Ground Cover Plant Selection

Ground cover plants are low-growing plants that easily spread over a variety of areas. These plants form a dense covering and are useful to limit weeds and prevent soil erosion. Grass is a common ground cover but it doesn’t always suit the location. There’s a lot of plants to choose from but this post will focus on several popular options, and provide general information about each.

Full Sun Ground Cover

Creeping Juniper is a woody evergreen that can grow 12 – 18 inches tall. This plant has wide spreading branches with blue-green, needle-like leaves that can take on a purple hue in colder weather. This plant does well in full sun, dry soil and withstands heat very well without much maintenance. Wiltonii (Blue Rug) is a popular Creeping Juniper variety that stays under 6″ tall. Unfortunately, Creeping Juniper doesn’t have much of a bloom to speak of.

Shady Ground Cover

Pachysandra is another evergreen ground cover. This plant grows to about 12 inches tall with glossy, purple-tinted foliage in spring, turning bright green in summer. Pachysandra may take a yellow-green color when planted in sunny locations as it’s best suited for shaded landscapes. Pachysandra should be placed in moist, well-drained soil. It has a white blossom that will appear in April – May. The Japanese Spurg is the most common variety which can spread fast.

Sun or Shade Ground Cover

Carex Divulsa is a very hardy ground cover grass. This tough plant looks great in either sun or shade and will thrive in areas under stress. It’s a good choice for areas with foot traffic or a dog yard. Carex Divulsa can grow to about 24 inches tall and wide and grows in clumps.

Invasive Ground Cover

English Ivy is considered a moderately invasive ground cover. That means it’ll spread somewhat aggressively, even to areas you may not have intended. English Ivy is a creeping vine that forms a dense mat. It thrives in shaded areas where grass may not. It can climb wall, trees and buildings, even damaging the structure. But English Ivy also has some great characteristics too. Studies have shown that English Ivy can help eliminate allergens like mold. Even after a few hours it clears up a majority of a few air-borne allergens around it. Here’s an article for more details.

What do you think? What kind of ground cover do you have?
Image courtesy of Carl E Lewis

Multi-room Audio and Ultra-Cool Remote with an iPhone or iPod Touch, Airport Express & iTunes

Imagine sitting in your living room, on your deck, or even in your bathroom with a remote control that gives you total control of music throughout your house.  Not only does this remote control which song is playing, how loud, and through which speakers, it also downloads metadata about your entire music collection, allows you to see what’s currently playing and what’s coming next, build playlists, and even view album covers. How about if the whole thing integrates with your iTunes collection and the remote doubles as an internet browser, portable .MP3 player, and even a mobile phone?  Think it’s too good to be true?

It isn’t. Apple’s latest set of gadgets (with which we’ve recently become enamored) work together to create this awesome multi-room audio capability. We’re in the process of setting it up for our patio and master bedroom, with very positive initial results (review to come later).  Here’s how it works:

iTunes Houses Your Audio Collection

The anchor of the system is the iTunes application installed on any suitable computer (Apple or PC) connected to a wireless home network.  If you or your kids have Apple’s popular iPod, you’re probably already familiar with iTunes. If not, don’t worry; iTunes is a free download from Apple.  The application allows you to purchase many popular songs for $.99 each, and will let you read in and store your CD collection – organizing all of your music into a one-stop-shop, the equivalent of the modern-day jukebox.  iTunes also features online radio stations and often includes free music from up-and-coming artists.

An iPhone or iPod Touch Serves as the Remote

To remote control your iTunes application, you’ll need an iPhone or an iPod Touch (official sites) and the Apple Remote Application (official site) available for download for free at that link and in the App store on your device.  Connect your iPhone or Touch to your local wireless network, and follow the instructions in the Remote Application to couple your computer’s iTunes application with the Remote.  (Setup is simple, and requires only 2-3 steps).

Once the application and the Remote are coupled, your complete audio collection will be visible on the device. Virtually all the features available on  iTunes for manipulating audio on your computer are now available on the phone.  Press play on the Remote, and your computer will start playing music. Turn the volume up/down on the Remote and you can watch the volume slider on your computer move in tandem.

Got two or more iPhones or Touches? No sweat.  iTunes supports multiple, simultaneous remotes controlling the same device.

Yeah, it’s pretty cool….

But, unless your computer is right next to your speakers, it’s not really that useful to have a remote that controls your computer.

Airport Express(es) Take the Music to Your Speakers Wirelessly

Enter the Apple Airport Express (official site).  This nifty little device plugs into the wall and serves only 3 purposes.  The airport express can:

1. Create, join, or extend a wireless network–it can do all three and includes an ethernet jack on the bottom if it serves as the original access point.
2. Provide shared network access to a USB printer (via a USB port on the bottom and Bonjour software on your PC/Mac).
3. Receive a digital iTunes audio signal across the network  and output digital or analog audio (via an optical-capable headphone jack on the bottom) to powered speakers or a traditional audio receiver.

Multiple Airport Express units can be connected to your network to provide separate zones for your audio.  You can turn the zones on and off from iTunes on your PC, or from the iPhone / Touch Remote application.

The Result?

An upper-class audio system that rivals even the best of competitors, delivered with a boatload of additional features at a middle-class price.

Exceptionally Cool Features Summary

So, are you excited to tell your friends about this totally cool setup?  Here’s the highlights:

• iPhone / iPod Touch serves as a Remote for your iTunes Collection on your Mac/PC.
• The Remote App downloads all the data about the iTunes collection onto your iPhone / Touch, including album covers.
• Remote controls everything you’d want to control: playback, volume, search, create playlists, and more.
• Airport Express(es) plug into the wall and join your wireless network, then stream audio from iTunes to any location in your home.
• Remote controls which Airport Expresses are active at any given time, giving you total control over multiple audio “zones” in your house.
• iPhone / Touch Remote & Airport Express devices work anywhere in range of your wireless network.  Airport Expresses extend your wireless network if you are on a compatible network (e.g., an Airport Extreme-based network).

Where to Buy & How Much?

Many people (we included) already owned some of these components.  Here’s the breakdown if you’re starting from scratch.

• iTunes – Free download from Apple.
• Remote Application - Free download from Apple (also availlable via the App Store on your iPhone / Touch).
• iPod Touch – Online or local Apple stores.
• Airport Express – Online or local Apple stores.

If you’re running audio from the Airport Express to a typical receiver, you’ll also need a headphone jack-to-RCA cable to pipe the sound from the airport express to the receiver.  If you really want to get fancy and your receiver supports it, you can substitute the RCA-style cable for a mini-TOSlink to TOSLink optical cable (which the airport express also supports and may provide better sound quality).

What do you think? Have you tried Apple’s audio solution?

Fix a Jammed Hardwood Flooring Nailer (Drive Blade Replacement)

I was so close to finishing phase 1 of the floor install when disaster struck. A jammed cleat put my hardwood flooring nailer (a cleat nailer, similar to a toe nailer) out of commission. I fired it just like before but a cleat (big ol’ staple) broke and deformed the drive blade. Here’s what happened:

A Broken Drive Blade

I lined up the nailer just like I had 100 times before. I hit the hammer face and the compressor kicked on. After a closer look, I could see the cleat hadn’t gone in completely AND one of the cleat legs was missing. It was still in the cleat nailer! I disassembled the nailer and removed the leg but the damage was done, the drive blade was deformed.

The drive blade is a long, flat blade that drives a cleat (or nail) into the wood. When you strike the hammer face, the compressed air powers the drive blade down, forcing the nail into the wood. The broken cleat created a jagged edge on one side of the drive blade and it wouldn’t retract.

Necessary Tools

For this project I highly recommend a magnetic screw driver with exchangeable tips. I also used my ever trusty, grinder to reshape the drive blade. Or, you can just swap the blade out for a new one.

How to Disassemble a Floor Nailer

These steps will cover how to disassemble a cleat nailer (Central Pneumatic, model 97586-2VGA) to gain access to the drive blade. Be careful whenever working with air tools. A misfired nail is very dangerous.

Step 1: Disconnect the nailer from the compressor. Remove any nails or staples loaded in the magazine.

Step 2: Turn the nailer upside-down. You’ll see several hex head screws securing a protective cover and the drive blade guide. The arrow shows where the cleat exits the nailer. The circles indicate hex screws. Remove these screws and set them aside. Write down or remember each screw location. See picture 1.

Step 3: Next, you’ll see three more hex screws. These screws hold the nail/cleat magazine in place. You can see the spring which loads the next cleat. Remove these screws. See picture 2

Step 4: The spacer is a smooth piece of plastic (not pictured) located on the front, bottom of the nailer. Two more hex screws are behind the spacer. Use the angled holes to remove these screws. These are the last screws to remove. See picture 3.

Step 5: Now that everything is unscrewed, several pieces will come apart. Remove these taking care to avoid the drive blade.

At this point I used my trusty grinder to reshape the jagged edge of the drive blade. I looked into ordering a new drive blade. It was only about $10 but would take 6 – 8 weeks to arrive. I decided to reshape the blade and hope for the best.

I reassembled everything and oiled the nailer. All air tools should be oiled on a regular basis. It’s cheap, easy and quick so there really isn’t any excuse. I added around 4 drops of air tool lubricant to the air plug and manually pumped the mechanism. Next I connected the nailer to a compressor and tried it without any cleats. Everything worked! And I was back to getting my floor done.

What do you think? Was this article helpful?

Refinance with High Combined LTV Ratio

In keeping with the refinance theme…. I’m still trying to refinance my mortgage. My most recent obstacle is a poor Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio. With the failing economy, my home is worth about 10K – 15K less than when we purchased. That ups my combined LTV ratio to about 90%! But, I spoke with a different loan officer today and am optimistic about still being able to take advantage of the amazing interest rates.

My Mortgage

Here is a quick summary of my current mortgage scenario. Jocie and I purchased our lovely townhouse about three years ago. We couldn’t put 20% down but wanted to avoid paying private mortgage insurance (PMI). So we broke the mortgage down into two loans. The primary loan is a 30 year fixed for the bulk of the mortgage with an interest rate of 6.125%. The secondary loan is a 15 year fixed for a smaller portion with a higher interest rate of 8.125%.

Refinance and Subordinate

Here’s the game plan so far. Refinance the primary loan and leave the second loan as is. With such a high combined LTV ratio it’s really tough to find a lender who will assume the risk of both loans. Focusing on the primary loan makes it more appealing for lenders and allows me to go through with the refi. It’s not the best situation as I’ll take a slightly higher rate (about 5%) because of the second loan, but I avoid PMI and will save money in the long run. The only catch is that the secondary lender needs to agree to subordinate their loan.

What Does it Mean to Subordinate a Home Loan?

Think of my two loans as a pecking order for taking over my home. If I default on my payments, the primary loan gets priority. If I pay off the first loan, the secondary loan moves up in line.

Refinancing basically means paying off one loan and starting a new one. So for the current plan to work, the secondary loan would have to agree to remain subordinate (maintain lien position) while a new primary loan was created. This request has to take place because the both lenders agreed to loan money under a specific set of conditions. Since I’m trying to change these conditions, they have to reassess my ability to repay their loan.

The secondary lender is likely to agree since their loan doesn’t change and a better primary loan interest rate means I’ll likely be better able to pay everyone involved. Most lenders require a fee to cover the cost of reviewing the request. But again,  I have to think long term.

What do you think? Ever request subordination of a loan? How’s your refi going?
Image courtesy of woodleywonderworks

Drobo to Backup your Computer / Data

I recently had a Western Digital (WD) external hard drive fail. I was using it at work to provide additional storage space and it was a major hit when the drive quit working. I tried a number of things to get my data off but to no avail. A third party company said it would cost between $400 – $2000 to recover my data depending on the difficulty. I took it as a wake-up call that I needed to make backups of all the data that feel is important.

Tips for Getting Data Off Failing Hard Drives

People come to me once in a while to ask for help getting data off hard drives that have gone bad. Usually it’s a broken thumb drive. Here are a few things (in no particular order) to try but nothing works all the time.

• Bad Pin Connection – Sometimes the pins aren’t physically making a good connection. Try plugging it in repeatedly. You might get lucky.
• Broken Wire – The wires connecting the pins are another culprit. Open the shell and look for broken wires. Re-solder them to establish a connection.
• Recovery Software – You can run software that will identify bad sectors and attempt to repair them or other software that will attempt to retrieve the data. I’ve had mild success with Data Recovery II. When you purchase a computer, they’ll sometimes include diagnostic disks too. Run the scans and see what they tell you.
• Different Cables – Use a different cable. Sometime the drive is fine but you’ve got a bad cable. Many hard drives have more than one connection type. Try them all.
• Different Computer – Try the drive with another computer. Linux operating systems handle hard drive errors differently than Mac or PC’s. If you have Linux available, try it out.

Drobo DR04DD10 For Redundant Storage

I was never a huge fan of the WD drive. It had some problematic drivers (for my Mac) and it was nothing more than a chunk of extra space. My father-in-law has had a Drobo for some time so I decided to check them out. I started at the official Drobo site and was immediately impressed.

A Drobo is basically a really nice (easy to use) storage and backup system. You slide in a few hard drives, pick a few settings, and you’re ready to go. Here’s how I set mine up.

• FireWire 800 – The Drobo allows FireWire 800 and USB 2.0. I use the FireWire 800 for speed but it’s nice to have options.
• Hard drive slots – A Drobo has 4 hard drive bays to insert 3.5″ SATA drives. I put in 3, 1TB SATA hard drives. The fourth slot is empty so if I ever need to expand, it’s just adding another drive.
• Automatic Backup – You can select Drobo to automatically set aside space and make a backup of itself. Or, if you like to live on the edge, use everything for additional storage.

Other Great Drobo Features

• Easy Upgrade – Adding a hard drive is so easy. Just slide one into a free slot or replace a smaller drive. You can mix ‘n match hard drive makes, models, and sizes.
• Drive Health Monitor – Drobo will monitor the health of the drives and let you know when a drive is full, and when a drive needs to be replaced.
• Redundant Storage – Drobo will automatically backup your data. This means swapping out a failed hard drive is no big deal. Your data is safe.
• Quiet – The Drobo is super quiet. Sometimes I put my ear next to it see if the fans are going.
• Multiple Operating Systems – Drobo works with Mac, Window, and Linux plus, all the associated file systems.

Complaints about Drobo

I only have two general complaints about the Drobo. First, they are not cheap. I guess you have to pay for good hardware and Drobo is no exception. Second, you have to purchase hard drives separately. It’s nice to be able to pick and choose your drives, but it’s another thing to purchase.

Where to Buy A Drobo

Amazon has an amazing price for the Drobo: $359.99!! I’ll confess that I’m a little bummed because I paid more. But right now, Amazon has a discount and free rebate. To make it even better, the Drobo ships free too! If you’re in the market for a Drobo, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better price. Here’s the link:

What do you think? When was the last time you backed up your computer?

Sears Craftsman Lifetime Guarantee (The Forever Full Warranty Put to the Test)

Last week I dug up six bushes that lined the front gardens of our house.  Unfortunately, the bushes came down with crown gall, an incurable disease that attacks some types of plants (see Green Gardenista’s article on identifying crown gall for more information).

I grabbed my Craftsman fiberglass shovel from its hanger in the garage and started digging around the roots of the first bush.  In an attempt to gain extra leverage, I wedged the shovel between the bush and our concrete porch and pushed down sharply, only to have the fiberglass handle buckle, and subsequently break in two.  I was forced to finish the job, carefully, with an old wooden-handled spade shovel.

A few days later I scooped up the remains of my Craftsman shovel, loaded them into the back of the Corolla, and headed down the road to the local Sears.  My shovel bore the signature Craftsman Forever Full Warranty sticker, a promise that this shovel will be replaced, no questions asked, at any Sears nationwide.

The Forever Full Warranty Put to the Test

Severed shovel in hand, I walked into Sears and found the nearest sales associate.  He saw my pitiful shovel, yelled “broken shovel, Leon” across the room, and told me to go grab a new one off the rack in the back.  I walked back and found that my version of the shovel had been discontinued and replaced with a newer red-handled model that looked a bit sturdier.  I walked back to the front of the store and stepped up to the register.  Leon greeted me.  “Just one second and we’ll have you squared away.”  I noticed he rang up my new shovel for $0.01, and credited me $0.01 for my broken shovel.  As we finished up the checkout, Leon handed me the receipt with a coupon attached – free shoes.  I don’t need them, but a nice gesture nonetheless.  Here’s the new shovel:

I was in and out of this Sears in under 5 minutes.  The Craftsman warranty rocks, and here’s why:

Why Sears’ Craftsman Manual Tools Warranty Rocks

Sears Craftsman hand tools warranty is everything a warranty should be:

• The warranty covers manual (non-power) tools for the life of the tool (not just the life of the original owner).
• Fully transferable. If you sell the tool, the warranty goes with it.
• No receipt/proof of purchase required.  You only have to bring back the pieces.
• No hassle / no questions asked. It doesn’t matter if you broke the tool doing something with it you shouldn’t have been doing.  If you have the pieces, you can get a new tool.
• On-the-spot trade in. You don’t have to “send it to the factory.”  You can walk into any Sears, find the tool, and make the trade instantly.
• Free upgrades to newer models. If the broken tool is discontinued, you get the latest model of that tool instead at no additional cost.

What do you think? Have you had a good (or bad) experience with Sears’ Craftsman Warranty?  Tell it here.

Review: Wagner Paint Crew Airless Paint Sprayer

About a year ago, I had my mind set on painting the open ceiling joists of our basement as a simpler, more open-feeling alternative to hanging drywall or installing a drop ceiling. That dream inspired the purchase of an airless sprayer kit, since brushing or rolling onto such an uneven surface would have been extremely tedious. Also, I figured I’d be able to put the sprayer to good use in future projects, perhaps to stain and seal a deck, or do some exterior painting.  After doing a little research, I decided to purchase Wagner’s 2750PSI Paint Crew Airless Sprayer (official site) from the local big box home improvement store for $199.

After using the sprayer on several large test areas, we decided against the painted ceiling for cosmetic & resale reasons.  Since then, however, a friend has used the sprayer to paint his basement ceiling joists, and we gave it a try on a deck sealing project.  Both projects gave us great fodder for this review.

If the Paint Crew makes sense for your applications, check out the Where to Buy information that follows our review for some pretty deep discounts on this tool.

Paint Crew Review | Overall Evaluation

Overall, we’re still pretty happy with the purchase. The Paint Crew substantially reduces the effort on many major painting tasks.  Here’s the pros and cons as we see them:

Pros:  Great for latex jobs (cutting application time by as much as 90%, especially on uneven surfaces). Hopper-on-ground design enables overhead painting. Good price, especially if you buy refurbished.  Roller option is appealing for re-purposing the tool.

Cons: Clean-up takes about 10 minutes and must be performed immediately after use to avoid clogging.  Mild to moderate overspray dictates good barriers between work area and adjacent areas.  Unit lacks variable pressure control, and thus doesn’t work well with very thin liquids, such as wood stains / deck sealers.

Paint Crew Review | Latex Paint Experience

The claim to fame of the Paint Crew is its ability to evenly spread medium-to-thick consistency latex paints on just about any surface.  We tested the unit with everything from Kilz Primer (a relatively thick latex paint), to a flat Behr Latex (a relatively thin latex paint), and the unit performed great.  Coverage was even across the surface and we saw very few runs and only mild to moderate overspray, especially when we followed the instructions and kept the spray nozzle moving at an even speed during application.

The unit performed well painting both walls and ceilings.  Because the hopper and compressor sit on the ground, you don’t have to worry about losing pressure while working overhead (for instance, when spraying a ceiling).  This is a problem in other models where the resevoir of paint is coupled to the spray nozzle.  Also, this design avoids wearing out your arm since you don’t have to hold the paint resevoir the entire time you paint.

Paint Crew Review | Deck Stain & Sealer Experience

We also tried using the Paint Crew to spread Behr Premium Deck and Fence Weatherproofer on our wood deck. Behr recommends a fine .015 sprayer tip for the Weatherproofer, so we purchased that tip from Home Depot for about $8. Unfortunately, the Paint Crew didn’t deliver on this application.  When we started to spray the deck, the sealer was atomized so finely that it formed a cloud of stain sealer in the back yard, which made us extremely nervous as it neared the neighbor’s house. While the stain did ahere to the deck, it tended to run quite a bit, requiring extensive back brushing to avoid pooling / spotting.

After two minutes of effort, we gave up the Paint Crew and decided to use a brush.  Fortunately, no damage was caused to our neighbor’s house.

The underlying cause of the problem: The Paint Crew lacks variable pressure control, and thus always sprays at the full PSI required to spread thick latex paints, making it unsuitable for much thinner substances.  I’ve talked to a Wagner rep about this issue, and they recommended the Paint Crew Plus model for stain applications.  The Paint Crew Plus features the requisite variable pressure control to reduce overspray and cloud formation.

Paint Crew Review | Clean-up & Clogging

Clean-up is tedious, but simple, requiring only warm water and soap.  The instruction manual clearly describes the process, which can probably be completed in 5 minutes by an expert.  We’ve taken about 10 minutes almost every time we’ve done a job.

We’ve only experienced one clog after about 14 gallons of sprayer use.  That clog was caused by insufficient clean-up after the prior use.  We were able to locate the offending part (the filter underneath the hopper), clean it out, and restore the unit to full function in about 20 minutes.

Paint Crew Review | Additional Gadgets

After purchasing the Paint Crew, we’ve discovered more accessories for the device, including this roller assembly that turns the unit into a power roller.  We haven’t tried it yet, but the reviews on Amazon seem reasonably favorable.  The roller eliminates the overspray issue and makes the Paint Crew far more usable for interior jobs.

Wagner provides information on other accessories designed for the Paint Crew, including additional sprayer handles and tips on their site.

15, 20 or 30 Year Mortgage Amortization (Payback Period)

With interest rates again at historic lows, many property owners–including us–are looking to refinance their homes.  If the last 2 years have taught us anything, it’s that a fixed rate mortgage is the way to go in an uncertain housing market.  Sure, adjustable rate mortgages (aka ARM loans) are appealing for their low initial interest rate, but they lack the security of their fixed rate counterparts.  In 2009, it’s not been uncommon to end up underwater in a mortgage due to dropping home values.  We think it makes sense for better than 90% of the population to be in a fixed rate position in this environment.

Of course, fixed rate loans are not all created equal.  Some loans will require the seller to pay a percentage of the loan value to the underwriter at closing (called paying points). Other loans will require a fixed payment to the underwriter (called an origination fee or processing fee).  Terms can vary widely in mortgage products, and it’s certainly important to understand the nuances of each loan product you investigate.

Amortization – The Payback Period Explained

One not-so-nuanced feature of a loan is its payback period, or amortization schedule.  As most of us already know, the payback period on a loan directly affects the monthly payment.  Shorter payback periods (e.g., 15 year loans) mean higher monthly payments, since the principal on the loan has to be paid back quicker.  In fact, the difference in required payment amount between a 30 and a 15  year loan, is always 40.75% (note that this percentage is calculated before property taxes and insurance costs).

So, if your payment on a 30 year loan is $1500/month, where $500 of the payment goes to taxes and insurance and $1000 goes to principal and interest, you can roughly estimate that a 15 year loan with the same terms would cost you $1000+$407.50+$500 = $1907.50/month.

Why Take A Shorter Payback Period (e.g. a 15 year loan)?

So if the payment is higher, why would anyone take a shorter loan?

The only reason you should accept a shorter payback period is if the bank offers you a lower interest rate.  Here’s why:  traditional mortgages in the U.S. have no prepayment penalty.  In other words, you can pay off as much of the loan as you want at any time.   If you can get the same interest rate for a 15 and a 30 year mortgage, you should take the 30 year mortgage and simply recalculate the amortization schedule yourself and make the payments like the mortgage is only for 15 years.  Why?  Because if you run into financial hard times in the future, you’ll have the flexibility to move down to the lower 30 year payment.

In the past, shorter amortization periods always featured lower rates, but not so anymore.

Interest Rates on Shorter Loans Aren’t Always Lower

Take a look at this chart from Wells Fargo’s Current Rates Page:

Notice that a 20-year mortgage actually has a higher interest rate than it’s 30-year counterpart!  It would be foolish to take a 20-year loan in this situation.  Instead of getting a 20 year mortgage, a buyer should always get the 30-year mortgage and simply overpay the loan each month.

Consider Taking a 30 Year Loan Even if You Can Afford More

Notice that the difference in price between a 30 year and 15 year loan from Wells Fargo is only .25%.  While the 15 year is cheaper, with such a small difference we think it makes much more sense to take the 30 year loan and simply overpay each month.

In order to avoid getting used to the lower payment requirement, as soon as you close the loan you should have the lender setup automatic drafts from your checking account at the higher payment rate.  That way, you don’t get tempted to spend the extra income you should have been applying to the mortgage.  But, if hard times come in the future, you can always go back to the lesser payment until you get through the situation.

Quick Payment Math Comparison Calculations

Ignoring insurance and taxes, which do not change relative to the payback period on the loan, the following percentages can help you make a quick affordability comparison of your own loan:

• 10 Year Loans Require an 85% higher payment than a 30 year loan.
• 15 Year Loans Require a 41% higher payment than a 30 year loan.
• 20 Year Loans Require a 20% higher payment than a 30 year loan.

You can also uses these percentages to pay down your home quicker.  Want to pay off your 30 year loan in 15 years?  Simply make payments that are 41% higher than required and you’ll do just that.

What do you think? What loan payback period did you choose?

How Electricity Works: The River Analogy

Updated 3/13/09 to include additional details.  This article originally ran on  12/11/08, and despite the lack of comments, it’s one of my favorites (and one I still read to remember how electricity works).

Electricity: We all use it.  Most of us take it for granted (at least until the utility bill comes).  But can we explain it?  I picture one of my sons coming up to me in a few years and asking how electricity works.  Sure, I could describe that a power plant makes electricity; it travels to our house on power lines and eventually through the house wiring to outlets and fixtures.  But that probably wouldn’t answer his question all that well.

So, in preparation for that inevitable day, I’ve been pondering a river analogy that I vaguley remember from high school.  This explanation is by no means perfect, but it gives a great mental picture that is useful for adults and kids alike.

Voltage: The Slope of the River

If electricity is a giant river, Voltage (V, measured in Volts) is the difference in height between the top of the river and the bottom of the river.  If the Voltage is high, the river is steep (and moving fast).  If the Voltage is low, the river is nearly flat.  If there’s no Voltage, the river is perfectly flat and completely stagnant.  You can imagine that a very high Voltage might correlate to a waterfall, whereas a zero Voltage correlates to a lake.

Resistance: The Width of the Riverbed

Resistance (R, measured in Ohms) can be thought of us the width of the river and the roughness of the riverbed.  A low resistance correlates to a very wide river with smooth walls that would allow water to easily pass through.  A high resistance correlates to a narrow, rocky river that would constrain the water.  In this scenario, an infinite resistance would correlate to a river whose walls were so close no water could pass through at all (e.g., a dam).

Current: The Amount of Water Flowing past a Point on the River over a Fixed Time

Current (I, measured in Amperes) is the water flowing on the riverbed at a fixed position on the river for some period of time.  Current must be constant throughout the river. If more water is dumped in the river at a higher point, that same water must be flowing at the bottom of the river.  In our electric model, this makes sense because if you turn on a light in your house that requires additonal current, that current must be pumped in by the power plant.

Energy: The Total Volume of Water that Passes a Fixed Point

Energy (E, measured in Kilowatt Hours (kWH) is the total volume of water that passes by a given point on the riverbed.  This analogy works particularly well because you can imagine the electric meter on the side of your house as measuring the volume of electricity that passes through the meter, just as a water meter measures the volume of water that flows in the main pipe to your house.

Conductors & Wires: The Riverbed

You can think of the riverbed itself as the conductors that run from the powerplant all the way to your home.  The cross section of a conductor correlates to the width of the river (see resistance above).

Power Plant: The Water Source

The power plant is the water source, or perhaps more accurately, the pump that moves the water from the bottom of the river back to the top. The plant produces electricty to meet all the demands of the consumers, just like a theoretical river pump would need to meet the water demands at the end of the river. Unlike the water pump in our river analogy, however, the power plant automatically adjusts to meet the demands of the consumer at the end of the wires. If the plant can’t keep up with the demands, we experience brown outs (a shortage of electric power), just like water users at the end of a river would run short on water if the pump were too slow.

An Imperfect Analogy

This is a very imperfect analogy.  After all, a river’s water source does not adjust based on water demands at the end of the river like a powerplant does.   That said, the analogy goes a long way toward making a very complex topic understandable for the rest of us.

Credits

Elliot M. Rothkopf, College of Staten Island wrote an article that provides useful teaching analogies for electricity.  He doesn’t carry the river analogy through each example, but his article helped me remember the details of the lesson I learned in high school.  Also thanks to Fred K. who helped me refine this analogy.

What do you think? Did this analogy help you? How do you describe electricity?

Image by Nicholas_T.

Tips and Tricks for Running Speaker Wire

I spent some time this past weekend running speaker wire in my basement. I bought a great receiver and speaker system a long time ago (on Craigslist) and I’m only now really getting it setup. So I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks that helped me get those wires in place without putting a ton of holes in my ceiling.

Tips for Running Speaker Wire

Get a Friend

It’s really tough to run speaker wire alone. You might think it’s just a matter of going back and forth but it’s not. Your friend will be feeding wire, handing equipment, shining lights, and a number of other things. My friend, Andy, helped me out. And, it doesn’t hurt that he is really good with a Fish Tape.

Get a Fish Tape

Fish Tape is a tool used for cable and wire pulls. It’s basically a coil of steel (or nylon) that you can extend to hook items that are far out of reach. I have a simple, 50′ Fish Tape. It’s made of steel that is rigid enough to maneuver through the tangle of web trusses. Nicer tapes are longer, have distance markings, and are rated to pull more than one wire but those traits aren’t really important for me. Here’s a basic Fish Tape from Sears for only $19.99.

Nice Drywall Holes

I don’t like ragged looking holes in my drywall. It’s the sort of thing that would really bother me. I guess I could have bought some kind of bushing but I didn’t. Instead, I used masking tape. Before you drill through the drywall, put down a few layers of masking tape. The masking tape will prevent any unwanted ripping as you drill, leaving a nice clean hole. Verify your spot with a stud finder to make sure you are clear.

Use a Wire Hanger

This tip could be called “Get a Second Fish Tape”, but who wants to purchase a second Fish Tape? I took two wire hangers and taped them to make one long extension. I would wave / dangle / thrash about and Andy would hook the hanger with the Fish Tape. Next, we attached speaker wire and Andy pulled it back to himself. The picture on the left shows the Fish Tape in action and the web trusses we were up against.

Vents Provide Access

I didn’t want to put any extra holes in the ceiling but one pull just wasn’t happening. So, we broke it down into two steps. We removed two registers and shifted some duct work (very slightly!). This provided additional access and enabled us to make the long pull. Be careful moving duct work! If it comes apart you’ve created a new reason to put a hole in your ceiling.

Secure with Plastic Clips

I used small plastic clips to secure the wire and keep it tidy. They are basically a small plastic arch with nails on either side. You can staple the wire in place, but I didn’t want to risk cutting through the outer membrane. The clips I used are very similar to these Video Cable Clips from Home Depot.

What do you think? Any tips for running speaker wire?

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