At the Paint Store

AFTER NEARLY AN HOUR of "just a little more white, two squirts of blue, a dash of black, perhaps a tad more white," the paint-store clerk got my gallon to the exact shade I wanted.

 With a sigh of relief, he pounded the lid on.

Now what do I do if I need more paint, I asked.

Don't come back here, he begged.

Like a fool I asked what if my wife does not like color. 

Manufacturers Warnings

Warning by a drill manufacture.




Do not use your finger as a backing plate when drilling through a object while holding it in your hand, this could lead to an avoidable injury.

Circuit Breakers and Daylight Savings time go together

Test Your Circuit Breakers


Testing your circuit breakers is a pain.

The test is easy enough, but then you have to reset all your clocks, timers, and VCRs.

We've all heard by now, Daylight Saving Time begins early this year at 2:00 am this Sunday, March 11, 2007.

You have to change your clocks anyway.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Your Lawn

Spread Clover Seed on your yard this summer.
Enjoy a low- to no-maintenance, chemical-free lawn where kids and pets can safely roll in the clover!
Express your values on your own turf.
How Clover Renews The Earth

White Dutch Clover is recommended for lawns from B.C. to the Maritimes because it is:
very hardy: tolerates foot traffic, children's play and Canadian winters;
adaptable: thrives in sun or shade and self-spreads by creeping stems to fill gaps;
competitive with weeds and dandelions, and is pest resistant, so no toxic pesticides are needed;
low-growing: mowing is optional, less power mowing saves energy and reduces greenhouse gases that cause global warming;
drought tolerant: needs little or no watering;
a "living mulch": holds moisture in soil and discourages weeds in Gardens; and finally
a soil de-compactor: digger roots loosen up the earth.

CONDENSATION AND MOLD

CONDENSATION AND MOLD IN A BATHROOM

Question


I have mold along the outside wall of my bathroom. It is mostly above the shower and the top of the outside wall. There is adequate insulation in the attic and the vent is connected and discharging outside. I think this might be cased by warm moist air from the shower meeting a cold spot on the wall and ceiling. If I remove the shower and replace it with a full tub and shower and replace the gyprock with cement board and seal the vapor barrier on the outside wall, will this stop the problem?

Answer


No. You will have done very little to change the surface temperature of the walls and ceilings. The moisture laden air from the shower in the bathtub will be virtually the same as the moisture laden air from the shower stall. When humidity levels are very high, it takes very little drop in temperature to form condensation. Any cool surface will do.



It sounds like you are about to do some bathroom renovations. Your best bet is to install a high quality bathroom exhaust fan. These fans cost three or four times what a typical bathroom exhaust fan costs. They move considerably more air and are quieter. Most have dual squirrel cage blowers (similar to the design of your furnace fan).

I installed one in my bathroom a few years ago. It is ceiling mounted immediately outside the shower stall -- no condensation on the walls, mirrors, anywhere. If you leave the bathroom after showering, and return one minute later, you have no sense that someone has just showered. The humidity in the bathroom is the same as the humidity in the rest of the house.

check out this site http://www.managemyhome.ca/template/AskAnExpert.asp?id=540864

Solar Contractor

Choosing a solar contractor

Much of the labor for installing a PV system can be done by tradesmen or even by skilled homeowners. Roofing and wiring skills are, of course, prerequisites. But manufacturers have worked to make installing systems easier.

Wiring the relatively lightweight (30-pound) panels together and to roof-top junction boxes, for example, is "plug and play." New module mounting systems have specially extruded rails that make module alignment easy by accepting sliding mounting feet and module clamps.

Flashing details for mounting posts have also been improved and are now similar to flashing for vent stacks.

That said, there's no substitute for experience. Arno Harris, a San Diego solar contractor and president of Prevalent Power, Inc., encourages both homeowners and contractors to hire professional solar power specialists to do the job.

"There are a number of complex variables involved in sizing a system, including how much power to replace based on analysis of power bills and billing rates, how much power the system will really put out, and electrical dynamics that occur under load. It's analogous in scope to sizing an HVAC system...not rocket science, but it would be hard to pick it up in just a day or so."

Chris Warfel, a solar engineer in Rhode Island, says if you're going to oversee most of the installation yourself, be prepared to run into some blank stares if you call your electrician for help. He says: "There are people who know solar and people who know electrical systems, but there aren't many who know a lot about both."

Everett Barber, a solar installer for 27 years with Sunsearch, Inc. in Guilford, Connecticut, agrees.
Barber feels that it's wise to consult with a licensed solar installer before you begin installing expensive components, especially when homeowners want a custom system that can do things beyond what the pre-engineered systems offer, such as powering DC appliances directly, solving orientation problems and providing for longer emergency back-up capability.

Companies such as his conduct feasibility studies and will design and install the systems as well. In addition, solar professionals are knowledgeable about state rebates, grants, loans and tax incentives and can help homeowners with the application processes.

Solar electricity

Plugging into the Sun

Is it finally affordable?




Twenty years ago, when Ronald Reagan tore Jimmy Carter's solar water heater from the White House roof and then took away tax credits for renewable energy, the solar-energy industry plummeted faster than dot-coms in the new millennium.

Thousands of small solar businesses disappeared overnight, and only a few survived. In recent years, these surviving few have been joined by a new generation of solar-energy advocates who have the backing of state and federal energy departments and international companies like BP, Shell and Sharp, and are finding improved ways to put the sun to work.

One of the most promising forms of solar technology is photovoltaics, or PV for short, which converts sunlight into electricity without the problems associated with fossil fuels (see How a photovoltaic system works).

The technology is not new; the first practical applications powered satellites in the space program in the 1960s.
Since then, PV has powered everything from calculators and road signs to irrigation and telecommunications systems.

PV industry is growing 25% to 30% a year.

In the past, residential applications for PV have been largely limited to powering off-the-grid homes and rural vacation cabins.

That's because installing a PV system often costs much less than running utility lines, making remote, inexpensive land buildable.

Now PV is making inroads in suburbia as well. National and regional homebuilders are beginning to offer solar electric systems on the houses they sell.

The Home Depot also has joined in with pilot programs in California, New Jersey, Delaware and Long Island, New York, through which it finances, sells and installs systems on existing homes.