* SPECIAL REPORT: 25 Skills Every Man Should Know
For more than a century, Popular Mechanics has been empowering people to become more self-reliant by tackling all sorts of do-it-yourself projects. However, when it comes to doing your own home repairs, there's a thin line between being fearless ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Water Heating: Top 5 Energy Saving (and Bill Cutting) Tips
About 58 million homes heat their water with gas, while 42 million use electricity. But electric systems account for about 50 percent more carbon emissions, because so much power is lost in generation and transmission. To save energy, homeowners ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How to Measure Your Home's Energy Footprint
They can reveal patterns of energy usage - and help homeowners track the savings from upgrades. Many homeowners pay for professional energy audits. You can perform your own evaluation using an audit tool available online from Lawrence Berkeley ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How to Remove Roof Moss
Q: I live in the Pacific Northwest where many homes, including mine, have moss growing on the roof. Is there a chemical I can spray to remove the moss? A: Your best bet is to follow a three-step moss-control process: kill it; remove it; prevent ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Essential DIY Skills Quiz: Get Your Popular Mechanics Score!
By Harry Sawyers Published on: September 8, 2008 [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
5 Expert Grilling Tips for Better Holiday Cookouts: DIY Guy
There are few subjects that can incite an argument as quickly as how best to grill food. It seems that everyone has a preferred, surefire method for grilling the perfect meal. And that's especially true of guys. There's just something about ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Remembering My Father's Watch-and Lessons Learned
I'd learn later that the watch didn't run when he bought it on sale at an Army Post Exchange, or PX. After it was repaired with a new main spring, it stayed on his wrist for the next 45 years, until my mother gave him a fancier model as a 40th ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
5 Secrets to Building a Better Shed: DIY Guy
I'm something of an expert on building backyard sheds. I've constructed more than a dozen sheds, written a magazine article or two about sheds, appeared on TV to discuss sheds, and have even written a shed-building book for do-it-yourselfers. So ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How to Blow Up Rock in 6 Steps (With Video!)
I had to repress the urge to pick up a hammer and start the rock removal process by taking a few swings. That's a waste of time in a job like this. The first step is exploratory. Get a clear look at the rock to determine its size and whether it ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How to Fix a Light that Won't Turn Off
Q: A recessed light in our bathroom turns itself off if left on for a long period. It cannot be turned back on for an hour or so. Why does this happen? A: The light is probably overheating and its thermal switch is causing it to turn off. The ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
5 Wild and Weird Thanksgiving Turkeys
While historians haggle over what, exactly, the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving, we're pretty sure they'd all agree it wasn't alligator. Still, that shouldn't stop you. Hebert's bayou-style birds are carefully deboned by hand so that "all ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Top 3 Homeowner Traps to Avoid This Summer: Scam Watch
You find a flier stuck in your door advertising a service to make your yard sunnier by cutting the tops off overgrown trees. Each truncated branch will send out multiple shoots. So the yard might look brighter this summer, but it will be even ... [... more]
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