Archive for September, 2009
Home Remodeling Heaters
Home is a place to which you return to be warm, cozy and happy. To be warm or to keep the home warm and protective from winter there are a lot of products available to suit every budget. Heaters and Air conditioners are absolutely necessary to make the home comfortable to live in and are available in different sizes, makes and models.
Gas Heaters are available in sizes ranging from desktop to standalone heaters that can heat up to 1200 sq. feet area. Space heaters with attractive cabinets have been made child and pet safe. Standard features in such models include an adjustable switch or thermostat.
Fuel efficient gas-fired boilers and electric boilers with cast-iron construction offer high heating capacities. Where the heating area is relatively high, these boilers, offering heating capacities ranging from 41k to 72k BTU/hr can be ideally used.
Radiant heating is useful to heat the cool floors. This radiant heater is embedded under the flooring and is heated by electricity. The heat is controlled by a programmable thermostat. Radiant heater models are available for carpet, wood and thin tile floors.
Water heaters are available in two models – the traditional water heater, heating water in tank and the modern tank less water heater. Water heaters are available both in gas-fired and electricity charged models. One can choose a model according to his hot water requirements.
Tank less or on demand water heater heats water as the water passes through it unlike a traditional water heater where water in the tank is heated as a whole. This model, famous in Europe and Japan, saves money spent on energy. Department of Energy of the USA has issued a detailed guideline about this product.
Hot water is required not only in the bath but in the kitchen too. Instant water heater models, dispensing up to 60 cups of hot water per hour, will be a real boon in the kitchen. This product comes with twist handle faucet in various finishes.
Humidity levels have to be maintained to keep people comfortable and save fine furniture from drying out. Humidifiers send moist warmed air and help reduce dust mites and bacterial growth. To help maintain humidity levels Humidifiers come handy.
While humidifiers help with moist warm air De-Humidifiers are said to manage moisture automatically based on conditions prevailing. Coming with the option of built in ventilation and fan, this model brings in fresh air from outside.
Thermostats are used to control various heating systems like gas, oil and electric heaters as well as air conditioning systems. Programmable thermostats – they can be programmed for seven days, week days, weekend periods, and periods per day – are said to save energy costs as much as by 33%.
Heating systems are available in plenty of models and designs. One can easily choose according to his needs and budget. As the products are energy guzzling by design, it would be prudent to choose a product which offers maximum benefit in terms of cost and energy saving.
Heating systems in a home provide only physical warmth to the occupants, but kindness and consideration for all, provides psychological warmth and comfort to all the residents.
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September 29th, 2009
DIY Car Repair and Troubleshooting
In most cases, when I guess or even take an educated guess, I pay the price. Even though my educated guess comes with 24 years of hands on experience it is a wrong nearly 50% of the time. This means I have just increased my diagnosis time, and wound up replacing a part that was not required.
This brings me back to the proper troubleshooting of car problems. Get a good auto repair manual and perform all the step-by-step diagnosis that the troubleshooting manual provides. When you feel like you have found the problem take the extra step and test the individual component. For example, let’s say you are diagnosing and overheating condition. Your educated guess says that you should replace the thermostat. Why not go the extra step and actual test, the operation of the thermostat by throwing in some boiling water and observing if it opens? If the thermostat does open while it is soaking in the boiling water and know that this was not your overheating problem. Using the same example, you may feel that the electric fan motor needs to be replaced. Again, let’s take the extra step and test the operation of the electric fan motor. Applying 12 V to the power side of the fan motor and grounding the negative side can test the cooling fan operation. If the fan motor kicks on and runs, you know that this is not the problem with your overheating. The next step would be to test what turns on the cooling fan motor. In most cases, they will be a temperature switch and a fan relay that complete the circuit to the electric motor. Both the temperature switch and relay can be tested. As you can see from the above examples, when you are troubleshooting car problems. There may be multiple answers to what is causing the problem. Just guessing, and throwing parts at the vehicle may cost you more than if you took the car into a repair center and had somebody else do the work.
The reason that we work on our own car and perform do-it-yourself auto repairs is to save money, down time on the vehicle and learn something about the troubleshooting of car problems in the process. Using the above example again, let’s say that your vehicle overheating problem was a poor connection to the temperature switch that operates to cooling fan motor, which I’ve seen many times. If you replaced the cooling fan motor and the thermostat, you have just spent about $300 in parts and a full day’s work on things that did not need to be replaced. Your overheating problem could have been solved for free with no parts by repairing the loose connection.
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September 28th, 2009
Home Remedy for Fever
Fever is not a disease. Fever occurs when the body’s internal “thermostat” raises the body temperature above its normal level. Normal body temperature varies by person, age, activity, and time of day. The average normal body temperature is 98. 6
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September 28th, 2009
So you Want Save Energy in the Winter?
Here is a recommendation from the gas and electrical companies about how to save resources. This process is of a moderate difficulty.
The first thing is to save energy.
The best idea for that is to insulate your house. For the purpose cover the walls, floors, and heating ducks, ceiling and the attic and the basement with R19 insulation.
You also need to cover the windows with insulating shutters, drapes or clear plastic for more insulation during the night. You need to weather-strip doors and windows.
Use caulk for any holes or cracks in the window frames, door frames, pipes and ducks. Check for any gaps and fill them in around pipes, ducks and vents through the walls, ceilings and floors that are both in heated or unheated spaces.
You can conserve energy in the pool by leaving it filled with water during the winter by running the filter for only 2 hours a day.
There are also daily energy saving tips.
You have to set the thermostat to 68 degrees F or lower it during the day and 55 degrees when you leave the house for more than 4 hours or before you go to bed. Close any rooms that do not need heat and you have automatic thermostat controls.
If you are using a fireplace, then it is a good idea to turn down or switch off the heater. And the moments you are not using a fireplace close the damper.
Your furnace should be clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. Make sure to clean and replace the furnace filter regularly.
On sunny days it is recommended to use passive solar heating. Open the drapes on the south-facing windows and let the sun come in.
You will feel warm indoors by wearing layers of lightweight clothing. There are also clock thermostats that automatically change the settings.
The things that you will need for these procedures are lightweight clothes, insulating drapes, caulking guns, caulks, insulating exterior shutters, R19 insulation, clock thermostats, clear plastic window sheets.
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September 28th, 2009
6 Ways to Cut Costs on your Heating Bill This Winter
1. Set the Thermostat Properly
The most economical operation of your system comes from setting the thermostat properly. Set the thermostat at the lowest winter setting at which you are comfortable. Typical settings are 68 degrees for winter heating. When heating, your operating costs increase 3% to 8% for each degree your thermostat is raised.
2. Tune-Up Heating System Annually
Energy costs have increased up to 60% or more this year. One way you can minimize this increased expense is by having annual service done to your heating system. Studies show that homeowners having annual service to their systems spend an average of $30 less each month because of increased efficiency. Lack of regular maintenance is also the #1 cause of system breakdowns and costly repairs.
3. Keep the Air Filter Clean
The easiest way to ensure your system operated efficiently is by keeping the air filter clean. There are several types of air filters and several possible locations for the air filter on your furnace. Ask Apollo?s service technician next time he?s out at your home to show you where your air filter is located and which type of air filter to use. If you have allergies, you should look at a pleated allergy filter or a media or electronic style air cleaner.
4. Keep Doors and Windows Closed
Close all doors and windows to the outside (even garage doors). This will reduce the heating load in the winter, making your heating system operate more economically.
5. Keep Vents and Grilles Unobstructed
Arrange your furniture and drapes so that all output vents and intake grilles are free from obstruction. This will also reduce the heating load on your furnace and allow for more economical operation.
6. Avoid Excess Use of Exhaust Fans
Excessive use of kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans will make your system work harder. Keep energy costs in check by making wise use of exhaust fans.