Q–My 60-year-old house has two-prong electrical wall outlets in all the rooms so there is no separate ground wire–just the usual white or “common” wire in addition to the black or “hot” wire. I use one of the three-prong adapters with a “pigtail” wire (for grounding to the cover plate screw) when I want to use an electrical tool or appliance that has three-prongs. I often do not bother to connect this “pigtail” and I know this is supposed to be dangerous, but don’t understand why. Because the white wire is grounded at the main box, why is a separate, third ground wire needed?
A–The third wire is necessary to provide a direct “ground” for the metal housing of the tool or appliance. If a short develops inside the appliance that allows a “hot” wire to accidentally come in contact with the metal housing (because of defective insulation or an electrical “leak”), the current will flow safely through that third wire to ground, causing that circuit’s fuse to blow. Without this separate ground wire, the metal housing would remain “hot” when an internal short develops without necessarily blowing the fuse, so anyone touching the housing could get a dangerous shock as the current flows through his body to the ground.
Q–My cedar home has a cedar shingle roof and is surrounded by woods. In the fall, squirrels come out of the woods, climb onto my roof and then dig their way through the soft cedar shingles to a warm winter haven inside the attic. This leaves a hole in the roof that is open all winter. How can we solve this problem?
A–Rodents and squirrels can often be repelled by the odor of camphor balls placed inside the attic or hung in mesh bags under the roof. However, I’m not sure if this would work because the animals might not smell the camphor until after the damage has been done. You might consult your local exterminators, or the state or county farm agent in your community, to see if there are other ways to repel or discourage these animals. Otherwise, the only cure I can think of is to install a new roof of fiberglass or asphalt shingles.
Q–Our family room has a wood floor that was badly stained with water during a recent flood. The floor has been sanded, stained and refinished with polyurethane, but the finish dried spotty, especially along the seams. Can you tell us what could be wrong and what we can do about it?
A–One possibility is that the wood had not completely dried in spots before the finish was applied. Another possibility is that the stain used was not suitable for use under polyurethane, or the two were not compatible. It’s also possible the sanding job was not thorough, so that some of the old finish or stain remained on the wood and caused the blotchy look. In either case, complete resanding and refinishing will be required.
Q–My wicker furniture has been painted several times, and this paint is now chipping. I tried spraying one piece, but the old chipped spots show through the new coat of paint. Before I spray all the other pieces, what can I do to fill in these chipped areas, or at least keep them from showing through again?
A–To get a uniform finish and an even coat of paint on the wicker, you’ll first have to strip off all of the old paint with a semipaste type chemical paint and varnish remover. Or you can take the furniture to a commercial stripper who will soak off all of the old paint in a chemical bath.
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Have a question about home repair problems? Write to Bernard Gladstone in care of Your Place, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Sorry, letters cannot be answered personally.
