Evening star., 1940-03-02
First Aid
For the
Aiing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.


with warm air. get no heat in the
upstairs rooms; can barely feel heat
coming out Of the register with my
hand. Other rooms are no better.
Furnace is in good condition, and l
always run . good fire. What is
wrong?
A. Warm air cannot flow into a
room unless the cool air ahead Of it
is permitted to escape. There should
be means by which cool air from the
rooms can get back to the furnace
for reheating. Cool-air intake of the
furnace jacket should be connected
to large register In the floor of the
downstairs hall, or some other CEN
tral location, 50 that the furnace Is
supplied with air from the house
instead Of cold outdoor air. ANY
good heating contractor can do what
is necessary. There should be at
least an inch Of space under all in
side doors through which room air
can flow out and back to the furnace.
Cement Floor Coverings.
q. We are going to move into an
apartment which has cement floors
all through. It Is right on the edge
Of q lake. What would be best to use
under carpets and unoleump
A. II the cement floors are laid
directly on the earth, there is mois-
ture in them, and any kind of floor
covering except asphalt tiles will rot.
II there is an air space under the
cement, so that it is really dry, you
can use any kind of padding under
the carpets. The linoleum can be
cemented down over felt in the usual
way. To test the dryness of the
floor, lay down a piece of hnoleum,
cardboard, or something similar, to
prevent evaporation, and leave it for
several days. If on picking it up the
cement underneath is found to be
damp, you cannot use any kind of q
floor covering that will rot, unless
you f1rst put down q layer of water
proofing.
Cracking In q Floor.
q. My heating system is hot water
with water forced through the pipes
by an impeller. How can stop loud
cracklings In the floor when hot
water starts to flow through q ra-
diator?
A. Your pipes are in contact with
woodwork and chafe against them
when the pipes expand with heating.
The remedy is to cut away the wood
work to leave space around the
pipes. The trouble is probably In
the hole where the pipe goes through
the floor.
Floor Too Dark.
Q. I have stained my soft pine
floors with dark oak oil stain, but
find that the effect is too dark. How
can I tighten it?
A. One plan would be to sponge
the floor with turpentine, although
the results might be streaky. An
other would be to wash the floor
with an alkaline paint remover to
be had at q hardware store as a
powder to be mixed with water. Full
instructions are on the label of the
container. The surest and quickest
method would be to 60 over the floor
with a sanding machine. ANY floor
contractor can do the job at no great
expense. p
Disposal Plant. -
@. What is the advantage Of a
septic tank over q cesspool? When
We built our house two years ago
we were advised to install a septic
tank to avoid the trouble of clean
Ing the cesspool. Now we are told
that the septic tank must be cleaned,
for which the cost would be $40.
We cannot see any advantage in
having q septic tank.
A. You are evidently the victim of
q poor installation. Properly put
In, septic tank should 20 for many
years without requiring attention.
A septic tank has many advantages
over a cesspool, and should be used
whenever possible. With cleaning
necessary at the present time, I
should have the job done by some
one who is thoroughly expert and
able to make the changes that seem
to be necessary.
Venetian Blinds.
Q. What are the essential good
qualities to demand when buying
Venetian blinds; type of wood, I'm
ash, metal parts, etc.
A. Your best move will be to buy
the blinds from q reliable manu-
facturer or from a dealer Of good
reputation, and to pay a good price.
Quality must be paid for.
House Heater.
@. What heating would you
recommend for country house used
only on holidays and week ends?
The house is frame, Is by 40 feet,
with four rooms on the ground floor
and three in the attic.
A. I should use hot-air heat, with
. pipe to each room. A return
duct can be placed in the down.
stairs hall near the foot of the
stairs. If you have electric serv-
ice, use furnace, with a fan that
will force the heated air to the
rooms. With this you can run the
ducts along the cellar ceiling to
give you the headroom that you
want.
Damp Walls.
Q. My sun porch was built last
summer with bricks on cinder block
and plastered inside. It was fin
ashed with wallpaper. These walls