How to Install a Bathroom Faucet

It is important to know how to install a bathroom faucet. If ever your faucet gets broken in the middle of the night, you do not need to call for a repair person or ask on how to install a bathroom faucet. The job is quite easy and all you need is a wrench, elbow grease and these instructions on how to install a bathroom faucet.

First, you have to get rid of the old faucet. Check if the sink has the right number of holes and that they are in the right places. Do not forget to shut off the valve below the sink. Use a wrench in turning the nuts to be able to remove the supply tubes and drain the water. Take away the nuts and the washers and remove the faucet. Do not forget to clean every hole carefully. Read the instructions if you need to do other pre-installation steps.

After removing the old faucet, you are now ready to install the new one. Make sure that you read and understand the instructions included in the faucet. It is necessary to know if you need to do some preliminary set up. Between the faceplate and the gasket, place in the plastic gasket. Make a seal using a plumber's putty if the kit has no gasket included. Do not forget to apply nut and washer below every supply tube and then put together the supply tubes and the shut-off valves.

Follow the instructions in the kit in installing the pop-up device. Many types of pop-up device are available so make sure that you check the instructions. Place in the lift rod and then connect it to the pop-up device. Check for leaks after turning on the water. If there is any leak, take out the part and put a seal around it.

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Alter Your Home - Energy Consumption and Energy-Efficiency

An environmentally-sound home is one that makes less of an impact on the environment. This example of home can include adding things like energy-efficient appliances or low-e windows to make your home more efficient or maybe even adding more substantial items like solar power or a water recycling system. If you are making these modifications now, the neat thing is that many of the products cost less now than in the past. If your home is in the process of being built, you can elect to have the home constructed to take maximum advantage of the natural illumination of the home. Making a home more efficient or purchasing an eco-friendly home will not only save you costs on things like utility bills, but is also the environmentally responsible decision to make.

Solar derived energy is a relatively new idea. Nonetheless, as a contemporary homeowner you can take advantage of the technology that is presented and get the energy that you need for your home. The way that solar energy is employed is that solar panels are situated in a place where they can get plenty of sunlight. These large panels are constructed of glass and have tubes with water coursing through them. As the sun heats the water in the tubes, it is transformed into energy that you can use for your home. An added benefit is that the hot water can then be used instead of a hot water heater. Most homeowners place the panels up on the portion of the roof that gets the greatest amount of sunlight. That means that shade from plant life needs to be minimized anywhere the panels are installed. Each system is different, but it is possible to derived energy an entire home using solar panels.

Water is a limited resource, so everyone needs to do their part to use less water. One method of making your water usage more eco-friendly is to have reservoir tanks where you can collect water and then send it through a filtration system where it can then furnish the water needs of your home. This water recycling method is a great method to take care of your yard's water needs.

Recycling water can conserve about eighty percent of the overall water used in many homes. Another easy way to cut back on the quantity of water that you are using is to put in a low-flow showerhead. A low-flow showerhead is not complicated to install and will save hundreds of gallons of water yearly. Also, if you have antiquated toilets, upgrading to a newer toilet can also cut back on your water usage for the future. When you start to think about the many ways that you can save water, you can perhaps come up with even more.

Eco-friendly homes are the trend of the future. Discovering ways to cut down on each household's use of electricity and water is important for all of us. You can make modifications to make your home more earth-friendly that will really make an impact. Recycling, utilizing solar power and monitoring your water use are all great ways to start making your home a green home.

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Remodeling Off a Cliff

Recently people have been spending big money for remodeling and using "resale" as an excuse to spend outrageous amounts of money. But if you have to sell your house in today's market it could be a loser's game.

Many people are actually refinancing their homes to do the remodels and going into serious debt to pay for the work. They are essentially financing the remodel for significantly longer than most trendy improvements, i.e. granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

This leads us to our first rule.

1. If you have to refinance to pay for the work, you can't afford it.
2. Clean up. It's a lot of work, but worth the time. Clean, orderly homes always resale better.
3. Get rid of junk. When I have my houses for sale there is nothing sitting on the floor or impeding traffic flow even in the closets.
4. Remove wallpaper and put up soft neutral paint inside and out. Modern buyers do not like wallpaper.
5. Pay more attention to street appeal than interior decorating. Cute houses resell better and faster than other houses.

This last point...the one about street appeal...is the biggest one you need to have on your side if you need to resale fast. How your house looks from the street matters more than your interior. If buyers don't like the outside they won't even come in to see what you have done inside.

If you own a house that has no street appeal in a good neighborhood you might have a great chance to make money even in a slowing real estate market.

But how do you get street appeal?

It is tough. Just ask all the builders who are stuck with inventories of unsold homes. Street appeal is a moving target. Here are some strategies and recommendations.

1. Try to improve the landscaping pushing it out enough to frame the house rather than hiding it.
2. Make a nice wide path to the door.
3. Paint and use more than one color.
4. Make sure all colors work together including the roof.
5. Add some rock.
6. Frame out windows.
7. Stay true to the architecture of the house both inside and out.

You can no longer just throw a house up for sale and expect it to be easy. You have to work at it. Those first days the property is on the market can never be done over. Do your homework and don't put your house on the market until it is ready.

Clean it up, price it competitively and make it the cutest house on the block. Don't follow all the remodeling gurus along with the crowd right off a cliff.

Paula G Stone and George R (Ron) Stone have a note buying business. Their company buys mortgage notes as well as helps home sellers offer owner financing to sell their home fast and for top dollar while selling the private mortgage note at a simultaneous closing. Learn more about note buying and selling at Selling Mortgage

Focus on Green Homes - the Air Conditioning Controversy

Air conditioning is possible in a green home. Read all about it in this installment of our 'Focus on Green Homes' series.

Air conditioning in green homes is cause for much debate among green enthusiasts. Certainly, the best way to save energy on air conditioning is to not have it or use it. But this is just not practical for everyone.

Without a doubt, air conditioning of the past was anything but green. It used very damaging chemicals and consumed large amounts energy for what it produces. Even more efficient units in use today still use lot of energy causing enormous electricity bills in the summer months. Can a system be designed for a green home that uses much less electricity and no damaging chemicals? Yes, indeed.

Size Matters - The first consideration when designing an air conditioning system for your green home is the size of the system. Air conditioning systems should be sized correctly for the space to be cooled, considering the number, location, and type of trees, the number of window, the arrangement of the house, and size of the living space. Care should be taken to right-size the system - it should not be too big or too small. Then we need to look at all the renewable resources we can use to accomplish this.

Cooling from the Earth - For the system to be truly green, renewable resources must be considered. One of the best renewable resources is called geo-thermal. Geo-thermal is literally heating or cooling from the depth of the earth. It is the reason that most caves are the same temperature (around 55F) all year round. We can use this constant temperature of the earth to cool air for air conditioning.

To accomplish geo-thermal cooling, water (or other liquid) is pushed through a tube in the ground buried at an appropriate depth. The water is cooled to the ground temperature. Air is then passed over the tube and the warm room air is transferred to the water in the tube, removing the hot air from the home. The heated water is then pushed back though the tube under the ground and the heat is transferred into the ground effectively cooling the water back to 55 degrees and the process starts all over again.

Clean and Efficient - Using geo-thermal air conditioning is clean and quiet. For systems that do not use forced air to distribute the cool air, there is far less dust and noise.

This system uses much less energy to create cool air for the home than conventional air conditioning and is much better for the environment. This system can also be used to heat the home. The cost of the system and the depth to which the tubes must be buried depends on the part of the world in which you live.

Kim Ward is Marketing Director for Green Earth Energy Homes at http://greenearthenergyhomes.com

Green Earth Energy Homes offer affordable, practical, LEED and Energy Star certified homes. Save thousands on energy costs and qualify for thousands in government tax incentives and benefits. Contact Kim for more information about our green homes or to view our model.

Termites Can Ruin Your Home

There are three conditions that attract termites to an area:

Water is the first condition that attracts termites to an area. Termites generally cannot survive without a source of water present. Termites will always seek some source of moisture to survive whether it is in the form of a leaky faucet, sprinkler or rain.

Wood is the next thing that will attract termites. Termites will consume any material that contains cellulose. Since wood contains a great deal of cellulose, termites eat wood like no other. If a single piece of wood touches the ground, a colony of termites somewhere will know about it. Some subterranean termites will consume other materials such as vegetation, dung, and humus, but their primary source of food is wood.

The last thing that termites are attracted to is soil. Termites are subterranean, so they build their colonies in the ground. They love soil and will build elaborate tunnel systems, called galleries up to three feet below the surface. Termites will use soil to create mud tubes leading from their underground colonies to above ground food sources such as the wood in your home.

Being aware of the three conditions for termite survival can help you to keep destructive termites away from your home. Termites cost over $1 billion in damages to homes each year. They are one of the biggest contributors to home destruction. With the importation of the Formosan termite from East Asia, the amount of termite caused home damage continues to rise. A termite colony consists of anywhere from 250,000 to a million termites. A single termite queen can live between 30 and 50 years and can lay thousands of eggs per day. That means that a queen can repopulate her colony even after tremendous devastation. The best way to fight termites is to prevent them from ever touching your home.

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Pondless Waterfall - The History

In the early 1990s, a rubber sheet material, manufactured by Firestone and Goodyear, became a popular construction material used in building ponds and waterfalls. One innovative entrepreneur in Chicago began pre-cutting various configurations of rubber and packaging it with a skimmer, filter, sump pump and tubing, creating a do-it-yourself kit.

It was not long before the word got out on how profitable pond construction was and even professionals were becoming "pond experts". Why not, if in one day you can dig a hole, pile dirt at one end, cover it with a rubber sheet, cover the sheet with rocks, fill it with water, drop in a sump pump, hook up a tube, and presto change-o, $6000 profit in 6 to 8 hours?

Well, the pioneers had a great thing going, but they made a fatal mistake, they started shouting "gold" and "jackpot"! Soon the rush was on. It is called competition and it came from every angle, manufacturer, supplier, retailer, wholesaler and especially installers.

As would be expected, this get-rich-quick fever turned into an epidemic, forcing up the price of pond liner kits to equal the cost of professional concrete construction. Since this craze started, proponents of liners maligned concrete construction, professing liner superiority over concrete construction. Making false statements about the integrity of reinforced concrete, they have attempted to elevate the benefits of rubber liners.

In searching for the facts about concrete ponds and waterfalls from reading the literature of the greed-driven liner pond industry, it cannot be found. You ask why? Because if the facts were known, who in their right mind would invest in a pond liner unless they were going to use it for a limited period of time.

The track record for pond liners speaks for itself:

More than 40% of all waterfalls will have serious structural damage within the first 3 years of construction.

An incredible 60% of homeowners say they are dissatisfied with the way their waterfall turned out upon completion of the project.

35% of liner ponds and waterfalls are leaking water within nine months of completion for one of several reasons.

65% of "do-it-yourselfers" say they wished they were informed of the pros and cons of liners from the beginning or that they had hired a professional.

These statistics are from the pond liner industry itself. I can confirm and attest to these numbers myself. I have built over 1,900 reinforced concrete waterfalls and ponds over the past 26 years and have ripped out and replaced scores of defective liner ponds and replaced them with concrete ones with lifetime warranties. Just prior to retiring, in August in 2007 I replaced a $276,000 liner pond and waterfall in Rancho Santa Fe, CA with reinforced 3500 psi concrete due to gopher damage! Pond liner installers provide no warranty against damage from rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, tree roots and sharp objects and this one refused to do anything to correct the problem.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls have a lifetime warranty. Liner pondless waterfalls have only a one year warranty on labor, and a 20-30 year warranty against factory defects. But it has no warranty against damage caused by, mice, rats, gophers, tree roots, ground squirrels, sharp objects, etc.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls use high-efficiency, above-ground pumps that are easy to service (3-year warranties).

The 1/3 HP pump is low profile, extremely quiet, and easily hidden with plants next to the falls, or the pumps can be placed in another part of the yard by extending the flexible PVC suction and return lines. The liner pondless waterfall uses a sump pump that is placed in the basin, and then buried with hundreds of pounds of gravel. In order to service this pump (only a 2 year warranty), all the stinky, slimy, rocks need to be first removed from the basin.

The pump in the reinforced concrete pondless waterfall produces 5,900 gallons per hour with a draw of only 350 watts (retail $430). A sump pump is supplied with the liner pondless waterfall kit (they advertise as the "premier" pump on the market ). However it produces 5,600 gal/hour (102 gal. less) at a whopping 912 watts power draw (50% more than an above-ground pump). It costs a whopping $530 more per year to operate (at $.13/kwh). The sump pump costing $600 retail, $175 more than a centrifugal pump. Many liner installers refer to it as "the best warranty in the industry" and it is only for 2 years, as compared to a centrifugal's 3 year warranty!

The rocks of a reinforced concrete pondless waterfall are all securely mortared in place (covering the concrete shell). Consequently anyone, especially kids, may climb on the rocks without them shifting, possibly causing serious injury. Rocks will move and shift in the liner pondless waterfalls and in just a few months, the unsightly liner is exposed in the falls and the perimeter of the pond.

During construction of the concrete pondless waterfall, many design liberties can be taken, such as altering the length, width or shape of the water feature as the project progresses. Unlike a liner pondless waterfall, the parameters have already been established by the manufacturer of the pond kit.

The concrete pondless waterfall can utilize the large, open basin to install an Aquafill automatic water leveling device. In addition, the basin can be made smaller because the space for water is not taken up by rocks as it is in the liner pondless waterfall basin. The only rock that exists is on top of the galvanized or plastic plank cover.

Wow! Check this out... reinforced concrete waterfalls are 1. secure & stationary; 2. permanent;3. they will last for decades; 4. Cost less to build; 5. Simple to operate; 6. Simple to clean; 7. Virtually maintenance-free; 8. Three-year pump warranty; and 9. More natural in appearance and less liability. Lemons or apples? You decide!

The liner revolution is fading fast, the truth of their limitations are coming to light and their track record is badly tarnished. Leaky liner customers are fighting back with litigation nationwide and are winning because they were not told the whole truth in the beginning.

Before wasting your hard earned money, do your research and use your own God-given common sense. Begin with the internet by searching "pond liners vs. concrete.

"A man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument."

For more free information and photos go to: http://watergardenauthority.com/Pondless_Waterfalls.html Waterfall & Pond Construction Manual: Store Price $249 Now get a PDF file only $39.95 go to: watergardenauthority.com/Waterfall___Pond_Constructi.html

Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in CA (26 years). Author of "Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual" and developer of the "Water Feature Digital Design Library 4.0" Free downloads, no sign in- http://www.askdoughoover.com

Go Green in the City Part 1 - Eco-Friendly Remodeling For Residential and Commercial Real Estate

As gas prices increase more homebuyers are moving closer to the city, their jobs and hubs of activity to decrease travel costs for themselves and the whole family. As more people embrace urban environments green building and eco-friendly renovations that work for existing houses, town homes, condos and apartments are in higher demand. Whether you have a large budget or almost no budget, there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint and energy costs. Green home remodeling can benefit you, the environment and the future of our entire world.

The Truth About Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

There is a lot of controversy these days about the green value of compact fluorescent light bulbs, better known as those spiral light bulbs that only use a small percentage of the wattage traditional light bulbs. As a positive, these light bulbs do not use nearly as much electricity as traditional bulbs and often last for years at a time. Then it was reported that if these bulbs are broken a small amount of mercury is released. Despite the harmful impact mercury has on the environment the positives of these bulbs outweigh the negatives. Although these bulbs contain a small amount of mercury the amount of electricity they save greatly reduces the amount of mercury released by electrical plants. When using compact fluorescent bulbs take extra care not to break them and dispose of them carefully. Recycling of compact fluorescents has started in various parts of the US. If possible find a recycling center near you

Make the Most Out of Your Surge Protectors and Power Strips

Many appliances, including computer equipment, stereos, TVs and cell phone chargers all draw electrical energy even when turned off. If they sit plugged in all the time electricity is wasted. In order to avoid this waste purchase surge protector power strips for various areas and plug multiple items into the strips. Make sure the power strips are easy to reach and when printers, speakers, computers, radios, cell phone chargers, toasters, coffee makers, etc are not in use unplug the power strip and electricity will be conserved. This may seem like a simple tactic, but imagine if everyone became aware of this small electrical drain and took action. Our carbon footprint as a country would decrease dramatically. When it comes to energy conservation every lit bit counts.

The Best Ways to Heat Your Water

If you own your condo, apartment or home in the city one of the best ways to save energy and money is to purchase a tankless water heater. Energy efficient water heaters save thousands of dollars during the first three to five years. This kind of feature will also work as an excellent incentive for buyers if you sell in the future. If a new water heater isn't in the budget consider turning off your water heater when you are out of town or purchase and install a timer. Most often even older water heaters maintain hot water for approximately 24-48 hours after they have been turned off. Why pay for hot water when you are not using it? Another simple idea is to lower the temperature on your existing water heater. Many older water heaters are set at a scalding 140 degrees. Lowering the thermostat will conserve energy and its totally free.

Low Flow Toilets and Tricks to Conserve Water

Leaky toilets and the water waste caused by older toilets is common in existing homes and commercial properties. Older toilets often use between 3 and 5 gallons per flush. To check and see if your toilet is leaking place food coloring in the back of the tank, after an hour without flushing if the bowl turns color you have found a leak. If you have the money a low flow toilet is your best bet. Made specifically for energy efficiency, low flow toilets are another excellent selling point. If you have a small budget or no budget consider this well-known trick. Take any weighted, solid object, like a glass jar, and place it in your toilet tank. This object will take up space so your tank fills with less water than usual. Instead of 3 to 5 gallons each flush you will now use less.

Stay tuned for Green in the City Part 2 for more great green tips on how to conserve energy and save money.

Elaine VonCannon is an award winning REALTOR with RE/Max Capital in Williamsburg, Virginia. She specializes in retirement and relocation in the Williamsburg, South Eastern Virginia area and in Virginia Estate properties. To learn more visit http://www.voncannonrealestate.com or http://www.estatesinvirginia.com