July 25, 2020

     Dear Readers: Have you had your air conditioning serviced yet this season? This can be an every-other-year procedure at your house. Why? Our cooling season is so short here that our A/C systems aren’t especially overworked. (Your furnace, however, is another story. If it goes bad, it can let dangerous fumes into your house, so it needs an annual check, clean and service). Incidentally, some HVAC companies will give you a special price—usually less than $100—if they can service both systems in one trip.

     Ask them if they’ve taken a look at the cooling coils in a while. This is the upside-down, V-shaped arrangement inside the furnace that does the actual heat transfer to cool down the air stream. Since air conditioning is a dehumidification process, these coils stay wet and so gradually collect a layer of dust on their undersides--and that can really diminish the system’s efficiency (and cost you extra cooling dollars). Make sure they don’t take the easy route and simply squirt a little liquid on it. The best method is to actually slide the coil set out of the furnace for a thorough cleaning and check; that’s the treatment I would want at my house.

     Sometimes the outside condensing unit also needs a little help. The fins can accumulate leaves and other debris—like cottonwood seeds--on their outside surfaces. This, too, can lower the efficiency of the entire cooling system. Also, their edges can become bent or deformed from hail or severe weather impacts (now you know why I encourage you to shroud the condensing unit during the winter with a plastic cover and bungee cord). Many times, they can be “combed” back into their original shape. Finally, the technician will check the pressures inside the cooling lines, add refrigerant if needed and change the filter.

     Dear Ken: A contractor tried to sell us a surge protector to be mounted inside the electric panel. He said it would protect us from power company surges and lightning.  Do you think it's worth $10 a month? Doug

     Power company surges are not very common these days, but lightning--at least in the summertime--is. All bets are off if you get a direct strike, but nearby lightning bolts can send static-like electricity scooting sideways across the ground, where it can get into your home's electric system. If you have a home office with thousands of dollars of computers, or maybe a fabulously expensive home audio setup, you may want to install a whole house surge protector. But why pay $10 a month, when you can buy and own a good one for less than $100?

     Dear Ken: I watched a snake disappear in a stress crack a few inches from the garage overhead door. After determining there was a void there, I inserted two tubes of concrete caulking and the caulking is bubbling up some like some air pockets are forming. Now I’m not sure that this was the best course of action. Any advice that you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Margaret

     Fill up the void with fine silica sand to within an inch or so of the top. Then apply more epoxy-based driveway sealant. Or you could insert a slab gasket strip—sort of rubber weather-stripping--which comes in various widths and heights. Go to slabgasket.com.

     Dear Ken:  This wet weather has produced a musty smell in our crawl space.  Do we have to wait until dry winter weather for it to go away? Sam

     Chances are, a dose of good ventilation will help. If the dirt's covered with plastic sheeting, roll it back to one side. Open all the outside vents, then stick a cheap box fan in one of them pointing outward. This will set up a nice gentle, drying breeze which in a couple of weeks will evaporate the moisture.  While you're waiting for it to dry out, cure whatever drainage deficiencies outside—like misdirected downspouts or bad soil grading--which let the water in in the first place. 

     Dear Ken: My toilet empties very slowly, but the water level in the tank seems OK. Can you help? Tina

     If this happened gradually and has been going on for some time, we can probably eliminate a drain plug-up; it may be a flushing issue. Try cleaning out the little water holes up under the rim. They can gradually fill up with mineral scale and so the flush is no longer as robust as it once was.

     Dear Ken: My garage floor is cracked, but I want to wash it. Is that OK? Gene

     It'd be a good idea to patch those cracks first with an epoxy-based filler (available in caulking tubes). That will keep water from seeping under the slab and awakening soil which might, when wet, have idea of expansion and heaving. Since cars dribble melting snow and ice in the winter, it's a good idea to keep these cracks patched year round.   

     Dear Ken: We had to replace a portion of our driveway. The old part is light tan, but the new one is light gray. What can we do to get it uniform?  Beth 
     There are new water-based concrete stains available at the paint store. They come in lots of colors, so if you choose one that matches the darker color of your variegated driveway, you'll have a uniform finish. Make sure, though, to apply only a single coat.

     However, if you can live with the difference for a while, the sun will eventually bleach the colors into sort of a default grayish tan.

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