DEAR SUN SPOTS: I reread John Gould’s book, “The House that Jacob Built,” which tells of the home he built on Lisbon Ridge in 1946. Is it still there? We went all over that area in the fall but had no luck finding it.

— No name, no town

ANSWER: I love John Gould’s writing. He was quite the character. I assume you don’t have an exact address but to find more information about John’s house, call Lisbon Tax Assessor Kathy Malloy at 207-0353-3000, ext. 110. She should be able to help you. The town has archived reports that go back many decades. Happy hunting and let us know what you find out!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: First, many thanks for all the help you give us with our questions. Your knowledge on so many things is just wonderful and makes life easier for us all.

Your response about generators on Jan.17 was great but could have gone a step further. Could you find out from generator experts what type of enclosure we can build to keep snow and ice from building up inside the generator, preventing it from automatically coming on when needed? A roof over it would keep the snow from building up on the top but the side vents must be left open for air. Any suggestions?

— No name, no town

ANSWER: I talked with two generator technicians and got some general information but readers should get advice from the company that sold them the generator. You also should have a solid yearly maintenance contract. This crazy weather has certainly kept us on our toes and none of us wants to be unprepared if we experience another weather event like we had in October. We certainly don’t want to deal with frozen, broken pipes either.

As far as a shelter for your generator is concerned, you don’t want to “enclose” it. The generator needs air to flow around it and room for the technician to service it. A 5-foot width on the exhaust side and a minimum width of 3 feet around all the other sides of the generator is recommended. You could build a slanted roof on timbers, but the roof should also have a 5-foot clearance from the top.

Another idea is to build a fence around your generator as a weather buffer. Again, be sure to have that 3- to 5-foot clearance. I don’t know if these measures are enough shelter to protect your generator from blowing snow and ice buildup. You just have to keep an eye on it and get out there with a shovel as needed.

Another very important thing to remember is that in the event of a lengthy power outage, it is recommended that you check the oil every 24 hours or so. Generators do run out of oil when put in use for just a few days, so be sure to keep whatever type oil is recommended on hand.

Like most things that make our lives more convenient, automatic generators are great, but they do need a fair amount of maintenance.

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