Month: April 2019


Apr
2019

Creative

categories: Around the House

For some reason saunas are simply not as popular as they are in many other countries around the world. People from Finland, Russia, and Estonia more or less have regular sauna visits engrained in their culture. It’s for good reason too, a nice trip to the sauna can leave your body feeling incredibly relaxed, revitalized, and ready to take on the next day.

Choosing Your Sauna

If you’ve put any thought into buying a sauna, you’ll certainly have noted that they come with a hefty price tag. They take a lot of wood to make and the heater draws an awful lot of energy, so it’s important that they are made with quality components.

When you’re buying a sauna there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. The quality of the heater is probably the most important. All too often saunas are sold with undersized heaters that will not only take a really long time to get to temperature, but they also might not even get hot enough to provide the sauna experience you’re looking for.

The other main thing to consider is how large you want your sauna to be. Is this something that your whole family is going to use, or is it more for your use alone? The size of the sauna is going to drastically influence the price. Since they aren’t cheap, you don’t want to plan on upgrading your sauna at a later date if you can avoid it.

A few other large things to consider before you make your purchase. The first is that your sauna will likely require a 240V connection, meaning you’re going to have to consult an electrician to do the installation. If you’re buying an infrared sauna that may not be the case, but it’s almost certainly true with traditional sauna styles. The other thing to consider is the wood that the sauna is made from, but we’ll dig into that a little more in a second.

Consider Going Infrared

If you haven’t heard about them before, infrared saunas are definitely worth checking out. They offer many of the benefits that traditional saunas do, but they are available at a fraction of the cost. Like traditional saunas, they can be found in a range of sizes from a one-person capacity to a four-person capacity and beyond.

They can also be made in a variety of different wood types much like traditional saunas. You can opt for hemlock and cedar if you like, but based on user experience many people find that the odors that these woods create can be offensive and even downright nauseating.

The advantages of woods like cedar and hemlock are obvious – they have superior rot protection and they may even ward off insects. However, the rot protection is probably not even necessary in a sauna, as they should be relatively dry from all of the heat that they put off. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your sauna then the wood choice is something you should probably take seriously.

If you’re interested in bringing a sauna into your household an infrared design is worth considering. They may not be a perfect fit for you, but they shouldn’t be disregarded nonetheless.

What Is Best For You?

Truth be told, an traditional sauna is most likely going to be the preferable option for most people. They are the tried-and-true technology that people have been relying on for centuries – especially in the northern countries. That said, there are definitely reasons that you might want to go infrared instead.

First of all, they are much more affordable which puts them within the budget of more people around the country. Secondly, they operate at lower temperatures so they can potentially put less stress on your body. If stress on your body is a concern for you, this may be a better route to go. As always, make sure you talk with a doctor if this is your concern as no one else will know better than them.


Apr
2019

Spring Season: The Best Time To Buy A Snow Blower

categories: Outdoors

Spring is upon us without a doubt. So why are we publishing a post about snow blowers? It’s easy to forget, but if you don’t have a snow blower or you’re looking to buy a new one now is the perfect time to get on it. The hardware stores are anxious to liquidate their stock to make room for the summer equipment that’s about to fly off the shelves.

Keep an eye out for deals and be aware that store owners are definitely going to be in the mood to negotiate. This is especially true with smaller stores where you may even be speaking to the owners. Even if the snow blower already has a discounted sticker price you have a pretty high probability of getting it even cheaper if you ask and show genuine interest.

Since you’re a proactive planner thinking about next year already, you probably want to go into this with a little bit of background on snow blowers. Let’s touch base real quick so you know what you’re looking at when you make your way to the stores.

Electric Snow Blowers Are Great For Light Accumulation

If you live in a region where snow fall is not too heavy like it is up in the northern states, then you can probably get away with a bit of a lighter duty snow blower. If this is the case, electric snow blowers are quite enticing. They are quiet, they don’t require you to have gas on hand or to store it in your garage, and they are simply much cleaner for the environment.

While they are undeniably less suitable for heavy snow falls, it’s not like they’re entirely useless. There are plenty of snow blowers out there that can throw their fare share of snow.

That said, if you live somewhere where you expect the snowfall to be rather heavy, you’ll probably be more appreciative of something with bit more power under the hood.

When You Need A Bit More Power

If you live in New England, the North Central States, or the Pacific Northwest, you are all too familiar with generous piles of snow being dumped on your doorstep throughout the long winter months. If so, you’re probably already well aware that you’ll need a snow blower that’s up for the challenge.

In this case, you’re going to want to opt for a single-stage gas snow blower at a minimum. If snow’s even heavier than most of the country, you’ll probably even want a two-stage to make sure that the snow can be throw long distances even it’s particularly dense and heavy. Another feature that can be of particular assistance is having tracks instead of wheels. When you’re pushing into heavy mounds of snow sometimes the wheels will spin out from underneath the snow blower. With tracks the snow blower pretty much goes wherever you want it, all the time.

In terms of brands for these more heavy-duty snow blowers, there are a few that stick out when it comes to built quality. Honda is a great company to buy a snow blower from, as is Ariens and Husqvarna. There are others out there too, but these brands are sure to have your back.

Make sure to act quickly, because supply is incredibly limited this time of year. However, it is a perfect chance to get a great deal on a tool that will make your life easier for several years down the road.