Are s traps illegal? Why? You may have heard S traps are illegal, without explanation. Or maybe you’ve wondered why you have to make a P trap under your drain when an S trap would be easier. Here’s why S traps are illegal in drains.
S traps are illegal because they cause a health and a safety hazard. But the conditions under whether you have to replace them do vary.
Read More »Why S traps are illegal in drains
Proponents of electric lawn mowers talk about the sound they make as an advantage. But are electric lawn mowers quiet for real, or is it just marketing talk?
Over the course of two decades of home ownership, I’ve gone through several gas mowers. Last year, after my friends bought electric mowers and raved about them, I decided to buy one myself. So are electric lawn mowers better than gas? Let’s look at the pros and cons.
I’m seeing a lot of people complaining that their year-old Hart electric lawn mower won’t start anymore. I don’t think that’s a coincidence at all. If your Hart electric mower won’t start all of a sudden, here are some easy things to try. It’s frustrating, but not difficult to fix.
When your Hart electric mower won’t start, it’s usually one of three things. It’s often the battery, the handle not being fully extended or locked, or the discharge, all of which are fairly easy to fix.
Solder is a mixture of relatively low melting point metals, designed to melt at a lower temperature than metals like copper. This allows you to join components, providing a strong chemical bond that is electrically conductive. So what is solder made of? It’s made of a special mixture of metal. Frequently it also contains a core with chemical additives to make it easier to work with.
The precise formulation of both the solder alloy and the core varies depending on the application. But, generally speaking, solder is made of an alloy of low melting point metals.
Flux is a chemical compound that makes soldering much easier. Flux serves two purposes, cleaning oxides and other impurities from metal surfaces and helping the solder to flow. What flux is made of varies depending on the purpose.
Frequently you can tell what flux is made of from the color. If it’s white, it’s probably acidic and meant for plumbing, and if it’s a weird shade of amber, it’s made of rosin and suitable for electronics.
I heard a discussion at a hardware store about the types of metal that tools are made of, and the impact it has on cost and on flexibility. I thought it was worthwhile to share and elaborate on some of what I heard. What’s the difference between cast iron vs ductile iron vs steel? Generally, it’s strength, hardness, and flexibility. And those factors generally come down to the carbon mixture.
Ductile iron is a form of cast iron, but it has carbon mixed into the alloy to make it more flexible, less brittle, and give it a higher strength overall. Steel is also a mixture of carbon and iron, but it has less carbon than ductile iron, the precise mix depends on the properties you want.Read More »Cast iron vs ductile iron vs steel
Lithium grease is a useful lubricant with a lot of applications around the home and shop. You may be familiar with it if you do your own mechanical work, but even if you’re like me and you don’t, it can make your life easier in a lot of ways.
In April 2021, Lowe’s started selling a line of cordless power tools geared at professionals called Flex. But who makes Flex power tools for Lowe’s? Where are Flex power tools made?
Elsewhere in the world, Flex is not exclusive to Lowe’s. But in the United States, Flex is a high end line of cordless power tools that Lowe’s hopes to sell to trade professionals such as builders.
Bakelite was the world’s first synthetic plastic, common in the first half of the 20th century but rarely used today. Many consumer goods used it into the 1950s, such as phones, radios and even some toys, such as Lionel transformers. When in good condition, Bakelite has an attractive appearance very distinctive from modern plastics. Here’s how to clean and polish Bakelite to bring out is unusual beauty.
Bakelite frequently is dull and dirty in as-found condition, but you can clean and polish it with household items. Bakelite frequently responds well to Dawn dish detergent.