Gas Control is Necessary Even in Your Own Home

In most homes in North America, unless you live in a warm, sunny part, you will find three types of furnace systems, the conventional furnace, mid- efficiency furnace, and high-efficiency furnace. With some homes, you will also find a wood furnace or an outdoor wood furnace. Here are a few tips on maintaining your furnace throughout the year. If you have a forced-air gas furnace, there is a thermostatically-controlled gas control valve that feeds through a manifold to a series of burner tubes. Your furnace ignites by an electric spark or constant-flame pilot ignition system. The furnace blower then heats and circulates the air that was warmed in the heat exchanger above the burners.

It is important that the air is warmed inside the exchanger without allowing any deadly carbon monoxide, that is usually odorless into the supply ducts. You will find that on most models of blower and burner chambers, there are individual access panels or a single large panel. The operation of your furnace is regulated by the gas control valve, a remote thermostat and ignition system. In addition to having a technician service your furnace is important to not store anything around it, no flammables near it. Keep the air filter clean, make sure the gas burners have a clean blue flame, and that there are no unusual sounds when it starts or runs. Make sure that there are no leaks coming from it or unusual odors and that the thermostat is functioning properly. If you have electric radiant heat, it is still a good idea to follow similar safety precautions.

Here are some of the tasks performed by a licensed heating technician. They check for hazardous debris in the chimney or flue, safety test for carbon monoxide, ensure the furnace filter is cleaned and reinstalled, check the operation of your thermostat and its safety controls, clean the motor and fan, check blower operation, and check the gas pilot safety system, cleaning it as well, if required. All belts are checked for condition and tension and any necessary adjustments made. The burners are cleaned and set for proper combustion and ignition, and the gas piping is checked as well. Remember to have your furnace overhauled once a year to ensure good clean and safe operation.

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How to Change Your Bedding Design Fast With Duvet Covers

Have you ever been decorating your room before? You can change the whole room before you realize that the center piece or the bed, just seems to throw everything off balance. Then you are stuck with the discoing of changing the bedding. If you change it to a different style you are probably going to be stuck with that look for awhile. Especially if it is something exotic, because unlike solid colors that are versatile going with a more original look has the benefit of being a bit different but, it also comes with the negative fact that it will not be easily changed. And with the price of a quality down comforter being so expensive you probably do not want to get anything that you will want to change any time soon. Even if you did have the money to blow like that down comforters do not come in that many original designs.

There is a good reason why down comforters to not come in that many original designs and it has to do with how you can change your bedding into something in tune with your decorating style in a snap. Duvet covers make it easy for you to quickly and efficiently change the look and feel of your bedding. It is hard to find that nice Egyptian down comforter that seems to give you that warm comforting feel at night. Which is also why duvet covers are such a welcome to the American home. Not only do you get the benefit of changing your bedding but, you can also hold on to that comforter a lot longer. And since they protect your comforter it will extend the life span of it saving you a ton on bedding expenses. So if you need a way to change your bedding in a flash there is no better way than with duvet covers.

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The Varied Designs of Cube Furniture

There are a lot of different styles available as cube storage furniture. You can choose the Indian style of cube furniture, which is constructed of wood materials. The cube design is available in several different types of pieces such as the coffee table, sideboard, TV and video cabinet as well as a 4 square shelving unit. The Indian wood is moderately dark in color and has a natural grain look to it. For additional cube storage, you could also choose the 5 drawer tallboy that comes complete with metal drawer pulls.

There are also several lighter shades of wood storage units available such as the line of oak products for cube designed furniture. You can even find nesting tables in the cube design. Some of the wood styles have the traditional square edge look while others have a more modern round edge look to them.

If you have a contemporary home, you could choose to use the mirrored styles of cube furniture. These pieces are designed in highly polished chrome to bring out a bright sheen in the piece. All of the styles of the cube furniture are designed to create extra storage space where you might not have a lot of room.

You can also find several stackable units used as cube storage furniture. The stackable units allow you to create as much storage space as you need. There are also several unique pieces such as the Aurora glass cube, which has a glass shelf interior or the Relaxateeze 2 in 1 storage cube and footstool.

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How to Use the Ab Lounge XL

The Ab Lounge XL provides assistance in performing one of the most challenging abdominal exercises; the jackknife. The jackknife involves simultaneous flexion of both the upper and lower torso. There are a number of factors that influence one's ability to perform this exercise. These include:

Weak Core and Abdominal Muscles: The jackknife requires an enormous amount of abdominal and core strength.
Leg to Torso Proportion: Since the lower or upper body are flexing simultaneously, people with either long torsos or long legs may have trouble balancing.
Tight Hip Flexors: Your hip flexors are the strong ligaments that connect your thighs to your pelvis. If they are tight, it will be hard to flex your legs into the jackknife.
Stiff Upper Torso: In general, the jackknife is performed without neck support, so if your neck or upper back is tense, this exercise can be painful.

Although the Ab Lounge XL can assist in performing the jackknife and its many variations, the jury is still out about the effectiveness of the machine. However, if it gets people exercising, something is better than nothing. Here are some of the basic exercises that can be performed on the Ab Lounge XL.

The Ab Lounge XL Basic Jackknife

Lie on the machine and grasp the overhead handles.
Place your feet on the foot rest.
Inhale to prepare
As you exhale, draw your navel towards your spine, and slowly curl your upper and lower body towards each other.
Pause at the top, and take a small breath in, without letting your belly expand!
Exhale, and slowly return.

You can also work your obliques on the Ab Lounge XL by dropping your legs to one side at a 45 degree angle, and performing the same movement pattern.

The breathing pattern we've suggested for this exercise probably seems a bit odd. However, the return movement on any type of abdominal curl is the movement that gets people into trouble. During this movement, some people have a tendency to "pop" their ribs forward, which creates an arch in the back. Over time, this will develop an incorrect postural alignment, which can actually make your stomach look bigger!

For example, think about people you know who have a "sway back." No imagine their stomachs. They rarely look flat. So what does breathing have to do with it? A lot, actually. When you inhale, your diaphragm fills up with air, which causes your stomach to expand. Think of a balloon. If you wanted to inflate the balloon, you would fill it up with air, but if you wanted to flatten the balloon, you would let the air out. Your abdominal muscles work the same way. As you inhale, your belly expands, and as you exhale, your deep core muscles press against the diaphragm to expel the air, thereby flattening your belly. If you are inhaling on the return movement of the Ab Lounge XL jackknife, you are only getting the benefits of the curling movement. At best, you are only getting half the benefits of the exercise. At worst, since your abdominal muscles support your back, by keeping them flaccid, you may be causing lower back damage.

If you have not been exercising, remember to check with your doctor before purchasing and using new equipment.

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Decorating Your Outside Bar With Outdoor Bar Furniture

If you're putting an outdoor bar on your patio or another place outside, you're going to want outdoor bar furniture. You'll have lots of styles to choose from, so start with an idea of what you want it to look like. For example, if you like bamboo, you can find a bamboo bar and matching chairs. It will run you about $1200, depending on where you purchase it, for the bar and stools.

This particular type of bamboo furniture is well made and should last you for years. If you're worried about having enough space to store all of your glasses and drink mixes, you don't need to be. The bamboo bar has plenty of shelf space and storage space for everything you'll need. Some of these also have tiki umbrellas that will complete the look. Imagine having the look of Hawaii right in your backyard.

Another option for an outdoor bar is teak. Teakwood is a stylish choice that will suit your entertainment needs perfectly. In addition, you should be the envy of your neighbors, at least to some extent.

There's also wicker to choose from. These days, it's made in all other material with granite countertops. These can stand up to just about any weather. Cedar is another great choice for outdoor bar furniture. Not only is the wood nice, but the smell as refreshing as well.

Wrought iron is yet another very good choice. For a bistro look, choose a bistro patio set. It's stylish, simple, and makes entertaining fun.

Before you start shopping for an outside bar set, do some homework first. Decide what your tastes are and what you would like best. Next, set your price range, and also decide how much you are going to use it. Finally, you'll want to know what size you'll need, depending on how many guests you'll usually have.

For a patio set that has more than a couple of chairs or stools, you can choose a larger set. Other patio furniture should also provide additional seating. Some kinds of patio furniture will stand up to the outdoors better than others will. Check the warranty once you've chosen a style you like to make sure it will meet your needs.

It's great to spend time outdoors when the weather is nice. As long as you have outdoor bar furniture and some added touches besides, you'll have turned your patio into a place you can spend a lot of time in. Add some extra touches like tiki torches, and you're all set for a great evening. A patio bar set makes entertaining and relaxing outside easy. Simply coming home from a long busy day and looking forward to having a relaxing evening on your patio makes your new bar furniture worth it.

You can spend time with your spouse on your patio and forget about stressful days, simply relaxing and enjoying your time together. Your outdoor bar furniture makes this a great place to eat dinner as well, and drinks are at the ready, too. Many of the bar sets have a space to keep ice so that you can fill it up and don't have to worry about running inside get more every time you need to make a drink. Outdoor bar furniture runs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, so you can find something to fit any budget.

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Secrets of a One-Match Fireplace Fire

It does not require the skill of an Eagle Scout to make a good fire in your fireplace. You just have to use a tried and trusted fire-starting method.

Before you even start to build your fireplace fire, there are four things you'll want to do. First, since the last thing you want is a chimney fire, be sure you have had your chimney inspected and cleaned within the past year. A good cleaning removes the build-up of flammable creosote.

Second, remove all but about an inch of ashes from the floor of your fireplace. A handy way to remove these ashes is with a vacuum specially designed to remove cold ashes from your fireplace.

Third, look up your chimney to make sure the damper is open. A 'throat damper' is located at the bottom of the chimney and will open with a lever or with chain-pulls. If you have a 'top damper,' it's located at the top of the chimney and you open it by pulling a cable.

Fourth, cleared your hearth of anything flammable. You don't want a stray spark to start a fire anyplace other than inside the firebox!

At last you are ready to start making your fireplace fire. Crumble two or three sheets of paper such as that old standby, yesterday's newspaper. Avoid burning plastics or paper with color printing (such as the Sunday comics, magazines, or gift wrapping paper) as they give off toxic fumes. Put the crumbled paper on your fireplace grate. The grate elevates your fire, allowing it to pull in plenty of air to keep a good draft going up the chimney.

Now you have a choice. On top of the crumbled paper, you can put a handful of pine kindling strips (pieces of pine about half an inch wide and about 10 inches long) topped in a criss-cross pile with half a dozen dry pieces of hardwood about 1 inch square by a foot long. The easier way is just to top the crumbled paper with a couple of sticks of fatwood, a natural firestarter. Fatwood comes from the stumps of pine trees, the section of the trees that naturally collects the highly combustible resinous sap or pitch. Purchased in easy-to-use sticks about 8 inches long, fatwood is known as nature's one-match firestarter.

If you are using the fatwood method, add 3 pieces of split, dried firewood on top of the fatwood. If you are using the kindling-hardwood combination, do not add the split firewood yet.

You want the first puffs of smoke from your fireplace fire to go up the chimney, not into your room. So establish an upward flow of air in your flue by crumbling another couple of sheets of paper, lighting them, and holding them up inside the fireplace. This pre-warming gets that upward flow of warm air going.

At last it's time to light your fireplace fire! Light the paper in your grate from each end. If you are using fatwood, the paper will light the fatwood that in turn lights the split firewood.

If you are using the kindling-hardwood method, when the paper lights the kindling and the kindling lights the hardwood, it is time to add 2 or 3 pieces of split firewood to the fire.

As the fire burns, use the tongs from your fireplace tool set to add more split firewood as needed. Place a fireplace screen or spark guard in front of the fire to protect your home and loved ones. Now, sit back and enjoy your fireplace fire!

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