Question 1

tiles on concrete floor

Accepted Answer

Hello,My house has those funny brown tiles on the concrete floor, I am aboutto fit a new floor: either wood or carpet, I haven't decided, and I amnot sure whether to remove the tiles or not.If they were all in place, it might be less hassle to leave them asthey are but there are a few missing around the edges and I worry thatthis might cause my new floor to become uneven. Would you chisel themall up? A chisel on an sds drill should make this easy!I heard they might contain asbestos. Is this true?Thanks,Sam.

Question 2

Lawn mower wont start..

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I had an old push mower that I decided to repair. It's a Briggs and Stratton 11a-034e729.It's been sitting for years, and wouldn't start. Replaced the spark plug, air filter, and old gas. Tried to start it today and it worked long enough to get the back yard done. I turned it off to bring it around to the front and then it would only work off the primer.I decided to clean out the carburetor. Took it all apart, cleaned it out and noticed the bottom of the gas tank had rusted over. I got that all cleaned out and put it back together.. now when I try to start it I get a weird spinning metal sound? I've tried googling and all the results were having to do wtih people that hit stuff and their blade was grinding something.. It's not my blade. Pretty sure the sound is coming from the engine.. just clueless at this point.Hoping someone can point me in the right direction..  Would love to know how to fix this or if I simply missed something putting it back together.Thanks!

Question 3

Can my 1972 Honeywell furnace blower be repaired? If not what do I have to get?

Accepted Answer

In the house I have a Honeywell furnace and above it the ac condenser both circa 1972. The blower seems to be part of the furnace. The blower is not working - clicks when turn it on at the thermostat but does not go on. Furnace and ac work fine but no air blows now. Can I repair the blower in the furnace? This is pre-computer so nothing on youtube helps. If not, what do I have to buy? A furnace and a condenser and a blower? or will they all come together? The compressor outside is a newer York, maybe 9 years old and is working ok. I'm so confused. My Dad kept this thing working for decades, but he passed recently and I am trying to get the home ready to sell, but I also have to keep it safe temperature for elderly mom and pets and person with lung disease for maybe a year. But the only HVAC professional who could come out in this heat wave is said I need:Install (1) 110,000 BTU  80% AFUE, 2 Stage, Variable Speed Fan, Insulated blower compartment, Gas Furnace by Lennox Model # SL280V...

Question 4

power not transferred to transfer switch box

Accepted Answer

I have a 17500K Portable Generac Generator. During a recent outage in my area, I was unable to get the power to go through my transfer switch box (located on the outside by my electrical meter). It kept flashing green and red. Initially, I thought that something was wrong with the transfer switch box, but once power returned, the indicator on the transfer switch box was green. The system has worked in past outage. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Question 5

Default Why is my standing pilot gas valve wet?

Accepted Answer

While relighting my boiler's pilot I noticed the pilot gas valve is dripping some type of fluid onto the floor under the valve.I upgraded my 1964 natural gas hot water boiler to a standing pilot gas valve last winter. Within the last couple of weeks I've had to relight the pilot light 3 times. This fluid is clear, has no odor, and does not seem to be oily.Does a standing pilot gas valve contain fluid?I first thought this to be condensation. I found nothing on any of the gas lines, to or from the pilot gas valve.Jim

Question 6

drywall problems in new house

Accepted Answer

Hi,We just bought a new house in Waterloo and noticed a few problems in the drywall. I understand drywall will never be perfectly straight, however since I'm not sure what the tolerance level is, I am putting up a few pictures. Picture 1,2, & 3 - Drywall above the main door above the level of the door bends away from the vertical (not straight all the way to the ceiling)Picture 3 - Crack has appeared in the drywall below the railing above the main entrance. Again this is because the drywall at the second level is breaking away from the vertical.Hopefully someone can take a look and advise if I should:1) Is this framing issue?2) Make fuss over it and ask the builder to fix it.3) Is it a lot of work for the builder given the height of the wall which extends to the second level.4) To what extent is the builder liable and obliged to fix these issues.Any suggestions on how I should proceed/take it up would be appreciated.ThanksMonti.[IMG][IMG][IMG][IMG]

Question 7

Pouring concrete without sand or gravel?

Accepted Answer

Built my own home, but neglected to consider wind driven rain coming in the front/side doors.  So I cannot put my wood flooring in until I keep the water out.  Two storm doors are out of the question.  I should have covered both doors:  complete oversight on my part.  So . . . I need to pour an 8 foot slab (40 feet long) for the front of the house (front porch).  I need to pour a 12 foot slab (30 feet long) for the carport that will be at my side door.  I do not want to add 4 inches of sand and then 4 inches of concrete because my Hardie Board siding starts on top of beautiful rock siding made of native rock.  This rock work is about 24 inches high and goes all the way around the house.  This rock work includes two stet up door entrances to my pier & beam house.  I have dug down the necessary 4 inches for the concrete, but do not want to dig further:  should it cause problem with my rocking (that extends only 24 inches up).  I also have the rock stepping to consider at both doors.The...

Question 8

Oil Furnace And Blower Turns On By Itself (Even With No Thermostat Connected)

Accepted Answer

I attached an image of the furnace which displays the model number and other information on the tags.  The model numbers I can find are:Beckett AFG Oil BurnerHoneywell RTH6580WF1001/W ThermostatHoneywell R7284B1024 Electronic Oil PrimaryMy oil furnace will run normal most days doing the following:1. We wake up and turn the thermostat up to 72F2. The furnace heats the house as expected to 72F3. The house will drop a few degrees and the furnace will kick on to get it back to 72FThis happens every few days, sometimes multiple times in one day:4.  After completing step 3 a few time, the furnace will turn on by itself (blower and heat/flame)5. When this happens the temperature in the house will already be 72F (or possibly 73F)6. It will run for 1-2 minutes, then all power to the furnace and thermostat will be lost (just like if I turn off the emergency switch)7. It will continue to happen even if I turn the thermostat to the off position OR remove the thermostat from the wall8. We have an...

Question 9

where to find a patio umbrella with a threaded bottom on the poll for my patio which has a fixed hole for the placement of the umbrella?

Accepted Answer

i have a patio that has a built into the patio hole for the placement of a patio umbrella. so i am not n need of a base. i just can not seem to be able to find a umbrella poll that has the threads so that the poll can be securely placed into the fixed hole. please help?

Question 10

storing paint for 1 yr or more

Accepted Answer

1/2 gal of paint stored upside down for 1 yr. It was hard when I opened it recently.  How can I store paint for over a year

Question 11

New Hardwood floor install gone bad.

Accepted Answer

New premium grade  3/4" x 1 1/2" red Oak hardwood.  I purchased it directly from the wholesaler.  My flooring was delivered Oct. 22, 2017.  After much delay on the installers part I was able to walk on my "finished" floor  90 Days later.  I chose an extremely light color so that it would match my existing 40 year old hardwood. The contractor said that they would rent the polyurethane.  The color turned out well.  Problem is when I began inspecting the floor. There are spots where I can feel the grain of the wood. Nail holes without anything in them. Random black staple shaped  holes that are not filled. Face nailed  boards 10" out and up to the wall.  Random face nailed boards in a 1" x 1" area where I was told there was a squeak and they had to nail it down.  Transitions from the kitchen to the living room and from the living room to the hall are missing.  Contractor says the work is finished.  I thought that I wasn't suppose to be able to feel the wood grain and that face nailing...

Question 12

Quickest/cheapest way to make weighted post ?

Accepted Answer

Sadly the budget just won't stretch to the proper repair of our sorry fence posts and there are 2 sagging now after the last winds.I'm thinking that to keep things as best I can, if I could rig something like a bucket filled with cement and an upright post (buckets and wood I have) and place it next to the bendy post and attach the two together, I'd have a bit of a reprieve ?I know you can get specialist brackets for banging into the ground but they are quite pricey.As a temporary/emergency fix, what's peoples thoughts ? And what's the best thing for a weight ? Fill the bucket with postcrete and post in the garage, let it dry and move it into place ?I know if I have postcrete then digging a hole for a new post would be the better way, but that means removing fence panels which is going to trigger replacing the whole fence.

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