Kitchen Exhaust in Bathrooms

Ritu Gandhi has a smelly problem in Madison, WI. Here it is: "We have a kitchen exhaust fan over our cooking range but every time we turn it on food smells seem to come into our bathrooms (upstairs) and in the basement. We do have an air to air exchanger. The kitchen exhaust does seem to […]

Loose Fence Post Fix

Katie Maguire is a woman after my own heart. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida and has some goats. I want a few goats to go hiking with me when I do outdoor ham radio. Read about Katie's new fencing that has loose posts: "Tim, I have a brand new fence on ten acres with sheep and […]

Radiant Heat Making Noise

Anthony Biviano moved his family into a quiet home in Merrick, NY. But now everyone is having a tough time sleeping because the radiant baseboards are making NOISE! Here's his story: "Almost a year after we purchased our high ranch in Merrick, each time the heat comes on it sounds like a river is rushing through […]

A Paper Bag Floor Project

Kathy Parks sent in some photographs of an interesting project that she is undertaking. It is a paper bag floor. She's wallpapering her floor with paper bags to mask an ugly floor. The paper bags, once dry, get coated with clear urethane to make them somewhat durable. We will let Kathy fill us in on […]

Plumbing Vent Cover

Ade lives in cold and snowy Chicago, IL. All of a sudden his plumbing fixtures stopped working correctly. Here's his story: "I had a leak around my plumbing vent repaired last year and the roofer put a cap (see picture) on the vent. I started having problems with my 2nd floor toilet and later with both […]

How to Smooth a Textured Wall Finish

You may have a textured finish on a wall or ceiling in your home that resembles mesa and butte topography you may see on a grand scale if you travel to the magnificent Southwest part of the USA. I'm a college-trained geologist and marvel at this landscape. This textured finish is quite common in many […]