Got home from work, found my fridge is not working. Any troubleshooting I can do while waiting for the landlord?
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posted by lholladay
on Nov 10, 2009 -
9 answers
I have a cast iron valve on a basement water (cold supply) line that is leaking. It's an antique so there is no repacking it and in a fairly inaccessible location so cutting it out and replacing it is bound to be an expensive nightmare involving a real. This valve is redundant and does not need to be functional.
I was wondering if there is a product (I'm thinking a gooey oakum type thing) that I can wrap around the valve stem to form a seal? This will have to work in a wet environment as there is no way to turn the water off before the leaky valve.
posted by cedar
on Oct 6, 2009 -
13 answers
Plumbing filter: When I'm running the shower, the cold water handle creeps up by itself until the water is tepid. How do I fix it?
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posted by cgs
on Jun 25, 2009 -
4 answers
My hot water heater is leaking a very small amount of water. It looks like it only happens when hot water is used. Who do I call about this and how serious is this?
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posted by hazyspring
on Apr 6, 2009 -
25 answers
lI have a through-the-wal air conditioning unit. How do I stop the cold air outside from coming in through the cracks?
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posted by kmtiszen
on Jan 27, 2009 -
8 answers
Appliance Repair For Dummies Filter: Is there anything we can do to get our fridge to, y'know, refrigerate things?
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posted by grapefruitmoon
on Sep 1, 2008 -
9 answers
What can we do to get out from under a lemon of a house? About 10 years ago, we bought a house that was a DIY fixer-upper with some serious issues. 10 years of graduate school poverty coupled with a couple of major illnesses that limited physical activity hindered our ability to make more than just the basic repairs. Now the house is even worse, and a new job has forced us to make an out-of-state move.
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posted by KirkJobSluder
on Aug 25, 2008 -
12 answers
The phone jack of myth and legend: I'm looking for "A 4-conductor jack with Type 43A mounting bracket attached." In
white, not hideous horrible old school beige.
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posted by Teira
on Jun 30, 2008 -
9 answers
Home Repair Filter: Does anyone know of a window repair contractor in Baltimore who'll do spiral sash balance repair?
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posted by kalessin
on May 11, 2008 -
9 answers
What's the best home-repair / fixit manual for someone with little-to-no experience in such matters? Also, web sites and / or blogs in the same vein?
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posted by dersins
on Apr 25, 2008 -
19 answers
What electrical event killed my wife's laptop and printer? We connected the printer to the laptop and...fireworks!
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posted by ransom
on Jan 24, 2008 -
7 answers
Diplomacy Filter: How can I tell my aquaintence/contractor/fellow club member that he overcharged me for some home repairs.
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posted by Xurando
on Sep 29, 2007 -
16 answers
So our garage door opener was randomly opening and I think I've solved it, but the real question is, how do I test it without leaving ourselves open to the world?
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posted by advicepig
on Sep 5, 2007 -
13 answers
Please recommend a Seattle roofing company that would do a good job inspecting our residential roof and making minor repairs (cleaning off moss, adding zinc strip, etc).
posted by reeddavid
on Aug 30, 2007 -
1 answer
The movers put a big gouge in my living room ceiling. This is sad and annoying, but leads to a burning question: what the hell kind of ceiling do I have?
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posted by gleuschk
on Aug 24, 2007 -
4 answers
How should I treat burn marks in a bathroom laminate counter top so that my corporate landlord doesn't ding me? Any advice before I start into it with sandpaper, chisels and paint?
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posted by GPF
on Aug 8, 2007 -
15 answers
How to fix acoustic ceiling panels and their light fixtures. Our low basement ceiling (maybe 6' high) is a frequent casualty of college parties and the drunken men that attend them. Panels are knocked out and two fixtures have fallen. What to do?
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posted by schroedinger
on May 15, 2007 -
2 answers
My wife and I put in an offer on a house for $187,000, which was accepted by the sellers. However, the inspector found a major problem that will cost about $22,000 to fix.
What's a fair counter-offer given this problem?
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posted by jay_wiese
on Feb 14, 2007 -
30 answers
So, I just skewered my refrigerator.
The buildup of ice in the freezer was so awful I had to use something sharp to chip it away. Imagine my surprise when a small eruption sprays white, chemical-smelling gas at me!
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posted by conch soup
on Jan 1, 2007 -
26 answers
Homerepairfilter: a light bulb blows out. The glass and metal part separate. How do I get the metal part out so I can replace the bulb?
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posted by Famous
on Jun 6, 2006 -
21 answers
Why don't string trimmers use wire instead of plastic? My guess is that with wire in there, it's like a surburban guy in shorts and flipflops walking around the yard waving around a little tablesaw, but is it really that much more dangerous than plastic if it should strike flesh? You're pretty much flayed either way, right? Is it a safety issue or something else?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders
on Aug 27, 2005 -
11 answers
Where can I find good electricians, plumbers, handymen, and whatnot in Baltimore? Is there a centralized resource where people can find out who's good, who's cheap, whose repair work is going to need repairing by another contractor, etc etc? Must one rely on word-of-mouth or blindly picking a name from the phonebook?
posted by schroedinger
on Aug 8, 2005 -
4 answers
Currently in the middle of a major deck renovation and a question occurs to me: is there a better way to remove the old joist brackets?
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posted by yerfatma
on Jun 13, 2005 -
8 answers
RenovationFilter: We just bought an old library out on the great plains. Yes, library. But that's not the point. It's a wonderful, hundred-year-old brick building. The floors are beautiful, straight-grained, old-growth fir. Unfortunately....
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posted by dersins
on Jun 10, 2005 -
27 answers
My tub was/is moldy. Out of frustration over smell and look, I decided tonight to take care of it and destroy the offending mold for the 90th time. I've had really bad luck with caulk in the past and I don't think I'm up to spending another 6 hours thoroughly cleaning it when the caulk I've been using fails again.
What are your recommendations? Both for caulk types and caulking tips? [more inside]
posted by tozturk
on May 24, 2005 -
10 answers
Recently, when I turn on my shower in the morning, the water runs clear for a few minutes, then a spurt of black inky water comes out for anywhere from two to 10 seconds, then it starts running clear again. I haven't noticed this with any of my other faucets/water sources. What might be causing that black water (I assume something's collecting in the pipes somewhere) and is it something I should be worried about? As a side note, my hard, hard water does seem to eat through my plumbing like it was made of spun sugar.
posted by willnot
on Apr 28, 2005 -
2 answers
In trying to fix the joint where my wall meets up with my shower, I wrecked my wall. What do I need to do to fix it?
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posted by willnot
on Mar 6, 2005 -
3 answers