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Everyone who owns an HVAC knows that maintenance is important. An HVAC unit that runs poorly will only end up costing you money on pricey repairs. The following paragraphs are full of useful ideas you can use to keep your home heating, ventilation and air conditioning working in prime condition, so read them all!

Although most people are thinking of their heating systems during the winter months, air conditioning is also important. When installing a new furnace or heating system, make sure the air ducts are also set up to work with your air condition system. Using the ducts for both heating and cooling is the most economical choice.

Before making that repair phone call, make sure you know the specifics about your particular system. Write down the make, model, and any maintenance history. Your contractor will appreciate this information.

Before contacting a repair service, do a short tour of the entire home. Notice the temperature in each room. Are some cooler or hotter than others? If you do this, it will be a great help to the future contractor, who will now be able to quickly locate the problem issue.

Be sure to get every quote or estimate in written form. You have no recourse on a verbal agreement, so a written contract is a must. This will allow you to follow up if something goes wrong or you don’t get what you were promised, protecting you from shady contractors.

If you do have a good experience with a HVAC product or contractor, let others know. Go online and post a review so that people can easily find out who and what brands to trust. At the same time, you can check reviews online to learn more yourself about what’s available.

Turn off outdoor condenser units when weather turns cold. Avoid damaging the unit by turning it off when the outdoor temperature drops below 60 degrees. This will ensure your system stays in good working order every year, saving you money on costly repairs.

If you have a window air conditioner without a timer, use a regular outlet timer to control when it is on or off. These are the same ones you use for holiday lights, so all you have to do is plug your air conditioner into the timer and set it to cool you during the day.

Consider all of your alternatives before installing a central air conditioner. You can only cool certain rooms, use whole-house fans, or even make use of a geothermal system. The more efficient the system you set up, the less you’ll spend on utility bills over time as you use it.

Whether you have an air conditioner in a window or outside your home, be sure to keep it in the shade. The cooler the air around it, and the cooler the condenser itself, the easier a time it will have of keeping the air inside your home cool as well.

Now you should be better prepared to make sure your HVAC system runs well for a long time. Regular maintenance will make sure your operating costs are lower in the long term. Check these tips again to make sure your HVAC lasts a long time.…

If you are looking to start your own organic garden, there are a few tips that will help you steer clear of the main problems people tend to encounter when they begin their own gardens from scratch. The following article presents general guidelines that will lead you to successful planting.

Don’t over-plant your produce. If you plant more of a particular variety than you can use, store, and give away, it will simply go to waste. Plan out your garden so that you will have enough, without planting so much that your efforts will simply end up getting thrown away or rotting on the vine.

An easy way to transport tools to and from the garden is to use an old golf bag. Many golf bags have a stand built into them so it makes grabbing and organizing the tools a breeze. Use the pockets in the sides of the bag to store all kinds of assorted gardening tools, seeds, and gloves, or just use them to store a refreshing beverage.

When deciding to take up gardening, it is important to study and know your geographical area. Some vegetation simply can’t survive a northern winter. Contrarily, some plants can’t survive a Texas summer. As such, it is important to know where you are and what the plants that you intend on growing can handle.

Get the most out of garden space by growing compatible crops. When growing a crop like tomatoes, plant lettuce and spinach in between to grow in the shade of the taller plants. This will maximize the space used in the garden. Also, grow plants which mature at different times alongside each other like carrots and radishes. The radishes will be ready in only thirty days while it takes much longer for the carrots to mature.

Before starting a garden, it is important that you have a plan. Without one, your garden may not come out the way you want it to. Some things to plan out include where to put the garden in your yard, what you want to grow, and whether to start from seed or plants.

Plant seedlings on cloudy days. The cloud cover will help protect your new seedlings from the heat and radiation of the sun. This extra protection gives them a better shot of survival than if they were planted on a hot, sunny day. If your seedlings were being grown out of direct sunlight when you purchased them, be especially careful about exposing them to direct light.

Find out if the plants you have in your garden have special fertilizer needs. Some plants like slow-release fertilizers, while others prefer nitrogen-rich foods. Most like to be fertilized during the high point of their growing season. A little education will go a long way to improving your garden.

Organic gardens are becoming more and more popular these days. Learning to garden without dangerous chemicals is good for the environment as well, not to mention for your own health. Knowing some basic rules of gardening, as well as understanding your climate and its limitations, will help you sustain your garden long term.…

Were you aware that water pressure above 80 psi can actually cause a loud hammering sound to occur in your plumbing system? This can be easily resolved by installing a valve that can adjust the incoming water pressure. For more great expert tips, check out the rest of this article.

You do not give the plumber all the money until he is finished with his work. A plumber might ask you for part of the money before starting the job but you should never pay more than half. Agree with the plumber in advance on the job and payment.

To help you find a good plumber, you should get recommendations from people whom you trust. Asking a friend or a neighbor is usually more trustworthy than picking a random plumber out of the phone book. You need a competent plumber, otherwise you could be in for a much bigger problem down the road.

You can check your toilet for leaks by adding a few drops of food coloring, Kool Aid or some coffee grounds to the water in the toilet’s tank (not the water in the bowl). Check the water in the bowl after a half hour or so. If any of the coloring agent is visible in the water in the bowl, the tank is leaking, and you will have to have it repaired.

Orange or pink discoloration on your bathroom fixtures is a solid indication that your water contains too much iron. This is something that needs to be taken care of by water softener, which you can buy at a store, or have a company come out to your house and take care of it for you.

Do not put your hand in the garbage disposal to remove a clog. This can be potentially harmful. Always use tongs to get out whatever is stuck in the disposal. Using tongs is much safer, and you will make sure your hand does not get cut on the disposer’s sharp blades.

If you are using PEX tubing for the supply lines in your home, make sure you get the right tools for the job. PEX tubing requires a completely different tool type than regular lines. PEX has a lot of benefits though, so don’t let the different requirements throw you off.

When it gets cold out, ensure that your faucets outside aren’t dripping or leaking. If water is continually dripping, you need to make some repairs on your own before the temperature drops below freezing. Regardless of whether you have steel, plastic or copper pipes, the water in them expands when it freezes and will make the pipes crack. The smallest crack will allow enough water through to cause costly flooding and damage.

In conclusion, you want to be sure that you know what all of the noises you hear coming from your basement are. Some noises could be normal, some could mean that are more serious problems. Hopefully this article will help you determine what sorts of issues require your immediate response.…

Gardening is basically about growing and it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to grow a tree or a head of lettuce. You’re still a gardener if you’re growing plant life. If you garden at all and want some tips on how you can do it organically, make sure you read the article below and use these gardening tips.

A great trick for organic gardeners and a neat way to reuse plastic milk jugs are to use them as a form of self irrigation for your garden. All you need to do is poke little holes into the bottom of plastic 1 gallon jugs, bury the jugs next to your plants and make sure to leave an opening. Fill the jugs allowing the water to seep slowly into the ground.

Install a fan to blow on your seeds. Make sure your fan is turned on a very low setting. This light touch will help your plants grow stronger. You can also stroke your plants very lightly with your hand or a piece of paper for a few hours to get the same effect.

If you plan on starting an organic garden, you should always properly cover your seeds. If your seeds are not properly covered, then they will not grow. You should aim to cover most of your seeds about three times as deep as the thickness of your seeds in order to ensure optimum growth. However, certain seeds, such as alyssum and snapdragons, should not be covered because they need a lot of light to germinate.

If your organic garden uses containers, you may need to swap seedlings to larger containers as they outgrow them. When you do this, make sure to handle the seedlings by the leaves and roots. To be more specific, you should avoid touching the stems as they are extremely fragile and can be easily damaged. After you have swapped containers, it is recommended to water the roots as this will help them merge with their new environment.

When trying to add compost to your organic garden, find a better way to get the compost there. It can be a pain to have to move wheel-barrows of compost to your garden. You could try layering newspaper down the walkways of your garden, and adding straw to the top. Near the end of the season, the compost will be ready to be added to your garden and you only have to move it from the walkway to the beds on each side.

Carefully consider the location you choose to plant trees. Remember that your trees will likely get huge. Make sure trees are not planted too close to any structure or foundation. The costs involved, to remove a tree and roots that have gotten into your structures, can be astronomical. This will be easy to avoid with proper planning.

It’s always good if you can have some tips to assist you in whatever you’re trying to do. But you do not want to use just any tips. Make sure you use these organic-specific gardening tips instead of just garden-based tips. Organic is its own special genre and you’ll need information like what you’ve read above to grow organically.…