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.

July 23, 2018

     Dear Ken: Do you have a feel for how far away sprinkler heads should be? I'm getting advice of from 6" to 3 feet. Laurie

      I'll go with the longer recommendation. Three feet should be the minimum--in fact, for a new house, I'd prescribe 4 or even 5 feet of separation from the foundation.

July 16, 2018

     Dear Ken: My air conditioning pipes freeze up. Is there something I'm doing wrong or is the system defective? Josh                                                                   

July 9, 2018

     Dear Ken: Do you know of any way to get rid of ants near the foundation that is nontoxic? Laurie

     Try some borax laundry product--either in tiny, ant sized dishes, or sprinkled near the intrusion areas as a repellent. You can also mix some boric acid crystals, sugar and water together in a container with enough holes to allow them access. Evidently, they drink this delicious-tasting nectar, run back to their nest and then spread the contamination. One other thing: make sure your domestic pets don't have...

July 2, 2018

     Dear Ken: We have a 2500 square foot house and want to put in an attic fan. What should we look for and what are the things we should know? Tim

     This is a wonderful system for our area. The thin air here cools very quickly after the sun goes down. An attic fan will pull great gobs of it into the living space through open windows and doors and push it out through the attic. That not only cools the house, but it also drives the day's hot air out of the attic and...

June 25, 2018

     Dear Ken:  I have a disposer with a strong moldy smell I can't get out. Any suggestions? Joanne

     There's a part of the disposer that you may have overlooked. There are two approaches here. Grab an old toothbrush, dip it in full strength ammonia and scrub the underside of that rubber splash guard and as much of the inside top of the disposer shell as you can. For a more thorough cleaning, use a dedicated round toilet bowl brush for this task. Insert it into...

June 18, 2018

     If your house is more than a few years old, chances are there's been some concrete movement, settling or cracking. Here are some answers to the most common problems...

Exterior.

June 11, 2018

     Dear Ken: Which do you prefer for decks? Real wood or composite materials? Mitch

June 4, 2018

     Dear Ken: The sink drains in our master bedroom emit an odor every summer, which smells sour. I have tried mixtures of bleach and powered detergent with no success. Do we just have to live with it? Kirsten                                                           ...

May 28, 2018

     Dear Readers:

     The weather over the past winter months has probably been a little rough on your deck---so now's a good give it a "tune up“ for the outdoor season ahead.

 

May 21, 2018

 

     Dear Ken: We have a cedar fence and want to protect it. Would you put varnish on it or some other clear coat? Ed