Install insulation for energy efficiency

Adding insulation to your attic is one of the most effective things you can do to save energy dollars during the wintertime. It's not that hard to do, either, with the loose-fill type, and it doesn't cost that much. In fact, it might pay for itself in just a year or two. Here are the basic steps you will need to take to add blown-in material to what you already have in your attic.

First, you need to determine how much insulation you need. Check with your county or local power utility company for its recommendations. It doesn't hurt to have a little more, but a lot more is usually just a waste of good money. You can use a ruler to make marks on the wooden members of the attic to make blowing in the correct amount much easier.

The blown-in or loose-fill insulation is easily installed right on top of most types of existing insulation with the use of a special machine that can be rented where you buy your insulation. Some hardware stores and home centers will give you a free rental if you purchase a certain amount of insulation. The machine is easy to operate, but having a helper is definitely a good idea. The blowing machine sits outside or in your garage, and the hose is taken up into the attic to spray the insulation out. You need to wear protective goggles and a face mask. Gloves are also a good idea, as well as long sleeves and good shoes. Once you get it set up, you just drop the insulation into the hopper and turn it on to send it through the hose and into your attic.

Prevent covering attic vents and can lights by covering them with protection that can be left in place or removed after the installation. Blow the insulation into the edges first and work your way across the attic floor, being very careful to stay on floorboards or joists and not to fall through the ceiling. Try to keep the material loose and level on the top, and prevent kinking the hose as you work.

PVC piece gives clean copper cut

Copper tubing is easy to work with because it is a “soft” metal. But this same property also makes it bend easily. When you need to cut through it, special care must be taken so that it stays round as you apply cutting pressure. One way you can keep the pipe perfectly round while cutting it is to insert a dowel rod that is just a smidgen smaller than the pipe. As you cut, the pressure falls on the dowel and not on the pipe. It's easy to do with just a scrap and really helps prevent bad cuts.

Coil extension cords in a bucket

Extension cords usually can be made long enough to reach remote projects. Being so long, they also usually get tangled pretty easily. Most people wind or coil them up, and this is OK as long as you can get them uncoiled when you need them and you don't coil them too tightly or kink them in the process. But one of the easiest ways to store them is to wind them up into a large bucket. Coiled in a bucket, they are not going to get kinked up, and a bucket can be stored in lots of places, including being hung up out of the way. The bucket also can be easily hauled out to the work site.

Super hints

• Rechargeable tools are handy, but you can make them even handier by setting up a “charging station” with a power strip and a designated space to place each of your chargers and tools. That way, it will be easy to keep track of these tools to make sure they are ready when you need them.

• It seems like no matter how careful I am, candles drip on my tables and floors occasionally. I have discovered a great way to remove the wax actually, a couple of ways. First, I go after it with ice. I put an ice pack or ice cube on top of it to make it hard and brittle. Then I can try to chip it off with a plastic putty knife. Whatever is left behind gets heated up with a hair dryer and then wiped off with mineral-spirits paint thinner. Of course, you can only do this on surfaces that can take the ice and heat, which are most surfaces in my home.

• We all leave paintbrushes soaking to help make cleaning them easier. But attach the brush to a stir stick with a twist-tie or rubber band so that the stick is just a little longer than the bristles. This takes the stress off them so they are less likely to bend while soaking.

Q. What could be causing a problem with my toilet that smells really bad? It flushes normally, but there is a terrible smell coming from that area all the time. What should I be looking for?

A. There are a couple of things that can cause such bad smells. If the seal is broken around the bottom of the toilet, even just a little bit, the smell from your drain lines can come through. This means you need to replace the wax ring. The drain system of the toilet also utilizes an air vent stack. If this becomes clogged, it can siphon air from your drain lines and cause a stinky problem. You can clean out that vent stack from the roof with a snake or water hose.

Q. I have to make repairs to my fence, but am unsure about pouring concrete during the colder months. What is the temperature range in which I can safely work and still have it turn out strong?

A. If it's not too cold for you to be working on the fence, it's probably not going to affect the concrete. Or, wait for warmer weather!

Q. We are moving and are considering taking our old refrigerator to the new house for extra storage in our garage. My brother said it would be a waste of time as it will cost a lot to keep things cold in our hot area of the country. I am not sure about that. What are your thoughts?

A. There are a couple of things to consider. If it's very old, it's probably not very energy efficient and may cost a lot to run during the hot time of the year. It's also probably going to cost you to hire someone to move it and may not be worth that much. On the other hand, having an extra refrigerated space for storage can be a very handy thing to have on hand. If you do decide to bring it with you, make sure to keep it clean and dust-free, check the door gaskets to make sure they are sealing properly and make sure to monitor it closely to make sure it stays in good working order.

Reader tips

• My mother is having trouble taking care of things around her home, but she still wants to stay there. We try to keep close tabs on her to keep her safe. I have replaced several of her light bulbs with some great CFL bulbs that have a built-in light sensor on them. They automatically come on when it gets dark and stay on until the next morning. I have one at each door and one in the hallway. The CFL bulbs last a long time and use very little energy, so I feel like it's worth it.

• We made doormats for our grown kids this year. We bought plain, extra-large doormats and used stencils to paint their initials on the mats. They really look neat, and I know they are going to love the gifts we made for them. It's going to be the perfect gift for each of them, as they all bought new homes this past year. We are very proud of them and want to show our support.

• We are lucky to have a nice, large storage closet in our garage. It's great for storing the mower, my good tools and most of the other things we want to keep safe and out of the way. I did replace the standard swing-type door with a bi-fold model. This is easier to open when the cars are inside, and I can still get in to get what I need without having to back a car out to get inside. I installed a new hasp lock, which was easy.

• I ran into our sliding-glass door last week and really did a number on my head. My wife bought some nice-looking decals and installed them across the door at eye level. Then the dog, who is starting to get older, ran into the door. We decided to add another row of decals near the bottom of the door to prevent her from doing it again. I told my wife that she did too good a job of cleaning the door! I would never have had that problem!

• I used to be able to remove the window air conditioner that I have used for so many years. But I just can't lift it any longer, so I have done a few things to make the installation more permanent. I have used extra-long screws to hold it in place and have added some foam insulation panels in front of the two pullout “wings” that came with the unit. It's sealed up a lot better this way, and during the winter, I can seal it up even more by covering the front panel as well. Now I don't have to remove it at all.

Shop talk

• The Zibra Open It! is five tools in one. It's designed to open just about any package you run across. It can cut through thick plastic packaging with offset blades. The snipper edge gets into tight spots and cuts through twist and cable ties in seconds. A special shielded knife blade slices through boxes, CD cases and plastic wrap like butter. And the built-in mini screwdriver gets you into just about any battery compartment quickly and easily. Check it out at www.enjoyzibra.com. It's available at discount and hardware stores and a variety of other outlets now.

• Having a miter saw is a luxury for most of us, but the new Folding Leg Miter Saw Stand with Wheels from Bosch is the icing on the cake. The lightweight stand takes up little space when folded up and can be carried easily with one hand. It unfolds and sets up quickly with the rapid-release tool mounts that adjust to fit a variety of saws. Two integrated expanding material supports slide in and out, and lock in place to support up to 16 feet of material. The four folding legs are completely adjustable for uneven floors. Check it out wherever Bosch Tools are sold, online at www.boschtools.com or by calling 877-BOSCH-99.

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

© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.