The Length of Drain Snakes

Clear clogs in a toilet, sink or tub with the appropriate drain snake.

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A drain snake has an auger end that can push through debris that causes blockage in a line. Because a clog might not be near its assumed source, the location of the clog in the pipe will determine what length drain snake to use. Drain snakes are available in several lengths to tackle clogs in sinks, tubs and toilets, and more distant clogs that can travel all the way to the main line.

Related Searches: Standard Drain Snake

Tackling clogs in the pipes that measure up to 2 inches in diameter, a standard drain snake comes in 10-, 25-, 50- and 100-foot lengths. Buying the right one for the home is a matter of determining where the clogs are most likely to occur, and which one works best against the common drain problems. For most homeowners, a 25-foot drain snake works well enough to reach a clog anywhere in the house. The drainage system forms a connection of the pipes from every water source and channels them to the main line, and at several places there are drain pipe access points. So if a clog is unreachable through the sink or tub, accessing the drain pipe below and using the drain snake that way is another way to unclog the drain.

Toilet Drain Snake

A clogged toilet that a plunger cannot remedy requires a closet auger, or toilet drain snake. Available in 3-foot and 6-foot lengths, the design of the toilet drain snake has a drop-head construction -- a bent, solid pipe sleeve that guides the inner drain snake cable down and around the bends of the toilet's drain. A 3-foot model reaches through the toilet and just to the upper part of the drain pipe, while the 6-foot option reaches the drain snake farther into the toilet's sewage line.

Power Drain Snake

Clogs that form farther along in the lines, even into the main drain line, require the use of a power drain snake, or power auger. The length of these drain snakes range from 50 feet to 200 feet, and can tackle a blockage in a large pipes with a 10-inch diameter. This means that if a massive clog travels down the line, even beyond the limits of a house or within an apartment complex, the power drain snake might be able to reach it from the starting location.

Manual or Power

While the larger power drain snake is powered and the smaller toilet drain snake, or closet auger is manual, the standard drain snakes are available as either manual or powered, or both. For a homeowner, buying a 25-foot, dual-powered drain snake gives you the flexibility to use it manually when the clog is easy to reach or to hook up the power when unclogging more tenacious clogs. One such type uses the power of a drill to convert the drain snake into a powered one, making this option a more versatile one.

ReferencesThe Home Depot: Augers and PlungersThis Old House: Clear Any Clogged DrainHometime: Plumbing: Unclogging DrainsResourcesThe Unclog Blog: All About Drain SnakesPhoto Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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Best Way To Store Jeans

The perfect pair of jeans can be hard to come by. Once you do find that treasured pair, you most certainly want to care for them properly to insure that they will last you a good long time. The way that you wash and store your jeans can make quite a difference in how long they last, and how true their color stays.

Really, there isn't just one specific way that works for storing all of your jeans. Depending on the style of your denim, you should store them differently. So first, separate your jeans out by style. All of your nice trouser-like jeans should go in one pile. All of your distressed, very casual, or light wash jeans should go in a separate pile. Any jeans that are too large or too small for you, just put those in a box marked "Goodwill." There's no sense in hanging on to pants that don't fit, or that are dated.

For your jeans that are designated Saturday afternoon casual wear, these can simply be folded and kept either in a bureau drawer or on a shelf in your closet. Some creases from being folded will really not affect the way the fabric lays when you wear them. If you have ones that are honeycombed or distressed, a few extra folds in the fabric will not hinder the style at all. So feel free to fold these however they best fit in your drawer or on your shelf.

For your jeans that are a darker wash, and/or trouser cut, these should be hung in your closet. Your "dressier" jeans should be treated with care, just as you would your favorite tie stylesand wool sweaters, to prevent creasing, stretching and fading. It is wise to invest in several good quality wood trouser hangers, the kind that clip at the top, to hang your nice denim. Look for hangers without abrasive clips or serrated teeth and instead opt for ones with padded clips. Serrated teeth are much more likely to snag on the fabric, whereas those with a smooth, round edge or padding will prevent snagging and tearing.

When you hang your jeans, simply clamp them from the top over the waistband of the pants. This is preferable to hanging your jeans upside down from the hem because denim is such a heavy fabric. If you hang your jeans upside down by the hem, it will cause the fabric to stretch, therefore placing unneeded wear and tear on the fabric fibers. Although you may not notice a visible difference when you put the jeans on, it will cause them to more easily develop rips and runs while in the washing machine.

Speaking of washing, this is the second crucial element to insuring that your jeans have a long life. If you have a habit of dumping all of your jeans into the washing machine and washing them together, try to break this habit. Only wash your jeans when they start to look whiskery around the thighs, or when they are truly dirty (such as if you spill something on them). Oftentimes pants can just be hung in your closet and allowed to "breathe" for a bit rather than washed. So for your nicest jeans, try to wash them only after you have worn them a few times. When you do wash them, turn them inside out first. Use a gentle and high quality detergent to help care for the fabric, along with cold water. If you have very dark denim that you would like to prevent from fading, add a cup of white vinegar in along with your detergent. (Don't worry, the vinegar smell will wash right out.) It's okay to put them in the dryer on low heat, or hang them on a clothesline outside to dry.

Author: Michael Taylor is a Marketing Manager at TIE SNUG. TIE SNUG eliminates continuous adjusting and makes wearing a tie more comfortable. The right necktie accessories can ensure you look professional and help you stand out for the right reasons. Now you can be confident knowing your tie knot looks great. For more information, please visit http://www.tiesnug.com/blog/.

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What Is Diffusion Animation?

Print this articleIf you are interested in learning about the process of diffusion, you can watch a diffusion animation. Diffusion occurs when particles of one substance mix in between the spaces of another substance, such as when someone drops food coloring into a glass of water, or when a salesperson in a department store sprays a cloud of perfume from an aerosol bottle for a customer to smell.

Related Searches: Diffusion

Diffusion is a process that occurs in gas, liquid and solid matter. Smoke from a wood fire drifting through the air spreads rapidly, while sugar diffuses through a glass of water more slowly, and particles diffusing in between the tiny spaces in matter move at an even slower rate. Studying diffusion through animation can help students learn a variety of topics, including biology, physics and chemistry.

Educational Animation

Although people may consider watching animation to be a form of humorous entertainment, animation can also serve an educational purpose. A teacher can show an animation about diffusion to a classroom full of students to illustrate a point instead of bringing out props to demonstrate diffusion in person. An educational animated diffusion video has the advantage of being able to slow down or speed up the process to help viewers get a better understanding of the process, while a narrator explains what is going on.

Examples

If you need to learn about diffusion, you can watch a variety of diffusion animations on educational websites. For example, the Diffusion Applet at Ohio University provides an interactive animation where you click a button to remove the lid of a bottle to watch perfume molecules diffusing through a room. An animation at Indiana University illustrates diffusion across a plasma membrane for students who are studying physics. The Gas Laws page at ThinkQuest shows an animation depicting ammonia gas moving through the air.

Considerations

An animated video can make it easier for some groups of people to learn about diffusion, instead of reading about the process or hearing someone give a lecture on the topic. For example, watching animated examples of diffusion can help younger students who have shorter attention spans grasp the subject more quickly and perhaps less painfully than if a teacher requires them to read about it.

ReferencesOhio University: The Diffusion AppletIndiana University: DiffusionThinkQuest: Gas LawsRead Next:

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How to Get an Animated Background

Print this articleAnimate the backgrounds of your images by using image manipulation programs to create the frames for an animated GIF. Make sure you chose a program with layering features before starting this project. Layers are virtual transparencies that form a complete image when stacked atop one another. Layers can also become the frames of an animated sequence, including a sequence you can store as an animated GIF. GIFs can only store 256 colors, so image quality may decrease when you animate a background.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ModerateInstructions Paint.NET1

Click the File menu's "Open" command, and then navigate to and double-click a picture whose background you'd like to animate. Paint.NET will load the image.

2

Click the toolbar icon shaped like a blue balloon to enter selection mode. Drag the mouse over the outline separating the foreground from the background to select the background. Press and "Control" and "X" simultaneously to cut out the background.

3

Click the "Layer" panel's page icon to create a new layer, and then press "Control" and "V" simultaneously to paste the cutout background onto the new layer.

4

Press "Control" and "S" simultaneously to display the "Save" dialog. Type a file name in the "Name" text box, and then click "Save" to save the file.

5

Click the toolbar icon shaped like a "

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Good Suit Color Combinations

When you wear a suit, there are lots of things that other people will notice about it: the cut, the number of buttons, the length of the jacket, the drape of the pants... But before anyone notices any of these things, the very first thing they will notice is the color of your suit. Color relays a strong and powerful message, and therefore the color combinations you select with a suit should be carefully considered.

Charcoal Gray:

Charcoal gray is a great suit color to select if you need a "foundation" suit, meaning one good suit that you plan to wear to formal events such as weddings and funerals. You pretty much can't go wrong with gray-- it is appropriate for any occasion. One of the things that makes gray such a good choice is that, depending on the shade, it can be paired with either black or brown accessories. For a formal and serious look, pair a gray suit with a white button down shirt and a gray tie, along with brown shoes and a brown belt. To change it up a little bit, wear a gray suit with a black button down shirt and a gray (the same shade of gray as your suit) tie, black shoes and a black belt. Or, a black and blue diagonally striped tie with black accessories. Want some more color? Try a pink shirt and a maroon paisley tie. Or a white shirt and an orange tie. See the point here? A charcoal gray suit is entirely versatile and can be paired with almost anything. There is scarcely a way that you can go wrong, as long as your clothing items are well tailored and fitted, of course.

Navy:

Navy is considered to be another "foundation" suit color, primarily because of its commonality. Again, there are not really any situations for which a navy suit would be deemed inappropriate. It is a very traditional and elegant choice. So to play off of navy's elegance, select shirts and ties in colors that are classic as well. Yellow and brown are excellent pairings with navy, as are other shades of blue. For example, try a light blue button down shirt with a brown tie. To modernize the look, opt for a skinny tie and experiment with one of the slimmer tie knots. For an edgier twist, try combining pink with your navy suit. Pink is automatically an attention-getter. Try it by combining a pink patterned tie, such as a pink foulard or striped tie, with your navy suit and a blue and white striped button down shirt. For an attention-getting look that is not quite as daring as pink, opt for a silver or purple tie. For a look that says "take me seriously" and is more authoritative, go for a white button down and a red tie.

Black:

Black is considered to be the most serious and authoritative of suits. However, if you wish to downplay the seriousness of black, look for a black suit with a pinstripe. A combination that I am fond of for evening holiday parties is a black pin stripe suit with a black shirt and a red tie. For a solid black suit and a white button down shirt, unless you want to appear more serious, select a tie with a pattern. The color is really up to you. Red, orange, yellow, and gold are somewhat traditional choices for a black suit. Pink, green, and turquoise are a little more modern. There is a strong debate about brown and black working together, so it's up to you. If you go with pairing it together, it's best to use one of the colors in a pattern. For example, a tie with black, gold and brown stripes is a sharp choice for a black suit. One good thing to keep in mind with black suits is that they are most commonly made of wool, which is a heavy fabric. Therefore, any shirt with too much sheen, or that is lightweight, will clash somewhat with the weight of the suit. Pick good, sturdy and heavyweight cotton shirts to go with your black suit. But again, don't be afraid to pair black with colors.

Author: Michael Taylor is a Marketing Manager at TIE SNUG. TIE SNUG eliminates continuous adjusting and makes wearing a tie more comfortable. Knowing the current tie styles is an important step when deciding what to wear to an interview. Feel confident that you look your best with TIE SNUG. For more information or to make a purchase, please visit http://www.tiesnug.com/blog/.

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How to Add Different Camera Views to Your Animation in Blender

Print this articleThe Blender open-source 3D rendering and animation program offers users a powerful free alternative to professional modeling and rendering software such as 3DS Max, Mudbox and Maya. The software offers many of the features present in the professional options, including the ability to create multiple cameras to view rendered images and animations at predetermined angles. By adding new camera views to a scene, modelers and animators gain a significant amount of control over how their finished creations appear.

Related Searches:Difficulty:Moderately EasyInstructions 1

Launch Blender and open the animation scene you wish to add camera views to by using the "Open..." option in the "File" menu.

2

Press the spacebar on your keyboard to open the Toolbox tool interface. Click the "Add" menu and select the "Camera" option to add a new camera to your scene. The camera appears in a position facing the viewing angle of the viewpoint window you have selected.

3

Click the new camera to select it if it is not already selected. Drag the camera to a new position as you would any other object in the scene. Select the "Cameras" option in the "View" menu and choose the "Select Active Object as Active Camera," then press the "F12" key to render the scene from the camera's position to ensure that you have it placed exactly like you want it.

4

Add additional cameras using the Toolbox interface or by selecting an existing camera and pressing the "Ctrl" and "D" keys on your keyboard to duplicate it. Drag the cameras to new positions to set up multiple camera angles for your scene.

Tips & Warnings

The Blender programming script "camera_changer.py" allows you to change camera angles in mid-animation using cameras that you've set up in the scene. Using the script, you can rename the cameras to a list of frame numbers in which the camera should become active, resulting in the camera name appearing as "1, 25, 50" for a camera that should become active at frames 1, 25 and 50. When rendering the final animation, the script changes the viewing angle to the appropriate camera automatically on the frames mentioned in the camera name.

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ReferencesBlender: Reference - ToolboxBlender: Blender Hotkeys In-Depth ReferenceBlender 3D Videos: 2.49 Camera ChangerRead Next:

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DIY: Dog Cable Runner

A cable runner gives dogs more freedom.

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Providing dogs with a safe, comfortable area to exercise is an important part of maintaining your pet’s health. If you don't have an enclosed area or want to restrict your dog to a specific space, installing a cable runner will give your pet a safe place to run and play. A dog cable runner will give your pet the freedom to run back and forth at a predetermined distance while keeping it away from specific areas in your yard and preventing it from wrapping his leash around trees, posts and other objects.

Related Searches:Difficulty:EasyInstructions Things You'll NeedTape measure75 feet of cableWire cutters2 steel eye hooksTurnbuckleCable leash with snap hooks on both ends2 8-foot 4-by-4 wooden postsShovelSmall bag of rocks40-pound bag of quick-set concreteBucket or wheel barrowPliers4 2-inch wood screwsElectric drillSuggest EditsPreparation1

Examine the area to determine the best location for your pet. A cable runner is installed between two points, and can be attached to trees, posts and the sides of buildings. The runner can also be attached to the side of a building on one end and a tree or post on the other.

2

Determine the height you want the runner to be. Cable runners are typically installed high enough for an adult to walk under, but can be installed at a lower distance for smaller dogs. Purchase a cable leash with snap hooks on either end that is at least as long as the height of the cable runner.

3

Measure the distance between the two points you will install the cable runner to. Use wire cutters to cut the cable 2-feet longer than that length.

Installing Posts1

Dig two holes that are two feet deep spaced to the distance you want your dog to run.

2

Fill the bottom of each hole with a thin layer of rocks.

3

Soak both holes with water. Dry soil will absorb water from wet concrete, preventing it from setting properly.

4

Mix the concrete and water in a large bucket or wheelbarrow according to the manufacturer’s directions. Use a metal shovel to stir and fold the mixture until the consistency meets the manufacturer’s recommendations.

5

Stand an 8-foot, 4-by-4 post in the center of one hole. Have someone hold the post steady while you pour the mixed concrete into the hole around the post. Fill the hole to the top. Continue holding the post in place for several minutes to allow the concrete to set. Repeat this step for the second post.

Installing the Runner to Trees and Posts1

Wrap the end of the cable around a tree or post and run the end through a steel eye hook. Use pliers to tighten the nuts on the eye hooks.

2

Slide a turnbuckle onto the free end of the cable.

3

Wrap the free end of the cable around the second tree or post. Thread the end of the cable through the steel eye hooks and pull the cable tight. Have someone hold the cable while you tighten the nuts on the hook eye.

4

Attach one end of the cable leash to the hoop on the turnbuckle and the other end to the collar on your dog.

Installing the Runner to the Side of a Building1

Thread one end of the runner through a steel eye hook and tighten the nuts with pliers.

2

Hold the flat side of the threaded eye hook in place against the side of a building. Drill 2-inch wood screws through the prefabricated holes on the base of the eye hook into the side of the building.

3

Thread the turnbuckle through the free end of the cable.

4

Wrap the free end of the cable around a tree or post. Thread the end of the cable through the eye hook and pull the cable tight. Have someone hold the cable. Tighten the nuts on the hook eye with pliers.

5

Attach one end of the cable leash to the turnbuckle and the other end to the collar on your dog.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure that the area where the dog will be running is free of debris and anything it can get its leash wrapped around.

Make sure that the runner is installed far enough away from fences that the dog won't be able to jump the fence.

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ReferencesUnchain Your Dog: Installing a Trolley SystemLong Live Your Dog: Building a Dog RunPhoto Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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