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Cloths Dryers    Tile Floors    Wall Paper    Water Heaters

CLOTHS DRYERS

       The most important thing in drying is: airflow. As your dryer heats wet clothes, the moisture in the clothes moves into the air (inside the dryer). This hot, humid air is then moved out of the dryer by a blower. If the blower can't do a good job of getting this muggy air out of the dryer, then the clothes aren't going to get dry as quickly as they should.

Now, what could hamper the blower in its mission to rid your dryer of humid air?

1. The most common natural enemy to good airflow is lint. Lint in your lint screen and especially in your vent hose can build up until air has a hard time getting through.

2. A crimped hose will hurt good airflow also. If you pulled the dryer out from the wall and pushed it back in place just before the drying problem began, check the hose to make sure it didn't get crimped as the dryer was pushed back against the wall.

3. A damaged blower wheel or fan is a fairly common problem-especially in Maytag, Magic Chef, Montgomery Wards, and Norge models. 

4. If the venting from your dryer has to go up through a wall, into the attic, then back down just to get the air out of the house, then airflow has probably been crippled by bad laundry room placement. The moisture in the air leaving your dryer is heavy and if the blower is being forced to push it 10 feet up and then out, it's no wonder it takes so long to get the clothes dry. The only way to remedy this problem is to either relocate the dryer (near an outside wall) and cut a hole for it to vent straight through, or to use an indoor vent kit (see http://www.a-1appliance.com/dryer/dryer.html

To check the airflow in your dryer, simply walk outside and feel the air coming out the vent. There should be a strong gust of warm air coming out. Also, feel the top of the dryer. If it is extremely hot, then the air might not be moving out of the dryer as quickly as it should

TILE FLOORS

   When replacing vinyl floor tiles,   you don’t have to risk scorching other tiles with a heat gun or damaging the sub-floor. Simply lay a cloth over the tile you want to replace and move an iron in slow even strokes. In a moment or two you will be able to remove the tile with no trouble or damage.

WALLPAPER

      Removing old paper: Pour a half cup of fabric softener in a spray bottle and top off with hot water. Spray the paper thoroughly, wait a little while for the paper to soften. Peal away, often in one piece. Now, send us just 50% of the cost of renting a wallpaper steamer and we'll tell you how to make a million in real estate with no money down.

WATER HEATER

      Installing a timer on an electric water heater can save $150 per year  in most parts of the country. Set the timer to turn the heater off as you go to bed and back on two hours before you wake. Do the same when you leave for work.
      The U.S. government low-income energy savings programs continue to spend millions on  the installation of fiberglass water heater blankets.   Surprisingly, the "blankets" do little to improve efficiency, especially with newer heaters that are already well insulated. 

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