How to Thaw a Frozen Pipe

Most houses have some pipes outside, and vulnerable to freezing in cold weather.  Fortunately it is fairly easy to thaw a frozen pipe.

When you are looking at how to thaw a frozen pipe, there are several options you can consider.  one of these techniques should help you thaw a frozen pipe though!

1) The hairdryer technique.  If you can get a hairdryer close enough, slowly moving the hair dryer up and down the exposed area can help to rapidly thaw a frozen pipe.

If you use this method to thaw a frozen pipe try not to overheat the pipe, or heat it to such an extent that pressure builds up inside the pipe. As the pipe begins to thaw, begin to run hot water through the pipe if possible.

2) The warm cloth method is most common for those who cannot get an electrical outlet close by for the hairdryer method.  for the warm cloth method take a bundle of cloths and a big bucket of HOT water.  Dip the cloths in to the hot water and place over the frozen areas, only for a second or two to begin with, but as the pipe warms, you can hold them over for longer.

Keep placing the cloths with warm ware over the pipe until it defrosts, if possible as the pipe starts to thaw, run ho water through it.  Do not pour boiling water over the pipe, it may damage it!

3) Running the water, it may seem obvious but just try pouring some hot water down there, preferably with some salt in it.  If there is enough space for water to seep through, keep this up until the blockage is cleared!

I hope one of these methods worked, and that the information on how to thaw frozen pipes was useful to you!

In future try insulating the pipes, or regularly running a small amount of hot salted water through the pipe to prevent a re-occurrence of frozen pipes!

how to connect a light dimmer switch

A dimmer switch can often be seen as a luxury, or even wastefulness.  Though the truth of the matter is a dimmer switch can actually save you money, as well as help set the mood, and always give you the perfect lighting level.

While dimmer switches generally cost a little more than normal light switches, you should soon recoup the cost in energy savings.  You may also need to watch out for low cost dimmer switches, which can often be fragile and brittle!

This guide will show you how to install a dimmer switch in your home. Installing a dimmer switch is simple, quick, and easy.  Remember to ensure that the electricity is turned off at the circuit breakers before you connect a dimmer switch, as otherwise you will be working with a live current!

So here we go on how to install a light dimmer switch!

1) Shut off the power! This is very important, remember to do this!

2) You will need to remove the current light switch faceplate.  All you have to do is unscrew the screws which you can see on the exterior.  Save these screws, especially if you did not get any with your new dimmer switch.

3) Remove the light fixtures, you need to do this by removing the two mounting screws holding the light fixture in to the metal wall box.

4) Gently pull away the light switch assembly from the wall, and look for the two electrical wires which are connected to the switch.

5) Remember which of the wires is connected to which terminal, in most cases the wires inside will be black and white.

6) Disconnect the wires from the old light switch and remove it from the wiring post.

7) Attach the wires to the posts on your light dimmer switch, in the same way they were connected to the old light switch.  Make sure that the wires are screwed tightly to the connecting posts of the dimmer switch.

Insert the light dimmer switch in to the wall mount, you can use the two mounting screws which you originally took from the old light switch.

9) Remove the dimmer knob from its face plate by pulling straight back, you will need to set this aside for later.

10) Take the faceplate and place it over the metal post for the dimmer knob, secure it with the two screws.

11) Take the dimmer knob and push it firmly on to the metal post, generally there will be a slot or grooved pattern to align the control knob on to.

12) Switch on your circuit breakers and test the dimmer switch, check that it all works correctly, and you are done!

And there you have it, your very own dimmer switch, giving you the perfect mood lighting, cheaper electricity bills, and a certain style tat you will grow to love!

I hope this guide on how to connect a light dimmer switch helped, and with a few more additions you could have dimmer switches throughout your entire house!

How To sand Wood

When you create most items out of wood they will need sanding down and polishing up at some point.  Before you lacquer, stain or seal wood that you have just worked on you must polish it down. In fact in many cases it helps to repeat this process several times to get the high quality shine you should expect from good woodwork.

So without further ado, let me tell you how to sand wood!

First position the wood so the grain runs away from you, this will make it significantly easier to sand down.

Run the sandpaper down along the grain, pushing outwards away from yourself.

Rub until the surface, edges and seams are smooth.

After you have sanded it down rub it with a tack cloth to give it a truly smooth finish!

And there you have it, you now have a freshly sanded section of wood, which you can stain, lacquer, or seal to your hearts content!

I hope this guide on how to sand wood was useful to any budding carpenters out there!

How to get rid of wine stains

Whether you are at a party or dining at home, a wine stain can leave an unsightly mark. Worst of all, if you do not get rid of wine stains immediately they can permenantly stain! Fortunately we can show you how to get rid of wine stains to leave your fabric looking as new!

First off though, if your clothes are dry clean only, the best option is to take tehm straight to the dry cleaners.  There tehy have a huge array of chemicals to deal with this, without ruining your clothes!

If you wan’t to know how to get rid of wine stains on clothes that can be cleaned normally however then read on!

To get rid of wine stains then you really need to treat the clothes straight away.  Take the affected area and dab it with a paper towelto get rid of the excess wine.

Once you have dabbed off the excess your next move depends on where you are.  If you are away form home then run cold water over the stain from the back of the cloth.  This should remove most of the wine stain.  If you are at home then you may be able to do a little better with the following mixture.

Take 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent and mix it in with one cup of Hydrogen Peroxide.  Place a clean sponge in to your cleaning solution and squeeze.

Take a washcloth or several paper towels and place them between the front and back of the garment if it is in danger of spreading the stain, and lay it on a table.

Refresh the sponge with the solution and squeeze it so it is not dripping again, then dab over the stain.

Rinse the material in cold water from behind, and repeat this process if you think it is necessary!

Wash the garment as per normal, and you should be wine stain free!

I hope you enjoyed this quick guide on how to get rid of wine stains!

How to Paint a Door

After you have had a house or apartment for a while you will undoubtedly notice the door becoming scuffed and scratched.  After this gets to a certain point it is time to paint your door with a fresh coat of paint!

Painting a door is a pretty simple process, this how to paint a door guide will make things even easier though!

When you are looking at how to paint a door you have to consider the amount of damage the door has sustained.  If the door just needs refreshing with a new coat of the same colored paint, you may just be able to paint over it while it is on the hinges.  If there is more damage, you will need to unhinge the door and lay it flat.

If the door has any small gaps in you may be able to fill these with paint.  However, if you have large gaps you may need to fill these with a filler.

When you are painting the door while it is still attached the first thing you need to do is prepare.  To prepare your door for painting you must do a few basic things.

First, cover the carpet with sheets or newspaper around the door.

Secondly, tape over all the hinges and door handles with masking tape.  You do not really want to paint over these.

Finally you need to place some kind of wedge, to stop the door closing while still wet! (You can paint over this bit later)

Once you have prepared to paint your door while still hinged, you can begin! Whether you are using a roller or a paint brush, you must paint in downwards strokes.  If your door has details, do these first with a brush!  The door should be held open so you can paint the part inwards to the hinge if required, this must be a light coat of paint however!

Once this has dried you can remove your wedge and paint any spots you may have missed, then remove the masking tape and newspaper, and you are done!

If you want to know how to paint the door by taking it off the hinges then read on!

By taking the door off it’s hinges you can do a much more professional job. When you remove the door you should take off the hinges, and tape over the gaps these have left.  You should also tape over the door handle and any locks. To hold the door you should lay it down flat over a table, or sawhorse.

If the door is damaged fill in the gaps with a filler (Putty for small gaps, epoxy for large), and smooth down with sand paper.

Apply one to do coats of paint and allow to dry, if it looks close to ready you can apply the final coat.  If the door is fresh wood, then you may need to apply up to four coats of base paint to cover the scuffs and marks.

When you paint the door with a brush use long even strokes.  You can use a roller, however you may need to use a smaller brush to fill in any patterns.  You can find more details on painting in our how to paint section.

Once you have done the first side of the door you can start on the second side.  To do the second side of the door you will need to lay it down on the fresh coat of paint.  To protect the fresh paint then you should lay down a layer of newspaper and cover this with soft tissue paper.  This should stop any dents in the paint, or unsightly marks!

Hopefully these handy hints will help you learn how to paint a door!

Unearthed Stone Foundations

Stone foundations have been used for centuries to keep buidldings stable, and they are still used instead of concrete in many buildings today!

If you are building a wall, a building or even a shed, stone foundations are a strong, stable and reliable foundation solution, and even better they are cheap, if not free!

Building a stone foundation does take time and effort, remember that it will take some heavy manual labour. Of course once you have decided that you want to do this you need to know how to build stone foundations.  This how to guide on building stone foundations should guide you through it step by step!

1) Dig a trench for the foundations, this should be at least a foot and a half wide and deep enough to avoid the frost  line. This needs to be deep enough and strong enough to support the construction on top.  When you are digging the trench you may find that a pick axe helps to get through stony layers of earth.

2) You need to start with the largest stones first, continue to lay the largest stones at the bottom, keep building this up using progressively smaller stones as you reach the top.  If you don’t have large stones try using bags of concrete which have hardened.

3) Fill it up, pack smaller stones around the large rocks.  You really need to keep this tight so pack small stones in tightly, beat them with a hammer if necessary to keep it strong!

4) Cover the base foundations with gravel and tamp it down.  You may want to repeat this a few times to avoid any chance of subsidence.  While doing this you may want to lay down any piping for Electrics and plumbing, if you are planning to do this remember to decide beforehand  where the pipes will be laid for greatest convenience

5) Once this is done you can build up on top of it with whatever construction you want!

Once you have followed this easy how to lay a stone foundation guide you should have your own stone foundation up in no time! Whether you are building a greenhouse, a building or a small wall!

1) The usual easy fix for squeaky doors is lubricating oil such as WD-40.  Spray this in to the hinges and you should see a noticeable improvement almost instantly.

2) Sometimes a quick spot of oil will not do the job, if this is the case try taking off the hinges and remove the hinge pin.  Once you remove the pin rub it down with wire wool.  Respray the hinge with WD-40 and then replace the hinge.  You could also try soap on the hinge pin, this can help remove dirt from the hinge and smooth it’s passage.

3) Sometime the squeaking can be caused by loose hinges.  A good way to fix this is to unscrew the hinges, put match sticks in to the holes and break them off where the screw hole levels off, then replace the screws.

4) If none of this has worked you can always buy new hinges, they are not very expensive, and can be found at any hardware store.

Hopefully this guide on how to fix squeaky door hinges will have fixed your problems!

UK Plug

Sometimes wires get damaged, or you end up buying an appliance from overseas. When this happens you may decide to simply fit a new plug rather than buy a new appliance.

When you need to wire a UK plug you only need to follow a few very simple steps.  If you need to wire a UK plug on to any appliance it is an easy job, and you can usually do it in 5 minutes flat!

1) Strip the wires, you will need to remove just over one inch of the white outer covering, and about half a centimetre of the inner wires.

2) Loosen the screw and take the plug apart and then loosen (Not undo) the three screws inside.

3) Feed the cable through the cable grip, tighten this slightly.  Insert the three smaller wires as per the diagram above. The wires are as follows

• Brown – Live – Middle Right Connection
• Green and Yellow – Earth – Top Connection
• Blue – Neutral – Bottom Left Connection

4) Tighten the three small wires securely

5) Tighten the cable grip and tug the wire to ensure it will not slip out during use.

6) Replace the outer cover, and you are done!

This is the simple easy way to wire a UK plug!