October 12, 2009

     Dear Ken: Our new front loading washer is about to shake the house apart. It's on the second floor, so it's very noisy. Any ideas? Cary

     These front loaders can be a problem. Their loads seem to become unbalanced more quickly than uprights, because of the absence of an agitator. Plus they spin very fast. That's a bad combination on the second floor, since the wood framing flexes a little anyway and transmits the cacophony throughout the house.
     You can buy anti-vibration rubber pads on the Web. Amazon.com and many other sites sell them for $35 or so. One of my readers said that the shipping screws were never removed from the back of his washer. Once they were gone, it settled down a lot. So check that out on yours. Sadly, the only real fix for this is to move the laundry on to the concrete floor in the basement.
     PS: These front loaders will be mandated in the near future by-who else-the federal government. So, you may want to replace an old model with an upright before they are no longer available.

     Dear Ken: We installed one of those electronic, passive water softeners with a wire that wraps around the cold water pipes. Nothing seems to have changed. What do you think of them? Janet
I think you're wasting your time. These devices are supposed to somehow rearrange the molecules of calcium and magnesium so they don't produce scale in the pipes; their claims about actually softening the water are usually somewhat vague. These systems were tested years ago by independent labs, and there was no noticeable effect. If you think about it, water rushing past the wire at 40 MPH or so isn't going to be effected in any significant electrochemical fashion. Modern copper and plastic water pipes don't scale up very much anyway.
     Your best bet is to install a traditional sodium-ion-exchange softener. Try to isolate the cold water pipe to the kitchen sink and icemaker away from the softener, since you, the kids, your pets and plants don't need the extra sodium that emanates from the softener. But in the laundry room and tubs and showers, the family will really appreciate soft water.

     Dear Ken: My electric water heater suddenly isn't nearly as efficient as it used to be. Do I have to buy a new one? Tom
     Probably not. Electric water heaters have two heating elements-one high and one low-for both heating and maintaining the set temperature in the tank. They never burn out together. When one goes, the other has to do all the heating and usually can't keep up. If you're comfortable around electricity, you can replace it yourself. Unplug or turn off the breaker to the water heater. Then you'll have to use a small ohmmeter to figure out which one is "open"-that is, burned out. Remove it and carry it to a plumbing supply house or a hardware store for an exact match.
     Remember that the feed to your WH is 240 volts, and you're surrounded by well-grounded water pipes. So, if you have the slightest hesitation about this work, hire a plumber or electrician instead !
Also, a reminder that all water heaters-especially electric ones like yours-need an insulating blanket.

     Dear Ken: I have a basement shower that has a base of those little 1-inch by 1-inch tiles. I'd like a new floor. Can I install new tiles right over the old, or should I remove them? Barb
     I would leave them alone. It will be messy and tedious to dig out the old tiles, and it may create enough damage that you'll have to apply a filler coat anyway. Instead, a tile installer can apply the same filler coating over what you have now. That makes a nice smooth base to support the new tiles. It's a little tricky to extend the drain to the new, higher level, so I would leave this job to a professional.