| Ask the Carey Brothers: Cleaning vinyl siding
Q. I have a small, portable one-room air conditioner that I've used for several years. Now, some of the grease has leaked from the rear of the unit onto the vinyl siding of my house. How do I clean it off?
A. Always try soap and water first or the cleaner that is recommended. Having said that, and because the grease you're describing is probably a petrochemical based material (not silicone), it can probably best be cleaned using something like gasoline or acetone.
First, make sure there are no flames or sparks nearby, and turn off and disconnect any nearby appliances that could spark while you're working. No smoking during this project.
Then, simply put a very small amount of gasoline onto the rag and wipe. The stain will disappear.
.
Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste
This book provides you with a simple series of integrated strategies for creating water-harvesting "nets" which allow rainwater to permeate and enhance our landscapes, gardens, yards, parks, farms, and ranches. Small-scale strategies are the most effective and the least expensive, so they are emphasized here. They're also the safest and easiest to accomplish. They can empower you to become water self-sufficient. The benefits are many. By harvesting rainwater within the soil and vegetation—in the land, or in cisterns that will later irrigate the land, we can decrease erosion, reduce flooding, minimize water pollution, and prevent mosquito breeding (within water standing on top of the soil for more than three days). The process also generates an impressive array of resources: It can provide drinking water, generate high quality irrigation water, support vegetation as living air conditioners and filters, lower utility bills, enhance soil fertility, grow food and beauty, increase local water resources, reduce demand for groundwater, boost wildlife habitat, and endow us and our community with skills of self-reliance and cooperation! My Rainwater-Harvesting Evolution In 1994, my brother Rodd and I began harvesting water in our backyard by digging, then mulching a basin around a single drought-stressed sour orange tree.
Volcanic gas crimps Crater Rim Drive
HILO » Dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in a small but popular area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park have officials warning visitors to stay in their cars with their air conditioner on re-circulation and to just drive through that area. The main area affected is a 5-mile stretch of Crater Rim Drive on the downwind, south side of Kilauea caldera. That means no stopping at a popular parking area at the beginning of a short path to Halemaumau Crater overlook. "Area closed due to dangerous volcanic gas. Stay in your car!" yellow-and-black warning signs say. The greatest danger is to babies and children, pregnant women and people with asthma or heart conditions, said spokeswoman Mardie Lane. FULL STORY » .
Major Weapon Systems Are Another Victim of Iraq
But a more damning set of figures emerge if one examines what has happened within the procurement accounts. In 2001, big ticket procurement items such as Navy shipbuilding and Navy and Air Force aircraft procurement, totaled nearly $35 billion (in 2007 dollars). Those activities accounted for about half of all defense procurement. By 2007, spending in those three categories accounted for only $38 billion, or less than 5 percent of the $60 billion inflation-adjusted increase in procurement spending. Where is the rest of the money going? Procurement for the Army and Marine Corps grew from $12 billion in 2001 to $55 billion in 2007—an increase of 350 percent. The single category of greatest growth was "Army Procurement Other," which includes among other things, trucks, mine protection equipment, and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
Architects Who Add Sex Appeal To Sustainable Designs
From Berlin's Reichstag dome to London's Swiss Re building, no contemporary architect has left a greater impact on the modern city skyline than Norman Foster, whose high-tech modernism reinvented the skyscraper. What is less known is that he is also a pioneer of sustainable design. The Reichstag dome is powered by vegetable oil, while the Swiss Re building, nicknamed the "gherkin," uses a system of gardens to promote natural ventilation. Another landmark project, the 47-story HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong, a modular glass-and-steel structure finished in 1986, channels natural light throughout the building and has adaptable office spaces. Mr. Foster's Beijing Airport terminal building, to open next month, will use natural light and ventilation, and despite its size -- it will be the world's largest terminal at a million square meters -- is designed on what the architect calls a human scale.
Toyota troubles
Q. When I try to fill my 2003 Toyota Camry with gas, the nozzle clicks off. I have to fill the tank as slowly as possible, or else gas backs up the spout and stops the gas pump. What's wrong? A. The most common problem is with the evaporative emissions system. A vent line runs from the fuel tank to the charcoal canister. This line can become become clogged. Or it may have been clamped off during some diagnostic testing. Q. I recently got involved in a front collision with a 2007 Nissan Altima sedan, in which the crash-zone sensor broke. I hit this car at 35 mph. Should the airbag have deployed? A. For an air bag to deploy, it generally takes a combination of speed, angle of impact and velocity of the crash. If one of these criteria were not met, the airbag may not deploy.
|
