It’s a dark and stormy night. You flick on the halllight, plug in the coffee maker and crank up the portable electric heater.You’re starting to feel comfy, when you hear a faint, yet omino...Full Article
The Next Generation Are you tired of a bath fan that roarslike a jet but doesn’t clear your mirror so you can shave or put onmakeup? For a...Full Article
When your single-handle shower faucet drips and drips, refusing to completely turn off, don’t assume you have to replace the whole faucet. Most faucets can be repaired in an hour for less than $...Full Article
When a copper water pipe corrodes and leaks, or bursts from freezing, you have to fix it fast. If the leak is pinhole-sized and less than 1/2 in. of pipe must be removed, you can make the repair by cu...Full Article
Fit It Yourself to Save Money The drip,drip, drip of a leaking tub faucet is a constant reminder to fix it. Goahead—you’ll love the ...Full Article
Pull-chain light fixtures are handy for basements and storage areas—until they quit working. The internal switchmechanism can wear out, or pulling too hard on the cord can snap the chain or comp...Full Article
Q. My plumbing pipes bang when I shut off the faucets. A friend recommended that I solder in vertical, capped 12-in. lengths of copper pipe in the water lines. Before I go through that ...Full Article
Q. Help. Our hair dryer keeps tripping the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. What is causing this, and how can I end this frustration?Click image to enlarge.A. The cause is either a...Full Article
Q We own a 27-year-old home on a heavily wooded lot. Tree roots between the house and city sewer line clog our sewer line about every two years, requiring a call to “Roto-Rooter̶...Full Article
Click image to enlarge.Click image to enlarge.Q When I was installing a light fixture recently, I noticed a warning that it should beattached to electrical wires rated for 90 degrees Celsi...Full Article
When an outlet goes dead, it’s easy to jump toconclusions and assume the worst. But more often than not, the problem issomething simple, and you can save the cost of a service call just by takin...Full Article
Click image to enlarge.Q Can you connect copper joints with two-part epoxy resin instead of using heat and solder? It seems like it would be much easier and safer and less leak-prone.A ...Full Article
Click image to enlarge.Q. While replacing the plug on a lamp cord, I wasn’t sure which wire to hook to the fat prong, so I guessed. The lamp seems to work fine, but maybe I lucky and ...Full Article
Safe Wiring Whether you’re rewiring or adding more wiringto an older garage, or running wires in a new garage, you have a decision tomake....Full Article
Q The light over my basement stairs is controlled only by a switch at the top of the stairs. I would like to control the light with three-way switches at the top and bottom of the stairs, but I don...Full Article
You shut the door. It doesn’t latch, or you have to lift the handle to get it to latch. This door problem is getting on your nerves—why not spend five minutes to fix it? First try tighteni...Full Article
Window and Door HeadersThese wooden “bridges” let us create lots ofbig openings without weakening the walls.Whether remodeling, adding on orbuilding“from scratch,” we take grea...Full Article
How to evaluate old ones andselect new ones Q. Many of thewindows in my 1964 home are a hassle to open and they don’t close tightly. Isit time to chuck them and buy all new windows?Click image ...Full Article
Over time, many doors get heavy use, causing the hinge screws to strip out and the hinges to loosen. Once this happens, the door ceases to swing smoothly and may require lifting and pushing to get it ...Full Article
Free yourself of the hassles of a broken bifold door faster than a fish fleeing a net. Often, heavily used bifold doors wobble and don’t work because the top pivot has broken loose. We stumbled ...Full Article
