Homeowner Forum / Repair / November 2004

Hi. My toilet water (in the tank at the back of the toilet) is running
non-stop. I tried shutting off the valve underneath the toilet, but it wouldn't
budge in either direction. I removed the lid off the tank, and rather than the
usual ball-type float, there is a device called a ...

It was Halloween and I was in bed having sex with a witch when the
lights went out.  We were having a terrible storm and the power just
went dead after lightning hit our tree.  I reached over to my
nightstand in the dark to grab an emergency candle, and after a few

I recently acquired a Black and Decker Pivot Plus for next to nothing at a
garage sale. The only thing is that it didn't come with the charger. Can
anyone tell me what kind of charge it is? Looks like it may just be a simple
adapter. If so I have a ton laying around here. What ...

Saw an expisode of "Weekend Remodeling" on DIY the other day. They
used brick veneer to five a plain wall a great look without actually
building a real brick wall.
I've been trying to get an idea of what is available (colors, sizes,

I want to build a house shaped like a naked sexy woman with big boobs.
I want the boobs to light up and flash, and have booze shoot out of
the tits when someone pushes the doorbell.  I also want a fold up
ledge above each tit to sit on when I call feel like getting a good

All:
I have a house that is 3 years old and recently I discovered that 6 or 7 of
the outlets and a couple of light switches no longer have current.  One of
the outlets and one of the light switches is near the main electrical box.

One of the 3 bedrooms upstairs in my new house has a strange problem in
which the temperature inside the room got as high as 84 degrees last
Thursday even when it was only in the mid 50's outside.  I find this problem
strange because I live in the northeast (Northern NJ), and ...

We are about to install several new circuits as we upgrade the
electrical systems in this very old house.
- For "normal" rooms (i.e. not kitchen, bathroom, garage, workshop, or
 outdoors), should one go with standard 15A circuits or should one put

I just saw a TV show on the ills that can be caused by hidden black
mold. After seeing that story, I don't think I would ever huy a house --
old or new -- without having it tested first. The problem is, mold
testing appears to be quite expensive. What steps would be prudent prior

Last week, I posted a message about the possibility of a GFI in my bathroom
caushing television interference just before it tripped. Now, two more GFI
outlets are acting strangely. There are two in the kitchen, both of which
tripped today. It's the middle of a work day, so I haven't ...

I have an expensive medical device that works perfectly and is in
pristine condition, except the insulation on the power cord has
cracked slightly just where it enters the machine (it was bent over
too sharply once when packed for travel). The thick outer insulation

What are the best (free) intermediate-to-advanced DIY resources on the
net? (other than this newsgroup :)
Most sites that I have seen either:
   - Shamelessly plug product (...10,000 uses for Brand X glue...)

If the breaker for a clothes dryer all of a sudden starts tripping would
this likely indicate a problem with the dryer? This appliance is about 15
years old.
Thanks.

We have a basement classroom at my church that has a problem with water
leakage causing mold.  Is there something we can paint or spray on the
inside of  the block to stop water from seeping in?
I thought of covering the wall with some compound, then putting up lath,

my name is Jens Arndt, and I am writing a Master's Thesis about
drivers of behavior in newsgroups. That's why I need your help. The
alt.home.repair newsgroup is one of the few that fulfill the
predefined requirements. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could