Homeowner Forum / General / March 2005

Hi all.  My husband is building a cottage house and needs to leave it
sitting for a few days, during which time it will probably rain.
Should he cover it with a standard blue tarp, or will the tarp trap
water and do more damage?  Thanks in advance for any advice.

Remote Gauge for OIL central heating tank
Hiya
Please could anyone tell me if they know of such a thing?  Ie the gauge
would be in the house not actually on the tank outside.  Maybe with a beep

actually i live in an apt but i was hoping to tap into expertise here.
the kitchen has a double-fluorescent overhead light.
something is wrong other than the tubes, which are new.  if you switch
on the light, initially they both burn, but then they flicker madly,

I've stripped two valve stem wrenches trying to loosen the hot water
valve in this shower.   I've tried wd40 and heating it up with a torch
to get it to loosen up but no luck so far.    (I did get the cold stem
to give after much grunting and some cursing)

Is it safe to refill a kerosene heater while it's on/burning? I would
suspect that it's not a wise idea, especially since the directions say
not to do it. My dad says it's perfectly safe to refill it while it's
burning. Does anyone here refill theirs while it's burning?

What is the best insulation to use in a new home?  Fiberglass bats,
blown celulose, sprayed foam?   Has anyone used isynene or Sealection?

The Accuwash ( electronic water temperature control  system )
feature  when turned on warm /cold first gives warm water  then
switches to hot water only  and never goes back to cold or a mix . I
can turn off the Accuwash feature an get  the warm water mix back .

Let's take a typical bilevel house, say 26' x 40'. Attach an addition
of 16' x 40'. The addition would be parallel to the existing house -
i.e., the 40' dimension of the addition is on the same axis as the 40'
dimension of the existing house.

I rent my house out to a tenant who reports the following problem:
The toilet flushes ok when there are no solids in the bowl. But with
solids, he says that he almost always has to use the plunger. Then,
afterwards, he smells sewer gas in the kitchen, and he feels that the

My wifey wants me do our patio at our new house since i ripped up the
walkway at our old house (which had sunk and become uneven) and reset it.
I have been searching the net and haven't found a site with any good
patterns, i found ones that claim to be patio designers, but it is ...

Hi, I have a dark green granite countertop in the bathroom. one area
has developed a ring of some kind of deposit (whitish). I believe it
is water mark or caused by the hard deposits in the water. It is where
I put the cups.

Hello,  I would like to install 2 ceiling fans in 2 bedrooms in my
house. Currently there are no electrical outlets in the ceiling so
wiring must be created for these 2 fans. I have attempted to try to get
estimates for what this work would cost from a licensed electrician but

Hello,  I would like to install 2 ceiling fans in 2 bedrooms in my
house. Currently there are no electrical outlets in the ceiling so
wiring must be created for these 2 fans. I have attempted to try to get
estimates for what this work would cost from a licensed electrician but

I am looking for an air purifier for my house. I don't need a huge one for
the whole house, just for a family room where we spend most of time. (15x19)
if anyone has experiences with any brand, please share your opinions.
thanks

I have a 13'x16' screened porch built on a concrete slab that I would
like to re-carpet.  The problem, as I see it, is that outdoor carpet
comes in 12' widths, not 14' or 16'.  Is it possible to get a good
hidden seem with the thin outdoor carpets available?  Any suggestions?