Homeowner Forum / Repair / July 2009

Yesterday I was struggling with a pool maintenance task that I have to
do 2-3 times a year, and I decided to build a PVC fixture to make the
task less of a hassle. It made the job way easier. Guess what it's for
(the top + piece isn't glued down and is removable).

From the info I have gathered the life expectancy of a solar water
heate is comparable to a run of the mill non solar water heater. I
would think they should last just about forever. What goes out on
them?

am trying to find a replacement (read: cheap) for a generator battery.
it's a sealed deep cycle type and about the size of a motorcycle battery.
will any kind do and would any marine non-gel battery work as long as the dimension
(inside gen coverpanel) are a fit ?

I have a new asphalt driveway and, dumb me, I dropped a small bag of
concrete mix (sakrete) on it.  The bag burst.  After I cleaned up the
small mess, I see that it left a whitish area which really spoils the
new look of the driveway.  I thought rain would clean it up but it

Three years ago I had a builder rip out my small front steps, and
rebuild it with TREX.  The product is flaking and staining big time.
Has anyone heard about a product called Timbertek?
Would you use Timbertek, TREX (hoping you don't get another faulty

I have a wire that seems to have only to conductors in it. It's a gray
wire in which the plastic sheath is tight over the wire. The two wires
are about 1/4" apart. I'm not sure how to better describe it.
It seems to be connected to a double breaker and carrying 240V to the

I need new replacement windows for my 1967 brick-sided house.  I'm
considering Window World and have set up a visit by them.  I'm sure
there are many experiences with that outfit in this group.  I would
appreciate any suggestions you have and what to expect.  If you have

I live in Massachusetts and squirrels have gotten into the area above
my sun parlor ceiling though some rotted fascia board. The entry point
is clearly visible.
    Before trying to drive them out (I propose loud banging,

Even in socialist countries, people are rebelling against excessive government control.  They aren't the only ones.  
Over the last six months, we have purchased normal (non-government) light bulbs to last us twenty years, longer than we will live.
Bob-tx
07/27/2009

My bath/shower faucet(separate hot/cold) is starting to leak pretty bad
(on the cold side). My plumber said a tile guy would need to break down
the tile surrounding the faucets. I've read many websites that talk
about this issue. A lot of them only talk about removing the handles ...

Does anyone have a ceiling fan in their bedroom, right above the bed,
and if so, do you recommend it?
I am thinking about installing a fan above my bed, but would like some
feedback first.  Is it noisy, does the air blow directly onto your face,

I'm learning to interpret the table here (about 1/3 of the way down):
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
What are examples "Chassis wiring" and what is "power transmission"?
My specific situation: I have a 70 foot run of 10/3 wire to a subpanel

I plan to pressure wash the outside of my two story home in the near future.
What is the best method of protecting plants and shrubs from water damage
during this process. I have numerous large and small plants that are are
right next to the exterior walls.

A fellow I know, but never met. He's got two computers.
Desktop running XP, and laptop running Vista. He wants to
copy a couple gb of files, from one to the other.
So far, he's been copying some with a flash drive, and dump

I had a new shower with tiled walls and ceiling put in about 5 years
ago. This year the grout in one specific row of tiles on the ceiling
is really starting to crack. This started last year as a hairline
crack in the grout along the entire length of the row of tiles. Now