How-To Guides

Don’t know where to start on an installation or repair job? Browse our how-to guides for answers to popular questions.

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How-To Guides

How Do Fluorescent Lights Work?
How-To Guides

How Do Fluorescent Lights Work?

Popular in offices, schools, warehouses, and other industrial settings, fluorescents are efficient and reliable light sources.

How to Use Locking Pliers
How-To Guides

How to Use Locking Pliers

The first patent for locking pliers was filed by Danish immigrant William Petersen in 1921. Petersen, a failed farmer, was having a go at being a blacksmith when he realized that his job would be easier if he had a tool that held the pieces he was working with in place.

How to Change a Toilet Seat
How-To Guides

How to Change a Toilet Seat

If you’ve ever sat on a wobbly toilet seat, you know that it’s an unpleasant experience. Over time, this hardworking piece attached to your favorite bathroom fixture sees plenty of action, and that repetition can cause even the best-made parts to give out.

How Do Power Inverters Work?
How-To Guides

How Do Power Inverters Work?

At its most basic, a power inverter changes DC (direct current) power to AC (alternating current) power. This power conversion is often needed when running AC-powered electronics, like a portable video game or a GPS device, off the DC power that comes from the battery of a car, truck, or boat.

How to Troubleshoot a Fan Motor
How-To Guides

How to Troubleshoot a Fan Motor

Fan motors are used in a variety of settings, whether to circulate cool air in your home as part of your air conditioning system or for the ventilation of large industrial facilities.

How to Clean and Maintain a Vacuum
How-To Guides

How to Clean and Maintain a Vacuum

Clean your vacuum regularly and it will perform better. Here’s a guide to cleaning and maintaining each part of your vacuum cleaner.

How to Crimp Wire Terminals and Butt Connectors
How-To Guides

How to Crimp Wire Terminals and Butt Connectors

What are wire terminals? There are various types of wire, or crimp, terminals. They’re typically used to connect a single wire to an electric device, multiple wires to a single device, or to fuse one or more wires together.

How to Use Wire Cutters
How-To Guides

How to Use Wire Cutters

There are a few tools you’ll need to begin working with wires. Most of these tools are considered pliers, which are tools that help you bend, strip and cut wire. They can be important to have on hand, especially when you’re trying to complete a job safely.

How to Sharpen Wire Cutters or Find a Pair that Works
How-To Guides

How to Sharpen Wire Cutters or Find a Pair that Works

Need to know when it’s time to sharpen your wire cutters? If you’re asking yourself this, there’s a good chance that yours are already becoming less and less effective. While there’s no specific way to know how to tell if your wire cutters need sharpening, here are some reasons why your wire cutters

A Guide to Evaporative Coolers
How-To Guides

A Guide to Evaporative Coolers

What are evaporative air coolers, how do they work, and in what climate do they work best? Also, what is the difference between evaporative coolers and air conditioners? This article is your complete guide to deciding whether or not an evaporative cooler is right for you.

How to Clean Paint Brushes
How-To Guides

How to Clean Paint Brushes

An investment in good paint brushes is worth it, but only if you take the time to clean them regularly. Professional painters swear by quality brushes—many even prefer certain brands over others—because they glide smoother on surfaces and are easier to clean compared with bargain basement ones.

How to Install and Maintain Bathroom Faucets
How-To Guides

How to Install and Maintain Bathroom Faucets

Installing a bathroom faucet is a project that can intimidate even the most seasoned of DIYers. But with proper planning and the right tools, anyone can update their sink or replace a leaky faucet—no professionals required.

How to Dispose of Light Bulbs
How-To Guides

How to Dispose of Light Bulbs

With so many different types of light bulbs on the market—from incandescent to fluorescent to LED—it can be unclear how to dispose of specific bulbs once they burn out. If you’re throwing all of your bulbs straight into the trash, you could be unknowingly contributing to environmental issues.

Solving Common Window Air Conditioner Issues
How-To Guides

Solving Common Window Air Conditioner Issues

Window air conditioners are portable and simple to use. They’re ideal for small spaces and often the most convenient way to cool down a room, without doing a major installation. Learn some basic maintenance tips you can use once you’ve decided to install a window air conditioner.

How to Bend Conduit
How-To Guides

How to Bend Conduit

You need patience when learning to bend conduit. It's not a particularly easy skill to learn quickly, especially with the variety of bends possible. It takes time to become skillful at it. Be patient, don't become frustrated, and in time your skills will improve.

How to Replace/Install Linear Fluorescent Lights
How-To Guides

How to Replace/Install Linear Fluorescent Lights

Linear fluorescent lights (LFLs) are a staple in offices, schools, hospitals, warehouses, and a wide variety of other commercial buildings because of their efficiency, long life, and relatively low up-front cost.