Cold Room With Forced Air Furnace

Q: This summer we moved into an older home. With the colder weather, I have turned my furnace on and have noticed that one of my children’s bedrooms appears to be cold. Do I need a new furnace?

A: Before you run out and buy a new furnace you need to look at the house and the position of the air ducts, especially the cold air returns. It is not uncommon that what was once a central location for a cold air return has changed due to the addition or removal of walls and doors.

There are other factors that come into play and you should read the article that is linked to this post.

Link

Home Improvement Contest

Rohm and Haas, a specialty materials company, along with the Arbor Day Foundation is hosting the $pruce Up Your Home nationwide contest in search of homes in need of a little TLC. From now until February 1, 2009, individuals can upload a photo of their home and 200 words explaining why their home deserves a spruce up. The grand prize winner receives a prize package worth $20,000, including an $8,000 home improvement gift card and a new exterior home paint job. Eight first place winners receive a new exterior paint face-lift.

For additional information follow the link.

Link

Chimney Draft‏

Q: I have been dealing with a severe draft from my chimney that actually extinguishes the pilot light in my furnace. My children are all out of town so when I visit them I am on pins and needles worrying about the furnace going out. Last year, it happened while I was away and resulted in all the pipes in my house getting frozen. The damages were over nine thousand dollars and I put in an insurance claim. Of course, my premium went up. But this year, it happened twice again. Luckily, I was here to re-light it. I've had a chimney cap installed and my plumber tried some kind of backup system, but it still happens. Any suggestions?

A: This is definitely something that you have to correct.

1) Get a bimetallic flue damper. It works like the bimetal strip in a heating thermostat. When cold one side is longer so the strip bends. With this type of damper no electricity is consumed and no power is required to make it work. When cold this type of damper closes off about 85% of the flue cross-section.
They have been in use since ~ 1980.

2) Relocate the flue on the roof using a 45-degree run in the attic.

Link

Rain Gutter Down Pipe Replacement

Q: Is it possible to buy a replacement of an aluminum drainpipe for rain gutter drainage? I need the portion that points the drainage away from the building. The one I have is about 24" long. Somehow over the winter it came off the downspout, got flattened, and is now covered in mold. The rest of the gutter system seems to be ok, so I'm looking for this one piece. Just thought I'd check here before heading out to a huge hardware store to walk in circles, unproductively.

A: The big box retailers carry gutters, pipes and the fittings - measure the diameter of your pipe so that you know the size, color may be a problem, they usually only carry brown and white.

Link

Removing Adhesive From Stained Wood

Q: I have some 20+ year old double backed adhesive that needs to be removed from stained (but not sealed) window trim (in dark walnut stain). What can I use to safely remove this adhesive without staining/altering the current window trim finish?

A: The adhesive should come off using a wet cloth and dish washing liquid, may take a few attempts to remove it all. If it is really stubborn you can use a fiberglass dish pad, do not use any steelwool.

Link

Drywall On Curved Wall

Q: I want to construct a curved wall and cover it with drywall. I have been told that I should use plaster instead of drywall because of the curve. Is this correct?

A: You do not have to use plaster as drywall bends very well. Just lean a piece of drywall against another wall and it will curve all by itself! Bending drywall takes patience, but it is not difficult. Moisten the drywall as you are bending it and it will take almost any shape, just do it slowly.

For additional information, just follow the link.

Link