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.

QVC, in cooperation with the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission, has issued a voluntary recall of about 28,000 SoleusAir Space Heaters. The space heaters can overheat and pose a fire hazard to consumers. QVC has received nine reports of flames inside or coming out of the heaters, along with 70 additional reports of smoking, overheating, sparking, melting, and/or burning odors coming from the space heater.

Manufactured in China and sold through QVC's televised shopping programs, website, and in QVC's Studio, employee and retail stores from December 2007 through March 2008 for between $65 and $80, the recalled black and charcoal colored 1,500 watt heater is canister shaped and has three heat settings. Please see the CPSC press release for more information on the recalled space heater.

Consumers are advised to stop using the space heater and unplug it. Those who purchased the heater through a QVC television program or QVC.com have been mailed instructions on how to receive a refund. Consumers who purchased the heater at a QVC store should return the heater to any QVC store to receive a full refund. Consumers who have not received an information packet should contact QVC at (800) 367-9444 or visit their website at www.qvc.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.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with A.O. Smith Water Products Co,. has issued a voluntary recall of about 1,500 natural and propane gas water heaters. The water heater's exhaust can leak into the surrounding room, posing a carbon monoxide hazard. A fire hazard is posed when excessive temperatures are reached in the venting unit, caused by the water heater's flue, exceeding safe gas temperature limits.

These were manufactured in the United States and sold by independent contractors and plumbers, from November 2007 through January 2008. Sale prices were between $1,000 and $2,500. This recall involves 75 gallon natural and propane gas water heaters featuring "A.O. Smith" or "State" printed on the side of the unit. Please check the CPSC press release for more information on the recalled water heaters.

Consumers can contact A.O. Smith at (866) 880- 4661 to arrange for a free repair of the recalled water heater, or visit A.O. Smith's website at www.hotwater.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.

While re-screening your window screens isn't brain surgery or rocket science, it does call for a keen eye for detail and a somewhat steady hand. Spring is here or getting here, depending on where you call home. One of the upsides of that are those glory days where we don't have to run the air conditioner or the heater. Money in the bank!

So, good window screens are called for to keep the pesky insects at bay. A trip to a repair shop will convince you to tackle re-screening yourself. Older screening material was metal, and frankly, a royal pain in the butt to work with. Today's is more along the lines of a nylon, fiberglass, or other composite. Quite user friendly.

The process is straightforward; remove all the old screen and splines and replace. The only real trick is getting the proper stretch. I've found it best to use a north-south, then east-west approach. A bit of practice and you'll be the envy of your neighbors in no time flat.

Before you go to the store for tools and supplies, take a sample of the existing spline (a round rubber strip that retains the screen material in the slot). Several sizes are available; you'll need the same size spline and spline tool.

Last year, when I was shopping for a top-drawer roofing contractor, I took advantage of the time I had to do some repair work on my fascia boards and soffits. It made sense to take care of this before the new felt, shingles, and flashing went on.

The first thing I did was to walk around the house with a notebook, and do a close visual inspection to see what I was in for. For the most part it was all in reasonable shape, but a few spots were begging for attention. I even found one spot where a bird had made or enlarged a hole, and was homesteading in the soffit!

I don't know where you live, but here we're already getting spring weather, which means a blistering summer isn't far off. What does this mean in my home? A constantly running air conditioner. To help out with the energy bill, we have ceiling fans in every room but the kitchen and the bathrooms. This allows us to run the thermostat a bit warmer and the savings on the electrical bill really build up.

If you aren't already maxed out with ceiling fans yet, this is the time to do it. Although I'll provide you with this link for installing a new ceiling fan, let me go over some of your choices when you go shopping.

Ceiling fans are a lot like sinks or faucets – you can spend as much as you want to depending on the fanciness and the bells and whistles. I just recently retired the fan in the living room and installed a new one. I bought a model that has lights bundled with it. That old "killing two birds with one stone" thing. I also bought an extra down-rod since we've got a vaulted ceiling. Don't do what I did, though. I relied on the chart on the wall at Home Depot telling which length to use. I had to go back for a shorter one; the first one would have guaranteed me a haircut!

So, get ready for the summer now. There are many models out there so you won't have any problem finding one to fit the your room's motif .

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Rinnai America Corp., has announced a voluntary recall of about 52,000 Direct-Vent wall furnaces. A gasket in the wall furnace could fail, posing a risk of poisonous carbon monoxide leaking into the home. Although no injuries have been reported, Rinnai has received 11 reports of carbon monoxide leaks.

Manufactured in Japan and sold nationwide by wholesale distributors to contractors and dealers, this recall involves Rinnai EnergySaver Direct-Vent Wall Furnaces, Models RHFE 431 and RHFE 556. The furnaces are fueled by either propane or natural gas. Only units manufactured from February 2000 through December 2007 are involved in the recall. Please check the CPSC press release to see the recalled furnace.

Consumers may contact Rinnai at (866) 746-8344 to arrange for the installation of a free repair kit. You may also visit their website at www.wallfurnacerecall.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Greenheck Fan, has announced a voluntary recall of about 1,500 Indirect gas fired furnaces, due to the fact that the ignition control module can fail, preventing the unit from shutting down in high temperature conditions and posing a fire risk and also releasing hazardous fumes from burning or melting insulation. No incidents or injuries have been reported.

The furnaces were manufactured in the United States and sold by Greenheck sales representatives to mechanical contractors nationwide from November 2006 through October 2007 for between $2,000 and $100,000. Please check the CPSC press release to see if you have the recalled furnace installed in your building or job site.

If you do have the furnace, but haven't been contacted yet by Greenheck, you may contact them at (800) 931-6579 or their website, www.greenheck.com to arrange for a free repair.

Water heaters can be a lot like shoes. (Stay with me here guys) If you spend the time to pick the right size and style you will be happy for many, many moons. Rush into it, and you will regret it for the next 6-12 years that it is warrantied for. Lucky for you, I am in the mood to help guide your decision.

First up is electric versus gas. Gas (LP or natural) units are much cheaper to run, but if you convert from electric over to gas the installation will be complicated by the need to run gas lines AND install duct work to vent the new unit. Electrics are heavy on the wallet for operating costs, but the installation requires no venting, and it is easier to throw a breaker and connect a few wires than to shut off the gas, hook up the new flex line, and then check for leaks. Most people stay with what they have to save on labor costs, and for the most part I would endorse this line of thought. If you are starting from scratch though, go gas.

Sometimes we all get in over our heads and need a little professional help. Here are a few things to remember when you find yourself needing to locate a little hired help to fix up the homestead.

1. If they won't come give you a free estimate keep dialing until you find those that will. 3 written estimates is a good minimum.

2. Check their license. Use the Internet and verify that it is both valid and under their name. Contractors sometimes let other friends work "under" their license. Don't get caught using someone "borrowing" a license.

3. Make sure you only pay up front what your state allows them to charge you, and never finish paying for the job before it is done or you can bet on never seeing them complete the job.

4. Make sure the contract has a finish date with built in penalties for delays and time over runs. You can make this more palatable to the contractor by offering a bonus for early completion.

5. If you are buying the materials make sure you keep track of receipts AND where the material goes. Buying 400 sheets of drywall and then only counting 75 sheets hung on the studs should raise a red flag. Look at coverages of materials used and how many square feet of work is being done to try to minimize the chances of being taken for a ride.

There's nearly nothing so frustrating as a clothes dryer which returns your freshly washed laundry in the same condition as when you put it in there. Most of us know the feeling we get when we stick our hand in the dryer expecting warm fluffy towels only to find a cold wet lump of terry cloth fabric.

There are three main conditions which most commonly cause this problem to occur. Your dryer vent could be plugged up, your heating element could be failing, or your dryer drum may be refusing to turn. A few tests and observations can quickly reveal the source of your trouble.

We all find ourselves at the hands of the "experts" a retail stores. We are at worst forced to endure smarmy, overconfident, condescending know it alls whose only joy in life seems to be doling out tid bits of information a little at a time, always withholding that last piece of vital information that would stop you from, say,flooding the house or formatting the hard drive.

At best we find can someone willing to help, provided we don't come off as too aggressive, belligerent, or just plain rude in a futile attempt to get a preemptive strike in in case they happened to be one of the "bad" experts.

Here are a few tips to help make sure that the expert you encounter will be forth coming and helpful to you: