Vlr: 1st put a new spark plug into the plug wire and pull over the engine with the plug grounded against the cylinder head cooling fin. Check for spark , you may need assistance or a large pair of vice grips to secure the plug gently against the fin . If you have spark (bright blue) your ok there . Next You should have drained the gas from the fuel tank from the gas line off the tank to the carb , no problem your still learning . You have drained oil from the crankcase into the carb when you inverted the edger for gas drainage , so the carb cleaner addition into the Venturi (1st or second picture Hole that you described) . As far as Starting Fluid I normally only use as last resort since many do not have any lubrication properties and can damage carb diaphragm and seals etc. The Carb Cleaner will help in starting itself since it is flammable . However from what I see the Johnsen's Product would be the best since it is recommended for Diesel Engines and only spray into the Spark Plug Hole not the Carb . Once you get this engine running from what I advised in my previous note , please ensure to properly drain your oil once the engine is warmed . Did you find a drain plug within the crankcase area similar to your yard tractor ? Last but not least ensure to spray 1/4 can of the carb cleaner and 1 ounce of Stabil within the fresh fuel since I don't see any Dry gas or Liquid concentrated fuel cleaner in your illustration , I think your also have serious moisture carry over from bad fuel during the 2 yr storage. Be patient and wear safety glass's when working on this project the chemicals are corrosive , wash your hands accordingly lol . This may take a few attempts to clear the water , debris and varnish from within the carb circuits . As previously advised let the fuel once treated sit in the tank for at least 30 minutes prior to attempting to start the engine via the Quick start or Carb Cleaner spray into the Spark Plug Hole . Good Luck keep us posted .

Thanks for the comments! Well, the model that I have is programmable. It has one setting for days Monday-Friday and one for the weekends. You can set a certain temp for "wake", "away", "home", and "sleep" for the weekdays and "wake" and "sleep" during the weekends. You can easily override the temp at any time if your schedule changes. I have no problems with the features of the thermostat, I just want to know if it's efficient. In our house, every penny counts! We live on my husband's income while I go to school and stay at home with my daughter. So money is tight and if we can save more money by spending $50-$150 on another thermostat, so be it. But if it's unnecessary, I'd like to know that as well. I'd ask a professional, but I don't personally know anyone so I feel like I can't really trust their opinion. Even clerks at hardware stores are trying to make a sale so it's hard for me to decide if it's necessary or not.

There was a house for sale across the street from me in 2008. It was one of those project houses...needed a total gut job. A nice couple bought it as an investment house. They toiled all spring and summer fixing up the house. The did a fabulous job. New hardwood maple flooring, real plaster walls (instead of drywall--they wanted to stay true to the age of the house), fabulous wood trim. It was an extremely nice DIY renovation. The DIY couple, rented the house out in August to a 20 something couple that worked at a local university. All was good. The young couple fit in our neighborhood great and they seemed happy. Christmas 2008. The young couple goes away for 2 weeks to visit family. When they get home after New Year's they find the house completely flooded. The plaster walls and ceiling have fallen down. The lovely maple floors are in waves. All of their belongs are ruined. Mold is growing up the walls. They go around to the neighbors asking for help. Young couple has no real tools, or even a decent mop. The entire neighborhood pitches into to help them out. We give the young couple a place to stay. The landlords finally arrive...having to the longest 10 hour drive of their lives to get back and see the mess. Turns out a pipe burst in an upstairs bathroom because it was on an outside wall and wasn't insulated correctly. The house is deemed uninhabitable until repairs are made. The young couple finds a new place to live. The landlords start the fight with the insurance company. Their claim is denied. They get a lawyer and continue to fight. Eventually, the claim is accepted. The landlord couple spends the entire summer of 2009 doing what they just did a year ago. A new young couple moves in August 2009. But this year will be different because the landlords installed an automatic shut off leak detection valve. They told us it was pretty expensive but it sure beats doing the rehab yet again. Now, when we go away, we turn the water off at the main, open the faucets and flush the toilets. We have our heat on and have neighbors check on our cat daily. We don't drain anything, but at least if something bursts the water can't just continue to run. So far so good. I will never forget walking into the house across the street last winter. Seeing the plaster walls, insulation and everything from the 2nd floor on the 1st floor with mold growing up the walls was one of those visions I'll remember forever. I'd really like to get one of the automatic leak detector valves for my house too.

There have been a lot of advances in building science and construction techniques over the years. Engineers, architects and building trades have worked together to evolve the technology and know-how to significantly enhance energy efficiency. Newer but larger houses properly built provide much greater temperature comfort using substantially less energy than much smaller homes built as recently as 20-40 years ago. Structures older than 20-25 years that haven't had work done to add properly sealing windows and doors, enhance insulation, and seal wall and ceiling passages (like electrical switches and sockets and boxes for ceiling lights) are an energy use nightmare. Such problems can be partially ameliorated with retrofit work to provide what's lacking (better windows and doors, air sealing and insulation) and to replace older energy hog HVAC equipment and appurtenances (like leaky ducts) with the substantially tighter and more efficient equipment that's sold today. So it's not true "the larger the house, the larger the carbon footprint". Rather, it's "the older the house, the larger the carbon footprint". And many will say, "well, that doesn't apply to my house" but if it's older and mostly in "as originally built" condition, it does.