Evening star., 1941-09-27
First Aid
for the
AHing House
By ROGER B. WHITMAN.

was startled one day by the sound
of running water in an upstairs
hall. Rushing out, she discovered a
st.e cam of water running down the
stairs from a burst pipe in the
bathroom. She did not know what
to do to turn off the water. She
telephoned the plumber, but before
he arrived the newly-laid floors and
the stairs were water soaked and
damaged, and part of ceiling had
fallen.
Hearing of the situation, the own
er of an adjoining house took steps
to prevent any such damage to his
own property. He tied a large bag
gage tag to each valve in his cellar,
inscribed with the purpose of the
valve: This shuts off the water
from the whole house" This shuts
off hot water from the upstairs
bathroom, etc. He also labeled the
main electric switch and the gas
shutoff. Then, one at a time, he
took all of the members of his
household down to the cellar, eX-
planned each tag, and made them
experiment in shutting off and
opening the valves. He now feels
reasonably sure that in case of an
emergency, any one in the house
will be familiar with the shutoffs
and will know what to do.
Blistered Paint.
@. We have a window sill on
which the paint blisters terribly,
even though old paint was taken
off with a blowtorch and new paint
applied over shellac. How can the
trouble be corrected?
A. Blistering is due to water that
soaks into the sill from some crack
along the edges The crack may
be in the joint between the window
frame and the outside wall. Fine
cracks can be closed with thick
paint: for wider ones use caulking
compound.
Ivy on a Wall.
O. I should like to have ivy climb
ing on the wall of my brick veneer
house, but my husband is afraid the
bricks would retain moisture and
that the vines might pull out the
mortar. Would that happen?
A. Very possibly. Ivy on a brick
wall is attractive. but is likely to
make the wall damp. Also, the
tendrils may work into cracks in
the masonry.
Thick vines will provide roost-
ing place for birds, whose early
morning chirping may be disturbing.
Destroying Lilac.
@. I should like to get rid of
long row of lilac bushes. The roots
are large, and grubbing them out
would really be job. How can
I kill them with less labor?
A. Well-grown lilacs may be
worth money; you may be able to
sell them to a nursery. If not, cut
them off close to the ground and
cover the stumps with plenty of
calcium chloride. This will kill the
roots, but will make the surrounding
earth unusable for any other vege-
ton. until in the course OF time
the chemical sinks deep.
cracked hdUldtOT DTuuH.
@. The large iron radiator drum
In the upper part of my hot-air fur
mace is cracked, and service man
says that it should be replaced.
This would be more expensive than
T can afford at the present. Could
the crack be welded?
A. If the drum is cast iron, which
Is probable, I see no reason why not.
A steamfitter should be able to bring
a portable welding outfit to the
house. with which the job could be
done easily.
How to Kill Wasps.
@. Wasps have built nests under
my caves and in other places near
the house, and occasionally get into
the attic. Is there any way to dis
courage these pests from nest build
ing?
A. Spraying with kerosene is kill
ing to wasps. They will not build
nests on places that smell of it.
To Eradicate Musty Smell.
O. The large basement under our
seven-room bungalow is damp, and
the room smells musty. How can l
rid the house of the odor?
A. That musty smell usually
comes from rotting wood, and you
probably will find that somewhere in
the basement is woodwork that is
continually damp. You should get
rid of this and replace it with con-
crete. If your basement has dirt
floor, cover it with concrete.
Sewer Gas Odor.
@. What causes sewer gas odor
IN an attic? 1t is most noticeable
during damp spells.
A. There may be leak in the
vent pipe where it passes through
the attic; a poor connection, pos
sibly. The vent pipe goes through
the roof and one quite common
cause of odor is from the nesting of
birds in the outlets; this clogs the
pipe, and the gas seeks another out
let. If this is the trouble, the nest
can be pulled out with long hooked
wire through the open end. This
done. put wire netting over the
opening, to keep the trouble from
recurring.
Damaged StuccO.
@. After 20 years our Stucco ga
rage is showing great wear; in many
places the stucco has fallen off. How
can these places be patched? Would
1t be wise to cover the stucco with
shingle? If so, how can we put on
a wood base to which the shingles
can be nailed?
A. If the stucco is made with
portland cement and the lath is
still in good condition, you can fill
the holes with portland cement