DIY Life

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.

Polonium 210 has had a lot of news coverage lately. Unless you're a secret agent or are having trouble with your mob connections, you probably don't need to worry about this stuff. If perhaps you are a super secret agent, or have angered some "associates" then it's always worth being cautious. You can make your own Polonium detector and bring it along to your Christmas parties and pub crawling for the holidays. Here's what you'll need to construct a homemade detector:

1. 2 darlington transistors
2. LED
   
3. Homemade iron chamber
4. One or two resistors
5. Battery
6. power switch

Once completed, hold the device over your drink. If the drink is tainted the light will go on. The detailed assembly instructions have diagrams and pictures to help you along the way. I don't know how you'd test the accuracy of this homemade device without actually poisoning one of your drinks. If you're one of those paranoid types, or you actually have a reason to hide, then pack this little gadget along and stay safe.

iPod hacks are wildly popular right now. Innovative ways to charge iPods are particularly the rage because they appeal to our geeky DIY attitude and turn everyday items into functioning charging tools. This video shows how to charge an iPod with an onion and electrolytes.

What you'll need

1. 1 white onion
2. 2 cups of Gatorade or Power-aid
3. Screwdriver
4. iPod and charger

Assuming that your onion has absorbed at least one cup of energy drink after following the instructions in the video, it should be able to charge your iPod for 15-20 min. I wonder what your co-workers will think when they see your iPod sitting on your desk plugged into an onion via USB. If nothing else, it's a fun experiment and a conversation starter, and really the only reason to do this is to prove it can be done.

We all know how annoying those blackouts can be. Unless you have a UPS system or a backup power source (like a small generator) for the important electronics that keep most households running smoothly, all that can come to a grinding halt when the power goes out. Although most old-fashioned telephones will still work, those glitzy cordless units will probably be out of service once the power fails.

Not to mention computers, broadband modems, refrigerators, air conditioning systems, and more will all be on the blink if power goes out. What to do? Well, if you're into powering some small but important things that can help guide you through an outage -- like lighting and maybe that cordless phone (after all) -- how about tapping into the voltage coming in through your home phone line? Yes, many of us still have home phones these days, contrary to the cellphone industry's claim that landline phones are on their way out.

Watch the video below to see just how easy this hack is. The parts may set you back about $10 or so (if that), and some electronics knowledge may come in handy. But if you want a free ride on someone else's electricity bill, or just like stickin' it to AT&T or Verizon, this may be right up your alley. It won't power much, but it could get you through a dark time in the future, as well as provide some neat conversation for house guests.

Have you ever faced a brownout (or even a total blackout)? It's no fun, and all those gotta' have 'em appliances like computers, refrigerators, and televisions can go silent when the power outage demon comes to visit.

Luckily, there are small and large UPS (uninterrupted power supply) systems that can keep those power-hungry devices powered on for an hour or two should the power fail. For medical devices in the home that require constant power to operate, a backup generator or UPS is a requirement.

If you don't have a battery on the computer (as in, a desktop system instead of a laptop) and you use it all day long for communicating, working on spreadsheets, composing sales proposals, and so on, a UPS may already be on your short list. In general, a good, small UPS will supply enough juice to allow for at least 10 minutes of backup power for that PC -- enough time to allow you to save important work, notify people that you may be going offline, and then to switch the PC off until that nasty brownout is over.

Instead of that 10-minute off-the-shelf UPS purchase, wouldn't a Super UPS built with off-the-shelf components -- and one that would give you quite a bit more time before battery death -- be nice? With a little ingenuity and patience, you can build your own. Although, try to find the components locally -- shipping heavy lead-acid batteries is bound to be prohibitively expensive.

Would it not be living in the world of perpetual bliss to be able to flick a single switch that could turn off your entire house during your hurried morning routine? Well, not the fridge or air conditioner, but just about everything else that's considered non-essential?

Not only would a product like this save an untold reserve of energy that's being needlessly drained from nearly 99 percent of homes across the world, but it would be the ultimate green hack. When you get home, just flick the switch again and everything comes on. How proper!

Would the market be interested in something like this? I think so, as the ranks of the eco-conscious continue to grow in the face of incessant global warming and iceberg-melting media coverage. If only electrical system designers would make this an option on new homes, I think many would opt for it. What do you think?

Some tips for keeping your energy costs lower this summer, provided by EnergyStar.