Flood from the Washer Hose!

Inside a washing machine drain hose connection point, showing a white corrugated drain hose with a red seal mounted in a recessed access panel.

Flood From the Washer Hose What is the number one source of water damage inside a home? It’s not tornadoes, rainstorms or hurricanes. It’s a broken washing machine hoses. Left undetected, a broken washer supply hose can quickly flood a home. Check your washer’s hoses periodically. If there are any signs of bulging or leakage, […]

Your Nose Knows It’s Time to Clean the Disposal

Hands servicing a garbage disposal unit mounted under a kitchen sink

Eeuuww – what’s that smell in the kitchen? Yuck, it’s from the sink. It smells like sewage or rotten food. The sink looks clean, and you try flushing lots of water down the drain. You run the garbage disposal, and it works fine. The smell persists. What should you do? The smell could be caused […]

Polarity? What’s That?

Plugging in: A hand connects a black power cord to a white electrical outlet mounted on the wall.

Polarity? What’s That? You just had your new home inspected, and the inspector found “reversed polarity” at several electrical outlets some amateur had added. You know you need to fix this, but what is that reversed polarity stuff? Electricity flows through wires like water through a hose. Pressure pushes water through a hose; energy pushes […]

Soot on the Walls

Abstract streaks of light and shadow on a weathered surface, creating a dreamlike interplay of beige, brown and white tones

Soot On The Walls What’s with those ghostly gray stains on the outside corners of the ceiling and walls? The stains outline the stud framing, and they even seem darker where there are nails in the drywall. Most ghostly outlines like this are caused by soot in the air. Soot collects at framing, under doors, […]

What’s Your Outlet IQ?

Electrical outlet installation in progress, with hands carefully connecting wires to a duplex receptacle mounted in a blue junction box

What’s Your Electrical Outlet IQ? Remember that home inspection you arranged before purchasing your home? The inspector tested electrical outlets and talked about correcting problems. You purchased the home but not have gotten around to correcting the outlet problems. You can perform some basic testing with a simple outlet tester as pictured here. Most have […]

Can Lights? Make Them Green

Modern kitchen workspace illuminated by warm LED strip lighting, featuring a wooden countertop, water filter, sink, and under-cabinet power outlets against exposed brick walls.

Can Lights – Make Them Green & Energy Efficient Can lights or recessed ceiling lights are a standard design feature in modern residential construction. They are also common in older custom-built homes. They provide a unique lighting pattern without the glare of a fixture, but they may also waste energy. You have several options when […]

Tune Your Refrigerator for High Performance

Modern white kitchen featuring an open stainless steel refrigerator stocked with fresh produce, alongside built-in appliances and sleek black countertops.

Tune Your Refrigerator for High Performance The refrigerator is among the most neglected of household appliances because usually, it runs forever with little repair. However, it often consumes the most electricity in your home’s appliances. You can improve the performance and extend the life of your refrigerator with simple maintenance. The condenser coil of a […]

A Ton of Cooling

Cool air streams elegantly from a wall-mounted air conditioner, creating visible currents that dance with the light sheer curtains in a minimalist white room.

A Ton of Cooling – Indoor Air Conditioning Ever hear of a two- or three-ton central air conditioner? Does that mean a two-ton air conditioner weighs 4,000 pounds? Is the term related to cooling capacity, or is it a random term that tech folks use to impress us? When engineer Joe Cool (at least I […]

Fix That Wobbling Ceiling Fan

White ceiling fan mounted on a clean white ceiling, simple and minimal design

Fix That Wobbling Ceiling Fan Wobbling ceiling fans are not safe to use. If a ceiling fan in your home shows excessive wobble, stop using it until you can get it fixed. Fans are dangerous if not installed and operated correctly. Many fans wobble because they have loose parts or need to be balanced. Find […]

Squeak, Squeak in the Hardwood Floor

Rustic wooden planks with rich brown tones and natural grain patterns forming a horizontal slatted background texture

Flooring of all types has the potential for squeaks. Floor framing dries and shrinks, and squeaks occur as fasteners become loose, allowing movement in the subfloor and framing. Hardwood floors are known for this quality as they dry during the winter. Hardwood squeaks have actually been a common problem for five decades — the solution, […]