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Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock DIY repairs and installations can be a great way to save time and money. However, without the right planning, you could put your home in violation of plumbing code. This can make your plumbing less effective—or keep it from working at all. Violating code can also cause serious difficulties down the line if you try to sell your house or make major renovations. To identify some of the most common violations, we spoke with Minnesota-based inspector and journeyman plumber Eldon Rameaux....

Electric blankets offer a convenient way to stay cozy and warm. But there’s also something about combining cloth blankets with electrical wiring that can seem at least a little dangerous. So are electric heated blankets risky to use, or relatively harmless? Here we’ll take a look at some of the safety and health risks associated with electric blankets, and examine whether it’s a good idea to use them in your home....

Natural gas is one of the most economical sources of energy for home heating. That’s why, according to the Natural Gas Supply Association’s naturalgas.org, 62 million homes (56 percent of the U.S. total) have a natural gas furnace. It’s the most popular heating option, and has been for years. Fun fact: The concept for the first gas furnace was created and patented in 1919 by Alice Parker of Morristown, N.J....

Whenever you visit an older house, you may notice a few peculiar features. From mysteriously matching front doors to the razor slits in medicine cabinets, these old-fashioned features deliver rustic charm in spades. But did you know some of them still have modern-day benefits? Such is the case with brass doorknobs, whose beauty is only half of their appeal. A Brief History of the Modern Doorknob Though ceramic and china doorknobs were popular in France and England, the cast-metal doorknob as we think of it today was invented in the mid-19th century in America....

Every year, as falling snow replaces falling leaves, homeowners have to decide whether they want to clear their driveways and sidewalks on their own or pay for a professional service. Price is only one consideration when deciding whether to hire a snow removal service. But for most of us, it’s the most pressing one! Snow Removal vs. Snow Plowing To some, the terms “snow plowing” and “snow removal” mean different things....

We’ll show you what color wire goes on each screw terminal and where it doesn’t matter. What to do Before Connecting the Wires Make sure you turn the power off at the circuit breaker. Test the wires with a non-contact voltage tester to confirm there is no current. If they’re not turned off you risk getting an electrical shock. On This Page Steps to Connect Wires to Terminal Screws If your box has existing wires with loops, it’s best to cut them off and create new ones....

r.classen/Shutterstock Radioactive radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer for everyone else. It’s present in nearly all soil, which means it can also be in your water. In high enough concentrations, radon in well water is nearly as dangerous as radon gas in your basement or crawlspace. If your water comes from a municipal water supply system that gets water from a river, then the water is low in radon (river water is usually aerated enough to have low radon levels)....

The rumors are true: People have become crazy about houseplants. According to the 2021 Consumer Houseplant Purchasing Report, researchers found more than 40 percent of respondents were “extremely interested” in buying a houseplant, and more than 90 percent expressed some level of interest. The pandemic also brought about a renewed interest in home décor, nature, and taking care of our environments. One of the newest houseplants on the market, casually known as geogenanthus (more on that in a minute), is not only striking but easy to care for, too....

Working outside for long stretches of time and giving DIY projects your all can leave the skin on your hands drier than a desert. But this O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream lets you care for dry, cracked hands like a pro. What Is O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream? A 3.4 ounce jar of O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream is a pocket-friendly wonder jar of ultra-rich cream that soothes, heals and protects the most weather-beaten skin....

This FH series introduces readers to a few of the women who make up 11 percent of the construction workforce in the U.S., spotlighting stories of their careers in the field. Know someone we should feature? Email us here. After college, Deb Hilmerson thought about becoming a teacher. But she knew the pay would never meet her expectations, so she decided to pursue a career in construction instead. It was a natural fit....

My last repair job involved removing the drive axle from the steering knuckle. The shop manual warns not to reuse the axle nut, so I trotted off to the parts store for a new one. The parts store guy said he rarely sold the new nuts and told me to just reuse the old one. That’s not good advice, and it made me wonder if other DIYers were ignoring the shop manual warning as well....

Holiday shopping is a little different this year. Normally, we’d advise waiting until Black Friday to purchase all the big ticket items on your shopping list. But this year, thanks to supply chain issues and slower shipping times, if you wait until the day after Thanksgiving, you might be too late. The earlier you can shop, the better! Read on to learn everything you need to know about these early Black Friday sales, and how to take advantage of the best offers to save big....

For people of all ages suddenly stuck at home during the pandemic, houseplants and gardening became a hugely popular pastime. When done well, it yielded beautiful plants and flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables while taking our minds off the crises swirling outside the garden gate. Whether you’re back to work or school or just resumed “normal” activities, you may find you have less time to devote to your plants. An indoor greenhouse can bring the beauty of a garden indoors, prolong the life of established plants and provide a controlled, beneficial environment for nurturing new ones....

Tinting your vehicle’s windows adds style, reduces sun glare and keeps interiors cooler. It blocks up to 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation (UV) rays and filters 90 percent of the sun’s infrared radiation (IR). This helps protect interior surfaces from damaging sunlight and allows your air conditioner to operate more efficiently. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends reducing exposure to UV rays as an effective defense against UV radiation, a leading cause of skin cancer....

In spring, gardens burst into life. Weeds do too, and they can be the bane of a gardener’s existence. Rather than waging an all-out war, our efforts to manage weeds can be more effective when we understand the roles they play in our ecosystem. Understanding Weeds Loosely defined, a weed is any unwanted plant that grows in our gardens. Weeds can belong to any branch of the plant family, whether grasses or trees, annuals or perennials....

Bobkov Evgeniy/Shutterstock IKEA furniture is affordable, modern and versatile. But, it’s not always easy to put together. That beautiful dresser that looks great in the store, can quickly become overwhelming when you find yourself staring at the disassembled parts spread across the bedroom floor. Luckily, there’s now an easier option. IKEA has partnered with TaskRabbit. This means that with a couple clicks on your phone, you can hire someone else to assemble that furniture for you....

We can all agree that no matter what type of miter saw you own, a stand that holds the tool at a comfortable working height and supports long pieces of lumber is a must. Well, Family Handyman reader Steve Christakis also felt that ease of use is important, too. So he came up with two clever accessories for his miter saw stand. “I used to cut something at my miter saw stand, and then take my tape measure and pencil elsewhere in the shop....

A creature of the woods, Smokybrown cockroaches are a warm climate pest, living outdoors and flying near homes where food and shelter are plentiful. This pest is popular around cabins and houses near the wilderness. What Are Smokybrown Cockroaches? A close relative to the American cockroach, Smokybrown roaches (Periplaneta fuliginosa) have many similar behavioral and visual characteristics. In the United States, you will find them in warmer climates and southern states such as Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia....

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are thy branches… For households across the world that celebrate Christmas, the holiday isn’t complete without a Christmas tree. In the U.S. alone, more than 75 percent of households put up a Christmas tree, whether live or artificial, according to a 2019 survey by the American Christmas Tree Association. Let’s take a closer look at this enduring holiday tradition and what goes into decorating the “perfect” Christmas tree....

This past year filled our dreams with visions of getting away from it all. The stress of everyday life during a pandemic combined with economic and social uncertainty has fueled our desire for wide open spaces, nature and freedom. Home and cabin prices sky-rocketed over the past year, leaving little opportunity for folks to purchase places that would provide these much-needed escapes. Rather than waiting for the market to level out, Family Handyman wants to help empower you to create your own escape....