Homeowner Forum / Repair / June 2006

I'm insulating my basement walls with R-19 unfaced fiberglass in 2x4
wood frames.  I'll be adding a vapor barrier afterward.  In one area of
my basement I must have a gap of about 8 inches between my framed wall
and the poured concrete.  Should I still insulate that area?

I could use some advice. I was checking the blade on my newer Toro push
mower , Model 20053, and had it tilted on it's side. There was no gas in the
tank, but it had full oil. While it was on it's side (air filter up), I
rotated the blade 180 degrees to check the other cutting ...

First off - thanks to all for the comments and suggestions.  I finally
found my papers from when we bought the house and got ahold of the man
who did the inspection.  He's very knowledgable about this stuff and he
assures me that if I do what I planned on doing - the attic will drop

I experienced this at my old apartment and I always wondered what the reason
for it was.
The outlet in my bathroom was a GFI and I used to do light metal polishing
over the sink with my Dremel.  Anyway, after using the Dremel for a bit the

I have an old 120v spa. It had trouble previously, which I fixed by
replacing GFCI outlet a couple of years ago.
It developed a new problem, which is t hat it does not heat water.
The pump, the timer etc, all work, but the water stays lukewarm (we

Morning all...
Looking for an inexpensive, around $100, paint sprayer to
spray paint a pergola.  I will be using a white latex outdoor paint.
Painting by brush would take forever.  Spray painting is the only

I have Triton Nautilus DE Filter.  When I "recharged" it by pouring DE
into skimmer I saw cloudy water being pumped back into pool for a few
minutes then it stopped.
The water is clear and chemicals all balanced. I can see the bottom of

I have a familiar laundry water supply cut-off valve that opens/closes both
sides by throwing a lever.  The valve is leaking and I wonder if anyone has
replaced the 4 washers and two O rings inside successfully.  Call me
stubborn, cheap, and an environment nut but I'm offended by ...

I just moved into a new abode and when the DW is emptying, there is a lot of
water flowing out of the air gap value.  Is this normal or do I have a
problem?
Thanks

It's an outside outlet under the back porch.  I double checked that all
breakers were off.  Is my only option is to call in the $200/hr electrician?

I'm a newbie at home improvement, so please forgive my initial ignorance
when it comes to the technical terms.
I recently contracted with a nation wide vendor to install a central
air-conditioning unit in my ranch style home. This nation-wide vendor

I'm new at this so please bear with me.  I want to purchase a reverse
osmosis water filter for my house.  I have my own well and in searching for
a filter system, I noticed that some are made for city water, some for well
water and some for different ranges of PSI.  I need to ...

Does it matter what size cieling fan I choose? I see there seem to be
more 52" fans than 44" or 48". Would a smaller fan be as effective in
this small room? Thanks.
Oh, Hampton Bay or Hunter?

I have a 2300PSI Generac Pressure Washer powered by a 6 HP Tecumseh. The
water coming out doesn't have much more pressure then a garden hose. I
thought it was due to a dirty nozzle so I used the nozzle cleaner kit
but that did not improve the pressure.

I need a way to tell if my swing-up garage door is open or closed
without going outside to look at it. An indicator light or something
inside the house that tells me if the door is up or down.
Reason: Too many instances of me or one of the kids opening the door