Myths and Facts about Operating Your Water Heater

There are many myths surrounding the idea of saving money on your water heater. and more specifically whether or not reducing the water temperature will save you money. Here is a list of common beliefs that also includes additional information about whether there is any truth in the belief.

 

1. It's best if you leave the hot water heater on at all times rather than turning it on and off. 

 

This is a very common myth, but you actually do not need to be heating your water all the time. As long as your tank has a good insulating jacket, your water will remain hot all day. By not having the hot water heater on all day to heat up your water, you are saving energy and money.

 

2. A new water heater will offer you substantial savings. 

 

This is a myth. You do save about $6.00 a month in energy costs when replacing an old heater with a new one, but those savings don’t take into account the overall price of purchasing a new hot water heater.

 

3. Older water heaters do not meet safety standards. 

 

When the heater was installed, it was installed under the guidance of the regulations then. If you’re worried about it not covering the current safety standards, get it checked out.

 

4. Older water heaters lead to dirty water. 

 

This is a myth. Water heaters are designed to withstand any build-up. If you notice a rusty color to your water, or if it takes longer than usual to heat up water, get it checked out. 

 

5. Insulate your water heater. 

 

This is something you need to do. Instead of having it run all day so that you’ll have a nice hot bath, leave it on for an hour or so. Turn it off and the insulation in your water heater will keep the water hot. By insulating your water heater, it will also lead to a shorter waiting time for your hot water to come through your faucet. 

 

6. Turn down your water heater. 

 

This is true. This is a very quick and energy efficient way to save money. You can get away with turning down the heater to only about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people worry about the bacteria due to not having hotter water, but just make sure you use soap when washing the dishes and you’ll kill any leftover bacteria. There wouldn’t have been any difference anyway, unless you soak all your dishes in hot water beforehand. 

 

It’s important to sort through all of these myths and misconceptions before going through with some of them. Sometimes the things that are said to save you money will actually cost you more money than you wanted to spend, or just won’t save you any money at all. 

 

Knowing the myths and facts about your water heater, will help you save money. There might be no need to replace an older water heater as long as it’s working properly.

 

Ideas for Reducing Attic Heat

Attics get very warm in the summertime. So what’s the best way to beat that heat? Many companies want you to believe that there is only one solution to fixing the temperature in your attic. However, no one product will necessarily make your home more energy efficient. Here are six different ways to reduce the temperature in your attic and save you money.

 

1. Try using a thermostatically controlled roof mounted ventilator. They will help to keep your attic much cooler in the summertime. The thermostat will usually start at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature that the attic fan usually starts at.  

 

2. Using insulation only keeps the attic's heat from traveling through your home. Nevertheless, by adding powered attic fans, you will draw more air into the attic. While it does help to reduce the heat in your attic, putting these fans in your attic costs more because of the loss of conditioned air. The air you lose from the attic is then drawn into your home from the outside, which will cause your cooling bill to go up. 

 

3. Radiant barrier: This coating material gets sprayed onto the outside of your roof to help reduce the amount of heat that is radiated into your attic. The radiant barrier is shown to reduce about 68% of the heat that is being radiated into the attic. This will keep your attic cooler, which will reduce the cooling load on your home. 

 

4. Continuous ridge vent: This vent runs along the entire ridge of your roof. It is placed at the highest point of your roof so that the hot air rises to get out. However, for best results you must have sufficient vents to allow for the free airflow. The biggest downside to this type of cooling system, though, is that you must install it when you are installing either a new roof or building a new home. This type of venting wouldn’t work properly on an already existing roof. 

 

5. Standard “turtleback” vents: These are the most common vents and are very effective when enough of them are installed. Turtleback vents can be placed on an existing roof and allow for greater airflow, when properly installed. 

 

6. Check for restricted vents. Your vents can get clogged from dirt, rust, or insulation that was blown in from the attic. Make sure they are all open and will allow for the maximum amount of air to pass through. 

 

The best time to make these types of repairs to your attic is during the wintertime when it is much cooler and a lot more bearable to fix the cooling in your attic. Just make sure you think ahead before the summertime, because many people don’t think they’ll need any sort of repairs until the problem is already there. 

 

So what are you waiting for? Start saving money on your energy costs by cooling down your attic.

How to Protect Your Pipes from Freezing

As summer draws to a close, you may be thinking about the coming winter. Is your home ready for the first frost? You can learn how to protect your pipes from freezing before it’s too late.

 

Over a quarter of a million homes experience frozen pipes each winter. Not only are frozen pipes expensive to repair, your home and contents may be ruined. In a matter of minutes, a one-eighth inch crack can release 250 gallons of water and disrupt your life in ways you may never imagine.

 

Sub-zero temperatures and cold winds can wreak havoc on your water pipes if they’re not protected. What can you do now to prepare for that first frost to ensure your pipes don’t freeze and burst this year?

 

·      Know where the main water shut off valve is to your home. This will enable you to shut the water off to the house should one of the pipes freeze and burst. The quicker you can get the water shut off, the less damage will be done. This will also give you time to call the plumber for help.

 

·      Find out where the water pipes are located in your home. In most cases, they will be in the crawl space under your home or possibly in your attic. Once you’ve found exposed pipes, wrap them with insulation. The more protective insulation you can wrap around them, the less likely they are to freeze and burst.

 

·      In extremely cold temperatures, you may also want to use thermostatically controlled heat cables. These can be wrapped around the insulation and should only be used according to manufacturer’s instructions for installing them. Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. independently tests and approves these cables; be sure to use only those which have been UL approved.

 

·      Take the time to seal up any leaks around the pipes, which may be allowing cold air into the area where the pipes are exposed. This could mean checking around electrical wiring, which comes through the walls, dryer vents and the pipes themselves. Use flexible insulation, caulk, or a can of expandable foam insulation. By blocking as much air as possible, you’ll lessen the chance of the pipes bursting.

 

·      Disconnect and remove any garden hoses that won’t be used during the winter. Turn the valve off to the spigot and drain all of the water from the faucet. 

 

·      If you must leave a faucet active for whatever reason, remove the garden hose between uses. You can also put an insulated cap over the faucet to keep it from freezing.

 

·      When the temperatures are expected to get especially frigid, leave a trickle of hot and cold water running, in at least one sink that is on an outside wall. This may be just enough to avoid freezing pipes. 

 

·      Allow cabinet doors with un-insulated pipes under it to remain open. This will allow the warm air from the house to heat the pipes and keep the pipes from freezing.

 

·      Keep the thermostat to your home set no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit even if you’re not going to be home. Then ask family or a neighbor to check on your home periodically while you’re gone to ensure the temperature doesn’t fall too low.

 

No one wants to experience a burst water pipe. By getting ready for the first frost, you’ll be well on your way to avoiding one.

Stick To Your Fitness Resolution

 

Every January comes with a sense of renewal for many people. A common theme amongst individuals is to create a resolution involving things they would like to change or achieve in the coming 365 days. 

 

One of the more prevalent resolutions involves fitness. Whether it be to simply improve overall physical appearance, get healthier or maybe just become stronger, a vast amount of people base their resolutions around some facet of physical fitness. 

 

Unfortunately, the majority of New Year’s resolutions fail. The fiery motivation felt in late December to mid January begins to wane and by February, people find themselves at the same place they were the year before. 

 

Fitness goals are notoriously prone to not being fulfilled. If you’ve ever spent much time in a gym, you know the routine. For the entire month of January, there is often a line at every piece of equipment in the building. The local fitness facility begins to resemble Times Square. 

 

Advertisements flood the media with discount gym membership rates, dietary supplements and all sorts of shiny new pieces of equipment promising to transform your body in a short amount of time. 

 

In this article, we are going to break down a few tips that will hopefully allow you to fulfill your fitness goals for the New Year. If you can set yourself apart from the statistics, you will undoubtedly thank yourself next December when you are reveling in your progress while others are starting the typical, “maybe next year” routine! 

 

1.    Keep Things Simple

When embarking on a new fitness journey, it is so easy to become overwhelmed. Contemplating which workout routine to start, what foods to eat, even the outfit to wear to the gym can get in the way of your overall goal. Fitness, as well as life in general, is best kept simple. 

 

The best workout routine is the one you will stick to, period. Similarly, your nutrition should not be rocket science. You know what foods are good for you and what is junk. The biggest determining factor pertaining to your success in fitness is consistency. 

2.    Set Reasonable Goals

The media does a remarkable job of making drastic body transformations seem like an overnight process. We are constantly bombarded with images and television commercials promising that if you buy their equipment or take a certain supplement, you will look identical to the models used to promote these products. 

 

Even more comical is the timeframes reported by these advertisements. How many times have you heard, “In just 15 minutes per day, 3 times per week, you will finally have those six-pack abs?” This is all nonsense, as physical changes to your physique do not work this way. 

 

Fitness is about the long game. As you begin your journey, it is critical to realize that while you WILL see progress, it doesn’t happen overnight. Therefore, instead of planning on going to the gym 7 days per week and eating nothing but rice and chicken from a Tupperware container, set goals that you can stick to. 

 

Start small, like holding yourself accountable to 3 workouts per week and avoiding your favorite late-night junk food. 

3.    Develop A Strong “Why”

As we have already discussed, fitness is about consistency. Remember this, the incredible sense of motivation and enthusiasm you feel at the start WILL come and go. If your only goal to work out is to “look better,” there are going to be a lot of days in which that is simply not enough. 

 

If you are going to stick to your fitness goals this year, developing a reason why that is strong enough to stick it out when the motivation cools off, the excitement isn’t there and you’d much rather stay in and watch television instead is MANDATORY. 

 

Your “why” has to be unique to you. Find whatever that is and use it to push through the hard days! 

 

Stop Letting Stress Impact Your Life

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. Some levels of stress are even healthy and can contributing to keeping us alert and functioning at our best. Many of us, however, have difficulty managing our stress.

 

Some stress disorders are hereditary and can be caused by imbalances of the chemicals that help the mind and body communicate. Many stress disorders are caused because what the body considers a threat and what the mind considers a threat aren't the same thing.

 

For those of us who have survived accidents, combat, or other extreme and real dangers stress disorders can come from having a hard time adapting to life outside of high levels of stress.

 

Whatever the cause of your stress, whether it be a personal concern or a diagnosed disorder, stress shouldn't control your life and there are certain things that you can try to take control of it. If you are already seeing a medical professional about your stress, these tips may help to supplement the help that you are receiving. If you are not talking to a medical professional, these tips may still help you, but they are not a substitute for other forms of intervention.

 

Talk To A Friend

 

One of the biggest ways to avoid letting stress impact your life is to realize that stress isn't an unusual thing, or something that only affects you.

 

According to the National Aliance on Mental Health, over eighteen percent of American adults suffer from a severe stress like Anxiety or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That's roughly one in five people.

 

Being familiar with these statistics may help you to feel more comfortable about talking to a healthcare provider, though it may also help you to feel more comfortable talking to a friend or community member. Casually talking to a friend or community member can be a good way to get advice about how to deal with stress, but it can also help for you to determine how bad your condition may actually be – or not be.

 

Focus On Life Before Your Stress Problem

 

Whether stress comes on gradually due to life changes, or quickly due to an incident or experience, you shouldn't let stress stop you from doing things that you used to enjoy.

 

It's natural for stress or a stress disorder to make new things seem scary but they can also have this effect on experiences that we regularly enjoyed in the past. For example, gradually on-setting stress may make you not want to spend time with old friends, or a car accident may make you want to avoid driving, or even riding in or being around cars.

 

It's important to remind yourself that these events went well for you in the past and that seeing them differently now doesn't change the nature of the activity. Even if the activity did go poorly for you once in the past, as in the case of the car accident, that was only one of many incidences with most of them having gone well.

 

Ease Into Stressful Activities

 

When stress or a stress disorder leads us to fear pursuing a certain activity, doctors often recommend that we ease ourselves back into it. 

 

To return to the car accident case, it might not be healthy for you – or safe for those around you – for you to try to face your fear by forcing yourself into the driver's seat before you're ready. If you froze or had a panic attack behind the wheel it could cause an accident, potentially hurting yourself or others and reinforcing your fear rather than fighting it.

 

Instead, try taking taxis or riding with friends and family for a while before getting behind the wheel again. At first it may even be helpful to read a book in the car instead of paying attention to traffic.

 

5 Tips for Long Term Weight Loss Success

Losing weight can take a lot out of you, physically, emotionally, mentally. And many times, once it’s off, you feel like those calories will never return. But the sad truth is that we easily pack on the pounds soon after because we fall back into the same negative habits as before.

 

If you’ve lost some weight, follow these 5 smart tips to guarantee that you keep it off for good.

 

1.    Don’t diet

 

Dieters gain back their weight within 6 months to a year. Some even gain more than they lost after they stopped dieting. So instead of following some 10-week eating plan, why not change your entire outlook on food?

 

Food shouldn’t be a substitute for anything. That’s the first rule. Food should be eaten for nourishment and sustainability. It should taste good and look good as well to appeal to all your senses without being loaded with processed sugars and oils.

 

Make it a habit to eat foods rich in fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, and fish. These give you the sense that you’re full for longer, and they contain few calories. Use aromatic vegetables like onions and garlic, as well as spices and herbs to make your food look, smell and taste delicious. You can also use condiments to add flavor to your dishes.

 

Another great trick to boost your metabolism and keep those calories burning all day is to eat small amounts several times throughout the day. Use small plates and enjoy a nourishing dish every 3 - 4 hours. This helps maintain blood sugar levels, so you don’t feel that slump in the afternoon while keeping your energy levels up and calories at a minimum.

 

Also try to really focus on what you’re eating. Most of the time, we’re too busy or tired to notice how our food even tastes. This is one of the worst habits you can have because it forces you to eat more than you should and leaves you feeling bloated and heavy. Instead, take a few seconds to appreciate your food; its texture and smell. 

 

Taking in the whole experience of eating allows you to enjoy your food more without having the need to overindulge and eat more than you should.

 

Also, never underestimate the power of water. Drinking lots of water daily, especially before meals, keeps your body hydrated, increases metabolism and helps you burn off more calories. You can add vegetable or fruit slices for a healthy kick.

 

2.    Strengthen your muscles

 

As we age, we lose muscle mass which is why it’s crucial to start strengthening your muscles to prevent fatigue, loss of balance and weak bones. Also, muscle tissue burns more calories, even when you’re not working out, than fat. Yet another reason to stretch and pump those muscles.

 

3.    Accept the setbacks

 

There will be days when you’re faced with difficult decisions, like a party at work or going out with friends. If you can plan ahead, then you’re one step ahead of the game. You can fill up on healthy snacks before the event, or even have something in your bag you can munch on like carrot sticks or a granola bar.

 

There will also be cravings that gnaw at you until you can’t take it anymore. More often than not, cravings are never really about the food. They can be a signal that your body lacks a certain mineral. For example, when you crave chocolate, what your body is really saying is that it’s lacking in magnesium. 

 

Cravings could also be a reaction to a stressful day at work, or an emotional problem you’re going through. All cravings last about 20 minutes so find something to distract yourself; watch TV, read a book, even brushing your teeth will quickly kill off your craving.

 

4.    Surround yourself with supportive friends and family

 

People who believe in the same things as you make it easier to enjoy a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. They support you and believe in what you’re doing, and sometimes even take the time to be your workout buddy or prepare meals with you. And, in turn, they become your accountability partner so that if, and when, you slip up, you have someone that provides understanding and support.

 

5.    Exercise

 

The suggested minimum for maintaining weight loss is 250 minutes per week. This comes down to about 45-50 minutes of moderate activity for 5 days. While these numbers may seem disheartening, it’s actually simpler than you may think. Pick an activity you enjoy, as walking, swimming, gardening, and start at your own pace. You can also mix and match, so you don’t get bored. To make things even more fun, get a workout buddy, or join a gym and start meeting new people. After a while, exercising will become a natural part of your daily routine, and you’ll even start to look forward to it.

 

4 Key Ways To Stop Procrastination

We’re all guilty of doing it, more often than we’d like to admit. Procrastination may not be just about turning in your school report/work project at the last minute. It may also be putting off important life decisions like whether or not you should ask your boss for that raise he promised last month, or whether you should join a gym, leave your boyfriend, have a baby - it’s endless. 

 

And if you don’t start learning how to stop putting things off, you’ll have to deal with procrastination your whole life which may have a negative effect on your relationships, career, and personal health.

 

The thought process behind procrastination is that we believe there’s always tomorrow, so why not just steer clear of the stress and anxiety and just put it off until later. So, this is the first thing you need to tackle. It won’t be easy but try to figure out what the stress factor is behind your procrastination. It could be fear of failure, fear of confrontation, fear of not being perfect.

 

You are your own worst critic. 

 

You judge your flaws and imperfections way too harshly. Yet studies show that when you forgive yourself for putting things off or not getting things done as perfectly as you would’ve liked, can actually help fend off procrastination. And most importantly, have realistic goals before you give yourself a hard time. 

 

Sometimes we tend to bite off more than we can choose, then we go off the deep end because the end result wasn’t anywhere what we had envisioned.

 

Follow these tips to help you avoid procrastination once and for all.

 

1.    Turn burdensome tasks into habits.

 

We all have enough willpower to get about 3 or 4 tasks done each day. Habits use other parts of our brain rather than the prefrontal cortex which is associated with rational thinking. So, when you train yourself to do something out of habit, rather than look at it as a mundane task, you think about it less which means you’re using less willpower and you won’t fall into the procrastination rut. 

 

Things like brushing your teeth or making your bed have all become daily habits which you automatically perform without even considering putting them off. Why not turn healthy eating, daily exercise, or turning in reports ahead of time into daily habits as well?

 

After that it becomes easier, but you still have to keep yourself motivated and inspired. Procrastination is all about taking that dreaded first step. So why not ease into it with the knowledge that after a certain amount of time, or once I’ve finished X, I can watch videos on YouTube or go get a cup of coffee. Make it pleasant for yourself because the reward is the part that the brain assimilates to gauge your enjoyment level. If you’re happy, then your brain slowly turns this task into a habit which you look forward to, instead of something you dread on a daily basis.

 

2.    Break work tasks into chunks.

 

Instead of cleaning out the entire garage, do the right side first, take a break, then do the left side, take a break, then finish off the rest. At work, big tasks may seem daunting when you look at them as a whole. The answer? Break it down into smaller tasks. Make an outline of the entire project, and then divide it up into smaller tasks.

 

Working in 30-minute increments also helps break down tasks into smaller chunks which are manageable and not so intimidating. After the 30 minutes, take a break and assess your work. Seeing how much you’ve accomplished will give you that boost of confidence you need to keep at it.

 

3.    Remove distractions.

 

Checking your email every 5 minutes isn’t doing you any good. So, once you’ve committed to doing the job, limit distractions by putting your away. You can find apps that help you stay on track, but some will say that’s completely missing the point. 

 

The important thing is that you set up a certain time for checking emails or your social media, and once you’ve started your task, you avoid the urge to take a sneak peak.

 

Another serious distraction is multi-tasking. Even though it may seem that you’re being productive, the truth is it’s a complete waste of time and energy. Think about it, it takes your brain about 20 minutes to completely focus on one task and give it 100%, and then you bring in another task which means you decrease your focus level by half, bring in a third task and the focus drops even lower. So even though you’re working more, your end results will be below average.

 

4.    Work during your peak hours.

 

We all have certain times during the day when we’re most alert. Some of us are morning people, some are night owls, and some have more energy during the afternoon hours. Find out what your peak hours are and tackle your most difficult tasks then. You’ll be more of a powerhouse then with your brain working at its maximum capacity.

 

Procrastination is different than being lazy because when you procrastinate, you delay doing something for a more pleasurable task. So why not turn that mundane task you’re dreading into something more fun and enjoyable, and kill off the urge to procrastinate?