Transcripts

Transcript For May 31, 2008, Hour 1

Hosts: Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete

(NOTE: Timestamps below correspond to the running time of the downloadable audio file of this show. Text represents a professional transcriptionist's understanding of what was said. No guarantee of accuracy is expressed or implied. 'Ph' in parentheses indicates the phonetic or best guess of the actual spoken word.)

BEGIN HOUR 1 TEXT:

Hi, this is Tom Kraeutler and thanks for listening to the show. Hey, I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a cool contest we’re running right now with our friends at Therma-Tru. It’s called the Ugliest Door in America contest and two of our listeners could win a brand new, completely installed entry door worth up to $5,000. Entering is super easy, too, at MyUglyDoor.com. So if your front door, back door or patio door is looking a little worse for wear, log onto MyUglyDoor.com and you can enter to win a beautiful new entry door from Therma-Tru. That’s MyUglyDoor.com.

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TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles. This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Call us now with your home improvement question. Call us now with your do-it-yourself dilemma at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. Welcome to summer. It’s just about here and I’m excited. It’s time to get outside and tackle those projects that are going to make our summer so much more enjoyable like perhaps the deck. If you haven’t tackled a deck improvement lately maybe now is the time to get that done or maybe you want to head inside and work on something that’s actually outside which makes it more comfortable; the air conditioning system. That would be a good project to talk about. Give us a call with what’s on your home improvement mind right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

We’ve got a great show planned for you today. Up first, almost a million children under the age of six in this country suffer from lead poisoning and we’ve heard a lot about lead from paint and toys in the news recently but there’s even a bigger danger from the lead paint you might have in your home. So coming up this hour we’re going to tell you what the EPA is doing about it and what you can do to protect your family.

LESLIE: And also ahead this hour, now that the weather is warmer across the country you might be noticing some musty smells in certain parts of your home and it’s not just because your home needs a good airing out or even because it’s an older house. That scent that you smell is actually coming from living organisms that are making themselves at home in your home; so we’re going to tell you how to kick them to the curb.

TOM: And we’ve got some great cooling tips coming up for you this hour. We’re going to teach you about the ideal temperatures you ought to be setting your AC at and how to make sure you’re using that cooling system in an energy-efficient way so you keep those costs down.

LESLIE: And of course we’ve got our weekly prize giveaway. This hour we’re giving away a new Ryobi four-volt power screwdriver. It’s up for grabs. It’s brand, spanking new to the market. It’s worth 30 bucks so give us a call now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT for your chance to win.

TOM: 888-666-3974. Let’s get right to those phones.

Leslie, who’s first?

LESLIE: Joan in California wants to talk bathroom flooring. How can we help?

JOAN: Well, I want to put hardwood in my bathroom and when I mention that to people they think I’m crazy. (Leslie chuckles)

TOM: Well, you might be, Joan, because if you use full-thickness hardwood in the bathroom and it gets wet it’s going to warp and twist and you will not be able to repair it.

LESLIE: Well, it doesn’t even have to get soaking wet.

TOM: Right.

LESLIE: It could just be from moisture.

TOM: Exactly. So we’ll give you two ideas. The first one is a product called laminate floor. Now laminate floor can look just like hardwood up to and including the graining in the wood. Now laminate floor can be completely submerged and it won’t twist. If you are actually convinced that you do not want laminate; you want some real wood product, the only choice is engineered hardwood.

LESLIE: And the reason why engineered will work in a high-moisture environment is it’s built in the same way that plywood is built, so it’s put together in layers of opposing grains which makes it structurally stable and then that topmost layer is the actual veneer of that hardwood that you want in the space.

TOM: But whatever you do, Joan, don’t use solid hardwood in the bathroom because, believe me, one spill; one toilet that overflows; situation like that, you may not have planned it, it just happens …

LESLIE: Poor ventilation.

TOM: That’s right. It could really be a big mess.

JOAN: Ah. OK, thank you very much.

TOM: You’re welcome, Joan. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Now we’re going to talk to Michael in New Jersey about installing a bathroom in a basement. What can we do for you today?

MICHAEL: Hi. I bought a four-bedroom house with only one bathroom and it’s a family of four (Tom and Leslie chuckle); so we’re having a little bit of problems with that.

TOM: (chuckling) I bet.

LESLIE: Scheduling.

TOM: (chuckling) Yeah.

MICHAEL: Right, exactly. Mother Nature always calls at the same time. Our basement has an eight-foot ceiling and it’s a huge basement.

TOM: OK.

MICHAEL: But the sewage pipe is three feet off the ground.

TOM: Right.

MICHAEL: Is there anything I can do to install a bathroom down there?

TOM: Yeah, you absolutely can. What you need is a type of pump …

LESLIE: Is it a lift pump? Yeah.

TOM: Yeah, and basically what happens is the waste flows into this pump in the floor that is about the size of a sump pump but it’s different; it’s all sealed and it grinds the waste and then lifts it up high enough so that gravity can make it flow into the typical drain line for the house.

LESLIE: Would you need one lift pump per fixture or can a lift pump in one bath handle like a toilet and a shower?

TOM: No, it would be one pump for the entire bathroom.

MICHAEL: Oh, OK.

TOM: And it’s a fairly big job. I mean don’t get me wrong. Because you have to break out the floor to have it installed and have all the lines installed and it has to be vented and of course it has to be, you know, drained into the house drain waste vent pipe.

MICHAEL: OK, thank you.

TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: You are listening to the Money Pit and we can help you get everything ready for the summer season which is knocking on our doors, so give us a call with your home repair or your home improvement question 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Up next, 38 million American homes have lead paint. Could yours be one of them? Find out what you can do about it, next.

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ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is brought to you by Therma-Tru, the nation’s leading manufacturer of fiberglass entry and patio door systems. Choose the brand more building professionals prefer and add up to $24,000 to the perceived value of your home. For more information visit ThermaTru.com.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show where we make good homes better. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. Hey, give us a call right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT because one caller that we talk to on the air this hour is going to win a four-volt lithium ion power screwdriver from our friends over at Ryobi. It’s a great little tool that holds a charge for up to two years and it includes a set of driver bits. We know our Money Pit listeners though are going to go through those charges far faster than two years. (Tom chuckles) It’s worth 30 bucks so give us a call at 1-888-MONEY-PIT for your chance to win right now.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Now it’s time to talk a bit about lead paint. Are you getting ready to renovate an older home? Well, if your home was built before 1978 chances are that it has lead-based paint somewhere under all of those layers and the EPA has come up with some brand, spanking new rules about how to handle those renovations and the repairs and all the painting jobs in an older home. The rules include lead-safe painting for pros – that’s a good thing – and following procedures that reduce dust. Now if you have an older home you definitely should consider getting a pro involved or, at the very least, do a little research about how to handle lead paint safely.

LESLIE: You know, I know it gets a little scary with lead paint but you do need to be aware because lead, it’s especially harmful for kids because it does affect their brain development and the vast majority of kids with lead poisoning, they’re exposed to lead from old paint that you find in their own homes. So our friends over at the EPA estimate that there are as many as eight million renovations each year that could generate dangerous levels of lead dust which, even in miniscule amounts, can harm kids. So go to their website – it’s EPA.gov – and get all the info you can there to keep your family safe.

TOM: 888-666-3974. If all of that talk about lead paint has reminded you that maybe you need to pick up a paintbrush in your house, pick up the phone and call us first. We can help.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: Martha in Texas is looking for some help revamping her kitchen. What can we do for you today?

MARTHA: Well, I’m circumnavigating a money pit right now, I’m afraid.

LESLIE: (chuckling) OK. (Tom chuckles)

MARTHA: We bought a 1981 contemporary home that is basically being fully remodeled and we’re bringing the bathrooms down to the studs. The kitchen, however, had been recently renovated in that it’s had new granite countertops and stone tile backsplashes. We had hoped that the solution for us would be to remove the old cabinet doors with visible hinges and old hardware …

TOM: OK.

MARTHA: … and just sort of reface that way. We’ve found out since that because the base cabinetry is plywood paint grade that new cabinet doors are going to be very heavy and not a great solution for this.

TOM: So wait a minute. You’re concerned that the new cabinet doors will be too heavy for the cabinets themselves?

LESLIE: What about the granite countertop that’s sitting on top of it?

TOM: Yeah. I don’t think that’s an issue.

MARTHA: I imagine there’s some substrate there but the doors we’re looking at are a very contemporary thick door. They’re not a Shaker style. They’re probably a good ¾-inches thick and heavy.

TOM: OK.

MARTHA: Can we not just fabricate some doors? They don’t have to be ¾-inch …

TOM: Yeah, of course you can fabricate some doors.

LESLIE: And there’s no reason why your general contractor, if he’s, you know, a skilled craftsman; he can make doors from existing lumber that you find in the home center that can look like any door that you want; you can finish them in any way and because he’s custom-making them for the situation you can do a full overlay with those hidden euro hinges where you never even see the base behind the door.

MARTHA: Well, Leslie, we are on the same page because that’s what I asked for. So I’m waiting on an estimate for the full reno and I should say demo and reno. But you’ve given me confidence in my first instinct.

TOM: Fantastic. Martha, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: It’s taking a long time for Bob in South Carolina to get his hot water. How can we help you?

BOB: Well, last spring I bought a home down here in Myrtle Beach and we love the place except there’s one thing that’s just driving me nuts.

TOM: Alright.

BOB: We turn the hot water on in the kitchen and, like most places if you don’t have a, you know, constant flow, it’ll take a minute for the hot water to get there from the hot water heater. I can put with that but once I get the flow if I use it for a few minutes and, say, I turn the water off, it doesn’t have to be a minute and I turn it on again and it’s ice cold and I’m saying, “What happened to what’s in the pipe?”

TOM: Yeah, well you know, copper doesn’t make a very good insulator, Bob.

BOB: Well, it’s not even copper. We’re talking plastic pipe.

TOM: Plastic? Yeah, well that too. So it’s not going to stay warm for long.

BOB: Oh.

TOM: You know, the farther the bathroom is away from the water heater the longer you have to wait. It’s a question of distance. What we’re seeing today in more and more newer homes is that we’re putting in multiple water heaters; typically using tankless water heaters because they’re smaller and they can be easily added to different areas of the house; doesn’t have to be centralized where all your HVAC equipment is and we’re shortening the distance that way. Now if you were to add a return loop that would sort of carry hot water back to the water heater, that’s a solution but it’s a real expensive one because you’re going to be heating water like crazy and it’s going to be costing you a lot of money to heat water that’s just circulating through pipes and not being used.

BOB: Alrighty.

TOM: Bob, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Norma in New York, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

NORMA: Yeah, hi. My kitchen, I’ve had like linoleum; like sheets of it and it’s glued like on the perimeter of the whole kitchen. This was like eight years ago. And it’s like shrinking from the perimeter of the kitchen.

LESLIE: OK, where the flooring meets the wall, is there a baseboard molding there? Is there a shoe molding? What kind of molding is there?

NORMA: Oh, I guess you’d say baseboard. It’s wooden.

TOM: OK. Typically, when you put a vinyl floor down, you would have a baseboard molding and then you would have what’s called a shoe molding which is sort of like a quarter-round molding.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Like a quarter-round.

TOM: Because you’re going to have shrinkage in a product like that and it sounds to me like what’s happened is it shrank more than whatever molding was covering it. So the easy solution here might be to add a shoe molding which is like a trim molding that can go against the baseboard and cover that loose edge.

LESLIE: Would you need to reglue down those edges so that there’s not further movement?

NORMA: Well, because there’s also like rippling underneath even away from the perimeter. You know what I mean? Like it’s rippled.

TOM: Well, in those areas you may need to have a flooring installer come in because there are special tools – usually big rollers; heavy rollers – that they use to try to pull some of that out. That’s not something you’re going to be able to do on your own but if it’s just a loose seam you can add an additional layer of trim and cover that up.

Norma, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Alright, countertop talk with Mark in Washington. What can we do for you?

MARK: I recently purchased a home, a ‘20s cottage style, and the kitchen was remodeled in 1972 and they put in the yellow Formica countertop. The backsplash is also yellow Formica. (Leslie chuckles)

TOM: And what’s wrong with that? (chuckling)

MARK: Well, this happens to be the house I grew up in.

TOM: OK. Time for a change.

MARK: After 36 years I’m a little tired of the Formica.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) You’re like, “I’m sick of it.”

TOM: (overlapping voices) Yeah, you’re ready for a decorating change. (chuckles)

MARK: And what we’d like to do is see if we can go right over the Formica with subway tile as the backsplash. We’re going to replace the countertop. The problem is they put the backsplash up, put the Formica up and then they put the cabinets up over it and we’re going to see if we can just go ahead and put the tile on over the Formica. Or are we going to have to pull that backsplash off?

LESLIE: You actually can go ahead and put the tile over the existing Formica. If it’s super smooth and shiny you may need to scuff it up a little bit just so the mastic does adhere better to the Formica itself.

MARK: OK.

LESLIE: You want to, of course – you know it depends on how this was done. Is the countertop inset and then the backsplash is on top of it? You may need to have that counter installed first just in case there’s any movement, cracking, lifting up that sort of shifts that backsplash around. Get your new countertop in and then go ahead and put the tile up.

MARK: Outstanding.

TOM: Mark, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Time to help Robert in Rhode Island in the kitchen. What can we do for you?

ROBERT: I have a question on my kitchen cabinets. I remodeled the kitchen and I put in sealed particleboard cabinets and …

TOM: OK.

ROBERT: … on the shelf underneath the kitchen sink there was a stain and I tried to take it off with a little Ajax or Comet and it stuck the seal; it removed a little bit of the seal. So I’m trying to find out if there’s anyway I can reseal that particleboard to keep moisture out of it. I’m afraid of moisture getting in there.

TOM: Now this is just a shelf inside the cabinet?

ROBERT: Yeah, it’s the shelf underneath the kitchen sink.

TOM: OK. Well, I think you certainly can and any urethane would work fine for that.

ROBERT: Oh, great. That’s very easy to do.

TOM: It certainly is. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Coming up next, how to use your thermostat wisely to save money and keep cool all summer long and a special contest announcement about how you can win a $5,000 makeover for your house, after this.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: The Money Pit is brought to you by Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior paint and primer in one with advanced NanoGuard technology to help you save time and money while preserving your home’s exterior finish. For more information, visit Behr.com. That’s B-e-h-r.com. Behr products are available exclusively at The Home Depot. Now here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: Welcome back to the Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Call us right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. We are standing by to answer your questions about your do-it-yourself dilemma; helping you get the jobs done around your house.

Now, one of those projects might have to do with a door around your house and if it’s an outside door – either your front door or your side door, your patio door – and you don’t like it, well, we’ve got a great contest that you can qualify for; it’s called the Ugliest Door in America and it’s being brought to you by our friends at Therma-Tru. You know, replacing a door is not a drastic project for you to tackle but it can deliver some pretty major results.

LESLIE: Yeah, this is their fourth year doing this contest, the search for the ugliest door in America, and they’re actually picking two grand prize winners and those winners are going to receive a Therma-Tru entry door makeover with a retail value up to $5,000. They’re going to install it for you, too; so think about all the money and energy that you’re saving.

If you want some info for all the details of what you need to do, great website; it’s MyUglyDoor.com. You’ll get the full rules and entry rules there.

TOM: Yeah, so look around the house. Maybe the front door is ugly. Maybe you’ve got one of those really nasty back doors you’ve been waiting to get rid of for all these years. Now is your chance. There’s two ways to enter. You can write a short essay about why you have the ugliest door in America and send it in with a couple of pictures of your door or you can produce a one-minute video for those super-creative types.

LESLIE: They’re picking a winner from each category, right?

TOM: Yeah, I think they are and actually, they’re not going to pick the winner. You know who’s going to pick the winner? You are. America is going to vote.

LESLIE: Even better.

TOM: And if your door is one of the two winners, Therma-Tru will send a crew to replace it and a makeover that’s worth up to 5,000 bucks. So for the details, head on over to MyUglyDoor.com.

Well, from doors to decks and floorboards to shingles we are here to answer your home improvement question; so let’s get back to it.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: Now we’re going to talk to Shannon in Alabama who’s dealing with condensation on the windows. What’s going on?

SHANNON: Yes, I have six windows in my house that they’re vinyl, double-pane windows that are getting condensation down around the bottom of the window between the wood and the actual vinyl itself and around the center section where the two windows meet. And it’s only on two sides of my home and I didn’t know if it may have been an insulation problem with the windows or what. I really didn’t know …

TOM: Shannon, did you say that these are thermal pane windows; they’re two panes thick? Or are they single-pane?

SHANNON: Two-pane, yes.

TOM: They’re two-pane. And is the condensation inside between the panes or is it on one side or the other?

SHANNON: It’s on the inside of – inside of the home, that is. It’s not in between the panes.

TOM: That sounds to me like those insulated panes are not working because if they were you wouldn’t have the temperature differential that you do that’s causing the condensation. You see, if that insulated pane, that thermal pane, was working properly, then that would be a fairly warm surface and if you had warm, humid air that touched a chilly surface – for example, in the winter – it would condense but if it’s insulated properly that wouldn’t happen.

LESLIE: How old are the windows?

SHANNON: The windows are – the home was built in 2004.

TOM: Let me guess. Is it happening on the north and the east sides?

SHANNON: Yes, I believe it is.

TOM: That’s because those are the coldest sides of your house and so you have more temperature change there. So I would say that your first step is to try to reduce indoor humidity any way you can and the second thing is try to figure out if those windows are still under warranty because I’m telling you, something’s not right with those thermal panes. It should not be happening.

SHANNON: OK. I appreciate it.

TOM: You’re welcome, Shannon. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Thank you so much for spending this hour with us.

Hey, would you like to save some money by controlling your home’s climate around the clock even in the summer? Well, you can if you use a programmable thermostat. Now we typically think about these programmable thermostats to be used only in the wintertime but in fact, setting the thermostat to control the operation of your central air conditioner can actually manage the excess humidity in your home and reduce those overall cooling bills. These are very inexpensive. They’re actually easy to install. For as little as about 50 bucks you can actually be saving some money on those air conditioning bills and controlling humidity all at the same time.

LESLIE: And speaking of moisture, that musty smell that you might be noticing in your home, it isn’t just from moisture or old age. It could actually be from living, breeding microorganisms all around your house. We’re going to tell you how to get rid of them, right after this.

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ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is brought to you by Ryobi, manufacturer of professional-feature power tools and accessories with an affordable price for the do-it-yourselfer. Ryobi Power Tools. Pro features. Affordable price. Available exclusively at The Home Depot. Now, here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to the Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: We’re here with your step-by-step guide to home improvement; like turn off the power then change the electrical outlet. You’ve got to get the steps in the right order so that things come out correctly and safely.

LESLIE: Yeah, and that you come out on the other side of that project, too.

TOM: Exactly. Call us right now with your home improvement question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT because one caller to this hour’s program is going to win a four-volt lithium ion power screwdriver from our friends at Ryobi. It’s a great little tool. It can actually hold a charge for up to two years. You’ve got to love those lithium ion batteries. They can hold a charge for a long time. It also includes a set of driver bits. It’s worth 30 bucks. So call us right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Well, maybe you’re giving us a call right now to let us know or find out what the heck is causing this musty smell in your basement or even in your bathroom and high moisture situations around your house. Well, what’s actually emitting that smell are microorganisms. They emit gases that can create that musty smell inside your house and they make themselves at home where there’s an organic food source like cardboard boxes, carpeting, anything that they can get their hands on – even drywall; little air movement and light, wet, humid conditions – bathrooms, basements. So to prevent these problems be sure to treat moist, damp areas around your house with an antimicrobial treatment like a 10-percent bleach solution or even a 20-percent, depending on how much mold you might be seeing in these areas. You really want to attack it with bleach and water because that’s going to stop it and stop it from growing back.

TOM: 888-666-3974. Let’s get back to the phones.

LESLIE: Joe in New Jersey, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

JOE: I have a problem with my basement. It’s finished and last year we had a bad storm and water came up through the floor; not the walls, the walls are fine. And the carpet I had down there was ruined and I picked it up and now, you know, I want to put something down there. Well, I saw this product. It’s a rubber carpet, I guess you could it. It’s called Coin Grip. They’re in a lot of buildings on staircases and all. And I was wondering if I could lay something like that over the concrete floor that I have.

TOM: OK. First of all, carpet; very bad idea for basements for a whole bunch of reasons. It traps moisture; it is a food for mold growth and for other types of allergens. So carpet, definitely a bad idea. If you just want to cover the concrete floor, why put any kind of flooring down at all? You could use an epoxy finishing system and paint it. The epoxy systems look pretty good today. They seal the floor and they do a nice job. They’re two-part epoxies. You mix them together. You put them down. They cure within a couple of hours. Sometimes they have color flakes in them. There’s a product called EPOXYShield from Rust-Oleum. There’s another one from QUIKRETE; works the same way.

LESLIE: And they’re very durable and they’re easy to maintain.

TOM: Super durable. If you want some sort of a finished floor we would recommend laminate.

JOE: I think that’s my solution then.

TOM: Yes, sir. Joe, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Now we’re going to talk to Crystal in Florida about some mildew. What’s going on at your money pit?

CRYSTAL: I have a block home and I have aluminum double-pane windows and during the winters I wind up with so much moisture on my windows that it actually forms in puddles on my windowsills.

TOM: Oh, no.

CRYSTAL: It’s a nightmare. It would actually take a full-sized towel on each window to dry it off daily.

TOM: How old is your house?

CRYSTAL: We built it in ’94.

TOM: It sounds to me like the thermal pane windows are not doing their job because if they were the glass would be much warmer and you wouldn’t be getting condensation. So the solution here is twofold. The expensive solution is to replace your windows.

CRYSTAL: Right.

TOM: The least expensive way to try to reduce moisture is to try to stop some of the humidity from building up in the house.

CRYSTAL: OK.

TOM: First of all, outside the house look at the drainage conditions at the foundation perimeter. Make sure that the soil slopes away from the wall and the gutters are extended away because that moisture that builds up outside the house will show up as excessive humidity inside. Check all the venting inside the house – and this is the bath vents and the kitchen vents. And thirdly, you know, you have a perfect home to use what’s called a whole-home dehumidifier in. A whole-home dehumidifier gets installed into the HVAC system and actually takes humidity out of the entire house and it’s more effective than an air conditioner at doing that; although it uses the same set of ducts. Aprilaire makes a really, really good one that takes out like I think – is it 90 pints of water a day?

LESLIE: Mm-hmm, and especially in Florida. You’re dealing with such a high-moisture situation.

TOM: Yeah.

CRYSTAL: OK, thank you so much for your help.

TOM: You’re welcome, Crystal. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: More great home improvement advice coming up when we return with The Money Pit, including information about fencing. If you go ahead and pick a vinyl fence it’s a great option to keep your termites away, but you need to make sure that it’s installed correctly. We’re going to talk about that, next.

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ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is being brought to you by Guardian Home Standby Generators, America’s choice in power outage protection. Learn more at GuardianGenerators.com. Now, here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show where we make good homes better. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete and when you find yourselves listening to The Money Pit and all of a sudden a bit of information goes in one ear and out the other but you really wanted to hold onto it, well have no fear. We’ve got lots of ways for you to get that piece of information again. You can go to MoneyPit.com and then you can download our podcast. It’s totally free and we’ve got a year’s worth of shows there archived and plus, our entire website, it’s fully searchable; so start looking by topic; put everything in those search folders. You’ll find it. You will find that information right there and get you that little thing that you needed to know right then and there.

TOM: And if you can’t find it, well, head on over to the Listen section and click on Ask Tom and Leslie just like Russ did from Hackettstown.

LESLIE: Alright, Russ writes: “Three years ago I had a vinyl fence put around my front yard. The installation was shoddy. Some of the fenceposts rise and fall during the winter season. The contractor came back once and pulled the posts out then filled them with concrete. Now the main post from my swing gate has cracked and literally fallen apart. The fence contractor will not honor my lifetime warranty and can’t give me the manufacturer’s name of my fence. What should I do and what can be done about the posts rising in the winter months?

TOM: Well the first thing you should do is sue your contractor because, you know, he’s playing a game with you here; not giving you the name of the manufacturer and not honoring the warranty. Obviously he made a promise to you he’s not keeping. He’s pretty much ignoring you at this point, so I think a lawsuit is in your future.

In terms of the posts that are rising in the winter months, obviously they were not set right. Those posts need to be set about three feet below grade. If they’re set three feet below grade they should not be affected by frost. And the other thing is that I generally don’t like to use concrete to set fenceposts.

LESLIE: Yeah, you like using the gravel so things drain.

TOM: I’m telling you. It’s so solid you’re just amazed. You think how can they possibly solid and you’re only using gravel but it really is amazing how strong they can be. What I do is I drop my posts in then I use some gravel right around the posts and it’s real important to tamp them. Now the best way to tamp them is with a tamping iron, which is this long, metal bar with a metal disc on the end. But if you don’t have it a 2x4 works just as well; a little harder on the hands and the arms but it works just as well.

LESLIE: And someone’s holding the post fully-plumbed, square, level, everything?

TOM: Well, what you do is you start fairly plumb and then you tap a little bit and then you sort of put some more stone in there and you tamp a little more and you can actually kind of work it from one side to the other that way and when you’re done it’s really rock solid.

LESLIE: Alright, good luck with that lawsuit.

Now I’ve got another one here from Ann in Monroe, Connecticut who writes: “My 43-year-old, 275-gallon oil tank located in my basement has almost 100 gallons of sludge at the bottom. At one point I ran out of oil when it was still half full. If my oil dealer doesn’t have an answer, who does?

TOM: What’s wrong with these contractors? Your oil dealer should be perfectly suited to remove old sludge and clean out old tanks. Now …

LESLIE: Are they supposed to do that seasonally or no?

TOM: Well, from time to time; maybe every couple of years. It sounds like this is a severe problem. What I would do in a situation like this is I would, you know, once all of the oil is off the top so only the sludge is left, you may actually have to add something to that to get it liquid enough so that you can pump it out. You may have to add some water in there or something of that nature and then sort of mix it up and then pump out that sludge. Now it does become toxic waste in terms of what you have to do to get rid of it, but frankly that’s something that oil dealers deal with all of the time.

LESLIE: Alright, good luck with that, Ann.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Thank you so much for spending this hour with us. Want to encourage you to check out my blog at MoneyPit.AOL.com. This week I’ve got a great article there about the coolest new tools on the market that were introduced at the 2008 National Hardware Show. We were out there earlier this month.

LESLIE: And also remember if you’d like to win a $5,000 makeover for one of the entries to your home you can get all of the details to our Ugliest Door in America contest which is being brought to you by our friends over at Therma-Tru at MyUglyDoor.com.

TOM: I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

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(Copyright 2008 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)

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