Question 1

chain saw oil

Accepted Answer

The original instructions for my electric chain saw said to use SAE 30oil for temps under 75 degrees F, and SAE40 for temps over that**.It's a Remington 16 inch, 10.5 amps, and iirc 2.5 HP.But they sell bar and chain oil.   The label says it "contains atackiness additive to help oil stay on chainsaw bars and chains". Do Ihave to use that, or can I use some straight 30 weight that I alreadyhave?  Does it make a difference that I use this saw very very little,or that I bought it at a yard sale for cheap?Can I use an electric, or gas, chainsaw to cut T-11 siding, or othernon-tree items?Thanks a lot.**And SAE20 for temps under 32 iirc.MeirmanIf emailing, please let me know whetheror not you are posting the same letter.Change domain to  if necessary.

Question 2

Who here has experience with Pellet Stoves?

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I read that they are very noisy; something which I had not considered. My wood stove is quiet. I'm just tired of getting up all hours of the night to add wood.Ecoteck boast of quietness but look like they would cost a Georgia fortune; maybe not; no prices.I had hot air oil heat before and can't stand the noise.

Question 3

Price of Shingle removal, two layers vs three

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I got a bid to put in a new roof, and it included removal of 2 layersof shingles.They got to work, and it turns out there were three layers ofshingles. We got the bill, and they now want to charge us an extra$1100 for the removal of the third layer (32 square additional tearoff at $35/square)Is this normal? Is it really so much more work than 2 layers?

Question 4

Homeowner Insurance Question

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I'm currently insured with Safeco and my rates went up over $575 a year, so  I'm shopping it around. I've got a quote from MetLife on my home and cars and i really like the  price. Does anyone have any experience with Metlife? Good or bad?  Do they pay well with little hassle? Not planning any claims,  I've only had 3 claims in 25 years. I know Safeco is a good company, but I'm  not real happy with the big increase Opinions?

Question 5

property with "no" water

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My wife and I have been searching on and off for a place with several  acres but in the same general area.  Fairly recently, I saw a place with  4 acres and we went to view the interior.  To our surprise, the inside  is pretty much move in ready.  It has an old fuel oil furnace that would  need to be updated.  House size is a bit small at 1,200 square feet for  our family, but we could easily add a second toilet, bedroom and living room on to the east side.    Anyway, I wanted to find out why this bank owned property, which is  in a great neighboring school district, was only being listed for about  $64k.  It turns out that as far as the realtors was concerned, it had  "no water".  The bank has recently dropped the asking price from the  original price by about $3k or so.  I was able to find that the bank  obtained the property for under $50k, supposedly.    I decided to do more digging, since my Dad and I had seen what looked  like 2 fairly new well caps.  I read over the well...

Question 6

How much to pay teenage house cleaner?

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We are in need of a maid / house cleaner for monthly cleanings, and myneighbor's teenage daughter is interested in doing it.What's the going hourly rate for a teenage girl to do basic house cleaning?I don't want to overpay, but I definately want her to get enough, because Idon't want her to quit and have to hire an impersonal cleaning service.Thanks

Question 7

Dangers of Sawdust

Accepted Answer

Little over a year ago, I went out and bought a "good" shopvac (ridgid12 gallon or something), purchased a "good" filter for it (2 micronsor somesuch) for the TS, as it was generating way too much dust.Dosen't work worth a fig.  That is to say, with my open-backcontractor's type saw there's just too much open area and the poorlittle vac can't keep up.Ok, this brings up a good point.  So I've read all the hazards ofdust.  I've done the "brown snot for hours" thing.  I've also readthat the nastiest dust is the tiniest.  Soooo...other than for keepingthe shop clean (a worthy goal, admittedly) do the 30, 10, or even 5micron filters/bags really do anything in the long run?  I mean, ifthey're letting those .5 micron particles out and they're the nastyones...?Then again, how _much_ wood dust is really sub .5 micron?  How much issub 5 micron?  I'd assume MDF generates finer dust than, say, pine,but that's just an uneducated observation.So I think I've got SWMBO convinced that we need a dust...

Question 8

Laying Laminate flooring in hallway

Accepted Answer

Our hallway is fairly narrow, about 5 feet max. The Front door opensonto one part, about 4 feet to the foot of the stairs straight ahead,the hallway continues to the left of the stairs about another 10 feet,again max width here about 3 feet. As well as the front door there arefive other doors opening off.My question is - what direction should the laminate be laid? Joints atright angles to front door i.e. across shortest dimension of hall orjoints running away from front door?

Question 9

Disposing of Fluorescent Tubes

Accepted Answer

My council have always taken tubes before but they are classed ashazardous waste and can't go in landfill so I will have to burn petrol,putting CO2 into the atmosphere taking one 4ft tube to the council dumpto be diposed of. There again I could put the tube back in the bin andhit it on the side with a hammer.Just wondered what is so hazardous about a tube that it can't go intolandfill.Also bearing in mind that there has been debate this week about finingpeople for using a filament bulb and encougaging the use of compactfluorescent bulbs whether the CO2 saved by using the more efficientbulbs is going to be more than offset by the extra CO2 used indisposing of Fluorescent tubes and bulbs.Kevin

Question 10

Using a diesel air heater to heat a home workshop

Accepted Answer

Has anyone used something like this a workshop heater? I'm wondering about getting a portable one and sitting it outside the garage or shed with the hot air outlet connected to a pipe to take it inside. It would be useful to know how good the fan is and what the 12V current requirements are.

Question 11

Pressure washer recommendation?

Accepted Answer

My old Kärcher has just died.  Had it for many years and it doesn’t owe meanything.The power switch is broken and whilst attempting to get access to theswitch I foolishly tried to separate the motor from the pump which lead toa big oil spill.I guess I *could* try and source a new power switch and work out how torefill the pump with oil but I’m not sure I can be bothered given that thehose for the lance also leaks and the nozzle is a bit dodgy.Only gets used for the occasional bit of patio and fence cleaning so itdoesn’t need to be terribly high powered but a good reliable brand/productrecommendation would be appreciated.Tim

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