Super Funicular

A fire pit with an open top lets sparks go wherever the wind does. The U.S. Fire Administration says to use "a metal screen over wood-burning fires to keep sparks from floating out". Another of its rules is for the end of the night: put the fire out before you leave the backyard.

Your neighbor's radon result says nothing about your house. EPA's radon guide lists that idea as a myth: "Radon levels can vary greatly from home to home." The test kit belongs on the lowest floor you live on, in a room you use, not the kitchen or bathroom.

On a private well, nobody else is checking your tap water. CDC: "Government officials do not regulate, treat, or monitor tap water from private wells." Test it yearly for coliforms, nitrates, dissolved solids and pH at a state-certified lab. Your health department can help find one.

Heat tape keeps pipes from freezing and can also start a fire. CPSC: plug it into a GFCI outlet, put it on the bare pipe, not over insulation, and "Do not wrap heat tape over itself unless specifically permitted in the manufacturer's instructions." Charring or bare wire? Replace it.

Puffy coats and car seat harnesses are a bad mix. NHTSA says too much bulk "can create extra room in the harness causing a loose fit". Buckle the child in thin fleece instead, then add warmth on top: "cover your child with a blanket, or put a coat on backwards over the properly fitted harness."

Jump-starting a car? The last black clamp goes on bare metal on the dead car, not its battery. AAA: an engine-block bolt "becomes the grounding point, directing the small, final spark safely away from the battery and any potential fumes." Cracked or bulging battery? Replace, not jump.

A call saying you missed jury duty and must pay a fine now is a scam, even if caller ID shows the court. A federal court in Maryland: any such fine "will be imposed by a judge during an open session of court." Hang up and call the clerk's office yourself.

Clearing a clogged snow blower chute by hand is when most snow blower injuries happen, per CPSC. Of the 4,700+ snow blower injuries it counted in ERs in 2022, 36% were to the wrist, hand or finger. The fix: turn the machine off and use "a cleanout tool or a long stick, NOT your hands".

Frostbitten skin is numb, so the quick ways to warm up can burn it. The CDC rules out a heating pad, heat lamp, stove, fireplace or radiator: "Affected areas are numb and can easily burn." Warm, not hot, water works, or an armpit for fingers; no rubbing, and get it checked afterward.

Cold mornings are when a tire pressure light may come on and go out a few miles later. NHTSA: it is "likely caused by marginally low tire pressure that dips below the warning threshold overnight". Check tires before driving, and fill to the door-edge label, "NOT what is listed on the tire itself."

A carbon monoxide alarm goes off and the instinct is to walk the house hunting for what set it off. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says not to: "do not try to find the source of the CO." Get everyone outside, call 911 from there, count heads, and nobody goes back in until responders say so.

Pulled onto the shoulder in near-zero fog? Take your foot off the brake. National Weather Service: leave only the hazards on, set the emergency brake, and lift off the pedal "to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don't mistakenly run into you."

A credit freeze is three requests, not one. The FTC says to contact all three bureaus: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion. A fraud alert placed at one is passed to the other two; a freeze is not. With all three set, "nobody can open a new credit account in your name, including you."

Ice dams are mostly a ceiling problem, not a gutter one. On warm house air leaking into the attic, University of Minnesota Extension says: "In many homes this is the major mode of heat transfer that leads to the formation of ice dams." Seal the ceiling leaks first, then insulate.

Fireplace ash goes into a covered metal bucket, not the kitchen trash. U.S. Fire Administration: "Never empty the ashes directly into a trash can." Let it cool, pour water on it, and set the bucket outside at least 10 feet from the house.