wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

I love listening to you guys on the radio and I thought I would contact you with a question I had. We have a three story Brownstone in Carroll Gardens and the previous owner added an extension bathroom on the ground floor and a deck on top of it. We have had problems with water damage in the bathroom in the past and once had some mold. a mold removal company removed the mold which wasn't much and then charged us 5k for the job. we have some mold again but I feel like i got swindled the last time and was wondering what you thought I should do. Should I hire mold removal people again? One other issue is the roof on the extension. because of the deck built over the extension it is hard to access the roof. Who do you think I should hire to repair the roof which I am assuming is the source of the water? Would a normal roofing company do the job? Thanks for your help and keep up the great radio shows!

Sheffield Ridge is three building condo with 120 apartments and which uses steam heat! The problem is that when it's cold outside the apartment become overheated much to the discomfort of many of it's tenants necessitating the opening of windows, etc. Which, aside from overheating, causes a waste of money.

Al, Larry, any suggestions? Do you need any additional information?
P.S. I hate your show --- just kidding! Your energy, joyous, upbeat approach to life is wonderful AND your knowledge!
Mike Lehr (a Bronx boy, Yankee fan who thinks that Hideki Matsui should never been let go.

I have construction-grade, wood cabinets that are 20 years old. I can't afford to buy news ones. What products do I use to clean off the old stains and grime, and how do I renew the fading wood color?
Thank you.

In my Brooklyn apartment even the most expensive radiator valves fail rapidly - often within a month, sometimes in a few days. Then the radiators hiss steam louder than my tv or stereo, and they don't give off enough heat to cope with a very cold day.

What is the solution?

Hello and Happy New Year,

We have a rabbit. It's llitter box has leaked urnine onto our kitchen parquet floor. It now looks permanently stained with black ugly streaks in it. Is there any way to cleanse the floor and bring it back to an acceptable ' 'wood' condition.

Thank you.
Jeff

We need to insulate the family room and first floor bedrooms of our home. We have a 36" crawl space under both areas. My father-in-law said we should use a new type of insulating panels that can slide in between the joists rather than the insulating rolls. Right now there is no insulation. Any advice?

Our house is a ranch house built in the 1950's with radiant heat in the ceiling.

Thank you! You guys are fantastic.

Thanks guys, I'll give the sand paper a shot. P.S. I knew both answers but my cell phone battery is dead.

New Windows

I recently had most of my windows replaced as part of a county home improvement grant program. Eight of these windows were a new construction vinyl -- Surburban brand. I paid extra money to have 3 replaced with Anderson windows (because of their placement next to other wooden windows).

Here is the problem the vinyl windows get excessive condensation - huge puddles. The Andersons don't. Any thoughts - bad windows? bad installation?

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/

Never mix ammonia and bleach! to rid of cat urine or anything

One of the most common hazards occurs when chlorine bleach is mixed with ammonia or acids. The combination of ammonia and bleach produces dangerous chlorine gas, which in small doses can cause irritation to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. In large doses, it can kill. Chlorine gas, also known as mustard gas, was actually used in WWI & WWII.

I called a couple of months ago about a leak from the toilet tank to the bowl. I replaced the flapper with a valve that looks like a cut-off wine bottle, but it still leaked. You suggested fishing weights, but that didn’t work. I fixed the leak by putting petroleum jelly on the rim of the valve.

Vinegar on cat urine is EXCELLENT! I've used it for years, reacts nicely with ammonia. I never use bleach on anything.
(am listening now via web)

chloride and ammonia make mustard gas!

Some of the radiators in my house, make a great deal of noise when the heat starts. At one point I thought they were braking into my house. What's going on?
Thanks

Help! I just had my bathroom floor retiled and I think the contractor didn't do a great job. We replaced the original floor (had to because of a leak) with new ceramic tile in a mosaic pattern. The tiles are crooked around the edges where they meet the floor and you can see large sections of dark grout all around the edges. It looks terrible.

Is there anything that can be done to fix this, or is it too late??

I have a flat roof house which has had some history of leaking but not for the past few years. The only trouble spot is where my chimney meets the ceiling. It's a large, two-sided fireplace and the chimney is made out of fieldstone. When it rains really hard, there is a trickle of water down the chimney, causing blistering on the ceiling. The flashing around the chimney where it meets the roof appears to be in good shape, as it does around other roof openings, including two skylights. I also don't have any other leaks in the roof.

I've lived in the house about 10 years and have never had the chimney cleaned, but we hardly ever use the fireplace, either. Could a chimney cleaner fix this problem?

What is the solution to this leaking and blistering?

back to those fluorescent ozone bulbs I asked about last time - you said no because they sully electrical outlets - i can clean them - but is that the only thing bad that they do? Do they take away mold? (I ahve been trying to make kvass and/or kombucha in my mold friendly kitchen (I'm guessing it's moldy because the plumbing in the bldg is a mess, leaks all over, and the bldg is on the water.

Does it pay to have the thermostat lower the temperature when nobody is home and during sleep?

I live in a ca. 1909 bldg. Frequently, when I turn on the cold water tap in the bathroom, warm or hot water comes out instead. My super has not been able to locate the source of this problem. Can you help me? Thanks.

BLACK WATER

Every now and then when I turn on the bathtub hot water tap, black water comes out. It's not gritty. It's more like soot and requires a lot of scrubbing to clean the tub. What the hell is it? How do I fix it? Help.

Louis Fernandez