Category: Home Sweet Home

Tips and tricks for do-it-yourself’ers and hobbyists.

Put another log onto the fire will you Ethel?

Posted on by Christian Hoffmann

fireood moisture

Alright, dear. But only if you check it with the BM20 first.

This week has certainly been MultiMeasure week! Yesterday we decided to settle the discussion regarding which series is the better of the two – the MultiMeasure Basic Series or the Multimeasure Professional Series – and came to the conclusion that neither is better. Each series is designed for different applications, different users and different budgets with both series offering simply unbeatable value for money and superb quality into the bargain. And the day before that we elaborated on the benefits of having a series for professionals designed by professionals who come from the same fields and who are able to read the needs of their clients like no others and provide them with just the right tools for their own individual applications.

Well, today we would like to draw your attention briefly to a particular device, a device which you would normally think you wouldn’t be needing until much later in the year. The BM20 moisture moisture from Trotec is yet another extremely useful and affordable measuring device straight from the Multimeasure Basic Series. The BM20 mositure meter is designed to measure the amount of moisture in a number of building materials and – here comes the interesting part – a whole selection of different types of woods. Wood used for building, wood used in carpentry and cabinet-making, wood used in furniture construction – and firewood.

Firewood is not just firewood. Firewood normally has to be stacked properly and sheltered from the rain so that it can dry over a longer period before being used as a source of heat, comfort and fuel. Wood that is properly treated is called seasoned firewood and has a moisture content that lies between 20 and 25%. If the wood you have bought, collected or cut is burnt while it is still too moist, then you do not only run a real risk of ruining your chimney, you even risk setting your house on fire. Wet firewood does not only burn badly – the wood is not able to unfold its full heat potential because the excess moisture in the wood turns to steam and mixes with the other gases, thus stopping them from igniting and generating the heat they normally would produce – it can be extremely dangerous too. The soot or creosote that forms on the inside of the chimney is highly combustible. That means it can literally erupt into a fire of volcanic proportions.

The best way to prevent such an event from occurring is to season your firewood properly – and to check that the moisture content is not too high. If you buy wood from a supplier for the first time or from somebody who is selling ready-to-burn firewood at a suspiciously low price, then it is always better to check the moisture content first.

By the way… wood burning is ecologically friendly. The carbon dioxide that is released during the burning process lies dormant in the wood and would – if you wood pardon the pun – also be released into the atmosphere if the wood were to remain in the forest and rot.

Buy a BM20 moisture meter today. You wouldn’t want to risk anything when so much is at stake now wood you?

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Damage caused by water is daunting enough

Posted on by Christian Hoffmann

Trotec building dryers against flood damages

Damage caused by water is daunting enough – get all the help you can with the TTK building dryers from Trotec

It looked as though we were in for a super summer.

Temperatures soared and topped marks on the thermometer which we were only accustomed to being treated to on holiday, in places as magnificent and exotic as the Côte d’Azur, the Italian Riviera, or the Balearic Isles. 35 – 38 – even 40 degrees Celsius – were not uncommon!

The met office confirmed what we already knew: that we were in the grip of a heat wave and that this June was going to be one of the warmest on record.

Ice-cream, air conditioner – and beer – sales exploded. People stayed up late and sat outside pubs and cafes risking turning up at work bleary-eyed the next morning just to savour the Mediterranean feeling and make the most of the unusually beautiful weather.

And then the rain came.

Within weeks the picture was a totally different one. Now it was the rain that was splashed across the front pages and making the headlines. The people who had groaned collectively when they lay awake during the long, hot nights which robbed them of their sleep now had to decide which was worse – too much sun or too much rain.

For those who lived near certain rivers or in certain parts of the country there could only have been one answer. As river levels started to rise and dykes burst and freak flash floods swamped the regions which they lived in, the inhabitants of many German states, especially those which had already been hit by similar catastrophes in previous years, would have given everything to be able to decide.

As many people who have themselves been affected, or who have helped others when these have been hit by floods and high water, the scale of damage that the receding water levels leave behind is crippling, daunting and often heart-breaking. The frustration at perhaps having to start all over again is enough to drive the strongest of men to despair. Luckily for some the damage can be contained – either because the dams or sandbags held and the water was only able to seep into the cellars and lower-lying areas or other precautions were taken and furniture and valuables were moved to higher floors before the floods came.

And because the damage resulting from the masses of water could be significantly reduced and restored by using the right drying equipment.

Building dryers from Trotec are just one of many effective means designed to dry out homes and buildings after water damage. The professional building dryers in the TTK series are extremely robust and reliable units which have proved their worth in tens of thousands of scenarios throughout the country and across the whole of Europe. The range covers a selection of models each designed to deal with damage on a certain scale. The smallest model in the series, the TTK 200, for example, is a high-powered, highly-mobile unit that is excellently suited for drying out rooms up to 250 m³. The brilliant yellow building dryer is equipped with a powerful rotary compressor, an automatic hot gas defrosting system and large, non-marking wheels that allow you to manoeuvre the unit to wherever you want it.

Although the other models like the highly-versatile TTK 400, the TTK 800 powerhouse or the colossal TTK 1500 each have an operating range or an area of application for which they are best suited, they all have a number of things in common: high-quality components, excellent dehumidification values and drying results and a variety of useful functions and valuable features which have earned them the reputation of being the premium choice for small, medium and large-scale drying operations.

Trust in Trotec – the name in building dryers and machines and equipment for water damage restoration.

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Stop mould before it starts – with a dehumidifier from Trotec

Posted on by Tim Austin

Mould in the home is often a problem. Whereas people of old used to grumble about their draughty abodes and grouse about inadequate insulation, today’s homeowners often make the mistake of casting out the Devil with Beelzebub and sealing their houses so well off from the outer world that although they don’t let the cold, wet air in, they don’t let the warm, moist air out either. This phenomenon quickly provides the ideal breeding ground for different kinds of mould and mildew, which thrive and flourish in damp and stagnant conditions.

Trotec dehumidifier ttk 30 S and ttk 70 s

Mould in the home is not only unsightly, it is dangerous too. Mould patches on walls or ceilings often spread out rapidly and develop unpleasant odours – in extremely bad cases, the biting, musty smell which is generally attributed to household mould can become so overpowering it even makes your eyes water. Mould spores are particularly aggressive, because they affect the respiratory system and trigger respiratory illnesses or other complaints and disorders. If left unchecked mould can also cause extensive damage to your property and possessions: valuable furniture, carpets, clothes, books, collections and tapestries all suffer to such an extent under the effects of mould that they can actually be rendered worthless. Mould can induce wood rot, which in turn can lead to structural damage to your property. In some particularly devastating and tragic cases when mould was on the rampage, whole families have had to leave everything behind and flee their houses in a last attempt to salvage their health, even at the cost of a once-loved home.

Mould should not be ignored. As a rule patches which are less than 1m² in size can be cleaned with special cleaning agents – and special clothing like gloves and masks! But mould has the habit of returning, not least of all because it is the symptoms and not the cause which are being fought.

One such cause is poor ventilation. Although there are many people who would believe that the onset or spread of mould is a sign of poor hygiene, it is much more a sign of poor airing. Bathrooms especially are prone to being affected by mould, because they are quite simply not given enough time to dry out. The moisture which ladens the air after a shower or hot bath condenses on the colder surfaces in the bathroom – like outer walls or ceilings – where it later becomes a damp spot, thus providing the breeding ground mentioned earlier.

So why not prevent mould from occurring in the first place? With a dehumidifier from Trotec.

Compact – but with enough clout to carry out the job
The Trotec dehumidifiers in the S-series are excellently suited for use in both the home and the office. The series comprises a variety of different models each designed to meet your specific needs and individual requirements. Trotec has two models which are extremely well-suited for use in the bathroom, especially those without windows or any other means of ventilation – the slim, elegantly styled, ultra-compact TTK 30 S and the sleek, no-nonsense dehumidifier-of-many talents, the TTK 70 S.

Buy now! Bumper special offer!
Both dehumidifiers are now available at a special knock-down price! Hurry, hurry, hurry – get yours now! Only while stocks last!

Go here to buy your TTK 30 S: ideal for small rooms up to 12 m²

Off to the shop! Get your bargain-priced hygrostat-controlled TTK 70 S here!

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D-I-Y, yes – but Do-It-Right!

Posted on by Tim Austin

For many people D-I-Y is more than just a hobby, it is a philosophy, a way of life.

Do-it-yourselfers are enthusiasts who like to rely on their own skills – skills they have learnt from a variety of different sources and people – to carry out home repairs or home or garden improvements in order to accomplish whichever goal they have set themselves, or simply to save money, or even both.

The satisfying sense which comes of having achieved something by using your wits and your own hands is something that has to be experienced to be believed. And in many cases, the work carried out is at least equal to any work carried out by professional builders or contractors, because of the dedication and eye for detail that goes into such a project. And needless to say, it is cheaper too. There are countless informational websites, magazines and programs on TV devoted solely to the art of do-it-yourselfing, a phenomenon which finances a whole industry while aiding a colourful cross-section of society to perform a myriad of tasks ranging from paving to plumbing, from welding to wiring.

Yet whereas do-it-yourselfers and handymen – and women – pride themselves on being sticklers for detail, there is one thing some tend to take a less seriously: safety. Safety in the home is no less important than safety in the workplace. Thousands of death and millions of medical visits a year could be avoided if people were more cautious and less trusting, especially when carrying out even simple tasks – like hammering a nail into a wall or drilling a hole.

Drilling into a wire or pipe can be dangerous – when you hit a wire or a pipe you risk getting an electric shock or causing damage that is not restricted to the affected area alone: wet walls or floors, widespread flooding or even cable fires are real and possible dangers.

So why risk damage, your health or even your life when the solution is so simple: the new D-tect 150 wall scanner.

Cutting-edge technology in a new design – the new D-tect 150 wall scanners are designed to meet the most modern and stringent technical and safety standards. The wall scanners are packed with a variety of useful functions and valuable features which enable you to detect plastic and other synthetic materials, wood, metal and electric wires quickly and reliably – down to a fraction of an inch.

The D-tect 150 wall scanner cannot only be used to scan the surface of the wall, ceiling or floor you wish to examine to determine whether there are any conduits, cables or wires concealed below: the wall scanners are designed to provide you with accurate and reliable information on the position and type of materials up to a depth of 15cm (6 ins) meaning that you can drill a hole or chisel out a path for your new pipes or wires in the knowledge that there will be no other water pipes, wooden beams or live wires to block your path.

The technicians and engineers who designed and developed the D-tect 150 paid particular attention to ergonomics and easy handling – there is no need to carry out any calibrations. Not only is the D-tect 150 equipped with a large, backlit display which you can switch on whenever the lighting conditions require that you do so, it is also IP54 protected and therefore dust and splashproof. This makes it ideal for use on building sites and in other rough environments. In fact it is so rugged it will even survive a fall from roughly 1metre.

The D-tect 150 wall scanner is quite an impressive device: it provides you with information on the type of material of the object under the layer of screed, concrete, masonry or plaster, and it tells you the exact position of the object or objects and how deep you can actually drill. In addition there are 4 sensors which scan the surface in one of 5 different operating modes: a universal mode for conventional walls and brickwork, a mode for concrete, one for floor or wall heatings and one for dry walls and hollow walls respectively.

Wall scanners – for professionals, do-it-yourselfers, and everyone and anyone who wants to be 100% sure

Find out more about your wall scanner here…

Go here to buy your wall scanner online if you feel that we have already succeeded in convincing you of all the benefits…

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NOISE! Sometimes it seems there is no escape.

Posted on by Christian Hoffmann

In today’s fast-moving, hectic world, noise has become a part of our everyday lives – it accompanies us wherever we are – in the home, where satellite TVs and personal stereos blare through the house and power lawn mowers tear through the evening calm; on the way to work, where ear-splitting pneumatic drills briefly blank out the roar of the traffic that snarls along the heavily-congested roads that snake through our towns, villages and inner-cities, or in the workplace, in schools, in public places where a wall of noise often makes you wish you were a million miles away.

Noise can be dangerous. Overexposure to loud noise can permanently damage your hearing. Excessive noise is a stress factor that can be linked to numerous illnesses: people who are constantly subjected to high levels of noise are at a risk and often suffer from high blood pressure, fits of extreme agitation, sleep disorders, lack of appetite – the list goes on…

But what is excessive noise and what is not…?

Peter K. is tossing and turning in his bed. It’s one o’clock in the morning and he hasn’t slept a wink. Peter K. has an important meeting the following morning and all he wants is a good night’s sleep. The pub across the road is popular among the locals and the noise from the revelers fills the night. The ban on smoking which prohibits the guests from smoking on the premises has only made things worse because they now repeatedly spill out into the streets to share a cigarette. An hour passes… Peter K. jumps out of bed. Enough is enough. Angrily, he picks up his cordless phone and calls the police. But can he? When are you as a member of the public allowed to call the police and when do you have the lawful right to complain about noise?

This is a difficult question to answer. Even more so because the Technical Guidelines For Noise Protection make heavy reading. Basically, it all depends on where you live and the type of noise involved – and strangely enough, some really loud noise sources, like road traffic for example, are even exempted from the catalogue. The catalogue does, however, include pubs and other licensed establishments.

The following noise emission guidelines reveal the permitted levels for noise coming from such establishments:

There are various classifications for different locations. We have selected the three classifications which we think represent the type of residential area in which most people live:

  • Centre zones, village areas and mixed zones (mixed trade, gastronomy and residential areas), applies to most well-populated and frequented parts of cities, especially inner cities:
    06:00am to 10:00pm: 60 dB(A)
    10:00pm to 06:00am: 45 bB(A)
  • General residential areas (mainly residential zones – trade and gastronomy permitted):
    06:00am to 10:00pm: 55 dB(A)
    10:00pm to 06:00am: 40 bB(A)
  • In buildings (regardless of the type of residential area):
    06:00am to 10:00pm: 35 dB(A)
    10:00pm to 06:00am: 25 bB(A)

And how can I find out when these threshold values have been exceeded?

With a noise level meter. The Technical Guidelines state exactly where the measurement must be carried out: from the outside of the building at a distance of 0.5m (1.6 ft) from the middle of the open window of the room which needs to be protected most (e.g. bedroom window). As we pointed out above – the guidelines really do make heavy reading.

The BS15 noise level meter from TROTEC: the low-cost ideal solution …

Please be careful to remember that the results of any measurements carried out by members of the public will not stand up in a court of law. Such measurements must be carried out by the Office For Public Order. This still, however, makes the noise level meters ideal for carrying out preliminary on-the-spot checks.

Are you allowed to call the police if certain noise levels are exceeded?

Yes, you are in Germany. You are even allowed to dial 110, the German equivalent of 999. As a rule your complaint will fall in the domain of the Office For Public Order. Some cities, like Frankfurt on the river Main for example, have even set up a hotline which is open 24 hours a day. The police or the Office for Public Order will then follow up your call.

And do not be afraid to call their number: according to information received from the Environmental Agency in Frankfurt, excessive levels of noise are deemed a health hazard and all reports will be taken extremely seriously.

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Who needs a dehumidifier?

Posted on by Christian Hoffmann

Dehumidifiers are not a luxury.

In fact, more often than not they are a necessity.

Dehumidifiers have a number of important functions – not only do they create a healthy and comfortable room climate, they also ensure that required relative humidity levels are maintained in production and storage facilities. In addition, they provide effective and reliable non-stop protection against moisture and corrosion wherever they are put into operation – in the home, the office, the workplace.

But what does a dehumidifier actually do? Well, a dehumidifier reduces the relative humidity in the surrounding air. What it does basically is extract excess moisture from the air. The moisture is then contained in the dehumidifier and collected in a tank or drained off via a hose which can be attached to an outlet at the bottom of the unit. If left unchecked, this moisture could seriously damage not only your health but also your prized possessions and your property.

Although dehumidifiers come in all shapes and sizes, the principle is nearly always the same: a built-in hygrostat constantly monitors and controls the relative humidity and automatically switches the unit off when the selected thresholds have been reached and on again when the relative humidity either drops below these values or exceeds them.

These preset values are sometimes a matter of individual taste – as with the room temperature, some like it hot and some like it cold. Most people, however, feel most comfortable when the relative humidity is within the climate corridor recommended by most medical experts. This band normally lies between 40 and 60% (depending on the room temperature and the time of year) – the air is neither too dry nor too moist.

The effects of humid air can be extremely disconcerting. Mould and mildew thrive in damp conditions. This can lead to a variety of health problems and allergic reactions which can be especially dangerous to young children, pregnant women, elderly people or people or with weakened immune systems. In addition, many insects, like moths and cockroaches, use damp patches which form in corners or nooks and crannies as a result of excess moisture in the air as a breeding ground for their larvae. And as if this were not enough corrosion normally sets in when the relative humidity is higher than 60%.

Wouldn’t it make sense then to think about a means of preventing such conditions from developing in the first case? Conditions which not only pose a health threat but also put your valuable possessions like archives, private libraries, paintings, furniture and collections at risk.

The answer is as simple as it is straightforward: a dehumidifier. TROTEC has a wide range of versatile, effective and reliable dehumidifiers all designed to allow you to create your own indoor climate and control the relative humidity in your environment while filtering out airborne contaminants like dust, fluff and pet hairs and keeping the air that you breathe clean.

You will be hard-pushed to find a finer selection of large-scale, low-cost stationary models or compact, exquisitely-designed mobile units.

Click here to find out more.

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Problems with moisture for home builders in summer?

Posted on by Christian Hoffmann

Problems with moisture for home builders in summer?
You must be joking!

We’re not, actually. And as anybody who has had the misfortune of having to deal with damage caused by dampness and excess moisture after their house had not been given enough time to dry out will tell you – mould is not a laughing matter.

It is still popular belief among many home builders that summertime is the best time of the year to carry out their building projects because it is warmer – and because it is warmer walls and screed will therefore dry more quickly. Wrong. What they fail to realize is that it is not the temperature which is the deciding factor when it comes to drying out new buildings – it is the relative humidity. And in summertime the relative humidity is still surprisingly high.

Measurements carried out by the met office in Friedberg show that the average relative humidity in June alone was 56% (!) compared to an average relative humidity of 68% throughout 2010.

But help is at hand! Building dryers are used throughout the building trade to dry buildings at all times of the year and not just in the winter months which is what most people would expect. Which building dryer you need depends on the size of your building, the prevailing temperature and, of course, the relative humidity. The best and perhaps most reliable way to determine the size of the building is to use a laser distance meter. Laser distance meters from Leica, for example, can measure room sizes accurately down to four hundredths of an inch (1mm). There’s German precision again for you.

The next step is to determine the temperature and the relative humidity. A tthermohygrometer is practically two devices rolled into one. It can measure the temperature in either degrees Centigrade or Fahrenheit and it provides you with accurate information on relative humidity. It’s a bit like killing two birds with one – er – thermohygrometer.

The third and final step is to enter the information you have gathered into our totally-free-of-charge, no-strings-attached calculator which then determines the dehumidification performance you need before telling you which building dryer will transform your building from a wet one into a dry one.

Oh, yes. And by the way… a single building dryer is all you need to dry out any number of rooms in a building if you follow the steps mentioned above. These steps ensure that you pick the right-sized building dryer for your own individual application. One mustn’t forget, however, that this is only possible if the air can be circulated between the rooms sufficiently. A fan is often the most efficient means of making sure that this is guaranteed.

A combination comprising the right building dryer and the right fan can cut drying times in buildings not only in half but by as much as 75%! This means that you can move into your new home on time and save £’s on heating costs, which can soar up to 200% of what you would normally have to pay simply because dry walls keep out the cold better than wet ones.

You can rest assured that you and your family are moving into a dry house with a healthy indoor climate and that you are saving money in the long run, because there is no need to call in the builders to remove the damage caused by mould and moisture. Not a bad deal really when you come to think of it.

Did you know that…? You don’t have to buy our building dryers and fans if you don’t want to. You can also hire them out from our service divison TKL.

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Buy a Trotec electric heater this winter and keep the cold at bay!

Posted on by Tim Austin

You can’t always count on having a central heating wherever you are to keep you warm and to keep out the cold during the cold time of the year. That’s why we warmly recommend our mobile electric heating units. Because Trotec electric heating units are ideal for both temporary and stationary applications and for keeping the cold out and the heat in!

The models in the TDS-Series are so compact and easy to transport that they are quite simply ideal for use in work and repair shops and on market stands or stalls. And because they do not spew smoke and pump other waste products into the air, they can certainly be classed as being an eco-friendly alternative for private and commercial users who wish to heat their homes or workplaces and channel the heat directly to where it is most needed.

Buy your compact electric heating unit online and save now on the regular price.

The construction heaters in the TDE-Series are widely regarded as being virtually indestructible little workhorses – and they don’t get this name for nothing! The powerful and sturdy models in the TDE-Series come with a hardened hammer-dimpled finish that makes them ideal for coping with the rigours and demands that come with daily use on building sites and in cowsheds and other agricultural scenarios.

TDE 300 electric heating unitClick here to convince yourself of the numerous benefits and the top quality that Trotec professional heating units have to offer.

The high-performance TDE electric heating units are virtual little “heating plants” and so powerful that they can heat whole halls and warehouses. And because our products carry the quality seal “made in Germany” they are totally reliable and extremely efficient!

Get ready to heat in a big way: click here for more info…

Buy an electric heater this winter and keep the cold at bay! Make the most of our attractive New Year’s special offer – valid for a limited period only!

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BE50 digital multi-meter: benefit from the MultiMeasure Basic-Series

Posted on by Tim Austin

The BE50 digital multi-meter is a device suitable for a whole host of different applications like resistance or voltage measurements. Take advantage of a revolutionary measuring tool replacing diverse devices needed in the past. A BE50 digital multi-meter is yet another great measuring instrument of the rewarded Trotec MultiMeasure Basic-Series.

Convince yourself and see some of the benefits:

Measuring range (accuracy)

  • Voltage: 0.1 mV to 1000 V (UDC ± 1.2 %, UAC ± 2 %)
  • Electricity: 100 nA to 10 A (DC ± 1.5 %, AC ± 2.5 %)
  • Capacity: 10 pF to 100 µF (± 3 %)
  • Resistance: 0.1 Ω to 10 MΩ (± 1.2 %)
  • Frequency: 1 mHz to 10 MHz (± 1.2 %)
  • Temperature: -20 °C to +760 °C (± 3 %)
  • Duty cycle: 0,1 % to 99.9 % (± 1,2 %)

The BE50 is not only a very versatile tool due to a lot of functions, but also a very safe instrument thanks to safety norms EN 61326, EN 61010-1 and EN 61010-02-031.

Have a look at another brand-new product of the Trotec measuring range …

Buy the BE50 digital multi-meter online and save money …

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An ideal tool for every electrician: the BE20 voltage tester

Posted on by Tim Austin

The BE20 voltage tester is one of the latest measuring devices in the Trotec MultiMeasure Basic-Series. This bipolar and very versatile voltage detector is able to measure AC/DC, polarity and rotary field. It has an built-in flashlight for lighting up dark measuring areas and displays the voltage even in case of empty batteries.

The double insulated measuring tool has a shock, dust and splashproof housing and fits the norms to protect your safety.

BE20 voltage testerSee for yourself – a small overview of the technical data:

  • AC/DC: automatic detection
  • Testing method: bipolar contact measurement
  • Measuring range: UDC 12 to 690 V, UAC 12 to 400 V
  • Measuring circuit category: CAT III 600 V

If you like to see more practical advantages of the BE20 please go here …

If you already like to buy a  compact voltage tester go here …

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