Question: There is a black hose connected to the pipe coming from my sump pump. My neighbor says I should take this off in the winter.
Answer: That hose is there to direct the discharge from your sump pump away from your foundation. This is important so that the water pumped out of your sump well does not run down along your foundation wall and back into your sump well and get pumped out again and again. In the winter when the temperature is below freezing, the water in this hose can freeze. If the pump then comes on, it canāt pump water out of the sump because the hose is plugged. The pump will continue to run until it burns out.
The fix, as your neighbor correctly told you, is to remove the black extension hose. Mark your calendar and put this hose back on about April 15.
Tip: Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans for winter.
If you have ceiling fans you probably run them in the summer to move air over people in the room to make them feel cooler. This allows you to set your air conditioner one or two degrees warmer. In this case the fan direction is set to blow down.
Many people donāt know that ceiling fans have a use in the winter. When you are heating your house the warm air rises because it is less dense. This means that the coolest air is low in the room where you are sitting. Your ceiling fan can correct this problem. You need to reverse the rotation of the fan so that it blows up. This is done with a button on the remote.
This will push air up to and across the ceiling. It will push the warm air down the walls where it mixes with the cooler air lower down. The increased temperature lower down will allow you set your thermostat one to two degrees cooler and have the same comfort level.
Doorbell maintenance
Have you noticed a strange humming noise in your house? Chances are it is a failed doorbell mechanism. To track down this problem, first locate your doorbell mechanism. Have someone ring your doorbell and look and listen for a box mounted high in the wall, usually in the hall. The door bell should make a ābing bongā sound. If it makes the ābingā sound but it is not followed by the ābong,ā it will then make a humming sound.
The problem is probably caused by a bad doorbell button. You donāt want to leave the doorbell in this humming mode. The solenoid in the bell will heat up and could burn out. The transformer that powers the mechanism can also burn out, as it is not designed for continuous duty. The fix for this problem is to replace the button.
If you discover you have this problem, you should remove the doorbell button by removing the two mounting screws and the two wires from the back of it. These are low voltage and are not dangerous, but donāt let them touch together. The button simply connects these two wires together to make the bell ring. Until you get a replacement button, put tape over the copper ends of these wires so they do not touch each other.
One Woodchuck who delivers the Lifestyle magazine has reported a large number of doorbell buttons with broken plastic buttons and burned out lights. These buttons are available at any hardware store or home center and are very easy to install.
ā¢ If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
