Despite what you might think, portable heaters are a very efficient way to heat your home. I’m Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and as we all know, every house has one room that is always colder than the rest. So instead of cranking up the heat in the entire house, consider plugging in a portable heater only where you need it.
Your most efficient electric heaters are those with metal coils. These models can be small and portable, but they certainly get the job done. You can also choose electric oil filled radiators, which are another great option. The electricity heats the oil in machine and once it reaches a certain temperature, the electricity turns off, but the oil stays hot.
The biggest concern with portable heaters, however, is that you must turn them off when you are done using them or leaving the room they are in. Make sure you keep them at least 3 feet from any combustibles and never plug them into an extension cord. I also recommend installing a smoke and CO2 detector in any room that has a portable heater. Another thing to look for when choosing a portable heater is anti-tip technology, which will cut off the heat, should the unit start to tip over.
A big no-no for portable heaters are kerosene heaters. Any heater with an open flame should never be used indoors.
There is nothing quite as romantic as an evening spent in front of a wood-burning fireplace, but boy do I hate the maintenance that goes with it. I’m Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and I’m here to talk to you about another way to use your fireplace, with gas logs.
The upkeep of wood-burning fireplaces is intense and can dissuade you from using your fireplace all together. Plus, you run the risk of encountering issues with drafting which can make your whole house smoky. With gas logs, there is none of this to worry about.
Gas logs can be installed very quickly and look quite realistic. And the upkeep is so much simpler! No more cleaning out the debris after every fire or lugging in chopped wood on cold days. Now, you’ll still have to have your chimney cleaned every 3-4 years, but that’s much less than the annual cleaning that I recommend for wood-burning fireplaces. You also might have to look at having a gas line moved, which would increase your cost to install. But in my opinion, it is absolutely worth it. Another bonus, gas logs turn on with the flick of a switch, or in some models, the click of a remote control. Talk about instant romance!
Hi folks, this is Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and I’ve got some tips for one of the most complained about household issues: pilot lights. Hopefully we are all moving to a world without pilot lights, but for those of us living in older homes, it’s not something we can get rid of just yet.
The biggest thing when dealing with pilot lights is to make sure that you have a good sensing device, called a thermocouple, which can sense when the light is on. These need to be changed every 5-6 years and need to be cleaned on a regular basis. If you are having a hard time keeping your pilot light on, 9 out of 10 times, you just need to check your thermocouple.
If your pilot light that is attached to your heater or furnace is going out, it could be from wind that is coming through the chimney and literally blowing it out. A way to stop this from happening is to use a mechanical damper, which opens and closes when needed.
Finally, if you have an electronic ignition, you might want to check that your flame sensor is working properly. This is a piece of metal that is shaped similar to a large paperclip. When the gas turns on it ignites and senses when the flame is on.
You've spent hours baking that turkey to perfection and after Thanksgiving is over, you are left with mounds of extra turkey! What do you do with it? You Make Turkey Soup!
Over the years, I've figured out that you can make soup with anything and turkey is no exception! By making soup with it, you have the ability to make another large meal for the family, use up those leftovers, and stretch a buck - which we all need!
Below is a great starting point, but remember, you really can throw in any leftover veggies you have. ...Read more about How to Make Turkey Soup from Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey!
Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are right on top of us, which means Turkey and Dressing or Turkey Stuffing Recipes! The list below was compiled using a combination of of family recipes, as well as a few very popular stuffing recipes found on the web. If you have one to share with readers, please submit it via the comments at the bottom of the page!
This list was originally started as a top 10 list, but I only included 9! I will be picking one from the comments below and posting it as #10 on the list! ...Read more about 10 DIY Turkey Dressing or Stuffing Recipes
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many people have started to realize the greatest way to cook a turkey, is to Deep Fry a Turkey! Surprisingly, and beyond the normal beliefs, Deep Fried Turkey contains almost no grease and oils that you normally associate with deep fried food.
Combine a naturally low fat food like Turkey, with a method that instantly sears the juices inside the bird itself, and you end up with the most popular trends in food preparation for the Thanksgiving Holiday Feast!
One thing for sure, frying your first turkey is not cheap, due to the initial cost of the right equipment. After you have it and you eat your first fried turkey though, you will find a reason to cook one every month! ...Read more about How to Deep Fry a Turkey Instructions
Saving Energy inside your home is one of the cheapest and easiest ways you can start going Green, and also increase the amount of money in your savings account every month! Most of the figures below represent utility and resource use for a family of four ...Read more about 10 Easy Ways to Save Money on Energy and Resource Costs!
Pilot Lights go out for several reasons, but with winter coming quickly many of you will find that over the cooling season, the Pilot Light on your Gas Furnace has either gone out naturally, or you shut it off after the last time your heater was used, and it has to be relit in order to get the burners putting some heat into your home!
While the use of standing pilot lights is truly on the way out of use and most of the newer systems use a solid state electronic ignition model, there are still several units that are less than 10 years old, that use the older gas pilot light method of firing off the burners. ...Read more about Lighting your own Pilot Light
While most hardcore coffee drinkers favor Starbucks or their own gourmet blend the true coffee aficionado prefers a rich cup of French press coffee from a plunger pot. Read on to understand how to use a French press pot or Cafetiere.
Automatic drip coffee pots are quicker and easy to use but nothing beats the bold, rich, and intense flavor of a single cup of French press coffee. When the coffee grounds interact with the boiling water for a short period of time it creates a thicker more flavorful cup of coffee that anyone who loves coffee would enjoy.
If you have never tried this method I believe once you do you won't be disappointed and probably won't turn back to the auto drip method of brewing coffee. ...Read more about Using a French Press Coffee Pot or Cafetiere
Gas Logs can not only add a great aesthetic improvement to your old fireplace, they also help save energy and heat quite a large in your home! Since 1998, they are also the most popular Fireplace Accessory you will find on both the web and many local hardware stores!
Having worked for an HVAC company for several years and sold many sets of Gas logs on the Internet, I wanted to share the popular questions I used to hear from buyers.
You should not be surprised to know that almost everyone had the same questions! What size should I buy, and should I get vented or vent free gas logs. ...Read more about What Size Gas Logs should I Choose?
