How to Make a Solar Panel

Saturday, April 24, 2010

By an eHow Contributing Writer

Solar cells convert the energy of the sun into electricity. By using items commonly found in the home or your local hardware store, you can make a solar panel to demonstrate this photoelectric effect. You can also save energy by converting some of your traditional electrical supply over to solar power.

Instructions

Harness the Power of the Sun

Step 1 Use sheet metal shears to cut the copper flashing in a square or rectangle to fit the size of the electric burner. Be sure to use a piece of copper flashing that is thoroughly cleaned. You may use sandpaper to thoroughly remove any sign of corrosion before proceeding.

Step 2 Place the copper flashing on the electric burner and turn the burner on. You will need to "cook" the flashing for as long as 30 minutes or more to develop a thick layer of black cupric oxide.

Step 3 Allow the copper to cool slowly once the layer of cupric oxide has formed. It will begin to flake off and may do so with some force as the oxide and the copper cool at different rates.

Step 4 Scrub the completely cooled copper under running water to remove any last remaining bits of oxide. Be gentle, as you do not want to remove any of the red cuprous oxide that has been created in heating the flashing.

Step 5 Cut another piece of copper to the same size. Attach both panels using the alligator clips to the inside of the wide-mouth glass jar or plastic bottle with the top cut off. The panels should not touch and should bend to match the curves of the jar or bottle.

Step 6 Connect the lead of the alligator clip which fastens the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. The negative terminal should then be connected to the cuprous oxide plate.

Step 7 Make a solution of salt and water by dissolving the salt in hot tap water. You should make enough solution to barely cover the bottom of the plates, leaving the clips high and dry.

Step 8 Place your solar panel in the sun to see the gauge jump to reflect the current your project has created.

Source : eHow.com

How to Make Gmail a Free Online Storage Drive

Friday, April 23, 2010

By 1How, eHow Member

Every since Google launched Gmail, they've been adding more free storage. Recent counts put the total space over 7GB. An online backup service can be pretty pricey, but if you're feeling adventurous you can actually convert your Gmail to an online backup service! Best of all, it's free.

Instructions

Step 1 In order to mimic the upload and download functions of an online backup service, we're going to need the Gspace plug-in for Firefox. There is other software that will do this, but Gspace is cross-platform so it'll work on any system with Firefox installed. You can get it for free from GetGspace.com or by searching the Firefox add-on page.

Step 2 Using Gmail as an online backup service is a little messy, so you're going to want to sign up for a new Gmail account. Don't worry - Google doesn't mind you having several accounts. In fact, you could even sign up for a few extra accounts when you're done to get more storage.

Step 3 Once the plug-in is install and you have your new Gmail account, open Firefox. Go to "Tools" in the menubar and click "Gspace". Click on "Manage Accounts". Enter your email ID and password. Click the "Add" button to add the account to your online backup service list. If you made several accounts, you can repeat these steps to add them as well. Once you're done, click "Close". You'll now be able to select your email address from the drop down menu at the top of the screen...do so and click "Login".

Step 4 The interface works like an FTP program you'd use for a traditional online backup service. Now that you're logged in, you can click "Browse" in the left hand pane to open the "Choose Folder" menu. Use this to navigate to where your files are. When you've found the folder, click the "Open" button.

Step 5 Select item (or items) you want to copy and click the arrow button that points to the right. The transfer will begin. You can see the progress in the lower left hand corner. As with any online backup service, the time it takes to transfer depends on the size of the payload and your internet speed. They can take a while! Once the files are transferred online, you can download them using the arrow pointing left.

Source : eHow.com

How to Save Water and Money at Home

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

By Murray Anderson, eHow Contributing Writer

We're all aware of the need to conserve water, both for our pocketbooks and for the environment. In many areas of the country, growing populations and limited nearby water supplies are making water a scarce (and expensive) commodity. Now, if you've got a lot of money to spend on new appliances like front loading washing machines and dual flush toilets, cutting down on water usage is relatively easy. However, if you don't have a lot of money to spend, conserving water can be a challenge. Here are some ideas on how to reduce the amount of water you use at home-without emptying your bank account.

Instructions

Step 1 Almost 75 percent of the water used in North American homes is used in the bathroom, so it's the logical place to start.

Step 2 Cut down on the length of the showers you take. A 10-minute shower uses almost 40 gallons of water. Cut that shower down to 5 minutes and you've saved 20 gallons of water.

Step 3 Install low flow showerheads. Available at home and hardware stores, there are all kinds of decorating options, and an efficient low flow showerhead can be purchased for less than $25. Advances in low flow showerhead technology mean you likely won't feel any difference, but your water usage will drop dramatically.

Step 4 Check to see if your toilet is constantly running or leaking from the tank into the toilet bowl. Look for leaks by adding some food coloring (or even cold coffee) to the tank and wait a few minutes. If the food coloring shows up in the bowl, the toilet is leaking. Replacing toilet components is inexpensive (most pieces are less than $10) and easy. The parts are available at home and hardware stores and the same stores often have brochures describing how to replace the parts.

Step 5 Minimize the amount of water your toilet uses with each flush by putting a plastic bottle (a large pop bottle will do fine) filled with sand or gravel in the toilet tank. The bottle will replace some of the water that your toilet uses each time it flushes.

How to Save Water in the Rest of the Home

Step 1 Install insulation around all your accessible hot water pipes, particularly those within 3 feet of your hot water tank. Insulation will help keep the water in your pipes warm so you won't need to run as much water out of the tap waiting for the hot to arrive.

Step 2 Check to see if any of your faucets are dripping. Replacing a washer or repairing a faucet is straightforward and inexpensive and will more than pay for itself in a short time.

Step 3 Add low flow aerators to all the faucets in your home. These aerators cost around $5 and will cut down on the amount of water you use in the kitchen sink and washroom basins.

Step 4 Run your dishwasher and washing machine only with full loads. Both full loads and partial loads will use the same amount of water, so waiting until you have a full load will make optimal use of your water.

Step 5 Consider installing a rain barrel and using rainwater for your plants and garden.

Source : eHow.com