By DWIGHT BARNETT, Scripps Howard News Service
Quality air filters, sealed ducts will keep mold at bay
Q: I need to call someone to clean my air conditioner and whatever else is included. Who or what type of service company performs this job? Also, what should I be having done to my unit and/or inside ducts and furnace? I want to make sure there is no mold or anything when this has been performed.
Popped screws fixed with a few steps
Q: I own a house that was built in 1999 and am concerned about the number of drywall screws that have started to protrude from the walls and ceiling. Several of the screws have "popped" off the mud or spackle that was used to cover them, and, from what I can tell, they appear to have rusted.
Lack of air barrier causing condensation to form
Q: I have a three-level townhouse. Lately, I've seen moisture in the ceiling of the downstairs level, near a duct. After cutting a hole in a closet wall to see the ductwork, I saw that my ducts (about 30 years old) had insulation around them but no moisture barrier.
Food safety trumps energy savings
Q: I live on a fixed income, so I try to not spend so much on electric bills. What I do is turn off my refrigerator at night, then plug it in again the next morning. My electric bills are a little less than before. Is this a good idea?A: I also received a question concerning an electric water heater and whether it should be turned off when not in use.
Old wallpaper not a good base for new
Q: I've tried several things to remove old wallpaper. I'm guessing the people who set it up were poorly skilled. Because of that, I put different wallpaper over that, but it's just making more of a problem. How can I remove old wallpaper without causing damage to the wall?
Use special tool to help fight moss damage on roof
Q: We have a cedar-shake roof, and one side is heavily covered with moss. What can we do to take the moss off the roof? How can we treat the shakes to prevent the moss from coming back?Where can we buy a tool (and what is it called?) that we can use to go under the shake and remove the nails so we can replace damaged shakes?
Different terms used to sell and measure concrete
Q: I am getting estimates on a driveway from a home in Northern California and wonder what to look for in terms of the type of cement used. Previously you mentioned that one should use a 3,500- to 4,000-pound test for the driveway. How many sacks per yard does that translate to? One contractor said he uses only 3/4 aggregates. Is that better or worse than Portland cement?
Contractor's license not always required
Q: A couple of months ago, we hired a contractor to remodel our house. He had been referred by a good friend, so we paid the contractor 75 percent of the total amount to start doing our house.
Centralized source of heat in crawl space can warm small home
Q: More than 40 years ago I read an article about a man who heated his small home by centralizing the source of heat into the crawl space. Each room had a floor register placed under a window, and the return air was on the first floor.
Clothes dryer needs booster fan
Q: I'm hoping you can help. We live in a town home, and our dryer is on the second floor and is vented through the roof.I clean the dryer filter after each load, and we try to keep the vent tube clean, but we are still experiencing problems with the length of time required to dry items, especially towels.
