Homeowner Forum / Repair / April 2008

I have a closet full of duct tape and plastic sheeting. I want to tape up
my windows & doors, because I believe our president when he says they'll
get us. But, I don't know for sure, because he also said we got them on the
run. Are they running to here?

Is there an online source for mud rings?  I need a 5 gang mud ring for
the standard 5 gang metal box (not the stacked gangable kind) but went
to three electrical supply houses locally and all they had were 3/4"
depth and they can't even special order it, says it does not EXIST!

In the dept. of poured-concrete construction, house-building 101 looks
something like:
1.) Dig large rectangular hole in ground.
2.) Set concrete forms.

I need an answering machine that won't pick up until the 6th ring (at
least).  The only ones I find pick up on the 2nd or 4th ring, i can't
get to the phone that fast and most people hang up as soon as they hear
the recording.  Any ideas on where to find a machine that waits ...

My  backporch overhang is covered with tar paper.
It is small -- about 4' deep, 8' wide.  Pitched roof.
Some of the tar paper has come loose near the front,
perhaps from having an overwhelming wisteria vine

I've got a dead circuit in my house. I tested the output of the
breaker, and it's fine. I have also done some research, which
indicates that a tripped GFI outlet could cause the problem, however,
I removed the GFI that's on the dead circuit, and there is no power

I own a VERY old house and the wiring is a combination of fuse boxes
and small breaker panels and some individual breakers, sort of added
as they were needed. I am considering a replacing all this and
rewiring. My question is: is the power coming into the house standard?

I have a 6.5 years old Maytag Atlantis Washer (MAV6000). Just a few
weeks ago the washer started making lots of noise during spinning cycle
on colours or whites (OK on delicates).
I found some info on the net that suggested replacing Trust Bearings &

I have hired a team of electrician (3 of them) to do some re-wiring of
the house I am working on.   They are 50% completion and I have been
furnishing all the materials.
Something that bothers me.

There are four wires in the harness from my Kenmore/Sears freezer
#56676 to my ice maker: black, white, brown, and green.
I presume that two of these provide power to the motor and heater and
another must energize the solenoiod to fill the ice maker.  Can

I need to replace my air handler (the evaporator coil is leaking), and
would like to do as much of it myself as possible.  If it weren't for
the refrigerant, I believe I could handle removing the old unit and
putting the new one in, including the sheet metal (yes, I understand

I have a GE glass-top electric stove with a microwave and exhaust fan
above it.  It is getting as dirty as blazes all around the controls
and dials, I imagine from cooking spatters and my grimy hands. Anyway,
what would you people recommend to clean up this stuff?  I have tried

A friend who used to own a landscaping business told me about a trick
I might try next year - too late now.
He calls it snow seeding.
I told him about an area under a tree in my back yard that never gets

Some may remember helping with suggestions last year as to why our Bosch
(HBN6450GB/02) oven temp might be resetting itself to 150 all the time.
Following advice, we struggled on with the occasional judicious thump, but
eventually the fault became apparent with the failure of one ...