Main > Household > Power-saving > Space heating > Woodfire heating
Fix a smoky woodfire:
- Only use dry wood, preferably hardwood.
- The flue outlet from the woodfire should become quickly vertical with no more than one 45° bend. If the flue is within three metres of the building ridge, then the flue needs to end above the ridge.
- Increase air pressure at the woodfire inlet, not at the exhaust side. E.g. open a window or create holes in the wall opposite the air inlet.
- Eliminate any holes in the flue or exhaust, apart from the main outlet and the top of the flue.
- Preheat the flue.
- Raise the fire-bed onto a metal grate and direct air into the space underneath the fire.
- Ensure the opening for air flowing into the fire is larger than the flue outlet for exhausted air. Experiment with the ratio.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Cleaning
Laundry symbols: Here are common symbols and their captions.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
When gluing two pieces of wood together with regular wood glue, you can use use a few dabs of hot glue to hold the two pieces together till the wood glue dries, if you don't have a clamp ready to hand.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
You can often break hot glue bonds, without damaging the work piece, by quickly freezing the glue bonds with a spray from a can of freeze spray, and then snapping the bond. (Warning: freeze spray can be dangerous)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Prevent stringy bits of glue when you move the gun away from the work piece by applying a bit of vaseline ( link ) around the tip of the glue gun before you turn the glue gun on.
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Don't lay your glue gun on its side when it is hot as molten glue may leak around inside your glue gun, which may damage it. If your glue gun doesn't have a stand, you can create one with a metal binder clip.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Don't pull a glue stick out of a glue gun once the stick has engaged with the mechanism in the hot end of the glue gun, as this can damage the glue gun.
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Drinking water
If reliant on rainwater, inspect and clean gutters every 3-4 months.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Drinking water
Install a "first-flush" downpipe with a valve, that empties into a 10-20L bucket, to wash away roof-accumulated dirt and keep tank water clean.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical > Solar power
Inspect and clean solar panels every 3-4 months. Even a very thin film of pollen, and a scattering of bird droppings, can reduce electricity generated.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Clothes > Clothes drying machines
To avoid dirt and marks from clothes-pegs, the old Japanese system of drying clothes can be used. Clothes are threaded via the arm-holes, leg holes, or belt loops with a three to four metres-long piece of dowel, about 30 to 40mm thick in diameter. The dowel rests at either end on an upright pole, like a verandah pole.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Extension cords
Join two extension cords together more safely by ensuring they can't be pulled apart. Firstly, connect the two cords together, then create a double loop in the cord near the connection, then feed the connected plugs through the loop.
Ideally, since extension cords shouldn't be coiled when in use, it's better to use a purpose-built extension cord joiner (see image).
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Extension cords
Safety tips for extension cords:
- Don't use extension cords for permanent wiring. Get proper wiring installed.
- For outdoors use, only use extension cords that are designed for the purpose. Mark your cords for either indoor or outdoor use.
- Don't plug an appliance onto the cord that exceeds the cords wattage rating. Thicker wiring is needed to conduct higher currents.
- Don't use a cord that feels hot or looks damaged.
- Unplug extension cords when they’re not in use.
- Pull the plug, not the cord, when pulling an extension cord out of a socket.
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Main > Household > Extension cords
Air compressor machines must be plugged directly into a power source. Do not use an extension cord.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Ladders
General tips:
— Don't use a ladder unless you really need to, especially if you an elderly person, or are overweight, or are out of condition.
— If going onto a roof, then take a mobile phone with you, in case you can't get down again.
— Make sure that all locks on an extension ladder are properly engaged.
— The proper angle for setting up a ladder is to place its base a quarter of the working length of the ladder from the wall or other vertical surface (see image).
— Make sure the feet of the ladder are level and firm.
— An extension or straight ladder used to access an elevated surface must extend at least 3 feet above the point of support (see image). Do not stand on the three top rungs of a straight, single or extension ladder.
— For extra safety, secure the top of the ladder to the building.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Pests
Mouse trap tips: Peanut butter is better than cheese, as it cannot be removed easily. But it will need to be cleaned off and renewed after a week.
A trap with a large flat trigger pad is better than one with a small surface area, so long as it is sensitive to pressure and snaps closed easily.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Wasps: Attracted to simple sugars and proteins, they are also carnivorous and treat freshly dead kin as food rather than as a matter for a vendetta. Better to find the nest (usually a hole in the ground) and puff anti-wasp powder into it, than to spray individual wasps on the wing.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Dealing with spiders:
- A spider inside a gumboot toe can often not be shaken out, because it clings to the gumboot wall. Instead of killing it, keep gumboots indoors and inside a well-sealed cupboard to avoid spiders getting inside. Or, if stored outdoors, cover the tops of gumboots with a plastic bag secured with a rubber band, and spray the outside of the bag with insecticide.
- Try not to kill spiders in the garden, as they often feed on plant-eating pests.
- Capture a spider (or other unwanted insect) by carefully placing a glass over it, then slipping a piece of cardboard under the mouth of the glass. Relocate and release the insect in a preferred area.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
Miscellaneous tips:- Load the brush by dabbing the tip into a shallow dish of paint a couple of centimetres deep, several times. This forces paint onto many of the bristles, instead of the only outside bristles as occurs when dunking the brush into paint once.
- Apply paint diagonally to the left, then spread it more evenly across the surface by painting diagonally to the right, then lay off with long vertical strokes. The beginning and ending of each stroke must be gentle and along the same trajectory like a very shallow parabola, to avoid puddles and scuffles of paint. Work quickly so that strokes start in wet paint of the previous section and melt in.
- Always lay off in the same direction, i.e. always top-to-bottom, not in alternating directions. Otherwise there will be stripes.
- Avoid painting when there are lots of small insects about, such as in Spring. Also avoid windy days, to reduce the amount of dust collecting on wet surfaces.
- Switch to a new brush when the brush starts to feel gummed-up and stiffer. Continue with a new brush, leaving the previous brush in water.
- A good quality paintbrush should last a couple of years by being used carefully, washed out well after each use, and stored in its original packaging to retain shape.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Join electrical wires by first stripping the insulation off the ends of two wires, and twisting the wires together. Then seal them together with hot glue. This will also insulate the wires. Warning: if the wires are likely to get hot then hot glue should not be used, as the glue will melt.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
IR Illuminators (Infra-red illuminators are a must-have for outdoor cameras. These illuminators should be positioned a least a couple of feet away from the camera, so that the camera doesn't become falsely triggered by raindrops or insects flying into the IR beam. Some of the more expensive illuminators have either a wide beam or a narrow beam to match the field of view of the camera.
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Buying a hot glue gun: The higher the wattage, the faster the glue gun will heat up. If you have a lot of uses for a hot glue gun, then you should use a heavy-duty, industrial-type hot glue gun, which takes the larger size glue sticks (11mm diameter).
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Picture Resolution. The higher the resolution the better, but be aware that the higher the resolution, and the higher the frame rate you use, the larger the files will be, the slower the transfer times, and the more image processing work will be necessary. 720p has only 45% of the number of pixels compared to 1080p, and 960p has only 59% of the number of pixels compared to 1080p.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Lens type and focal length will determine how wide the angle of the view will be. Wide angle lenses, like 2.8mm or 3.6mm, will show a large scene, but may not be able to capture details like faces or number plates at a distance. Telephoto lenses such as 8mm or 12mm will show a magnified, but a narrower view. Ideally you can use both wide and narrow angle cameras. For example, a wide angle lens will capture an entire car park, and a narrow lens can capture the car number plates at the entrance/exit to the car park. If you have a number of cameras around your house you may be able to place one camera, with say an 8mm or 12mm lens, in a position which can see all passing traffic, and which magnifies enough to see faces and number plates.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Wifi or Wired? Wifi is okay for indoor cameras, but for outdoor cameras you will have a much more reliable experience by using ethernet wiring, especially with "Power over ethernet", where power is sent along the one ethernet cable with the data.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Fake or Dummy cameras. If you have an old security camera that doesn't work any more, or is technologically obsolete, you can put it up somewhere you don't have a working camera, to act as a deterrent. Cameras are a big deterrent to burglars.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Where to position security cameras? Most burglars enter through either the front or the back door, or through an off-street window where they won't be seen from the street. So these should be covered.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Night-time light sensitivity is most important, especially if you don't want to use powerful infra-red illuminators. Look in the specifications of the camera for a light sensitivity sensitivity of around 0.0001 Lux at an aperture of F1.2.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Power over ethernet: If it is difficult to supply power to a camera or access point, you can transmit power over the ethernet cable. Be aware that there may be some speed loss in data transfer, since the power uses some of the capacity of the cable. There are two types of POE: active and passive. The safer and more expensive of the two is "active", since there is a negotiation between the sender of power and the receiver. The "passive" type of POE simply assumes there is no problem with the power supply, which is risky. At the upstream end, power is injected into the ethernet cable. An active POE injector will normally inject 48v. At the downstream end this power will need to be dealt with. If the downstream device is an active POE device, it will deal with the power. However, if it is a passive POE device, it will expect the correct amount of power to be delivered to it through the ethernet cable (e.g, 12v, if it is a 12v device). In the case of a non-POE downstream device, a POE splitter will be required to split the power and the data from the ethernet cable, for use by the device. Splitters can be active (intelligent) or passive.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Seeing through Windows can be a problem for IP cameras because the IR lights will reflect back off the glass and make it impossible to see anything through the glass at night time. If your camera software does not allow you to turn off your IR lights, you can open up your camera and manually remove the cable supplying power to the IR lights. It is normally the larger of the connections leading to the board containing the IR lights. Then, if you can, change your camera options from "IR Synchronous switch" to "Automatically switch", to make sure the camera switches to black and white when it gets dark, independently of the IR lights. You should then install external IR illuminators, outside of the window. Note that room lights from within the room should be turned off, otherwise you may see reflections from inside the window.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Convert wired IP cameras to Wireless (Wifi). This is possible through the use of a dedicated wireless bridge unit, or through a wireless access point. The access point should have enough network ports on the back for the number of cameras you want to plug into it, and should be wirelessly connected to your wireless network either in Bridge mode or in Repeater mode. Remember to elevate the access point for better transmission and reception. Also, if the unit has more than one antenna, don't have them parallel.
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Main > Household > Security > Security cameras, IP cameras
Images from cameras appears too dark during the daytime. This can be caused by having too much of the sky in the picture. The camera adjusts its exposure based on the sky, and darkens the picture. If you angle your cameras downwards, including less sky, the pictures will become brighter. This is especially important for cameras that have wide-angle lenses, since they tend to include more of the sky.
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Main > Household > Curtains
Removing wrinkles from curtains:
1. Use a steam cleaner if you have one, or
2. Iron with a warm iron. If your iron is too hot, then place some material over the curtain to act as a buffer, and iron that.
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Main > Household > Curtains
Washing curtains:
Vacuum the dust off the curtain first. Then soak with a mild detergent, or with dilute vinegar. Wash in a machine using delicate setting. If washing net curtains, make sure that other materials, or sheets of the same color are in the wash as well, so that the net curtains are not damaged.
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Waterproof your mini flash drive by opening it up and filling it with hot glue, on both sides of the the circuit board. Cover all the internal wires and then replace the cover. Backup the contents of the drive first in case anything goes wrong.
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