Huntersville, NC

Dryer Vent Cleaning is the number one defense against clothes dryer fires. Out of sight, out of mind is the reason dryer vent cleaning is often overlooked, but you really cannot afford to ignore this chore. Dryer lint screens only catch about 60-80 percent of the lint removed from laundry; the rest ends up trapped in the dryer exhaust system where it builds up and becomes a fire hazard.

Lint is highly flammable which makes it good fuel for a fire to spread throughout your dryer vent system and your home. As your dryer is working moisture and lint are removed from your clothes. The moist lint sticks to the sides of the dryer ducts and eventually builds up. Over time this reduces airflow, the dryer works harder and the motor overheats. This is a fire hazard and the cause of increased energy consumption.

Dryer Vent Inspection and Safety Tips

Clean the lint trap after every load of laundry even if there is only a small amount of lint on the screen. The lint should be dry; if it's wet then there is an airflow problem most likely due to lint build-up in the dryer ducts. Wash the lint screen with soapy water every few months to remove residue from dryer sheets. Check the screen for tears.

Look for lint on the floor behind and around the dryer. If there is lint around the dryer then you need to have a dryer vent specialist inspect the system; this is a sign that it is time for dryer vent cleaning.

Go outside and inspect the dryer vent hood while the dryer is running to be sure it is opening and there is airflow. You should see it working; if not, then it is time for a good dryer vent cleaning and inspection.

If clothes are taking more than one cycle to dry this is a sign of restricted airflow. It is not a sign that the dryer is wearing out even if it is very old. Other signs of poor airflow are clothes having a moldy or smoky smell when they come out of the dryer or if laundry is very hot when you remove it.

More Safety Tips for the Laundry Room

Do not place clothes or rags soaked with flammable materials in the dryer even if they have been washed. Some combustible residue can remain on the fabric and cause a fire hazard. These items should be line dried.

Laundry rooms make great storage areas but do not store flammable chemicals like paint thinners or lighter fluid near the clothes dryer.

Never leave the house or go to sleep when the dryer is running.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Maintenance

Dryer vent cleaning is recommended at least once a year. There are products you can buy to clean your dryer ducts including brushes with rods that can be attached to a drill but most of these products are only good for short, straight dryer ducts. If you have a run longer that 10 feet or one with elbows then it's a good idea to call a dryer vent cleaning professional to do the job. A dryer vent repair and maintenance specialist will have the equipment needed to do the job right. Since most dryer exhaust systems are installed by homeowners many have problems that need to be addressed.

Dryer Vent Repairs and Alterations

A dryer vent professional can do a thorough inspection of your dryer vent system to be sure it meets current safety codes. Plastic or vinyl ducts should be replaced with rigid or semi-rigid metal. Depending on the location of your clothes dryer this can prove to be a big job, sometimes requiring tearing into a wall or ceiling.

Dryer vent cleaning, repair and proper installation are critical to preventing fires and ensuring your dryer exhaust system is working efficiently. The fee for this service is small compared to the loss of your home should you have a fire. In addition the money saved on energy bills and appliance repair bills is much more than the service charge for dryer vent cleaning and maintenance.

Emilie Benvegna is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Charlotte, North Carolina. She specializes in all dryer vent and dryer exhaust issues, providing dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation while educating her customers on dryer fire prevention and energy savings. To promote public awareness on the importance of dryer vent cleaning and maintenance Emilie has posted informative articles on her blog at http://dryerventcleaninghuntersville.blogspot.com/

Heritage Green is a lovely community in Cornelius, just 15 minutes from Lake Norman. 

Heritage Green is a newer community that features a community pool, playground, sidewalks, vinyl-sided homes, and a great neighborhood atmosphere.

Here are some recent deals under $200,000! All are 3 bedrooms and close to shopping and highway I-77.

 

DIRECTIONS:	77 S exit 28, (L)Catawba Ave, (R)115, (R)Heritage Green Community, (R) Genashely Dr, house on Right.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77 North to exit 25, Make a Right off the exit onto Sam Furr Rd. Left onto Hwy. 115 (Old Statesville Rd) Left into Heritage Green on Meadow Crossing Ln., Left on Glenashley Dr., Right onto Truan Ln. Home is on the left.

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DIRECTIONS:	I 77 North to Exit 28. Right on Catawba Ave. Right on Highway 115. Right in to Heritage Green on Meadow Crossing. Right on Glenashley. House is on the left.

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DIRECTIONS:	77 North to Exit 28, (R) to 115, (R) into Heritage Green sub, take 1st (L) HEritage Green Dr, home on right.

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DIRECTIONS:	I77N to exit 25, Right on HWY 73E, Left on Old Statesville Rd, Left on Meadow Crossing, Right on the second Glenashley, House is on the Right

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DIRECTIONS:	I77 N to Exit 25; right on Sam Furr Road; left on Hwy 115; left on on Meadow Crossing into Heritage Green subdivsion; left on Heritage Green Dr; home on right

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77 north to exit 28. Take a right at the top of the ramp. Travel through downtown Cornelius and turn right onto hwy 115/old statesville rd. Heritage Green is on your right approx. 1 mile.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77 north to exit 28. Take a right at the top of the ramp. Travel through downtown Cornelius and take a right onto hwy 115/Old Statesville Road. Heritage Green is approx. 1 mile on the right.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77N to Exit 28, RT off ramp to Catawba Ave., RT Old Statesville Rd (Hwy 115), RT on Meadow Crossing Ln (Heritage Green Entrance), 1st LT Heritage Green, home will be on your left .

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DIRECTIONS:	I 77 south to exit 28, L to Hwy 115, R into Heritage Green, do not turn on the first Heritage Green Drive, go 1/2 way around circle, L on the second Heritage Green Drive. Approx. 1-2 blocks you will see semi-circle on the left, house is in there.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77 to Exit 25. At stoplight head N onto HWY 21. ~1 mile turn R at light(Bailey.) Left onto Oakhurst. Continue down and bear L onto Coachmen then R onto Glenmeade. Left onto Celestine. Home on the Left.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77S to Exit 28, LT off ramp to Catawba Ave., RT Old Statesville Rd (Hwy 115), RT on Meadow Crossing Lance (Heritage Green Entrance), RT on Long Pond Lane, home will be at the corner on right.

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DIRECTIONS:	I-77 north to Exit 28. Take a right at the top of the ramp. Travel through downtown Cornelius. Take a right onto hwy 115/Old Statesville Road. Heritage Green is approx. 1 mile on the right.

Sandy Aichner, GRI, ABR, Broker,REALTOR Licensed in NC and SC
RE/MAX Executive Realty
(704) 746-7513
Lake Norman Real Estate

SEARCH CHARLOTTE AND LAKE NORMAN HOMES NOW


Copyright 2008-2009, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, by the Author - Sandy Aichner
Please call me If you have interest in purchasing or selling a home in Mooresville, Cornelius, Huntersville, Troutman, Denver, Sherrill's Ford, Catawba, Davidson, or Statesville, North Carolina!

The landscape of downtown Huntersville, North Carolina will soon change. After months of negotiations I believe we will start to see the Dicovery Place of Kids come to fruition.

Here is a recent article from a local Lake Norman paper to give you an update.

The shadow of doubt cast upon the future of Huntersville's Town Center lifted somewhat after the town successfully completed the land swap and financing agreement for the downtown development. Questions remain, however, about private partner Norcom's intentions and the reason behind a last-minute, $250,000 check the town wrote to close the deal.

The town completed the land swap and financing agreement for construction of Town Center at the close of business Friday, May 22. By Tuesday of this week, bulldozers parked on the property, and Town Manger Greg Ferguson said Rodgers Builders, the contractor, will begin construction on the town's portion of the development in the coming days. "We closed (Friday) as needed," Ferguson said. "Financing is in place. Everything is proceeding forward."

Town Center is a three-building development planned for the southwest corner of N.C. 115 and Gilead Road, featuring a town-owned building, that will house town offices and Discovery Place Kids museum, and a separate parking garage. Norcom's two commercial buildings will flank the town's building and include retail, restaurants, a daycare and possibly a fitness center.

Due to complications during land purchase negotiations, the town and Norcom purchased each other's parcels, contingent upon an exchange of properties prior to construction. The town completed that exchange last week with Huntersville Town Center Partners Management, the limited liability group Norcom created to oversee Town Center, for $566,000.

Until early last week, town officials had said the land swap would cost the town just $316,000. "In order to satisfy the requirements necessary to obtain the clear title to the property, we had to put up another $250,000," Ferguson said. Ferguson said the already complicated land purchase became knottier just days before the closing.

Officials now say the town had to pay more to compensate Norcom for the price difference between the land parcel the town owned, which was the old Cross Chevrolet property on N.C. 115, and the parcel it has since acquired, which is the old Consignment 1st parcel fronting Gilead Road. "The pieces that we were acquiring were more valuable than the pieces that we were swapping, so that we had to pay more at closing for the pieces that we were acquiring," Ferguson said.

Commissioner Charlie Jeter said a $312,000 funding gap was blocking the land swap. According to Jeter, the bank required the town to pay $250,000, and the bank handled the rest. Ferguson would neither confirm nor dispute Jeter's statement. Jeter, however, said he remains unclear about the reason for the funding gap and how it came about so suddenly. "I don't know why we're $312,000 short," Jeter said. I don't know how that number came into being. I don't know where it came from."

Town staff notified the town board about the cost increase just moments before last week's meeting and asked commissioners to approve the additional $250,000 payment, which they did in a 3-2 vote. The financing agreement required the town to complete the land swap by Friday.

At the time of the land swap Friday, Huntersville Commissioner Brian Sisson said he still did not have more information about the cost increase. "It's a little scary to me," he said. But Jeter said he's confident Ferguson would not have requested the extra money if it wasn't in the best interest of the town. "Are we going to get a full explanation? Yes. Are we going to give a full explanation to the taxpayers whose money we just spent? I know I will," Jeter said.

Some town officials have speculated Norcom will drop out of Town Center by turning over control of Huntersville Town Center Partners to another entity. However, as of this week, Ferguson and Gary Turner of Norcom said the developer and town remain partners. "It remains unchanged at this time," Ferguson said. "They are still the developer charged with the development of those private parcels." "Norcom's involvement in the project is long term," Turner wrote in an e-mail to the Lake Norman Herald Weekly. "We are underway with leasing, building, design and civil engineering. We have leasing commitments that range from financial services to quality restaurants to child

Dryer vent cleaning; is it really that big of a deal? Questions answered during recent interview with Emilie Benvegna, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard

Huntersville, NC - Emilie Benvegna is the owner/operator of Dryer Vent Wizard of Charlotte, NC. During a recent interview, Emilie made it quite clear that dryer vent cleaning is important.

When asked, "Honestly, do I really need to concern myself with dryer vent cleaning?" Emilie answered, "Yes! The clothes dryer is one of the leading causes of house fires. Failure to maintain the dryer exhaust system causes over 15,000 fires annually."

The next question was, "How often is dryer vent cleaning recommended?" Emilie said, "Dryer vent cleaning is recommended at least once a year; more often if you have a large family or several pets, as pet hair also clogs a dryer vent system."

Someone who owns a newer home asked Emilie, "I have a newer home with the laundry room upstairs near the bedrooms. Does this mean I have a more efficient system that requires less maintenance?" Emilie answered, "No! Though there are advantages to newer appliances being more energy efficient, your clothes dryer requires proper air-flow in order to perform its job. The location of your laundry room requires longer exhaust ducts; therefore, more places for lint to build up and create a problem."

Another person told Emilie, "My old dryer is taking much longer to dry a load of clothes than it did when it was new; therefore, I think I should go ahead and buy a new dryer before having any work done on the dryer exhaust." Emilie responded, "If your dryer is heating up and clothes are not drying, it is because there is no air-flow. Lint has built up so heat and moisture cannot escape from the dryer drum. Even a brand new dryer will not work if the dryer ducts are blocked."

Emilie Benvegna is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Charlotte North Carolina. She started business in 2006 and has over seven years of experience in the construction field industry. Emilie provides dryer vent cleaning and repairs for consumers and businesses in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties and neighboring cities and communities. Learn more at http://www.charlottedryerventlady.com

This past weekend I had a chance to view homes in some of the most pristine golf course communities in the Lake Norman/Huntersville NC area. River Run, Birkdale and Northstone are three of the nicest Golf communities outside of Uptown Charlotte.

The private NorthStone Country Club golf course and club facilities at NorthStone were developed by Mr. Rhein. NorthStone Club marks the third golf course environment created by Mr. Rhein - utilizing the talents of P.B. Dye as golf course architect.

NorthStone Country Club is by far the best selling private golf club community in greater Charlotte. Mr. Rhein attributes this success, in part, to his many years of experience, but more so to a great team of employees and group of Preferred Builders who, together, have created in NorthStone Country Club the standards by which all other communities will be measured.

River Run is situated on over 1000 acres of landscaped and natural rolling terrain, including a centuries-old forest, four lakes and the Rocky River, River Run offers residents a true sense of community and relaxing lifestyle in one of our area's most beautiful settings. Located in the lovely college town of Davidson, North Carolina, River Run residents enjoy the ambience of small-town living while only minutes away from all the conveniences Charlotte has to offer.

So whether you enjoy gourmet dining in the elegant setting of our clubhouse, playing a round of golf with at our 18-hole championship course or a friendly set of tennis at our 16-court indoor/outdoor tennis facility, taking a vigorous hike on our many walking trails or a leisurely dip in one of our pools, River Run provides you with the opportunity to live life your way.

The Arnold Palmer designed Birkdale golf course, is a public facility with a "private club" atmosphere. Located on 200 acres of rolling terrain, carved between tall pines and natural streams, Birkdale is a challenging 7,013 yard, par 72 course made up of Bermuda fairways and Crenshaw bent grass greens offering a true test of golf skills.

Birkdale has received a good deal of acclaim, being voted one of the top five public golf courses in North Carolina. When it opened in 1997 it was voted The Best New Golf Course in North Carolina and was named Charlotte's Best Public Course in 1998.Four sets of tees allows golfers of all abilities to enjoy the layout at Birkdale. The course features a number of elevation changes, which are appealing to the eye and add to the challenge. Well placed water hazards require players to use every shot in their bag.

Always well manicured with firm and true greens, Birkdale Golf Club provides an outstanding daily fee golf experience that should not be missed.