INSIDE & OUT : Stabilize a Phone That’s Gone Adrift
Q. I’ve been having a problem with my 3-year-old cordless phone recently. There seems to be a lot more interference than usual and I’m picking up the phone calls from other people in my condo. Is there an adjustment that can be made to give it a clear tone?
N.R.
Anaheim
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A. This is a fairly common problem in condos and apartments, says Bruce Keller of House of Phones in Costa Mesa. Many people have older cordless phones, which have just two channels, and with these types of phones you have a greater likelihood of getting cross-talk, where your and your neighbor’s conversations bleed into each other. You may want to try moving your base unit to another location in the house, and if your phone allows you to manually change the channel, that might help.
Another factor is that after a few years, cordless phones tend to ‘drift.’ The hand unit communicates with the base unit over an FM frequency and, like your radio, drifting may occur where it’s not precisely on the right frequency. You can adjust your radio, but you can’t adjust your phone’s frequency.
Since even the best cordless phones won’t hold up after five or six years, you may want to get a better 10-channel phone.
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Q. I have a large picture that weighs at least 50 pounds that I’d like to put on a wall in my den. I have had problems finding studs to hang it from. Is it safe to hang something that heavy without bolting it into studs?
C.F.
Lake Forest
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A. You can if you use simple, heavy duty molly or toggle bolts, says Gary Lillge of Crown Hardware in Corona del Mar. Use two of them and make sure they’re even. Before hanging the picture, attach two wires rather than one, across the frame and crisscross them to give it more strength.
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Q. We recently bought a laminated maple dresser that has a “natural” stain. It looks great in our room, but we were distressed when a friend told us that over time, wood that has a natural finish will yellow. Is there anything we can do to keep it from yellowing?
A.R.
Yorba Linda
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A. If it’s already been finished, there’s really nothing you can do to stop yellowing, says Chris Macias of Old Way Furniture Repair and Restoration in La Habra. There are finishes that can be applied after the furniture has been built that will prevent yellowing, but it may be too late for you.
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Q. Last year we painted our house exterior and now I’ve found that the semi-gloss latex we used on the trim is peeling off the aluminum gutters. Before we repaint, how should we prepare the aluminum?
S.T.
Santa Ana
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A. Your first task will be to scrape off any loose paint, says Charlie Kaczorowski of Tustin Paint Mart. Wipe the aluminum down with a solvent, such as lacquer thinner, and let it dry. Then use an alkyd-modified acrylic paint, which is actually a water/oil-based paint that combines the best properties of both. Apply two thin coats, and you shouldn’t have to face the same job next year.
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Q. I bought an old Tensor lamp recently that works well and I use it near my bed at night. I recall hearing something about these lamps a few years ago concerning their safety. Are they OK?
P.H.
Laguna Hills
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A. As long as it works well, it shouldn’t be a problem, says Kathy McNally of McNally Electric in La Habra. Tensors are high-intensity desk-style lamps. If more light is what you’re aiming for, find a halogen lamp, which is more energy efficient.
