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Stove vent
Our stove sits partway inside the old fireplace for a range in our kitchen, but it is actually not vented, and the fireplace is sealed. We open the window whenever we use the oven, but even so the fumes are disgusting and it’s uncomfortable to be in the kitchen.
We would like to open the fireplace and install a liner and vent and hook it up to the stove, but we would like the vent to be inside the chimney where it doesn’t show. Does anyone know what kind of vent we would buy, and if this is possible? Also, how do you hook up the oven to the vent? We spoke to Manny LaSalle about it several times and have the impression that around these parts, the standard procedure is to place a standard (ugly) vent right over the stove and there is no oven hookup. Where I am from, every oven is vented from the rear with its own pipe.
Also, our mantle is very low over the stove — about 1.5 feet higher than the stove top.
05/14/2011 8:29 AM
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Air & Water
Two questions:
Our basement is very wet. Swimming pool whenever it rains. I think the problem is coming from the neighbors on both sides, but I am not certain. Who can we call who could take a look and say for sure?
Second, the only ventilation in our cockloft is the bathroom air shaft. I am told that originally the cornice would have had vents. It is insanely hot on the top floor whenever outside temps reach over 90 degrees. Who is the expert to call who can tell us what we should do with our vent setup? And maybe if we should install a fan?
04/29/2011 4:17 PM
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Which New Toilet?
Our toilet tank is leaking. We could repair it or put in a new toilet, will cost about the same. We’re debating between new and salvage. Anyone have experience with salvage or have a new toilet to recommend?
Our tiny bathroom was originally meant to hold a toilet like the one pictured. The tank is on the wall, a few inches higher than the seat. Modern tanks rest directly on the seat. I think that extra inch of space will make our bathroom seem bigger, believe it or not. Anyway, I like the old look. Any suggestions?
03/23/2011 10:45 AM
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Rats in the House
So, we have rats in our cellar and they are getting into the house. We had an exterminator and a contractor out to take a look, and our basement walls look like Swiss cheese. I haven’t yet received an estimate on patching all the holes, but I bet it’s going to be pricey.
Does anyone know if we can just get some concrete and patch the holes between the party walls ourselves? How about regrouting the rubble stone walls? And what would we use for that?
Thank you.
03/15/2011 10:45 AM
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Problems with chimney relining
Hi all –
We had a cracked chimney liner and had fumes coming in through the chimney on the parlor floor. So we had it relined on Wednesday.
Well, the guys who did it got soot all over the house. And we still have fumes (but not as bad).
We have started to put in a claim with our insurance for the soot. Does anyone have any advice about what to do about the soot, the insurance claim, and why we might still be having fumes and what to do about it? Something about the connection, maybe?
This took 1/3 of all our savings, I think I might faint or go insane. I’m ready for a brand-new condo now, but can no longer afford one.
01/28/2011 3:43 PM
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Boiler exhaust fumes in bedroom
Hi — We have what smells like exhaust fumes from the boiler in a back hall and also in a middle bedroom on the second floor. It’s obvious the fumes are coming through some holes in the floor around some pipes that are temporarily open for renovations.
But should this be happening at all? We have three carbon monoxide detectors in the house, all presumably operational (they are new, hardwired, and the green light is on). None have gone off.
Should we be concerned? Should we call our boiler co? The boiler had its routine yearly service in August. If this is not normal, what could the issue be? The fumes don’t appear to be anywhere near a chimney.
01/10/2011 4:21 PM
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Latex Over Oil OK?
Is it OK to put latex paint over oil-based primer?
The fumes are killing me, can’t keep on with the oil-based paint in mid-winter. Thank you.
01/07/2011 1:45 PM
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Faking original windows?
Are wood replacement windows constructed exactly like other types of replacement windows? A frame in a frame?
If you take a look at an original wood window, you will see that the window trim slightly overlaps the sash — there is no additional extra frame.
Replacement windows look funny and have less glass surface than original windows.
Is there some way to install a new replacement window from the outside so the sash is slightly overlapped by the interior molding? And it looks like an original window?
If you check out the Marvin web site, there are no closeups of the windows, so you can’t tell. Very tricky.
11/13/2010 7:28 PM
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What Kind of Windows?
Our replacement vinyl windows, installed by the previous owner sometime in the 90s, are so warped out of shape they don’t close and can’t be fixed, according to two window companies who’ve looked at them.
We have to replace them asap because huge amounts of air come in the one-inch gaps at the window tops during the winter months. (Plastic coverings help a little bit.)
We’d like to get the fancy wood frame Marvin windows now and re-do the facade later when we can save the money. However, it seems after discussing the technical details with installers, that we really need to do both at once. We have vinyl siding, not brownstone.
Does it make sense to get cheaper replacement windows now (about $500 each) and then re-do everything in about five years? The fancy windows are about $1,000 each. (And actually, we can’t afford them now anyway.) And if so, should we get vinyl or aluminum, and who is the best and most affordable installer for these? Thank you!
10/19/2010 9:45 AM
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Bed Stuy’s Ed Towns calls for foreclosure halt
Bed Stuy rep Ed Towns was on Democracy Now calling for a temporary halt in foreclosures.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/12/as_fraud_scandal_grows_white_house
Talking from his experience in Bed Stuy, he said, “People have lost their homes that should not have lost them because the paperwork was done improperly. To walk the steets and listen to people that the only thing they own is their home and to lose it in this fashion and sometimes even almost outright trickery….time out. Let’s get this right, let’s do this right.”
10/12/2010 5:40 PM
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mopar
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM