Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category
Cleaning a stove check to make sure that all switches are in the OFF position. The rims of the heating units should be wiped clean with a damp cloth when you have finished cooking and the stove has cooled. Food that has spilled on open units can be burned off. Put a saucepan of water on the burner and heat it until the food has been completely charred, then when the unit has beenswitched off and has cooled, lift the unit out and brush off the charred material. A mild scouring powder or steel wool can be used to clean the rim on which the unit rests. Wash it, after scouring, with a cloth wrung out of hot suds, rinse it, and wipe dry. Enclosed units are washed with a cloth wrung out of soapsuds. Particles that have burned on can be removed with steel wool or a mild scouring powder. It is important to keep the reflector pans under the electrical units clean and bright because they are designed to increase the heat output of the unit.
Removable drip pans under the burners of kitchen ranges should be taken out and washed regularly along with other stove parts. Lining them with aluminum foil saves work here. And if you have a range without a drip pan do use aluminum foil because the area under the heating units is often very difficult to reach for cleaning.
To clean a gas range thoroughly the burners must be taken out and scrubbed with a stiff brush in hot suds made with an all-purpose detergent or soap and ammonia. If the burners are made of cast iron you can clean them easily by boiling them for several minutes with water containing a few tablespoonfuls of washing soda. (Don’t use an aluminum pan for this.) In scrubbing the burners be particularly attentive to the little openings in the turn-on end through which the gas flows to the burners. If any of the little holes (called ports) in the burners are clogged, push out the soot accumulation with a wire or hairpin. Rinse the burners thoroughly, shake out the water, and wipe the outside dry. Then replace them, making sure that they are in the right position. Light each burner to complete the drying and to make sure it is functioning correctly.
Gas burners are functioning correctly and with maximum efficiency when the flame is blue and even. A ragged yellow flame indicates that the burner is not getting enough air along with the gas. Such a flame blackens the bottoms of pans and gives poor heat. Sometimes this flame is due to clogged ports; if any are not burning properly, clean them with a wire. If cleaning the ports fails to correct the trouble and to produce an all-blue flame, see if the little air shutter at the turn-on end is open far enough to admit the proper amount of air.
Pilot light. Sometimes the pilot light on an automatic gas range goes out due to its tiny ports being clogged. Clean them out with a fine wire and relight the pilot with a match. Sometimes a puff of air can blow out a pilot light. Make the flame a little stronger by turning the screw at the end of the tube connecting it to the left for a stronger flame.
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Sometimes I wonder what I would do if the air-condition of my apartment decided one day to stop working. Early during summer time, when the temperature begins to rise and I seek comfort against the heat that makes me feel exhausted by placing ice-cubes across my forehead. This time, as I was expecting a technician from the apartment building I live in to come for the necessary AC unit’s maintenance, before I was able to use it, I examined some interesting facts about air-conditions that I wish to share.
Most people are surprised to learn that buying a bigger air conditioning unit will not necessarily make them feel more comfortable during the hot summer months. In fact, a room air conditioner that is too big for the area it is supposed to cover and control its temperature, will perform less efficiently and effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. The reason behind this is that air-conditions work better if they are operated for longer periods of time than if they are switched on and off continuously. In fact, longer run times allow air-conditions to control better the room temperature keeping it constant and cool. In addition, if they operate for longer periods of time, they can reduce the excess amount of moisture from the air making people feel cooler and comfortable. For extra cooling advice, read the following tips.
- Change Your Air Filter: Dealing with indoor air quality most effectively means filtering or cleaning all the air in the home using the air-condition system.
- The Right AC Temperature: Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible during the summer months. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be. Remember that you should not set your thermostat at a lower (colder) setting than normal only during the first half an hour you turn on your air-conditioner. This practice will not cool your home any faster and if it results in excessive cooling it will be an unnecessary expense.
- The Fan Speed: If the weather is not very humid, set the fan speed on high, while when it is humid set the fan speed on low. This way you will get better cooling, and a slower air movement through the cooling equipment as it allows more moisture to be removed from the air, resulting in greater comfort.
- The Extra Fan: Using an interior fan in conjunction with your air-conditioner will spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing the energy usage levels.
- Heat Producers: Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat, as it senses the heat produced by these appliances, leading the air-conditioner to run longer than necessary and its efficient level to decrease.
- Protect the AC: If you have access to the part of the air-condition unit that is placed outdoors, consider planting trees or shrubs to shade it, but be careful not to block the airflow. As experts point out, a unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity than the one operating directly under the sun.
Every year new insulation products are introduced into the construction industry. It used to be that crumbled up newspapers, old shoes and clothing in the best way to insulate walls in homes. Fiberglass, cellulose and now spray foam are common materials. What happens to these materials? It’s actually better than the other? What should be the main factors homeowners consider when choosing to insulate their homes?
Spray foam, cellulose and fiberglass insulation are good products.
There is a war of values of R. The manufacturers claim that their product has substantially higher R value than its competitors. The fact is there is not much difference.
R-value is simply a measure of resistance. It is a measure of how an insulating material resistant to temperature differences. If the outside is freezing cold, greater resistance is preferable to keep the interior warm. Therefore, the higher the R value, the better the insulation.
For the most part, spray foam, cellulose and fiberglass have similar R-values. They are large, time-tested materials and provide great insulation. The only exception is that a polyurethane foam has almost double the R value of the products mentioned. The price of the foam is also double.
Appropriate methods of isolation are more important than the material itself.
All insulation is only as good as the installation. Therefore, it is very important that installers to fill every void. Gaps in the top of the walls or bottom of the walls greatly compromise the performance of the insulation is. In fact, the highest R-value of material does not provide many benefits if the installation was poor.
When the renovation of an existing house, this is the most common problem. The walls are closed chambers and the installation of insulation with zero gap is almost impossible. Make sure the installer has years of experience and comes with good recommendations.
Insulate your home is ultimately a matter of economics
It is true that people often threw the papers and clothing on their wall systems during the 1900s. The costs of heating in the houses were much lower, so isolation was not a big concern. Since the 1940s, the cost of heating oil increased exponentially. Every decade since, recommendations insulation R value has increased. It is important that one understand the cost savings to insulate your home.
Some homeowners who have the highest values of R in its walls and at the same time do not consider their attics. Since heat rises, it is better to increase the values of R in the attic insulation then insulate the walls. With the new foam products, some owners also think that the more expensive the insulation, the better. When the fact is that the amount of insulation needed to do with climate and energy costs. It is better to isolate the current DOE recommendations of isolating so strongly that there is no economic advantage. In fact, the insulation too much can cause other problems that lead to expensive solutions (ie, limited ventilation).
When considering insulation, homeowners should not worry too much with the product as well as the cost of installing the product. As always with any remodeling or building new construction, offers a number of experienced, isolators are recommended major cost savings and insulation values.
A septic tank is essentially a miniature natural waste treatment plant. It works by holding water and wastes in an enclosed area so that bacteria can go to work on the solids in it and break them down into liquids and gasses. Septic systems are the most widely used type of waste disposal throughout rural and suburban United States areas. The septic system in your home is one of the vital parts of your property. Without a functioning septic system, you can’t even legally sell your home – so it makes sense to maintain and care for it properly.
Proper septic tank care involves preventive maintenance and common sense precautions. To keep your septic system in top working order, you should follow some simple rules.
1. Periodic pumping and cleaning of your septic tank is a necessary maintenance step. If the tank isn’t drained and cleaned on a regular basis, the sludge of solids in the bottom will eventually overflow into the leaching field, clogging it and causing backups and odor, not to mention a health hazard. Most experts recommend having the septic tank cleaned every 2-3 years. If there’s a foul odor around the septic tank, or if it’s clogging and overflowing, it may need to be cleaned sooner.
2. Be careful what you flush. Anything that the bacteria in the septic system can’t digest will be left to clog it up. The fewer solids that get flushed, the happier your septic tank will be.
3. Use a toilet paper that degrades easily to avoid a buildup of solids that will clog your septic system so that you need to have it pumped sooner. High wet strength toilet paper that doesn’t break down easily in water is harder for your septic tank to deal with.
4. Conserve water. The more waste goes into your septic system, the sooner you’ll have to have it pumped. Set your toilet to use less water with each flush, or switch to a toilet the uses 1-2 gallons of water per flush.
5. By the same token, avoid overloading your septic system. It needs time to deal with wastes and fluids if it’s going to do so efficiently. Don’t run the dishwasher and washing machine at the same time that someone is showering, or do all the family laundry in one day.
6. Avoid pouring grease or oil down the toilet or your drains, and reduce the use of the garbage disposal.
7. Don’t overdose on the detergents, soaps and other chemicals to avoid killing the bacteria that do all the dirty work.
8. Your septic tank doesn’t need an additive, but a once a month treatment with a natural drain and septic tank cleaner (Drain Line and Septic Tank Cleaner) can help keep drains and pipes running efficiently and clear away the gunk that collects along the insides of pipes.
Do be very careful of the septic tank products that you choose. Avoid those with lye or other caustic ingredients that can do more harm than good.
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