7 More Maintenance Tips for Water Heaters
Posted by in Water on August 3, 2011
Maintenance Tip #1 – Preparing the water heater. Turn off the power if its an electric water heater. Turn off the water to the water heater by closing the valve on the cold water line. Its located on top of the water heater. The cold line is always to the right. Open a hot water tap inside the house. Air pressure will come out of the tap. Open the drain valve located at the bottom of the water heater. It looks like a hose bibb. Let a gallon or more out of the water heater. Do not allow anyone to use hot water for the time you are working on the water heater.
Maintenance Tip #2 – Overhead clearance. Anode rods are almost as tall as the water heater itself. More often than not the ceiling is too close to the top of the water heater to be able to pull the entire anode rod out. No matter, lift the anode rod up as far as you can. Check to see if their is any flaking on the surface or any of its core wire is exposed. If not, then you can reinstall the anode as is. Most of the anode rods problems occur at its top because that’s where most of the hot water is. If you need to remove an anode rod. Bend it in the middle against the water heater’s opening and pull it out. To put a new one in, simply bend it in the middle again and straighten it out at the opening. If the anode top is wobbly when you try to screw it in, pull it half way again and attempt to straighten it as much as possible. If the overhead clearance is less than 2 feet, buy a link-type anode rod. It has “sausage” links of metal attached together. Its very easy to install. Read the rest of this entry »
Neem Uses and Benefits
Posted by in Vegetable on July 15, 2011
Neem needs no introduction in today’s world. A very famous herb of India with worldwide fame and having magical properties known for its miraculous medicinal values from past 5000 years. Neem is known as free tree of India as it is found almost everywhere in India. It is considered as a magic tree, which has properties that not only relieves but also cures from illness. Neem tree is commonly known as margosa tree in English language and Azadirachta indica in biological terms. It is part of every Indian home due to its great application and hence is considered as a place of worship.
Margosa tree attains a maximum height of 40 to 50 fts. It is an evergreen tree whose branches spread all over. It is a very densely crowned tree, which may reach to a diameter of 30 to 40 fts. The trunk is relatively straight. Bark is thick and rough with whitish to reddish brown in appearance. A fluid called neera excrudes out of the bark. Leaves are pinnate 12 to 15 inch long with about 20 to 31 green colored leaflets, which are about 3 to 5 cm in length. Flowers are small and white in colour that blossom in spring i.e. February to march. Fruits are oval in appearance green in colour, when in raw form and turns pale yellow when it ripes. Every fruit contains one seed, which contain oil. Neem tree fruits in summers i.e. in May to July. Neem has been used as pesticide since early ages because of its remarkable property of fighting away with pest and microorganism, that are supposed to be harmful for agricultural and homely purpose and hence makes neem the most wonderful partner of human in his evolution.
Margosa tree possesses the sheet (cold) virya potency. It contains tickt and kashaya rasa, it possesses the laghu (light) gunna (property). Combination of these makes neem a unique herb. Due to tickt rasa it suppresses kapha and due to sheet virya potency it suppresses pitta dosha. Chemically neem contains complex compounds called triterpenes, limonoids, nonterpenoids, hexanortriterpenoids, and pentattriterpenoids. The most important active ingredient of neem is azadirachitin, which makes neem possess the power, what it projects in its usage. Every part of the plant is used i.e. flower, leaves, bark, seed, oil, branches and the excludant called neera, which flows out of the bark
Neem is a multipurpose herb, which is recommended in every type of ailment. Following are the wonders of neem, which ayurveda has to offer to this world and modern life style of living. Read the rest of this entry »