Homeowner Forum / Repair / September 2008

I see a lot of "Radiant Floor Heating" with a rubbery tubing stapled under
the floor. SInce I tend to be in horror of any kind of leaks, I wonder why
they don't use some compresses gas instead?
Mind you, I have even had experience with central venting "leaking": I

Tiny bungalow in MO. I painted the kitchen with Lucite semi-gloss about
20 years ago. No chip, peel, little/no fading. But, of course, it's dirty.
Not super-bad, but dirty enough that it streaks badly when a spot is
cleaned.

ok, so.... installing a replacement for a freezeproof outdoor faucet
which apparently froze... anyway, there's a decorative brick wall
covering the real structural wall, and a hole about the size of an
electrical outlet box through which the faucet goes, which was covered

Vinyl sided house, the back door was trimmed out in a very, um,
unusual manner.  Looks like the opening for the door didn't get any of
that J-channel stuff, and instead they just screwed 3/4" x 3 1/2"
boards as trim pieces over the siding up to the door opening.  Now I'd

My weedwacker will not start craftsman 21cc.   I think fuel is the
problem.   I keep pumping the side button to give it fuel 10 times and
still the spark plug is not wet when I unscrew it.   I tried puring
some of the fuel inside the spark plug chamber.   Then I got it

I found yellowjackets entering the exterior wall through a little hole.
 I set up a shop vac near the hole and caught all the bugs entering and
returning, and now the nest seems deserted. I was going to spray Sevin
in the hole, but found out from the manufacturer that it is not ...

One of my customers has a weird thing on one of their hose bibs outside:
a large brass or bronze cylinder with male hose threads outboard
(presumably female on the other side), and a series of holes around the
male threads. As the customer put it, it seems to be designed to ... ...

I'm trying to replace a post on a split rail fence and I'm having a
hard time digging out the remains of the old post. I've gotten down
about 17 inches and the post is going to rise about 38" off the
ground. Is that enough? I've been reading that I should use gravel as

I am building a new bathroom and was wondering if there is a standard
offset from the wall for the toilet drain? Also any other tips or
hints for the plumbing of the waste line would be greatly appreciated.
JJ

My refrigerator is 36 years old.  Still going strong, but
if you believe published efficiency numbers, it's costing
me a hundred bux a year more than it would for a  new one.
Payback calculations depend on your assumptions for the

We survived Ike in extremely good shape compared to others in the vicinity.
The only significant problem is the AC unit: the compressor won't come on.
My AC guy swapped out the start & run capacitors, bypassed the relay, and
checked all the obvious stuff. No compressor action. He ...

I used to access this NG from my email client where it was easy to
delete/filter spam, but TWC has discontined NGs.
Anybody know how to delete/filter spam on Google Groups? This NG seems
to get a lot of Asian, etc. spam.

I just got out of the hospital with a broken arm and abdominal
surgery. (you don't want to know the gory details)  It's very hard to
do anything.  I live alone.
I have a small microwave whhich had an intermittent fuse. This

Hi all.   In early August I posted here about bricks that fell from the
front of my house.  It's 100 yrs. old, 2 story  brick home.
I thank you posters!   Even with a few wise-cracks, I did get some ideas
and terms that help.  I had no clue.

Was wondering if the cement (mortar) in a tube is moisture resitant ? I'm
repointing a chimney only a section that I can't get at.  Is this something
that I'm looking for ?
I had done alot of it with mortar but in the attic I can't get to a area, a