Weekly Columns

Both current and archived weekly newspaper columns. The date of the column and a teaser of the column appears below. Click on the date to see the entire column.

August 30, 2010

             Dear Ken:   You told a guy on your show not to buy a tankless water heater.  I have one, and I love the endless hot water .  Why are you so against them?  Dennis

August 23, 2010

              Dear Readers:    We've got some more rain in our future over the next several weeks, so I'd like to review some basics about your gutter and downspout system.   The output of the downspout pipes must be run well away from your foundation-much farther than those "flip-up" extenders that came with the house will allow.  They are fine until you install your landscaping, but should be discarded after that and replaced with solid--not perforated--3-inch black flex pipe.  Why?  Those...

August 16, 2010

             Dear Ken:  I have a main floor washer and dryer set-up.  I get this awful smell when the washing machine runs.  Any ideas?    Tom

            Look under both machines with a strong flashlight;  I bet you'll see a floor drain.  When the washer dumps into the plumbing system, it pushes air out of the way, and that's what produces the sewer gas smell you complain of.  There is a trap in the drain piping...

August 9, 2010

            Dear Ken:   I'm having trouble with my water heater.  When I run my whole house fan, the pilot goes out.  It's been getting worse the last few summers.  Any ideas?   Tim

August 2, 2010

            Dear Ken:  We recently purchased a new dishwasher.  We got rid of the old one because it was leaving a powdery film on the glasses.  Now this one does the same thing.   Have you heard of this?      Tina

July 26, 2010

            Dear Ken:  I live in a very windy area east of the Springs.  We have wind and dust coming in under the walls, through the outlets and also the heat vents.  I'm afraid we're wasting lots of energy.   How can we get to the bottom of this?  Monika

July 19, 2010

 

           Dear Ken:    When the sprinkler system shuts off, we notice a big clunk in the water heater.  What do you think is going on?     Doug

July 12, 2010

              Dear Ken:  My deck is older, so some of the joists are starting to deteriorate.  Do I have to rebuild the whole thing?     Tom

June 28, 2010

            Dear Ken:  I hired a handyman to do a roof replacement.  The roof now leaks and will not pass inspection, but I can't get a hold of him.  What do I do now?   John

June 21, 2010

Dear Ken:   I have those hard calcium buildups around my faucets.  I've tried everything.  Any other ideas besides replacing them?    Eleanor

               Have you tried steam?   You can buy small, portable steamers at home      centers, linen stores and even on the Web.  They are quite effective when     all else fails for these pesky hard water stains.