When was the last time you cleaned your dryer vent?

Cleaning your dryer and dryer vent is not only a good thing to do to prevent fires, but is also a way to cut down on drying time and increase the dryer’s efficiency.

Besides hiring a professional to do the job, you can do-it-yourself with a vacuum or leaf blower and there are kits you can buy to help you do the job.




The ProClean Dryer Lint Removal Kit is one such product available that includes a 10’ dryer duct brush, 36” trap brush, and vacuum hose attachment for doing the job. One cautionary note from some, who have used this kit, is to only turn the brush in a clockwise motion or you might unscrew the brush and get it lodged in the dryer hose. This kit is available at Home Depot for under $30.00.

The Gardus LintEater kit (which Mitch demonstrates below)is bit more expensive, but contains a few extras including 12’ of flexible rods to go a bit further than the ProClean package and is available on-line at Amazon.ca selling for around $65.00. There are cheaper Gardus LintEater kits, but clean a much short length of hose, so be sure to order the kit that is best for your hook up.



If you don’t want to spend $30 to $65 on a kit, here’s a tip that came to me from Brian Shaw at Lighthouse Inspecitions which he got from Hank The Handyman.

1. Disconnect the hose/pipe at both ends.

2. Cut a piece of string or twine to approximately three times the length of the hose.

3. Tie a rag or dryer sheet to the middle of the string.

4. Place the rag at one end of the vent hose, then while holding one end of the piece of string, use a vacuum if necessary to suck the rest of the string to the other end of the vent hose.

5. Now simply use the two ends of the string to pull the rag back and forth through the vent hose to dislodge the lint inside until no more comes out the end.

6. Pull all the string and the rag out of the vent hose, reattach the hose securely, test the system, then sit back and relax with another job well done behind you.

By the way, you might want to wear a face mask because no matter which do-it-yourself method you choose, it could be a dirty job.

Would you put up lights if you lived next door to them?

We've got about a 1,000 lights on the family Christmas tree and I must say my wife does an incredible job arranging those lights to make our tree look good each year, but I'm sure I've heard a string of Christmas lights actually laugh at us while we're trying to find the one bulb that has stopped the glow from an entire string of lights.  I can't imagine multiplying that excitement 500+ times. 

502,165 lights is the exact number of Christmas lights now recorded as a world record for a community home decorated for Christmas.  A family in Australia reclaimed their Guinness world record for Christmas lights with their new total this year. 

The Richards family, first succeeded in receiving the record backin 2011.  At that time they had placed 331,038 bulb around their home, but that record was lost the following year when 346,283 lights were turned on at a home in LaGrangeville, New York.

David Richards and his family have been planning all year to recapture the title and they succeeded this month (November 2013) with over half a million lights according the officials at Guinnes World Records.

Unless you've got about a month to spare and some additional help to string the lights, forget trying to beat this family.  The Richards household has about 48km of wires and the power meter runs like a race horse.  Fortunately the local power company picks up the tab because the family raises money for charity with their unbelievable display of lights.

Did You Forget About This Thing?

Have you checked your air filter lately? Now that we are hearing the furnace kick in more often we need to check the filter more often. Afterall, the warm air you appreciate during the winter is also the air you are breathing coming through that furnace filter.

Reliance Home Comfort provides a great overview of what type of filter is right for you when it's time to replace it.

The Reliance people say, an air filter’s MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) indicates the filter’s ability to capture airborne particles while air is flowing through your heating or cooling system. For residential purposes, MERV ratings range from 1 to 16, with the low-end filters only capturing the largest particles and the higher MERV ratings capturing increasingly smaller particulates.

You can get the full story on filters here, but perhaps this blog was meant for your eyes as a reminder to check your furnace filter.

A New Home For Under $30,000

Here's an interesting idea to provide affordable and sustainable housing for the working individual (or couple who don't mind being close to each other all the time), who just can't make ends meet.

The Nomad easy to assemble home starting at $25,000. A home about the size of some garden sheds, but an idea that is under review right now. It's based on the success of similar type homes in other parts of the world, but would it be successful in Canada? That's what needs to be determined.

Fall Lawn Secrets

Why does the house down the street have a fabulous looking lawn and yours looks like a billboard that screams help me?

That home owner down the street might know the fall lawn secrets.



Click the link below or cut and paste into your browser to get more about adjusting your mower height, fertilizing, over seeding, aerating, top dressing and more.

Better Homes and Gardens - Fall Lawn Secrets.

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/lawn-care/fall-lawn-care-secrets/#page=1

Kill A Watt

No surprise that large appliances like dryers and ranges consume the most electricty, but you might be surprised to discover that smaller things in your household especially units that draw "phantom power" can add considerably to your monthly power bill. There is a way to track down the power hogs within your houseold. .

Inexpensive electricity usage monitors are available like this "Kill A Watt" which shows how much things plugged in are actually using. These monitors come in various prices, but for as little as $30 you can more effectively monitor and discover where wasted energy is going.
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The monitor plugs into the wall and then the appliance is plugged into the socket which shows the power the unit draws over a period of time. No need to keep the monitor plugged in so you only need one and move it from appliance to appliance over time to get an idea of where your energy dollars are being consumed

Should You Purchase The Extended Warranty?

How often have you been asked, "Do you want the extended warranty on this?"  If you are planning on buying a new TV, appliance or computer that provides the option to purchase an extended warranty, this might help you in deciding how to answer that question.  

Consumer Reports magazine provided the odds that your newly purchased electronic or appliance will need repair in three to four years.

According to the magazine laptop computers and side-by-side refrigerators with an ice maker and water dispenser are the most likely to need repairs after the initial warranty expires.  Over 1/3 of each of each of those items required repairs within four years. 

Electric cooktops are the least likely appliance to need a repair with only 9% of those requiring a repair within four years. 

Here is a complete list from Consumer Reports magazine with the odds that the newly purchased electronic
or appliance will need repaired in three to four years.

• Laptop computers  36%
• Side-by-side refrigerators with ice maker and water dispenser  36%
• Desktop computer  32%
• Top or bottom-freezer refrigerators with ice maker 28%
• Front-loading washing machines  25%
• Top-loading washing machines  20%
• Canister vacuum cleaners  18%
• Gas ranges  16%
• Top or bottom-freezer models without ice maker  15%
• LCD televisions  15%
• Upright vacuum cleaners  14%
• Gas cooktops 14%
• Electric ranges  13%
• Plasma televisions  10%

Click here's for more from Consumer Reports on Extended Warranties.