DIY Life

I live north of Atlanta, Georgia where it tends to get a bit hot and humid from June through September.

My home has a number of temperature-stabilizing facets to it, the best one being that I have high-efficiency windows with argon-filled, low-e, dual paned glazing. Right now, in fact, I have the windows partly open, and even with an outside temperature of about 88 degrees, it's a very comfortable 71 degrees inside.

But ... there's no airflow through my home office (lucky me, to be able to work from my home, however.) Although I have ceiling fans in four other locations, in- and outside of my home, I have been slow (lazy?) to put one in the office; that ended today. Let's take a reasonably detailed look at how to install a ceiling fan. (Kudos to Kelly Smith for his nice article on this same subject.)

Follow the sequence of the gallery to get a good idea of how simple it is to hang one of these babies.

As you fire up your central air conditioner, is the temperature really what it says? If it's not, you could be spending extra bucks on your electricity bills. The good news is that you can take care of it yourself without calling a service person. And if you know it's not right, follow these steps before buying a new one:

1. Turn off the power to the heater and A/C.
2. Remove the cover.
3. Obviously, change any batteries.
4. Clean the bimetal coil with a soft, clean brush. On a round thermostat, you might have to turn the dial for complete access.
5. Remove the body from the base on a round model. There are usually screws involved.
6. Clean the switch contacts with a piece of bond paper.
7. Replace the body on a round model.
8. Adjust the anticipator. Start by finding and noting the amp setting; it may be in your manual, on the furnace service panel or on the boiler's transformer. Look at the anticipator setting on the scale. If it's off, adjust it with your fingernail; or you nail-biters (you know who you are), use the point on a pen.
   NOTE: On an air heating distribution system set it to the amp setting. On a water heating distribution system set it to (amp setting X 1.4). I have no idea why.
9. Replace the cover.
   

We love solar powered stuff here at DIY Life. Hacking things together ourselves in the interest of reducing our environmental footprint really gets us going. This DIY solar lantern is just the thing to keep the spirit of Earth Day even after it's come and gone.

Noel from unplugged living gives us a full detailed tutorial on making the solar lantern. Covering each step thoroughly, and providing loads of helpful pictures, diagrams and part lists, this is one project that will be easily recreated on your own.

This project is split into a three part tutorial. In the first part, Noel explains the basic theory of operation, then goes on to explain how to calculate the value of the resistor. In the second section, you'll learn about the charging module and solar cell. The assembly instructions are clear and detailed. Finally, in the third part, you'll see close-up pictures of each piece and how they should look together.

Staying green isn't always easy, but it sure is important. Noel brings us inspiration by combining our desire to go green with the love for great DIY projects. Gear up for your next camping trip with a solar powered lantern.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Waxcessories Inc., has announced a voluntary recall of about 830,000 electric simmer pots. The simmer pots have a wire connection that can come loose, creating a fire risk and electric shock risk to consumers. Although no injuries have been reported, there have been 161 reports of discolored cords, loose wires, and wires coming loose from the simmer pot.

Manufactured in China and sold by gift and novelty shops from April 2002 through April 2008 for between $17 and $25, the electric simmer pots were designed to melt scented wax in a ceramic cup, which sits on a ceramic base containing a 40 watt bulb, socket and electric cord. All designs and all item numbers of electric simmer pots are involved in the recall. For more information, please see the CPSC press release.

Consumers should stop using the recalled simmer pots immediately. To receive a free replacement product, consumers may contact Waxcessories at (800) 899-5884 or visit the recall website at www.simmerpotrecall.com.

Do you need an energy audit? If your electricity and gas bills are higher than they should be, or if you have an older home, you probably do. You already know about insulation, radiant barrier, efficient windows, and Energy Star appliances.

The problem, of course, is that these are many areas to address, but you don't have pockets that deep. Things need to be prioritized here. And that's where the energy auditor comes to the rescue. After his inspection, he'll provide you with a report that tells you:

• Where you stand with your current cooling and heating system.
• Your home's efficiency overview. This details where your home is bleeding hot and cold air.
• The most efficient use of your dollars to save you money by saving energy.
• Bigger outlays of cash that will begin paying for themselves right away.
  

After the break, I'll describe how the tests are done, and the costs involved.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, HSN LP has conducted a voluntary recall of about 17,000 power strips for Charge-It-All Valets. The power strip, located inside the valet, has undersized wires, posing a fire and shock hazard to consumers.

Manufactured in China and sold exclusively by HSN LP from October 2007 through January 2008, this recall is for the medium and large Joy Mangano Charge-It-All Valets, which are boxes with divided compartments that come with a power strip, allowing consumers to recharge and organize such items as cell phones and other electronic devices. Please check the CPSC press release for more information on the recalled power strips.

HSN LP is directly contacting consumers who own the recalled valets and will provide a replacement power strip and an in-store refund, and also pay for shipping charges for consumers to return the product. For more information, contact HSN at (888) 540-7052 or visit their website at www.hsn.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Goodman Manufacturing Co L.P., has announced a voluntary recall of about 1,000 Package gas-electric heating and cooling units. The serial plates on the units contain inaccurate information which could result in consumers using undersized installation wiring, posing a fire hazard.

The recalled single package gas-electric heating and cooling units were manufactured in the United States and sold by heating and cooling equipment dealers nationwide from December 2007 through February 2008. Please check the CPSC press release for model and serial numbers involved in the recall.

Goodman is directly contacting consumers who have purchased the units to arrange free replacement of the serial plates and a free inspection of the installation wiring. Consumers may contact Goodman at (800) 394-8084 or visit their website at www.goodmanmfg.com.

How familiar is this: a TV commercial comes on, showing a calm, peaceful household. A typical June Cleaver type mom is humming and doing the dishes. Cute daughter is upstairs just bedding down with her cuddly teddy bear. All of a sudden, all hell breaks loose!

Alarms start wailing, lights are flashing, and a guy wearing a ski mask is high-tailing it down the sidewalk. Cut away to a dimly-lit command center. A very serious young man is speaking to June Cleaver, "Ma'am, it's all taken care of. Help is on the way."

That's right, they're selling you an alarm system. But Max at zedomax.com will show you how to build your own alarm system in under five minutes. Just follow his instructions. Don't think he can do it? He's even got a video that proves it! Here's what you'll need:

• A CB280 Start Kit
• A CLCD420-B
• A 4X4 Keypad
• A Keypad Controller

Max also includes the source code and explains that you can customize it with menus, scheduling, etc. Bottom line, you can geek this thing to your heart's content. June Cleaver not included, some assembly required!

Have you ever had an electrical problem with your appliances, car, boat, or motorcycle and thought, "Hey, I'm handy; I do mechanical work on my ride all the time. I can handle this." So you grab your book of wiring diagrams and unfold the page.

And then it sinks in. It's a totally foreign language and looks suspiciously like the spaghetti you had for dinner last night. Wiring diagrams can be tricky to trace through when troubleshooting an electrical circuit.

Don't despair; it takes a process and a bit of knowledge about electrical symbols. This Temperature Control Division site will guide you through the process of tracking down the problem. It makes the "overwhelm factor" a bit more manageable and gets you started on the road to electrical recovery.

Warmly Yours, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is voluntarily recalling about 200 Comfortplus Under Area Rug Warmers, due to the fact that the cord on the rug warmer can come loose from the plug and cause sparks or flames, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Although no injuries have been reported, Warmly Yours has received two incidents reports involving the rug warmer. One report involved electrical sparks coming from the cord when it was pulled out. The other incident involved the cord catching fire, leaving burn marks on the area rug and on the floor.

Manufactured in China and in Canada, the cream colored rug warmers have a nonslip pad, tan nylon edging, and a black electrical cord. They were sold by Warmly Yours retail stores and flooring stores nationwide and various websites for between $200 and $600, depending on the various sizes.

Stop using the rug warmer immediately, unplug it, and return the cord to Warmly Yours using the pre-paid shipping labels the firm will provide for a full refund or a replacement product. For more information, contact Warmly Yours at (866) 369-0805 or visit their website at WarmlyYours.com.

We have all seen LEDs become more and more prevalent in our daily lives. They are as common as traffic signals in major cities (after the whole energy rate fiasco a few years ago) and power indicators on most items. They are also as frivolous as LED hats to support your favorite team.

Manufacturers and retailers are starting to see the future in LED items as well, as they realize that a lot of people are looking to save energy. People want to support being "greener," sure, but they also want to keep a few more dollars and cents in their bank accounts.

Here are a few items I have come across that demonstrate how LED products will continue to make inroads in new categories of retail.

A few months back, the control knob on my clothes dryer broke. Since it involved only a minor DIY repair job, I thought this a fab opportunity to try shopping for spare parts online. Result? A 10 out of 10 experience. I used PartSelect and was really happy. Other likely-looking choices include PartStore and big box store sites like SearsPartsDirect, to name just two of the many sites out there.

I was thrilled with how easy it was to locate such a tiny and obscure plastic doo-dad via the Web. Thrilled because ordering it online was possible in the first place. Also thrilled because such sites make simple appliance repairs easier for the beginner DIY'er. Interested? After the break, I'll share what you should know before cracking out that credit card:

The Speed Factor. Buying spare parts online saves you lots of valuable time. In the olden days, you would have to flip through the phone book to find likely parts suppliers. Then you would have to make some phone calls. Next, you would waste at least an hour driving to and from the supplier.

When my wife and I decided to mount our LCD TV to the wall instead of having it on its stand, we were faced with the problem of hiding all the cables and wires. There were the component video cables, power cable, RCA wires to connect the VCR, and the cable connection. That was gong to be a lot of ugly spaghetti to have hanging from the bottom of the flat screen.

I decided to use surface mounted wire moldings to hide them. After installing them I painted them to match the wall. While this does neaten things up, you can still see the two runs of molding that I had to use to contain all the cords.

I had considered putting them inside the wall, but seeing as the electrical panel for our town home was directly on the other side of the wall, I decided that it was going to be nothing but heartache to try to do it that way. The other draw back was going to be the extra cutting, patching, pulling, and painting that was going to be required to do it properly.

Now I have discovered a newer, easier, and cleaner way to accomplish this goal of a hidden installation. FlatWire Is the answer that I was looking for.

An old bicycle or automotive inner tube has a lot of life left in it after it no longer holds air.

A punctured wheelbarrow inner tube was one of the best dog toys for my black lab. She would drop it at my feet. All I had to do was kick it and it would fly through the air, roll along the ground, or skim along the wet grass. She would race to it, shake it, and drop it at my feet again. Her teeth were never damaged, I never had to bend over and pick up a slobbery toy, and it was easily hosed off.

Here's a list of 24 more reasons to keep a flat tube around.

• Make rubber bands.
• Wrap around a hose tightly, jam into the opening of a clogged pipe and turn on the water. The pressure should clear the blockage.
• Make a belt with a bike sprocket.
• Make adjustable and flexible clamps for holding glued projects together while drying.
• Make a ball that won't become soaked with dog slobber and will be easy on your pet's teeth.
• Use as a funnel or hose.
• Temporary gaskets.

17 more ideas after the jump.

As warmer weather approaches, it's time for that all-important springtime ritual: air conditioner tune-up. Many homeowners think, "Hmmm, the AC was working fine since the last time we used it, it should be fine now."

That may be true, but chances are, it could be running better. A tune-up will catch any minor offenses that the power company will spank you for. If you need refrigerant added, you'll have to get someone who is licensed to do that but here are some things you can take care of. Every model is a little different but this is the generic scoop.

Disclaimer – Always trip the circuit breaker to isolate the unit.

• Straighten the evaporator fins. These form the sides of the unit. Are some of the fins bent from bumping them with the mower or Frisbee? Straighten them out using a fin comb. (Yes, such things do exist! I knew you were going to ask.)
• Clean the fins. Use a soft brush and soapy water to clean them.
• Clean the drain pan. Don't let it get full of leaves. Finally, pour in a half cup of bleach or use algaecide tablets to stop the funky stuff.
• Level the condenser. Use a two or a four foot level. If it's out of level in any direction, across the top of the unit, shim it up. This will keep the refrigerant flowing the way it was designed.
• And finally, start the summer off with a new air return filter. Change it monthly.