DIY Life

By Diane Rixon

Aaahh. The cool breeze of the ceiling fan is absolute heaven here in Tallahassee, Florida, where the summers are swelteringly hot and humid. In fact, this fair town -- Florida's capital -- was just voted 3rd sweatiest city in the country. A dubious distinction if ever there was one....

Anyway, when it's this hot, ceiling fans really help cool you down. Plus they help save you money: the more you rely on your fans, the less electrical juice you'll need running the a/c. Anyway, to get the best from your fans, make sure they are set to rotate counter-clockwise in summer.

Most ceiling fan-light fixture combos can be easily adjusted by flicking a small switch on the electrical housing somewhere on the unit. For example, the switch on one of my ceiling fans is clearly visible in the above photo.

Want more ceiling fan advice? Check out Dan's post on how to silence a noisy fan. For tons of helpful info on choosing and installing ceiling fans, click over to Kelly's post, 'Install a ceiling fan now!' or this one from Bill: 'Ceiling fans: how cool are they?'

[via Lifehacker.]

So you're fed up with your monthly gas and electricity bill? Or you're building a new abode and you want to get off on the right track with controlling how much utility power you have to buy from an outside producer?

What you need are alternate sources of energy. There are several ways to do this and you're free to mix and match in order to reach your energy freedom goals. No, I'm not recommending that you do any strip mining for coal in your backyard or install a nuclear reactor. (Might be a good idea, though.)

Choices for alternative energy sources

When it comes to providing some or all of your own energy sources, you have options, and the viability of these will vary according to where you live. Live out on the open plains? You're a good candidate for windmill type power (wind energy).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Progress Lighting, has announced a voluntary recall of about 7,500 indoor ceiling light fixtures, due to a fall and injury hazard posed to consumers if the cable that supports the light fixture fails. Progress Lighting has receive five reports of the fixtures falling, including an incident where two consumers suffered bruises.

The International Series indoor light fixtures were manufactured in China and sold by electrical and lighting distributors and at The Home Depot stores from January 2005 through March 2008 for between $290 and $1,150. The fixtures were sold under the Progress Lighting and Thomasville Lighting brand names. Please see the CPSC press release for model numbers involved in the recall.

Consumers are advised to remove the glass from the recalled Thomasville or Progress Lighting ceiling lights and contact Progress Lighting at (877) 369-4548 or www.progresslighting.com to schedule a free inspection and replacement of the ceiling fixture.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Provo Craft & Novelty Inc., has issued a voluntary recall of about 730,000 Candlesense Warmers, due to a fire hazard posed to consumers.

If the internal heating element of the candle warmer becomes detached, the bottom of the plastic casing could melt, igniting or scorching the surface on which the candle warmer has been placed. Provo Craft has received 11 reports of heating elements detaching, including two fires and nine incidents of property scorching, and one report of a consumer with a blistered finger.

Manufactured in China and sold at Wal-Mart and other retailers (I purchased mine at Pamida) from August 2006 through October 2007 for between $5 and $10, this recall involves Candlesense warmers with product codes ranging from YD0629 through YD0652 and YD0701 through YD0708. Please see the CPSC press release for a product description of the recalled candle warmer.

Consumers are advised to contact Provo Craft at (888) 306-0132, or www.provocraft.com to receive a free voucher worth 120 percent of the purchase price of the candle warmer. The voucher can be redeemed at www.creativexpress.com.

Stoves ranges, both gas and electric, are reliable appliances generally. But like everything else, every now and then something goes amiss. If yours suddenly won't fire up, here's a few DIY things to try before calling the expensive service guy.

Gas burner DIY
If your gas range won't "flame on," (sorry, Fantastic Four, I couldn't resist), the first obvious step is to make sure it's getting gas. Turn it up and you should hear it hissing. If there's no gas, make sure it's getting electricity. Yes, gas stoves do have power.

Still no go? Use a small brush to clean the igniter and the pilot light hole.

Electric stove DIY

Make sure the electric stove is getting power. Next ask yourself, "Did I recently clean it?" If you reply in the affirmative, you might not have seated the element terminals properly when you reinstalled it. Check it out by lifting the stove top. Also, ensure that you didn't knock the terminal block out of the holder.

If you have an "aha" moment, set everything in order and you're good to go. Bon appetit!

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Specialty Lamp International, Inc., has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 371,000 counterfeit "Square D" circuit breakers, due to a fire hazard. The circuit breakers can fail to trip when they are overloaded, and have been determined by Square D to be counterfeit.

The counterfeit black circuit breakers were manufactured in China and sold by electrical product distributors from May 2005 through June 2006 for between $3 and $23. Please see the CPSC press release for model numbers involved in the recall.

To determine if a breaker they have is a counterfeit, consumers are advised to contact Specialty at (866) 650-3076 to arrange for a free inspection and a replacement or refund, if necessary, or by email bart@specialty-lamp.com, or visit their website at www.ebulb.net.

To be on the super safe side, check out Gary's post on counterfeit circuit breakers recalled from Connecticut Electric, and my previous post on counterfeit circuit breakers recalled from North American Breaker Co.

The key part of basement remodeling happens before you ever even touch a tool. I'm talking about design, of course. What you intend to use your basement for will move your design ideas in the right direction. A great method is to brainstorm with your spouse and kids with notebook and pencil in hand.

Plan, plan, and plan some more

Throw out the ideas willy-nilly and discuss them. You'll be surprised at what you find! Once you've got all your "wants" nailed down, take a look at your budget and identify your "needs." There's bound to be some chaff there somewhere.

Are you going to use the basement as a home office? Then plan on Internet, phone, and fax connections. Will it be a game room, family room, or something along that line? You'll probably want to install plumbing for a wet bar as well as cable or satellite TV connections.

One of the first things you need to assure yourself of is whether your entire basement space, walls and floors, are properly sealed against moisture. This is the perfect time to take care of it -- before it can become a problem.

There eventually comes a time when your home's cooling system will have to be replaced. While you might shell out some big bucks initially, modern systems are very energy efficient and will pay for themselves over time. The type of indoor environment altering equipment you purchase depends on many factors.

These factors include where you live, cost of the available systems, the size of your house or condo, and the availability of those good old tax credits!

Central air conditioner systems

Central air conditioners are probably the most popular home cooling systems. They actually perform two functions; they remove heat from the air, and additionally, remove humidity. The main elements of central systems are an air distribution system (duct work), a condenser unit (located outside), and an evaporator coil (inside the furnace).

The home's heating system shares some of these resources.