Evening star., 1940-10-12
First Aid
For the
Aiing House
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.


9. We have a septic tank and
would like to know if using drain
cleaning chemical would in any way
injure the chemical reaction OF
same. The drains seem sluggish.
A. A large quantity of the cheml-
cal may destroy the bacterial action
of the sewage matter in the tank.
Before attempting to use the drain
cleaner try cleaning out the traps
and flush the drains with boiling
water. If it is necessary to use
the drain cleaner, clean the drain
of only one fixture in any one day,
so that the chemical will be diluted.
After using the cleaner flush with
plenty of clear water.
Tankless Water Heater.
@. have heard of people having
trouble with tanklesS hOt-water
coils. My officiating man is ad-
vising me to have one installed on
my boiler. He claims that if prop
erly installed they are more efficient
than the hot-Water storage tank
type. Would you advise me?
A. If the unit is properly Installed
and the boiler has sufficient surplus
heating capacity to furnish instant
hot water at all times, l see no
reason why this method of water
heating should not prove salts
factory and efficient. This method
of heating eliminates waiting for
water to heat up in tank.
Removing Chewing Gum.
O. How can chewing gum be re-
moved from an expensive WOOL rug
without harm to color?
A. After a thorough soaking with
carbon tetrachloride lift the gum
with knife blade. The remaining
traces of the gum can be removed
by wiping with the same chemical.
Cement Birdbath.
O. We have a cement birdbath in
the country, which is too porous to
retain the water for any length
of time. Is there any treatment
for the inside of the bowl which
will correct this fault and at the
same time not injure the birds?
A. A small area such as a bird
bath can be waterproofed by paint
ing with a solution of one-quarter
pound of shaved paraffin in a quart
of clear gasoline, at time when
the bath is thoroughly dry. Be very
careful of fire. All gasoline must
be evaporated before filling the
bath with water.
Water for Concrete.
O. intend building bungalow
on Long Island. What would be
the results and bad effect of using
ocean water (salt water to mix in
concrete?
A. Sea water is never used for
from satisfactory. Water used in
mixing concrete should be clean,
free from oil, alkali and acid; water
that Is fit for drinking.
Laying Dust.
O. What can I use to lay the dust
In my dogs yard? have tried grass
and even weeds. but a 50-pound
Airedale discourages the growth of
anything.
A. You can lay the dust with CAL
cium chloride. which is inexpensive.
Scatter the fakes on the ground
In the proportion of about pound
to the square yard and spray lightly
with water: the flakes will dissolve
instantly and form a crust with the
dust. With the formation of this
crust the chemical will do no harm
to your dogs paws, nor is it poison
Gus. The dog should not be turned
into the yard until the flakes have
disappeared. You will probably need
to repeat every few days in dry
weather.
Oil and Hot Air.
@. My coal burning hot air fur
mace has disintegrated, and I must
put In new one. I should like to
have hot air with an oil burner
But the only person I know with
this system gets the smell Of oil
in her house. Is this always the
case?
A. The smell of oil through the
house is due to leaks between the
sections Of the furnace, by which
fumes from the fire box escape into
the air passages. This can be over
come by the cementing of the joints,
which is necessary every few years
Hot air heat with an oil burner can
be most satisfactory
@. Until last year my well never
ran dry. When it went dry last