Question: I have a Traverse Bay, which I moved into on 3-9-2000. The door handle on the front door has been giving me problems. When I press the door lever with my thumb to open the front door, it sticks and is hard to open. It has been that way for years but seems to be getting worse. I am afraid someday I won’t be able to get in the house. The brand is a Weiser, and everyone I talk to says it has been discontinued. Do you have any suggestions as to how I could fix it or get another handle and lock to replace it? I would appreciate any help you could give me.
Answer: The lock and the handle on early Del Webb houses are separate. The information you were given is correct. the Weiser lock that you have is no longer available. The company was bought by Stanley along with KwikSet, and they use the KwikSet lock in both brands now. (See Ask the Woodchucks article dated March 8, 2012 on the mysundaynews.com website.)
You can keep your Weiser deadbolt lock and just buy a new handle, or you can replace both the lock and the handle.
Question: We have three 3-speed ceiling fans that work well on slow speed, but on mid and high speed they wobble and make noise. I’ve tried moving them around in their sockets as they turn in an attempt to get them balanced but to no avail.
Answer: These fans come with a balancing kit. The kit consists of small weights that can be added to the blades to make them run true. If you can’t find this kit go on the manufacturer’s website to see how you can obtain this kit.
Important warning
Several woodchucks volunteer at the computer club repairing member’s computers. More than a few members have come into the lab lately to report that a representative from Microsoft has called them to say they have identified that their computer is not working properly and may be infected with malware. They volunteer to access their computer over the internet to identify the problem and fix it. The caller then has the computer owner run software to give them access to the computer. They ask for a payment between $150 to $300 to clean and repair the computer. If payment is refused they infect the computer with a really nasty version of malware so the computer is unusable.
VERY IMPORTANT:
No representative of Microsoft will ever call you unsolicited.
They have no way to know whether or not your computer is operating properly.
If your computer is not operating the way you think it should, take it to a qualified technician.
If you get a call from someone, usually with a foreign accent, who volunteers to fix or tune-up your computer, hang-up as fast as you can. Do not try to be polite. Do not talk to them.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
