Evening star., 1942-02-21
First Aid
Forthe
.AiingHouse
By ROGER d. WHITMAN.

BY ROGER b. WHITMAN. :.
The shortage Of tires Is especially
hard on home owners, for few Of
them are on priority lists. For that
reason it Is necessary for them to
take special care Of the tires that
they now have. It is certain that
tire stealing will develop into . fine
art and that detached garages viii
be preyed upon. Garages Of this
type are usually lightly built and
have Indifferent locks. Locks should
be replaced by others with greater
strength. Windows are likely to be
Of the simplest variety and the one
on the side away from the residence
Is especially vulnerable. II heavy
wire for covering the inside Is not
available good protection Is possible
by screwing 1-inch boards, 8 inches
or more wide, across the frame on
the inside. too close together to per-
NIT entrance between them. Glass
in the entrance door should be
boarded up on the inside to prevent
breakage and reaching through to
the lock.
Defective Chimney.
Question: had an outside CHM
ney built for an ell kitchen. It did
not draw, and I was advised to have
it raised to the height of the main
building. It is still as bad as it was
before. We burn oil, and the smoke
blows out into the room instead of
going up the chimney. What do you
think is the matter?
Answer: The top Of chimney
should be at least two feet higher
than the highest point of the roof,
for otherwise wind currents will
check the draft. Evidently the
chimney is still not high enough.
An oil burner that is correctly ad-
justed should not smoke. Yours
seems to need greater air supply.
Clogged Sewer.
Question: I live downstairs In a
three-flat building. When waste
water runs from the top floor nat,
1t bubbles up in my sink. What do
you think is at fault?
Answer. The sewer outlet Is clog
ged. Clearing it out should be un-
dertaken by the owner, for the con-
dition is unsanitary, and would be
condemned by your local health
laws. A good plumber should have
no difficulty in locating the trouble
and correcting it.
Falling Mortar.
Question: Mortar of the brick
posts of our front steps is crllmb-
ling. How can I renew It?
Answer: Rake out the crlmbling
mortar; you will probably find that
the mortar underneath is solid. Soak
the brickwork with water, then pack
with a mixture of one part portland
cement and three parts Of clean
building sand, with only enough
water to make a workable mixture.
Use q trowel with q sharp point.
Antique Finish.
Question: In finishing . break
fast set in antique white, how should
I mix and apply the paints?
Answer. First, remove all the
present finish to the bare wood. and
smooth with sandpaper. Then ap-
ply q coat of enamel undercoater.
and finish with one coat Of enamel,
preferably made by the same maker.
After thorough drying, apply q thin
coat OF brown or grayish glaze"
which is q thin varnish. While the
glaze Is still wet. wipe it on with
cheese cloth, to leave q thin coat
on the fiat surfaces, but leaving the
carvings and holdings more or
less filled. You can get the idea
by examining furniture Of antique
finish at q furniture store.
Poor Heating.
Question: My house Is heated by
hot water with an oil burner. This
does not give the heat that I want.
Could the system be changed to
steam? Would it be advisable?
Answer-The change would be ex-
pensive and difficult to make. 1t
would be much better for you to
add a booster" pump to your pres
ent system, which would drive the
hot water through the radiators.
You can get full information on
this from any heating contractor.
insufficient Heat.
Question: Our new house is heated
by hot air, which has a fan in
one Of the cold air vents. Heating
is poor. Even with a big, hot fire,
and following all the instructions,
heat in the morning comes up so
slowly, it is hours before the house
is warm. The outside Of the fur
mace becomes very hot, and 30 does
the smokepipe. Can you make any
suggestions?
Answer-The furnace may not
have been correctly assembled; have
it examined by . competent heating
man. You can get information on
the operation of the furnace from
the Committee of Ten Of the Heat
ing Industries; get the address from
the Chicago phone book.
Rust Stained Door.
Question: What should 7 use to
wash the rust marks and dirt of the
outside front door? 1t is painted
white.
Answer-Rub lightly with a damp
cloth on which sprinkle a little
scratches cleaning powder and
powdered ammonia. Clean of with
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