Maintenance & Repairs - November 2006

some of the wire is exposed. Is this a fire hazard and should I upgrade the service?

2006-11-28 02:10:46 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous

I have a three way lamp, and have a 3 way bulb in it. Is it safe to replace that bulb with those compact flourescent bulbs that save electricity, but, obviously don't have the three way function.

2006-11-28 01:50:13 · 4 answers · asked by bon b 4

I'm trying to get a specific heat of around 350-400 degrees. The heater puts out around 1076 degrees. The watts are only 1000. I would like to plug the infrared heater to a 120 volt outlet and get a varialble voltage transformer to adjust from there.

Here is the heater: http://www.mcmaster.com/ part # 3110K72

If I wire the 230 volt to fit the 120 volt outlet will it cut my power in half, thus having around half the heat? Or is this incorrect?

There is no motors to worry about, just the heating element itself.

2006-11-28 01:49:12 · 3 answers · asked by Che 2

My bedroom is next to a busy road and a lot of noise gets through the window - despite the double glazing!
On the advice of someone on this site I am planning to obtain a large sheet of foam to cover the window at night. Could someone recommend
A) The best type of foam to use for this (ie density etc)?
B) Roughly what thickness I would require for good noise reduction properties?
C) A good place to buy it?

many thanks

2006-11-28 01:21:31 · 5 answers · asked by Jon S 1

I have the walls in my shower removed and I'm rebuilding and retiling them. My shower head kits include new hot / cold water mixers. Should I replace them? The old one leaks a bit, but could it just require a rebuild kit? The reason I ask is because replacing it would require me re-soldering the new unit in and cutting the old unit out.

Thanks.

2006-11-28 00:52:29 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

Thankyou! xxx

2006-11-28 00:37:47 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous

Before trying to close the garage door, I left the door open for an hour or more while shoveling snow at -16 degrees celcius.

2006-11-28 00:31:16 · 5 answers · asked by james 1

2006-11-28 00:10:08 · 4 answers · asked by mothertime2001 3

our lounge rad is warm (but not hot) at the top left side, cool at bottom left side and cold at top & bottom on right side. Have tried to bleed it but seems OK. It's a replacement rad fitted about 3 years ago and has a thermostatic valve fitted. The pipe coming out of the floor (and into the rad) on right hand side is really hot but the pipe going into the floor on the left is stone cold. All other rads in the house are really hot. Any ideas?

2006-11-27 23:01:49 · 12 answers · asked by jackie b 1

2006-11-27 22:07:09 · 5 answers · asked by Roodi 1

We have a few mice living in our kitchen. I'm worried they'll multiply unless we sort out the problem. We don't want to poison them becasue they might die behind the counters where we can't find them and then decompose and leave a bad smell. Please help!

2006-11-27 22:05:17 · 20 answers · asked by theybird2006 1

2006-11-27 21:07:14 · 3 answers · asked by radha c 1

I have just moved in to a new flat, which is next to a busy road. Even though the windows are double glazed my bedroom is still quite noisy.
I am only renting the place so I can't do any major work or replace the windows. Does anyone know of a cheap, effective way to reduce the noise coming through the windows, without replacing them?

2006-11-27 20:55:54 · 10 answers · asked by Jon S 1

Our bedroom is directly above a store room (not our property) and we have a high level of humidity which has caused damp to form on the underside of our mattress. How can I measure the level of humidty? How much humidity is acceptable? and how can I reduce any excess? There are no other signs of damp other than on the mattress which is placed on a hollow wooden frame with drawers at the sides. If anyone can help, we'd be very garateful!

2006-11-27 20:34:49 · 4 answers · asked by discostrides 1

My lightbulbs seem lucky to last a fortnight - and it's costing me a fortune! The energy saving bulbs last a little longer, although nowhere near the life-time advertised. I've tried cheap bulbs and expensive bulbs - no difference. The house is about 8 years old and I've had no other electrical problems. The bulbs blow most frequently when I switch lights on, but can also blow after being on for some time. My uncle's house had power surges frequently, but that seemed to mess up several appliances at the same time, whereas I only get one bulb blow at a time.

I'd be grateful for any ideas - otherwise I'm thinking of getting the dogs a running machine and connecting a dynamo to it to power some torches!

Elizabeth

2006-11-27 20:10:43 · 12 answers · asked by ejsmith1972 1

Yeah, you guessed it. Burned the popcorn in the microwave. Have cleaned it with baking soda, then tried boiling vinegar water, even a mixture of spices. Smell is less, but still there. Any other suggestions of how to "sweeten" the microwave to tolerable or just gone? Thanks for helping with suggestions!

2006-11-27 20:00:57 · 8 answers · asked by Kitsune 4

I have a faucet that doesn't flow. I can turn it on and use the sprayer, but no water from anywhere else. I've tried looking on different sites and they all tell you how to fix a leak or tighten a loose handle. There has to be a solution somewhere....a website I overlooked, something.........

2006-11-27 19:55:36 · 5 answers · asked by Alexsei772 2

my double glazed window is condensating in between the two panes of glass besides renewing the glass is there anything that can be done to stop it happening and clear the condensation that's allready there?

2006-11-27 19:45:47 · 7 answers · asked by David S 1

Our 2nd story guest bathroom toilet gets most of its usage from our 4yr old son...until recently. After a post-#1 flush, the toilet started to make these weird "jackhammer" sounds, freaking my kid out. They were loud and actually made the floor vibrate a little. I went in and flushed again, and nothing happened for a few seconds...then the sound started up again...and stopped. Stupidly(?) I flushed again, and this time nothing happened. DS was covering his ears at this point. This hasn't been a consistent event, so I'm wondering if the problem has just "gone down the pipes" or is there some bigger, more evil, lurking problem that's just going to bite someone in the behind later on (perhaps literally???). I don't think that DS flushed anything down the toilet, but if he did, I would just expect a clog. Any ideas and recommended actions? Anyone deal with this before?

2006-11-27 17:33:12 · 12 answers · asked by moomama 2

2006-11-27 16:46:06 · 2 answers · asked by Tilt Of My High Flyer 2

2006-11-27 16:09:34 · 5 answers · asked by texasangel0523 1

2006-11-27 15:50:50 · 5 answers · asked by al 1

2006-11-27 15:44:52 · 3 answers · asked by sandy_morgan1969 1

It buzzes if you ring the door bell but neither of the chimes move. Is it something that can be fixed and how?

2006-11-27 15:34:18 · 7 answers · asked by toni j 3

I live in a complex with lots of cats, dogs, and kids. I want to put something on the sidewalk to melt the ice and make it safer to walk on. Is there something else I can use that won't hurt the pads on dog's feet?

2006-11-27 15:32:25 · 7 answers · asked by AJA 1

2006-11-27 15:30:08 · 4 answers · asked by drcy6 2

I got a dryer this weekend with a regular (apparently) dryer electrical cord. According to the guy at the hardware store, it's a typical dryer 220v 30amp plug. It sort've looks like this...

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On the wall, I've got an outlet that apparently is typical for electric ovens... it's a 220v 50amp plug. It sort've looks like this...

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I went to see if they make an adaptor for that, then got a small electrical lesson. The hardware store guy sold me a new range cord that will match the 50 amp outlet, & said it would be OK to put on the dryer.

The switch looks easy enough, but on the box around the new cord, it says... "Do not use a 50amp or 45 mp cord with a dryer of lesser power rating. The 40amp cord is suitable for use with dryers rated 35amp or 40amp only."

I asked the dude at the store if it would be OK on the dryer even though the amperage was different. He said yes... am I OK here? If not, what are my options? Thanks in advancce!!!

2006-11-27 15:27:05 · 4 answers · asked by eric_aixelsyd 4

We have no overhead light fixture and I think it would be a pain to start busting open the ceiling to add light....I do have a light in the ceiling near the living room that is actually in the entryway. Any products out there that might be an easy fix? Just trying to get better lighting in our DARK livingroom. Thank you.

2006-11-27 15:22:09 · 5 answers · asked by jimmerz98 1

My vacuum smells horrible everytime I start it. It has my girlfriend's hair all throughout it and the brushes on the vacuum wont even spin anymore. What do i do!?

2006-11-27 15:14:44 · 7 answers · asked by BEN 2

I am in a rental condo in Atlanta with a heat pump (new technology for me). Every year in the fall I struggle with sharing hot water with my shower and the heat pump. The landlord said the heat pump is configured permanently to share hot water as a cost savings. Is this really the case or do you think something is wrong with the system? How can I diagnose problems with the hot water/heat pump system? Short of always turning the thermostat off prior to my shower, what can I do?

2006-11-27 15:09:09 · 4 answers · asked by Cheryl G 2