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I working on 2 sump pump problems. 1) I believe my sump pump was installed too close to the top of the pit. 2) I strongly believe that the pump has been sucking pea gravel installed under the pump.

My pit doesn't appear to have a hard bottom. The house is 50 yrs old. The pit was filled with pea gravel and the pump's base was sitting on a small piece of 2" thick cinder block, 23 inches below the top of the pit.

I dug out the gravel and discovered what I think is the end of the pit's side, 32" below the pit's top. The bottom at this depth is mud. The vertical distance from the pit's bottom to the turn in the pipe is 57". (Pit is 14" across.)

The manual for the pump says that the pump pit should be cleaned out of any rocks, gravel, etc.

So... do I need to put pea gravel in the bottom for some drainage reason? If so, how deep, and do I cover this with a larger piece of block to keep the gravel down? Or can I drop a 12" piece of paver onto the mud?

I have a flower bed, roughly 2'x20', that I want to liven up with some plants--anything, even if just ground cover. The problem is that there is little soil before I hit landscape rocks. They were most likely put there by the previous homeowner.

I think the obvious solution is to dig out the rocks. I have gone out several times with a wagon, intending to take out the rocks. Each time I end up talking myself out of it after seeing how much work it will be. I was wondering if there is something I could plant that doesn't need much depth of soil.

At this time, I have three fairly large flower pots spread out evenly. It's not enough. It's too plain. Any ideas?

I am replacing my dishwasher. The dishwasher power supply, between the box under the counter and the dishwasher, is within a flexible armored sheath. When I disconnected the power from the old dishwasher, I noticed that there was no ground wire. Before I go to the hardware store, I thought I'd ask if anyone knew if I can just buy the correct dishwasher power supply with three wires, connect in the existing box under the cabinet and move on or if this is a more serious complication. When done, I want the installation to be safe, with the three expected wires though the sheath all the way to the dishwasher.

For what it is worth, I have the knowledge and tools to safely replace dimmer switches, etc., but I don't do anything "behind the walls". If this can be done at the box under the sink, I am in business.

When the brakes are applied on a 1999 Toyota Sienna, there is a horrific grinding noise. A pretty loud grinding noise. My strong belief is that the brakes are well past their useful life, and have probably been driven to the point where the repair is going to be expensive.

So, now, before I take it into a shop and "trust" someone to diagnose and repair the problem, I am wondering if I can pull the wheels and see how much damage is involved. Is there anyone who can give me a laundry list of items to look at, what okay/not okay looks like, and... maybe even a very rough cost magnitude if it is known?

For what it is worth, I am not a mechanic but I can easily get a jack take a wheel off and look at things. It sure would be nice to know something when I am dealing with an auto repair shop. At the moment, I am a sitting duck for a dishonest garage.