Do You Need a New HVAC System Before Summer Hits?

Posted on February 25, 2021March 9, 2021 by Siera Brown

Your HVAC system is great when it’s working fine, so many homeowners don’t pay the unit a whole lot of attention until it stops working fine. As a homeowner, you want your home to be in tip-top shape at all times. It can’t be if your HVAC unit is on the fritz.

While many homeowners know what to expect from a new air system, they don’t know how to tell if that air system has breathed its last and needs to be replaced instead of repaired. Many homeowners don’t look for the signs that their HVAC system is not working properly and are completely surprised when they wake up on the hottest day of the summer to find the HVAC system isn’t working at all. To keep that from happening to you this upcoming summer, look for the signs below that you need to schedule an air conditioner system replacement as soon as possible.

Your HVAC unit always needs to be repaired.

If you’re looking for home improvements you can make on a budget and your air conditioner always needs to be repaired, then that’s what you should work into your budget before summer begins. Whether it’s your heat systems or your new system that seems to always needs to be repaired, you need to get in touch with a contractor that can tell you if it’s worth repairing yet again. A new air conditioner can go a long way towards lowering your electricity bills and making sure you and your family are cool and comfortable when the temperature outside starts to rise.

Your air conditioner is over ten years old.

Every appliance eventually outlives its usefulness, and your air conditioner is no exception. If your central air unit is over ten years old, it’s probably having a hard time keeping up with the heat outside. Central air units from ten years ago weren’t near as energy-efficient as they are today, and if your unit is that old, it’s struggling to cool your home, which will result in higher cooling bills also.

The temperature is wrong.

If you find yourself having to up your order from your bottled water delivery service to more 5-gallon bottles because you’re dehydrated and always hot, though your air conditioner is running full-blast, you might have a problem. If your thermostat is reading the right temperature, but it’s still sweltering in your home, then it could be time to replace your central air unit. However, you should first check to make sure it’s not the thermostat that’s faulty, then call in a contractor or HVAC technician to upgrade your central air unit for you.

Air Quality Issues

When a central air unit is not working properly, it often affects the home’s air quality. If you’ve recently seen an increase in dust or you’re sneezing more than normal, then your air conditioner unit might not be filtering and circulating the air the way that it should. An improperly-working AC unit will also cause a higher humidity level in your home, so if you’re experiencing any or all of these signs, it’s time to call in a repairer before summer begins in earnest.

High Cooling Bills

If you’ve noticed recently that your electric bills during the summer are higher than usual, it could be because your AC unit isn’t working properly. The more your unit has to struggle, the higher the bills are going to be. Once you have the unit replaced, your bills should come back down to a more affordable level.

These are a few of the top signs out there that you might need to replace your AC unit before the summer even begins. The last thing you want is to be stuck at home in a heatwave with no AC unit at all and no repairman insight.

5 Tips for Opening Your Own Pet Shop

Posted on November 27, 2020November 27, 2020 by Siera Brown

For animal lovers looking to own a pet store in their neighborhood, there are quite a few things that need to be considered. Whether you’re planning to carry only exotic pets or pets more on the lines of dogs, cats, and reptiles, it’s going to cause stress, not only to get the business side of the pet shop set up but also to set up the shop itself.

You also need quite a bit of experience with everything from the substrate to feeders and egg crates to water crystals. You need to know what the best carrots, oranges, crickets, and dubia roaches you need to feed your reptiles, as well as knowing how to take care of them and any other animals you choose to have for sale in your pet shop. In this article, you’ll find a few tips to help you open your own pet shop, both legal tips, and set up tips.

1. Get the proper licenses.

The first thing you want to do before you put even one single reptile in your shop is to get the proper license so that it’s legal for you to open your doors. This will entail inspecting the space for proper ventilation, mold, or any other problems that need addressing. Does your shop have a concrete floor that needs epoxy paint? Take care of that and any other potentially allergy-inducing issues before day one.

Not only will you need the licenses to open a business, but many states also require pet shop owners to have special licenses as well. You want to do your research and talk to the proper authorities to see if your state requires that extra license. The application for that license may ask you to list each type of animal you’re going to be selling, and ask you to provide a detailed floorplan for the shop you’ll be opening.

2. Find space and stock supplies.

Once you know that your pet shop is a go, you need to find space and then start stocking your supplies. For example, if you’re going to be carrying reptiles, you need feeders, roaches, and crickets for food, aquariums, plastic tubs, beds, and many other items that will help you keep them healthy until they are sold to good homes. You’ll also need to know about dubia roaches care so that you can take care of the food source for your reptiles. in addition, you’ll need water dishes and a good water source to keep all of your animals healthy, watered, and fed.

Speaking of water sources, you’re also going to need water for yourself and water for your employees. That’s where water from
canadiansprings.com comes in. This bottled water is a great choice for your employees to drink, and you might be able to give some of it to the pets as well. You only want the best water for your pet shop and this company has it in spades.

3. Get your shop set up.

When it comes to opening a pet shop, you want the shop to be in tip-top shape before you bring the animals in. This means that you should have aquariums, enclosures, buckets, and tubs all ready and waiting for your precious cargo to arrive. You should also look into commercial floors and commercial floor coating, since it’s durable, impact-resistant, and won’t stain if things are dropped onto it. From a new floor to a floor that has the right amount of coating on it, you want to get all of this done before the animals arrive. Especially since the reptiles don’t need too much handling, so you don’t want to be taking them out of their enclosures for long periods of time.

4. Take care of the animals and yourself.

Another legal tip for pet shop owners is to pay attention to the anticruelty laws concerning animals of any kind. You need to abide strictly by your state’s health and animal cruelty codes. Different states have different rules for this but all of them involve bathing, feeding, and taking care of the animals the way that you should. In some states, it’s mandatory that at least one person is in the pet store for a specific amount of time every day, even if that’s on a day when the pet store is closed. This way, you will always know if the animals need something or if there’s an emergency. These laws and codes are in place for a reason, so make sure that you follow them to the letter.

It’s also important that in the midst of all of the running around, finding a space, inspecting concrete floors, stocking supplies, and taking care of the animals, that you take the time to purchase the proper insurance. You need the proper insurance because no matter how experienced you think your employees are or how gentle your customers are with the animals, accidents have been known to happen, so it’s a good idea to check into the best commercial or pet store insurance so that you and the animals are covered.

5. Make sure your animals are legal.

When you’re thinking about which animals to sell at your pet store, you need to be careful that they are legal to keep and sell where you live. There are some animals, such as groundhogs, that are illegal to keep as pets. Reptiles, amphibians, dogs, and cats are obviously fine, but if you’re thinking about exotic animals make sure to do your due diligence. Check the laws in the state or country where you live to see what animals or okay to keep as pets and which ones aren’t. If you’re considering housing and selling exotic pets, then you’re probably going to have to have a special permit and you might need to get a special license as well.

Bonus Tips

Learn the business.

If you want to learn what you can about pet stores and how to run the business before you decide to open your own, you can work or volunteer at your local pet store to try to get experience. It’s also a no-risk way to determine if you’re indeed cut out to be a pet store owner before you put all the money and time into the venture and then find out it’s not for you.

Remember, in order to be successful at a business you need to be passionate about it. So, if you don’t have a great love for animals and taking care of them, you might want to find another business. If you do love animals, however, then working at a pet store before opening one will help you with the know-how and things you need to make your own a success when the time comes.

Marketing is key.

One key part of running a successful pet store is making sure that you market the best way possible. You need to be active on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest so that people know who you are and where to find you to buy their pets. Whether you sell exotic animals or domestic animals as pets, you’re not going to get anywhere with making your business a success if you don’t market the way that you should, so get the word out there and then your pet store will soar.

These are just a few tips for getting your pet shop going and making it the success you always wanted it to be. Remember, if you love animals and selling, then this is a great choice for you and you will succeed with patience and hard work.

Products Your Dog Deserves to Stay in Good Health

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Siera Brown

As a dog owner, you already know that taking care of your pet can be expensive. From the vet to the groomer, and from ensuring they have only the best dog food and chew toys, and most comfortable bed that you saw and just had to get for them… yes, it is quite costly! But your dog has quickly become a part of the family, and you’ve never once regretted the day that you decided to adopt and bring them to their forever home.

There are so many wonderful benefits to being a dog owner that you want to do everything in your power to make your canine pal happy, comfortable, and as healthy as s/he can be. Keeping that in mind, read on below for a few of the products your pet deserves to keep them healthy and happy for years to come.

A Harness

One of the first things you should have done when you brought your pup home was to visit Joyride Harness to find a leash and harness for your pet. Make sure that you choose a no-pull harness so that your pup is comfortable on your walks, and the leash isn’t strangling them. It’s important to have a harness for your dog because they could easily pull away from you on your walks and end up getting lost or hit by a car. Make sure that you get a harness that fits them snugly, but comfortably for the best results.

Joint Supplements

As a pet parent, there is nothing worse than having to watch your beloved pet in pain. That’s why you should start giving your pooch joint supplements for dogs, as soon as they are old enough to need them. These supplements can help to prevent arthritis, inflammation of the cartilage, and help with your pet’s joint health as well. Senior dogs especially can suffer from stiffness and joint problems. Be proactive and start your pet on supplements to help prevent these ailments from happening, and to ease them if they do.

Quality Shampoos

Many pet owners think that it’s okay to use human shampoo to wash their dogs. The truth is that you really need to use a high-quality dog shampoo, in order to get rid of germs and bad bacteria and to get rid of the bad odors that pets tend to pick up during their forays into the outside world. A human shampoo doesn’t work the same for them, as they need special ingredients to keep their skin healthy and their fur glossy. You want your dog to have only the very best, so keep the human shampoo for you, and buy your pup the high-quality dog shampoo they deserve. Fur health is just as important as joint health.

Quality Dog Food

Some dog foods are better than others, so you have to read the ingredients carefully before choosing one for your pet. Your buddy deserves only the highest-quality dog food on the market, which means you need to do your research well. There are many different choices on the market today, from wet to dry and from organic to raw. Your best bet is to take your pup to your local vet and discuss together what the best diet for your pup is going to be.

Love, Patience, Attention

While this isn’t a product, and it’s certainly not something you can buy in a store or online, you should give your dog love, patience, and attention in spades. After all, to be happy and healthy, your pup has to depend on you, and will be loyal as the day is long when they realize that they are indeed in their forever home to stay.

These are just a few of the products that your pet needs to function healthily and happily in your home. Remember, love patience and attention top that list, so don’t forget to shower your pet with all of them, every day.