Preventing Electrocution Injuries While Pressure Washing

Deck Power (Pressure) Washing

The main electrical hazard when using a pressure washer is when the arc of the water contacts an electrical source or pooled water contacts the external power connections and there is improper grounding of the electrical wiring or a faulty short circuit within the internal circuitry. Pressure washer circuits are normally grounded; however, in instances where a faulty internal circuit develops or frayed or improperly grounded external circuitry is present, electricity can travel through the short circuit killing the user. To date at least 13 people have died of electrocution from improper pressure washer use, or faulty pressure washer equipment.

 As a result of these fatalities, the National Electrical Code has required, since 1987, that pressure washers be used with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). More and more modern units come with built in GFCIs; however, if the unit doesn't have one (this can be ascertained by reading the manual), then the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that the unit be used with either a circuit breaker type GFCI or a receptacle type GFCI. Homeowners in houses that have neither can, in many cases, rent a portable GFCI from a local hardware store. Whichever type of GFCI you are using, you should test the ground fault circuit interrupter (circuit breaker or outlet) before using a pressure washer. Improperly grounded extension cords are a common cause of pressure washer related electrocution injuries and therefore extension cords must be used with great caution. You should take all of the following precautions:

• Always keep power connections and electrical extension cords out of water
• The third plug of a power connection is the ground, so all plugs and extensions must be heavy duty three wired types
• Never cut or splice extension cords
• Never remove the grounding pin (the third plug) from extension cords
• Stop using the pressure washer after it has tripped a breaker and have it looked at by a qualified electrician
• Never bypass the grounding pin of an extension cord in order to plug it into a two pronged receptacle
• If you are the operator, you should wear rubber-soled shoes that provide some insulation when using the pressure washer. This may save your life when all else fails.

Because of the possibility of a short circuit you should never let the water's arc touch an electrical outlet. Take the following precautions to prevent this from occurring:

• Know the location of all power lines, fuse boxes, telephone junction boxes, generators, or other live electrical outlets in the area where you are working.
• Never let the spray stray from the surface you are working on.

You must maintain total control of the pressure washer hose at all times to ensure that the water will never contact live electricity. Use the following procedures for controlling the spray.

• Familiarize yourself with your pressure washer's spray arc range as well as its kickback during use. Kickbacks may occur when turning on the spray and when applying the spray to a surface.
• If you are using a new model, make sure you know the potential kickback of that model.
• When spraying assume a solid stance and grip the spray gun with both hands.
• Stand on a level surface when spraying and never on a ladder.
• When you activate your pressure washer, make sure the nozzle is in a closed or off position.
• Never allow children to use the pressure washer, and never leave it unattended.

If you feel at all uncertain about using your pressure washer safely, don't hesitate to contact your local deck washing company or house painting company to aske them to do the job for you. They are experts in pressure washer safety and will be happy to assist you.

The Turf Barbers is an outdoor masonry, landscape, house painting, and experienced pressure washer (power washer) company in the Westchester County, Yorktown Heights area. Call them at 914-302-2469 to arrange service. 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, United States

The Basics of Pressure Washing

Pressure washing your external sidings before painting them allows you to remove grease grime, pollutants, and caulking adhering to your exterior walls. If you use the proper cleaning solution you can also remove spores and mold. You can paint your exterior without cleaning the sidings first; the paint will apply well, adhere well, and look good, but the job won't last as long as paint applied after the sidings are cleaned.

 While cleaning the exterior of your house by hand is superior to pressure washing, you need to be realistic. Cleaning your home's exterior by hand is a long painstaking process. On the other hand, pressure washing does an adequate job and will provide a clean base for your paint job. If the PSI is set high enough, power washing can also be used to clean off old layers of paint; however, keep in mind that the pressure needed to remove paint, might damage your home's exterior.

Pressure washing is accomplished in four steps. In step 1, the pressure washer blows away external grime such as dust, spider webs, leaves, and other adherent dirt. In the next stage, a cleaning solution is sprayed onto the siding from the bottom up, using a plastic sprayer. Combinations of cleaner and bleach are effective in killing mold and mildew. The solution should be allowed to sit on the siding for at least 10 minutes, but not long enough to dry. This is followed by wash down with the pressure washer. After rinsing, the siding should be allowed to dry for 48 hours, but no longer than 2 weeks. During this interval the paint can be scraped away, if needed. You are now ready to paint the exterior. If there is a delay of more than 2 weeks after the rinsing, it should be repeated and allowed to dry before applying the paint.

If you don't have the time or equipment to do thepressure washing yourself, contact an exterior painting and or local landscaping company to do the job for you.

The Turf Barbers is a landscaping company located in Yorktown Heights, NY. They offer pressure washing and panting to residences in Westchester and Putnam Counties.For more information call 914 302 2469, or visit the website at http://www.theturfbarbers.com/Deck_Restorations.php

Fall Masonry Projects

The fall is a great time to initiate outdoor masonry projects.  Masons can work as long as the temperatures stay above 20 degrees, and use tarp covering to keep mortar above 40 degrees.  Repairing your driveway or repaving a walkway or patio are ideal fall masonry projects. There's less demand for masons as the weather cools and therefore easier to find one. Many masonry projects, such as covered patios, outdoor fireplaces or fire pits can be completed early in the fall, while the weather is comfortable, leaving lots of time to enjoy them in the late fall weather. Projects that can be completed and enjoyed in the fall include covered areas, fire pits, and fire places.

Covered areas are very versatile and can easily be equipped for year round use.  A covered patio might include stone benches, an outdoor kitchen and barbecue, a refrigerator and sink with hot and cold running water, an outdoor entertainment center, a water feature, and a gas fireplace or fire pit. Adding a gas fireplace or fire pit to your outdoor covered patio will provide lovely fall ambiance, and assist the infrared heaters in keeping the covered patio warm, as outdoor temperatures drop. Often a covered patio abuts one or two walls, which may increase its intimacy, and comfort.   

Fire Pit

Outdoor fire places and fire pits are additional masonry projects that can be completed and enjoyed in the fall. Sitting on your patio around an intimate fire with friends in the backyard is a delightful way to spend a fall evening.  Fire pits can be either stationary or mobile adding additional flexibility to your patio structure.

When thinking ahead to your fall gatherings, keep in mind that an outdoor fireplace will provide somewhat less than 180 degrees of heat radiation, and effective heat up to 10 feet in the outdoor environment. A circular fire pit, on the other hand, while less dramatic, can provide heat to everyone sitting around its circumference. This allows more guests to have access to the warmth of the fire. The effectiveness of the heat source on a giving evening will also depend on the prevailing winds. 

Keep in mind, when you consider your purchase that a fire place will cost more than a fire pit. And whether you go with a fire place or fire pit, experts recommend a minimum diameter of 48 inches, as a size that will provide a significant amount of light and heat. Well what are you waiting for? Call your local outdoor masonry expert, and get started on your exciting fall masonry project. 

IN Westchester County , New York, contact the Turf Barbers, outdoor masonry experts, for all your fall masonry needs. 914 302 2469 ; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 ; http://www.theturfbarbers.com

Late Summer Lawn Care

Late summer and early fall lawn care complete the active attention your lawn needs throughout the growing season. In planning this late season treatment, it is most important to pay attention to weather conditions, temperature, and humidity rather than dates in determining the type of maintenance you will be providing. As long as the weather is warm and rain scarce, you should continue your summer lawn care protocol. As temperatures begin dipping and moisture from dew returns to the grass and soil you can add early fall lawn care protocols.  Cooler air holds less moisture;  as temperatures dip during the nights of late summer and early fall the dew precipitates on the tender grass leaves. This moist environment is conducive to renewed seeding and fertilizing.

Following are the key points of late summer and early fall lawn care

• Remember to continue summer lawn maintenance until the hot weather ends, usually sometime in September
• Seed or re-sod damaged sectors of the lawn. The start of cooler weather is an ideal time for seeding the grass areas that have suffered damage during the summer due to heat or wear. Brown patches that fail to revive in the cooler weather or areas with scant grass should be over-seeded or re-sodded. The ideal time for grass repair depends on your local climate.
• Keep mowing. Ideally you should cut grass to a height of 2.5 - 3 inches during late summer and most of the fall. This height will permit more leaf tissue to be involved in making food, which will result in stronger more robust root systems that fare better in the winter. For the last two mowings of the year, lower the blade to 2.0" - 2.5"; this will permit sunlight to reach the crown and ensure that less leaf turns brown in the winter.
• Do core aerification. As fall begins aerate your soil to allow air, water, and fertilizer to reach the roots. You can rent a gas powered aerator or have your landscaping company do the job for you. Leave the cores in place as this will facilitate thatch control.
• Do thatch control as needed. Thatch is a brown fibrous mat lying between the earth and the green part of the grass. It is composed of living and dead material including plant roots and other dead and decaying parts of the plant sloughed off by the grass. You can remove thatch with a rented vertical mower or better yet have your landscaper remove it for you.
• Do weed control as needed. As the days become shorter, perennial weeds send the food they have synthesized all summer to their root system for winter storage. This is the ideal time to treat with weed control pesticides as the plant will draw the poison down into the roots along with the food and subsequently die. Plant pesticides work best when the temperature is between 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Fertilize grass in the fall as needed. As the temperatures drop and dew begins forming, the fall growing season commences. This is an ideal time to fertilize your lawn. Before adding fertilizer, check your soil to see which chemicals are missing.
• Rake the leaves. Leaf raking is mostly a late fall project; however, it is a good idea to rake leaves as soon as they begin falling and not let them lie for a while and form matted material that can block the sunlight and foster mold growth. You can combine mowing and leaf collection into one chore with a mower that has a grass and leaf collection bag or  vacuum system.

As  summer ends and turns to fall let consistency and not over-confidence characterize your continuing lawn care strategy. With this in mind, you will finish the season in style and produce grass that easily weathers the winter and comes out strong again next spring.

For the tops in outdoor lawn care and masonry contact the Turf Barbers,  914 302 2469; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 http://www.theturfbarbers.com

To Let Your Grass Go Dormant or Not

During the hot summer when rain is scarce, lawns need lots of water to avoid losing their green color and going dormant. The good news is brown dormant grass can recover in the cooler weather provided it was well cared for before the dry spell. Because grass needs preparation before it goes dormant, it's incumbent upon you to decide ahead of time whether to let your grass go dormant or not. 

Reasons for letting your lawn go dormant include the need to save money on the water bill or travel plans that will make it impossible for you to care for your lawn during an extended period of time.  Lawns require regular deep watering to stay green. Deep watering means one inch of water or around 600 gallons of water per 1000 sq. ft. each week. If there are local water restrictions, you're water saving conscious, or you aren't prepared to pay for that much water, you can save part of your lawn and let the rest go dormant. Other options for preventing dormancy include choosing grasses that need less water or hiring a landscaping company to add hardscape,  trees, shrubs, or gardens.

Regarding lawn dormancy, you must go one way or another. Letting lawns go in and out of dormancy will produce sparse turf, insects, and disease. Avoid the habit of letting the grass grow brown, watering it back to green, and letting it go brown again.

Prepare your lawn for dormancy. As the hot weather approaches, get in the habit of applying fewer but deeper water applications that soak in up to 6 inches. This will encourage deep root growth that will help your grass survive the dormant period. Stop fertilizing. Nitrogen applications in the absence of water may cause top growth, but will harm your grasses' roots.

When you are ready to let the grass go dormant, simply stop watering and allow it to go brown. Cool weather grasses, the types that turns green shortly after the last snow melts, can stand up to two weeks at a time with no water before losing their green color. Warm weather grasses, the types that turn green in April or May, can go a lot longer. During dormancy avoid stressing the lawn with foot travel during the hot daylight hours. Mowing may be unnecessary as dormant grass stops growing.  Water about once a month to a depth of 5-6 inches to keep the dormant grass alive. As a rule of thumb, don't let your grass go longer than 6 weeks without giving it at least one inch of water. The length of time grass can stay in dormancy and still recover depends on its genetics. When the weather turns cooler or when you know you can begin applying regular amounts of water for the rest of the summer, begin the normal watering schedule of at least 1 inch of water a week. Green color should return after the second regular watering.

If you have decided to care for your lawn all summer and not let it enter dormancy, look carefully for indications of stress. Signs of stress include loss of the blade's glossy look; inability of the grass to bounce back when someone treads on it; or dry, hard soil. Don't wait till your grass starts to wither. At the first sign of stress increase weekly watering to as much as 2 inches; that should save your lawn.

Resources: For outstanding lawn care in the Yorktown Heights and Westchester County, New York area contact the Turf Barbers; 914 302 2469; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 

Summer Lawn Maintenance Tips

Summer Lawn Care

Summer is the time to maintain and enjoy the green lawn you developed last spring and fall. As the temperature pushes 80, lawn growth will slow down, green color might dull, and in drought conditions, green lawns may turn brown and go dormant. To give your lawn the best summer care, be sure to follow the following practices

Summer Watering Tips

Add an inch of water each week. In the hottest weather apply up to two inches. You'll know the lawn needs more water if the green color dulls or if the grass fails to spring back when you walk on it. Water early in the morning, and deep soak the roots. 

Summer Mowing Tips

Mow as needed in the summer. Keep warm weather grasses at 2"-3" and winter grasses at 3"-4". Taller grass will prevent weed growth, produce deeper roots, and trap moisture. To avoid shock, never take off more than 1/3 of the height. Leave grass clippings in place as mulch. This will prevent water loss and provide plant nutrition. Make sure your mower blades are sharp as a dull blade will fray grass tops creating a dull hue. 

Summer Fertilization Tips

Stop fertilizing your lawn a month before peak summer temperatures. You can add some fertilizer in cool wet summer weather, but not too much, as grass likes to grow less during the hot weather. When the temperature cools down, over seed bare patches. 

Additional Tips

Kill and remove weeds before they disperse seeds. Apply fungicide and grub control as needed to keep your lawn pest free. Move items around to avoid creating bare patches. If your lawn turns brown and dormant, don't water. The lawn should recover when the cooler wetter weather comes in. 

Call the Turf Barbers at 914 302 2469    for the best in professional lawn and landscape care in Yorktown Heights or anywhere in Westchester County.

How to Create Your Very Own Dazzling Green Lawn

A dazzling green lawn is a mark of homeowner pride in any neighborhood, and can be achieved in a few simple steps. Householders who don't have time can achieve the same results by hiring a lawn care company to do the work for them. 

Start off by testing your soil. You can get a test kit at your local garden center. Once you have accessed your nutrient status, by the appropriate fertilizer. In general, a pound of nitrogen will provide enough fertilizer for 1,000 square feet. Lightly water following fertilization to allow the nutrients to settle to the roots.

Follow fertilization by consistent watering. Add one inch of water per week, slightly more if it is really hot. Be sure to water in the morning, so the blades are dry by nightfall. Wet blades in the night are conducive to fungus growth.

Mow blades weekly, aiming to achieve sharp blade edges. Before mowing check that the soil is dry but not arid. Insert a screwdriver into the ground, up to its handle. If it goes in without serious resistance this is a sign the ground has the proper moisture.  The cut should go straight across the top, as if cut with scissors. Avoid jagged edges. If the grass appears to have a white cap after mowing, sharpen your lawn mower blades.  Leave your grass 2-3 inches high, depending on the type. The correct grass height permits nutrients to reach the roots, and protects from weed growth.  Alter the direction of your mowing every couple of weeks. Leave the cut grass in place as it makes good fertilizer.

In the fall, be sure to rake fallen leaves promptly, as leaves weaken the lawn by blocking access to the sunlight.  And here's one last tip. Human hair makes great free fertilizer for your lawn.    

Resources: Call the Turf Barbers, 914 302 2469; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY; http://www.theturfbarbers.com; for experienced lawn care in the Yorktown Heights, NY or Westchester County area.