Homeowner Forum / Repair / September 2008

My fridge is in an open kitchen and the noise from the freezer section
is all over my home. I hung blankets over it but it does not help.
I can shut off the freezer section and the noise is gone but just for
a short while...

Hi folks. I have an problem with my roof vents in the winter, the roof is
low pitch about 4-12  the snow builds up and air from attic causes the snow
to melt creating ice dams at every vent , this can build up during winter
months and create an terrible stress load . I have been ...

So I am trying to convert my garage to family room. Due to permit
rules, I have to hire licensed folks for the major parts. It's a
relatively straightforward task, and I want to act as my own general
contractor (I work as a project manager at a bank, and I have some

I am looking for a low power consumption dehumidifier to cut costs. I
seen these 2 below that use only a couple hundred watts compared to
mine which uses 792 watts(30 pint). I have a 1000 Sq ft. house and
will have the unit in the basement. Would these work well. I would say

When cutting into a 1/2" water line to install a tee, what length
should one cut out? I took my measurements and it seems like about an
inch, but I decided to ask anyway. The pipe I'm cutting into has a
turn, so I'm guessing I have some flexibility. Also, I presume it's a

I've got some ceiling paint that started peeling in front of the oven
(which vents into the kitchen -- just a simple household range) not
much more than 5 years after being painted last.  Not sure what kind
of paint it was -- I wasn't around at the time.  I'd like to do the

Our family's little vacation cottage needs a new roof. I got four
estimates, ranging from $3200 to $10,000 for a 1400 square foot roof.
There are two layers to be stripped off. My questions:
All four roofers offer Certainteed 30 year architectural shingles. There

Hi there --
My house in the Pacific Northwest is 47 years old, I've owned it for 8
years, and the deck that existed when I bought the house got so rotten in
parts that this year I had it all ripped out and rebuilt. (The guy that

What issues will I face trying to put a tee here and what should I do
to overcome them?
http://freeboundaries.com/tee.jpg
Many thanks in advance!

We were thinking of adding a whole house fan to our two story house.
is this something that is normally DIY?  Assuming I can run the power
myself.
Is there a typical installation location?  Can this be installed in the

I am replaceing the flapper kit on the toilet, the plastic washer on the
bottom of the tank is stuck...
How can I get it off with out breaking it ?

Does the 2008 NEC specify which way to orient 3-prong outlets?
Should it be
ground on top
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Electrical_outlet_with_
label.jpg/800px-Electrical_outlet_with_label.jpg

My wife plugged an extension cord with two items (a lamp and an alarm clock)
into an available slot on a surge protector, which is then plugged into an
outlet.  The surge protector already had three other items plugged into it.
As a result, the upper socket on that outlet and an ...

I would appreciate some opinions on garage door openers.
I presently have a genie of indeterminate age that is starting to fail.
Its a screw drive consumer model with the three part track bolted
together.

We've pretty much got our cabinets in and have picked out a nice slab
of granite for our countertop.  Our old countertop was laminated wood
and the dishwasher has two metal tabs at the top above the door and
there were wood screws thru holes in these tabs fastened into the wood