sam

 I recently bought a house and knew it had a sump pit but no pump. I do not get water in basement(yet) so figured it's not an issue. I am having a plumber come in the spring to put in pump and pipes to drain it outside. And radon mitigation. Water does come into the pit and twice I have pumped it to the laundry tub. The water has never gone over the pit. My gut feeling is the old owners had a sump pump and pumped it to the drain or tub.I could do this until spring.  I just noticed one of the drains into the pit has a bottle in it.This bottle fits tightly blocking the drain hose.  No idea why the old owners did this. Should I remove it? I'm worried it will flood with water, but is it doing damage if the water isn't draining into the pit?

My son thinks it is a lower element and is coming to town to fix it but can't get here for 2 weeks. I am fine with the amount of hot water--but is it safe to use or are there problems I could cause by postponing repairs.

I need to work on my valley on my roof due to ice dams and leaks. My son is going to come work on it so I called the power company to come over as the power/electric line to the house is inches from the area he needs to work on---they told me it is fine to touch the wire. I didn't believe him so he came over and said unless there is a nick in the wire it is ok to touch and he took his metal tools and hit the wire. I am still afraid to have my son work on it. The wire has been there for decades so I am worried with all of our ice storms that there could be a "nick".

I bought a home that sat vacant for at least 4 years---the owner was in a nursing home and always thought he would return to his house. His family used baseboard heaters to keep pipes from freezing in the winter rather than use the furnace. The tank is in the basement----is about 3/4 full----so I would like to use it if it is still good. If not---I am not sure what to do with it---as no one will remove it. I have had the furnace examined and it is in excellent shape.

I am 58, widower, and I have a huge house in need of repairs in a very nice area of town---a few updates and it would greatly increase in value. My son, wife, and child live in a very small home in excellent shape. We will be swapping homes soon---but keep original bills---my home is paid for---they have a mortgage they continue to pay. We will swap for about 5 years. For living in my large home---they want to remodel it---I will pay for these costs--but they provide all the labor. In 5 years I either move back to my home or sell it----as they will do. Question-----does my homeowners insurance cover them----since I am still the homeowner? No exchange of money or rental takes place.

I have an older home. About 20 years ago, I had drain tile put in my basement---due to driveways on both side of the house----they dug up the basement and put the drain tile inside the house. It worked great until this year----it leaks in the basement only in one corner. The company that placed it is not longer in business. I called another company and they said that since that corner is the farthest from the sump pump---that maybe it is too much water sometimes to get to the sump pump. But now it leaks in that corner and side of house even from the melting snow-----there is no water in the sump pump. Can I chip away the cement---look for a blockage----and replace the cement? What would I look for?

I was recently visiting a friend at his apartment. We heard sirens and looked out---and saw a car on fire next to my motorcycle. The car was totalled as was my motorcyle and another car had damage. The car on fire----his insurance won't pay---they say it was a mechanical failure---and they don't have to pay.

I bought a NuCool dorm fridge---no coolant, no compressor. I read reviews---some said it was great---some it didn't cool. Mine cooled great for 3-4 days. I checked it over the weekend--it was 65 degrees and the fans were not blowing. I unplugged it and plugged it back in---it seemed to work---the next morning---it stopped again. I took it to a different home and plugged it in--to make sure it wasn't my dorm electrical problem ---the next morning---about 24 hours later---it stopped again---. It appeared to be about 45-50 degrees so I figured it had recently stopped---fans not blowing and no interior light. I unplugged it and plugged it in---it works fine all day.--but stops after 24 hours. Any ideas? I plan to return it this weekend if I can't figure it out.

Twenty five years ago, we put an additon on our house & a deck.We had a contractor & builidng permits.My husband died during the construction, & I remember little about it as I was finishing school & had 3 children under 5.The city came around last week to reassess my house---they have permits for the addition, but not the deck.I have no paperwork. Although they said they will most likely charge me for two previous years, & not 25, I am still very worried.They are sending someone next week to check that the deck is up to code---my railings are 35" & what I saw on line says they must be 36". I don't know what to do---I am also worried that they may make me pay huge fines or something.My son called and said he could come & put an additional 1" board on top of the existing railing & stain it to match. I am hoping that is enough.They sounded like they are going to make this difficult--the first guy I spoke to said I will have to take it down & pay thousands in back taxes & fines.This is ND

I just received my new home assessment----it went up $50,000 when property in my area is going down and not selling. They are coming in 2 weeks as I requested a new assessment. What do they look for? Does a toilet and sink (that haven't worked in 20 years) in an unfinished room in the basement with a cracked concrete floor count as a bathroom. I should take it out (I am 68 year old female) but son says a buyer would like the fact that a finished bath could be put in. Is a 2 story home assessed more than a 1 1/2 story? Do rooms in the basement count as bedrooms if there is no egress window? Does it matter if roof leaks and basement floods during storms? Just what will they look for when they come in my home? Sam

My 8 yr. husky has major health problems on paper, but due to a great vet and balancing meds,she is very healthy.She was diagnosed 2 years ago with Atkins disease and takes prednisone.This winter her skin got black spots,hairloss, and a dandruff-like condition---no odor, and no itching. We lowered her dosage to 2.5mg twice a day down to once a day.She seemed to be doing fine. The vet suggested 2.5 mg every other day, except during stressful times. Shortly after, she got conjunctivitis.She has had prednisolone drops and triple ointment twice a day---it seemed to clear up. I gave it for 5 days, then 3 days of once a day.Now it is returning. I had also rinsed eyes with diluted salt water---I also stopped that. I do not know if the lower dosage of prednisone is relevant.Vet says to continue the meds twice a day for 10 days--then 5 days once a day, and then stop. I will make an appointment if it returns. Any advice? I thought maybe if was food allergies--so am going grain free. Benadryl?

I have a 1993 Toyota Camry with 100,000 miles on it. I love the car and have had no problems. However, I know things don't last forever. I would like to put off buying a new car for a few years. I noticed last winter that when I first started the car--it was difficult to steer. It only happened when it was about 20 below--above zero it was fine. But only for a few feet or the first turn and then it was fine. After the winter was over, it worked fine and I forgot about it. It returned this winter. Now that it has warmed up however, it still occurs. It has a slight squeeking sound and is difficult to turn. However, after I go a block or two it is fine. Steering fluid level is fine. Any suggestions where to start looking? And if it is a major problem is a 1993 car worth fixing?

I had a root canal about a year and a half ago. I had a bridge last summer--about 9 months ago. I need another root canal on same tooth, and bridge will be no good as tooth structure will change. I should say that I had a bridge put on at time of root canal, and after a couple months, the dentist determined my bite was off and made the lab make another one for free--that was put on last summer. Should I have to pay for another one? My insurance will pay nothing. They expect the root canals to last 2 years, and the bridge to last 10. Both my dentist and the endodondist are highly qualified and are very good at what they do. Maybe I should just have the tooth pulled--it is the back anchor for the bridge and then I would just have the one remaining tooth crowned. Any ideas?

My 7 year old dog was diagnosed with Addisons 2 years ago---after a near death experience of going into schock. She has a nasty skin tumor---vet thinks is benign---but is growing and must be removed. She has surgery tomorrow (will be put under), and vet said not to give her medication tomorrow. However, all the sites I read---say the medication is important and should never be skipped. I worry she will be especially hyper and nervous at the vet. Any suggestions?

I am having Easter dinner at my house. Due to different church and work obligations---people will be arriving and leaving over about a 4 hour period. I also have people who need to leave town early afternoon for their homes out of state, as well as people arriving later in the afternoon.

It is going to be 25 below zero tonight---I have a heavy duty extension cord to plug in my car. However, it is very difficult to plug in and almost impossible to unplug. What can I do that is safe. I bought a 2 prong grounding adapter and that worked great. However, on the box it states not to use outdoors, that the grounding tab must be fastened, and not to use where wet. None of these work in this situation. Any suggestions would be great. I tried another heavy duty extension cord which is necessary for outdoor use in snow when so cold. It was hard to unplug also. thanks, sam

My one year old daughter almost always has coughing fits in her sleep. It doesn't seem to matter if she has a cold or not, although it is worse when she is sick. The pediatrician has checked this 5 or 6 times and advises a clean room with a humidifier which we have done---and we have no pets.

She even had a chest x-ray to make sure everything was fine.

We tried to raise one end of the crib---but she rolls around so much that she ends up at the opposite end. We have a humidifier and a vicks vaporizer and have tried both. We put vicks for kids or infant rub on her chest. We have tried small amounts of cough medicine---nothing works. Any suggestions?

She has actually seen a variety of doctors---our regular pediatrician as well as doctors on call.