Saving Water

What's the Largest Bar I Will Put to a Stihl 026?

Stihl manufactures a vast selection of chainsaws for home, agricultural and forestry use, and also the 026 is a lightweight, gasoline-powered version. If you possess a Stihl 026 chainsaw, you’re able to raise its performance by installing a more guide bar, but exceeding the manufacturer’s recommendations for maximum bar length can void the warranty. The longest bar advocated for your own 026 is 20 inches, even whether or not it’s a bar created for low kickback.

Bar Length and Kickback

One of the dangers of operating a chainsaw is kickback, which happens when the chain binds in the wood being cut and throws the saw back toward the operator. Putting a more bar on your own chainsaw can raise the potential for kickback since the extra string in contact with wood raises the chances of binding or contacting a foreign object in the wood, and also the bar is harder to control. Employing a bar that is too short for the wood being cut is equally harmful — if the trick doesn’t clear the other side of this log, the saw could kick back.

Stihl 026 Standard Bar

The minimum bar length to get a chainsaw is 2 inches more than the object being cut. A 14- to 16-inch bar is usually all that is necessary for projects like cutting firewood, trimming tree branches and cutting edge construction timber. The Stihl 026 comes with a 16-inch bar, but a more one could be required to fell a tree or cut a log into smaller, splittable rounds. If the only saw you’ve got around the home is the Stihl 026, you can adapt it to get occasional heavy-duty log work by retrofitting the bar, however there is a limit to the bar length you can use.

Pros and Cons of a Longer Bar

Putting a more bar on your own chainsaw makes it harder to operate, since the extra period increases the force you need to apply on the saw to maintain the string steady. Additionally, it raises the total amount of power the engine has to generate to drive the string, and the engine can burn out prematurely if the bar is too long. The 49 cubic-centimeter, two-stroke engine on the Stihl 026 isn’t designed for a lengthy bar or heavy-duty cutting. Compare it with all the MS 880 Magnum, which will be Stihl’s largest chainsaw. The engine displacement of this Magnum is 121.6 cc, more than twice that of those 026, and it can handle a 59-inch bar.

Stihl 026 Bar Specifications

In order to comply with security standards set by the American National Standards Institute, Stihl advocates using just 16-, 18- and 20-inch bars together with all the 026 chainsaw. The company further advocates utilizing bars with green labels, which identify them as low kickback bars. A green-labeled bar ought to be used with just a harmonious low-kickback series, which can be characterized by a green label. Employing a normal chain using a low-kickback bar actually can raise the potential for kickback. If you select a bar with a yellow label, then the same length restrictions apply.

See related

Saving Water

What Kind of Oil Is Used in a Garden Tractor?

It may just have two cylinders, a fuel tank which holds 4 gallons and horsepower measured in dozens instead of hundreds, however your lawn and garden tractor needs the same attention to routine upkeep as your family car. Although individual manufacturers may have specific recommendations for their lawn and garden tractors and generators, the machines that you depend on to maintain your lawn neat typically use generally available motor oil.

Lawn Tractor History

Following the World War II, new American suburbs created a massive market for lawn mowers — and bigger lawns encouraged the growth of riding mowers for homeowners. From the early 1960s, agricultural machinery firms were building smaller versions of the tractors. Called variously lawn, lawn and garden, utility or garden tractors, in accordance with their size and operate, they have been snapped up by homeowners having more than half an acre of lawn and garden. Many homeowners locate these machines simple to maintain independently although lots of lawn mower repair centers exist.

Tractor Basics

Although a title is on the hood of your lawn and garden tractor, the little motor inside is probably made by one of a few manufacturers of engines. Engines are usually one- or – two-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled internal combustion engines. Some bigger utility tractors feature water-cooled or diesel engines, but these engines are finicky when it comes to dust and dirt and are more commonly used for commercial purposes. Gas-driven engines use regular unleaded gas, but the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute cautions against using gas containing more than 10 percent ethanol to prevent damage to the little engine.

Oil Viscosity

Equipment and motor manufacturers promote oil for their products, but also advocate regular motor oil. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) rates viscosity or thickness of oil — and which oil is utilized depends on air temperature. For most of the year at a Mediterranean-type climate, SAE 30 petroleum motor oil is sufficient to maintain modest engines running smoothly. In areas where temperatures dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, a multi-viscosity oil using a thinner winter mix, 10W-30 or 5W-30, depending upon owner’s manual recommendations, is utilized.

Other Considerations

Little engines may be sensitive to impurities, so choose reputable brands of motor oil. The American Petroleum Institute classifies oil grade, and one big manufacturer recommends using API service classification SG or better, a premium grade suited to engines which burn off or low-lead gas. Many lawn and garden tractor engines may also use synthetic oil, which extends the temperature range in the ends for 10W-30 oil — provided that the motor has been broken in. Oil change intervals are often as short as after every 25 hours of use in small engines, so check the manual for specific recommendations for yours.

See related

Saving Water

What's a B-Vent Gas Fireplace?

Organic draft gas fireplaces don’t own a sealed combustion chamber and rely on the natural buoyancy of heated air to vent combustion gases outside of your property. A B-vent gas fireplace is a type of draft system which employs a particular pipe to take combustion gases. They could have drawbacks Even though fireplaces may be an efficient heating method.

How It Works

B-vent gas fireplaces draw air from the region around your chimney to help fuel combustion within the machine. Since flue gases are buoyant, the exhaust air moves naturally through its pipe system through your roof, in which it is completed the chimney and away from your home. The chimney walls increase in temperatures, Since the fireplace continues to vent flue gases up the chimney. The hotter the chimney walls, the better the flue gases keep their heat and buoyancy, making them exit the chimney.

Layout and Installation

B-vent pipes must be installed to the same standards as a masonry chimney Though building codes may vary slightly. These pipes may be included with combustible materials and run out of the fireplace throughout the walls of your home, terminating through a chimney on your roof. While the plan of a B-vent system is straightforward, it needs to be installed by an expert to make sure all local building code standards, clearances and safety recommendations are followed.

Pros and Cons

While gas fireplaces use the air within your home for combustion, the quantity of air is usually minimal and your home’s air quality isn’t reduced by this usage. Since a B-vent system’s plan is straightforward, it is generally less expensive to set up than a direct vent fireplace method. But while B-vent gas fireplace effectively removes combustion gases and offers heat, it may not be as energy-efficient as a direct vent system, because its design will let cool air into your house’s interior if a downdraft happens in the chimney, and some of your chimney heat may also be lost up the vent.

Safety and Warnings

B-vent systems are not meant for all kinds of fuels. They should not be used with appliances, such as fireplaces and wood stoves, incinerators, coal-fired or oil-fired appliances, or some other appliances which burn anything aside from natural gas or petroleum. B-vents are also not suitable for use with appliances which create.

See related

Saving Water

How Many Hours a Day Does a Hot Water Heater Run?

A nice soak after a long work week might be your idea of heaven, however if a helpful family member has awakened, run a load of laundry and opened the fridge, your hot water heater has been — and will be — running for quite a while. How long it runs daily depends on lots of variables.

Kinds of Heaters

Classic storage water heaters keep water warm by fire up any time the water at the top of the cylinder — in which water leaves the cylinder — falls below the set temperature. Based on the amount of people of the household, standby tank capacity, temperature setting and amount of shipping piping, a storage heater might run for many minutes every hour. The tankless demand heater heats water only when users call for it. Water heaters run an average of 3 hours a day, but the difference in complete operation time can vary from a couple of hours to get new tankless heaters to five or even more for older standby tanks.

Added Efficiencies

The efficiency rating of the appliance itself and if it is placed in a cold basement or heated area can limit its “burn period .” Placing a demand heater near the appliance which uses the warm water cuts down on heat loss along pipes. Insulation wraps for storage heaters reduce standby heat loss. Insulated pipes limit heat reduction for both, allowing settings that are lower. Efficiencies might limit burn time in a demand heater and decrease standby period in a storage heater.

See related

Saving Water

Troubleshooting Your Manufactured Housing Issues from Structural to Electrical Concerns

Manufactured homes, previously known as mobile homes, have been around in their present form since the 1950s. For years, manufacturers adopted their construction standards, leading to uneven home quality. In 1976, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, made uniform construction and safety standards for manufactured houses. In 1994, the standards were upgraded to include insulation and wind-resistance specifications, and post in the November/December 1996″Home Energy Magazine” notes.

Site Preparation Problems

Housing installation problems can start with site prep. The Manufactured Housing Institute states that the builder’s or dealer’s failure to correctly grade the website for drainage can cause water flows into the house’s base. Unstable floor can also lead to potential home structural problems. Foundations unsuitable for terrain conditions can cause concerns too.

Structural Issues

Some manufactured houses have experienced structural flaws. Wall flaws include use of wood or metal furring strips to which other elements are mounted. Solid lumber supplies better structural integrity. Other structural difficulties include insufficient sheathing beneath exterior metal siding, in addition to flows at window and door seams. Crawl space problems include floor clearance violations, insulation mold contamination and insect infestation, InspectApedia reports.

Plumbing and Moisture

Home plumbing problems are concerns. Many shower, bathtub and sink fixtures are made from thin plastic which will crack and leak. Some toilets don’t comprise shutoffs for water crises, Consumers’ Union worries. The Florida Solar Energy Center reported that moisture problems were widespread in manufactured houses in hot, humid areas. Causes included moisture migration from crawl spaces, poorly installed moisture barriers and bad duct condensation drainage.

Heating and Ac

Homeowners can experience manufactured home heating problems. The Mobile Home Doctor states that elderly furnaces could have cracked fireboxes that flow carbon dioxide into the home. The furnace exteriors can also present a issue, since they’re intended to get flammable material. Filter maintenance is needed to reduce this risk. Water in air conditioning ductwork is also an aggravation, also means that the tankless water drain is malfunctioning. Oftentimes, older air conditioners run continuously and barely cool the home at all. This disappointing performance can lead to compressor replacement and is as a result of a compressor enthusiast. At length, window components pressed into service to get a badly cooled home can overload the circuit and cause a breaker to trip.

Electrical Factors

Improper use of electrical systems could result in home fires, particularly in manufactured houses. The United States Fire Administration notes that many problems result from homeowners that use erroneously rated switches, bulbs and other electrical parts. Cracked or stiff electrical cords, along with extension wires unable to carry power loads, can also lead to potential fires. Sparks, hot electrical strings and tripped circuit breakers are warning signals of electrical problems.

Setup and Legal Issues

Since HUD commissioned fabricated home construction standards in 1976, factory-built houses have observed quality development. Unfortunately, homeowners have observed damage to recently purchased homes during transport to the construction site, or through the installation phase. Resolution of these issues falls into local governments and the home dealers, who actually have the home until the county issues an occupancy permit. Oftentimes, local agencies are reluctant to give information to the homeowner so he could pursue his case against the home trader. In California, as an Example, the information is available from the Housing and Community Development Ombudsman, at a cost of $196 or even more in 2009. The Manufactured Housing Citizens Group recommends that fabricated home buyers retain an lawyer to deal with the entire home purchase and installation process. In addition, the group recommends you hire an independent home inspector to oversee quality problems from begin to finish.

See related

Saving Water

How Much to Add Central Air to an Existing Furnace?

Adding central air conditioning into an existing forced-air heating system means you may be rid of noisy, dripping window AC units forever. And since the ductwork to distribute the cooled air throughout the house exists, the whole project can be completed by heating/cooling technicians in two or three days. In most cases they won’t have to make important changes to the ductwork.

Costs Vary

The cost will vary according to the home dimension, orientation to the sun, amount of insulation and positioning of windows and doors. These factors affect the size and efficacy level of their cooling equipment you’ll need. As of publication time, expect to pay from $3,000 to $3,500 in the very low end and from $4,000 to $6,000 in the high end to include central air conditioning into the forced air heating system in a 2,000-square-foot house that’s existing ductwork. As there are lots of cost variables, plan on obtaining at least three bids.

See related