The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1480126
Signs of electrical problems in a home Homeowners know that all sorts of issues can affect a home. Issues can run the gamut from the merely annoy- ing to the unsafe. Electrical is- sues fall into the latter catego- ry, posing a significant safety hazard if left unchecked. According to the home safe- ty experts at UL (formerly known as Underwriters Lab- oratories), learning to recog- nize warning signs of electri- cal wiring issues can greatly lower the risk of house fires. House fires pose a significant threat, as the Electrical Safe- ty Foundation International notes that electrical malfunc- tions cause more than 50,000 house fires each year. UL in- dicates that the majority of those house fires can be pre- vented, and learning to recog- nize signs of a electrical prob- lems in a home is a key compo- nent of home fire prevention. • Dimming or flickering lights: The UL notes that light fixtures do not typically draw a substantial amount of power, so dimming or flicker- ing lights is not often indica- tive of an issue with a fixture. Dimming or flickering lights could indicate that the circuit the lights are on is overbur- dened, most likely by large appliances sharing the cir- cuit with the lights. If dim- ming and flickering lights are a problem, homeowners can speak to an electrician about moving the fixtures to anoth- er circuit or installing a new line specifically for major ap- pliances. • Odors: Odor emanating from an outlet, fuse box or breaker panel should be re- ported to an electrician im- mediately. The odor, which some homeowners indicate smells like fish, could be a re- sult of an overheated circuit. Odor coming from an out- let, fuse box or breaker pan- el could indicate a significant electrical issue, so homeown- ers should not hesitate to re- port this problem to an elec- trician. Odors can sometimes travel through HVAC sys- tems as well, so homeowners should take note and call an electrician even if their outlets do not smell. • Hot outlets/switch plates: Outlets and/or switch plates that are hot to the touch are another indicator of an elec- trical issue. UL notes that outlets that become hot even when nothing is plugged in- to them could be wired incor- rectly. In such instances, an electrician will need to fix the issue, and in the meantime it may be best for homeowners to flip the breaker or remove the fuse for the outlet. • Frequently blown fuses or tripped breakers: Accord- ing to UL, circuit breakers and fuses have a built-in fail- safe that is designed to pre- vent overloading. Sometimes a tripped breaker is a result of an aging appliance. One way to detect that is to plug in the product to more than one out- let in the house. If each break- er trips, then the appliance is likely to blame. However, if us- ing the same outlet continues to trip the breaker regardless of what's plugged into it, then the circuit requires the atten- tion of an electrician. Electrical issues increase the risk for home fires. For- tunately, such issues are gen- erally preventable and often easily remedied by a quali- fied electrician. Create welcoming indoor living areas for cool weather seasons Plan now to ensure that when fall weather signals the end of "outdoor living," your indoor space will be a welcoming respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Walk around to inspect furniture, cabi- nets, use and lack of space, and de- cor in general. Would new paint on wood fur- niture, cabinets, doors or trim be brighter (or more tranquil)? How about a new live edge or other ac- cent table or new legs for an exist- ing table? Do closets need a redo to add storage? Could the home office use shelving? Or maybe space exists for a family game area? The possibil- ities are endless, and Woodcraft has the tools, materials and supplies you need for successful projects, as well as a wealth of how-to insight and in- formation. Below are some tools and sup- plies and how-to tips for assembly and building projects. There's also some useful tips for coloring or recol- oring wood furniture, cabinets and other pieces with stains and paints. Live Edge Timber Co. Rustic Ma- ple Slabs and Rhombus Slab Legs come predrilled and ready for as- sembly to create furniture like the coffee table pictured here. Click https://bit.ly/Rustic-Table-Build to view the assembly process. DIY Hairpin Legs in black and raw steel are an easy way to add a mod- ern look to a tabletop or slab. Festool's T18 Cordless Drill Plus Set features a brushless EC-TEC motor and electronic torque setting for precise screw driving and drill- ing wood or steel. The set includes a belt clip, two 4.0 AH HighPower bat- tery packs, Rapid Charger TCL 6 and Systainer SYS3 M 187. The Kreg® Pocket-Hole Jig 520Pro makes joinery quick and easy. All you need are a drill/driv- er and screws. Watch this video https://bit.ly/Kreg-Jigs. A Gyokucho Ryoba Razorsaw is a handy general purpose saw that has rip teeth on one edge and crosscut teeth on the other side. Bore shelf pin holes on 32 mm spacing quickly and accurately us- ing the 1/4" Kreg® Shelf Pin Jig or the 5 mm Kreg® Shelf Pin Jig. Both are compatible with face frame and frameless cabinets, with alignment windows for added versatility. For comfortable hand sanding, choose the Preppin' Weapon Sand- ing Block Kit. Add power with the cordless Skil® Powercore Brushless 20V Random Orbital Sander that can tackle refinishing wood furniture, cabinetry rehab and more. To remove paints and other cover- ings, Blue Bear® Soy Gel™ Paint & Urethane Stripper is a handy helper. Krud Kutter® Prepaint Cleaner TSP Substitute cleans and deglosses surfaces so paint or stain will adhere better to the surface being covered. If you are recoloring or finishing for the first time, General Finish- es® Gel Stains and General Finish- es Milk Paint are easy to use. Gel Stains come in 15 colors, while Milk Paint is available in 33 colors. Follow General Finishes' instruc- tions for prep, application, and top- coats for paints and stains to avoid any yellowing issues and to ensure the best results over time. There are many other available topcoat products. When choosing and using a topcoat, follow the manu- facturer's directions closely to avoid disappointment over changes in col- or or other undesirable results. General Finishes® High Perfor- mance Water Based Topcoat offers the consumer-friendly characteristics of a polyacrylic blend: it does not yel- low with age and cleanup is easy with water. In addition, HP is stabilized with UV absorbers to maximize its performance and afford protection to the stains, paints, and wood beneath. General Finishes® Oil Based Gel Topcoat is compatible with General Finishes Gel Stains. Use water-based stain blocker white primer over an existing finish, raw wood or MDF as a base coat for light colored General Finishes Milk Paint, Chalk Style Paint and Pig- mented Polys. To apply paint or stain by hand, Redtree Matey™ Brushes are a good choice. Use Synthetic Brush- es for water-based coatings and On- yx White China Bristle Brushes for solvent-based coatings. The GVS Elipse OV/P100 Respira- tor is NIOSH-approved for paint va- pors up to 5,000 parts per million, solvents, and Cyclohexene, as well as offering protection against many other dangerous fumes. Earlex® Super Finish Max Spray- er provides the power and adjustabil- ity to spray oil- or water-based finish- es such as stains, enamels, polyure- thane, varnish, latex paint, primers, milk paint, and more. Wagner® Spray Shelters, small, medium and large, help reduce over- spray. To learn more about these and oth- er products, visit your local Wood- craft store, call (800) 535 -4482 or visit www.woodcraft.com. Natural ways to protect gardens from pests Homeowners frequently enhance their outdoor living spaces with attractive plants and trees. When that green- ery also produces food, the results can be both beauty and bounty. People who plant vegeta- ble gardens and fruit trees in their yards can be blessed with an abundance of fresh pickings once it's time to har- vest. In fact, many home gar- deners may have visions of warm evenings pulling veg- etables right out of the gar- den and tossing them on the grill or in salads. But insects and animals enjoy fresh pro- duce just as people do. The joy of harvesting from a gar- den can be diminished when unwanted guests have gotten there first. Homeowners can employ these all-natural strategies to protect their fruits and veg- etables from lawn pests and critters. • Plant gardens in raised beds. Though they're not a fool-proof deterrent, raised beds can eliminate some garden infiltration by small critters that come up and un- der from the ground. A raised garden bed can deter rabbits, gophers, groundhogs, slugs, and some other crawling pests. Raised beds also are ergonomical and easily ac- cessible. • Prepare homemade in- secticide. The environmen- tal information site Treehu- gger provides information on making a homemade in- secticide from vegetable oil and a mild soap. Use one cup of oil with one tablespoon of soap (such as Dr Bronner's castile soap). Add this mix- ture to one quart of water in a spray bottle. This concoc- tion can eradicate aphids, mites, thrips, and more by coating insects' bodies and effectively suffocating them. Soap-and-water sprays or even neem oil sprays work similarly. • Sprinkle diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth, commonly known as DE, is an abrasive powder com- prised of fossilized algae di- atoms. It's commonly used as a filter medium in swimming pools, but also makes an ef- fective pesticide. The mate- rial's abrasive and absorbent qualities draw moisture out of insects, essentially dehy- drating them to death. DE can be sprinkled around the base of plants, but will need to be reapplied after rain and watering. • Space out plants. One way to reduce insect or an- imal pest numbers is to en- sure ample space between plants. Tightly planted crops create a breeding ground for fungal diseases and also pro- vide hiding spots and warmth for pests. Leaving room be- tween plants can help avoid these issues, according to Gardening Channel. • Use row covers or garden mesh. Specialized covers and meshes protect fruit and veg- etables against insects and animals. Many plants can be covered all year long as long as the covers are lifted during flowering if the crops depend on pollination by bees. Veggi- emesh® is a cover that can be laid over plants. • Interplant crops in the garden. Interplanting is a technique that involves al- ternating crops, herbs and flowers to confuse the pests so they have a difficult time finding what they want to eat. Alternate rows of vegetables with herbs and flowers that appeal to beneficial insects. Keeping pesky insects and animals from damag- ing food gardens can involve techniques that are safe and natural. 3 Years in a Row! F-6 Fall Home Improvement Wednesday, September 28, 2022 The Press-Dispatch