It’s Possible to Rub-a-Dub Rust From Your Old Tub
QOur 25-year-old house has an old bathtub that has some rust stains near the drain and in a few other spots. What can be used to remove these and prevent them?
H.N.
Brea
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AThere are several products available at kitchen and bath hardware stores you might want to try, says Rich Haagsma of Faucets n’ Fixtures in Orange.
Most have an acid that eats away the rust. Be careful to use gloves and protective eye wear when using acid. If your tub isn’t cast-iron but pressed steel, be aware that the rust you see might be a sign of a serious problem with the tub. The steel underneath the enamel coating may be rusting away, which could lead to problems with leaking.
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QWe have a vegetable garden in the corner of our yard and our two small dogs love to get in there and dig. For aesthetic reasons, we’d rather not have a fence, but we’ve heard there are powders you can apply to your yard to keep animals away from plants. Can these work?
M.M.
Garden Grove
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AThere’s several types of powders, sprays and gels available that can repel a dog from an area, says Brian Ford of Wildwood Pets in Yorba Linda. Most of these work by simply emitting an odor that the dog doesn’t like. They’re not harmful to plants or to the pet if it happens to get some on its nose or eats it.
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QWe have a brick floor in one of our bathrooms, and the area at the base of the toilet always seems to be damp and the grout discolored. There’s no leaking from the toilet or the water lines, and we’ve replaced the wax ring, but the dampness is still there. Any ideas?
C.T.
Lake Forest
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AUnfortunately, this is a very common problem, especially in homes with young children, says Scott Blanke of Central Plumbing & Heating Supply in La Habra. The toilet bowl, tank and water lines appear to be dry, the toilet seems to be effectively sealed to the flange on the floor, but the tile around it is damp.
The problem can often be traced to young children who are still working on their bathroom skills and who may dribble over the seat. You can check this by taping a strip of toilet paper around the base and checking it the next day to see if it’s wet.
The other possibilities are that there’s a problem with the way the toilet is seating on the wax ring, or you may be cleaning your toilet too vigorously and water splashes out of the bowl and gets on the brick.
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QThe ground fault interrupt (GFI) plug in my home controls electrical outlets in the bathroom, the garage and one on the outside patio. Whenever there’s a heavy rain, the GFI kicks off and refuses to reset for at least eight hours. What causes this and how can it be corrected?
J.T.
Mission Viejo
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AIt sounds like moisture is getting into one of the outlets and tripping that breaker, says Kathy McNally of McNally Electrical Supply in La Habra. Since it only happens when it rains, the outlet to suspect is the one on the outdoor patio.
Make sure there’s a cover for it and that it properly seals. After the breaker trips again, try taking a hair dryer and drying the area in and around the outlet to see if the breaker resets. If it does, that should confirm that the problem is in that outlet.
Check to see if rain is spattering up from the ground or if it’s running down the wall into the outlet.
If the problem doesn’t seem to originate in that outlet, you might check for dampness inside the other outlets on the circuit. It could be that a roof leak is allowing water to get inside the wall.
If you have a question about your home or garden, A Helping Hand will help you find the answer. Send questions to: John Morell, Home Design, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
