How Does an Electrical Breaker Work?

You can call it a "Breaker Box", a "Service Panel", or "The Electrical Box", but whatever you call it, what it does and how it works is probably a bit of a mystery.

So here we go with a bit of information intended for the homeowner, as a homeowner, not an electrician

Before you read any further....DO NOT OPEN YOUR SERVICE PANEL or attempt to mess with your electrical system!!

 
1. What does the darn thing do?
Your Service Panel (that is what's is really called) is THE safety device for the electricity you use in your home. It is also the dividing up point for the electrical power coming into your house from your electric company. The amount of electricity coming into your home is really powerful, and actually comes with 2 large wires (also called conductors) that each have 120 volts of AC power. These are first attached to a Main breaker which separates them and passes the power thru the breakers on one side of the service panel and the other to the breakers on the other side of the panel.

2. Safety? How does it do that?

I'm so glad you asked. Electricity, for anyone who has touched it can tell you, will hurt. So that is why the Service Panel is so important. Inside the panel are several features you may not know about. First and foremost are what is called the ground and neutral buss bars. Without these your electricity wouldn't work. Like dancing, it takes two to Tango. Well in this case a hot conductor and a neutral conductor. The ground wire is the safety part of this. Just in case something goes wrong with an appliance or other electrical gadget in your house, the ground wire is where the electricity goes to safely discharge.

3. So just how does the breaker work?
A breaker in your service panel actually works by sensing heat build-up. Look at it this way, any incandescent light buld in your house is actually a heater. It operates by passing electricity thru the wire in the bulb, which in turn gets hot. It gets so hot that it also as a byproduct produces light. Well the breakers in your service panel are kind of like that, except they are set to shut down when the heat reaches a specific point.

4. So back to the dividing up point...
After the electricity passes thru the main breaker it then gets to pass thru the different breakers. Each breaker is matched up with either certain sections of your house or specific appliances, like your stove or refrigerator. It is important to have the correct size breaker along with the correct size wire (conductor) so that the safety feature of the breaker isn't compromised. If you just change out the existing breaker to a larger one then your wire may overheat before the breaker trips. Yep, this is one way to burn a house down.

5. Don't just keep resetting a breaker! 
When a breaker trips it is trying to tell you something. It's telling you SOMETHING IS WRONG! In houses built a few years ago the code electricians used to wire your house and do it safely wasn't as strict as it is today. In the 70's and 80's no one saw 1500 watt hair dryers coming, 15 amp vacuum cleaners, or entertainment centers that rival CNN. So putting 2 or 3 bathrooms on one circuit breaker wasn't unheard of. The problem is 2 bathrooms with a hair dryer going in both will tend to trip the breaker. Easy solution is reset the breaker and only one person gets to fix their hair at a time. If however you have a breaker that trips for no reason that you know of, it's telling you DANGER, DANGER. Have a properly trained person look into what is wrong as soon as you can.

An article by Steve Keel with a special thanks going out to Michael Turkington at Chattahoochee Technical College for passing along the knowledge that made this article possible.

And for assistance with all of your home repair needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help.  Give us a call at 770-575-2533.
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com

5 Tricks to Unlock Your Kitchen's Hidden Potential

No two kitchens are created equal. Some are used every night, while others are only used on special occasions. Some are small. Some have islands. And some kitchens are the pride and joy of the homeowner. All kitchens have one thing in common, though: They have hidden potential!
Take a page out of the pros’ book and try these tricks. Not only will they make you a better cook (maybe… no promises), some of them will save you money, too!
Unlock your kitchen’s hidden potential with these five tips:

1. The Fridge Trick

If your refrigerator’s coils are along the back of the unit, scoot your fridge forward two inches. Most people ram their fridge as close to the wall as possible to eke out some extra floor space, but those extra inches aren’t worth it. By giving your refrigerator coils some breathing room, you’ll reduce your fridge’s energy usage by as much as 40 percent!

2. The Pots and Pans Trick

Place a dryer sheet in the bottom of the pot or pan, fill it with warm water and leave it overnight. Come morning, that apocalyptic magma stuff that was stuck to the bottom will come right off. Just rinse everything with dish soap to remove any remaining residue from the dryer sheet.

3. The Stovetop Trick

If you get distracted while you’re prepping water for your pasta, it can boil over pretty fast. To avoid that, try this: Place a long wooden spoon across the top of the pot. The spoon will pop the rising water bubbles and absorb some of the heat.

4. The Cutting Board Trick

Even the most accomplished chefs can have an accident if their cutting board goes
mobile while they’re chopping. Do your fingers a favor – use this trick to anchor your board: Wrap a rubber band around each end. That’s it! Your cutting board will stay in place.

5. The Freezer Trick

The average temperature of a freezer is 0-5 degrees F! So while it’s always nice to have ice water in the heat of summer, think about how hard your freezer works to make it. Use this trick to lighten the load: Freeze a few 1-gallon jugs of water and leave them in your freezer. This makes it easier for your freezer to keep a consistently low temperature, which saves energy and increases your fridge’s longevity!

A special thanks goes out to Jessica at Brightnest.com for this article.
And for assistance with all of your home repair needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help.  Give us a call at 770-575-2533.
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com

Identify Home Energy Hogs

Why Do This?

You can save up to 10 percent on your energy bill by targeting your energy hogs and unplugging them when you aren't using them regularly! While refrigerators and air conditioners consume the most energy, there are many small appliances that consume large amounts of unnecessary energy, too. These ‘vampire’ products cannot be turned off without being unplugged, and draw power 24 hours a day.

How long should this take? About 15 minutes.

How To:

1. If you want to know what current energy hogs you’re using, buy a low-cost wattmeter to measure the devices in your home. Home Depot has one for about $20
2. Identify the vampire appliances in your house. If you don't use the following appliances regularly, unplug them!
3. Computers. Whether you have a desktop or a laptop (or both), your computer is a Dracula-level energy vampire. By turning your computer off instead of letting it idle or sleep, you can reduce its energy usage by as much as 250 percent.
4. Toaster. Once your crispy toast is on your plate, there’s no need to leave your toaster on. Unplug it until it’s time for your next snack.
5. Cell phones. Even when your phone is plugged-in and fully charged, it’s sapping energy from your outlet. Make a point to unplug your cell phone once the battery is full. Same goes for the charger.
6. DVR and Cable Box. Even when your cable setup isn’t recording and is turned off by remote control it uses a whopping 43.46 watts an hour. When you’re going to sleep or leaving the house for a while, unplug your setup completely.
7. Coffee machine. You may take your cup of java to go in the morning, but your coffee machine hangs out all day draining power. Unplug it once you have your brew, or go classy and switch to a French press!
8. Televisions and video game systems. These will chip away at your bank account every minute the are plugged in. Standby mode is expensive!
9. To make unplugging appliances and other electrical devices easier, consider using a switchable power strip to easily unplug a cluster of cords all at once. If there are energy hogs you aren't use regularly, plug them into the power strip and get in the habit of switching it off. You can pick one up at Home Depot for less than $4.00

A special thanks goes out to Brightnest.com for this article.
And for assistance with all of your home repair needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help. 
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com

A Crash Course in Hiring an Exterminator

It doesn’t matter if it’s insects or rodents: pest invasions are never fun. Unwanted critters can wreak havoc on your home, spread diseases and give you a serious case of the shivers. If you wind up with a big pest problem, it’s important to call an exterminator rather than ignoring the issue or trying to deal with it yourself. A professional will be able to safely and fully restore your home to its former pest-free glory.

But choosing an exterminator can be intimidating. What traits should you look for? Are you getting a fair price? Can they really and truly get those racoons out of your basement? It’s important to be informed, because pest control can be expensive. Here’s what you need to know when hiring an exterminator:
1. Ask for credentials. Don’t be shy – you have the right to see the exterminator’s license! Before you hire, ask how their technicians are trained and what certifications they had to receive before being hired.
2. Check their history. Do some research to find out how long the exterminator has been in business. If a company has been serving your community for years, chances are they’re a trustworthy organization. Another great way to find a reputable company is by asking neighbors and friends who they used in the past (and whether or not they were satisfied). You can also use sites like Yelp for recommendations.
3. Get an estimate. Depending on the pest, different strategies for removal (i.e. chemical spray vs. setting traps) can vary widely in price. Make sure you get an estimate for each strategy, and then weigh the costs and benefits. For larger projects (like termites), it’s a good idea to get estimates from multiple companies so that you can choose who is best to tackle your problem. Note: Most professional exterminators should offer you some sort of guarantee for the pest removal – be wary if they don’t!
4. Demand thoroughness. A professional exterminator should inspect your home, confirm the specific pest problem and then present you with several possible solutions. Ask them to explain the pros and cons of each extermination method. Note: An exterminator who doesn’t seem very knowledgeable is a red flag! They should be able to explain the pest’s habits, why the invasion may have happened in the first place and how each extermination method will affect you and your home.

A special thanks goes out to Brightnest.com for this article.
And for assistance with all of your home repair needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help.  Contact them by calling 770-575-2533.
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com

Never Run Out of Hot Water Again

Chalk it up to first world problems if you want, but a cold shower can throw a serious wrench in your morning routine. To make matters worse, Murphy’s Law and Plumbing 101 both dictate that the time you rely on hot water the most – when guests are visiting – is when it’s most likely to go frigid.

Whether your water heater is powered by gas or electricity, if it has a tank, it will run cold if it’s overused. But that doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to an icy-shower fate! With a little bit of planning, it is possible to prevent cold showers. Here’s how:

Know Your Limits

Take a look at the capacity of your water heater. Tank heaters will generally only deliver 2/3 of their capacity as hot water (this is because cold water enters the tank and dilutes it). So, a fully heated, 50-gallon tank will deliver roughly 33 gallons of hot water at any given time. The average shower uses 2 gallons of water per minute, so that same 50-gallon tank is good for a little less than 17 minutes of hot water. Tip: As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for a tank capacity of 10-15 gallons per adult in your house.

Know the Refill Time

If, when calculating your average shower time, the numbers come up shorter than you’d like, you don’t need to go shopping for a bigger water heater just yet. A 50-gallon water tank will require about 20 minutes to refill and another 20 minutes to heat (call it 60 minutes to be safe). So if Uncle Bob drains all of your hot water, plan on waiting an hour before taking your turn.

Separate Shower Times

If water-heater math and waiting to shower isn’t your style, simply dividing showers between a.m. and p.m. slots will help ensure everyone stays warm. This can require a little planning ahead if you have a full household, but it’s probably the simplest solution. Tip: Use a paint chip calendar to keep track of your schedule.

Check for Other Issues

If you try all of these things but are still plagued with icy cold interruptions, there may be a problem with your water heater. Some red flags to look for include:

• A rotten egg smell with gas-powered water heaters can indicate a faulty aluminum rod (this smell can also indicate a gas leak!).
• Uneven pressure or spurts of water could mean there’s clogging in your water heater.
• Popping or cracking sounds coming from your water heater are signs of sediment buildup.
• Puddles or mold surrounding your water heater mean there’s probably a leak.

If you discover any of these issues, the best thing to do is contact a qualified professional to come properly diagnose and solve the problem.
A special thanks goes out to Brightnest.com for this article.
And for assistance with all of your home repair needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help.  Contact them by calling 770-575-2533.
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com

HVAC Air Duct Cleaning: Necessary or Not?

A popular HVAC "maintenance" item that seems to get a lot of attention is that of duct cleaning. It seems like a logical maintenance activity but cleaning the air ducts in your home’s HVAC system may not be as good an idea as it intuitively seems.

Let's explore some of the issues.
Do ducts get dusty? Yes.
Is that normal? Yes.
Should you regularly clean your ductwork? No.

Unlike dryer duct cleaning which should be regularly checked and cleaned, no independent objective organization recommends HVAC duct cleaning as an essential part of routine HVAC system maintenance.
In fact the Environmental Protection Agency states the “EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on an as-needed basis because of the continuing uncertainty about the benefits of duct cleaning under most circumstances.”
It also states…“Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts.  This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space.”

Now I’m not saying duct cleaning is a bad idea, just that it is not necessarily good or even, well, necessary in most cases. In this link I'll show you a picture of the interior of ductwork from my home built in 1937. The duct has never been cleaned. See what you think.

Properly performed, duct cleaning can be useful in limited situations such as if the ducts are filthy or infested with mice or other vermin, or if you see evidence of significant visible mold growth in the ducts or on the mechanical components of the HVAC system that come in contact with air. But cleaning normally dusty ducts provides no real value.

Frightening “before” and “after” duct photos may make great discount coupon photos but chances are rare that your ducts are in bad shape. If your ducts are seriously filthy enough to require it to be cleaned, then you should clean the entire HVAC system (more on that later), not just the ducts themselves.

Please understand that duct cleaning uses specialized tools to agitate and dislodge dirt in the ducts to make the dirt and other contaminants increasingly loose and airborne before they are vacuumed out. Sometimes the ducts are cut for tool access and needs to be carefully resealed. Then a powerful vacuum system is used to remove the loosened dirt and contaminants. If this is not done properly you can do more harm than good.
For example, if the vacuum hose / containment system is not sealed tightly and exhausting contaminants to the outside, or if a HEPA filtration system is not used in an interior vacuum system, you can wind up releasing dirt and contaminants into your home’s interior. As part of the duct cleaning process, your ducts may have service holes cut into it for tool or vacuum hose access that may not be properly sealed after use, or HVAC system components could be taken apart and damaged or not reinstalled properly, and so on.

Kitchen Update

DIY – Update Your Kitchen With a New Tile Backsplash!

If you want to give your kitchen a facelift, consider replacing or adding a new tile backsplash. This can give your kitchen a bright modern appearance without a lot of effort. The nice thing about adding a new backsplash is that it is not very hard to do. If your existing backsplash is painted drywall, it’s quite straightforward. Even if you have an old tile backsplash, it is still not difficult – just messier in the beginning.
Planning the Project
If your existing backsplash is painted drywall, you can install your new tiles right over the top. Just sand the area to rough up the surface and get ready to install. If you have an existing tile backsplash, your best bet is to remove it totally. This will involve actually cutting the existing backer (usually drywall) and getting rid of both it and the attached tiles. For the best results consult with a professional to determine if you need to replace the drywall before installing the new tile. Pro-Fix Home Repair can help answer all of your questions.
Determine the length of your backsplash, and then measure the distance from the top of the counter to the bottom of the wall cabinet to calculate the area you’ll need to cover with your tiles (length x width = area). Now that you know how much space you have, figure out your tile pattern. Use graph paper and draw a scale outline. The most common tiles used for backsplashes are 4 x 4, 6 x 6 or 3 x 4 subway tiles. You could also use 1 x 1 tiles attached to a back mesh if you like the appearance better–the choice is yours.  Find the one that best fits your style. Just be sure that the tiles are glazed when you get them; this will help prevent stains, moisture and grease from ruining your tile. When you calculate your tile quantities, don’t forget to add about 10 percent for cutting and waste.
Installing the Backsplash

1. Remove the stove and range hood and anything else that will be in your way when you are working on the backsplash. Shut off the power to any outlets or switches and remove the cover plates.
2. If your tiles are going to be running over any gaps (like where the range will be), install a temporary ledger board along the base of your tile line to help hold them in place during installation.
3. Mark the visual focal point of your layout and use a level to draw a starting line through it. You’ll use this to line up your tiles vertically. Now, lay out your tiles on the countertop or the kitchen floor so you can follow the pattern.
4. Starting at the center, begin the bottom row by applying tile mastic (a ready to use tile adhesive) or thinset mortar to a small section of the wall using a grooved trowel. Put the edge of the first tile on the vertical line leaving a gap of about 1/8″ on the bottom – this leaves space for a bead of caulk later in the process. Press and wiggle the first tile into place, then put in a temporary 1/8″ spacer (vertically for easy removal when the mastic dries).
5. Install the second tile using the same process. Continue installing tiles working away from the centerline, wiggling them into place and putting spacers between each. Follow your pattern and install any decorative/highlight tiles as part of the field.
6. When you get to a place where you need to cut or trim a tile (under a countertop, end of a row, around an electrical outlet), cut the tile as part of the installation – don’t leave an opening and plan to come back.

Cutting a Tile
Cutting tile can be a hard task; the easiest way to cut a tile is using a tool called a scoring cutter. Using one is a two-step process – mark the tile where you want to cut it, then place the tile in the tool and score a mark in the tile surface. Then, using a sharp motion of the tool handle, the cutter will break the tile along the scored line.
Cutting openings for an electrical outlet can be more challenging. Depending on where an electrical outlet fits into your pattern, you may be need to cut two tiles using the scoring cutter, and then use tile nippers to cut out the opening and put them on each side of the outlet.
Grouting
After the tiles are installed and the mastic has been allowed to set up overnight, it’s time to grout. Use a sandless grout (to avoid scratching the tile surface) and mix it according to manufacturer’s directions. Apply the grout using a rubber float. Push it well down into the gaps between the tiles, then holding the float at a 45-degree angle remove the excess.
Finishing Up
Allow the grout to set up for about an hour and then clean off the hazy surface on the tiles. Use wet sponges, rinsing them often in clean water to wipe away the film. Buff the tiles with a clean dry cloth to bring out their natural beauty. You will likely need to install box extenders to your electrical outlets before you can reattach the cover plates.  Finally, apply a bead of tub and tile caulk (the same color as the grout) all along the bottom seam where the backsplash meets the countertop.
Following the steps above will help you install a new backsplash into your kitchen. Make sure you pay attention to details and follow each step, but if you happen to come across a problem, the professional craftsmen at Pro-Fix Home Repair can finish the project for you, or help you along the way. 

And for assistance with all of your home’s repair and inprovement needs, Pro-Fix Home Repair stands ready to help.  Contact them by calling 770-575-2533.
Give us a call @ 770-575-2533 or www.ProFixHomeRepair.com