Homeowner Forum / General / October 2003

Looking to place carpet in 3 bedrooms and the family room - ideally w/
the same carpet.  Trying to decide between nylon or polyester.  From
research, I'm finding the ONLY advantage poly has over nylon is its
stain resistance.  Is this true?

We are planning on replacing a refrigerator and have a special
problem.  The space where we want the fridge to fit is too shallow for
the usual refrigerator.  That is, it would stick too far out of the
built-in space. To find a machine with adequate internal space it

The pilot light on my natural gas furnace appears to have gone out -
there's no flame, and when the thermostat signals the furnace to go
on, there's a lot of clicking but no fire lighting.
Can I just strike a match and relight the pilot?  Is there any danger,

We just purchased an 1/2 of an old duplex.  The main house is fairly
normal with no firewall.  Sometime after the house was built, an
extension was built on the the back of each side.  Here's the bad
part.  Our neighbor is claiming that the chimney for our wood burning

I have a an airtight catalytic woodstove installed in my basement.  It
heats my entire basement well, but I wanted to take heat off this
stove, and pipe it into my forced air furnaces plenum fan.  I'm hoping
that by putting an inline fan in a duct coming from the stove, (NO I

I was about to go the hardware store to see if I could find some
stainless 3 1/2 inch stainless steel or chrome hinges and a friend
stopped by and asked why didn't I just paint them chrome or silver
colored.  Is that a good idea?  I saw where someone else said not to

Years ago (10 or so), I purchased rechargeable batteries.  The lifetime
of these batteries was very short, and thus I was discouraged in using
them.  I have been told that rechargeable batteries have improved in
recent years.  Can anyone recommend a good brand of rechargeable ...

The property in question is a side-by-side duplex, about 45 years old.
One side is vacant; the previous tenants left quite a mess. It will
need substantial repair and replacement before the property goes up for
sale.

Is there anything I can do about the radiators banging?  The clanging
is loud enough to wake the dead.
Unhappy Early Riser

My house is 2.5 yrs old. Right after we moved in, got a "Hamilton Home
products" humidifier installed. Its one of those types where the water
collects in a tray and a drum with a pad rotates. It didnt work well
and now it has completely failed. So I wanted to get a new one. My

As winter approaches, I'm reminded of how I hate to step into the
bathtub in the morning to shower.  Until the hot water warms it up,
the bathtub "floor" is very cold.  My bathtub is over an unheated
basement, currently with no insulation, and even if it was insulated

Is there such an animal.  The one this last weekend at the convention center
was sad.  The one in Sacramento was always outstanding - so much so that I
am thinking of going there in January.

Building a new house near Ocala, Florida (sandy soil) my elec.
contractor said whole house earth grounding was accomplished via using
25ft. of #5 rebar near the bottom of the house footing. Is this
sufficient or should there also be about 20ft. of copper rod (need to

Taking a poll.  I am wanting to replace my old Bernzomatic torch.  I want
one that will handle Mapp as well as Propane for sweating copper.  I hear
brands like Goss, Rothenberger, Turbotorch, etc.  Which brand and model
seems to be the most reliable.  I guess to stay away from self ...

As someone who knows bugs, can you say a few words about the spray
some new home builders are using - appears to be copper based?
Tom Baker