Why Electric Fireplaces Are Perfect For New York Apartments

Having a cozy and warm living space is everyone’s dream especially during the winter months when the outdoor temperature is very low. This is the time when you need to use an electric fireplace as it helps in making your indoor temperature warm and comfortable so that you will not have to worry about facing the harsh winter months. Adding a fireplace is an amazing way of dealing with the cold temperature and hence you should find out why electric fireplaces are perfect for your New York Apartments. This is especially important because the right kind of fireplace will offer you a comfortable level of heating as you can determine the temperature level that you want inside your home. Additionally, the thermostats present in the fireplace helps in maintaining the temperature so that you can determine the kind of indoor environment you want for a cozy interior space.

Electric fireplaces are the perfect option for your apartments because it does not create smoke as there are no flames in reality which make it the most appropriate option for your home. The realistic appearance of the flames is achieved as soon as you turn on the electric fireplace so that you will get the desired interior space. You will love the real feel and look of the fire even without the risk of inhaling the potentially toxic fumes of the fireplace. Hence, it can also be called the most versatile option for your home that is safe for the children, older adults, and pets as they will not have to inhale the dangerous smoke of burning fossil fuels. Additionally, it is the best way to eliminate the stress and mess created by the convectional fireplace so that you will get the benefits without the side effects. The winters in New York can become unbearable without the presence of a high-quality fireplace and hence you should select an option that will offer maximum benefits to you and your entire family. When you select an electric fireplace, you can rest assured that you are selecting a green alternative as compared to the burning of the raw materials or fossil fuels. The green energy from the sunlight, wind, or geothermal is the clean energy source that will not produce any harmful effects in your home as you will enjoy a large number of benefits.

An electric fireplace is also an energy-efficient option as it makes use of LED technology for minimizing the use of energy for heating your home so that you will have a lower electricity bill. Additionally, these fireplaces have lower maintenance costs because you can just plugin for getting a safer fire at an affordable price. You have many varieties of the fireplace and you have the option of considering the affordable models of these fireplaces so that you will get the style, color, and size that will suit your requirements. With minimum care and maintenance, these fireplaces will get sterling and attractive look as it is far more beneficial than its counterparts in terms of look, aesthetics, and costs.

The Encroaching Storm: Choosing A Snow Blower For Extreme New York Winters

Whether we want to admit or not, winter is coming. With it, comes a seemingly endless supply of snow and ice. For those who live in New York, you understand all too well the harsh winters that can form. In some cases, the state of winter can even reach post-apocalyptic levels with houses and cars buried. To survive this onslaught, every New Yorker should be equipped with a snow blower. It’s the weapon of choice. After all, if you even try to take a shovel to the ridiculous piles of snow, you’re probably going to end up throwing your back out and laying comatose in your house until spring. Or worse, you’ll spend hours digging into the snow only to find that in the passing night another storm picked up and cast down a brand new heap of snow for you to clear once again.

To make it easier on yourself, invest in a snowblower. This article will discuss what snowblower is best for you, so you can not only escape your home but perhaps actually enjoy the winter. If such a thing is possible.

1. The Electric

As its name might suggest, the electric snowblower is powered by electricity. With an extension cord, you can plug it into a socket and blow that snow to high heaven. For those who live in an apartment or have a smaller area to clear of snow, then the electric is likely all that you need. It’s smaller than the other form of snowblowers out there and lightweight. So, for those who don’t have the incredible amount of strength required for the heavier duty snowblowers, then this should serve your purposes.

The electric snowblower is best used for snowfall that goes up to 12 inches. As such, if it’s a winter that just doesn’t seem to quit, you’ll probably have to get out there more often with this snowblower than one that is used to clear heavier snowfall. That being said, this snowblower is also best used for snow that is considered to be fluffy. The cleaning width is 12-21 inches and it throws snow up to 30 feet. It works best on paved surfaces and doesn’t have a hilly drive, so the smoother the surface, the better.

2. The Single-Stage

Similar to the electric snowblower, the single-stage snowblower is best used on paved surfaces. It can also clear snowfall up to 13 inches but is best used for snowfall no higher than 12 inches. Its name means that it throws snow once as it passes through the chute. The blower actually makes contact with the ground, too, so you have to be careful about where you drive this snowblower as you could accidentally throw gravel or small stones if you’re not careful.

It can clear widths of 18-22 inches and throws snow up to 35 feet. It’s gas powered, so if you require a bit more distance than an extension cord can give an electric snowblower, then the single-stage snowblower might be the choice for you. However, due to the fact that it can only easily clear out 12 inches of snow, you may want to opt for the next snowblower instead.

3. The Two-Stage

Unlike the Single-Stage, the Two-Stage snowblower throws snow twice. This is because it also breaks through the ice and tosses that out first. This powerful snowblower can clear widths of 20-45 inches. Snowfall of up to 23.5 inches can be cleared with this form of a snowblower. As such, it can clear wet or heavy snow and be used on paved or gravel surfaces. It does come with a hilly drive as well, so it can be pushed up hills as needed.

4. The Three-Stage

This is a heavy-duty snowblower for those who see the worst of snow. It can clear snowfall of up to 21 inches and deal with wet or heavy snow. It can also be used on paved or gravel surfaces and has a hilly drive. This is best for snow that is layered with ice. It can cut through with ease and leave your driveway or sidewalk clear and safe.

Get The Lead Out: Does Your New York City Apartment Need A Water Filter?

New York City is known for exceptionally clean drinking water. Over a billion gallons, most of it unfiltered, reaches over 8 million city inhabitant daily. Yet, despite one of the most comprehensive water treatment and testing regimens in the county, some remain concerned about their water quality after cities like Flint, Michigan made headlines with a series of water treatment errors that led to high levels of lead in the municipal drinking supply.

At present, New York City has a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that allows most of its public drinking supply to go unfiltered as long it meets stringent safety criteria. Although the water isn’t filtered, it is disinfected and treated with orthophosphate, a lead inhibitor that coats pipes, and sodium hydroxide, a substance that decreases the natural acidity of water, discouraging corrosion in lead-containing plumbing fixtures.

In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed to protect the public by regulating public drinking water supplies, but while this legislation addresses potential contamination at the source, it doesn’t guarantee that holding tanks, pipes and fixture won’t introduce harmful contaminants. In fact, although New York City has an excellent reputation for protecting its public waters, enforcement of regulations for the cleaning of holding tanks has been questioned by water safety advocates, while it remains highly cost-prohibitive to retrofit old pipes and remove lead from existing plumbing fixtures.

Regulations are in place to reduce lead, but older buildings may still have pipes with lead solder and fixtures that contain lead if they were installed before 2014 when plumbing fixtures were allowed to have up to 8% lead. Today, even so-called lead-free models can still have up to 0.25% lead in the surfaces that come into contact with water.

Water quality monitoring that exceeds safety requirements is done daily in New York City and citizens can be comfortable with the overall integrity of their public water. But, once the water leaves the reservoir, what can residents do to ensure that their water is lead-free?

According to the EPA, several steps will reduce the amount of lead in drinking water. Since lead has no color, taste, or odor, testing is the only way to detect it. A certified lab can test water for as little as $20 and if lead is found, taking the following steps will improve water safety.

– Before drinking, flush pipes by running tap water it is noticeably colder.

– Clean the faucet aerator regularly.

– Install a whole home or faucet water filter. Check reviews of home water filtration systems to find a model that is as effective as possible at reducing lead and other concerning contaminants. Pitcher filters improve the taste of water, but won’t remove lead.

Lead is a powerful neurotoxin that can have severe and irreversible health effects. The best advice for residents of New York City is to enjoy their clean water, but take sensible precautions to protect themselves from harm by getting the lead out.

A Comfortable Bed Essential for Apartment Life in New York City

Whether you are about to go off to college, visiting friends and family, or moving, you will want it to be as hassle free as possible. Believe it or not, getting good sleep and being comfortable are a huge part of making the most important things to be less stressful. Below, you will read more on mattress toppers/pads, and why they are absolutely essential to apartment life in New York City.

What is the definition of a mattress topper/pad?

(First, let’s clarify that there is a different between a mattress topper, a mattress pad, and a mattress protector. Think of toppers and pads as twins, whereas the protector is their cousin. They all belong to the same family, and all of them extend the duration of your mattress.)

A mattress pad is simply that extra layer of comfort for your bed. It fits similar to that of a fitted sheet, except it’s pure elastic wrapping around the bed rather than cotton and elastic. Mattress pads are great for comfort, but they are even better for older mattresses. If you have an old bed that’s not in the greatest shape, a mattress pad is definitely cheaper than buying a brand new mattress. Maybe the mattress you have is just too firm for your taste, and you just need it to be a little softer. It’s also an alternative for a mattress protector.

Mattress toppers are similar to a mattress pad, except they are much thicker. It is also for the purpose of comfort on your mattress. Some toppers have straps to ensure it stays on your mattress, but others usually just lay there and are held down by the fitted sheet. Toppers can have various types of filler for maximum comfort. Some include latex, gel memory foam, and cotton just to name a few.

Mattress protectors are an entirely different story, but still similar. Not necessarily used for the purpose of comfort, a protector is what helps keep your mattress from aging quickly. Most mattresses come with protectors, because a bed is where we lay every night. It wards off bacteria, allergens and irritants, like dandruff, mold, and bedbugs. (Many use protectors solely for the fact of keeping ugly stains off the bed.) You can clean mattresses yourself but without a protector at the very least, your mattress is susceptible to any kind of bodily fluids. It puts your mattress at immediate risk.

All of these are highly recommended when moving to and/or visiting New York City, or any large city. Comfort is a huge factor, if not the only factor, that most consider purchasing a mattress pad/topper/protector. When you live in a large city like New York, chances are you’re in an apartment complex. By not properly caring for your mattress, you’re not only putting your entire apartment at risk for bacteria and fungi, but you’re putting anyone else in your complex at risk for same said bacteria and fungi. Think of how many people live in big cities, especially New York City. Remind yourself that when it comes to personal hygiene and cleanliness, there are more people who don’t care for themselves very well than anyone would like to admit. Somebody on the bus next you could have bedbugs and you’d never guess it. Problems like bedbugs spread very quickly. While comfort and support are great things to have, preventing health hazards and basic hygiene safety is just as important.

Electric Skateboards Making Way Into New York Life

The loud crowds, the constant hustle and bustle found in the streets of New York City, to visitors this might seem like a new and enchanted world. However, to those who hold jobs and are not just in the Big Apple for fun find the crowds and often times the transportation difficult to get through when in a hurry to get to work, a meeting, a party etc. With the new and innovative electric skateboards, New York City has become even more easy to navigate and travel around.

The first electric skateboard was created in 1997 by Louie Finkle but did not reach wide audiences until 2013 and now today,the electric skateboard can be seen just about anywhere with a wide variety of people finding incredible uses for it. In a city such as New York, the electric skateboard has become especially popular.

The electric skateboard is powered by a battery and is controlled by a remote or an app can occasionally be downloaded to control it from a phone as well. This innovative board can travel from twelve to fifteen miles per hour. That speed is triple of what the average 3.1 miles walked per hour. In the Big Apple, where everything is traveled to by taxi, subway, or foot, it is easy to see why these have been such a big hit. The rate and the ease of traveling has reached new heights.

Not only is the electric skateboard easy to ride and travel on, but it saves money. It’s common knowledge that no subway or taxi ride is free, and after time it can add up, and for those few people who own their own car in New York City, things can add up quickly not only with money, but also time.

The New York City 30-day unlimited metro pass cost about $1,452 per year. While the electric skateboard might seem like a big chunk of money at first, with boards on the high-end being about $500, the total energy cost and cost of the board comes to about $543 per year. Riding the metro everyday costs you almost three times as much. Not to mention the time spend traveling or the pain of hailing a taxi.

Understanding the convenience, ease, and savings in time and money, make it clear why these electric skateboards have become a big source of transportation as well as recreational activity. These boards can not only make the commute to work easier, but allow you to enjoy central park and other places of exploration more relaxing. It’s hard to go wrong with the electric skateboard.

The Top Places To Avoid In New York City

There are a lot of places in New York City that are great to visit, but you also have to know that you need to avoid some places because they are so bad for you to visit. You might not have known that this would be a place with spots to avoid, but you can pick them out pretty easily if you just make a few choices that will be simpler for you.

There are some people who think that going to Times Square is the best thing of all time, but it is literally one of the worst places to go. You cannot go to Times Square because it is always crowded, and there is too much traffic. It is one of the loudest places in the world, and you cannot enjoy it because it just does not really do anything for you other than deafen you.

You also need to avoid places like the new tower because it is all tourists. That makes it so hard for you to enjoy it because people are constantly milling around. They sort of crowd up the oplace, and that makes it harder for you to like it. This also means that you cannot have a real kind of spiritual experience here because it is flooded with people.

You cannot go to SoHo unless you want to have a lot of rich people run you over while they are shopping. It might look nice, but it is not going to be a good place for you to go because you will only see overpriced shops and restaurants that are too expensive. You could find a lot of nice places to go, but you will never get anything out of this place unless you want to spend your life savings on a handbag.

There are people who are going to Hell’s Kitchen all the time now because they want to get the experience that they get in the Marvel shows, but they are going to run into tourists everywhere. You have to go to the places that will be much better for you and quiet. If you cannot do that, you will be out in the open with all the people who are making it so hard for you to have a fun because these people are so much more loud and just taking pictures and getting in the way.

Knowing what to do will make it so much easier for you to get what you need, and then you will avoid places that are just too hard for you to come to and actually enjoy. That also means that you will not have fun because you are swamped with tourists who are loud.