Weekly Columns

Both current and archived weekly newspaper columns. The date of the column and a teaser of the column appears below. Click on the date to see the entire column.

May 2, 2020

     Dear Ken: My Mom lives in a townhome. The neighboring teenagers play loud music through speakers on that wall. Is there any way to quiet the noise? Sarah

     What she's probably hearing is more likely transmitted vibrations through the floor and wall systems, rather than air­borne sound waves. Suggest that the neighbors move the speakers a couple inches from the wall and set them on thick pads of foam rubber.

     She can...

April 25, 2020

     Dear Ken: Every year I have water trouble in my crawl space. Please advise on how to evaluate the cause. Is a perimeter drain helpful? Alan

     That crawl spaces are closer to the surface means they're easier to fix than basements. So look for surface water prob­lems: downspouts too close to the house or dirt sloped into---rather than away from---the house. Extend those spouts at least 6 feet away with 3-inch flex pipe and add or rearrange the dirt to slope...

April 18, 2020

     Dear Ken: When is a safe date for turning on my sprinkler system? John

     A hard date rule of thumb that seems to work year after year is to wait until Mother's Day. Before that, there is always a risk of a sudden freeze up. That's why I recommend that you have a quick on/quick off setup for your sprinklers. Now would be a good time to have a plumber or landscape company install a drain valve at each end of the system--at the zone valve box and at the main...

April 11, 2020

     Dear Ken: I have a two year old home. When my furnace shuts down, we get a very loud sound--like a vent slamming shut. Can this be fixed or quieted? Sandra

     It sounds like one of the main ducts is flexing too much. When the blower shuts off, the air inside the metal duct is suddenly depressurized, and as it collapses slightly, you can get that "drum head" metallic sound. There may not be enough metal straps holding the ductwork to the wood floor joists, or...

April 4, 2020

     Dear Ken: I have a ceiling fan with four bulbs. When a light blew out, I tried to remove it, but the socket turned with it. The bulb is too small to grip inside the tulip globe, and I can't slide the globe off without unscrewing the bulb. Any ideas? Sam   

March 28, 2020

     Dear Ken: My friend has a dimmer that is hot when the lights are on. Is that OK?                Dave  

     All dimmers produce heat when they're energized--especially at lower settings (lights low). Warm is OK, too hot to touch is not. Sometimes the dimmer is overloaded. Add up the total wattage of the light bulbs, then make sure the dimmer max rating is no more than 80% of that value...

March 21, 2020

     Dear readers: I’m indebted to a listener named Barbara for sharing a tip with us on the radio show. She had a shower door with hard water stains that resisted every effort she made with powered cleansers, bleach containing liquid products and plastic scrubbers. You name it. She finally grabbed a magic eraser, and it worked like a charm.

Magic erasers are basically a plastic that in foam form contains millions of microscopic hard-as-glass fine points that grab on to the soil and foreign...

March 14, 2020

     Dear Ken:  I have spilled some wax on my couch. Is there any way to get it off?                             Peter

     Wax is always best handled when it's cold. Dry ice works best here, but it’s become quite hard to find. Big box discount stores used to have it, but I suspect it became a liability issue. You could call...

March 7, 2020 Column

     Dear Ken: What is your opinion of professional air duct cleaning? A local company is guaranteeing that the cleaning will reduce duct leakage to less than 5% and back their word with a 10 yr. performance guarantee. It’s a lot--about $2500. Is this necessary and does this deal sound legit? Our home was built in 1963. Phyllis

February 29, 2020

     Dear Ken: We have a floor drain in the basement and sometimes get a sewer odor through it. Is there some kind of drain we can install to block the smell? Pam

     There is a small, U-shaped pipe under the floor called a 'P' trap that holds a cup of water or so and provides a seal against sewer gases coming into the house. Trouble is, it evaporates in a few days, allowing the odors in. Pour a bottle of mineral oil (available at the grocery store) into the hole. It...