Congratulations!
We have a winner! Jenny Phillips, State Farm Scott Link’s Office
Thank You for Playing
This page will be the future home of our annual 12 Days of Christmas.
This year starting December 5th First Restoration Services will upload a Christmas song each work day @ 11am for you to guess the name of the artist and song. Each day there will be rules on how we would like you to respond (i.e. by email). The person with the correct answer will win the prize associated with that day. LIST OF PRIZES HERE
If you want to make sure you are included in this contest please send an email to 12days@firstrestorationwnc.com
Grind 1 pound fresh, whole cranberries; 1 navel orange, including the peel (seeds removed) and mix thoroughly with 1 cup of sugar.
Let sit in refrigerator for 1-2 days so that the flavors can marinate. Serve with any meat entree. Enjoy!
Do you ever wonder what the process looks like when you have an emergency and need to call First Restoration Services? Well below is a step by step guide of what to expect when First Restoration Services arrives on site for an emergency.
1) First Restoration Services is on site, evaluates damage and gives you scope of work.
2) Property owner signs work agreement and First Restoration Services begins mitigation.
3) Call your insurance agent, file a claim and tell your insurance agent First Restoration Services has evaluated site and began scope of work.
4) Mitigation begins:
• Removal of excess water
• Control spread of contaminants
• Set up drying equipment and air filtration equipment
5) Drying & Repairs
Drying:
• Removal of unsalvageable material
• Moisture map drying progress
• Property is dried
• All equipment is removed from property
• First Restoration Services’ project manager gets agreed upon price with adjuster. Property owner is ONLY responsible for their deductible on a insurance covered loss and repairing cause of loss.
Repairs:
• First Restoration Services sets up meeting between repairs estimator and property owner to review repair scope of work
• First Restoration Services writes estimate within 2 business days and sends to adjuster for approval * Depending on severity of loss
• First Restoration Services gets approved pricing from adjuster
• Property owner signs contract
• Property owner visits First Restoration Services facility to make selections for flooring, paint, cabinets, etc.
• First Restoration Services begins repairs
This walk through guide (PDF Here) is handed to you in a folder as soon as we arrive, it also comes with a appointment card so you can easily keep track when our repairs manger will be on site for a repairs estimate.
Using the fireplace for the first time after the summer puts you at a risk for an accidental fire, so here are some helpful tips to make sure your fireplaces and wood stoves are fire-safe.
Here’s 12 tips:
- Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
- Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
- Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to ensure complete combustion and keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
- Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
- Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
- Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
- Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
- Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves
Protect the Outside of Your Home
- Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home.
- Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris.
- Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester.
- Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents
What is duct cleaning? And why should you, or should you not, consider having your ducts cleaned? And for that matter, what are ducts? While there are lots of questions on the table, let’s see if we can’t get a few answers for you.
Your home likely contains some form of heating and/or cooling system that propels air (either warm air in the winter or cold air in the summer) throughout your home. That system is built with ducts which carry along the air from the handling system into every part of your home.
Duct cleaning refers to cleaning the various heating and/or cooling system components of that forced air system, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers, heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans or drip pans, fan motor and housing, and the air handling unit housing. If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, these components may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris over time.
It is important to realize that if moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (i.e. mold) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home’s living space. These contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other more serious symptoms in people if they are exposed to them.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided data which indicates that duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Nevertheless, it is important for you to consider having your air ducts cleaned if any of the following conditions are present:
- There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface ducts (such as sheet metal ducts) or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
Due to the fact that many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection, it is important that if you visibly determine mold to be present on any of the components of your heating and cooling system, you get proper diagnosis by a professional to determine the mold type. First Restoration Services’ policy is to adhere to the protocols and tests that come to us by a professional, third party testing company in order that there is absolutely no collusion, prior to beginning any type of remediation process.
If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy, it cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. It is important to note that if the conditions causing the mold growth are not corrected, mold growth will recur. Locating the source of moisture should always be your first step.
2. Ducts are infested with vermin (i.e. rodents or insects).
3. Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust, and particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.
Once the decision has been made to have your heating and cooling system cleaned, it is important to make sure the service provider you choose agrees to clean every component of the system and that they are qualified to do so. Failure to clean a component of a contaminated system can result in re-contamination of the entire system, thus negating any potential benefits.
Methods of duct cleaning vary, although standards have been established by industry associations concerned with air duct cleaning. Be sure when you choose your service provider that they are adhering to those industry standards. Typically, a service provider will use specialized tools to dislodge dirt and other debris in ducts before vacuuming them out with a high-powered vacuum cleaner.
If no one in your household suffers from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you see no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (i.e. there is no musty odor or visible mold growth), having your air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary. It is essentially normal for the return registers to become dusty as air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of dust or debris; the registers can be easily vacuumed or removed and cleaned….a good Saturday morning project in the making!
Whether or not you decide to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, preventing water and dirt from entering the system is the most effective way to prevent any type of contamination. Routinely inspect your returns and your overall system in order to alleviate any concern about indoor air quality contamination through your duct system.
Holiday Shopping Party
First Restoration Services will be hosting a fun holiday shopping event where 5 vendors (Thirty One, Mary Kay, Silpada, Pampered Chef, Biltmore Inspirations) will be in attendance to showcase the wonderful products they have available for purchase in time for the Holidays.
The event will be November 8th from 4:30 – 7:00pm located at First Restoration Services conference and training room, 173 Rutledge Rd, Fletcher, NC 28732. There will be hors devours served and door prizes will be given away.
The types of items that will be presented and available for purchase are:
- Jewelry & Accessories
- Kitchen
- Cooking & Dining
- Table Top & Home Décor
- Wine Accessories
- Taste of Biltmore Collection
- Skin Care, Make Up & Body Care
- Accessory Bags
- Purses, Tote Bags & Wallets
- Much More….
If you would like to attend this event please RSVP to jeff@firstrestorationwnc.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First Restoration Services Sponsors Buncombe County Emergency Services Training Facility Ribbon Cutting
(Fletcher, NC, September 27, 2012) – First Restoration Services of Asheville, LLC announced today they are sponsoring the 2012 Ribbon Cutting for the new Buncombe County Emergency Services Training Facility. The Ribbon Cutting will be held on October 16th at 11:00am, located at 20 Canoe Lane (Craggy Correction Facility Access Road) off Riverside Drive. First Restorations Services worked with Frankie Bones to get all the food and drinks donated for the event and will be in attendance to cook and serve for attendees.
The new training facility will reside on 36 acres with training abilities not offered together in many places in the southeastern United States. It will include a class burn building, gas fired burn building, rescue tower, slope rescue pads, wildland fire protection buildings, pump service testing center, indoor training area, and one of the most comprehensive driving tracks for Law Enforcement, EMS, and fire apparatus.
First Restoration Services has been supporting the local community, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters and EMT since being established in 1987.
“When asked if we were interested in supporting the local fire department and the new training facility, we jumped at the opportunity to show our gratitude and support for all the men and woman who risk their lives for us each day”, stated President and Co-Owner, Chris Silliman, CR.
For more information on the new Training Facility or Ribbon Cutting you can contact Division Chief Mark Dillingham at mdillingham@skylandfire.com.
Article by Indoor Environment Connections (IEC)
Infants who live in moldy homes are three time more likely to develop asthma by age 7, an age that children can be accurately diagnosed with the condition, according to a new study.
The study was published in the latest issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of American College of Allergy, Asthma Immunology (ACAAI).
University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center researchers analyzed seven years of comprehensive data for 176 children to evaluate the effects of mold exposure in early life.
