Q I have a wood stove in my great room with a heat pump return in the ceiling about 7 feet from the stovepipe.
I have another return in the hallway, which is about 15 to 18 feet from the return in the great room. When the door to the bedroom that is next to the return in the hallway is closed, there is an odor of smoke that comes from the heat vents in the great room.
I would think it is related to the wood stove, but it happens when the stove is not in use and is cleaned out. Do you have any idea what this could be?
A It is the wood stove. No matter how well the stove is cleaned, the odor of burned wood will remain. It took eight years after its conversion to gas before our living room fireplace didn’t smell of smoke periodically. Since you obviously use the wood fireplace, that won’t happen.
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Q There are 27 balconies with wrought-iron railings on my condo building. The railings are to be scraped, sanded and repainted. The building was built in 1964, and, of course, the railings have been repainted numerous times.
We have no idea whether lead paint was ever used on the railings in the previous coats of paint. The railings were always scraped before painting, but that process rarely gets off every shred of old paint.
Must the railings be tested for lead paint before the new scraping begins? One resident insists that they must, so that we are not guilty of sending showers of lead paint into the air during the next scraping.
A I would guess not, and if the railings had been scraped and repainted numerous times, any remaining lead paint would be minimal.
The issue of lead outdoors would be less (about) its filling the air and more (about) its contaminating the ground.
The painters you hire should be experienced and well aware of environmental issues. I’d test a few of the 27 railings to check for lead. That might be enough to ease the resident’s concerns.
Q We had a new water line put in before we moved into our 100-year-old house, and the pressure is good. However, owing to the fluctuation in water temperature, we cannot shower when the dishwasher is on, for example, or even when someone else is showering. What can we do to get constant water temperature in our home?
A If your dishwasher had a booster heater, you could set your water heater at 120 degrees, and still allow your dishwasher to reach the necessary 140 degrees, the California Energy Commission suggests.
You may need a bigger water heater or need to add an on-demand heater for your shower.
Season’s cleanings
From Electrolux, the vacuum cleaner manufacturer, here are some ways to get the house tidy for the holidays:
Weeks ahead: Deep clean furniture upholstery and drapes to remove dust and stains; clean out refrigerator shelves to make room for storing holiday dishes.
One week before: Groom areas that guests see first, such as hallways and entryways, by shaking out welcome mats and sweeping area rugs.
One day before: Use a vacuum’s crevice tool to clean seams and between couch cushions; sweep floors, and wipe off countertops and cooking appliances.
E-mail questions for Al Heavens to [email protected].