Tag Archives: Equipment

Pressure Washers 101:

When to use them, and why they are such a big deal.
 
When you look out at your concrete driveway, the last thing you want to see is a bunch of dark stains and spots. Sadly, things that are outside will, inevitably, get dirty, and the kind of grime you get on the outside of your home is much tougher than what you’ll face on the inside. Thankfully, we have a secret weapon that can literally blast away that grime in seconds: pressure washers.
Pressure washers are gas or electric powered pumps that connect to your garden hose and shoot water out at unbelievably high speeds. Most pressure washers spray water somewhere between 1,400 and 4,000 PSI, allowing them to blast away stains and grime most cleaning tools can’t even touch. This makes them excellent for cleaning hard-to-get stains away from things like a concrete driveway or the vinyl siding on a house. Plus, it’s incredibly satisfying to watch years of built up grime disappear before your eyes as your blast it away with a pressure washer. Some stains can become so deep that they can resist even the might of a pressure washer, so make sure you regularly pressure wash surfaces that need it to keep those stains from getting too comfortable. Pressure washing can do wonders for all kinds of surfaces and applications, including:
  • Gutters
  • Concrete or Tile Patios
  • Concrete Driveways
  • Garage Floors
  • Wood, Metal, or Plastic Fences
  • Vinyl Siding
  • Yard or Patio Furniture
  • Wooden Decks
You can even use a pressure washer to clean things like your car or boat! The possibilities are limitless, but there are some things to keep in mind before you start pressure washing everything in sight.
Higher powered pressure washers can remove more than just dirt, they can remove whatever it’s stuck on too. If you’re looking to get dirt off of a painted surface, like a wooden deck, choose a less powerful pressure washer to prevent damage to your paint. Higher powered washers can also damage some surfaces, chipping away mortar between bricks and denting aluminum if you unleash a concentrated stream on those kinds of materials for too long. If you’re working with a surface that you think could be damaged by high pressure water, avoid letting the stream rest on one area for too long, or consider using a less powerful pressure washer.
Pressure washing does wonders for all kinds of things around your home, and is useful almost any time of the year for nearly every imaginable use. If you’re ready to make things around your home look brand new again, stop by Action Rentals and Sales and check out our selection of pressure washers available for rent. We have you covered, from low powered machines perfect for most regular jobs to 4,000 PSI monsters that will remove stains so it’s like they never existed at all. Stop by our store at 1861 North Eastman Road, check us out online, or give us a call at 423-226-0962, and get your hands on the ultimate cleaning tool.

Update Your Landscaping

Updating your landscape can add curb appeal and value to your home. Adding a walkway, replacing a driveway, adding a pond or water feature, and adding trees and greenery can really make a huge difference in how yourself and others view your home.

When adding a walkway or replacing a driveway the process can be very tedious, but using a backhoe or excavator can help immensely. Backhoes and excavators quickly break-up and remove dirt, broken rocks, or cement pieces, so they can really make a landscaping project move quickly and go more efficiently. Once all the old materials are removed, excavators can be used to move soil and level out the area that the new walkway or driveway will be built on.

When adding a pond or water feature digging a whole large enough can be the most time-consuming part of the whole process, but with an excavator or backhoe the preparations can be done in no time at all. When digging the hole, however, be sure not to make it too shallow or too deep, and keep the pile of removed dirt close by but also out of the way of sliding back in. The soil you remove will likely need to be used for filling in any gaps between the hole and the pond mold, or for adjusting the look of your custom-shaped pond!

For adding greenery to your lawn, backhoes and excavators can not only prepare the soil in the area you want to plant in, but also make setting new trees and greenery in their holes more simple! The long reach of an excavator will allow you to position trees in hard-to-reach places or on difficult terrain, such as hillsides.

When updating your landscaping, excavators and bobcats are one way to make the project go more smoothly. Be sure that you use the proper safety habits when using any large equipment, such as excavators/bobcats. When you finally decide to get started on your new landscaping, be sure to stop by Action Rentals for all your equipment needs! Action carries a wide selection of tools to make any home-improvement project more enjoyable, and less of a hassle!

Prepare Your Home For Winter

Winter can be harsh on your home, but there are ways to help make sure it’s protected throughout the cold winter months.

Winter can be especially hard on your roof, but by taking the proper precautions, you can save yourself some of the headache (and money) this season. A backed up or clogged gutter can cause ice dams, roof damage, and broken gutter systems. Before winter strikes, be sure and check out your gutters yourself! If you want to save the added expense of paying someone to clean out your gutters, you can do that as well!

Freezing or backed up pipes can be a real issue in the wintertime. If a pipe becomes too clogged or frozen during the winter, your home could suffer some serious damages. Clogged pipes can bust faster if they become frozen and clogged pipes can also become backed up quickly. In order to insure clogged pipes don’t get backed up or freeze, it is best to clean them out before the weather gets too bad. Using an electric drain cleaner is best before winter to insure the best results. Utilizing a drain camera may also help to locate clogs and better help you to remove them. If your pipes do become frozen, however, you will need to thaw them before trying to use water. A frozen pipe will need to be thawed out with a hair dryer, heating pad, or, for best results, a pipe thawer.

While preparing for winter, remember to stop by Action Rentals and get all the tools you’ll need. Action has all the ladders that can get you up there to inspect your gutters and roofing, without costing you a fortune. Acton also offers a variety of pluming equipment, including electric drain cleaners, drain cameras, and pipe thawers!

Insulate Your House for Winter

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Winter cold is always harsh, but what if your house isn’t insulated correctly? That could mean big problems for you and your family.

Before the harshest part of winter arrives, you may need to consider reinsulating your home. Over half of a home’s heat can escape if it’s not insulated correctly, which wont just keep your family cold all winter, it will cost you hundreds of dollars per month, too.

Most houses, except those made for energy efficiency, can benefit from new or additional insulation. To find out how much insulation you have, how effective it is, and where the insulation is located, you can get a home energy assessment by a qualified home energy auditor. These professionals will also tell you which areas of your home are not air-sealed, so that you can prevent even further heat and energy loss.

After your home has been assessed, it’s time to add insulation to your home! If you need to first remove old insulation that is destroyed, moldy, or wet, be sure and use an insulation removal vacuum before installing new insulation. After old, unusable insulation has been removed, it’s time to install the new insulation! An insulation blower is going to provide more coverage than using rolled sheets of insulation. Insulation blowing also has the ability to cover difficult or unusual areas of your home, for a more thorough and effective seal. Insulation blowers allow you to also pick which kind of insulation you wish to use, such as standard fiberglass, stone wool, or cellulose. This allows you to select the insulation that is right for your needs, while also saving your family hundreds on electric and heating costs.

For all your insulation and removal needs, Action Rentals has what you need! Renting insulation equipment from the professionals at Action will save you even more time and money on your big project!

When to use Aerial/Scissor Lifts

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Aerial Lifts and Scissor Lifts are important pieces of construction and utility equipment. Lifts are used to elevate both people and their equipment, making them indispensable on almost any work site. While both pieces of equipment are vehicle-mounted, each piece of equipment is designed for different jobs.

Aerial lifts are most often used for maintenance or utility tasks where heavier machinery would not be an option. Aerial lifts are designed so that they have several jointed sections that not only allow them to reach great heights, but also move in different directions. These lifts are often seen in use by utility workers while they fix electrical problems or telephone wires. Aerial lifts are more versatile than scissor lifts and can reach a wider range of spots and corner.

Scissor lifts are elevated platform devices that generally only move upward. Scissor lifts often provide the user with more workspace and stability, making them more reliable for projects where a person may need to be elevated for longer periods of time. These lifts do not have the same versatility and ability to reach difficult spots that aerial lifts possess, as well as the ability to reach the same heights as that of aerial lifts. For indoor projects or simple projects where the worker only needs elevating directly upward, scissor lifts are more popular.

No matter the project, or the lift, Action Rentals has you covered!

Moving? Turn to Action for Help!

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Moving into a new place is exciting, but moving is a lot of work. Moving may require special equipment, like dollies, trailers, or even a tow bar for your vehicle!

Trailers and dollies are expensive and, if you only need them for moving, you probably won’t want to buy them. Action Rentals has a large variety of trailers and dollies to get you moved with ease, while saving you money!

Don’t forget the small equipment, either! Getting boxes and furniture off of the trailer or truck takes up a lot of time, but a ramp can help move things along. Utilizing a ramp, along with a dolly, can also help prevent overexertion and injuries when moving. While a ramp is definitely a necessity when moving, a sturdy ramp will cost you hundreds of dollars. A great alternative to buying a ramp is to rent one from Action Rentals instead!

Renting your moving equipment from Action Rentals will make sure your move goes smoothly, while also saving you money!

 

 

Adding an Addition to Your Home

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There are many different ways to expand your home. Additions can come in all shapes, sizes, and designs, and offer unique opportunities to the homeowners. Additions, for instance, may allow you to change the look of your home, or to create a new statement for your home, without having to redo the entire exterior space.

While the most common addition to a house attaches to the rear, there are more creative ways to complete a needed addition. If you do want to add to the back of the house, however, you can always use a material that matches the roof or shutter colors instead of your main exterior material. By using materials different than that of the brick or other products that may match the current exterior material more exactly, you will bring more interest to your home’s exterior.

Another good idea to consider for home expansion is to add your addition upward instead of outward! If your current housing structure will allow it, look into having your addition placed on another level, instead of simply expanding the first floor of your home. Not only will this option create a larger-looking home, but it may also be more cost effective by saving you money on the expansion of your home’s foundation.

Finally, when adding any addition to your home, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure the project adds to the value of your home. When expanding your home be sure to not create an addition that overpowers the rest of your home or looks out of place, you don’twant your home to be overwhelmed by an addition! Any addition you put on your home should connect well with the landscape around it, for example, don’t add an addition and forget to bring the flowers/ shrubs that already fill your property out to match the new addition. Before beginning work on your home, especially if completing the job yourself, ask an architect or contractor their opinion on your expansion plans, their advice can be invaluable forbig projects such as these!

After you have decided what kind of addition you will do on your home, be sure to come see the experts at Action Rentals and rent all the contractor and building equipment you’ll need for the job!

 

Fans/Vacuum Equipment

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Ever wonder what you could use a wet/dry vacuum for? Wet/dry vacuums are not only used to tackle tough dirt messes, but spills and any wet disasters as well. Many times, some disasters such as flooding can occur, and a wet/dry vacuum is perfect to tackle household flooding to prevent long term damage. If a flood disaster strikes your home or business, Action Rentals & Sales is here to help.

 

We carry many different size fans as well to quickly dry up the mess after you have used the wet/dry vacuum to soak up most of the water. Don’t spend money buying these items and having to store them when you can rent them for less! Need it? Rent It!