The dubious household/automotive tips thread

[Maister]

Growing up my parents always stored batteries in the refrigerator - why, you ask? so it extends their shelf life.

Does this practice have any basis in fact, I wonder? I still to this day store batteries in the fridge, simply because its what's always been done. I'm too lazy today to google it, so I'll just let y'all tell me whether there's any legitimacy to this or not.

tip #2 Ring your doorbell each time as you walk through your front door. Doorbells are notorious for going bad quickly. The reason you should ring it as often as you can is to ensure the contacts don't get corroded from misuse.

tip #3 use your power windows on your car as little as possible. After all, you don't want to wear out the little electric motor.

tip #4 maybe once or twice a year you should go out on the highway and put the accelerator to the floor for about half a minute. This is good for the engine and will knock loose/prevent gunk from building up.

[Rygor]

As a certifiable "car guy" and amateur mechanic in a past life, I can say there isn't really much basis in fact anymore for #4. I suspect that advice dates back to before fuel injection when running at very low revs with a lot of fuel often caused timing problems and possible misfiring. Now there is something to be said for driving hard MORE frequently even than twice a year if you are purely interested in performance for certain cars, especially those with ECU's (engine computers) that adjust to driving characteristics to alter performance parameters in newer cars. Thus, if you drive harder more often in cars with those types of ECU's the car will "learn" to optimize itself for repeated performance driving by changing ignition timing, fuel maps, etc.

[imaplanner]

As a certifiable "car guy" and amateur mechanic in a past life, I can say there isn't really much basis in fact anymore for #4. I suspect that advice dates back to before fuel injection when running at very low revs with a lot of fuel often caused timing problems and possible misfiring. Now there is something to be said for driving hard MORE frequently even than twice a year if you are purely interested in performance for certain cars, especially those with ECU's (engine computers) that adjust to driving characteristics to alter performance parameters in newer cars. Thus, if you drive harder more often in cars with those types of ECU's the car will "learn" to optimize itself for repeated performance driving by changing ignition timing, fuel maps, etc.

Or just reset the ecu every so often so it relearns.

Tip #5: Remember to flush your toilet every so often (for those with extra toilets that get minimal ue). Water with certain mineral contents can stain the bowl if sitting for too long.

[Duke Of Dystopia]

#6: When the heat goes out in freezing weather, run your water faucets on low until the heating/electricity starts again to avoid damaging pipes that will freeze and burst.

[ThePinkPlanner]

My father in law is a successful plumber and he warns us to run hot water down the sink before straining pasta and potatoes. I can't remember exactly why- something about buildup of starch on the inside of pipes? I can't remember but we always do it now.

[Dan]

Based on one of the wrong answers from a drivers license exam:

After exiting from an expressway, the first thing you should do is stop and check the pressure of your tires. The heat of highway driving may cause the air pressure to increase beyond what is recommended for your tires.

tip #2 Ring your doorbell each time as you walk through your front door. Doorbells are notorious for going bad quickly. The reason you should ring it as often as you can is to ensure the contacts don't get corroded from misuse.

tip #3 use your power windows on your car as little as possible. After all, you don't want to wear out the little electric motor.

Yup, Old person logic. Don't use anything, because you'll wear it out. What are they saving the power windows, AC and remote control for, anyhow? With that same logic, the doorbell should never be rung, because it'll wear out. Instead, tape over the button and install a knocker,. Doorbells don't grow on trees, you know.

[ofos]

With that same logic, the doorbell should never be rung, because it'll wear out. Instead, tape over the button and install a knocker,. Doorbells don't grow on trees, you know.

But we know what knockers grow on, right?

[mgk920]

Or just reset the ecu every so often so it relearns.

Tip #5: Remember to flush your toilet every so often (for those with extra toilets that get minimal ue). Water with certain mineral contents can stain the bowl if sitting for too long.

If a 'loo' sits unflushed for over a month or so, enough water will evaporate out of the bowl that the 'trap' seal at the bottom of the bowl will be gone, allowing sewer gases into your living space.

Also, the very best thing that you can do to a car is to start it up and drive it at least once every month or so - it keeps the internal parts loose, lubricated and functioning.
Ditto electronic stuff like radios, TVs and so forth - use your gizmos at least once every couple of months, turn them on and let them do their things for 30-60 minutes or so, it keeps their electrolytic capacitors 'formed' and functioning as designed (yes, they do dry out over time otherwise).

Mike

[Maister]

Based on one of the wrong answers from a drivers license exam:

After exiting from an expressway, the first thing you should do is stop and check the pressure of your tires. The heat of highway driving may cause the air pressure to increase beyond what is recommended for your tires.

I'm certain most people do this 99.9% of the time. That's why you always see long lines of cars pulled over to the shoulder at every exit ramp. They're all busy checking their tire pressures to ensure they haven't exceeded manufacturer recommended specs. I use these opportunities to strike up conversations with fellow motorists..."Looks like I'm gonna have to bleed off 1 lb off my front tires and add that 1 lb. back after they've had a chance to cool. You wouldn't happen to know a good service station around here that won't charge more than $1 to top off the tire pressure do you?...."

[kjel]

I'm certain most people do this 99.9% of the time. That's why you always see long lines of cars pulled over to the shoulder at every exit ramp. They're all busy checking their tire pressures to ensure they haven't exceeded manufacturer recommended specs. I use these opportunities to strike up conversations with fellow motorists..."Looks like I'm gonna have to bleed off 1 lb off my front tires and add that 1 lb. back after they've had a chance to cool. You wouldn't happen to know a good service station around here that won't charge more than $1 to top off the tire pressure do you?...."

LOL...my car tells me what the psi in each tire is and will ping at me when it's too high or too low.