Homeowner Forum / Repair / October 2008

Dremel 764-04 Cordless Pumpkin Carving Kit
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=764-04

Has anyone tried this stuff?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36821
I have 2 breaks in the wire for my hidden fence system (for the dogs)
and I really prefer soldered splices.  One of them gets buried, the

I was vacuuming behind a sofa when I noticed chipping paint on the window
sill apron. I put the vacuum hose up to it and to remove the loose paint and
it revealed a tunnel in the wood about 3/16" wide - pretty much termite
sized. I have to explore further. I did inspect in the ...

I'm trying to change my faucet in the kitchen and I just noticed that
the two nuts holding my faucet to the basin are plastic twist nuts and
I cannot budge them with my hand and cannot fit the basin wrench
around the nut without hitting the basin. It's a plastic nut with 2

The situation is:   The house is 100 years old. Has 100 amp breaker
service. Bought a new dryer and after 15 minutes of running, it blows
the circuit breaker. I would just put in a bigger circuit breaker but
me and electricity don't get along very well.

When I was between the ages of 3 and 9, I recall my Dad using a lawn
mower that you had to "wind" to start.  It was a typical-looking push
gasoline mower, but it had this wind-up handle that you (1)unfolded
from the top of the engine, then (2) wound up several times clockwise

It always amazing me as to what contractors of all types will try to get
away with. They go to extremes in order to bypass codes and inspections. In
many cases their violations are a danger to the life/safety of people,
especially children, and domestic animals.

I took a screw from a drawer to Home Depot.   They didn't
have any, but told me it was called a waffle screw.
Where can I get some?
Dick

My wife's toilet is a bit sluggish requiring the occasional use of a
plunger. It is an American Standard, 20 years old. Could someone point
me to a "how to" article on this subject or offer suggestions.  I am
hoping that a Drano  like product can be used.

Converting garage into family room. Contractor cut a hole in the back
and installed a sliding glass door. Door sits on top of existing
foundation. I now need to build stairs to make the 15" drop from patio
door to grade.

I have a two-bay garage door that has a pesky problem: every time it rains
water gets collected inside the panels and then drips on you and stuff
inside the garage when you open the door. It looks like there is usually
enough water collected for two to three days of those unwanted ...

During the recent hurricane, I was luck enough to purchase a generator. The
unit was a Husky 5000watt.
The thing worked well with only one little problem.
The engine developed an oil leak, between the engine and the generator.

I have a fairly old ceiling fan (came with the house) that wobbles like
crazy at high speed.  Anyone know of a good web site where I can see how
to balance it?
Lou

i All,
I have a furnace that is now 14 years old and maintained regularly.
I am on  Heating protection plan. How long does an average furnace
last -? Should I drop my Protection plan and just keep the annual

I just noticed my existing wire bundle going to the thermostat has 4 wires
but I am having a new variable speed two stage furnace (Trane XV80)
installed with the existing one stage condenser.  I looked in the Honeywell
VisionPro thermostate install guide and it looks like I might ...