October 2009

Putting in a Ceiling Fan, Winter Honey Do’s (Part 2)

Posted on October 29, 2009 at 11:31 pm in
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Now that the flooring is finished in my spare room and the bedroom is set up, I need a ceiling fan put in to pull in the heat from the wood pellet stove which is at the other end of the house. We switch the direction of the fan blades from the setting in the summer, going clockwise and pushing air to counter clockwise and pulling air into the room and it will pull the heat down the hall and into the room.

I did not need anything fancy for this. There are a lot of different types of ceiling fans at a wide range of prices. I just needed a simple, small, close to the ceiling, fan with a light kit. If you like a fan to hang lower from the ceiling then you will need to purchase one with a downrod. My fan will be over a bed and I need it close to the ceiling. There is a site that has a lot of information on

Check the floor-to-ceiling height of the fan blades. You can do this by measuring the floor-to-ceiling distance and subtracting for the part of the fan that will extend below the ceiling down to the lower blade surface. An absolute minimum height of 7′ is recommended. Building codes in your area may reinforce this.

If the floor-to-ceiling distance is too little, check into a low-ceiling mount for your fan. With some models, the fan blade height can be increased by as much as 10″. Remember, though, that you need at least 12″ between the ceiling and the tops of the fan blades for proper airflow. Having 18″ is better if the space is available.

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To start the installation The first thing you will need to do is shut off the source of electricity. Then it is best to take out all the parts and lay them out in a work area. Read the directions and get familiar with all the parts. One thing we had to check was the junction box and how secure it was. You want to make sure this is going to hold the weight of the fan and be secured to withstand the vibrations and circular movement of the fan. A secured junction box should be able to support a fan’s weight up to 35 pounds. If the fan weighs more, then you will need to add more support.

If it needs more support then you will need to secure it to a brace between ceiling joists. If there is no 2″ x 4″ wood brace between the joists but you have access to the framing through the attic, add a brace. Otherwise, install an expandable metal ceiling fan hanger bar. These may be positioned either from the attic or from below the ceiling, through the rough opening. Secure the box to the bracket with a U-bolt.
ceiling fan directions

Remove the fan motor screws. These are the screws that will be used later to secure the blade arms to the motor. Remove the mounting bracket from the fan canopy and secure it to the junction box. If the fan comes with a J-hook, install the mounting bracket with the J-hook towards the floor. The hook will support the weight of the fan motor housing for a hands-free wiring installation.

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Hang the motor housing from the J hook. Determine the hot and common wires by color: black is hot for the fan, blue is hot for the light kit, white is common for the fan and light kit, and green is ground. Pull the electrical wires through the center hole of the mounting bracket. There should be a white wire, black wire and a blue or copper wire. Thread the wires from the motor through the canopy. Take extra care not to pull on electrical wires.

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Make the appropriate wire connections. After the connections are made and the wires are carefully tucked into the outlet box, remove the canopy from the J-hook on the mounting plate.

Remember to cap the wires and tape all connections. Attach the canopy to the mounting plate with the provided screws.

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Mount each blade bracket to a fan blade using the screws and washers supplied making sure all screws are tight. Finish mounting your light kit. I am sure that there is something you can add to these instructions. Please leave a comment and let me know if they were helpful.

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Hunting for a New Sleeping Bag

Posted on October 23, 2009 at 2:01 pm in
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A sleeping bag, of the "mummy" varie...
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We finally are going to replace one of our sleeping bags. The shopping is not going to be taken lightly either. The sleeping bags I have now we have used for more than 20 years when the kids were young. I just hope the ones they make now are made as well.

There are some simple tips to go by to help you choose your new sleeping bag:

1. The temperature you will be exposed to.
2. The size and style
3. The material it is made of.

These points are all personal preference. When I lived in California and camped the summers there we did not have to consider the temperature so much where we camped. The kids were young and they did not take that good of care of their things so inexpensive was the way to go for them. Now, our camping has changed here in Upstate New York. Temperature is definitely a concern.

Hunting season is coming up and so, this sleeping bag will need to accommodate sleeping temperatures of anywhere from 0 to -20 degrees. Gary has a small heated hunting camper that he takes to his hunting camp to sleep in but it still gets cold. The type of insulation is going to matter here.

Next he needs a sleeping bag that is made for a big and tall person. He is 6′2. It has been so long since we shopped for a sleeping bag that I didn’t even realize they came in different sizes (showing my age there huh?). The style is a concern also. We do not like the mummy style sleeping bag. The rectangular one is our preference. There is also a double sleeping bag. We did use this kind in our small driver on the bed that was a double size bed. It made for quick clean up and perfect comfort sleeping.

Now, we have a preference to the lining of the bag be the soft flannel like material. Some less expensive sleeping bags have a nylon material that is cold to the touch and is slippery to sleep on. The other thing is the outside material needs to be of a durable material too. Again, some of the less expensive sleeping bags are made with a less durable material.

There is another new type of sleeping bag. It is the sleeping bag with arms and legs which allows users to wear their sleeping bag, giving them mobility and comfort. It also gives the possibility to walk and grab certain elements with your hands.

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I think an appropriate name to call this type Sleeping Bag is a “Sleeping Bag Suit”. It reminds me of the sleep suits we used on the kids when they were babies. They look like they are a little too warm. Even when we camp and it is snowing out, there is usually a source of heat. I think this suit would be for someone who is camping in colder weather with out a good heat source through the night.

Once you have in mind what you want to shop for in a sleeping bag I think it is a good idea to browse a few of your favorite sporting goods stores online. Sometimes you can find a special online deal that is not in the store. Good luck with your shopping and leave a comment and let me know what you came up with.

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Check out this great Outdoor store for great Hunting and Camping needs!

Don’t for get to check out their Deal of the Day too!


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Asian Ladybug-Back Again This Year!

Posted on October 22, 2009 at 3:34 pm in
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We have an infestation of the Asian ladybug beetle this year. It’s not quite as bad as last year but they are still covering the surface of the back porch and back of the house.

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Asian lady beetles are not any real threat to humans and are mainly a nuisance. Unlike some household pests like cockroaches or fleas. They tend to come in doors looking for winter shelter and those appearing in late winter/early spring are the same individuals that entered the previous fall.

Lady beetles do not attack wood, food or clothing. But, I still don’t like finding them all over the house. We have a projection large screen TV and last year had to take it apart to get them off of the inside of the screen. They really are a pest, getting into things.

Although Asian lady beetles do not carry and transmittable disease recent studies suggest that infestations can cause allergies in some individuals, ranging from eye irritation to asthma.

As a child we used to love the ladybug and protected it because of the good things it can do for your garden but the Asian ladybug is not the same. My husband told me that they can bite. I didn’t believe it until I looked it up. You can find more information on the USDA Agricultural Research site

Getting rid of them is not an easy task. It is recommended for indoors to just vacuum them. Outdoors it is a little tougher though. These Ladybugs tend to like the south side of the structure where the afternoon light and sun hits because they tend to have more activity during this time. You can spend time caulking any little crevices or cracks around the windows and doors but it seems that they will get in somewhere. Or you can spray pesticides or even hire it done. But, personally I don’t care for that around my house.

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There is a rather simpler more natural way to deal with the Asian Ladybug.

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Put up a Ladybug house to attract them to instead of your house. No, really.

You can order one that is all ready to put up outside or you can make it.

They basically are the same thing as butterfly house and they can be quite decorative and very inexpensive.

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You can even get the plans online and make it yourself to fit in with your garden decor. One site I found with great Ladybug house plans lays it out pretty good.

After you decide which one to get it will help the Ladybug to come to the house faster if you use the Ladybug bait or lure. LADY BUG LURE or kairomone attractant simulates the smell of aphids which is a delicacy to a Ladybug and can be purchased in most gardening shops or online.

This is a much more advised way to get rid of the pests or deter them from coming into your house as they will come back year after year. This way you do not have to worry about the dangers of pesticide build up around your house and you have a natural predator to help you take care of your plants.


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