Like many men of the boomer generation, I have always enjoyed the simple pleasures of grilling a nice steak or filet on my own grill in the privacy of my own backyard.

I’ve been a fan of Lynx Grills for many years and, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to say that we are a factory-authorized service provider for Lynx, or at least we were before all the COVID-19 confusion.

Lynx has recently introduced its latest model of grill, which in my opinion is THE BEST grill that your hard-earned money can buy: the LR42R-3.

The LR42 has been around for at least a decade but now has the option of all ceramic burners that provide intensely hot infrared heat and no rust.

All the Lynx grills are made from a high-quality stainless steel that does not rust, they have no circuitry to get damaged by weather or power surges, and with the exception of the rotisserie, no electric motors.

Very simple design, very expensive, very attractive and, if cared for, will last a lifetime even in the salty environment of the beach.

Quietest Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans are a simple way to help cool off rooms of all sizes, and can be an attractive design feature.

However, a noisy ceiling fan can be a real annoyance, especially in a bedroom if used at night while someone is trying to sleep.

I recently was introduced to Fanimation brand ceiling fans that feature a DC (direct current) electric motor as opposed to the usual AC (alternating current) motor.

These fans are silent. You hear nothing but the air being moved by the fan blades. Great product!

I have two in our home, and they are completely silent.

In-Line Bathroom Fans

Every bathroom should have a ceiling exhaust fan to dry things out and remove the occasional unwanted odor, but often the typical bathroom fan creates a lot of noise and doesn’t really move much air.

If you have an accessible attic above the bathroom, a solution can be an inline turbine fan.  Instead of the electric fan motor being mounted on the bathroom ceiling, the in-line fan is installed in the attic where, even with a much higher volume fan, considerably less noise is heard in the bathroom and much more air is moved.

Fantech makes a great inline fan with two ceiling registers that moves 270 CFU (cubic feet per minute) of air out of the bathroom — which is really quite a lot of air for a residential bathroom.

This is a great solution for the couple who shares a bathroom and one likes a steamy shower and the other enjoys the cold rinse method.

Fantech also offers an inline silencer that makes the fan even quieter. It’s a very nice upgrade for the master bathroom.

From the Readers

Question: Our mailbox was the innocent victim of a hit-and-run driver, and the pressure-treated wood post looks like it was almost completely rotted underground where it broke away from the cement.

We have landscaping in this area that requires a lot of watering, which probably contributed to the rotting of the post.

What do you suggest for a new mailbox that will hold up to wet ground?

Your Handyman: I always try to encourage the use of steel posts instead of wood for mailboxes and fencing because even the best grade of redwood or pressure-treated lumber can soon rot in wet conditions or be compromised by hungry subterranean termites.

My suggestion is to contact a local welding shop to have them fabricate a new post for your mailbox that is made from a 2⅜-inch diameter galvanized thick wall steel fence post with a 6-inch square steel plate with ½-inch holes in each corner welding onto the top end of the post.

Most welding shops will prime and paint a post in high gloss black but you purchase a can of spray paint in a different color if preferred, and leave it with the welder for the final color coat.

A sturdy steel post is completely termite-proof and will stand up to most all abuse, except for a direct hit by a car.

You may also want to put a few reflectors or some reflectorized tape on the post, so it is easily seen at night by people maneuvering in or out of your driveway area.

If you want the mailbox in the same location, the hardest part of your project may be to remove the old concrete footing that supported the old post. Take care not to create a huge crater that will require many sacks of concrete to fill, and always be cautious not to damage any buried pipes or other utilities.

The new post should be buried a minimum of 18 inches in the ground with at least one 60-pound sack of concrete post hole mix. Also, the U.S. Postal Service requires that the base of the mailbox be at least 41 inches above the roadway.

Wet the hole with a garden hose, put the post in the hole, pour the dry concrete mix into the hole and then wet the immediate area with water. It is not necessary to mix the concrete with water beforehand.

Using a carpenter’s level, carefully check to make sure that the post is vertical, cover the cement with dirt and give the concrete a full day to dry. The next day fasten a 2×8 piece of lumber to the square plate on the top of the post using 1½-inch lag screws with washers, and then screw down the mailbox to this platform using the same size lag screws fastened through the inside base of the mailbox.

Your mailbox should now be strong enough to provide decades of service, and a few inexpensive reflectors will make it more visible at night.