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Articles by Steve Bryan
Household questions asked and answered | My House & Yours
Household questions asked and answered | My House...
By Steve Bryan • October 5, 2010 2:01 pm

Q: Hi Steve, occasionally we get strong sewer fumes that seem to come from the basement bathroom. Any ideas what this could be? Any insight would be most appreciated. Thanks, Ann.
A: The first thing that comes to mind is a dry shower drain. You said the bathroom would be used only for TV room use — if the shower hasn’t been used for a while, start there. When water in the drain’s P-trap evaporates, it allows sewer gases into the home.

Read Story

Selection, installation key to upgrading windows
Selection, installation key to upgrading windows
By Steve Bryan • February 23, 2010 1:10 pm

Question: We are ready to upgrade our windows, but comparing the bids is worse than apples and oranges, and it…

Read Story

Simple steps to keep your furnace clean and efficient all year long
Simple steps to keep your furnace clean and...
By Steve Bryan • February 9, 2010 1:20 pm

Question: How often should I change my furnace filters? Our furnaces have been running long and hard, during the cold…

Read Story

Backflow prevention device testing
Backflow prevention device testing
By Steve Bryan • April 14, 2009 2:15 pm

Question: The city recently sent me a notice to have my backflow assembly tested. What is that, and why is the city asking me to have it tested?

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Time to do more than just spring forward | Change all detector batteries
Time to do more than just spring forward...
By Steve Bryan • March 10, 2009 5:31 pm

It is time to change our clocks and smoke detector batteries. Battery-powered smoke detectors need their batteries changed twice a year, so spring forward and spring up the ladder to all of your smoke detectors.

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A survey marker denotes a property line inside a fence in the 2700 block of First Hill.
Fences make good neighbors
By Steve Bryan • February 4, 2009 1:45 pm

Question: Our yard has a rockery along one side and a fence was built at the base. We now want to have the fence along the lot line to gain some landscaping areas, and we need to replace the failing fence on the other sides. Can we build the new fence five feet from the side of the house to place it on the lot line?

Read Story

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