The Leonard Lopate Show

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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??

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

chloride and ammonia make mustard gas!

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)

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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

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?