Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with homemaintenance

Basement water source mystery

miyabo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:57:27 -0800

How is water getting into my basement? I discovered a substantial amount (~20-30 gallons) of water in a puddle in my basement. I haven't been in the basement in a week, so there might have been more, and it either went down the drain or evaporated.

I figure the water may be coming from seepage through a hidden crack in the wall, from the basement drain (which is near the puddle), or from the water main.

It's been raining a lot here lately, which points to seepage. But the walls and floor don't have any visible cracks, and the walls are completely dry.

The water main is suspiciously near the puddle, and looks old and corroded (green). It's even slightly damp on the outside. But it isn't actively leaking.

The basement drain is also near the puddle. Can seemingly clean water come out of a sewer drain when it rains?

We don't have gutters, so it's not a gutter issue.

Should I call a plumber for the water main, for the drain, pile up more dirt against the outside wall, or just live with it?

Thanks! This is really bothering me.

Will American Home Shield replace my AC? Any good home warranty companies?

roaring beast — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:23:25 -0800

Can I expect American Home Shield or any other home warranty company to replace my A/C when it dies? Are there any other good, reliable home warranty companies out there? My current contract with AHS is about to run out. I have a 25+ year old A/C unit that probably doesn't have much time left. I also have a 12 year old water heater. After reading many reviews like these I am wondering if AHS will actually pay for a new unit. The warranty is supposed to cover these items, but it seems like most people either get excuses or are blamed for poor maintenance. Have you ever actually gotten a unit like this replaced? Should I renew my contract?

It looks like pretty much all the other reviews for home warranties are just as bad. Are there any home warranty companies that are actually good?

How many [x] does it take to change a lightbulb?

BorgLove — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:54:52 -0800

How can I change this lightbulb? I've got track lighting in my kitchen with three of these lamps:

http://humancargo.net/IMG_4913.jpg

Two have now burnt out, and it's time to take action! But I can't for the life of me figure out how to change these out. And I'm normally pretty handy. I know that metal ring can be pinched and removed, thus removing the glass disc it holds in place, but that's as far as I can get. The metal casing looks like it's in two halves, but they won't separate, even if I remove those nuts holding the thing into the bracket. What the deal with that? Any tips would be appreciated!

If it helps, I think that's known as a 'SoLux' bulb? But no guarantees. Thanks!

Help me keep my hot water heater from exploding

GlowWyrm — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:57:56 -0800

What do I need to know to check my temperature and pressure release valve of my electric water heater? I just got a home maintenance book that says hot water heaters can explode if the pressure release valve becomes inoperable. I check one website and it says to check it every 6 months. Talk to another person and they say I'm about to make a huge mistake by checking it at all.

I've owned my home for 3 years and the TPV has never been checked and I don't know if it was ever checked by the previous owners. The hot water heater (around 15 years old probably) is in the attic right above my daughter's bedroom. Therefore I'd rather end up with a leak into her bedroom versus a huge explosion above her bedroom.

So hivemind, what do I need to know in order to do this properly...especially if there is anything you learned about doing this that might be skipped over in home maintenance books and diy websites?

Bonus points for anyone that has stories of an explosion or near explosion that happened to them or someone they know. (Mostly so I can show this person that told me not to check it because they never explode that yes, sometimes they do)

Thanks for your help :)

What do you do for spring cleaning?

hazyspring — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:38:06 -0800

What do you do for spring cleaning? Specifically along the lines of either cleaning, home maintenance, or yard work. It's my first spring in my new home. I'm probably going to clean the windows and I haven't thought further along than that. What do you do?

What kind of radiators do I have, and how do I fix them?

schroedinger — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:33:18 -0800

What kind of radiators are in my house, and how do I fix them? They're broke, it's cold, and the radiators are so old I can't find any information about them on Google! Pictures here. I live in an old rowhouse. It has oil heat and uses radiators, really, really old radiators. I've been here for a few years, and the heating has gotten progressively worse--some radiators remain cold all winter, others are sporadic in whether or not they turn on.

I have talked with my landlady, but I don't think she knows what kind of radiators they are any more than we do. She said two years ago the oil company cleaned the boiler and bled it, whatever that means (though from what I remember the radiators weren't any warmer, and a few remained completely broken). She suggested the individual radiators needed bleeding, but I don't think our radiators are the bleedin' kind. It's my understanding that bleeding individual radiators requires a key, as well as a place to put the key. We don't have key-holes on our radiators, just things that look like they could be pressure valves but don't release even when fully unscrewed. There are also these things attached to the floor.

Can anyone tell us what these things are and how we take care of them? I would like to have a better idea of their operation so we don't just call for the oil company again--I get the feeling they weren't quite sure what kind of radiators we had either and just threw my landlady a bunch of BS when they were "fixing" it a two years ago.

Help me make sure I don't freeze the old orange tailfeathers off this winter.

orange swan — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:44:32 -0800

I need to have annual maintenance done on my furnace. Can any Toronto-area MeFites recommend a company or person for this job? Also, what kind of price range can I expect? Send contact information to the email address in my profile if you do not wish to make it public. Thanks.

What's Eating My House?

alms — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 14:25:36 -0800

Something has been nibbling on the window sashes in my attic. Do you know what it is?

Deck maintenance

adampsyche — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 08:50:23 -0800

Adventures in suburbia! I have a deck. Apparently, decks need maintenance, and mine sure needs to be power washed. Is this something that I can do (I'm about as un-handy as it gets)? If I do undertake this task, is there anything that I should know/look out for so that I don't leave a path of destruction?