Question 1

Smoke alarm with Voice Alerts.

Accepted Answer

Do I want my new hard-wired smoke alarm to have Voice Alerts???It's less than $3 more (sort of) but even though I have very few periodsof smoke, I'm afraid they will annoy me when I do. It's supposed to be good for 10 years with no need to change a batttery,and then unusable afterwards. In addition to the question above, while including the url at Amazon, Ifound that even if the url is the same before the ?, if you don'tinclude what's after the question mark, you get something different, adifferent vendor and different price!!!! one ships from Amazon "for free" and costs $67.79, $7.79 more thanthe price WITH shipping from the other vendor!!!!!!   Wow. Admittedly,returns aare much, much easier, and free, when shipped from Amazon, butone can predict fairly well whether no return might be needed.   This one and the one aboveis priced differently from the first one and ships from Gazelle!!!$52.23 plus $7.77 delivery

Question 2

Cleaning Gutters

Accepted Answer

I spent some time today cleaning the gutters - I haven't gotten around to the job for several weeks and they were all choked with detritus.Has anyone a recommendation for a "thing on a long pole" device for doing this job without going up & down a ladder several times?I have a brush on the end of a Wolf Tools extending 4 metre handle, but the brush cannot be set to a good angle to reach right down into the gutter, so it isn't really satisfactory.Wolf Tools also do another item with a small plastic trowel on one end and a brush on the other end of a "T" shaped tool.User comments suggest "It's rubbish".

Question 3

What do you look for in a wattmeter?

Accepted Answer

What do you look for in a wattmeter?They're apparently not expensive. just want to know how much juice my various appliances are using up.I'll probably only use it once per appliance (as it doesn't change).I was surprised these wattmeters only have one recepticle as I thought they'd be shaped like an extension cord with a gosinta and a gosouta.But that's why I'm asking what you look for when buying a wattmeter.

Question 4

How can I measure inexpensively the water table in my well?

Accepted Answer

Googling, I see this six hundred dollar tool is there a cheaper way to measure the water table level in a well?Also, what has to be REMOVED in this picture to insert that thing? addition, I had the cap go bad in this Franklin Model 2801074915 thing? do you buy them?

Question 5

House wiring question

Accepted Answer

Hi All,Is the gauge of the wire at the breaker panel headedinto the house the same gauge through out the runor does the gauge sometimes get smaller the furtherdown the run you go?  In other words, do I have tocheck every outlet on the run?Many thanks,-T

Question 6

Mapp gas cylinder disposal

Accepted Answer

With a soldering job in prospect and an empty gas cylinder, how does one go about disposal?Conventional fuel gas cylinders remain in the suppliers ownership and can be exchanged or returned.A search turns up nothing useful other than Veolia who want to make money out of the job.

Question 7

How to stop black rubber from leaving dirt on shirt

Accepted Answer

I have a set of earbuds on a neckband, black rubber, several years old,and the yoke has started to leave a lot of black rubber marks on myshirt collar. Can you suggest a treatment or coating to prevent this?The part that rubs off has no jacks or wires comeing out, it's a plainfield but otoh, many things might not stick to its surface.  It;s curvedeverywhere. It wasn't until the 3rd shirt I took the trouble to find the problem,and the first shirt has been washed and it came did come off in thelaundry. I'm not a fancy guy but even I think it looks terrible. This is a combination hearing amplifier and bluetooth-from-the-cellphoneand cost about $300 or 400 new, by Bose, and they don't make themanymore.  They still sell some on ebay but I'm sure they are as old asmine are. Doesnt' that mean the battery on new old stock is old and weaker too? Ifthe battery on this wears out, won't a replacement be already half-wayas bad, just from age?  Probably lithium. (Because I'm consiering buyingreal...

Question 8

GE microwave fails in 23 months, what's the likely problem?

Accepted Answer

My low-end GE microwave failed in 23 months.  Nothing displays on thedisplay.  Other things plugged into same receptacle working fine. What's the likely problem?   JES1145SH1SSThe only think I have time or energy or, with the time I have, knowledgeto fix is the fuse.   Does anyone want to bet on that?  I'll take eitherside is the odds are good. Do you have any other suggestions? A couple months ago I saw a lightning strike from the food to the cookchamber's wall, but I only noticed that once.  I used it yesterday twicefor a minute, and it was fine.  No power surges since then afaik. Wow, there's part of a page on this very topic: I have a fairly new microwave oven model # JES1145SH1SS. Today, it willnot power up at all. Is there an internal fuseHe says yes, but you also have to find the short.  My brother once put amatching, almost identical but incompatible, unsafe wire-shelf in hismicrowave, burned out the fuse and did a tiny bit of melting, and afterI replaced the fuse it worked...

Question 9

Top layer of ply partly separated

Accepted Answer

I want to repaint a interior window ledge of a bay window.  Unfortunately after rubbing it down and removing much of the old paint, I found that it's made of ply-wood and the top layer in places is a bit springy to the touch.  My guess is that over the years, perhaps assisted by water ingress such as condensation from the windows, the top layer of ply has partly come unglued from the rest of it.  Replacing the whole window-ledge would be a big job, so would prefer a quicker fix.I've pushed a thin blade through cracks in the top layer and it seems firm underneath, so it's probably just the top layer that's a problem.  It would be nice to re-attach the top ply layer to the substrate before repainting.  I wondered if I could bore a few small holes in the top layer, funnel some glue down and hope it could be persuaded to spread out enough to re-attach the layers if it were to be weighted down firmly.  But I'm not sure if this would work or what glue to use.   Any ideas?

Question 10

Plasticiser in lime mortar

Accepted Answer

I'm repointing a Victorian stone house using lime motor and have been given contradictory opinions on the use of plasticiser in the mortar.  Using a 3:1 sand to lime mix.  Some people say it's unnecessary, some say it will make the mortar more workable.  What's the opinion here and are there chemicals in the plasticiser which will actually be detrimental to the mortar in the long term?

Question 11

What should I use for a ceiling?

Accepted Answer

What should I use for a ceiling? A while back I was sitting in my office prattling on the computer when Iheard what sounded like a bookshelf falling over, and then again a fewseconds later, and again a second or two after that. Investigating, I found that a little over 3/4's of the ceiling mybedroom had fallen down, followed by 3" of rock wood, and in some area,batts (sp?) of fiberglass hung from the rafters.   The room is about 14'x 20', so about 220 sq. ft. Story follows in a later post, but my question is, Assume it's notpossible to bring in carpenters to hang a sheetrock ceiling.... Whatshould I myself do instead? There is no leak in the roof.  Other factors, known and presumed (whichI can go into in a subsequent post), caused the ceiling to fall, so if Imake a new ceiling, it doesn't have to be waterproof.  Its main purposewould be to keept the heated air in the bedroom from escaping into theattic and out the ridge and soffitt vents.   Escaping heat would makethe bedroom cold and...

Question 12

Water useage for a year - just got our bill

Accepted Answer

Idle curiosity, but what does the average DIYer use in water over the year?This last year we used 46m3 which according to Anglian Water lies in the lower end of the range of 37-74m3 for a single person household.We do spend time away and are reasonably frugal in our use of water so would expect to be at the lower end of a 2 person household.Two person is allegedly 81-121m3 so two or three times what we use.CheersDave R

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