Home Improvement

Home improvement projects I’ve completed and thought I’d share with other folks. Perhaps someone can learn from my mistakes and successes.

Do Surge Protectors Work Against Lightning Strikes?

May 18, 2015 0 Comments

Surge protectors are a common staple in just about every house that has a computer or expensive electrical equipment that needs protecting. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and power ratings, which claim to protect the equipment should a power surge occur. And while that may be the case for smaller variances in the electrical grid, will they really protect equipment from a lightning strike, the grand daddy of all electrical surges? The short answer is, no. Small appliances and equipment use small fuses, which when exposed to…
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Home Improvement, Weather Myths & Facts

How to Ground Solar Panels Correctly

December 16, 2012 0 Comments

When installing a solar Photo-voltaic system (PV), it is extremely important all the equipment is grounded correctly. Failure to ground the entire system to include all the individual pieces, can be devastating, especially in an area that experiences lightning on a regular basis. Even if you seldom have electrical storms, all it takes is one lightning strike or a single lose wire and all the equipment can be destroyed. Worse yet, it can start a fire and cause even more damage to your home. Electricity follows the path of least…
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Green Power, Home Improvement

Gas vs Electricity: Which Dryer is More Efficient?

December 3, 2012 0 Comments

Clothes dryers are really quite basic. There’s a big drum spun by an electric motor whereby heat is generated in one of two ways; gas vs electricity. Gas dryers tend to dry the clothes slightly faster, but only by a few minutes. So the question isn’t which is more efficient than the other, because they are both about the same. The question is operating costs. What does make a difference is how much it costs to create the heat which drys your clothes. And that’s what we’re going to focus…
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Home Improvement

Whole House Fan Worth the Money!

November 11, 2012 0 Comments

I took the plunge and installed a whole house fan earlier this year. This was our alternative solution to an air conditioning unit that costs quite a bit to install ($3,000) and over the long run will use a lot less electricity each month. Here in Colorado Springs, it really doesn’t get all that hot and simply exchanging the inside air with outside air can make the house feel a whole lot cooler. Granted, it won’t be as cool as an air conditioning unit, but it will make a big…
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Home Improvement

Remove the EGR Valve – Bad for Your Diesel Engine?

March 7, 2012 0 Comments

In an attempt to reduce diesel exhaust pollutants, the concept of the Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) system was implemented on all diesel trucks around the year 2007, per EPA regulations. The purpose being, to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, which contribute to air pollution. However, with the introduction of the EGR valve system on diesel engines, there has been a noticeable and documented 3% drop in engine efficiency, which means an additional 3% more diesel is consumed and burned to generate the same amount of power. If 3% more diesel is…
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Home Improvement, Ramblings

Civil Unrest, Riots, Looting and How to Prepare

November 26, 2011 0 Comments

Let me fist begin by saying I am not an conspiracy theorist and I do not think we’re going “Mad Max”. Meaning, you aren’t going to see people driving around with loin cloths and hockey masks in pursuit of gasoline and food. So please, keep that in mind as you read this post. I had to make sure my wife understood this before I started buying our supplies, because I didn’t want her to think I was going nuts on her. Having lived through the Los Angeles riots, I have…
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Home Improvement, Ramblings

Vent a Clothes Dryer Inside Your Home

November 20, 2011 0 Comments

First and foremost, this blog entry refers only to electric clothes dryers. Do not vent your gas clothes dryer inside your house. This is extremely dangerous and can be fatal! I cannot stress this enough. It is not possible to vent a gas dryer inside your house under any circumstances. As I was sitting on the couch one cold winter day, I could see a huge condensation cloud coming out the side of our house. I wasn’t alarmed because I knew it was the hot moist air from the clothes…
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Green Power, Home Improvement