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1500 questions
16
votes
8 answers
How effective are outdoor foam faucet covers to prevent freezing?
Everyone seems to suggest using those styrofoam faucet covers to help prevent the pipes associated with the fixture from freezing.
They're cheap so I have them anyway (plus I'm not in a hard freeze area), but I'm skeptical about how much…
Michael Burr
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16
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1 answer
How does Schlage SecureKey Re-keying mechanism work?
Here is their consumer info. And here is an amateur teardown, although I can't tell from the pictures how the thing actually works. Does any one have any better powers explanation?
But beyond just being curious about the internal workings, the real…
Chris Noe
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16
votes
2 answers
What are the pros and cons of installing a roof heating cable?
Had some roof work done last year after mother nature abused my house by way of an errant tree branch. I had always suspected my roof had poor ventilation, most notably when I wound up with a 200 lb chunk of ice going from roof to ground (about 20…
user45
16
votes
3 answers
Would providing shade for my air conditioner's condensor improve its efficiency?
Our house has two A/C systems; one for the bedroom level, one for the remainder of the house. The compressor/consdensor units are outside the south side of the house, and in direct sun all day, now that a nearby tree has been removed.
Would shading…
TomG
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16
votes
7 answers
How do I repair a curtain rod anchor that was ripped out of the wall?
My children managed to pull on the curtains hard enough to yank the bracket which attached the curtain rod to the wall out. What is the best way to repair this?
Here's what it looks like:
Shane
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16
votes
4 answers
What do I do if there are only two wires coming from my ceiling electrical box?
I'm about to install several Hunter ceiling fans. The instructions that came with the fan show three wires coming from the ceiling box for a single switch light. When I remove the light, there are only two wires leading to it. And the wires are…
user13891
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16
votes
8 answers
Why do so many of my screws break?
I wouldn’t be surprised if I had got my wood screw pack from AliExpress but it’s from Home Depot and I believe Everbilt is at least not a random brand.
Yet many of the screws just break if I screw them into hard wood. The worst is that the piece…
divB
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16
votes
1 answer
What is this humming machine in my basement hooked up to a pipe?
There is a machine in my basement/crawl space that is making a loud hum. The sound is really loud and needs attention. It normally does not do this. The text on the pipe says "waste and vent only." If I had to guess I would say it went to one of…
Bernie2436
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16
votes
4 answers
How do I build a French drain?
There's a shed near the side of the house with a roof that's pitched to shoot water at the house's foundation. That side of the house also has no gutters. There's a very slight grade to send water towards the front of the house. House is brick…
Steve Jackson
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16
votes
6 answers
Why do instruction manuals specify, "Do not use extension cord and provide a separate circuit"?
Could someone shed some light on the "do not use extension cord" and "provide a separate circuit" instructions that come with every single refrigerator and freezer?
Context:
I own this mini freezer and this refrigerator.
I'd like to plug them both…
Yuri Niyazov
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16
votes
3 answers
What kind of mortar should I use to point a fieldstone foundation?
What kind of mortar should I use to point a fieldstone foundation?
The old mortar is crumbling, and sandy mortar is falling out onto the basement floor. I plan to remove the crumbling mortar (see related question on how to remove), then point the…
Vebjorn Ljosa
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16
votes
5 answers
How good do I need to make my primer coat?
When doing a primer coat do I need to get everything or can I pretty much fly through it leaving it kinda blochy?
Mike
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16
votes
8 answers
How can I hang a shelf with no visible fasteners?
I just built a shelf for a bedroom based on instructions found at Happy at Home. Problem is: the blog doesn't explain how to hang it!
Can someone help me figure out a clean way to hang this shelf that doesn't involve screws on the exterior of the…
Neal Kruis
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16
votes
4 answers
Permanently disable security system
We moved house about a year ago. The previous owner had an alarm system, which we assumed was inactive, but whenever we lose/regain power, the panels beep intermittently.
We've somehow armed the system though, and now the alarm goes off whenever we…
user123965
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16
votes
1 answer
A plastic tab/tag stuck out of the GE dryer drum gap. Does anyone know what it is, if it is a part of the dryer, and if so how I can fix it?
I have owned a GE dryer for about 5 years, and just last week this tab/tag stuck out of the gap near the dryer door and is starting to snag on clothing. I tried pushing it back in but it just came back out again. Does anyone know what it is/how I…
Eluchel
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