Water Cooled Air Conditioner - This Water Cooled Condensing Unit Is No Swamp Cooler

Water Cooled Air Conditioner - This Water Cooled Condensing Unit Is No Swamp Cooler by Sam Streubel

This water cooled air conditioner from Freus, shouldn’t be confused with a swamp cooler. Although water is used to assist with the cooling, it is sprayed over condensing coils rather than pads.

The water cooled condensing unit is a residential application of the 250 ton split system chillers already used by commercial buildings. Think of this technology as a mini-chiller for residential use.

Evaporative water cooler units for split system air conditioners have a number of advantages over air-cooled units. Water removes heat from the condenser coils far more efficiently than air. This reduces the temperature of the compressed R-22 refrigerant, which in turn reduces the work load of the scroll compressor. Not only will the compressor last much longer, there is only a minimal loss of cooling efficiency when the outdoor temperature exceeds 100 degrees.

Typical air cooled units can lose as much as 25% of their efficiency at the same temperature.

How much can you save with a water cooled condensing unit?

Charles Mullin, a casino worker who lives in North Las Vegas is also single. So every utility bill comes from his lone paycheck. That's why he switched the air conditioning system on his 1,500-square-foot home to a water cooled condensing unit.

"Before I installed it, I had my thermostat set at 75 to 78 degrees to try to keep my electric bills down," he said. "I tested the new system at 65 degrees - felt like a meat locker. My bill went down to $86. That's about a 45-percent savings and the house was set cooler."

Mullin told all his friends about the units and the savings he's seen. He figured the Freus system will pay for itself in about two years.

Richard Waite, president of Hal Mechanical, installer of Mr. Mullin’s water cooled AC, said they are specifically made for the desert climate.

“The only extra that's needed to swap out an old air conditioning unit for a new water-cooled one is to run a water line to it. The unit has an automated system, similar to a toilet tank, keeping the water at the correct capacity. The system also flushes itself to avoid calcium buildup.”

Due to the almost constant capacity, the condenser size does not need to vary due to climate zones, like air-cooled units. The Freus is installed in much the same manner as an air-cooled condenser and has the unique ability to service multiple air handlers. This provides the space saving convenience of housing two or three compressors (up to 10 total tons) in a single cabinet.

Jim Kilby of Green Valley, a casino management professor, replaced his 10-year-old air conditioning units, one 5-ton and one 3-ton, with two water-cooled ones of roughly the same capacity. He figures his electric bills dropped by a third.

"The hotels have been using this technology for years," Kilby said. "When you think about it, water does a better job of cooling the air than air. It just makes sense."

Whether you call them evaporative water coolers or water cooled condensing units, this mini version of the 250 ton chiller is sure to revolutionize desert cooling.

Alternative-Heating-Info.com offers a unique look into geothermal heating and cooling, radiant heating, solar heating systems and pellet burning stoves.

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Tags: water cooled condensing unit, evaporative water cooler, water cooled AC, split system, mini chiller, chiller, water cooled air conditioner, water cooled cond

Stain Removal Products and your Tile Floor

Stain Removal Products and your Tile Floor by diane newsom
If you have a new tile floor and do not manage to see the stain soaking into your tile until it’s to late, never fear. There is always a solution to tile floor stains and many ways to combat them.
Stains challenge even the most creative people, but there are a number of ways experienced individuals have come up with to fight stains and keep your tile floors looking lovely and clean no matter what ends up on them.
There are many valuable resources on the internet for cleaning tile stains and a lot of information on how to fight stains, so make sure to do the research before trying your friends ‘special’ method.
Also, remember to always wear cleaning gloves. A surprising number of people forego them and are sorry later on. It protects your hands and allow you to give the floor your all without worrying about dangerous chemicals. They are also important is you are cleaning up stains such as blood.
An important rule of thumb when cleaning your tile floor is the general stain addict that says you should test a small, unseen spot before actually using the methods all out. Testing is easy; you simply apply the solution to a small, non-visible part of the floor, such as under a couch or chair.
If the product ruins it, you know that it should not be used. Before doing any stain removal process, you should test it. Do this by applying it to a small area of the floor that is out of sight or covered by furniture. If the remover damages the floor, do not continue. It may be necessary to contact the tile manufacturer for instructions, and ideally you should talk to them about the tile before you buy it, as not all tiles are the same.
For example, how you clean your floor and the stains up off of your floor depends on the material you’ve used. A glass tile floor is going to need different care than a mosaic or a ceramic tile floor because of the different porousness of the materials and how they are made. Different products will have varying effects, and that’s why it is always important to test and do the research.
Diane Newsom writes for the Fast Floors. Vist them for more information on Stain Removal Products and your Tile Floor.

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Tags: hardwood floor, hardwood floors, hardwood flooring, tile, ceramic tile

How to clear blocked drains

How to Clear a Blocked Drain by James Hickman

Tools: Bucket (that fits under the drain), rubber gloves, a torch, a plunger, old wire coat hanger or stiff piece of wire.
Approximate time to complete: Less than an hour.

Getting started

GENERALLY, clearing a blocked drain is a simple task, and the common causes of a blockage can be attributed to excessive disposal of cooking fats and oils, along with other domestic waste including DIY materials such as plaster.

Using a plunger to clear blockage

…The kitchen sink
Your first possible solution to clear a drain blockage is to use a plunger. Place the tool over the drain and ensure the rubber ring on the bottom of the plunger has made an airtight seal.

Push down gently and release quickly to begin the suction. Repeat for about 20 seconds, or until you break the clog free. If using a plunger doesn't prove successful, then the pipe below the sink could be blocked.

If you have a double sink then place the plunger over one drain and fill the sink with a few inches of water, make sure the plunger seals around the drain. Firmly hold a wet cloth over the other drain opening to block it before you start plunging. Roll the head of the plunger into the water so you force water, not air, into the drain. Start pumping forcefully. On your final “plunge” pull the plunger from the drain to create extra pressure, if the water doesn't swirl straight down the drain, continue plunging for several minutes.

Clearing the pipe manually

Carefully unscrew the portion of pipe under the sink that leads to the trap, making sure you have a bucket beneath the pipe to catch any spillage. Rinse the pipe out thoroughly with hot water to loosen any possible debris. If the pipe is not blocked, then the clog could be in the waste pipe, you'll need to check the segment between the trap and the sink for obstruction. Use a stiff piece of wire to poke the pipe clear. Once complete, re-join the pipe and pour hot soapy water down the drainage hole to ensure the blockage completely is cleared.

…In the bathroom
Is water gurgling up into your bath from the drain when the shower is being used?

If so, then your waste pipe is no doubt clogged with hair and soap residue. Using an old wire coat hanger, or a stiff piece of wire, make a “hook” at the end and lower it into the drain. Try to fish out the debris that is clogging the drain.

Unblocking a clogged toilet

A large plunger is usually the ideal remedy for toilets that are not flushing away waste properly.
Place the plunger over the outlet at the bottom of the toilet pan and plunge for a few seconds. When the blockage is cleared flush the toilet with a bucket of water.

Caution
Never plunge a drain soon after pouring drain cleaners down it. The chemicals can be harmful if they come into contact with your skin. Drain cleaners should only be used if water is draining slowly, and not when there is a complete block.

How to avoid blocked drains from occuring?

Don't overload your drain with foods high in starch (pasta, potatoes and rice), and avoid flushing bacon grease and coffee grounds down the drain because they solidify once settled and cooled. Also, clear remnants of plaster and DIY waste from your tools before rinsing.

Simple home remedies to clear a blocked drain

Pour half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of white vinegar into the drain. After a few minutes flush with boiling water.
Baking soda and vinegar breaks down fat residue and freshens your drain of unpleasant odours.
Using this simple remedy frequently will assist in preventing your drains becoming blocked by domestic waste.

Plumbing information site and owner of Plumbworld the UK's largest independent online bathroom retailer
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Tags: blocked drains, plumbing

Caring for Laminate Flooring

Caring for Laminate Flooring by irudi

Laminate flooring gives the floor that overall look of wood that can be enjoyed for years to come. The great thing about laminate flooring is the ease in care that you have when you have it in your home. Laminate flooring is one that will look like wood, and that will feel like wood but often times is a by-product of wood. Real wood require waxing and cleaning annually to keep the floor shiny. Real wood flooring is going to be sanded down and varnished again as the shine is worn off the flooring. Laminate flooring does not require waxing, no sanding and the wear and tear on the flooring is something that is not going to happen in the manner that the coating on other wood flooring will have.

Laminate flooring can be cared for by using a dry dust mop on the floor for every day cleaning. During those times when you feel that you need a good deeper clean, you can use a wet mop, one that is not too wet, to clean up sticky messes or to clean up mud from the floor. You do not want to use that much water on the floor so you do not have the water seeping down into the laminate flooring and then the laminate flooring is going to warp over time.

Laminate floor care is going to be similar to wood or any other type of flooring when it comes to moving furniture across the flooring. Laminate flooring can be scratched, dented and can be marked up when you are not careful in moving those heavy furniture pieces in your home. To prevent and care for your flooring, you must pick up the furniture and move it from location to location.

Do not drag the furniture across the flooring. Your laminate flooring that has marks and cuts in it will need a little extra care to get that mark out, and sometimes if the cut is all that deep you can't get it out no matter how much buffing you will do on this area. The same goes for wood flooring, if the cut is too deep or the scratch is too deep, you are not going to be able to cover it up.

Laminate flooring is easy to care for because the seams in the flooring are actually very tight. You won't find all types of cracks in the flooring for food, for water, or for dirt to get trapped in. Laminate flooring is a type that will not allow things down between the rows, when you care for it daily. Sweeping and dusting your flooring with a broom, a swifter or a vacuum that is not hard on the floor is what you need to care for the laminate flooring. You only want to mop your flooring when it is really sticky, when you spill something on the floor, but you don’t even need to wax laminate flooring which is what makes it so popular!

Copyright 2006 - Ivar Rudi. Ivar suggests you find great market for less by shopping online today. For more information and resources about this subject check out: http://www.laminate-flooring-guide.org/ and also http://www.prefab-homes.biz/

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Tags: Laminate flooring, home, floor, wood, wood floor, kitchen, rooms, remodeling

Cleaning Antique Glass Surfaces

Cleaning Antique Glass Surfaces by Vincent P

Antique glass, whether in the form of a bottle or ornament, tabletop, or window, requires care and cleaning just like other types of glass surfaces. While cleaning regular glass surfaces makes them sparkle and shine, keeping your antique glass surfaces clean is even more important due to the age of the glass. Besides, every proud owner of antiques wants to bring out the best in the object in order to show it off to all who see it.

The Basic Cleaning

Basic cleaning can be done on antique glass with a clean cloth to get rid of dust and refresh the antique glass on a regular basis. This is an easy preventative step you can take to keep your antique glass clean and shiny. In addition, it makes a more extensive cleaning more effective when the shine of the antique glass is maintained.

Bringing Out the Shine

For a more thorough cleaning of antique glass, you can try using soap and water, along with a clean cloth or squeegee tool to wipe. These tools can help you wipe away any dust and dirt particles that may be preventing your antique glass surfaces from looking their best.

For a more thorough cleaning still, use a glass cleaner along with the clean cloth or squeegee tool to get rid of stains and any stubborn dirt, which you can't get rid of, by using soap and water.

It is important to avoid using paper towels when cleaning antique glass. In general, paper towels are not the best choice because they can leave behind paper particles and make the glass look "fuzzy." With antique glass, this can become an even greater problem. In addition, using a rough material to wipe down the antique glass can cause the surface to be scratched. Therefore, it is best to use a cloth made specifically for glass cleaning or a gentle squeegee.

Taking it Easy

If you prefer a gentler, gel-based cleaner, this can also be used to get your antique glass surface clean. This also may be gentler on the glass as opposed to a regular spray solution. In addition, gel-based cleaners can get into nooks and crannies needing to be cleaned, while preventing streaks from occurring.

Keeping it Clear

If your antique glass has any problems with fogging up or not being visible and clear, you can try using an anti-fog agent to keep your antique glass surface from fogging.

Taking Preventative Measures

If your antique glass surface is something small or ornamental, you may want to place it on a soft surface, such as a towel, when using these cleaners. This helps you avoid damaging the glass while you are cleaning both sides.

By using one or several methods described above, you can keep your antique glass surfaces – big or small – clean and sparkling to add a lovely accent to your home. What more could you ask for?

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company. Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean. Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com Fuller Brush - Online store of Fuller Brush Company, Fuller Brush Products, Fuller Brush product, Fuller Cleaning Products, Personal Care products, Fuller Brush Cleaning Products, personal care product, Fuller Brush products for health care, hair care, kitchen, skin care, body and home care Fuller products for easy cleaning from Fuller Brush Company USA.

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Tags: Cleaning, glass cleaning, glass surface, cleaning glass, antique glass, ornamentel, shining surface, sparkle and shine

Cat Litter Problems: Litter Box of Glass

Cat Litter Problems: Litter Box of Glass by John Young

One major problem you encounter as a cat owner involves your cat's use (or non-use) of her litter box.

This is probably one of the most frustrating issues that arise in caring for your new cat. You buy a litter box, often an expensive one, fill it with good quality litter, and then find your cat defecating or urinating somewhere else in the house. Even more frustrating is when you discover that your cat “does her business” near the litter box, but not in it.

You have, of course, taken your cat to the vet who has pronounced her “healthy”. So, you've ruled out any physical ailment. You've changed the litter; you've cleaned the box. You've made sure no other cat is going in her box.

And yet, she's still doing it - you still have problems:

· your cat is going somewhere else in the house
· your cat is going next to the litter box
· your cat is going half in and half out

The last possibility can often be solved by getting a larger box: something resembling a tub that your cat can still get into and out of without too much trouble but will confine the scat (not the cat) to the tub.

But the first two difficulties often remain.

The Invisible Culprit

What could be the problem? I'd like to pose a possible answer in one word: plastic.
Most litter boxes, no matter how elaborate or expensive, are made of one plastic or another.
Plastics are polymers…huge molecules made by chemically “stringing together” smaller molecular units. Sometimes the units are all identical, sometimes they vary in composition and recur with some regularity. However all plastics are “organic” compounds.

In case you've forgotten your high school chemistry, organic compounds are primarily made up of Carbon and Hydrogen, sometimes with other elements such as Nitrogen, Phosphorous or Sulfur thrown in.

The plastics used in constructing most cheap cat litter boxes are relatively flexible - they can be easily bent. When you pick yours up to clean it, you'll find it bending as you carry it out the door. It's composed of a flexible plastic.

Flexible plastics are made that way by the addition of what's termed “plasticizers”. Plasticizers are small organic molecules, usually phthalate esters that are added to the polymer to increase its flexibility.

Other litter boxes, particularly the self cleaning ones, are not so flexible. Since they are self cleaning, they are not designed to be picked up, and are generally constructed of several smaller, harder, plastic parts.

Hard plastics are formed in molds (forms into which the plastic is poured, where it hardens and takes shape). The molds are first coated with a “mold release” agent to enable the removal of the plastic part from the mold - otherwise it would stick to it and stay there.

Both materials - the plasticizer and the mold release agent- remain as a residue on (or in) the plastic. And both materials can “outgas”, that is, be released into the air, immediately after your litter box has been manufactured, and, in the cases of flexible plastics, from then on.

Even though you can't smell anything…

So, if you've tried everything to induce your cat to “go” in her litter box and nothing has worked, could it be that your cat is sensitive to the plasticizers or the mold release agents used in the manufacture of her litter box? Even though you can't smell anything, maybe your cat can.

Plastic is basically an unnatural material. It wasn't found in nature before Man arrived and started making disposable food containers and litter boxes, and it wasn't a factor in the evolution of cats.

Maybe your cat is sensitive to it, and is making you aware of that fact by defecating somewhere else, far from this source of annoyance. Or maybe the plastic is triggering some unnatural behavior in your cat, causing her to defecate half in and half out.

Don't tell your guests…

Try changing the material of the litter box. Try a glass litter box.

But, you say, there aren't any glass litter boxes for sale! Where can I get one?

I went to glass some time ago by converting a shallow baking dish into a litter box. My wife used it for baking scalloped potatoes, and I unwittingly grabbed it for a different use, much to her…uh…displeasure.

Granted, a baking dish is shallow and the litter is easily thrown out by a digging cat, but I place newspaper under it (not a plastic mat), to catch the thrown litter. I've owned two cats in succession now, and neither has had a problem “doing their deed” somewhere else.

So try it. Of course it goes without saying that once you convert the baking dish into a litter box, it's the end of using it to cook scalloped potatoes for your guests when they come over for dinner.

Or, at least, it's a good idea that, after they've eaten, to keep that fact to yourself.

John Young is a write with a scientific and programming background. Discover how to safely and smoothly adopt your new cat in the new ebook, "Your New Cat's First 24 Hours" www.yourcatsecrets.com and care for her thereafter.


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