Homeowner Forum / Repair / October 2008

I have a fairly new single stage compressor and I am upgrading the furnace
and coil part now.
If I get a variable speed furnace, will the comfort features be reduced
because I don't have a multi stage compressor?

Anyone know of a good source for Crane products anywhere in between
Hartford, CT, Springfield, MA, Albany, NY, Utica, NY and Syracuse, NY???
I need to find a pedestal sink and comode in bone in stock (can't afford to
wait).

It's a plastic one, "Loyalty" 2 gal that hasn't been used in years
when I try to pump it up, very little pressure is built. It seems to not be
sealing inside the pump cylinder. Can I make it work? Thanks.

Do they make any window fans that can be electronically reversed, like
this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HW-628-Twin-Window-Fan/dp/B0000CGQYA
Where, if the outside temp hit a certain temperature, it could reverse

I was in Lowes looking for a space heater and saw several different
1500W models. Some as little as $20, and others like the Vornado and
those upright tower heaters for like $100. Does one model heat better
than another? I thought all 1500W heaters put out the same heat.

I'm adding 12" to the top of my chimney flue.  I'm trying to get it a
little taller then the gas fireplace flue that's right next to it -
the smell of the smoke comes down the gas flue.
So I'm not an expert with mortar.  Any tips on mortaring this 13x13x12

I have a house in Northwest Indiana, it's on a crawl space with a sump
pump.  Due to flooding 2 years ago (Katrina) the crawl space was
filled with water and the sump pump couldn't keep up, and water
entered the house causing $$$ damage.  What can I do to avoid this

I want to know if I can use urethane polymer (such as FloMix) to
repair cracks in an asphalt driveway that is not on a level group.
I have many cracks at the bottom of an asphalt driveway where the
driveway meets the roadway.  I have tried using those crack filling

Check this out...
http://mservais.blogspot.com/2007/02/dont-buy-jeld-wen-windows.html
I'm having a lot of problems and the company doesn't seem to care
enough to do anything about it. Go buy another brand to replace the

I know this isn't a "home repair" question but I am wondering if anyone has
this minor problem with a fire pit on a wooden deck.
We bought a fire pit yesterday from Home Depot and placed it on the corner
of our wooden deck. After awhile, I noticed the deck turning darker under

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we just bought this house and want to put a phone in the
kitchen..unfortunatly, the wires are bare....now we bought the jack and
went to install it, and found that there are only three wires coming out

Anyone work on these in any capacity? One came with  a new home I
purchased in 06. And it leaked almost from new except I didn't know it
as it was a small 8 oz. a cyle leak.
When I finally got around to looking at it I found one of the nuts that

What kind of drywall anchors should I use with metal studs?
Thanks!

I have never lived in a house with plaster walls.  A friend asked me
how you tell if your walls are plaster or drywall.  How do you tell?

Frigidaire sells a $29 5303918301 laminated "garage heater kit," with
2 wires that wraps around the cold control of a fridge to allow it to
work in to work in a cooler room, down to about 40 F.
It apparently heats the thermostat to fool the compressor into turning on,