How do you lock down a toilet that moves?
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Q. Here's a funny one: My toilet is pivoting. Not slanting or tilting or anything precarious as that, but turning a little. It is a bit loose, that seems to be all. How can I fix it?
NANCY, by e-mail
A. Ah, there is nothing quite so discombobulating as sitting on a loose, slanting toilet, especially one that slants forward. For Nancy, the bolts holding down the toilet may be loose. Tighten them with a wrench, but be careful that you do not tighten so much that you break the china base. If that doesn't work, the metal flange on which the bolts are attached is loose. Call your favorite plumber to check out that flange, and to put in a new one if necessary. This requires lifting the toilet, and reinstalling it with a new wax ring. If you don't do anything, there might be a risk of leaking, and possible release of sewer gas. If the toilet is quite old, a new low-flow toilet will save you a lot of expensive water.
Q. I have 6 to 8 inches of foundation exposed between siding and ground, and I am getting a lot of splashing dirt on my siding. I was wondering if a shallow trench of crushed stone along that foundation wall would help relieve that splashing. If not, what else could work?
MITZI, Bellingham
A. Yes, that would help. Three inches of crushed stone will reduce splashing and if any splashing does occur, it will be clean. And, there should be no seepage down the foundation in any case. A concrete apron also will work. And here is a thought: Buy artificial turf and lay a strip along the foundation. The higher the "grass" in the fake turf, the less water will splash. By the way, 8 inches is the recommended minimum for exposing the foundation. You are in the ballpark.
Q. I am getting quite a bit of cold air through the recessed lights in one of my rooms. There is little access to the attic where the lights are installed; in fact there is no insulation around them in the attic floor. Can I add insulation to stop those drafts?
ARTHUR, Lynnfield
A. No. The recessed lights are the old-fashioned kind and are not ventilated, so there should be no insulation around or on top of them. If there were, they would overheat and caused a fire hazard. The only cure is to remove the old lights and put in new ones that are labeled "no clearance" or "ventilated" or similar indication that they can be covered with insulation. You might be able to remove and replace them from the room and not from the attic.
Q. I had a new roof installed last year on my ranch house with a breezeway and garage. They took off the old shingles and added gutter guards. Last winter, I had horrendous icicles up to 3-feet long in one corner where the gutters make a 90-degree turn, and lesser icicles, up to 12 inches long, along the gutters. My grandson checked the gutters, and found them full of debris, plus 26 roofing nails, all bent and rusty. Is there any way in the world I can prevent those huge icicles? I called the roofer to tell him about those nails, and have not heard back from him.
JUNE CLARK, Salem
A. Those icicles are forming because water running over the gutter guards freezes, then more water runs over the ice, forming the icicles. The 1-footers are probably not dangerous, but those 3-footers can be, either when they fall or when they take the gutter down with them. Take the gutter guards off; they are not keeping debris out of the gutters and are, indeed, causing the icicles. The nails, by the way, were left in the gutter when the old roof was removed. The roofer was negligent, but don't expect any recourse.
Q. The grout in my front walk was eaten by salt. A mason offered to refill the gaps with mortar for $1,400. So I went to
MARGIE HURWITZ, Newton
A. Try Citristrip, a citrus-based paint remover, which is less toxic than the methylene-chloride strippers. Or, try spot-washing with a power washer.
Q. Grass has been growing between the bricks of my walkway and it is diving me bananas. I tried spraying an herbicide, but it killed the grass along the border, where I wanted the grass to stay. How can I get rid of the grass without messing up other areas?
FED UP
A. You have to be more careful with a spray, which on windy days can wander all over the place. I also do not think it is a good idea to use herbicides, even outdoors on a calm day. Here is how to keep after the grass and other weeds. Pull them out bodily. Use canvas gloves to get a better grip. I use a strong bladed linoleum knife, which can get into the joints between bricks and will loosen the grass to make it easier to pull. Then pour vinegar on the walk. Do this in the spring and midsummer, and you will be pretty well free of weeds and grass on and in the walk.
Q. I have some leftover boiled linseed oil. Can I oil my wood gutters with that? Also, I am leaving the two top units of my triple decker empty while I do renovations. I keep them at 55 degrees. Would it be OK to turn off the heat? The walls have blown-in cellulose but I am concerned it might be settling.
HARD WORKING
A. You can use that oil, but it would be better to cut it half and half with paint thinner, to make it easier to apply and make it soak in better. As for turning off the heat, you will save a bundle and in an insulated house chances are very good the temperature will stay above freezing. If there have been no frozen pipes in the past, chances are pretty good that there will be no freezing in the future. The cellulose was blown in under pressure and, done right, there is no settling. And here is one more idea: Turn off the heat in the second floor unit and leave it at 50 degrees in the third-floor unit. The middle unit will be sandwiched between two warm units and should stay cool but safe.
Q. My house is 13 years old and already the 4-by-6 pine posts and pine shutters are oozing with sap. The pine must be inferior. Or not dry enough. How can I remove it and is there any way to seal it in or stop it from oozing?
ELLEN FERRARA, Covington, La.
A. Seal it or stop it? It will ooze through any paint. The wood can be green (full of water) or wonderfully dried, but it can ooze. Quality of pine or any other wood has nothing to do with it, I believe. Of course, you can buy fat wood from Georgia, chuck full of sap, but it is used for kindling. Kiln-dried wood may contain less sap, but I have a couple of 2-by-8s indoors that ooze the sap. At least the 240-year-old hewn beams indoors do not ooze.
For you, keep removing the sap and hope for the best. If the sap is soft and sticky, wipe it with rubbing or denatured alcohol. If it is hard and chippy, chip it off.
Ellen also had a terrific cure for wallpapering woes. "To remove wallpaper, use cheap old white vinegar. It will also dissolve the paste. The paper just peels right off. I use it half and half with water."
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton also appears in the g section on Thursdays. He is available from 1 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call him at 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online about house matters from 2 to 3 p.m., Thursdays. To participate, go to www.boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.
