Bucfan

A small tree fell a while ago, and I recently cut a portion that I would like to use for a hefty, supportive post for a bird feeder or bird house.

Most the bark is off, so ill take off the rest. What is the quickest way to dry it out and what can I use to seal/protect it before I put it into the ground to use as a post?

I dont need it to last forever really, but id like it to last for a few years at least if not longer. Here is a pic:

http://imgur.com/K9wUSua

We have a radio site with three separate racks of equipment, each with its own rectifier shelf. Would there be a conflict or potential for problems if one of these rectifier shelves and racks were negative grounded while the other two our positive grounded?

Two of the shelves, the positive terminal is connected to ground, making it a positively grounded system. Wed like the other to be negatively grounded, only because one of the pieces of equipment powered from the shelf does not work right in a positively grounded system.

All of these are DC voltage.

Im new to woodworking. Im sanding down some plywood and its nice and smooth. But when I wipe dust away with a nice clean cloth, its as if it creates tiny splinters. I can feel/hear the wood get rough. What am I doing wrong

Im considering building a new PC. While I feel pretty computer knowledgeable, I must admit I really dont know much about graphics cards or integrated graphics on a processor.

I do not play games, but do watch HD videos on my PC and stream from my PC to tv. I was thinking about getting this processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

It is ntel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

Is the HD Graphics 4000 good enough to go without a huge graphics card as long as im not a gamer?

A friend of mine hooked up a portable generator to their house after losing power due to storm. While we realize we cant power everything, especially a dryer or oven, why dont all outlets/lights seem to work?

They hooked up the generator to a breaker outside at their A/c condensor. Black going to black, red going to red, white and green tied to ground.

My current loan balance is $231,xxx Purchased the home in mid 2010 for $239,xxx. 5% Fixed

Monthly payments which include taxes, etc is $1804 The loan was a VA loan

Here is the option I received from USAA:

30-Year Fixed Rate VA

Estimated Monthly Payment $1,544.10

Principal and Interest $1,046.27

Property Taxes $433.42

Homeowners Insurance $64.41

Interest Rate 3.250%

APR 3.325%

Loan Amount $240,407

Points/Cost 0.000 / $0

Settlement Costs $7,477.32

Third-Party Fees

$1,572.83

Lender Fees

$704.25

VA IRRRL Funding Fee $1,196.06

Prepaids and Escrow

$4,004.18

Cash Due at Closing

$18.26

Break Even Time 31 Months

I primarily want to do this to lower my monthly payment, which this does just that by about $250 a month which sounds great to me. Is there something I should be looking at the would make this a bad thing to do?

Ive seen them before but I have no idea what theyre called. As I understand, the downspout will go underground next to the foundation, connect to a pipe and the pipe will go somewhere away from the home, like a yard.

What are they called and how exactly do they work? How does the water get forced upward to drain into the yard?

I have central air, but it is horrible. Old add on to a 20-something year old furnace. While it sucks at cooling, it works well at getting out humidity of my home which seems to soak up the humidity in the summer. So my idea is to try and wire a humidistat to my thermostat so it will automatically turn on and off the a/c to help control the humidity.

Im assuming its possible but how would I do this?

I sprayed to kill everything (weeds, grass) in a large portion of my backyard so I could start over with new grass. Unfortunately, I made the stupid mistake of tilling the area. It will take me forever to go through the area pulling up and shaking off the dirt of the dead stuff I tilled.

Do I have any other options at this point? Could I just mow over it all and mulch it up a bit and rake it out and plant grass seed? Any other options that may make it easier?

Live in CT and the humidity in my area during summer is high. However, sometimes its higher inside my house than outside in some places.

Outside its about 80 degrees and humidity of 62%.

Inside: about 72 degrees a/c not running

Kitchen 82%

Bathroom 75%

Some other rooms about 56-60%

Why is this? Im not running the stove or shower, so why would it be this high inside.

Ive been chopping wood from a few oak trees I had taken down. When chopping most of the bark comes off in huge pieces. Im not really sure what to do with it. I cant really bag it all and throw it in the trash. Im not sure what to do with it to get rid of it or put it to some use.

I have these all over my backyard and Id like to spray and kill them so I can plant grass. Anyone know what they are?

http://tinypic.com/r/14oal1/5

http://tinypic.com/r/sy9lw1/5

Trying to troubleshoot wireless printer issue but when I attempt to ping the printer IP address (192.168.1.101) the cmd prompt shows me pinging myself which is *.*.*.107 destination host unreachable.

Why is it not pinging the IP address I tell it to?

First year paying taxes and Im not exactly sure how I should enter my taxes?

1. I pay property taxes automatically and they are paid twice a year (once in Jan, once in July). I would obviously submit that I paid the total amount for the year, correct?

2. Also, when doing my Return on TaxACT, there is a spot to put Property Taxes in Federal AND State. I guess you can put them in both? I dont understand what my property taxes would have to do with Federal Taxes...

I moved into a home and the previous owner did a poor job cutting holes for recessed lighting. At least two have holes that are too big.

Is my only option is trying to cut a piece of drywall with the exact curve of the hole?

My employer based health insurance just changed drastically and in a very negative way. Im going from paying about $100 a month for medical/dental/vision to over $300 a month for just medical/dental.

I am a Veteran and eligible for VA Health Care. However, I dont know much about it. Im relatively healthy and not too old yet (32). I am really leaning towards opting out of my expensive employer coverage and just going with the VA. Have any of you done this? Has it worked out well?

Any problems with regular check ups/routine visits? How about if you have something serious or potentially serious?

Just looking for some advice from those that use the VA for health care. I do have a facility near me some that wont be problem finding a VA center.

http://imageshack.us/g/38/img1171e.jpg/

Anyone know what these are? They're really tiny and Im guessing they are coming in through the water pipes. Once I know what they are, I can find out how to get rid of them for good.

Thanks

I have a pressure tank that says its an 82 gallon equivalent. The pressure on the tank reads about 40. My pressure for the switch cuts on at 42 and off at 60. However, the cycle doesnt seem to last that long, maybe a few minutes when water is running.

I dont know the size of the pump in the well.

How often should it be between cycles? Maybe I am misunderstanding how the whole system works. I thought a bigger tank would give longer times between cycles.

Other question is how could I increase my water pressure itself? Im assuming I would need a larger pump than whatever it is that I have?

My basement has taken water a week or so ago. While most of the water is gone, it is still humid, but cool down in the basement. Does a humid, damp basement affect the upstairs living space?

Right now, its about 68 degrees outside with 87 % humidity. Inside its 73 degrees with humidity over 75 percent. Is this normal? Could some of the high humidity levels be coming from my basement, or is it because of something else like poor wall insulation, air leaks to outside, not efficient enough windows?

Ive only lived in the home a year, and its my first home.