HowToDoThings.com Recent Heating, Cooling, & Ventilation Articles

How To Charge an Air Conditioner

garrett — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:13:07 -0600

How To Keep Cool without Air Conditioning

gonzo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:07:12 -0500

A fun day at the beach is nice and all but when you are home you would like to live like an Eskimo in the middle of a bikini competition. If it is hot outside, nothing beats the cool artificial air that a ten horsepower air conditioner can bring. But, wait!!! The unthinkable happened. The A/C is broken and you just can't get it fixed. On top of that, either there is nobody within a thousand miles who can fix the old clunker or worse, you just don't have the money to get it fixed.

What are you going to do? You could live miserably in 100 degree weather or you could try these simple steps to keep cool without an air conditioner. Try them out; what do you have to lose except the sweat off of your brow?

How To Help Stop Global Warming

bronwyn — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:46:09 -0500

Global warming is scary and can seem extremely overwhelming! However, each of us has a part, however small, in stopping climate change. By reducing your carbon footprint, or how much your activities contribute to global warming, you can do your part to stop it. Remember that your activities can contribute both directly and indirectly to global warming.

How To Go Green Without Spending a Dime

plumwine100 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:44:24 -0600

Sure, going green is so trendy these days, its almost chic. But there’s nothing chic about spending a small fortune on pricey “enviro-friendly” devices, especially when gas prices are soaring. So can you go green without going broke? Absolutely. In fact, going green can save you a little green on the backend. Just follow these simple steps to help save the environment without spending a dime.

How To Keep a Fireplace Clean

bronwyn — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:34:06 -0600

There's no better place in your house on a chilly winter night than in front of your fireplace - but is your fireplace safe? Do the soot stains bother you? The good news is that cleaning your fireplace and keeping it safe go hand in hand, and are even fairly easy!

Have a chimney sweeper come every year. This part is essential for fireplace safety, and you can't do it alone. You need a professional to clear any obstructions in the chimney and remove all extra creosote and other buildup. This flammable material in your chimney is a risk factor for house fires, so don't delay!

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How To Take Care of a Fireplace

Staff468 — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:22:00 -0500

How often do you take the time to thank your fireplace for all the times it kept you warm during power outages? How about those nights where its flickering flames sparked an evening of romance, or those times when its unmistakable smell brought comfort and calm to your life?

There's a great way to thank your fireplace - take good care of it!

Encourage good draft up your chimney. You can do this by keeping a window open while you burn a fire. The air entering your room will get sucked up the chimney. Opening a window also ensures that your indoor air quality stays good while you burn the fire.
Open glass doors when you use the fireplace. If you have glass fireplace doors, invest in a screen to block the fire instead of using glass. Doing so will also aid in ventilating the fire and encouraging airflow through the flue.

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How To Choose a Portable Air Conditioner

Staff468 — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:09:00 -0600

A portable air conditioner is exactly what it sounds like - a freestanding air conditioner that doesn't stay in the wall or window but can be moved throughout the home or office. Because portable air conditioners are not part of a central system, you can more easily direct the cool air exactly where you want it; in fact, portable air conditioners are frequently used to supplement central air conditioning. One of the most common uses of portable air conditioners is to cool computer server rooms. Here are some tips on how to choose a portable air conditioner.

How To Replace an Air Conditioning Filter

Staff468 — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:58:00 -0600

Replacing your air conditioning filter regularly will not only improve the efficiency of your air conditioner but may even prolong its life. When you do not replace your air conditioning filter, dirt, dust and grime block the flow of air, forcing it to bypass the filter and carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil. Because the coil is the part of your air conditioner that absorbs heat, you want to keep the coil clean to keep it functioning smoothly and to prevent your compressor and fans from failing. Fortunately, replacing your air conditioning filter is not as intimidating as it sounds if you follow these tips below:

How To Use a Programmable Thermostat

Staff468 — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:32:00 -0600

Having a programmable thermostat is an easy way to save energy (and therefore money) if you use it correctly. By turning your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for eight hours at a stretch (at night while you sleep or while you're at work), you can reduce your heating bill substantially (by approximately 10% per year). In the summer, you can reduce your cooling bill by keeping your house warmer when you're gone, and cooling it down only when you are home. The percentage savings from using a programmable thermostat is greater in milder climates than in more extreme climates. Here are some points to help you understand how to use your programmable thermostat.

Programmable Thermostat Model. Choose the model that's right for your schedule:

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How To Choose and Install a Heat Pump

Staff468 — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:56:00 -0500

Technological advancements are constantly underway, but the promising advancement of the heat pump as an efficient household heating and cooling appliance has impressed many people lately, and for good reason. A heat pump takes heat from one place and moves that heat to another place where it is deposited. Due in part to rising governmental standards, heat pumps are now far more efficient than ever before - by some estimates, up to 100% more efficient - which means that now is a better time than ever before to buy a heat pump. If you're a good candidate for the use of a heat pump, then the money you save from spending on other heat sources will quickly outweigh the cost of a heat pump. So how do you choose and install a heat pump to ensure that it works best for you?

Choosing Heat Pumps

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How To Install Electric Floor Heat

Staff468 — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:23:00 -0500

Electric floor heat can turn bone-chilling tile or stone into a warm and welcoming experience instead. Think of what a difference it would make to step out of your shower on a cold winter morning-onto a warm floor. Generally, hydronic or water-based radiant heat, is used for heating the entire house while for discrete areas-such as a bathroom-electric radiant floor heat is best.

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