Posted on: Friday, August 13, 2004
HOME HANDYMAN
Air conditioner needs servicing, not kicking
By Glenn Haege
Q. My home's air conditioning frequently just blows air without the outside condenser fan going on. This means that the air coming through the vents is only mildly cool. This happens even in very hot weather. Is it normal for the blower to run without the outside condenser running?
When I couldn't stand the heat, I went out and kicked the condenser unit and it turned on. But sometimes it still doesn't work. What's the problem?
A. First, a condenser unit is delicate equipment. Never kick it! You could do expensive damage. Like most such equipment, your air conditioner needs a complete inspection by a licensed technician every couple of years. It sounds like your equipment has not had an inspection in a long time and desperately needs one.
Q. We are painting a bedroom. The wallpaper has been stripped and the paste removed with paste remover. There is blue on the plaster walls, but it doesn't look like paint exactly, but it's smooth and not papery.
We used a Kilz oil-based primer and a 100 percent acrylic enamel Behr paint over that. But then I remembered hearing you shouldn't mix oil under water-based paints. So I asked the Home Depot "paint guy" and he said that it would be OK. Most people on the Internet say that if you use the oil-based primer under a water-based paint, the paint will chip and peel in a few years.
A. The Home Depot guy is right. You will probably be OK, but I worry you really did not take everything off when you stripped the wallpaper. If you did a good job, your biggest problem may be that you chose a highly reflective enamel, which will tend to magnify wall defects. You would have been better off with an eggshell (very low sheen) and even better off with a paint such as Muralo that is especially made to hide problem surfaces.
Glenn Haege writes for the Detroit News. Write: Ask Glenn, Master Handyman Press, P.O. Box 1498, Royal Oak, MI 48068-1498 or e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com.
