On Demand
The Guru of How-To
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Larry Ubell answers your home repair questions! Call us at 212-433-9692 (212-433-WNYC) or leave a comment below.
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I live in an 80 year old plaster-lathe walled coop apartment. What is the easiest & fastest way to run a dedicated AC outlet from a new circuit-breaker panel in the kitchen to a bedroom on the opposite side of the apartment?
what can be done about a shower where the temperature changes drastically from boiling to freezing by itself? thanks.
isn't it just cladding around beams?
Your question about the box:
Is it a soffit?
thanks, julie
Part under the nose above the lip is called the philtrum
Is it a "Finished Enclosure"?
I am a gardener. Several of my clients have irrigation systems which are blown out and shut off for the winter. Is it ALSO necessary to shut off water to the spigot on the outside of the house??
What is wrong with this Larry-Person? First he tortures us with his stupid quiz FOREVER and now he 'pulls' the quiz without giving us whatever he deems the right answer? This is not fair. I want to hear the answer he deems correct!
What is a "fire rating"
Beam Dump!
In the winter I have cold air coming into the kitchen through the oven and the oven vents. How do I figure out where the cold air is entering, and how can I insulate this without blocking the oven ventilation?
Thanks,
Doug
I live in an apartment that a fan was never put in in the bathroom. I think it's a state law (or building code) that there has to be one, but am not sure where to check.
There was a severe mold problem in the bathroom. My roommate (who's on the lease) has never complained to the landlord. This is a 7-year problem. I recently moved in and would like to know where to start and who to talk to - and also - is mold that bad of a problem?
It's called a "HAT CHANNEL" ... see this reference ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furring
... I think that's it.
I can't call in.
Moisture has been accumulating between the double pane of my storm windows. They look dirty and I'm worried about mold building up. I live in a coop and the windows were replaced before we bought our apt. Other neighbors have the same problem, but the company has since gone out of business. Can't afford to replace all the windows that are affected (4 out of 8). Any way to have them repaired?
the answer is a beam dump?
or perhaps it's "furring"
And the space under your nose is called a "philtrum" (mythical definition: the fingerprint of your guardian angel on your lips, before you're born, so that you never speak of the wonders of heaven ...) ... see ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philtrum
How can I stop a neighbor's cigarette smoke from seeping into my apartment?
I live in a brownstone. Both my upstairs and downstairs neighbors
smoke.
Thanks!
Ellen in Manhattan
Is it a truss?
Hi,
I live in a loft, where each apartment has its own hot water heater. A friend said that I could save on my electric bill in the winter by insulating the heater. Is this worth doing, and if so what can I use to insulate it?
Re: the woman living in the high rise with a single shower valve complaining about gradual rise in temperature.
The valves have a safety device which limits how much the 'hot' half of the valve opens up. Her's is set too low. What's happening is it's taking a while for the hot line to push out the water which is already in the line and not as hot as the water in the boiler.
It is an ENCASEMENT!!!
I can't get thru to answer the trivia Q!
we live on the 8th floor of a 9 floor apartment bldg. we installed a new hand held shower head (Pollenex) earlier in the year, but there semmed to be a lack of pressure. so we bought a new one (Waterpik), which allows us to remove the flow regulator. it works great, but only when the bracket is at a 180 degree angle. if I move the bracket so the shower aims at a different angle, there's a leak from where the bracket meets the pipe. the instructions say to tighten the bracket by hand - tightening too much makes it leak more no matter what the angle. the manufacturer is sending me anew bracket, but this sounds fishy. what do you think?
Is it a fire-stop?
the wrapping around the insulation is called an encapsulant or encapsulation
cant get through on the phone
What is a GWB fire partition
encapsulant
Then that leaves insulation.
last guess... firebox
Fireproof Vault?
Another guess for the fire proof enclosure.
An Assembly
At the end of today's show the Guru gave an email address that listeners could use to ask a question. Could you email me that address?
Please.
The Lopate Show responds:
You can contact Larry Ubell at this email address: larry@accuratebuilding.com
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