Whenever you are retrofitting a chimney to use with a wood stove, a block-off plate is necessary for sealing the fireplace opening. Also known as a damper seal, a block-off plate keeps soot from entering the hearth and protects from cold drafts. It effectively seals off a home from the chimney. Many fireplace inserts come with seals for this purpose, but if you're doing the job yourself, you will need to shape sheet metal to fit in the opening.

The Dometic Corporation manufactures A&E awnings. Awnings provide shade during sunny days and shelter during a light rain and are both power and manually operated. You can open a power awning quickly by simply pressing a button. A manual awning requires more work but with a little practice you open it and close it relatively quickly. Manual Awning Turn the adjustment lock knob on the back of the awning arm counterclockwise to loosen it.

It's no secret that water and electricity don't mix. As a result, you need to be careful when working with anything electrical in an environment that has a high level of moisture. A good example is working with lights in a bathroom since you could have a lot of humidity built up from the shower or bath. Care should always be used when pulling a light from a shower ceiling.

A bay window can add square footage to an ordinarily squared-off area. Since bay windows are an extension off the main perimeter wall of your home, insulation should be installed on the underside. Insulation will help minimize the transfer of air and keep your bay window area at a moderate temperature compared to the rest of the adjoining space. Insulating the underside of a bay window will hinder air transfer.

If you live on a golf course, your windows may be at risk of getting hit by golf balls. There are ways to defend your windows against being broken by golf balls, but some may be expensive. On the upside, the price of protecting your windows is worth multiple window replacements and repairs. Tempered glass and protective window coverings will stand up to any golf ball and can be installed by a professional.

Jansport backpacks are made of a variety of materials, including durable polyester fabric and nylon. Many have leather-reinforced bottoms. Any backpack, even if you use it gently, needs to be cleaned occasionally. Dirt and debris from the environment make them look soiled over time. Things You Will Need + Towel Soft lint brush Hand vacuum Bucket Cloths Clothespins Open all the compartments on the backpack. Remove all the contents and then turn it upside down.

The polyurethane foam in an upholstered sofa can take a lot of abuse. The foam is usually not affected during the cleaning process, but cleaning it improperly can cause staining on fabrics if you use the wrong method. Read the furniture tag, as couches with "X" on them can only be vacuumed, while couches with an "S" require solvents for spot-cleaning only. Couches with "W" or a combination of "

Decorative concrete curbing has many benefits when used around a flower garden or other landscaping bed in a lawn. Curbing holds expensive bedding material in place so it does not wash into the lawn when torrential rainstorms occur. Concrete curbing lines a garden and walkway. The concrete edging also prevents grass from growing into the bed and decreases the time needed to hand-pull weeds in the bed. Making your own decorative curbing allows you to choose the design you wish and add a splash of color to it for a border that really pops.

Wooden fences are often created from prefabricated sections mounted to posts. The prefabricated fence sections can either be purchased from a supplier, or built on site. Racking is the process by which a prefabricated panel is squared, meaning that each corner is a perfect 90-degree angle. On large structures such as a fence panel, special care is needed to keep the structure square rather than a parallelogram. Step 1 Hammer a nail into the top left corner of the fence panel, ideally in the vertical structural member of the fence.

Percolators are very similar to modern coffee makers and serve the same function: to brew coffee and tea. The devices are shaped like pitchers with a cord that plugs into an electrical outlet. Just as with all other household appliances, percolators can begin to experience problems. Before you can fix the problem, perform some percolator troubleshooting to identify what the problem actually is. Most percolator repairs are basic enough for you to identify and remedy at home and without professional assistance.