Electrical safety around swimming pools

Everyone knows water and electricity don’t mix, but pool owners have a particular reason to be concerned.

In North Carolina, a 17-year-old lifeguard drowned in 2016 when a faulty grounding wire electrified a pool. The wiring had not been inspected for years.

Built-in pool lights, pumps and wiring are engineered to guard against electrification of water. But these elements always require inspection and maintenance.

Pool owners routinely have the local pool company replace and service pool lights, but it isn’t enough. Pool technicians might know how to work on electrical equipment but they are rarely certified electricians. Pool owners should hire a certified electrician to
inspect the electrical systems on a routine basis, according to University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Advanced Safety and Engineering Management.

An energized body of water can cause anything from tingling of the skin to paralysis, cardiac arrest and electrocution. The extent of injuries depends on the level of current going through the water.

For grads: Best places to start career

Congratulations to this year’s grads who have left academia just when the economy is booming, employers are hiring, and unemployment is historically low.

The question is where to start the new career. A new study by WalletHub ranks 180 cities based on 27 metrics, including number of entry-level jobs, average salary, housing affordability, and friendliness to singles and families.

At the top of the list with the overall best rank was Salt Lake City, Utah, with number one quality of life rank and a number three professional opportunities rank.

Coming in second overall was Orlando, FL, ranking number one in professional opportunities and number six in quality
of life.

Rounding out the top 10, the next top cities in order are Atlanta, GA, Charleston, SC, Tempe, AZ, Austin, TX, Columbia, SC, Denver, CO, Raleigh, NC, and Grand Rapids, MI.

Affordable housing considerations took California locations down on the list, with all but one of the least affordable cities located in California (Oakland, Los Angeles, Glendale and San Francisco.) The lone non-California location ranked as least affordable was New York City.

Meanwhile, Iowa ranked most affordable twice (Cedar Rapids and Des Moines), with other cities including Overland
Park, KS, Sioux Falls, SD, and Garland, TX.

Grads are most likely to be able to get jobs in Charleston, SC, Orlando, FL, Columbia, SC, Salt Lake City, UT, and Atlanta, GA. Cities with the least available entry-level jobs were Bridgeport, CT, Santa Clarita, CA, Garden Grove, CA, North Las Vegas, NV,
and New York City.

To see the full results, visit WalletHub.com.

Hiking the Scenic Appalachian Trail

Want to take a hike on a trail enjoyed by about four million people a year? Want to explore a footpath that stretches through 14 eastern states from Georgia to Maine? Then consider walking the great A.T., the Appalachian Trail.

It runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.
The trail is easily accessible at many points (more than 500 public roads cross
the A.T.) and it may be used for a short walk, a day trip, or a long distance hike.

Some hikers attempt to do the entire Trail, a 2,175-mile trek, in what is referred to as a through-hike. They can through-hike in one continuous journey (usually taking five to seven months) or make their through-hike in segments.

The Trail is marked so it’s fairly easy to follow. The markers are six-inch paint
“blazes” on trees, posts, and rocks. Above the treeline or where the blazes may be hard to see, paint marks, posts, and rock piles called cairns mark the path.

Generally, the A.T. is open all year around but the northern end at Katahdin in Baxter State Park may be closed at times in winter depending on the weather.

Not able to make it to the Trail but still interested in its fascinating stories and
colorful characters? Don’t worry. Many hikers have detailed their adventures
both on the web and in books so you can be an armchair Appalachian Trail
adventurer.

Two examples of books on the Appalachian Trail are There are Mountains to Climb: An Inspirational Journey (Silverwood) by Jean Deeds and Bill Bryson’s funny and informational A Walk in the Woods (Broadway).

For more information, visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at
www.appalachiantrail.org.

Deodorization…How the pros do it

“What’s that smell?” We have all had the experience of walking into a room
or building only to be greeted by an unpleasant odor. They may range from
mildly annoying to downright putrid. Besides being embarrassing, malodors are also a cause real for concern. Unpleasant odors are sometimes an indication of a potentially infectious, hazardous or unsanitary condition. Bad odors can also cause psychological or emotional stress and even physical discomfort.

Spraying deodorants and perfumes simply masks odors temporarily. Odor masking is not effective for long-term deodorizing success. Effectively eliminating odors requires an understanding of the principles of deodorization. The type of odor neutralizer and application process must
be chosen based on the source of the odor, type of materials affected and the degree of odor penetration. To avoid a recurrence of the malodor, we use the following procedures:

Step 1: Find and remove the source. Odor is an effect. Since every effect has a cause, our first challenge is to find and remove the cause. If the odor comes from a dead animal, you must find the carcass and remove it. If the odor is from a pet accident, we must first locate the deposit and remove it from the carpet and other surfaces before we can treat the offending odor. The same
applies to odors from smoke, cooking, mold and mildew, etc.

Step 2: Clean the affected area to remove any remaining odor-causing residue.
Actually, cleaning is just a continuation of source removal. Start cleaning in the source area and work outward until all residues are removed. Residues can be sticky or oily residues, crystallized materials or dust and soot. The type of residue and the material you are cleaning determines the cleaning method. For instance, removing soot from a brick wall requires different cleaning agents, tools and techniques than removing soot from silk drapes. Depending
on the odor, source removal and meticulous cleaning may be all that is required. If not, we move on to the next step.

Step 3: Recreate the conditions of penetration. This is where specialized
equipment is often required. For example,if the odor is from smoke, it may have penetrated into wood, fabrics, drywall and many other porous and semiporous materials. Any deodorizing products we use must penetrate the
materials in the same manner as the smoke odor penetrated in order to
neutralize the odors.

If odors have migrated into areas that are inaccessible, it may be necessary
to bring in specialized fogging equipment, electronic oxidation, or dry vapor equipment. Generally, odors caused by liquids such as urine or spoiled
milk that saturate porous materials must be saturated with a suitable odor
counteractant. In most cases, properly applying steps 1 through 3 will achieve
the desired results. If there is still an odor, we proceed to step 4.

Step 4: Seal the affected material. Sometimes odors penetrate into materials to the degree that it is impossible or impractical to remove them completely. In these situations it is necessary to apply a topical sealant to encapsulate the odor causing molecules and prevent them from evaporating into the air. If the
molecules can’t reach your nose, you won’t be able to smell them. The type
of sealer we choose depends on the type of material, the nature of the odor
source and the degree of penetration into the material.

If you have tough odor problems and need assistance, please call Hansen
Steam Way, and we will be happy to help.