We have received a lot of emails lately about people having problems with their gutters and other problems that are associated with gutters, so we figured now would be a great time to put this problem to rest.  A lot of people never realize they have a problem with the gutters until it is too late.  We all get very busy with day to day tasks and the gutters are usually the last item on the list, if they are even on the list.  The big problem is when it rains, we are usually inside, so we never see what is happening on the outside with the gutters.  So one thing we do suggest is occasionally put on a rain coat, when it is not lightening, and take a walk outside.  Notice how the water is flowing.  Now you don’t have to get on the roof, but stand outside and walk around the house.  Is water pouring over the gutters or is it coming down the spout?  Is there water running away from the house or is it building up and running back to the foundation of the house?  Do you see unusual wet spots on the side of the house?   Just take a look around because you will learn a lot about your gutters and in the long run can save yourself a lot of man hours and thousands of dollars.

Water is the life of everything, but it can also be your worst nightmare.  Water can get in just about anywhere and cause major damage, so it is important to fix your gutters and other areas that water can damage.  As we said water gets everywhere and can ruin just about anything in your house as it can get behind walls and more.  The first sign of a problem is either your fascia or soffit will show signs of water damage, especially if it doesn’t get much sun light.

The two biggest problems that can easily be fixed are dirty gutters and spouts in the wrong place.  On average you want to clean your gutters out every quarter, unless you have a lot of trees around, then it will be more often.  If you live in places where it snows, make sure you clean your gutters in spring, one time in summer and in fall after all the leaves fall.  Cleaning the gutters usually takes care of any major water issues and doesn’t take a lot of time.  Two keys to let you know you need to change your spouts location is when you are outside and you see the water going back to the house.  The other way is when you hear your sump constantly going on when it is raining.  For most rain, drain tile is enough to disperse the water away from the house and the sump pump is secondary.  So when the pump is kicking on a lot, then you know you have a problem with water.  All you need to do is go outside and see which spout is letting the water run back to the house.  Just adjust the spout or even lengthen the spout so the water runs away from the house. 

Again dirty gutters or misplaced spouts are the most common problems with gutters.  If you are still having problems, you may need to look further into the problem as other things can arise.  Sometimes gutters bend because of either ice build up or something putting strain on them.  Usually you can eyeball this problem and see it when it rains.  This will cause water to drain into the house either through the foundation or in the backside behind the gutter into the soffit or fascia.  There is a very easy fix to this.  You will see a metal bracket in the gutter, just grab a pair of pliers and bend the bracket in the middle.  This will cause the bracket to pull up on the gutter and therefore adjusting the level.  You might have to do this to more than one clip.

Other problems we have seen with gutters is they actually have a hole or are leaking at the joints.  Gutters are very inexpensive, but it takes time to rip them down and put a new one up.  A quick, reliable fix is use a silicone caulk or gutter sealant to prevent the leak.  This is a very easy way to fix the gutter and save time and money.  The only time this will not work is at the elbow of a spout as there is usually a lot of pressure build up at this point. 

To help keep your gutters clean, you can install gutter guards.  There are a lot to choose from, so we would recommend going to a box store and taking a look at what is available.  Now we have seen people make their own gutter guards using wire mess that has ¼” holes, but we think for the money and time, you are better off buying them.  They are not expensive and the time you save is well worth it, unless you are bored and your dream has always been to build gutters guards, then knock your socks off.

Cleaning and maintaining your gutters is very easy to do.  All it takes is a little time and being able to remember that they need to be done.  One hint is if your roof doesn’t have a steep slope, you can use a leaf blower to clean out the gutters as that is faster and easier than using your hands.

Some woodworkers don’t spend much time thinking about adhesives until they don’t work. But finding out a little bit more about different types of adhesives makes sense for any woodworking enthusiast interested in making sure that projects finish right.

Animal glues. Once widely used by woodworkers, these traditional adhesives aren’t really used that much anymore. These glues must be heated in a glue pot before application. Reheating a project put together with animal hide glue allows you to readjust or remove parts. This also means that hide glues don’t resist heat. In addition, they have poor moisture resistance. Animal hide glues dry and cure slowly, so they need a long clamping time.

Resin glues.These woodworking glues are used alot and are made with polyvinyls or aliphatic resins. They come in white, yellow, and brown varieties. They are premixed, so you apply them directly to the wood from their squeeze-type containers. Strong and somewhat fast-drying (about 3 hours clamp time). There are newer resin glues that offer extended water resistance. The white variety dries more slowly; the yellow and brown resist heat and moisture better. Resin glues can be used in a wide range of temperatures.

Epoxies and thermosetting glues.Urea-formaldehyde, resorcinal-formaldehyde, and epoxy offer strong, permanent, highly water-resistant joints, but they are expensive and require mixing.  After they are mixed, a hardening chemical reaction begins, so you have to work quickly before the mixture sets up, especially in warm temperatures. They are effective for outdoor projects, but these adhesives can irritate your skin and eyes.

Specialty bonding agents.  Woodworkers use contact cement to hold plastic laminate or veneer to wood surfaces. It’s applied to both surfaces and bonds immediately. Adjustments cannot be easily made, and the work area must be well ventilated. Cyanoacrylic glues are the so-called “super glues.” They display exceptional strength and quick bonding with nonporous materials. New polyurethane glues perform like epoxies, but with no mixing and fumes. They expand as they cure, filling any gaps in joints. They’re also waterproof.

So there you have it! A little extra information on finding the right adhesive for your projects!

When looking at any new power tools, whether it be a power drill or anything else, the first question you should ask yourself is “how does it feel in my hand?”Any tool should feel like an extension of your hand. The tool may feel great while standing in the store aisle but how about after a few hours of use. While in the store, make sure all controls are convenient, and check to see if the forward/reverse and high/low speed switches in particular are easy to use.

Drills come in three distinct handle styles. The most popular cordless models have the T-handle style where the handle is placed near the middle. The T-handle style distributes the weight for better balance and less wrist strain. Some tool users prefer the more traditional pistol-grip style, and last, the third style is the right-angle version, designed for use where space is restricted.

The next question to ask yourself is “how much power do I need?” Cordless drills are measured in volts. Drills are available in everything from around 2 volts (for a cordless screwdriver) to 24-volt tools, well the actually range higher for professional models. Higher voltage means heavier weight, so consider buying a tool that will meet 80-90% of your needs. 18 volt models are the most popular, and they will usually meet most homeowner’s work needs. Corded drills are measured in amps. Generally, a higher amperage motor means more power.  Cordless batteries also have amp measurements, but will get to that at another time.

You must also consider what type of jobs you most likely will be using the drill for, or to put it another way, what type of material will you be working on with your new drill? Drilling softwood, hardwood, metal, and masonry all require different drill speeds. Harder materials or larger bits have to be worked at lower speed. Conversely, softer materials and smaller bits can be used at higher speeds. Look for a drill with variable speed. Variable speed allows the user to control the bit speed. This is very important when you plan on working different materials and accessories.

You also should consider choosing a drill with an adjustable clutch setting. The clutch reacts to the resistance of the screw, which changes as the density of the material changes, allowing you to drill holes of consistent depth. Adjusted properly on identical scrap material, a clutch can keep you from driving a screw too deep, which makes this feature great for beginners. An adjustable clutch can also reduce the possibility of stripping a screw head or snapping a screw off altogether. Also important to note is corded drills don’t depend on batteries for power. Their constant supply of electricity makes them better suited than cordless drills for tough jobs like drilling in masonry or boring large holes in wood. Corded drills are available with the same variety of features as cordless. For most homeowners, a 3/8″ corded drill is a good choice.

For beginners, trying to determine the best chuck may not seem that important at first, but it really is! Chucks are attachments where the bit is inserted, having jaws that grip the bit. Drills come in 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ sizes. This measurement is the chuck size and indicates the shaft diameter of the bits and accessories that will fit the drill. (For most homeowners, a 1/2″ size should be sufficient). Chucks can be keyed (the jaws are tightened or loosened with a key) or keyless(the chuck can be tightened or loosened by hand). Keyless chucks offer two major benefits. If you have ever misplaced or lost a chuck key, you already know one of them. A keyless chuck will also allow bits to be changed more quickly.This can be a real plus when you need to change from a drill bit to a screwdriver bit repeatedly or if you happen to be wearing gloves on the job.You can change the chuck in some keyless models with only one hand because the shaft locks when the trigger is off. In most models, however, you have to use both hands to turn the chuck in opposite directions. While you’re in the store, change the bit on different drills to see what style of keyless chuck you prefer.

We can’t cover all bases, but this should get the beginner started on looking for power drills!! Good luck!

There are basic tips you should be aware of when heating or cooling your home to get great comfort. In addition, when that heating or cooling bill shows up, you want it to be as low as possible! Here is information we dug up that should really help.

Most all forced-air systems have balancing dampers in the branch ducts that lead to the rooms. These dampers are close to the plenum to which the ducts are connected. There normally is a handle on the outside of the duct that controls the damper. When the handle is parallel to the duct, the damper is wide open, and air flows freely through the duct. When the handle is perpendicular to the duct, the damper is closed. Unless you are a HVAC expert, you should probably have a professional evaluate your house’s duct system and its airflow. This is important because even a little adjustment to the dampers can have a big impact on air flow. Even a 1/4 inch adjustment to the damper can increase or decrease airflow in the amount of 100 to 200 cubic feet per minute.

Another thing homeowners can do to get better airflow performance and comfort is to continually run the systems fan. Constant air flow mixes the air between rooms and between your house’s floors. This can even out temperature differences and believe it or not, increase the life of the fan. This is because the fan will no longer have to constantly start and stop. Last but not least, talk to your professional HVAC person about the duct configuration in your home. You can have separate heating and cooling zones on each floor. This can conserve lots of energy.

Hope this post of information keeps more money in your piggy bank, and keeps you more comfortable in your home too!!

Installing a hot water heater is very easy to do.  In fact, there are only two tough items in the whole process.  First, finding a friend who will help you move the new heater in, and take the old one out.  The second hard item is finding a place to dispose of the old water heater.  Well, one trick I discovered is if you live in the north where it snows, just wait for a snowy night and put it in your neighbors front yard, the snow should cover it up for a couple of months and you can be on your way to hot water in no time.

Once you do find that friend who can help you move the hot water heater in, the rest is easy.  The first thing you want to do is turn off the gas.  There should be a gas valve, on/off valve on the pipe leading to your hot water heater.  Turn this off.  I would also suggest turning the gas off by the meter which is usually located outside.  Make sure you check with your gas company that you can legally turn the gas off at the meter before you do this on your own. 

Once the gas is off, you will have three places to disconnect before you can proceed.  First, take off the gas line leading to the hot water heater.  You might need a pipe wrench to loosen the pipe.  Once you disconnect the pipe you might smell gas, and not from your friend either.  This is OK because there will be some gas left between the hot water heater and the valve shut off.  Just make sure you don’t hear gas leaking anywhere or you don’t continue to smell gas.

Once you disconnect the gas pipe, you will need to disconnect the hot and cold water.  Again, you should see a shut off valve on the cold water.  Turn this off.  You might want to shut off the main water as sometimes these valves will not close all the way since they are rarely used.  Once the water is shut off, hook a hose up to the drain valve at the bottom of the hot water heater and drain the water into a drain.  Otherwise you will not be able to move the hot water heater due to the water weight.  After you drain the system and you are sure the water is off, you will have to cut the copper pipes leading into the hot water heater.  If you are going to replace the valve, make a cut above the valve.  If you are sure the valve still works, you can cut below the valve.  My suggestion would be to replace the valve either way.  A valve is only a couple of dollars and you will know if you ever need to shut off the water, it will work.  Now you have the gas line and water lines disconnected, you can move the old heater out and put the new water heater into place.

Now that the new hot water heater is in place, you are ready to take your measurements.  Measure and cut your copper pipe for the hot and cold water.  Before you start to solder, do a dry fit to make sure everything fits.  If everything fits, you can solder your pipes into place.  If you are unsure about soldering, it is very easy.  You can read and see our soldering video on this site.  Once the hot and cold pipes are in place you can replace your gas pipe.  Most of the time hot water heaters are standard and you will not need to adjust the height of the gas line.  If you do, your home improvement store can cut a piece of black pipe for you.  Before you put the black pipe back into place remember to put pipe tape on all the threads.  Pipe tape looks exactly like Teflon tape for water pipe, but is Teflon tape for metal pipes.  Usually it is in a yellow container instead of blue.

Now that everything is connected, you can turn both gas valves on.  The outside and inside valve.  Use a small bucket of soap and with your fingers put the soap suds over the areas you connected and make sure you do not see any bubbles or gas escaping.  If you do, tighten the pipe tighter.  After you are sure the gas is connected correctly, you can turn on both water valves to let water into the tank.  Again make sure you have no leaks.   After you discover there are no leaks, you read the manual on how to light the pilot light to the hot water heater.  The last item is to go have a beer, watch the game and get ready for some hot water.

Not every home or business needs a water softener.  The main determinate is to test your water.  You can buy a very inexpensive kit from a local hardware store to test your water’s hardness.  Every water system is different, so don’t assume that your water is fine because  you know the next town over gets its water from the same place, and their water’s hardness is OK.  This is not always the case.  Each town is responsible for their own water supply.  Our town gets it’s water from two huge wells below our town.  They treat the water, but not for hardness, only for Iron.  Our hardness is 33, which is very high.  The next town over gets their water from Lake Michigan and their water hardness is 0, while a town next to them gets their water from lake Michigan and their hardness is 11.

One of the best ways to tell if your water is hard is by observation and feeling.  When you start a load of laundry, after you add soap, does it get nice and bubbly or not really?  Do you clothes feel hard or are they soft.  Hard water cause less bubbles and even can cause cloths not to be as fluffy.  Another way to tell is when you take a shower.  Does the soap lather up?  If so you probably have a very low water hardness.  When you rinse off the soap, does it feel like your skin is nice and smooth, almost slimy.  If so, you could have a low water hardness.

A closer look at water softeners

When you measure the hardness of your water, the higher the number, the higher the hardness.  Well, you may be asking what causes hardness.  The simple answer is minerals in your water system.  A water softener catches these minerals and that’s how you get soft water.

What happens, is in the cylinder of the water softener, you have what is called resign.  As the water passes over the resign, the minerals stick to the resign and the mineral free water  passes onto your faucets.  Then, at a specific time, your water softener will rejuvenate.  In this process, the water softener pulls salt water from your brine tank and runs it over the resigns to recharge them.  Once the resign is recharged, it is now ready to create soft water again.

Installing A Water Softener

Installing a water softener is very easy to do.  Most of the time you will already  have one in place.  If not, you will have to find a good location where you can tap into your water supply, and the softner needs to be close to a drain.  Chances are you might have to raise or lower your current water pipes to fit into your new system.  You can read our article on sodering copper pipes, which is very easy to do.

Remember to shut off your water supply before you start.  Also, if you do not have a shut off valve by your water softener, now might be a good time to install a second on/off valve by your softener.  Once your pipes are in line to attach to the softener, make sure you use Teflon tape where the copper pipe fitting attaches to your softener fitting.  This will ensure a tight fit and help prevent leaks.  Once you attach your water supply to the softener, all you have to do is set the settings on the head of the softener and you should be ready to go.   Just remember to turn the water supply back on.

Type of Salt to Use

You can buy blocks of salt or pellets.  To this day, we are not sure what is better to use.  We have talked with so many plumbers that say you should only use the blocks, while other say only use the pellets.  Others say it doesn’t matter.   So your guess is as good as ours.  Both have been on the market for so long.

Maintenance of a Water Softener System

There is not a whole lot of maintenance on a water softener system, except adding salt.  One thing you can do is clean your screen on the head of your water softener.  Usually there is a small screw that will come off and the screen is behind there.  Another thing you can do is back flush your system every six months.  Your system is normally set up and will do this, but occasionally forcing it to back flush can help prolong the life of the resign.

Problems with a Softener

Sometimes you might have a problem with your water softener and usually there are simple solutions to correct these problems.

If your water is no longer soft, you might need to check your water softener gauge as this could have been reset.  You might even need to change some of the settings.  Just refer to your owner’s manual.  Another item  to check is your line going from your brine tank to your softener.  There very well could be something blocking the water exchange, therefore your system is not rejuvenating.

If you have low pressure, you can easily correct this problem to.  This is usually caused by one of two things.  First, check your screen.  Water softeners have small screens to catch debris, so they do not get caught in the jet.  Usually there is a small screw that you can pull out to clean the screen.  If the problem still persists, you might have bad resin.  Resin is small beads that are in the actual cylinder.  What happens is the resin catches all the minerals that make your water hard.  When your system rejuvenates, it uses the salt water from the brine tank to recharge the resin and let the process start all over again.  Bad resin can cause poor water pressure.  You can check your resign by unscrewing the head of the softener and feel the beads inside.  If they are still hard, the resin is still good.  If you can mash the resin in your hand, then the resin is bad and needs to be replaced, which you can pick up at any water supply store.  Remember, sometimes the beads on the top might be good, but the bottom 1/4 might be bad.

There are many household emergencies that take place all the time in homes throughout the world. Knowing what to do can save us money, manpower, and most importantly, lives. Below we will talk about a few of the most common ways to deal with household emergencies.

ELECTRICTY

First and foremost, if the floor is damp or the wiring has gotten wet, it is dangerous to touch the main switch box. Have the electricity turned off by the power company. When turning off electricity, most fuse boxes or main circuit breaker boxes have main levers or switches where you can flip them to the Off position, it is that simple.

NATURAL GAS

If you smell gas, open windows and shut off the main gas valve. Do not light a flame or turn any electrical switches on or off. Do not use your phone. Leave your house and report the leak from a neighbor’s house. If you use LP gas, stay out of your basement, as LP gas is heavier than air and sinks to lower levels. If you can, go to the natural gas shut off and turn lever on the meter intake pipe so it’s perpendicular to the pipe.

ELECTRIC SHOCKS

Never try to touch a shock victim who is still touching the source of the shock, the current can flow right through to you. Use a wooden object, like a broom handle to dislodge the victim from the source. Then call for help. Never use a metal object to dislodge the victim!

PLUMBING ISSUES

A strong smell of sewage from any fixture may indicate that the trap in the waste pipe leading away from the fixture has gone bad. Pour water into the drain and wait to see if the smell goes away. If it doesn’t, you may have more problems, so call a plumber.

If you have a flood in progress, minimize the damage with these do’s and don’ts:

• shut off the main water valve if the flood is the result of a broken pipe
• shut off electricity to the flooded area, but only if it is possible to reach the main circuit box without touching water!
• wear rubber boot and gloves if leak is in a drain line or has been contaminated with sewage, and disinfect the area after it has been cleaned and allowed to dry.
• don’t wade through standing water if it has come in contact with electrical outlets or appliances, the water may be electrically charged.
• don’t run a gas powered water pump in the house. It produces hazardous fumes.

DOWN THE DRAIN?

Don’t give up on a piece of jewelry or other valuable items that go down the drain. Instead, use a pipe wrench to open the plug on the u- shaped trap under the sink- or to remove the entire trap if there is no plug. Dump everything from the trap into a bucket, and look for the item.

PROPANE, OIL, NATURAL GAS

If you have both propane and natural-gas appliances, here is an easy way to distinguish the smells. Sniff around, and if the smell is strongest below nose level, it’s propane. Natural gas is lighter and tends to spread through the air, heavier propane tends to settle closer to the floor.

A faint gas odor may signal that a pilot light is out on one of your appliances. in order to relight, set the control valve to off, then to pilot. Release gas to the pilot light by depressing either the red button or the handle, depending on the appliance model. Light with a match; then keep the button or handle depressed for at least one minute. Release it and set the control to On.

SMART AND SAFE

Keep the following items in your car in case you are out and run into a bad storm and get stranded:

Bag of sand, Blanket/sleeping bag, dense snacks, such as granola bars, drinking water, flashlight and fresh batteries, matches and candles, shovel, warm hat and insulated waterproof gloves, and last but not least, a good first aid kit!

Installing a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system is rather easy.  But wait, what is a RO system and why would I want one in my home or place of business?  The simple answer is: an RO system is a type of water filtration system and you may want, both for health reasons, and to save money.

Saving Money

Lets start off with how it can save you money.  How much money do you spend on bottled water a month?  Well, if you are like most people, its probably a lot.  Now you can create your own bottled water with an RO system.

Health Reasons

The next issue is health reasons.  Most municipal water is safe to drink as the water is treated.  One item that can be a health risk is lead.  Old cities tend to have more lead in the water system because they have older pipes.  While the pipes in your home may be new, the pipes that are underground may be old.  The pipes that go from the Buffalo box to your meter.  An RO system greatly reduces metals such as lead, copper, pesticides, herbicides, and will also remove odors as well as the bad taste.

RO Systems

Now that you have two reasons, you may want an RO system. So let’s take a look  into the terminology, and how they work.  We will also look at the pro’s and con’s, type of filters, and more.  We mentioned some of the pros above as what an RO system can remove from your water, plus help save money.  Some of the downsides to Ro systems are: they work slowly and only produce between 3 and 25 gallons a day, depending on your system.  RO systems also waste a lot of water.  For each gallon of filtered water, it waste about 3 gallons.

Installing an RO system

Once you buy your RO system, now it is time to install it.  Some people install their system under the sink, I like to install then in the basement.  It frees up more room under the sink.  Now if you don’t have a basement, then you will have to put it under the sink, or you can put it in a utility room and run a line to your sink.  Installing a RO system is very easy.  All you need to do is mount the reservoir and the filters.  Once you have these mounted, all you need to do is drill a small hole in your sink where you want your faucet to be placed.  Then you just run a line from your RO system to the faucet.  You should be able to use a saddle valve, like the one in the picture, to tap into your water source.

Maintenance

An RO system is not a set and forget system.  You do need to do regular maintenance on these systems.  We would recommend looking at your systems owner’s manual to see what they recommend.  However, most manufacturers recommend changing the filter every 4-6 months, and back-flushing the membrane every year.  Back-flushing is very easy to do. All this means is it cleans out the membrane to make it work more efficiently.

When most people hear that they have to solder a pipe, they tend to get a little scared.  Well, this is quite natural, because there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to solder pipes.  This article will cover how to solder copper pipes, so you can feel very comfortable next time you need to use this trade.  By the time you solder your next copper pipe, you will be proud to show off your work.

You might ask yourself, when would I every soder a copper pipe?  Well, this isn’t an everyday occurrence unless you are a plumber.  For everyone else, you would solder a pipe for a water heater, water softener or lots of other applications.  It is one of those trades that is good to know when you need it.

You can also watch our video down below this article.

The items you will need for this job are:

• Tape Measure
• Copper Piping
• Copper Pipe Fittings
• Copper Cutter
• Copper Brusch cleaner or Sandcloth
• Soder
• Flux, Also a Flux brish
• Small tourch with gas
• Saftey equipment, such as gloves, eye protection
• Heat Resistant Pad

One important item to remember is always dry fit you work together before you solder anything.  So make sure everything fits nicely before you solder.  Another key is to take one step at a time.  Don’t measure everything, then make all your cuts.  You want to make your first measurement, then cut your pipe.  Dry fit that into place.  Now make your next measurement, then fit that into place and so on.

**When soldering, your pipes need to be dry as any water will not give you a good seal.  Sometimes you don’t get old valves close enough, and you may still have a tiny trickle of water running. You need to get the water to stop before you move on.  I have heard, but never tried one trick.  If you can not get the water to stop, take a small piece of bread and insert that into the pipe before you soder.  According to the person who told that to me, it works.  He said you wouldn’t have to worry as the bread breaks up and will not get caught in any of your faucet screens.  Makes sense, but not sure if I would try this.

Once you are sure that everything fits into place, now you can take everything down and get ready for the next step.  What you want to do is take your brush and clean the ends of each pipe or fitting.  You want to clean or score the areas that will be touching the other copper parts. This insures a good seal where the solder will join the two pieces.  As you can see by the tool, the brush on the ends scores the indside of the fittings, while the areas in the brush handle score the outside of the pipe.

Once the pipes are all prepped, you can brush your Flux on all the areas your scored with your brush, make sure you cover all the areas.  Flux is what sucks the solder into place on the inside of the pipe or the fitting.  As you go along with adding the flux, you can start reassembling the pipes back into place.

Once all you piping is back together and all prepped, grab your torch and solder, now comes the fun part.  As the video shows, the idea is NOT to melt the solder on the pipe, but rather let the pipe melt the solder in place.  So what you want to do is heat up the pipe itself, not the connectors.  The connectors usually fit over the pipe and join two pieces of pipe together.  After the pipe starts to get a little hot, hold the solder next to the pipe and connector or fitting, make sure it is not in the flame.  As the pipe gets hotter, you will see the solder melt and get sucked into the pipe causing a tight fitting.  Make sure you get all sides to the pipe, so the solder is closing all holes and you see the solder around all the edges.  Repeat for the rest of the fittings.

As you can see there is not much to soldering copper pipes.  Actually it is pretty fun.

I created a short little video that explains and shows you how to solder your own pipes.  Also if you have any questions, please leave feedback and we will be happy to help.  Show off your work.  Lets see what you have done.

Everybody likes a nice kitchen! Not only do we want it to look nice and clean, but we want it to be as efficient and functional as possible. We thought a few tips and ideas on how to get the most use out of a kitchen as possible would be a good addition to our arsenal of information. We hope you can find the following information useful!

CABINETS AND COUNTERTOPS

When thinking about changing your kitchen around, consider creating counter tops of various heights. Different tasks in the kitchen require different heights for counters. If you can’t adjust counter heights, make sure you have a stool around to make the adjustments.

To keep from getting burns or blemishes or cuts in your counter top, make sure you use cutting boards. If you do have burns or blemishes, you can hide them with a glazed tile. Just glue the tile right over the damaged area and use it as a counter top trivet.

A long slot cut into a counter top can hold knives close to where you need them, and keep space on the counter open from the clutter of a knife block.

FLOORING

You really should not use prefinished laminated or strip flooring with beveled edges. The grooves collect crumbs and other junk, plus it is harder to polish or refinish these floors.

If you need to fix a small tear in vinyl flooring, do it with a dot of tub and tile caulk in a matching color. Level the caulk and remove the excess  with a swipe of damp cloth. Your last move is to then seal the repair.

When it is time for you to wax or finish your floor, give the entire floor one good coat and then add a second coat to the high-traffic areas. Now both areas will wear in an even manner.

RECYCLING

If you feel like sparing your feet of aches and pains from stepping on cans, put together a couple of 2×4s joined together by a heavy duty hinge. Cut them to your desired length with a custom handle at the end. Now you can smash cans all day long!

ODORS

You can get rid of refrigerator and freezer odors by simply putting a cup of ground coffee in the inside of the refrigerator and leaving it over night, if the odors are still lingering, repeat the process until smells are gone.

SMART AND SAFE KITCHEN TIPS!

• If you buy expensive solid-surface counter top materials and try to install them yourself, you will probably void any manufacturer’s warranty.
• For any kitchen items you have purchased, file receipts, instructions and warranty information in a file close to the kitchen.
• when buying appliances, make sure you measure them to see if they will fit in the designated kitchen area you plan on keeping them.
• when buying counter tops, don’t accept a plastic laminate counter top if the seam is in the middle of a large work area.

Each year millions of people throw away money trying to heat or cool their homes.  There are a lot of great ideas and articles about making a home more energy efficient.   One idea that is rarely talked about is the Thermostat. This should be the first step in energy efficiency, since this is the tool that tells the A/C or heating unit to kick on and off.

We met Tim from Greenspoint temp controls at a jobsite.  He saw us testing some power tools and we started talking.  Tim works mainly on commercial properties, but he says the same information he told us applies to homeowners as well.  We bought Tim a cup of coffee from the jobsite canteen truck and picked his brain a little.  Below are a couple good ideas he told us.

Occasionally, test your thermostat by using a thermometer to test the accuracy of the thermostat.  Put the thermometer next to the thermostat for about 10 minutes and compare the two readings.  If they are within 5 degrees, you thermostat is working fine.  If they are over 5 degrees apart, either the thermostat needs to be changed if electronic. If It is Mercury based, it needs to be recalibrated.

Most people make the mistake of lowering their thermostat too much at night.  If the temp is more than a 10 degree swing, this can actually cost more money than you think you are saving.  In the morning the furnace now has to work hard in order to get the heat back up past the 10 degree mark.  Also, if the temperature outside will be close to zero or below, don’t lower the thermostat that night as this will really cause inefficiency.

Check you thermostat’s position in the room.  Even it it has been there for a while.  Maybe the installer made a mistake and didn’t install it in the correct location, or maybe something was added later that might give a false reading.  Check by your thermostat to make sure there is not a draft from somewhere.  Also, make sure there is nothing hot around the thermostat, like a TV or radio. These items can give false readings.

If you do find out that the thermostat needs to be replaced or you need to change locations, this can be done very easily.  If you need to relocate the thermostat, make sure you check the owner’s specifications on each unit.  All you will have to do is run some new wiring to the location of your choice.  This will take some time and work, but it can be done.  If you are replacing your old thermostat, this to is easy.  Most thermostats have two pieces, the head (Body) and the base.  The head is the actual unit you see on the wall with controls.  The base is the part that is screwed onto the wall.  Remember to turn off the power to that thermostat first.

• First remove the thermostat head which is usually just snapped onto a base.
• Second, remove the screws from the base that are attaching the base to the wall.  Now you should see four wires, Red, White, Green and Yellow, but this can vary.  Mark each wire if they are not color coded.
• Before you remove the wires, place a piece of tape over the core of the wires to hold them against the wall, so they do not fall back behind the wall.
• After this is secure, you can remove the wires from the base.
• Next, place the new base in place where you want it.  Make sure it is level.  Now with a pencil, mark the spots where the screws will go.  You can drill holes for the new screws.  If you are going through drywall, just remember to use anchors when you screw the new base in place.
• Once the base is in place and the wires are attached, you can now snap the head back into place
• You can now program the new unit for your home.

Tip

If you are going to have people over, lower the thermostat temp by 5 degrees.  Bodies give off heat, so a lot of bodies around will create  good heat build up.

We stopped by our friend Jim’s jobsite the other day.  Jim, or Jimmy as we call him works for a very large construction firm in the Chicago area.  As we started to talk, he mentioned how he had to yell at one of his workers for safety concerns.  It seems this guy was more concerned about getting the job done quickly instead of safely.  This worker put up a ladder on uneven ground, with the wrong angle. In addition, he didn’t have the right height.  Worst of all, this guy wasn’t even an apprentice. He was a journeyman who has over 20 years of experience.  Maybe he wasn’t thinking, or maybe he felt to safe, but either way it was dangerous.  After talking a while Jimmy wanted us to write a short hand out that he could give to his workers at their morning safety meetings.  We wrote a nice piece for them and got great feedback, so we decided to add it here on our website.

Before we get started we need to get down to some basics so we are all on the same page. First, lets start with terminology. If you all ready know the terms, you can skip down to the next paragraph.

Butt or heel – Bottom end of the ladder, the end that is placed on the ground.

Dogs or Pawls- Device attached to the inside of the beams of the fly section used to hold the fly section in place after it is raised.

Fly – Upper section of an extension ladder, the part that is raised into the air

Footpads- Rubber swivel parts attached to the butt of the ladder

Halyard – The rope used to raise or lower the fly section

Rail- The two lengthwise members of the ladder beam

Rung – Cross members that provide the foothold for climbing.

Tip – Very top of ladder

(Click on picture to make it larger)

Some of the types of ladders are: Single, Folding, Extension, Combination, Step and more, but these are the most common.

Before we get started you always want to do a quick check of the ladder to make sure neither the aluminium, fiberglass or wood is defective and causes the ladder to lose its integrity.  You never know what has happened when your not around.  Maybe a co-worker borrowed the ladder and then threw it on the ground when they were done, maybe your kids knocked it off the wall and didn’t want to tell you, maybe another contractor knocked it over and forgot to mention it you. You just never know.

Before you every lift or place a ladder, always look to see what might be above.  Look for obstacles such as electric lines or anything else, don’t just raise a ladder without looking. Next, you always want to place the ladder on even ground.  If there isn’t any even ground, put a piece of plywood down to make your own level ground.  Make sure the plywood is wide enough to make a difference.

We have a video below that illustrates how to set up a ladder, but a quick run down will also help.  First, remember to always lift with your legs and not your back.  If you are placing an extension ladder up by yourself, let the wall be your friend.  Put the butt of the ladder where the ground meets the foundation and lay the ladder on the ground with the fly section down.  Next, start at the tips and lift up.  You can then grab the first rung and start walking the ladder up by grabbing the next rung and so on.  With the ladder against the wall, it will not slide.  Once the ladder is all the way up, walk the bottom of the ladder out while the tips rest against the structure.  Your goal is to get about a 75 degree angle.  One way to check is to put your feet at the butt and put your arms straight out, shoulder height.  If you palms touch that rung , with your arms completely straight and no bends at the elbow, then the angle is fine.

When you are walking up the ladder don’t take to much stuff.  If you have to make a couple of trips, then do it.  Remember to always have three contact points with the ladder.  Each hand and each foot is considered a contact point.  So if you have nothing in your hands, you can walk up using the rungs.  If you have something in one hand then you need to slide you hand up the rails without removing them.

Ladder Tips

• If you have to work around electricity on a ladder, do not use an aluminium ladder, because it  conducts electricity.  Also don’t use a wood ladder that has lots of metal, or a damp wood ladder. We all know electricity and water don’t mix.
• If you are working next to a door, put an “Out of Service” sign up or let others know not to use the door.  You can even leave it open, but you still have people walking around not paying attention, so you need to make others aware somehow.
• On the jobsite, you should always be with someone else when working on high places, but if you are by yourself, tell a co- worker, or if at home let a family member know.  Give them a time you should be done, that way if something happens, at least someone will get to you shortly.
• When walking up a ladder, turn your tool belt around so it doesn’t snag on a rung and throw you off balance.

For home users only

• If you are dropping tools on your folding ladder, put a bungee cord around the fold down section and put your tools under the to hold them tight, just remember to take them off before you fold up the ladder, so they don’t fall on your head.
• On the top of your folding ladder, you can glue a magnetic strip to hold screws and nuts in place so they don’t fall off

Here is a quick video on how to raise a ladder.  It is junior ladder training, but if you take a couple minutes to see the basics, it could save time, aggravation, and most important maybe your life.  Notice how they do a one man ladder raise using the base of the wall.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KOcwil-280&feature=related]

There is nothing better than sitting in front of a fire on a cold winter day.  As you will discover there is more to a fireplace then just putting wood in and lighting it on fire.  If you own a fireplace, you are probably aware that it can be the best feature of your house, but also the worst feature in your house.  Yes, it is great to sit in front of a blazing fire, but it also causes heat loss, smoke build up and more.  Below are some good tips and tricks you can use to make a fireplace the best feature of your home and at the same time cut down on the negatives.

This has happened to all of us, we build a blazing fire only to find out it is actually cooler in the house than warmer.  Here is another one, when the fire is going, we actually feel a cold draft circulating inside the house.  There is a simple solution to these two problems.  A house will feel colder and more drafty for two reasons.  First a fire needs oxygen, so as it burns, it pulls more oxygen towards the fire, but the biggest reason is hot air rises.  As the air rises, it needs to be replaced with more air to fill in the void.  The only place it can find more air is inside the house, so this air is pulled into the fire and that’s why we feel drafts or even cold air.  A simple solution is to make smaller fires.  I know, it fun to have bigger fires, but actually a smaller fire makes more sense.  A smaller fire does a couple of important things.  First, it slows down how much air is being pulled up the chimney.  Since the air is moving slower up the chimney, the fire actually has more time to radiate heat into the room and this will actually cause the room to get warmer, even though the fire is smaller.  A smaller fire will also cause less drafts in the house, which will keep the house warmer.

Another way to make sure you have more heat radiating into the house is to always keep around 1/2″ of ash on the fireplace floor.  If you start a fire with out any ashes on the fireplace floor, the fire now has to work hard to warm up the floor below, which can take a long time.  All this time you do not have as much heat entering the house since it is working on warming up the floor.  Remember, heat always travels to cold, not the other way around.  The ashes on the floor act as a good insulator, which will help radiate heat more effectively.

You want even more heat?  Well burn hardwood instead of softwood.  Burning hardwood does two things.  First, hardwood burns slower and hotter than softwood, so it will produce more heat that can radiate into your home.  The second and most important benefit of hardwood is that it will not create as much of a soot build up as softwood does.  You still need to clean your chimney on a regular basis, but the build up is a lot less.  Chimney fires happen because of soot build up.  The hot air rises and starts to cause the soot to build up.  As soon as the soot reaches its ignition temperature, it will ignite and start to burn.

Since we are talking about wood, let’s discuss where to get wood.  Look at your surroundings, maybe a neigbor cut down a tree.  Maybe it is worth your time to take the tree and split the wood yourself.  Remember, it takes about 6 months before split wood will dry and becomae usuable.  A great place to get free wood is at a construction site.  No, not the lumber, but the trees.  Some jobsites will take down trees in order to erect the building.  These trees will sometimes sit there for awhile.  Just make sure you talk with the contractor before you go on their land.

Have you ever noticed that when you are having a fire, you get smoke that comes out the sides?  I am not talking about the occasional downdraft or the times you don’t have the wood arranged properly in the fire place.  This tends to happen in older homes.  The reason for this is the fireplace opening is too tall.  The smoke cools down to quickly and therefore doesn’t properly rise.  We had this happen to an older home about a year ago.  We used a simple solution that any homeowner can perform.  We laid down a layer of firebrick on the bottom of the fireplace.  This raised the level of the fireplace and basically eliminated the problem.

Since we are talking about smoke bellowing out of the sides, we all have smoke build up on the outside of the fireplace.  The best way to clean this is to use warm water with a mild detergent and this should take care of the mess.  If the water still leaves some behind, i get out my magic earaser and this always does the trick.  The brick will look brand new.

** If you have a gas burning fireplace, make sure you install a Carbon Monoxide detector in case of a failure.  The detector will alert you in case there is a back up in the chimney or a downdraft.

Well, it’s that time of year when we start up our furnaces and have fires in the fireplace. So now would be a good time to talk about fire safety.  Each year we have thousands of fires and many deaths. There are multiple reasons for people not surviving fires. One thing to remember is that most people do not pass away because of the fire itself, they pass away because of the fumes, the Carbon Monoxide.  Carbon Monoxide blocks your lungs from getting oxygen into your body.  So let’s start with smoke detectors

There are two type of smoke detectors – Ionization and Photoelectric detectors.  Wikipedia is a good source of information for these two types of detectors.   The main point is that you should have them installed in your home.  If you don’t have them installed, stop reading this and go down to your local hardware store and buy some, then come back and you can keep reading this article.  Oh, you all ready have them, well have you tested them within the 6 months?  If not, stop reading this and go test them out.  If you have them, and have tested them within the last six months, you may proceed reading this.

It may seem like over kill to install a lot of smoke detectors, but we’re talking about your life and your families lives.  You should install a detector in the basement and attic.  You also need to install one detector in every bedroom and you should have one outside in the hallway, best if you can do this at the top of each stairwell.  Always place the detector on the ceiling about 1ft away from the wall.

As noted above you should test your detector every six months minimum and replace the batteries every year, even if they are still working.  There are two ways to test your alarm.  First you can press the test button to make sure the batteries work.  The second way it to light a match, blow it out, then pass the burned out match under the detector to make sure it picks up the smoke detection.

Another important step in keeping safe is to close the doors at night when you are sleeping, this helps protect you and slows down the spread of fire.  If you have to leave because of a fire, close the door behind you.  Always make sure you have an escape route.  Each person needs two routes, in case one is blocked by fire, so you have an alternative.  Also, have a meeting place so everyone can be accounted for.

If a fire does occur and you can not get out, you should also have a plan.  First stay calm.  Second, stay close to the ground.  Third, don’t hide.  Adults can be like dogs, while kids can be like cats.  Kids tend to hide in a fire.  You should educate your children that if for some reason they can not get out to stay close to the ground and up against a wall.  If they can be against a perimeter wall , not under a window, but close to a window, this will help in their rescue.  Firefighters will do a primary search of the building and they use the walls as reference, so they will have an easier time finding someone next to a wall.

If a small fire does start and you are aware of it, you can use a fire extinguisher to put it out.  You should always have a couple on hand.  Maybe one in the kitchen, garage, basement and your workshop.  Keep them accessible.  Just like smoke detectors, you need to check the fire extinguisher to make sure the pressure is OK.

1. In the picture above, you will see a gauge (Click the picture to enlarge).  Make sure the needle is in the green.

2. Make sure your fire extinguisher is right for your application.  There is an A,B,C,D.  As you can see with this one, it is a combination of A,B,C.

• A – Wood and trash
• B – Liquids
• C – Electrical
• D – Metals

Fire extinguishers have directions on them.  Make sure your read them and understand them.  Most of them, you just pull the pin, point the fire extinguisher and spray.  Aim at the base of the fire to quickly put it out.  If for some reason you can not put the fire out or have other problems, leave and shut the door behind you, then call the fire department.

One last item.  Try to seal the crack or opening between floors as this will help stop the spread of fire and smoke.  Fire tends to crawl up these areas and spread quickly.  A fire will double every minute.  Older homes have what is called balloon construction. In these houses fire can spread rather quickly if it gets in the wall.

Here is a great video to show how quickly fire spread and hits home the point of smoke detectors and having a plan in place.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2dNN2waoSw&feature=related]

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKPfkrGDv7U&feature=related]