- On the Air - Listen to Us Anytime, Anywhere
- Ask Tom & Leslie - Caulk Question
- Short Cuts - Keeping Cool
- Fun Fact - Bearing the Load
- Dot Common Sense - Calling for Backup
- On the Wire - Theft Prevention
ON THE AIR
The Money Pit is pleased to now offer our listeners a Podcast stream. Not sure what that is? That's OK. It's a new way to listen to the show, whenever and wherever YOU want to listen. All you need is an iPod, iTunes, and a computer with an Internet connection. In addition, you'll need a small piece of software that reads our Podcast stream.
On your Mac or PC, you install this software that reads Podcast RSS feeds. If the feeds are set up properly, and ours certainly is, they will download audio and put it directly into iTunes. iTunes then syncs up with your iPod and boom! You are all set to listen.
You can easily set it up to check our Podcast feed as often as you like. We suggest weekly as our newest show is up and ready for download each Saturday morning. If you don't have an iPod you can still hear the newest show online or check out ourstation locator
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ASK TOM & LESLIE
This week's question comes to us from Laverne Harris. She says, "In our nine year old house, the spaces where the cabinets meet the drywall were caulked. After about three or four years the caulk began to crack leaving a space in this area. The space gets larger in winter - some as much as one eight of an inch - and in some places hardly noticeable in the summer, as they tend to close. Is there a caulk that gives enough to correct the problem? Is there a better time of the year to do the job? I might add, the paint on both cabinets and walls is in good condition, so would not want to be faced with a big paint job."
Laverne, the gaps you describe are not unusual. Many people do not realize that homes are always moving - expanding and contracting. Seasonal gaps like you describe will open up, and are usually the worst in the winter when the lumber in homes tends to shrink from the dry air. The best thing to do is to remove all the old caulk and then re-caulk the gap using an acrylic latex caulk. Typically, this kind of caulk will last several years. If you want caulk to last longer, you'd need to use silicone but the disadvantage of that is that it can't be painted and, since it isn't water soluble, it is a lot harder to work with.
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GOT A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR MONEY PIT?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.MoneyPit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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SHORT CUTS
Keeping Cool
A home doesn't need to be chilled all day, day in and day out, to be comfortable in the summer. Save energy and money by using an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat. The thermostat allows homeowners to preset temperatures to automatically adjust to a more comfortable
temperature when they are home. While away, homeowners can also block out heat by keeping blinds or curtains closed during the day.
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FUN FACT
Bearing the Load
Could you identify the load-bearing walls in your home? Load-bearing walls are vital to a structure's strength, and include exterior walls supporting the roof, ceiling, and upper floor loads. They usually run through the center of the house and are supported with columns in the basement. When remodeling, load-bearing walls can be removed, but only with professional supervision.
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DOT COMMON SENSE
Great web sites featured on the radio show.
Unfortunately, the need to back up data is often a lesson learned from a bitter experience. Don't let it happen to you. Protect yourself. Maxtor Corporation is one of the world's largest suppliers of hard disk drives, offering an array of products to store your digital world. The following are some tips and guidelines that every computer user should know about backing up their files:
- Develop a backup schedule so it's part of your normal routine. You should back up your data daily or at minimum weekly. Do it automatically. Set it and forget it. Use a solution that's easy to set up and provides automatic backups.
- Back up everything. Today you can easily back up all of your hard drive data. No need to spend time sorting through every file or folder. Invest in a storage solution that's twice the size of your internal hard drive, to give your system room to grow.
- Rotate backups. Give yourself added protection in case of an earthquake, fire, flood, or theft. Use two drives and rotate one offsite.
- Don't forget to backup personal data like digital photos because you can never re-record your child's first steps.
For more information, check out www.maxtor.com.
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ON THE WIRE
Theft Prevention
Vacations provide burglars with plenty of time to enter your home, remove large items and search leisurely for hidden valuables. If you are planning a vacation, take precautions to protect your home while you are away. The key is to create an illusion of everyday activity. Following this checklist will make it appear that someone is home, which is your first defense against burglary.
- Ask a trusted friend, neighbor or relative to "house sit" while you are away by picking up your mail and newspapers for you daily. You can also stop the mail and newspaper deliveries so that they do not accumulate.
- Make sure all doors, windows, pet entrances and garage doors are locked.
- Ask police to check your home and patrol your neighborhood more closely while you are away.
- Park a car half-way down your driveway to create the illusion that someone is home as well as inhibit a burglar to use your driveway as a way to better access your property.
- Leave a house key - and a number where you can be reached - with a trusted friend, neighbor or relative.
- Transfer valuables to a safety deposit box.
- Place timers on indoor lamps and appliances to turn on and off at certain times, alternating lighting patters, to create an occupied look. Also set timers to turn on radios and televisions randomly during the day.
- Replace any burned-out lights in your indoor lamps, outdoor lighting fixtures or low voltage lighting system. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures and devices with built-in timers and/or motion detectors to turn lights on whenever anyone walks past.
- Be sure your trees and hedges have been trimmed so burglars have fewer places to hide. Don't forget to make sure to have your landscaping continue as normal.
- If it's wintertime, have your driveways and walks shoveled. A snow-covered driveway without tire tracks is an immediate indicator to burglars that nobody is home.
- Keep some shades and blinds up and curtains open to maintain a normal appearance. (Closed window treatments during the day are a sign of an empty house, plus they allow a burglar to hide inside as they commit their crime.)
- Remove messages from your telephone answering machine or voice mail daily so that the "beep" is short. And don't indicate on your message that you are on vacation.
- Hide garbage cans in the garage or apartment.
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Copyright 2005 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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