We live in an age of convenience, and have access to amenities that simply make our lives more pleasant.  Ice, for example, is no longer hard to obtain.  Most refrigerators come with an automatic ice maker built-in.  Many people use independent ice machines to distribute ice in large amounts and they provide a convenient and inexpensive way to portably chill beverages and keep items cold that would otherwise spoil.

If there is a malfunction with an ice-maker it can be just as aggravating and troublesome as it is useful.

Follow these tips to efficiently locate and remedy what might be causing your ice maker to fail:

Firstly, it’s a good idea to make sure all the appropriate hoses are connected and the water supply is good.  If that’s not it, there may be frozen build-up in a hose or inside the machine.  This can be fixed easily by defrosting the ice maker (unplugging all connections and hoses) and letting it melt and drain from the hose or interior.

Check the evaporator plate. Depending on the type of machine, this may look like a plastic grid, into which water is distributed from the hose.  Check this for discoloration, such as a copper colour showing through.  If this is detected, it may mean that the lining of the plate has worn off, and the ice can no longer drop off into the reserve after the freezing process.  This piece can build up a frozen layer that will hinder the making of ice.  If that is the case, defrosting may also quickly solve this issue.  If the lining is in fact worn off, it is at the owners’ discretion whether or not to replace this piece.

Finally, there is a heating module underneath the evaporator plate that is built into the under-side of the ice-maker.  The purpose of it is to slightly melt the bottom of the finished cubes so they can be harvested into the reserve.  Without taking the ice maker apart, though, this part cannot be seen, and is located in the bottom of the unit.  Place your hand on the bottom to feel if it is hot or warm.  If you find that it is, this could mean it has over-heated and malfunctioning.  You will likely need to replace the control module that regulates this part.

There are many facets of how the automatic ice maker quickly and efficiently produces ice for our convenience.  This has been an outline of some of the most common and simple problems and fixes, and you should always consult your owner’s manual for model-specific parts and maintenance routines.

Cooling and heating a home is taxing on any budget.  The standard way to cool a home is to have a duct based condenser unit installed.  Not only are condensers often inefficient, though, but the duct work is too.  These two parts lose energy very quickly as heat exchanges happen throughout the system that normally spans the entire home.  In order to keep up with air conditioning needs, the unit constantly has to keep air within the ducts at the desired temperature.  It is a constant drag on the compressor unit.

To battle this, the industry came up with a more efficient means to deliver cool air to a home which is called Split air conditioning. The advantage of Split A/C is that it uses far less electricity, and also a lot less materials and construction resources are needed. There is still a unit that sits on the outside of a home, but the units themselves stay within individual rooms.

Split A/C gives ultimate control to the user as they can cool individual rooms or areas. This gives an advantage for the user and allows everyone to be at their comfort level at a fraction of the cost of traditional units.

Typically, there have been two ways to cool a house, the earlier mentioned standard duct unit and the smaller and much less expensive window based A/C units. If you are on a very low budge, then you may consider window units.  Split A/C will be a substantially higher upfront cost, but cannot be compared to the older duct units. The small units simply cool by using a long fan which distributes the coolness from the coil within.  This gives the home owner complete control of his or her environment.

Split level A/C is much less intrusive as it is mainly a few cables and tubes that are run out to the main unit.  The cost of the insulation and installation is far less than that of new duct work or all the materials needed to upgrade an existing unit.  Not only, will it be far more aesthetically pleasing than a window unit, it will of course be a money saving investment that will keep your home cool.

For a further incentive, these types of units are huge helpers of the environment compared to their predecessors.  Their carbon footprint is a fraction of other products.