Keep your fans running smoothly and the cool breezes flowing

Ceiling fans have been around a lot longer than air conditioners, and for most of us, they really help beat the heat in the summertime. But it's important to do a little light maintenance to keep them running smoothly.

Here are some things you should do, and some tips to correct things that need a little help.

Cleaning the fan is something you should do monthly. Dust the blades and the housing. If the housing gets clogged, it will work harder than it has to. A vacuum will get the big dust bunnies, and you can go over it with a damp cloth to finish.

The blades of your ceiling fan should be properly balanced. This means they all should be the same weight. If they aren't, the fan can wobble and make noise. You can weigh them on a scale to check this out. If you need to add weight, just tape a dime or penny to the top of the blade where it won't show. Another way to test for stability is to measure the distance from the tip of each blade to the ceiling. Obviously, a shorter distance would indicate a lighter-weight blade.

If your fan has lights, use compact fluorescent bulbs to save on power needs. Remove glass globes and clean them. When you reinstall them, make sure the set screws are tight to keep the glass from vibrating. Overtightening can cause the globes to break.

Make sure your fan blades turn the correct way. Most fans have a switch that allows the blades to turn in the opposite direction. One way will blow air down into the room, which is great for summer usage; reversing it will pull the air from the top of the room and push it down the sides along the walls to circulate it into the room, helping to distribute the heat during the colder months of the year.

Most ceiling cans are oiled for life. Others have oil ports on the motor to make getting the lubricant to just the right spot easy. If your fan makes noise or appears to need oiling, try spraying a little lubricant on the fan motor shaft.

You can replace bad blades or blades that need an upgrade with a screwdriver. Replacing glass globes is just as easy, and can give your fan a new look. You even can paint a fan if you are careful.

Use caution with natural gas

Natural gas can be a very efficient source of energy for a variety of appliances. But, like most other energy sources, it should be handled with caution. When making connections that involve gas or electricity, a qualified contractor might be your best choice. Natural gas is odorless and, without the addition of a special "stinky" compound, would be hard to detect when leaking. One way that even the pros use to test gas connections is to spray a little bit of soapy water onto the area. If gas is leaking from the connection, bubbles usually will form. If you cannot resolve the issue, or you have any doubts as to the solidity of the connection, call a pro. It's not something you want to make a mistake with, so take every precaution, and always check your connections.

Credit card shim

Kelly has a front door that needed to be adjusted to fit properly. The top hinge had loosened and was farther away from the doorjamb than the bottom hinge. After tightening it, it still was not close enough, so we decided to install a shim behind the bottom hinge to help push the door in the other direction. This is an easy fix, and we have always accomplished it by cutting a thin piece of cardboard and slipping it in under the hinge. But her father-in-law, Bill, had a better idea: Why not use an old credit card? It didn't have to be trimmed much, and it made a very stable shim for the hinge. Thanks, Bill. Super idea!

Super hints

• When pulling wiring through conduit, add a little liquid detergent and water to the outer covering of the wire. It will slide easily through the conduit.

• If you have used lag screws or carriage bolts to complete a project outdoors, keep in mind that the wood probably will shrink just a little in the first month or so. Go back and tighten these fasteners to make sure they hold tight.

• A butcher block cutting board can make a super workbench for a small home when you don't have a workbench to work on. It can take a beating and still work just fine for cutting again in the kitchen. Buy an extra one to keep around just for your projects, and you won't even have to worry about cleaning it afterward.

Q. I have replaced the sprinkler head again along my back fence in the alley. Cars drive by and knock them off or break them often. What can I do to prevent this?

A. If the heads are located close to your fence, you could replace them with longer extensions and connect them directly to your fence. Another solution might be to install a larger-diameter pipe in the ground surrounding the sprinkler head. Leave it sticking up a little higher than the head, so it will take the brunt of the cars' weight. Your sprinkler dealer also might have better solutions.

Q. I want to make a bar for our game room. I would like to know how to make it rounded on the front. What do you do to bend drywall?

A. If you are careful, you can bend 1/4-inch drywall. If you build a simple wooden frame, this should be sufficient for a bar in your game room. What time is the game?

Q. I can see from the outside of my home that my soffit vents are cut very small under the metal grates. It also looks like there is insulation covering them. Should I fix this from the attic side, or from the outside?

A. If the vents are adequate in size, you should be able to go into the attic and move the insulation off the top of them. But if you want the actual vent holes to be larger, you will need to remove the metal cover from the outside and enlarge the hole before putting it back. You sometimes can use a leaf blower from the outside to blow the insulation off the vent without having to crawl up into the attic.

Reader tips

• We had a lot of trouble setting up our landscape lights the last time we did them, so I was determined to find an easier way. I went out into the yard at night and used my flashlight to simulate the light from the lamps. Then I placed the lamps in the right places. The next morning I went out with the wiring and hooked it all up. I did have to make a few final adjustments after testing them out, but most were in just the right spot. The flashlight really helped me "see" where to put them.

• I cut some brackets for our patio roof to add a decorative touch. The pattern I used was one that I drew up myself. To keep it the same on each piece, I stacked the wood together and cut three pieces at once. I'm not sure I saved any time doing it this way, but I know the cuts are all pretty close to the same on each piece of wood.

• My husband hurt himself while working in the shop, and I wouldn't have known had he not set off a smoke alarm to get my attention. He was working with a saw and cut himself badly. There was a smoke detector sitting on his workbench, and he hit the "test" button a couple of times to set it off. I came running out there to help put out the fire, and was glad I did when I finally saw him. The trip to the emergency room was short, and he is back home now. We plan to keep that detector handy. I plan to put one out by the pool, too. After all, you never know when you might need to get someone's attention.

• I have always used waterless hand cleaner in my shop. My dad got me started on the stuff, and I've never found anything that works better. But did you know it works to clean your paintbrushes, too? When using latex or acrylic paint, put some on the bristles and work it into them to clean the paint off quickly and easily, and with less mess. A little soap and water work to finish up, but you really save a lot of time and water by using the waterless cleaner.

• I have a great way to siphon water without having to drink it in the process. Put your hose into the container to be drained. Then fill the hose from the other end with water. When it's full to the end, drop the draining end down and the water flow will reverse and drain your pool, pond or whatever you are trying to drain. No more messy draining.

Shoptalk

• Milwaukee's cordless hand-held vacuum is a great tool for the do-it-yourselfer. It looks like a toolbox, complete with a handle, so it's easily transported around the house. The rectangular design makes it easy to store and stack, and it uses a rechargeable battery pack as its power source. It has a top cover to protect the battery, and a very convenient onboard accessory storage area. The 2-gallon capacity is perfect for most cleanups, and it's fairly lightweight, even when full. The filters are good and easy to replace and clean, and it vacuums both wet and dry spills. You can find it at your hardware store or home center, or online at milwaukeetool.com.

• Now you can convert your plain shop vacuum into a "cyclone" vacuum cleaner by adding a Dust Deputy to it. The Dust Deputy fits most brands, and actually separates the dust, debris and other material before it gets to the vacuum-cleaner canister. This filters better and prevents clogs that can slow you down. It's especially great at filtering out drywall dust and other superfine materials that tend to clog the filter quickly. If you are interested in learning more about this shop aid, visit the company's Web site at oneida-air.com.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2009, Cowles Syndicate Inc.