The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Dazi]

I hated having radiators. We had the kind that ran along the wall kind of low to the ground, like you see in schools and such. They weren't terribly efficient in our old house (warm air would just seep out the walls and windows instead of being pushed into the center of the rooms), and cleaning them was horrible. There was no way to take them apart all the way, so if you spilled anything on one, oh well. And we bought it after it had been thoroughly trashed by the previous occupants. If I had any idea all the little things that would go into getting that place clean, we would never have bought it. The radiators were about 75% of the effort that went into cleaning that house.

I grew up in a house with radiators, and one thing I miss is being able to put your towel on it before a shower...nice and toasty!

Me too! The house I grew up in had radiators something like this in most rooms (with smaller versions in the bathrooms). We had the couch set up with its back to the radiator--again, nice and toasty. Or I'd tuck my feet against the one next to the breakfast table on cold mornings. My mom put boards along the tops so they were usable space for setting things down--which also allowed the cats to lounge there thinking they were in kitty heaven! So many things you can't do with circulated hot air. 

I loved when we lived in a houses with radiators.  I used to put my towels on them before I got in a shower too and if it was really nasty out, I'd throw my socks and other clothes on it for a few minutes to warm up.  The thing I liked the best was that it didn't dry my sinuses out nearly as bad as forced air heat, so less nose bleeds for me...we did keep a pan of water on it though.

[camlan]

We always used to dry our mittens on the radiators after playing in the snow.

As a grown-up, I'd dry small handwashables on the radiators.

It's 85 degrees out, with 95% humidity, and I'm missing my old house with the radiators. What is wrong with me?

[Thipu1]

Why is it that, every time I turn on the ceiling fan, the sound on my TV set drops dramatically? 

[Twik]

Why is it that, every time I turn on the ceiling fan, the sound on my TV set drops dramatically?

White noise effect? I'd suspect you're getting sort of a noise-cancelling thing going on.

[Virg]

Thipu1 wrote:

"Why is it that, every time I turn on the ceiling fan, the sound on my TV set drops dramatically?"

For a test, put your head right up next to the speaker, and then turn on the fan (or have someone do it for you if you can't reach).  If you don't notice any volume drop when you're directly adjacent to the speaker, then Twik is right and you'll have to relocate the TV or sound system.  If you can hear the drop when you're right next  to the speaker, then I'd assume either a power or RF interference.  If your TV's sound is wireless, move the transmitter.  If it's wired, plug the TV (or sound system if you're using a separate sound system) into a different outlet.

Virg

[RebeccainGA]

Why is it that, every time I turn on the ceiling fan, the sound on my TV set drops dramatically? 

The fan breaks up the sound waves, which makes the sound seem less.

[Carotte]

I have a smelly trashcan problem due, in part, to the heat (since in winter it doesn't start to smell bad until it's 3/4 full).
I'm already changing it more often, but what can I do to help with the smell?
Last time I gave it a thorough clean with bleach to be sure it wasn't the trashcan itself, but it didn't help much.

[RebeccainGA]

I have a smelly trashcan problem due, in part, to the heat (since in winter it doesn't start to smell bad until it's 3/4 full).
I'm already changing it more often, but what can I do to help with the smell?
Last time I gave it a thorough clean with bleach to be sure it wasn't the trashcan itself, but it didn't help much.

We have this issue with ostomy trash. Stinks to high heaven! I use the Glad trashbags with Febreeze, put extra old fashioned kitty litter (the kind with activated charcoal) at the bottom of the can (under the liner), and try to keep a lid on it as much as possible.

[Thipu1]

Why is it that, every time I turn on the ceiling fan, the sound on my TV set drops dramatically? 

The fan breaks up the sound waves, which makes the sound seem less.

The fan is about 15 feet away from the TV.  They're on different outlets and the fan is so quiet that we often forget to turn it off before we go to bed.  Turning on the floor fan that's on the same outlet as the TV produces no problem. 

It isn't a serious problem.  I just turn up the sound a bit on the TV but it's a little mystery. 

[Outdoor Girl]

This is going to sound a bit kooky but if you have the freezer space, store any food based garbage in the freezer until garbage day.

Most of what stinks in the garbage is rotting food so by not putting it in the can until the last minute, it really helps with the smell.

[Luci]

This is going to sound a bit kooky but if you have the freezer space, store any food based garbage in the freezer until garbage day.

Most of what stinks in the garbage is rotting food so by not putting it in the can until the last minute, it really helps with the smell.

I do that with meat wrappings year round. I don't have any trouble with even cole vegetables, and we don't eat melon, which are the two worst plant foods in that respect.

[Virg]

RebeccainGA wrote:

"The fan breaks up the sound waves, which makes the sound seem less."

In this case it's unlikely, because ceiling fans spin at a low enough speed that they're very unlikely to cause sonic jamming, and any reflection of sound caused by the blades would distort the sound, not deaden it.

Thipu1 wrote:

"The fan is about 15 feet away from the TV.  They're on different outlets and the fan is so quiet that we often forget to turn it off before we go to bed.  Turning on the floor fan that's on the same outlet as the TV produces no problem."

I assumed your ceiling fan is hard-wired, so that's why I suspected that it's sharing a circuit with the outlets, and if it's not properly grounded then it could be introducing RF interference or a significant change in power draw when you use it.  A floor fan motor will draw quite a bit less current than a ceiling fan motor when it's running, and if it's properly grounded it won't cause the same sorts of problems.  If you're feeling ambitious, run an extension cord from another room to the TV and see if that makes it stop.

Virg

[Bexx27]

I have a smelly trashcan problem due, in part, to the heat (since in winter it doesn't start to smell bad until it's 3/4 full).
I'm already changing it more often, but what can I do to help with the smell?
Last time I gave it a thorough clean with bleach to be sure it wasn't the trashcan itself, but it didn't help much.

We have this issue with ostomy trash. Stinks to high heaven! I use the Glad trashbags with Febreeze, put extra old fashioned kitty litter (the kind with activated charcoal) at the bottom of the can (under the liner), and try to keep a lid on it as much as possible.

I'll second the scented trashbags. They cost a bit more, but they work really well.

[dawnfire]

This is going to sound a bit kooky but if you have the freezer space, store any food based garbage in the freezer until garbage day.

Most of what stinks in the garbage is rotting food so by not putting it in the can until the last minute, it really helps with the smell.

I do that in the summer months.

[Optimoose Prime]

Back when I lived in Texas, we tried the scented trash bags.  Then it just smelled like rotting trash and scented trash bags.  It was not a good combination.