Repair hole in Drywall
Q How do I repair a hole that is four-inches-by-six-inches and eight-inches-by-12-inches in the drywall of my kitchen wall?
A The easiest and most effective repair for the do-it-yourselfer is to purchase a kit at your local Building Supply store. The kit has everything you’ll need and eliminates having to purchase a sheet of drywall and the other individual products needed to do the repair.
Larger holes may be patched by cutting the drywall out from stud to stud to allow for nailing. Place nailer blocks at the top and bottom between of the hole to bridge the gap between the studs. Cut the drywall to fit the opening and nail, tape and fill. Sand between coats, prime and paint.
Maintaining and Replacing Baseboard Heaters
Q We are replacing some of our electric baseboard heaters. Would you give us the name of the better, most efficient heaters on the market? Do you have tips on maintaining the baseboard heaters working fine in the rest of the units?
A Electric convection heaters do come in a number of sizes/wattages, as well as standard styles. The “Convectair” unit can be installed in the same location as the existing heaters. They will be more energy efficient than baseboard heaters and distribute the heat in the room more efficiently and evenly. Retailers in your area will be listed on their website at www.convectair.ca.
To clean the existing baseboard heaters: Start by shutting the power off at the panel to all heaters. Then take off the metal front housing that covers the heating element. Use a brush attachment to gently vacuum the element’s fins. Once they’re clean, use needle-nosed pliers to gently straighten any that are crooked, bent or damaged by improper vacuuming. Then snap the panel back on. Replace all the old thermostats with programmable thermostats, i.e. Honeywell Electric Baseboard Heater Thermostat model No. CT1950A. The old thermostats used for many electric baseboards are not energy efficient. When purchasing thermostats look for the energy star rated models.
Solving noisy gutter drips
Q We live in a three-storey building. The downspout comes from the roof down five metres to a metal elbow and then another downspout to the ground. When there is a slow trickle of water off the roof running down the five-metre drop onto this elbow there is the noise of water hitting tin. In the quiet of the night it is loud and constant, keeping everyone on that side of the building awake. We have tried to deaden the sound by stuffing things into the elbow but to date have not been successful. Your suggestions will make us very happy.
A This is a common problem for those who sleep lightly. We call it “gutter drip.”
There are two ways that this can be eliminated.
The first way is to use a heavy one-inch galvanized link chain and a six-inch galvanized gutter spike. Measure the length of chain required to enter at the eave location, down the down pipe to the elbow at the bottom. Slip the six-inch galvanized spike through the chain link and allow the chain to go down the pipe and out the bottom. The gutter spike will bridge the gap holding the chain in place. Move the chain on the spike so it comes to rest on the downpipe where the water enters the pipe. The idea is that the water will run down the chain, breaking the free- fall drip. The second method is to cut 1/4-inch screen galvanized hardware cloth in widths to enter the downpipe at the bottom elbow. The pieces should be at least three feet long. Bend it into an accordion shape every three-inches and push up the down pipe from the bottom securing it at the bottom with a galvanized metal screw and washer. The water flow will be broken up at the bottom of the free fall.
