Dear Gary,
I bought an old house with knob-and-tube wiring and wonder whether I should begin replacing some of it, or, eventually, all of it. Everything I read says knob and tube is fine as long as it’s serviceable. What does that mean? What should I look for and is it worth replacing?     
Wired Wrong?

Dear Wired,
I would suggest replacing all of it. First of all, in today’s standards it does not meet electrical codes. (It isn’t grounded.) Second, if it is exposed completely, as in a basement or attic of unfinished garage, it would be classified as serviceable, but tucked in the walls and ceilings, as most wiring is, it could be a fire hazard. Mice and squirrels can chew its insulation off, and the temperature in the attic could have caused the insulation to dry out and crack or even fall off, exposing bare wires.

Get rid of it. And yes, it can be a pain to replace all the wiring in a home. It can cost thousands of dollars. But for your safety and everyone else’s, replace as soon as possible. 

Dear Gary,
I have some wooden dining-room chairs that have loosened up. They also act as if one leg is longer than the other, as they rock and wobble. What can I do to them to help both situations? 
Rocking Chairs

Dear Rocking Chairs,
It sounds as if you may have dry heat in your home and the wood is drying out. Using a humidifier, add some moisture to the room and it may tighten up the chairs. You could also glue them with some Elmer’s glue but I would try the moisture first.
As for the longer leg and the rocking, tip the chair on two legs and then let it back down on the floor slowly. See which leg touches the floor first and sand the bottom of that particular leg down a little. Do this a little at a time until the rocking stops. It may take a while but should eventually lay flat.
Thanks for the question.

Dear Gary,
The house that I am renovating, but not living in, has steam heat. I did not drain the boiler early enough and an early, hard freeze made two of the radiators crack. I want to remove the radiators but not replace them yet. How can I cap them off? 
Out of Steam.

Dear Steam,
With a pipe wrench, remove the supply-line nut from the radiator pipe connection; hen take the disconnect nut off the supply line.
Apply pipe dope and screw on a threaded pipe cap. Steam heat has no return line, so this should eliminate this particular radiator. Do this to both radiators.

Carpenter Gary Ranck is a sales representative for Brookside Homes. You can contact him or submit a question at askgary@mountainhomemag.com.