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 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

May 14, 2018

     Dear Ken: Our older toilet doesn't always empty itself. None of the other drains are slow. What could be the problem? Jonathan

     You may need to clean out the holes under the rim. Use an L-shaped Allen wrench in a diameter that will just slip into the holes to remove scale and rust which may have accumulated over the years. Also, if your toilet is a style with an inlet hole in the bottom of the bowl (a so-called siphon jet) you should clean it out, too. That flow is what starts the siphoning action to...

May 7, 2018

     Dear Ken: You mentioned on your show a way to bring cool air from your basement to the main floor during the summer. I missed some of it. Could you elaborate? Sam             

April 30, 2018

     Dear Ken: Our home is 30 years old, and the plywood floors are squeaky.  We can get to them from underneath and want to fix the problem. Please give us all the options.     Rick

     For minor squeaks, dip a small wood wedge in brown carpenter's glue (Elmer’s makes a good one) and drive it between the plywood and the offending floor joist. Be careful, though, because if you run the wedge in too far, you may transfer the noise to another...