertical pieces of wood to the roof joists at various locations throughout the attic. Place a highly visible mark on each of the wood pieces at the depth you want the insulation to be when you are finished. Then, blow the insulation in until it reaches the mark and, presto, you have an accurate measure of the insulation. Remember too, some settling will occur to both kinds of insulation over time, particularly if you are adding insulation over existing insulation as we explained above. You might want to add an extra inch to account for the natural settling that will take place. Don't forget about the access door to the attic. If you don't insulate above or behind it you will still have a source of heat loss. If the access is a trap door, you may need to build up the sides of the opening so the new insulation doesn't spill over onto the trap door. Then, you will need to insulate the back of the door so it retains your intended R value. Well, that's it for garages and attics. It's also the end to Home Safety. Next, we'll talk about safety while you are traveling. If you are ready, let's look at Automobile Safety. 
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