How Do Batteries Work?

Batteries produce electricity by means of chemical action. A battery contains two different conductors, or electrodes. Usually, one of these is the metal case of the battery. The electrodes are separated by a conducting liquid or paste, called electrolyte. The substances in the battery react chemically with each other to produce an electrical current. As a result of chemical activity, a positive charge builds up at one electrode, and this can flow through a conductor such as a wire to the other (negative) electrode. Eventually the chemical energy runs out and the battery becomes exhausted.

Quick Fixes For Everday Disasters

INVADING ARMY: Ants are having a feeding frenzy in your kitchen, and you don’t want to use a toxic brew to defeat them.

THE QUICK FIX: “A 50/50 mix of peppermint oil and water will get rid of ants,” says Amy Devers, co-host of the DIY Network’s “DIY To The Rescue” show. “Fill a spray bottle, and spray wherever you see them coming out of hiding.”

SPEAR FACTOR: A weed-ridden asparagus patch has you about ready to give up on your favorite crop.

THE QUICK FIX: Add salt. “Asparagus is the only vegetable that can withstand salt,” says Penny Griggs, an organic farmer in Vermont. “Spreading salt around your plants will kill the weeds but leave your asparagus unharmed.”

SPILLED JUICE: The battery in your laptop is losing its charge much faster than expected.

THE QUICK FIX: Wireless operations are a little-known drain on laptop batteries. “If you can disable your wireless networking and still get your work done, do it,” says Andy Hooper, owner of Intelligent Systems, an IT security company. “Some wireless cards can eat up half of your laptop’s power.”

FROZEN OUT: Cold weather has stiffened the mechanism of your garage door opener, causing it to lose power.

THE QUICK FIX: Most garage door openers made in the past 15 years have pressure adjustments for both raising and lowering. Check and adjust these settings seasonally to keep things running smoothly.

SCREW LOOSE: You’re trying to replace a woodscrew, but the hole is stripped and the screw won’t grab.

THE QUICK FIX: Insert two short lengths of thin, insulated wire in the hole before adding the screw. They’ll allow the screw to bite.

TRAPPED BELOW: The water in the trap of your basement floor drain dried up-and now your cellar smells vaguely of nasty, nasty things.

THE QUICK FIX: Pour nontoxic plumbing antifreeze down the drain to fill the trap. You can use water in a pinch, but it evaporates faster than antifreeze, so you’ll need to repeat the process more often.

HOT WHEELS: The temperature gauge on your car is headed for the danger zone, but you’ve got no time (or place) to park and cool your jets.

THE QUICK FIX: Turn the heater on ful blast (opening the windows so you don’t fry). The extra volume of the heater core and its hoses, as well as the airflow of the heater fan blowing across the core, may dissipate enough heat to get you home–or to the garage–without a meltdown.

ICE RAGE: Your car doors freeze shut in cold weather.

THE QUICK FIX: “Spray the weatherstripping around the door frames with silicone,” advises Al Toutant, a technician at Heath Auto Service in Greenwood, Maine, where they know a thing or two about cold weather. “It keeps moisture from collecting and freezing your doors shut in the winter, and it keeps it from drying out and cracking in the summer.”

POWER INTERRUPTION: You need to remove your car’s battery, but don’t want to lose the settings on the car’s radio, alarm, GPS and computer.

THE QUICK FIX: A 9-volt battery adapter can plug into your cigarette lighter to keep those chips powered up. Result: No more auto amnesia.

DAMPNESS AT NOON: Your clothes dryer seems to have lost its zip.

THE QUICK FIX: Clear the vent duct by removing the vent pipe and pulling out any accumulated debris from the pipe and duct. It’s a 3-minute fix that can save you a $75 visit from a technician.