Rock Wool Insulation
With winter here - as well as the heating bills - it's important to understand how a home uses its energy. In particular, it helps to understand how
your home uses its energy. Essentially, there are two different ways: efficiently and inefficiently. If your home isn't up to snuff in its energy efficiency, you'll want to keep reading this article. It won't only save you headaches, it will save you money.
One of the first principles in energy efficiency is keeping the energy you're producing, and this is often done through insulation. Much of the energy your home is using is for generating heat. If you're losing heat to the outside world all the time, then your energy bills are going to stay sky-high. You'll essentially be using more energy to keep the same amount of heat other people have. If your home is old, it will help to check the insulation you have in your walls, learn about crucial points in which you can save much of your heat, and learn ways to test for "heat leaks."
Consider installing more energy-efficient windows and doors to amp up your home's ability to insulate, as well. If you're buying a home, ask about having these installed right off the bat.
Another way to change how energy efficient you keep your home is to purchase equipment that will simply use less energy off the bat. New, modern heaters, air conditioners, and washers/dryers will be able to do much of the same job using less energy, helping you save on your monthly bills. Of course, these appliances can cost a heavy sum upfront, so it might take a keen eye for shopping and perhaps a bit of sacrifice in order to make your home energy-efficient. Key appliances like refrigerators, washers/dryers, water heaters, and dishwashers are some of the appliances to think about. If you want to upgrade to a more energy-efficient appliance, you might consider selling the old one, as well, in order to offset the costs.
Optimizing your home's insulation and the equipment that use energy are great places to focus on reducing your energy uses. You can also use conservation as a way to stave off your energy usage, but if you want to maintain your lifestyle with less energy, you can do that, as well. For many people, simply utilizing both strategies reduces the most energy use possible.
Photo Credits: iLoveButter
Originally posted 2010-01-26 03:56:43.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on June 25, 2010 in
Energy, Handyman, House, How to Fix
Defrost needed!
Defrosting your Freezer
No one likes this job. There is no use in leaving sticky notes on the refrigerator, or complaining loudly when you open the freezer door. Not even threatening to video the mess inside the freezer and posting the family’s frozen shame on the Internet will get anyone moving. The only choice is to call everyone into the kitchen and tell them the time will be now. The freezer will be defrosted and the cleaning begins right now.
The preparation
You will need some very clean towels. If you decide to use regular paper towels then be prepared for them to leave a residue behind when you clean. Paper breaks down very quickly, and you can typically find yourself doubling the cleaning time having to scrub away bits and piece of paper towels. Should you really want to use paper visit a hardware or handyman store and pick up the heavy duty workmen type.
Baking soda is the cleaning agent recommended the most. You don’t want to use strong chemical cleaners in a place where you will be storing food no matter how cold the storage will be. If you don’t think this will be enough to handle the situation in your own freezer than look for products that are labeled as safe around food. Organic products will be best in this situation.
Defrosting
Most refrigerators have a defrost setting for their freezer units. Larger freezers almost always have them, but if you can’t find the setting on yours then turn the setting to 0. Since the fridge and freezer is one unit then you will need to defrost both sections at the same time.
Here is where the rest of the family comes in as you will need to remove the food and either place it in a bag, box, or on countertops if available. If there is ice cream involved everyone can grab a spoon and relax until the ice in the freezer starts breaking up. When you are working against a deadline you might try putting a pan of hot water in the freezer to speed things up a bit. You will need to put another pan underneath the freezer to catch the water as the ice melts. It is better to let the ice melt without attempting to chip it out. You can scratch the surface of the freezer's interior and since you can’t see what is under the ice you cause damage to the unit. You can also hurt your hand because the cold will numb your fingers while you are holding whatever implements you’re using.
Once the ice slush and water have been cleaned out then use either the baking soda or the other cleaning agent you have chosen and clean all parts of the unit. Sticky messes might be scrubbed at with the same type of brush you would use on dishes.
Make sure that both the freezer and refrigerator are dry before you turning the unit back on. Wait until the entire unit is cooling before replacing the food as otherwise it will take longer to return to the normal cooling temperature.
Photo Credits: katesheets
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Posted by Fix Handyman on May 9, 2010 in
Handyman, How to Fix, appliances, kitchen
Frosted Fridge?
We all love refrigerators because they keep our food cool and fresh, but when we want our food cold, we put it in the freezer, not the "fridge." So what happens when your refrigerator is running too cold? Instead of freezing all of your food and drinks, you can try a couple of simple steps to fix the temperature.
When a refrigerator is running cold, it means that the temperature settings or control are out of whack: much of the work you do to fix your refrigerator will include "diagnosis" work in which you try to figure out the source of the problem.
The Refrigerator Temperature Setting
The first thing to do is check the refrigerator temperature setting itself - is it set to cold? You may not have a problem with a refrigerator; instead, you may have a prankster on your hands. You can adjust the refrigerator temperature setting simply by adjusting the setting manually. You'll want your refrigerator to run at about thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
You can confirm the temperature of the refrigerator by placing a simple cooking thermometer in there and letting it sit for a good amount of time - give it a couple of hours just to be sure. If your refrigerator temperature setting does not seem to be the problem, it's time to test the temperature control itself. This will entail some more involved electrical work, so if you're not up to the task, simply be ready to call a repairman. They'll be able to help you, and be sure to tell them whether or not the refrigerator is powered.
Testing the Temperature Control
Note: Before you begin testing the temperature control, be sure that you unplug the refrigerator, disconnecting it from any power source. This will help you avoid electric shock.
In many refrigerator/freezers, the cooling system for the freezer is simply a vent that regularly lets in cool air from the freezer. To get started testing the temperatur control, remove the temperature setting controls, often by unscrewing them.
Once you've made it that far, you'll be able to find that the control within is connected to two wires - make a written note to remember where the wires are originally. For the next steps, consult these instructions which give you pictures explaining in greater detail.
If your refrigerator is still having problems, try and check with a professional and think about buying replacement parts - or even a replacement refrigerator.
Photo Credits: tranchis
Originally posted 2009-11-19 03:19:56.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on April 26, 2010 in
Handyman, How to Fix, appliances, kitchen
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