Quick Tip

Feather dusters are cheap and popular here in Thailand, but they do little more than move dust and dirt from one area to another. In the process, they commonly leave behind more than a few feathers. Consider more efficient options such as a dust cloth and/or a vacuum cleaner.

Hot It’s Not

My condominium doesn’t allow gas ovens, Andy, so I have been using an electric range/oven for a couple years. But now the oven doesn’t work and the warrantee has expired. So can you help me determine what the problem might be? Even if I can’t repair it myself, I’d like some idea of what to tell a repairman (if I can find anyone in Pattaya who knows how to fix such appliances).

Harlan

The three most common reasons that an electric oven/range does not work, Harlan, include a bad fuse or circuit breaker, faulty wiring in your home and/or faulty wiring in the oven itself. Start by checking to ensure that power is reaching the appliance. Does anything turn on (even a light)? If not, the problem might be as simple as a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. Then check your home’s wiring. Often the main wiring connection, at the oven, gets burned out, breaking the connection. If that’s the case, you may have to replace the power cord and/or the terminal block that the wire is attached to. Finally, there may be a broken or burned wire at the back of the oven. If you repair any of the wires, use only proper appliance-grade wire and wire connectors, and make sure to turn off all electrical current before doing anything.

Floor Plans

Dear Andy, where can I buy the black plastic that is used to place on the ground before you put down a concrete floor to stop the damp rising? I have looked in a lot of hardware stores here in Pattaya and they all say they don’t have it, though I’ve been told that it is used here sometimes. Also I would like to know how many meters of concrete a large concrete truck holds and the approximate cost of standard concrete. Many thanks.

Basil

Sorry to say, Basil, I don’t know where such plastic sheets are available locally and, to my knowledge, they are not used for such purposes here (though it may not be a bad idea). Don’t let that stop you from checking with a construction company. You might even try trucking companies that use tarps to cover loads. Ask if and where they buy such covers. As to your follow-up questions, a relatively large concrete-mixer truck carries about 18,000 kg of concrete.

The most common truck capacity is 6 cubic meters. A 100- square meter house might use about 15,000 kilos of cement (if you buy it in 50 Kilo  bags, that would amount to about bags). Depending on quality of the cement, the cost would range between 35,000 and 40,000 baht. But to obtain specific and accurate prices, call and ask several suppliers such as The Concrete Products and Aggregate Co., Ltd. (034 323542);  Siam City Concrete Co., Ltd. ( 028 012880);  TPI Concrete Co., Ltd. (027 25904-22); and TPI Polene PCL ( 036 357400).

Squealing in the Ceiling

Andy, we live on the outskirts of town with a garden full of trees and greenery. Therefore we expect the occasional rats and mice which the dogs deal with. However, lately we are getting rats or mice in the roof and also in the space above a false ceiling, and we hear their squeals in the ceiling and the sounds of gnawing away at the woodwork. We have tried glue but only caught lizards! Please can you help us?

Sleepless in Surin

No wonder that you are sleepless, inasmuch as roof rats and mice are nocturnal. While there are several pest control strategies that can help, you should also employ defensive strategies to prevent them from entering in the first place. Inspect the roof area to determine potential points of entry (even holes as small as 1 cm will allow a mouse to pass through); patch all holes and openings. Furthermore, eliminate all natural food sources that might attract rodents: seeds, nuts, fresh vegetables and fruits, even meat and grain products, as well as water sources. Do not allow access to garbage, pet dishes, etc. Once such precautions are in place, set traps. Your choices include snap traps, glue traps and live traps.

Snap Trap. There are several advantages for using traps: they are safer than hazardous poison baits, they are quick–providing immediate results, and they allow easy disposal of dead rodents–avoiding odor problems that will occur if rodenticides kill rodents in inaccessible areas. Be aware that odors of natural predators such as dogs or cats can cause an aversion to the traps, so do not touch pets prior to handling the traps. Also, avoid handling dead rodents with your bare hands to prevent contact with ectoparasites or diseased animals. Space your traps 5 to 10 meters apart and provide an attractive lure (peanut butter works well). And give it time. Rodents are suspicious of changes in the environment or new foods, so it may take a couple of days. Once the bait stations are placed, avoid moving them. Some rats have a reaction against moved objects.  Of course, if the rats are not taking the bait after a couple weeks it would warrant moving the traps.

Andy’s Helpers

Our friend Richard recently sent the following: Hi, Andy. I tried your suggestion for using toothpaste to remove a scratch on my glasses; it didn’t work. But Brasso did. Rubbed the scratch out gently with a soft cloth. It also worked on a ceramic glass hob. Thanks for your always interesting and useful tips. And just in case you haven’t seen this, here are a few useful tips related to the Amazing Cucumber:

Cucumbers contain  vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B5, as well as folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. If you’re feeling tired in the afternoon, reach for a cucumber (B vitamins and carbohydrates provide a quick pick-me-up). Avoid a foggy bathroom mirror by rubbing it with a cucumber slice; it prevents fog and provides a spa-like fragrance. Got grubs and slugs in your planting beds?  Place a small pie tin of cucumber slices in your garden (the scent repels garden pests). To temporarily relieve the appearance of cellulite, try rubbing a cucumber slice along your problem area for a few minutes (phytochemicals in the cucumber cause collagen in your skin to tighten, reducing the visibility of cellulite; works on wrinkles too.) To avoid a hangover headache, eat a cucumber before going to bed (cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients lost to alcohol). Cucumbers also can be used to polish your shoes, fix a squeaky hinge, eliminate bad breath, and clean and polish chrome and stainless steel.

Lest we forget, they also can be eaten.