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MY SUN DAY NEWS

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Sun City in Huntley

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January 12, 2017

Selecting furnace air filters

Furnace filters were added to furnaces by the manufacturers to protect the blower and the heat exchangers from being fouled by contaminants in the air. Filter manufacturers differentiated their products by using various filter materials that removed more contaminants from the air, but at the expense of restricting the airflow.

Garage Access to Your House

Did you ever want to give temporary access to your house to a visitor or a service person? If you have a keyless entry keypad on the outside of your garage, chances are it can be programmed to activate a four-digit PIN for a programmed number of hours or number of accesses after which it will expire and the PIN will no longer open the door.

Ask the Woodchucks: Vacation Checklist

As many Sun City residents pack for warmer climates, it is important to spend an hour or so to get your house ready for winter. When you are going to be away for a week or more you should prepare your home so there will be no surprises on your return.

Takeaways from the Woodchucks at the Consumer Expo

We went to the consumer expo on October 27 and spoke with several vendors who supply services like those we talk about in this column. These people are out there every day seeing the things people need repaired or replaced so they could give us a fresh perspective.

Washing machine money-savers

Today’s tip is one that could save you tens of thousands of dollars, and many people are not aware of this potential hazard. It involves your washing machine.

Address numbers and door trouble

I moved into Sun City about six months ago and would like to replace or repaint my faded address numbers. Is there anywhere that you know of that they can be purchased? If not, any hints as to what type of paint can be used for touching up the numbers?

Mice, and gophers, and bees, oh my!

We have mice nesting in our bathroom vent pipe, and the attic insulation is riddled with tunnels, so I assume we may have mice in other ducts as well. The exterminator says to kill them, but we don’t want our house to stink of dead mice. Is there a way to drive them out other than by calling in the Pied Piper?

Refrigerator Preventative Maintenance

There are several areas of a refrigerator that need to be maintained to keep it operating properly.

Fix a Leaky Sillcock

The hose faucet in the garage leaks and leaves water puddles on the garage floor. Is there any easy way to fix it or do I have to call a plumber?

Mold, moss, mildew elimination

This year we have accumulated quite a bit of mold on the siding on the shady side of the house. What is the best way to remove it?

Ask the Woodchucks: August 11, 2016

We are residents of Sun City and I have a problem with the original 911 Light Switch. You have indicated in a previous article that Pass & Seymour have a replacement model. Before going that route, my problem is I just placed six, 4 watt LED blubs in the out outside fixtures. These are dimmer type but not used for the purpose of dimming.

Does Your Garage Door Always Close?

There is photocell at the bottom of your garage door to protect your grandchildren from being hit by a closing garage door. Whenever you actuate the garage door opener to close your garage door, a small light mounted on the track about four inches from the floor turns on and shines across the door opening toward a photocell mounted on the track on the opposite side at the same height. If something blocks the light from hitting the photocell, the door opener immediately stops.

Refresh the Aging Hardware and Paint Inside Your House

The plating on the door handles on several of the doors in my house has worn off and they look bad. It is worst on the outside of the room. I would like to take the new looking ones on the inside of the closet doors and swap them with the worn ones, but I don’t know how to do this.

Air Conditioner Maintenance

The air conditioner unit on the outside of your house with the large fan pointing upward is called the condenser unit. It contains the compressor and the condenser heat exchanger. The condenser is like the radiator in your car. It has tubes that wrap around all four sides of the box.

Ask the Woodchucks: June 16, 2016

Like many SC houses, our N-7 home features hardwood flooring. Three or four gaps (about one-quarter to one-half inch each) have appeared between hardwood flooring strips. Why is this happening? How can I close the gaps?

Garbage Disposal Problem

Last week my garbage disposer stopped chopping. It just buzzed. Now it doesn’t make any noise. Do I need to replace it?

Ask the Woodchucks: May 19, 2016

Our house was built in 1999 or 2000. The center bay window gas leaked out and condensation is inside. Can we find out who made the windows so I can buy a replacement? This is a Del Webb house. The garage door has windows. The two side windows of the bay are good. The inside frame opening is 46 ¾” wide by 70 ¾” high.

Pet Safe Screen

I’m asking where to find pet resistant screen to repair my patio screen door because my puppy has jumped on it and made holes in the screening. The door is 8 feet tall and I have had a problem in searching for the screen.

Mulch volcanoes are killing trees

Spring is finally here and it is time to start preparing the yard for summer. Putting mulch around trees and shrubs is one of the first chores that needs to be done.

Ask the Woodchucks: Woodchucks furniture repair day

Each year the Woodchucks hold two furniture repair days for residents. One is in April and one is in October. Thirty to forty Woodchucks are available in the shop on these days to repair loose chairs, broken tables, broken picture frames, and other wooden items needing repair.

Ask the Woodchucks: March 10, 2016

The fan on my water heater is making a very loud noise. I shut the water heater off. Have other Sun City residents had this problem? Can you suggest a repairman to fix the problem?

Dishwasher Problem, Part II

In the last issue, I gave you the two most common causes of water accumulating in the tub of your dishwasher along with the fix for each. The first was the deterioration of the neoprene poppet on the end of the piston that diverts the flow of water to the pump. The second was a clogged drain hose. In this issue, I will explain the third possible cause: an inoperative float switch.

Dishwasher Problem, part I

My dishwasher is not getting the dishes very clean and there is about two inches of water in the bottom of the tub. Can this be fixed or do I need a new dishwasher?

Make your tub or shower non-slip

I would like to put something on the floor of our shower to make it less slippery. Is there a tape or a paint that that is made for this?

Smoke detector smarts

I have heard that smoke alarms stop working after 10 years, but when I press the test button mine still buzz. How do I know when to replace them?

Ask the Woodchucks: December 10, 2015

We live in a Pulte-built house that is now almost ten years old. When we open the windows, there is a strip of white plastic hanging down under the window. It looks like the weather stripping is coming apart.

Ask the Woodchucks: November 19, 2015

Can you tell me how to pull down the cover of the overhead exhaust fan/light in the commode area of the master bathroom? It should be simple, but am afraid I might break it. It needs a lightbulb replacement.

Vacation Check List

As many Sun City residents pack for warmer climates, it is important to spend an hour or so to prepare your house for the winter. When you are going to be away for a week or more you should prepare your home so there will be no surprises on your return.

Fall maintenance tips

The trees and bushes in your yard will do better this winter if you water them well before the first frost. You should run your hose at about half flow on each tree for about an hour once or twice a week until the first freeze. The bushes will need one third of that amount of water.

Ask the Woodchucks: October 8, 2015

I have a rabbit in my window well that can’t get out. I don’t have a cover and would like to get one after the rabbit is out.