Don't stay in the dark - use these tips to pick the right generator

We take our electrical power for granted many times, and when the lights go out, it's a real hardship. Whether it's from a hurricane, flood, tornado or some other disaster, a generator is fast becoming a standard household appliance.

If you are just getting into the game, here are a few things you must know.

Some generators are meant to power your whole home and will turn on automatically should there be a power outage. But most homeowners will choose a portable model just to have one on hand for emergencies. To determine what size generator you need, you should go around your home and determine which appliances you will be operating should your power go off. You will need to add the wattage of each item and then purchase a generator that is sufficient to run these appliances. For example, most homeowners will need refrigeration, lights and possibly a sump pump. You may have to do without air conditioning, but you'll live.

Your generator needs to be set up outside the house in an area that is not closed up.

It's also a smart idea to install carbon-monoxide detectors inside your home. Although your generator will be running outside, carbon monoxide can drift indoors and build up. The alarm will let you know if you have a problem before your family gets sick, or worse.

Always read and follow your owner's manual, and never take any risks with your generator. Never hook it up directly to your household electrical supply. This can endanger not just you, but your neighbors as well, as it can feed back through lines that others think are not "hot."

Use sufficient extension cords for your appliances, and never overwork your generator. Plug in the largest energy user first, and then the rest.

Take care of maintenance as advised in your owner's manual to make sure your generator is ready to go when it is needed.

Catch messy drips

If you use paint right out of the can with a brush, you are not alone. Statistics prove that most of us do-it-yourselfers do this. Of course, you probably will get messy drips down the side. But there is a very simple way to prevent this from happening. Just slip a cloth sweatband around the paint can, near the top to catch all of those drips. Once you have finished painting, or making a mess, just clean the sweatband the best you can and save it for next time. Or, start a new trend with your paint-spattered headband on the tennis courts!

Super hints

• Small LED lights on chargers and other devices are hard to see in daylight. But if you roll up a piece of paper and place it, lengthwise, between the light bulb and your eye, like a telescope, now you can see it!

• If you are having trouble opening round doorknobs, either due to arthritis or just when your hands are full, change your doorknobs to the lever type. These will make opening much easier. They also are more trendy and will give your doors an updated look.

• To prevent paint from going bad once it's opened, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the can and then secure the lid over that. It will help prevent air infiltration, which causes the paint to thicken and go bad. It also makes getting the lid off again much easier.

Q. I tried to replace the shower head on my bathroom shower, but the head broke off. I now need to remove the pipe coming out of the wall and replace that. How can I get a hold of it to turn it?

A. Your hardware store or home center should have a stub wrench, which is a small wrench made to go inside the pipe and grab it so you can turn it more easily. That should make it much easier to remove the old pipe, and the new one should go in easily. Then you can replace your shower head. I guess you must have more muscle than you thought!

Q. My bathroom vanity has a fake marble top on it. I accidentally chipped a small corner off and am trying to figure out how I can fix this. Can you give me some suggestions?

A. If you were lucky enough to have saved the chipped-off piece, you can try just gluing it back on with clear epoxy adhesive. If you don't have the piece, you can go to a crafts store and buy a two-component casting resin and mix some color into it so that it will match your counter. You may have to build a small form if the chip is on a corner. Sand it smooth when you have finished.

Q. I've noticed that I have excess humidity in my house. The bathrooms are the worst, even though I have exhaust fans that run fine. How do I measure the humidity, and what do I do if I want to get rid of some of it?

A. Check a hardware store for a hygrometer, a gauge used to determine the humidity in your home. Most people like to be within the 40-percent-to-50-percent range. You can use a dehumidifier to lower the humidity, if it's too high. Make sure you do have adequate ventilation in your home, attic and basement, too.

Q. We still use our oil lamp and want to keep it in good working order. The problem I am having with it is that the metal screw-on top won't unscrew very easily anymore. Is there some sort of tape or lubricant or anything that will keep access available for refilling the lamp?

A. Use some fine-grit sandpaper to smooth the inside threads of the metal top. Then apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly to the threads of the top and the glass lamp. This should keep the two pieces from sticking together and make it easier to remove the top for refilling.

Reader tips

• I didn't think about it until the other day, but I opened all the windows in the house when it got down in the 70s here. Last spring before we closed them all up, I cleaned the tracks really well and then put a thin coating of petroleum jelly all around the edges. This not only helped the windows seal really well, but they opened like I used them every day. I will do the same this winter and from now on.

• I love your column and get a lot of great ideas from it. I have used several of your "ladder improvements" but have come up with a few of my own. I installed a large eye bolt on the side of my ladder, near the top. I use this to hold my drill, hammer or screwdriver. It's very handy, and it doubles as a hanger when I fold the ladder up and put it in the garage. I save space by standing the ladder up near a shelf, and use a bungee to hold it to the shelf with the eye bolt.

• I was having a hard time getting the bleach into my air conditioner's drain pan. I had a funnel, but the end wasn't long enough, and I spilled some. I stuck a tube onto the end of the funnel, left over from my outdoor fountain, and this carried the bleach into the pan. It worked, and the drain is working again.

• We are getting ready to store our boat for the winter. We always keep it at the same storage garage, and we have a cover that fits pretty well. There are ropes that fit through the grommets to hold the cover in place. I placed a washer between the knot of the rope and the grommet to keep some of the pressure off the grommet. I've been using the same cover for almost four years, so I would say the washers help it stay tight, which makes it fit well and last longer.

• We were trying to sell our home, and found that our bathroom hardware was outdated. We replaced all of the cabinet knobs, towel bars and toilet paper holders with some with a brushed nickel finish. Fortunately, our faucets go with that. Now the room looks so much better, and it didn't cost us very much to do. We have had nice comments about the changes from our agent and prospective buyers. Now, if we can just get an offer!

Shoptalk

• Cordless screwdrivers aren't new, but General's Power Precision Screwdriver does have some innovations that others don't have. It's ideal for ultra-delicate applications like computers and hobbies. The 100-plus-rpm motor features forward and reverse controls. The quick-change chuck makes bit changes super fast, and the streamline shape is easy to handle. Super-torque drive, ergonomic design and more than 10 hours' run time are worth checking out. To learn more and to find a local distributor, visit generaltools.com.

• It's hard to get a good paint job without primer first - at least, it has been until now. Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint has a built-in primer that gives you fantastic coverage over even strong colors and many stains. It's backed by a lifetime guarantee and includes the advanced Nanoguard technology to keep that fresh finish looking great longer. It comes in a variety of finishes and just about any color you want to try. It dries to the touch in only two hours and can be recoated, if you need to, in only four. Dry paint is mildew-resistant, so it's great for just about any room in your home. Behr paints are available at Home Depot. For additional information on Premium Plus or any of the other paint products in the Behr line, visit the company's Web site, behr.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.