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.

February 27, 2017

     Dear Ken: Which way should those plastic deflectors on the heat vents face? Into the room or to the wall? Tom

February 20, 2017

     Dear Ken: I have a house built in the 60’s. Can I add more wall insulation? What kind? Dan

     First you need to know how much you have. Pull the cover off of two or three electrical outlets on exterior walls. Turn off each circuit and probe around the edges of the box with an old kitchen knife (if you need more space for your examination, cut the edges of the sheet rock to make a wider opening. Don’t worry, you can cover the hole with a new, oversize plastic...

February 13, 2017

     Dear Ken: I am installing a set of pulldown stairs in my garage. I heard you talking about the fire protection required in a garage. Can I do both? Jack

February 6, 2017

     Dear Ken: I have panels of three rocker switches everywhere in my new home. I’m having a hard time figuring out what they are all for. Helen

     Some of them may control switched outlets. The easiest way to check on this is to buy a polarity tester. This is a small gizmo—less that $8--with orange and red lights that tells you whether or not an outlet is energized and if it is wired correctly. In newer homes, several outlets can be controlled by one switch; if...

January 30, 2017

     Dear Readers:  You've probably noticed that this winter is turning into another dry one. I hope you've been doing your winter watering. Every three or four weeks, it's vital to give your lawn, young trees, bushes, and flower beds a good drink of water. That's why, last fall, I recommended against blowing out the sprinkler system. If you did, that's OK, but you'll have to drag hoses and sprinklers all over the yard. Winter watering is vital to wet desiccated roots in your yard's landscaping...

January 23, 2017

     Dear Ken:  I’m having trouble hearing my doorbell in certain parts of the house. Any recommendations? Mildred.

     Why not go wireless? It would be impractical to add another ringer to your existing system. You would have to string wires through the walls and maybe add a bigger transformer. A self-contained wireless door bell system, on the other hand, can go anywhere. I found a package on line with two plug-in receivers (the chimes) and a battery powered...

January 16, 2017

     Dear Ken: I have two rooms over a crawl space which are very cold. What kind of insulation should I use? Also, I need radon mitigation down there. Should I do that first? Theresa 

January 9, 2017

     Dear Ken: We would like to get an enclosed system so our fireplace that actually produces heat. What would you recommend? Carole

January 2, 2017

     Dear Ken: I had my furnace replaced, but I’m not sure if they pulled a permit. Is it possible he got one without me knowing? Robert

December 26, 2016

      Dear Ken: We’re leaving the house for three weeks pretty soon. Should we turn the water off while we’re away? Dick

     It’s a good idea this time of year. You don’t need to drain or blow out the system, but by simply turning off that main water valve in the utility room you will have depressurized the piping. That way, if there is an unusual event—like a freeze up...