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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.


Comments

  • [1] Eric from NYC November 12, 2008 - 01:05PM

    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?


  • [2] allison from washington heights November 12, 2008 - 01:33PM

    what can be done about a shower where the temperature changes drastically from boiling to freezing by itself? thanks.


  • [3] dd from nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:33PM

    isn't it just cladding around beams?


  • [4] julie cowan from Chicago November 12, 2008 - 01:33PM

    Your question about the box:

    Is it a soffit?

    thanks, julie


  • [5] jeremy from brooklyn November 12, 2008 - 01:33PM

    Part under the nose above the lip is called the philtrum


  • [6] Wayne from Harlem November 12, 2008 - 01:34PM

    Is it a "Finished Enclosure"?


  • [7] Paige from Brooklyn, NY November 12, 2008 - 01:34PM

    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??


  • [8] evelyn from Newark, NJ November 12, 2008 - 01:35PM

    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!


  • [9] B Marx from Downtown November 12, 2008 - 01:38PM

    What is a "fire rating"


  • [10] Richard E from long island/nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:38PM

    Beam Dump!


  • [11] Doug from Park Slope November 12, 2008 - 01:38PM

    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


  • [12] Matt from Bushwick November 12, 2008 - 01:39PM

    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?


  • [13] Sainted_Mother from New York, NY November 12, 2008 - 01:39PM

    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.


  • [14] Fran from queens November 12, 2008 - 01:40PM

    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?


  • [15] Richard E from long island/nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:40PM

    the answer is a beam dump?


  • [16] dd from nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:42PM

    or perhaps it's "furring"


  • [17] Sainted_Mother from New York, NY November 12, 2008 - 01:44PM

    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


  • [18] Ellen from New York, NY November 12, 2008 - 01:44PM

    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


  • [19] Robin M from Queens November 12, 2008 - 01:44PM

    Is it a truss?


  • [20] Amelia from Brooklyn November 12, 2008 - 01:45PM

    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?


  • [21] nopivnick from Manhattan November 12, 2008 - 01:46PM

    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.


  • [22] bob from CT November 12, 2008 - 01:48PM

    It is an ENCASEMENT!!!

    I can't get thru to answer the trivia Q!


  • [23] stu in nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:50PM

    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?


  • [24] Charles from New Jersey November 12, 2008 - 01:50PM

    Is it a fire-stop?


  • [25] Barbara from new jersey November 12, 2008 - 01:51PM

    the wrapping around the insulation is called an encapsulant or encapsulation

    cant get through on the phone


  • [26] Susan from New York November 12, 2008 - 01:52PM

    What is a GWB fire partition


  • [27] Barbara Res from new jersey November 12, 2008 - 01:53PM

    encapsulant


  • [28] B Marx from Downtown November 12, 2008 - 01:54PM

    Then that leaves insulation.


  • [29] dd from nyc November 12, 2008 - 01:56PM

    last guess... firebox


  • [30] Michael G from Lyndhurst, NJ November 12, 2008 - 01:56PM

    Fireproof Vault?


  • [31] Dorothy Klein from Chatham, NJ November 12, 2008 - 02:09PM

    Another guess for the fire proof enclosure.

    An Assembly


  • [32] j. Shields from Nyack, NY November 12, 2008 - 06:01PM

    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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