June 19, 2021
Dear Ken: I’m wondering what’s wrong with my central air. We have it set at 72, but the house stays in the 80’s. Do we need to get it checked?—Marti
Probably, but here are some things to do first. Make sure your furnace filter is clean; it needs to be changed no less often than once a month in the summer. Also, check that you haven’t blocked any of those cold air return grilles. Sometimes they get behind a sofa or bookcase and we forget all about them. Air conditioning—even more so than heating—requires generous and unopposed air flow through the furnace.
Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the cool air flow through the vents. It should be 18 to 20 degrees colder than the flow through that cold air return grille. If it’s much less than that, you may need more refrigerant in the lines, or the coils on top of the furnace may be dirty. These are not DIY items, so call your favorite HVAC contractor.
PS: Don’t forget my recommendation to turn the fan to the ON position in the afternoon to mix up all the (cold and warm) air masses in the house. That may help lower your upstairs temperature.
Dear Ken: I want to spiff up the bath. Who should I call to re-grout my shower? A handyman or a tile store?—Tanya
Have a tile store recommend someone who does small jobs like yours. But re-grouting a shower is one of those homeowner jobs that you can do yourself and get great results, even if you don’t have prior experience. You’ll need a grout saw—a tool with an angled handle and replaceable blades. Use to remove the top 1/8 inch or so of the old material. Then buy a tub of premixed grout at the hardware store and apply it with a large sponge or grouting trowel. You’ll get the hang of it quickly, and after you rinse the wall done and polish it, I promise you’ll be proud of the results.
Dear Ken: I thought I heard you mention that wider gutters are a good idea. Please provide details—Roger.
It was common in the “old days”—especially with those now-out-of-date
T-lock shingles—to use cheap, 4-inch galvanized steel gutters. They sometimes don’t perform very well catching overflow during one of our strong thundershowers. That’s as bad as having no gutters at all, since that water can soak into the soil under the house and cause structural havoc. Now, the minimum recommendation is 5-inch for shingled homes and even 6-inch with tile or heavy asphalt. I like the pre-painted aluminum style. They are extruded right on site into whatever long lengths you need along each side of the house. That way, there are no seams to leak.
Dear Ken: I have a garage door problem. What can I do to close the gap underneath? Also, what about painting it. It is metal of some sort.—Connie
Over time, the concrete floor in the garage can shift around so there is no longer a tight fit under the door. That can let cold air, leaves and dirt—not to mention mice and other pests—into the garage. One easy way to seal that gap is to screw on another layer of rubber weather-stripping at the bottom of the door. Most home centers have a garage door repair section, and you can buy just the right length to close the space. The new (thicker) rubber will squeeze down on to the now lower floor and seal the crack.
You could apply a layer or two of regular latex paint, but first go to a name brand paint store and get a suggestion for just the right metal surface primer. Power wash the door first, prime it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, and then you can apply latex to match or contrast with the existing color scheme.
Dear Ken: We don’t have an outside plug, so we end up plugging lights into one of those sockets screwed into the porch light. But it isn’t grounded. What else can we do?—Darnell
Those sockets aren’t meant to carry much current—especially the 10 amps or more demanded from several strings of Christmas lights plugged end-to-end. Also, as you indicate, there is no GFCI grounded protection for the outside circuit.
It’s not as hard as you think to cut in a new exterior outlet. Just go to the most appropriate inside living room outlet, remove the cover and cut away some sheetrock around the edges. Then you can see where to drill a hole through the outside wall. That will allow you to pull wires into a new surface mount weatherproof box. Install a GFCI outlet into the new box, and you’re in business. Picking just the right location for the hole is a little tricky—for instance, if you slice existing wires you’re in big trouble. If you’re at all unsure, this is best left to an electrician.
What about the now-bigger hole around the living room outlet? You can purchase an over-sized cover plate that will conceal the gaps you cut in the wall.
Dear Ken: I have hot water issues--low volume on the hot side while the cold water is fine. Any ideas?—Terry
Single lever faucets—in a shower or at the kitchen sink—can be susceptible to this decreased volume problem. If there is a spring or a rubber washer loose inside, the sudden onrush of hot water can swell these out-of-position parts enough to cause a volume disruption. With some brands, you can buy a bag of small parts and rebuild the faucet; with others—like Moen or Price-Pfister—you simply insert a new cartridge containing all the innards of the faucet and you’re back in business.
