Evening star., 1941-03-29
First Aid
For the
AHngHouse
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.

One of my correspondents finds
his kitchen very cold. The house
Is heated by hot air. The kitchen
is in an extension, and as he finds
his cellar very warm, he got the
idea of cutting a hole through the
kitchen floor and putting in a pipe
connecting it with an opening under
the cellar ceiling. He expected that
warm air from the cellar would go
through the pipe and heat the
kitchen, but instead of this, he found
that cold air from the kitchen went
down the pipe and into the cellar.
To get the effect that he wants, he
should connect the pipe with an
opening high in the wall of the
kitchen, while the other end should
lead to the top part of the furnace.
To get the necessary circulation, a
floor register can lead to the cellar,
or better yet, to the cool air inlet
of the furnace. Air on a floor is
likely to be sold, especially in a room
that is an extension. With this Sug-
gested arrangement, cold floor air
would flow down through the pipe
into the cellar by its own weight,
and make space in the room for
heated air from the furnace. If he
did not provide an escape for the
cold floor air, warm air would not
be able to enter
Noise From Passing Cars.
Q. My house is beside a we'll
travelled highway where the cars go
racing by. The noise is terrific. Is
there any way of insulating the walls
so tha much of the din can be
kept out?
A The trouble is not so much
with the walls as with the windows
Even when closed the noise pene-
trates. Storm windows will keep
out a great deal of sound, While
putting metal weather stripping
around the sash will also help. Try
these remedies before reSorting to
wall insulation.
Filling Stucco Cracks.
Q. The stucco walls Of my house
have cracked in places. Can these
cracks be filled?
A. A stiff mixture of one part
cement and three parts sand will do
the Job. A real good job requires a
good mason. However, any dealer in
mason supplies should have leaflets
explaining how the cracks should be
filed.
Concrete Floor.
@. I want to convert a lean-to
Iotn rt
OF the house. Instead of building
foundations to support floor joists, |
! am thinking of laying concrete
floor with a double wood floor on
top. Would this be practical?
A. 1t might not be practical to
carry the weight of the walls and
roof on a concrete slab. 1t would
be better to put in foundation walls. !
You can lay a concrete slab for the
floor, but it should include inSula- |
tion as well as Waterproofing. EX-
cavate for an 8-inch layer of packed |
Cinders, cover it with heavy tar |
paper, pour the concrete on top, and |
after plenty of time for drying, cover .
with insulation. Your wood floor .
on top will then be warm and will /
not rot.
Gurgling Tank.
O. My hot water tank is heated .
from my range. 1t has worked !
perfectly for years, but now the tank
gurgles, and when the faucets are
opened, the water is sometimes
thrown out in spurts. What could
be the matter?
A. The pipes are probably partly
clogged with sediment. This checks
the flow, and the steam is formed
in the tank. Open the draincock
at the bottom of the tank, and you
probably will find that dirty water
flows out. In addition, you should
turn off the water from the house,
and then diSconnect the horizontal /
pipes between the hot water back
and the tank. If the clogging is
too hard to be cleaned out, replace
the pipes.
Keeping Squirrels Away.
@. Red squirrels have the annoy
ing habit Of getting into my bird
feeding station. How can I stop
them from climbing up the post?
A. A round sheet of copper about
3 feet in diameter will discourage