The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
Epoxy resins (one of which is a liquid tile) may be used for repairing cracks and leaks in cement tanks. The directions for repairing cracked flush tanks should be followed. If the tank seems to be losing water through seepage, a coat of epoxy, applied to the entire surface of a thoroughly dry tank, either inside or out, will usually stop the trouble.
HARD-WATER SCALE
In sections where the water is hard, a scaly deposit on the bottom of a water kettle can be prevented by keeping an oyster shell or a flat piece of limestone in the kettle.
To remove the deposit of scale from a kettle, any one of several methods may be tried. The dry kettle can be gently heated over a low flame; the expansion will usually chip it off. The effect can be increased by the sudden dropping in of some ice water when the kettle is hot. This method may be injurious to an enameled kettle but is safe for kettles of iron, steel, or aluminum. Another method that can be used with kettles of any kind is to fill them with water mixed with cider vinegar in the proportion of a cupful to the quart. This is brought to a boil and allowed to stand overnight. Another method is to mash three or four raw potatoes in the kettle with a little water. After standing for several hours, more water is added, and the whole is brought to a boil.
In hard-water sections it is not practical to heat water in kettles because of the great difficulty of cleaning out the deposit from the spout. It is much better to heat water as it is needed in open saucepans. A water-softening unit will solve this problem (see section Water Softener).
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
HEATING A HOUSE means heating the air within it; heat passes from the air to the walls, ceilings, and floors, to the furniture, and to everything else in the house, until all has been brought to an even temperature.
When the air outdoors is at the same temperature as the air in the house, heat will stay in the house indefinitely. When the air outdoors is colder than the air in the house, heat will pass from the house to outdoors.
Heat will be lost when there are leaks that permit heated indoor air to escape and cold air to enter, and as parts of exterior walls absorb heat from the inside air and pass it outdoors.
Air when heated will expand; then, being lighter in weight, it will rise. If a house has a thin roof, open joints between the roof and the walls, cracks around window frames and elsewhere, rising warm air will pass through to outdoors and be lost.
