One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple ...more
Maybe not water per-se, but with this simple technique you can turn one of the most abundant materials on earth into a highly explosive gas. WARNING: Ignition of an incendiary or explosive material may not be legal in your area, so check local laws before attempting. Use of t ...more
Keep the hot water heater control valve free of moisture by installing a drip leg.
In this tutorial, we learn how to paint a water drop effect on your RC cars. This is very easy to do but very easy to mess up as well. Make sure you are careful while you are doing this so results come out well. First, grab your color change paint and spray a coat of it on the ...more
Eric with Real World Green explains how to make your lawn more environmentally friendly. First, let your grass go dormant in the summer and don't water it as much. When you mow your lawn, consider using a push reel mower. A mower with a gas engine pollutes more than modern car ...more
Want to learn how to harvest the sun? Just watch this science experiment video to see how to convert sunlight into hydrogen fuel. It's simple and environmentally friendly. You'll need a multimeter, a solar panel, some crocodile clips (or alligator clips), glass, water and car ...more
Here's how to build a sexy looking water-fuel generator that will convert your tap water into an extremely powerful, clean burning gas! Video: . An oxyhydrogen generator, like this one, uses electricity from your car battery to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gasses. Toge ...more
We see Steampunk props all the time and wonder where the maker found all their pieces. In fact, for some people it's almost like a game to examine each prop and see if they can name all of the original parts. However, for a newcomer (or a novice at prop-making), it may be rea ...more
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive. End ...more
Watch this "Grease On Your Hands" video tutorial from the Washington Post to see how to patch a flat tire on your car properly. When servicing any automobile, you should always wear appropriate eye-protection as well as ensure your working environment is properly ventilated. ...more
Just because a problem is small or superficial doesn't mean it can't annoy the living crap out of you. Others may think you're overreacting, or even have the audacity to roll their eyes, but you're in your own personal hell. First-world problems, white whines—call it whatever ...more
I am writing this quick post in response to the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that are affecting Japan. As soon as the news broke, and we began to hear of tsunami warning for our area, I immediately realized how under prepared I was for a natural disaster. The thing that dro ...more
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive. End ...more
If you're like me, you were always jealous of the kids with rich parents who got to ride around in their own Power Wheels cars. Now that I am tall enough to sell my body and time, I find myself attaining childhood dreams like buying my own Power Wheels car. I would not have ch ...more
What happens when you find your ball deflated and there's no pump or needle in sight? You could always cancel your plans of kicking around the soccer ball or starting that pickup football game in the park. Better yet, you could be terribly clever and find another way to get ai ...more
It's that time a year when winter storms begin causing havoc across the United States, and when "rotating outages" are common to help sustain the electrical grid during intense cold periods. That means pretty much anybody with snow and ice in their backyard can succumb to powe ...more
It's that time of year again when pizza boxes line the room and buffalo wings stain the couch. When cases of beer sit in the cooler and the big screen TVs are fired up and properly calibrated. When two of the best football teams vie for the championship title and the Vince Lom ...more
The worst can always happen. Even if you think you're absolutely prepared, you can somehow find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere by yourself. It can happen. Without a map, without a compass, without a cell phone... without food and water. There are plenty of dange ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make nitric acid. They show three ways to make nitric acid based on two different chemical approaches, both of which can be done using easily accessible materials. Warning: The procedures in this video produce large q ...more
Try out this science experiment... a classy chemical demonstration. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a foamy elephant toothpaste chemical reaction. There's a reason why they call this elephants toothpaste. Hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to form oxygen gas and w ...more
In this fascinating "how to" video, you will see how a simple process creates the illusion of ice that is burning. Only a few items are needed to enact this scientific experiment. As the narrator describes, "Calcium carbide reacts with water to form acetylene gas." To illustra ...more
Need to eliminate those pesky leg hairs but want to bypass the credit card bill? Then read below for a homemade sugar wax recipe and watch the video to learn how to rip off your hair! This particular method of making a sugar wax involves a gas stove, sugar, lemon juice, and w ...more
Tim Carter shows a clever method that prevents tree roots from entering an underground sewer or septic line. Check for underground utilities before attempting this project. In the spring, trees start to bloom and grow leaves. But they also have aggressive root growth. These r ...more
The chefs at the food channel are going to show you how to do a crab boil the best way possible. First, you are going to need a large pot connected to propane gas and to fill it up with 8 gallons of water to boil. Next, you want to add the seasonings to the pot which are, 2 cu ...more
This video helps us understand the organic molecules and elimination reaction. Take some sugar in a beaker. Sugar has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms and 11 atoms of oxygen. The sulphuric acid is poured into the sugar and the color change is observed. The color of the sugar ...more
Bubbles are usually soft, airy, safe things. Not when they're on fire they're not! This video will show you how to create burning bubbles using only condensed air dust remover, water, and soap. You may have seen this done in science class with gas from a Bunsen burner, but thi ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to test if a fertilizer has nitrates rather than urea or ammonia as its nitrogen source. The idea is quit simple, in a strongly acidic solution the nitrates will behave like nitric acid and dissolve copper metal releasin ...more
Someday, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, you'll find yourself on the road in your car, maybe on the highway, and you'll hear something. With your air conditioning on full blast and your stereo so loud your ears feel like they are bleeding, you normally would ...more
Chlorine gas is a very useful oxidant, which was first introduced as a toxic weapon by the German Army. Even today, it's still used as a weapon, most recently in the Iraq War by insurgents. But chlorine gas has more useful (and less lethal) applications, and if you want to lea ...more
Flooding occurs in a low water area and often appears to be safe. Motorists who drive through flooded areas risk losing control of their cars. People have extreme confidence in the size and weight of their vehicles. Flooding kills more people than any other natural disasters. ...more
Hurricanes can occur any time with out any warning. So it is prudent to prepare you self for disaster recovery in case of any hurricane. To protect your self from hurricane by staying at home or to flee from a hurricane you will need some items ready. The main thing is water. ...more
Harvest the sun! This easy step-by-step tutorial will show you how to build your own solar heating/hot water system. Green energy is the wave of the future. Stop high oil and gas prices. All we need is 160°. No drilling, no rigs, no refining, no transportation, a no-brainer. ...more
With gas prices soaring in the US and around the globe, the cost to drive to a vacation destination is becoming a much larger expense item in the overall travel budget. Although it's easy to see that gas prices have risen dramatically in the past several months, it's not nearl ...more
This is a cool experiment that shows what happens when we superheat steam. Wath as we move beyond a gas to something else! Steve Spangler is the science man and he'll turn you on to something cool. We usually think of water as a substance used to put out fires... but what happ ...more
Kim the in-house mechanic for Driverside shows you how to quickly and easily replace your cars air filter. The reason you would need to change your air filter is that over time the flow is reduced which consequently reduces your car's gas mileage. To change your air filter you ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make iodine from an alkali metal iodide, hydrochloric acid (HCI), and hydroxide peroxide (H2O2). Warning: This reaction makes small amounts of chlorine gas and should be performed outside or in a fumehood. This metho ...more
Tim Carter, of Ask the Builder, demonstrates how to get fresh air into your home. Furnaces, gas water heaters, exhaust fans, et cetera, push air from houses, and it must be replaced.
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to install an automatic shut off valve for a water heater. Steps: 1 Turn off the water to the water heater. 2 Drain the water heater using an electric pump and garden hose. 3 Shut off the gas, then disconnect the gas line from ...more
This video shows you how to light a gas hot water heater. The process is simple if you follow the steps in order and don't worry, most water heaters have directions on the side as well.
There are many ways that you can lose energy and heat in your home, and one of the most common ways is by the water heater. It may not seem like it, but you can lose a lot of money and energy when using your water heater. So it's important to take the necessary steps when you ...more
Ice in placed on a sealed FLASK and the water inside starts to boil. Great science fair experiment. 1. Find a FLASK (Something that won't crank due to pressure) 2. Boil water and add it to the flask 3. Seal it and invert the FLASK 4. Place an ice cube or two on top. 5. The co ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to change your water heater anode rod. Steps: 1 Turn off water and fuel supply (gas or electricity) to water heater. 2 Partially drain the water heater. 3 Locate the anode rod on the water heater; if necessary, unscrew and lif ...more
In this plumbing repair video, we show you how to repair a broken flange which could cause sewer gas smell or water on your bathroom floor.
Worried about your driving on that next family trip through the mountains? If you love the mountains but worry about the dangers of driving in them, check out these ideas to help make your trip easier and more enjoyable. You Will Need: • Gas • Drinking water • Warm clothes ...more
The World's Easiest Lava Lamp! This is an easy, fun science activity that is great for any age. In fact, our video crew ended up taking the extra bottles home to show their friends. It is also a great demonstration of liquid density, the release of gases in a chemical reaction ...more
No, colorful electrolysis has got nothing to do with zapping the hair off of a punk rocker's head. Electrolysis of water, according to Wikipedia, is "the decomposition of water (H2O) into oxygen (O2) and hydrogen gas (H2) due to an electric current being passed through the wat ...more
Using a huge jar and with water colored with die in it you can make clouds. To do this set up the apparatus as shown in the video. Now open up the top valve and blow air into the jar. Now this causes the air inside to be compressed as we are pushing more air into the confined ...more
Fill half a cup with water or slightly more than half a cup since some water will evaporate on boiling. Pour this water in a steel vessel. Put the vessel on the stove or the gas range. If you like strong tea, then put 2 teaspoons of tea leaves or powder in the water. If you li ...more
Teflon tape or pipe dope can be used to create a seal on black iron pipe. Tim Carter of AsktheBuilder.com demonstrates how to do the job right and shares some helpful tips. This black iron pipe is used to transport natural gas to your furnace, water heater and stove. This pipe ...more
This video shows you how to boil different type of eggs, from soft eggs to hard boiled eggs. The first thing you have to do is put water in a pot and turn on the gas range. When the water starts boiling, add one or more eggs. Let the water boiling for 4 minutes if you want sof ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to do a sodium and water experiment. Sodium is a silver metal that is very reactive. When exposed oxygen in the air, an outer coding of sodium oxide will form. Simply drop a piece of sodium into a cup of water. When dropped in water, s ...more
Taking apart batteries is one of those things that every adult you've ever known has warned you against. Today, we break the taboo and dive into a lithium battery. Lithium has some pretty cool properties—it burns instantly in water and glows blindly bright under flame. And wit ...more
Science-fiction writer Jules Verne predicted many scientific breakthroughs, including the moon landing, tasers, and nuclear submarines. In his 1874 book The Mysterious Island, Verne writes: I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which ...more
R/C car manufacturer Losi just recently released the LOSI 1/10 TEN-T TRUGGY RTR, which is apparently the world's most advanced radio controlled car. The Ten-T is 18 inches long and 6.2 pounds, and operates like a real race car (but at 1/10 of the size). Check out these specs ...more
There are different theories on if you should clean your grill or not but if you’re on the side that likes to keep your grill clean then Danny Lipford will show you exactly how it should be done. These grills can get pretty dirty . Items Needed: Large Bucket/Container, Warm ...more
RV water heaters can be easily made more efficient by loosening one or two screws that hold the U-tube tight. Sometimes the orifice that connects the gas valve and the U-tube is not aligned properly with the U-tube, and the loosening of one screw or the other will allow the st ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to install an instantaneous water heater. Steps: 1 Use template to mark position of vent hole on exterior wall of basement. 2 Bore center pilot hole for vent using a 3/8-inch-diameter masonry bit. 3 Cut vent hole through wall u ...more
Sodium (chemical symbol Na) is an interesting element. It reacts in contact with both oxygen and water, and several sodium salts are used to produce a yellow color in fireworks. The metallic form has limited uses in chemistry, and is too soft and reactive to be used as a buil ...more
Anyone can take their vehicle to the car wash, but if you want to save a few bucks, and give your ride need a little TLC, try these tips. You Will Need: a hose, a spray bottle of tire cleaner, a brush with soft bristles, a wash mitt, or a rag, a bucket, a bottle of liquid car- ...more
As some of you Mad Science readers will remember, we recently covered the separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. Passing a current through water can rend it apart, but we can also recombine that oxygen and hydrogen to make electricity! This is the pri ...more