NeutralAxis

Last week, my girlfriend, N, and I embarked on a project to put down an engineered bamboo floor from Calibamboo.com in a basement bedroom and closet area (a total of about 300 sq.ft.) It was a lot of work, but we’re very happy with the results. [Update: Cali Bamboo has put this up for project of the month for December 2011.  You can vote for it at Project of the Month] (continue reading…)

Saw my first Dyson AirBlade hand dryer in a restroom this evening.  Seems to work as advertised in that it dries your hands reasonably well and very quickly, but its jet engine noisy. You insert your hands, fingers pointing downward, and the fan turns on.  Or should I say, THE FAN TURNS ON.  You then slowly pull your hands up and out while a thin blade of high speed air wipes them dry.  Drips collect in a reservoir below and slowly evaporate.  Afterward, my hands were adequately dry.  I suppose there are two key benefits to this device.  First, that because it has no heater and runs for less time, its more energy efficient.  The second is that there’s no defaced sign on it saying “Push butt to turn on.”

Who knew?  Ovens can be rebooted.  Yesterday the oven part of my 15 year old GE electric range refused to turn on and the timer/clock went blank.  The stovetop burners still worked though.  The circuit breaker was OK too.  Grasping at a straw before calling for service, I turned off the breaker and left it off for about 30 seconds and then back on.  Problem fixed.

Weird.

BusinessWeek.com is reporting that this fall as part of the federal stimulus package, there will be a rebate program for home appliances similar to the Cash For Clunkers automobile program.  Certain appliances will be eligible for rebates of $50 to $200 and the old appliance will not be required to be turned in.  This sounds like a great thing for the manufacturer’s but I can’t help thinking its going to prompt a whole lot of people from spending money needlessly on new equipment thinking they’re getting a good deal.

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I’ve been trying to find a nice looking electric outlet to put on my exterior deck but have had difficulty finding anything other than a plain box with a hinged lid.  It seems that painting the box green is what passes for making it a little more attractive.  However, I ran across this recessed floor receptacle box today and it would be perfect.  I can’t find anything similar by a US company, so I have a sinking feeling that its not legal in the US. (continue reading…)

I’d always heard that refrigerators were a major energy user within the home, and decided to check mine against the modern norm.  The results were not what I expected.

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AO Smith and State water heater companies make identical 96% efficient gas-fired water heaters.  But they have what I consider to be a design flaw that can render them unsuitable at best, or useless at worst, in certain settings. (continue reading…)