Transcripts

Transcript For November 10, 2007, 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:

(promo/theme song)

[audio timestamp: 1:00]

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. There are no dumb questions on this program. Great stories that happen to other people, yes, but no dumb questions. (Leslie chuckles) So call us now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. We’re here to help you get through those do-it-yourself dilemmas. We’re here to help you get the job done. 888-666-3974.

Hey, it is a popular time of year for inside paint jobs. That’s one project we’ll talk about today and why not? Just a coat of paint can change the whole attitude of a room. There’s nothing worse than a room with a bad attitude, Leslie.

LESLIE: (chuckling) I think we mean, you know, that a room can give you a bad attitude if you don’t like it.

TOM: (chuckling) Absolutely. So we’ll give you a few tips for painting during the cooler months in just a bit.

LESLIE: Yeah, you know there are a lot of great low or no-VOC paint options available in stores now and maybe your home renovation includes some plans to use green materials. You want to make sure you know what makes something truly green. There is no widely accepted standard and lots of companies are jumping on this green bandwagon and we’re going to tell you what to keep in mind so you make sure you’re actually buying something that’s truly green.

TOM: Plus, should you use your ceiling fan in the wintertime? Well, you absolutely should. It can actually keep you warmer. How is that possible, you ask? We’re going to tell you just a bit later in the show.

LESLIE: And if you’re looking for a new way to cook your holiday turkey, we have got it for you. We are giving away the Orion cooker. It’s worth 149 bucks and it’s sort of a cross between – I mean this really is the only way I can describe it – a cross between a grill and an oven and it cooks a great meal in an incredibly short amount of time. Super cool prize.

TOM: We used one the other night to cook a four-pound chicken. I’ve got to tell you, the meat was falling off the bone. It was fabulous.

LESLIE: How long did it take; four-pound chicken?

TOM: Took an hour.

LESLIE: Even for a four-pound chicken?

TOM: Yep, hour. You have to cook it slow. You don’t want to go too fast. And it was absolutely falling off the bone. It was really, really good.

LESLIE: How fantastic.

TOM: So, if you would like to win that Orion cooker, pick up the phone right now and call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. You must have a home improvement question and be willing to come on the air and ask us. 888 …

LESLIE: I’m going to call in …

TOM: You can’t.

LESLIE: … and I’m going to ask to come over for dinner.

TOM: 888-666-3974. Who’s first?

LESLIE: Looks like John in Maryland is looking for some new windows. How can we help you with the process?

JOHN: Yeah, I have an older home that I’m trying to refurbish and it does have some really inefficient double-hung wooden windows that are leaking. They’re very inefficient to start with. I’m trying to buy some new ones but I’m wondering how to measure for the new ones; the replacement windows. Do you measure from the outside edge of the glass or the outside of the actual wooden frame of the window or …?

TOM: No, here’s what you do. Now, imagine that if you’re going to put these replacement windows in you’re going to remove the sashes. That’s the part that slides up and down.

LESLIE: The operable pieces.

JOHN: Correct.

TOM: So the new window basically goes from inside jamb to inside jamb; side to side and top to bottom. So that’s how you measure it. But what I would recommend you do is choose the window first; go to the home center or the window company and get the specific instructions on how they want you to measure windows because they’re going to tell you exactly where to put that tape and how much wiggle room to give yourself because generally you’re going to order a size that’s maybe a ¼-inch less or so just in the case the old window’s a bit out of square. It’ll help you get the new window in.

JOHN: I see. So each company may have a little bit different …

TOM: Slightly, but generally speaking it’s inside jamb to inside jamb. But I know that these window companies have specific measurement advice that they will give you, so either …

LESLIE: Oh God, they spell it out.

TOM: Yeah, and that would just be the easiest thing just to make sure you’re very comfortable. And by the way, you may even want to ask these folks to come and do the measuring for you. This way, they’re responsible if it doesn’t fit.

JOHN: I see. That’s a good way to do it. OK, well thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT and replacing old double-hung, single-pane wood windows is certainly a good thing to do.

LESLIE: Oh, yeah, and energy efficient and tax-rebatable.

TOM: Yeah, good point if it’s done before the end of the year you could probably qualify …

LESLIE: End of 2007; otherwise, you miss out.

TOM: … for the federal energy tax credit.

LESLIE: Jenai (sp) in Texas needs some help with carpeting. What can we do for you?

JENAI (sp): Well, we were just wondering what is the best, most cost-effective way to replace carpeting in our living room. We’ve lived in the house for about five years and noticed lots of stains coming up through the carpet and we also have a 1-1/2-year-old son now who loves his juice and we (INAUDIBLE) (Tom and Leslie chuckle) [or he likes sad] (ph) parents. But anyway – and so that’s what’s happening all the time and so we didn’t know if a wood floor or staining the concrete or just laying carpet again or – we didn’t know what the best options were.

TOM: Well, I tell you, you can totally have the best of both worlds. If you take up the carpet and put in a hard surface floor – whether that’s wood; it could be solid wood; it could be engineered hardwood …

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: … or it could be laminate – and then you could put throw rugs on top of that and have a little bit of both.

JENAI (sp): OK.

LESLIE: Well, or even if you’re – if you’re totally sold on having wall-to-wall carpet but you know that there’s going to be messes and things that happen over time, there’s a company called Flor – F-l-o-r – and they make carpet tiles and you can sort of create your own crazy pattern or stripe or just go with something simple. And they range between like $9 and $16 per – I think they’re 20-inch square tiles. And then when you lay them out on the floor, if, say, your child spills their favorite juice box on the floor, you can just pick up that tile and replace it with a new one.

JENAI (sp): OK.

LESLIE: So that’s an option if you’re really sort of sold on a carpeting situation and it’s cost-effective and good-looking.

JENAI (sp): OK. Alright. And what about staining concrete? Is that real expensive or does it last or …?

LESLIE: Well, it depends on the kind of look you’re going for. If you want something that is, you know, a solid color or even a pattern and color, you can go with an epoxy coating. But again, then you’re dealing with a very hard surface that also has a very distinct design style look to it. And if that’s your aesthetic and that’s something that you want then go for it. Otherwise, I would say acid staining, which gives it a more organic look and then something that’s polished. Those are do-it-yourself situations but also something if you hired in a pro you could get a little bit more detail done to it. It depends on, you know, the surface that you’re looking for. With small kids I don’t know if concrete would be the best choice.

JENAI (sp): Right, right. OK. Alright, well that helps me out a lot and we will – we’ll probably look into some wood flooring then.

TOM: Sounds like a great choice. Jenai, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: You are tuned in to The Money Pit.

Hey, are you ready for the holidays? Well, you might be but is your house? Well, we can help you fix up any last minute projects before your guests start knocking at the door so call in 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, when it comes to building new homes and updating your existing one, going green; it’s a trend that’s growing fast. But as the new green products flood store shelves you have to ask yourself which products truly are green. We’re going to help you answer that question in just a bit.

[audio timestamp: 8:13]

(promo/theme song)

[audio timestamp: 12:36]

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, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. This hour we’re going to talk about the four elements of any remodel: earth, wind, fire and credit cards.

LESLIE: I was going to say that’s a band, Tom. (laughing)

TOM: (laughing) Give us a call right now if you’d like to participate in the program. One caller to the program this hour is going to win the Orion cooker. It’s worth 149 bucks. It’s a new outdoor charcoal cooker that combines convection, steam and smoke. It’s a safer and healthy alternative to a fryer and it’ll cook a 20-pound turkey in just two hours. And I believe it.

LESLIE: That’s amazing.

TOM: I believe it because we cooked our four-pound chicken in a little bit more than – a little bit less, I should say, than an hour and it came out great. So give us a call if you want to win it. It’s worth 149 bucks. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.

LESLIE: You know, and with this fancy Orion cooker prize it’s essentially taking your cooking outdoors which is going to help you with your energy spending. So I guess we could call that green as well.

TOM: I think we could.

LESLIE: And you know, really, this idea of going green it makes a lot of sense; it’s sort of this buzz thing that’s going on all across the country and people are really looking into it and doing their research. In fact, in home improvement it really is an idea that’s becoming popular. But there is a real standard when it comes to what makes green building materials truly green and one thing you really have to do is consider the product’s durability because if you have to replace something because it didn’t last as long as it should have you’re not saving money and you’re not saving any resources. So I wouldn’t consider that green.

TOM: Good point. Some tips on choosing durable green building materials. First, make sure it’s of a high quality so that it’s going to last. Low maintenance products are also a good choice and finally, make sure everything is working in tandem. For example, if you go out and pick yourself a good, energy-efficient window and you put in a poor quality window flashing you’re not going to make the most of your investment. So a better choice is a product like Grace Vycor Plus which keeps out the elements so your new energy-efficient windows don’t end up leaking. Kind of stretches around the outside edges and works in tandem with the window to make it really energy efficient and really green.

If you want more information about weather barriers like that product from Grace you can go to their website at GraceAtHome.com or pick up the phone and ask us your green building question right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: Now we’ve got Linda in New Jersey who’s got a squeaky hardwood floor. What’s happening?

LINDA: I just had the carpeting taken up and the floors restained and I’m wondering how to get the creaks out.

TOM: Well, before you had the floors restained the thing to do would have been to have them renailed or rescrewed down because when you have squeaks you have movement in the floor. Now that it’s been done it’s going to be a little trickier. You may have some finish repairs to do. But if these are the steps – or is it the floor that’s squeaking?

LINDA: The steps.

TOM: So Linda, with the steps what has to happen is they have to be reattached or reinforced to where they connect with the risers and the stringers. That’s the piece in the front and the piece on the side. A couple of ways to do that. It could be nailed from the tread down into the risers or it could be screwed and screwing them together is actually a better way but it’s going to involve a bigger repair because I’m assuming that they’re hardwood. And so what would happen is you would predrill the steps and then you would put a pilot hole for the screw and then you would put the screw in and then you’d have a hole to fill and normally a pro would use a wood plug for that. So when it’s all done it’s fairly invisible.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: But it’s – you know, there’s a few steps to it.

LINDA: OK. (chuckling)

TOM: It’s not easy, Linda. (chuckling) OK? It’s not …

LINDA: No, I’m not planning on doing it myself.

TOM: Yeah.

LINDA: I just wanted to …

TOM: Basically, bottom line, loose treads have to be secured. Once you secure them they’ll be a lot quieter.

LINDA: We’re in the process of doing it right now so actually the timing is good.

TOM: Alright, perfect. Linda, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Mike in Georgia has a question about a swimming pool and I hope it’s “Do you guys want to come over and use it?” Hey Mike, how can we help you?

MIKE: Well, I’ve got an in-ground pool and it’s surrounded by a lot of concrete and I’m trying to find out if there’s a product that I could maybe paint it as well as maybe somehow seal it because a lot of times, you know, the concrete is porous so it gets a lot of mildew in there and you’re constantly having to pressure wash it to keep it clean. And I don’t know if there was a product that you could put on the concrete to make it look better and also protect it.

TOM: If you’re going to paint concrete, probably the best material to use is one of the epoxy paints and you can actually dye those to any color that you want. But there are different types of epoxy paints. Probably one of the more popular ones is EPOXYShield. QUIKRETE makes one. There’s a number of manufacturers and they’re two two-part epoxy mixes so that you have usually ¾ of material – ¾ of a gallon of the actual paint and ¼ of a gallon of hardener and you mix them together and then you apply them to the concrete deck.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: And they really adhere like the dickens and they stand up very, very well. So that’s probably the right material to use for a pool deck.

LESLIE: Yeah, and there’s also one that’s called Kool Deck – and that’s Kool with a “k” – and it’s made by a company called Mortex and it’s going to lower the surface temperature of your concrete decking so it’s going to be cool if you’re getting out of the pool and you don’t want to burn your tootsies and it also adheres very well to the concrete. It’s slip-resistant for any sort of footing incidents that you might have. It hides blemishes; any imperfections in the slab. So if you look them up online you might find they suit what you’re looking for.

MIKE: Alright and the epoxy, they don’t have a one-part system do they? Everything is a two-part system?

TOM: Well, you’re better off with a two-party system because you get better cure rate.

MIKE: OK.

TOM: Alright? You definitely want that. That’s a good thing.

MIKE: I appreciate it.

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

MIKE: Thank you. Bye.

LESLIE: Alright, now we’ve got Mike in Texas who’s got a question about a whole-house fan. Tell us what’s going on.

MIKE: Hi, Leslie. Yeah, I guess – I’ve got a ranch-style house here in Texas and I was wondering about a whole-house fan. I was told by the AC techs down here that I don’t really want to do that because of mold and pollen issues. But we kind of like the windows open and we kind of like the lower energy cost.

TOM: I think there is absolutely no reason you can’t do a whole-house fan. It would be a great idea. Let’s make sure that we understand the difference though between a whole-house fan and attic fan. Now a whole-house fan …

LESLIE: People get confused so easily.

TOM: Yeah, they do. A whole-house fan gets mounted – on a ranch it would be probably in the hall and pointing, of course into the attic – and then you have to also install, Mike, exhaust venting because you’re going to turn the whole-house fan on; you’re going to open a few windows around the house. That’s going to draw a breeze from the outside into the whole-house fan, up into the attic and then out through the exhaust ducts. And by doing that, what I found is you can actually delay the use of your air conditioning system on the start of the season; at the end of the season. It will actually buy you some months that perhaps you don’t have to run the air conditioning. So that will save you some money and anytime you have a cooler day or you just want to move some air because it’s rather still outside you can skip the air and flip that on.

Another little trick of the trade though is when you pick one of these up, make sure you install it on a timer switch because then when you go to bed at night and it’s a bit warm you can set it to run for an hour and it’ll cool the house off while you’re falling asleep and then it’ll go off automatically. You’ll be done.

MIKE: OK, great. I guess one other question on that. So if I put it in like a room of the house that doesn’t have any external windows and it gets really hot, that would work as well as a hallway?

TOM: No. No, no, no. You put the fan in the hallway because it’s centrally located in the house and then you open windows where you want to have the incoming air.

MIKE: OK.

TOM: OK? And it’ll draw from the windows into the hall and then up through the fan and out.

LESLIE: Barbara in Alabama, welcome to The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

BARBARA: Well, hey. I just love your show. I listen to it all the time. But what I want to know is how do you install a lightning rod.

TOM: Ah, a lightning rod.

BARBARA: And if you do install it, how high up should it be and how far away from the house and how far down in the ground should it go? And (Leslie chuckles) does it draw lightning?

TOM: OK. So the first – let’s do the last question first; does it cause lightning to draw to your house and the answer would be no. What it does do is if lightning is going to strike your house it will direct it towards the metal rod. But I don’t think it increases your risk.

Secondly, how do you install it? Well, typically it’s installed at the highest point on the roof. There is a heavy cable that goes from the lightning rod down the side of the house and you have to, by the way, be very careful where the cable runs. Because you would not want to run the cable, for example, down the wall where there was electrical wiring or where there were plumbing pipes because that lightning strike could sort of rush over into the other metal parts that are in the wall, including the wiring and the plumbing, and cause someone to be shocked somewhere else down the line. So there is a science to where it’s installed.

And then once it gets down, the ground wire is connected to a ground stake which goes into the soil, usually anywhere from three to six feet into the soil, and that’s where it dissipates and that would be located within a few feet of the foundation. And that’s all there is to it.

You know, the lightning rods can actually be quite beautiful. Some of them are very, very ornate. I’ve seen them with different color glass bulbs that surround them. They really can look pretty neat on the top of a house and they do a good job just to keep lightning from damaging the home as well.

BARBARA: How many feet did you say away from the house?

TOM: Usually within a few feet of the foundation.

BARBARA: How many is a few?

TOM: Five.

BARBARA: Five feet?

TOM: Yep.

BARBARA: Oh, my goodness. OK.

TOM: Well, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: You are listening to The Money Pit.

Hey, are you thinking about painting; you know, to give your living room or your dining room a new look before the big holiday season arrives? Well, it’s not a bad idea but what do you do when the cold weather forces you to keep those windows closed? We’ve got a solution, next.

[audio timestamp: 22:47]

(theme song)

ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is being brought to you by – well, by us. Get a $1,000 guarantee that the contractor you hire gets the job done right with your new Money Pit American Homeowners Association membership. And get $50 in Zircon tools if you join in the next 30 minutes. Call now. 866-REAL-HOME. That’s 866-REAL-HOME. Now here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: Making good homes better. You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show where hitting the nail on the head is not just a saying. It’s a way of life.

LESLIE: (chuckling) You …

TOM: I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: I was going to say you mean opposed to your thumb. (chuckling)

TOM: That’s right. (chuckling)

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete and I have hit my thumb on more than one occasion. And you know …

TOM: Battle scars, baby.

LESLIE: And you know what, Tom? It’s usually as soon as the cameras roll. If we’re filming a show. (Tom laughs) I can be building something perfectly fine then a camera will come on me and it’s like I’ve never used a hammer and nails before in my life.

Alright, folks. Thanks for joining us today. You know, the holidays; they’re right around the corner and the pressure is on to make your house really shine. In fact, painting a room; it’s an inexpensive way to sort of redecorate in time for the holidays. A new color and some accessories to match or contrast and you’ve got a whole brand, spanking new space. Plus, without summer’s humidity you are going to save on some drying time. But what about that paint smell? Especially at this time of year when cracking a window might not be the best option?

Well, what you want to do is when you go to your home center you want to look for low-odor or low-VOC or even – get this – scented paints. You can have a scent added to the paint and so your room will smell like practically any fragrance you can imagine. And those are all available from several manufacturers. All you have to do is ask. And these paints are going to work very well in kids’ rooms; anybody’s who’s got allergy, asthma; pretty much for anyone and everyone because you are trapped indoors this year in the wintertime. So make sure you’re breathing in good, clean air and not paint fumes.

TOM: More painting tips for you in the next edition of the free Money Pit e-newsletter. Advice on choosing paint colors and prepping your surface the right way in the newsletter that will show up in your inbox for free every week if you sign up at MoneyPit.com.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: Janie in Tennessee is dealing with some mold. Tell us about where you see it, what it looks like. What’s going on?

JANIE: My husband’s on the extension, too. We’ve discovered …

TOM: Ah, we have a husband and wife call right now, huh?

JANIE: How about that? (chuckling)

JANIE’S HUSBAND: We’re moldy, too, you know.

TOM: Alright. (Leslie chuckles)

BUTCH: Yeah, we are getting moldy, yeah. (chuckling)

TOM: Moldy. You’re not a moldy husband and wife, are you?

JANIE: Yeah, 34 years of marriage, you know, you got to watch for mold.

TOM: Is that what happens? The mold sets in?

JANIE: (chuckling) If you’re not careful. Yeah.

TOM: Alright, how can we help you?

JANIE: We discovered mold on a wall where we have an L-shaped bunk bed that has the storage underneath and all that.

TOM: OK.

JANIE: This wall butts up against a bathroom.

TOM: OK.

JANIE: So we suspect that either the wrap-around that we installed a few years back is leaking or I don’t know if the overflow pan is leaking or something. But there’s mold. It was black and I had just gotten in there to get something out of the little cubbyhole storage because this area has rot in the corner of this L-shaped bunk bed in the far corner …

TOM: OK.

JANIE: … and we don’t get in there very often.

TOM: Well, very often, if you have an area that doesn’t get a lot of airflow – I mean this very frequently happens inside closets and things like that. This may not necessarily mean that the bathroom on the opposite side of it is leaking. Could just be a still, you know, damp area where you don’t get a lot of airflow and it could simply be developing a mold problem because of the moisture in the air and the fact that it’s not cleaned regularly. So I wouldn’t necessarily assume that you have a leak here. But let’s talk about the mold that’s there now. How big of a space are we talking about with mold on it?

JANIE: Oh, Butch, do you remember …

BUTCH: Around three-foot by four-foot; something like that.

TOM: Three-foot by four-foot. That’s a pretty good space. What I would do is if you want to try to clean this up yourself is you want to wear some respiratory protection and you want to wear safety glasses and long sleeves. But you could mix up a bleach and water solution and spray the moldy area …

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: … because this’ll kill any mold that’s left behind.

LESLIE: The bleach is going to kill everything.

TOM: Yeah, and then wipe it off and then monitor it and see if it comes back.

BUTCH: Do we – how would we combat it if it – if it’s not a leak from the other side of the wall, is there any way you can control it?

TOM: (overlapping voices) Well, if it’s not a leak from the other side of the wall and it’s just happening because it’s sort of a very still, damp corner that you don’t get to very frequently – this could have taken, you know, many months or even a year for it to build up.

LESLIE: Well, and especially if you’re storing a lot of things there. I’m sure you’ve got cardboard boxes, clothing. All of that is organic material which the mold is going to feed on so once you get rid of the mold that’s there I would transfer everything that you have stored under there into plastic containers. If it’s clothing or fabrics I would wash them just to kill anything that’s had a chance to grow on those things themselves and then store it in an inorganic material so you don’t have to worry about the mold sort of finding things to feed on.

TOM: If it’s a smaller area like that you can do your cleanup yourself. If it gets much bigger then you’re going to need a pro but at this point it sounds controllable.

JANIE: Thank you.

BUTCH: Yeah, thank you.

TOM: Alright, thanks guys. Thanks both of you for calling in today.

JANIE: Alright, you’re welcome.

LESLIE: More great home improvement tips coming up, including using your ceiling fan in the winter months. Hmm, don’t think it’s a good idea? Well, we’re going to tell you why you should be right after this.

[audio timestamp: 28:28]

(promo/theme song)

[audio timestamp: 32:00]

ANNOUNCER: This portion of The Money Pit is brought to you by Aprilaire, makers of professionally-installed, high-efficiency air cleaners. For more information, go to Aprilaire.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 you should give us a call at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. We have got a great prize this hour so if you call that number not only are you going to get the answer to your question – and you’ve got to ask a home improvement-related question – but you could win a pretty kick-butt prize. One caller that we talk to this hour is going to win the Orion cooker. It’s worth $149. It is perfect because it takes your cooking out of doors, which is great because this time of year you will have every oven and every range top operating at full capacity. So if you take it outside this cooker combines charcoal, convection, steam and smoke. It’s healthier than a fryer and get this: the Orion cooker can have a 20-pound turkey ready for your table in just two hours. What a major timesaver. So give us a call for some more time-saving tips at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Hey, another benefit. Cooking the turkey outside means you can keep comfortable inside. You know how hot an over-worked oven can make your house?

LESLIE: Oh God, yeah.

TOM: Well, to keep your home toasty and not too hot, set your ceiling fan to turn clockwise in the winter months. That’s right. Running the fan in the winter is a good idea if it’s set to run clockwise. It’s going to move the warm air that rises down back into your room. That’s going to keep you more comfortable and you will use the heating system less. Don’t forget though. In the summertime you need to switch those blades back to counterclockwise for the cooling breeze when the weather warms up.

Need more tips? Pick up the phone right now and call us with your question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Well, we’ve got Edward in New York who’s got a problem at his house. What’s happening?

EDWARD: Hi, I have a set of steps – they’re brick – and the mortar in between the bricks is – I’m losing part of it. I also have moss on there and I’m thinking about doing something with mortar but I need to find out whether you’d recommend something like TSP or bleach or what and how to rinse it so that I can do it. (INAUDIBLE)

TOM: Alright, well if there’s no threat of you getting this on plants I would mix up one-third bleach, two-thirds water.

EDWARD: Yeah.

TOM: I would saturate the moss. Let it sit for a good 15 or 20 minutes, keeping it nice and wet, and then scrub it off. That will kill the moss. It will kill any of the plant growth or the roots that are left behind. And then you have to make sure this is really, really dry before you start thinking about remortaring it.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm, and you want to remove any of the mortar joints that are sort of crumbling and falling apart. You want to get all that out of there so you’ve got a nice, clean area.

EDWARD: OK, sounds good then.

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

EDWARD: OK, thank you.

LESLIE: Sheldon in Washington, D.C, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you?

SHELDON: I live in about a 12-year-old house with vinyl siding. It’s never been cleaned but all of a sudden we’re getting all kinds of literature; advertisements in the mail. They say our siding needs cleaning. And I’m not sure. Does it need cleaning? Does it need cleaning in the spring or in the fall? And how do I do it? Do I hire the guy that says he uses high-pressure steam or do I hire the guy that says, no, he has cold water but it’s got chemicals in it. And that’s what we need.

TOM: Well, first of all, is your siding dirty?

SHELDON: There is a spot that has some dirt on it. I think it’s from the shade.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: If it’s a small area and you can clean it yourself, Sheldon, then you don’t have to hire a guy to do it. I mean the advantage of hiring one of these housecleaning guys is they’ve got the gear to do it. They’ve got the tall ladders, they’ve got the pressure washers and so on.

LESLIE: Yeah, they’ll get every nook and cranny and you don’t have to worry about falling off of anything. But if you’ve got one spot of some mildew growth on there from a shady area, that’s something you can definitely tackle on your own.

SHELDON: OK.

TOM: Yeah, it’s not that hard to do. Now, if you do want to hire somebody they’re going to probably want to use a pressure washer and if that’s the case, you have to make sure they don’t use too much pressure because the convenience of that pressure washer is really that it just has a very long spray so it can reach up into tough areas. With vinyl siding though it’s very, very soft. So if you don’t use sort of a fan spray on it then you could damage the siding. So really it’s the skill, not so much the amount of pressure, that comes to play here.

In terms of any type of any type of a house wash, there’s different types of siding washes that are mildicides and certainly those can be effective in helping keeping the house clean. Some companies prefer just to use bleach but whatever you do you need to kind of protect the plants around the foundation …

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: … because if you put too many chemicals in there they’re going to be damaged. OK, Sheldon?

SHELDON: Thank you very much. I had one more question. They say I also need a sealant; some kind of wax sealant after it’s washed. You recommend that?

TOM: I don’t think so. (chuckling) No, I don’t think so. You don’t have to wax – you don’t have to hot wax your siding, OK? (chuckling)

LESLIE: Could you imagine?

TOM: No, the siding is fine just by itself so if anyone’s telling you that you need a sealant on vinyl siding, that would be the guy that I do not hire.

SHELDON: OK.

TOM: Alright?

SHELDON: Well, thank you very much.

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

LESLIE: You know what, Tom. I saw something interesting at the home center the other day. The folks at Clorox sort of wised up and instead of just selling the bleach in the bottle they’ve now created a whole line of cleaning products to handle siding and mold growth and outdoor projects and indoor projects.

TOM: Well, it’s about time.

LESLIE: So it’s really interesting.

TOM: It’s about time because people have been using that stuff for years.

LESLIE: Exactly, and they even have it in two different fun applicators. One sort of attaches to your own hose so it becomes like a pressure cleaner and the other one sort of has like a pump system built into it. So it’s really smart and it’s very useful.

TOM: Last time I had my house painted the painter would only use Clorox.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm. I mean it really does work the best.

TOM: And it came out super bright. I was like, “Are you still going to paint it because it looks pretty good?”

LESLIE: You’re like, “Wow, you did such a great job on the paint!” He’s like, “Thank you.” (chuckling)

TOM: 888-666-3974. Who’s next?

LESLIE: Rachel in Maryland, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you?

RACHEL: I just removed a duct from my house and found out that have a rotting sill; the part of the house that attaches to the foundation.

TOM: Right. Mm-hmm.

RACHEL: Is this something that I can replace myself or do I have to hire someone to do that?

TOM: It’s a structural job. It’s a bit tricky. It’s not terribly difficult if you’re a pretty handy person but essentially what has to happen – are you rebuilding a deck here?

RACHEL: Yeah.

TOM: OK. So what has to happen is the siding has to come off and you have to do a little structural surgery there in reaching in and sawing out the bad portions of the sill and then slipping in new portions. What about the box beam that’s right on top of that? Is that rotted as well?

RACHEL: A little bit. Yeah.

TOM: Yeah. Yeah, you’ve got to get that put back together and then reside it and then there’s a product called Vycor Deck Protector that’s made by the Grace Company that will slip over the box beam and help give you the proper flashing seam. What happened here is the flashing broke down between the deck box beam and where it attaches to the house and you got water behind it and it’s a good thing that you caught that because that is the cause of many deck failures, including collapses.

LESLIE: Well it’s the one thing that really supports it all.

TOM: Yeah, that joint between the deck and the house; it’s really critical that that be dry and secure. So this is a good thing that you discovered this.

RACHEL: OK, thank you.

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

You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show.

Now, Leslie, here’s a very, very serious problem. I’m sure millions of our listeners wrestle with this issue every single day coming up in the e-mail bag.

LESLIE: Yeah, that’s right. Well, we solve them all; big and small. Because up next we’re diving into the e-mail bag to help one listener – and I’m sure many of you have this problem, like Tom said (Tom chuckles) – get pickle juice stains out of marble flooring. Everybody stay tuned. We will have that answer next.

TOM: They’re on the edge of their seats. (Tom and Leslie chuckle)

[audio timestamp: 39:47]

(theme song)

ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is being brought to you by – well, by us. Save hundreds a month on groceries, not to mention significant savings on home improvement products and services with your new Money Pit American Homeowners Association membership. And get $50 in Zircon tools if you join in the next 30 minutes. Call now. 866-REAL-HOME. That’s 866-REAL-HOME. Now here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air, on line and on demand. Sign up for The Money Pit podcast at MoneyPit.com. All of our podcasts for the past year are available for download and best of all, they are absolutely free and the transcripts are there, too. If you missed something on the show you can look it up on MoneyPit.com.

LESLIE: And you know what else? While you’re at MoneyPit.com if you’re feeling too shy to pick up the phone or you’ve got a burning question you just have to hit the keyboards for you can click on Ask Tom and Leslie and shoot that e-mail right out into cyberspace and we will answer it right here online.

TOM: Like this incredibly important question from Scott in Valley Center, California.

LESLIE: Yeah, and Scott – and I know many others of you are waiting for this answer (Tom chuckles). Scott in Valley Center, California writes: “How do I get rid of a stain from a broken jar of pickles on my travertine marble floor.”

TOM: Alright, well we’re having fun with Scott’s question but the truth is that marble floors are very, very porous. So whether …

LESLIE: That’s why you never see them for countertops.

TOM: Yeah, that’s right. Whether the stain comes from the broken pickle jar or the spilled glass of soda or a cup of coffee, it is difficult to get stains out of marble floors. They’re great. They last forever. But as you may have noticed, Scott, they don’t bounce very well. (Leslie chuckles) Things that drop on them tend to disintegrate right then and there.

So if you want to correct this you are best to use some of the commercially available products. There is a line from a company called Stonecare that we’ve been using for many years and they have a product called Marbalex that works really well. That website, Stonecare.com. But here’s the key. Once you get it clean, Scott, you need to reseal the floor. Because it is so porous, if you don’t constantly reseal the marble floors; you don’t take care of them that way, anything that you drop on that is going to leave a stain and it’s always harder to get the stain out …

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: … when the floors are not sealed.

LESLIE: Yeah.

TOM: So there’s your solution.

LESLIE: It’s constantly playing a game of catch-up with a porous surface like that.

Alright, next up we have Ruth from Carthage, Illinois who writes: “Twenty-five years ago we bumped out our dining room the width of our soffit – 30 inches – and poured a concrete foundation. It has settled, causing the floor to slope between one and two inches. The contractor suggested adding floor joists alongside the existing ones and extending them out to the new wall. We’re getting cracks in the drywall where the bump-out meets the original wall. What’s the best solution?”

TOM: Actually, that’s not a bad idea. It sounds like the new foundation has dropped differentially from the old foundation which is, frankly, to be expected.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: His suggestion, essentially, of cantilevering floor joists out over the original wall is a good one because you can actually cantilever 25 percent of the length of the joist.

LESLIE: Oh, wow.

TOM: So if you had – yeah, if you had – say you had a 12-foot joist. You could have nine feet in and then three feet overhanging and still be very structurally stable. So I think that’s a very good solution.

LESLIE: Alright. Would there have been a better thing? You know, just for anybody who’s thinking of this from the beginning, to maybe put rebar; drill it into the existing concrete and then when you pour the new or is that bad?

TOM: (overlapping voices) That would be the – I think that would be the hard way to do it. I like his solution.

Well, how would you like to get a $300 tax credit this year? Leslie’s going to tell you how in today’s edition of Leslie's Last Word.

LESLIE: Alright, folks. If never having to wait for hot water in the morning sounds good to you, you might want to invest in a tankless hot water heater. These energy-efficient appliances heat water as you need it instead of 40 gallons at one time like a traditional hot water heater. This is going to save energy and it’s more convenient because you will never run out of hot water when you need it ever again. And tankless units, they’re smaller than they’re traditional counterparts, which makes them ideal for installations near bathrooms where a hot shower is going to be just one turn of the faucet away. Plus, get this. If you install certain models before the end of this year, 2007, you are eligible for a $300 tax credit. All Rheem tankless hot water heaters; they qualify for this credit.

If you want some more information or want to check out these tankless hot water heaters yourself you can visit Rheem’s website. It’s Rheem.com for more info. That’s Rheem. R-h-e-e-m.com.

TOM: And there are many more energy-efficient home improvements that qualify for tax credits through the Energy Policy Act of 2005. To find out about all of them visit MoneyPit.com and search the words tax credit.

That’s all the time we have. 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.

[audio timestamp: 44:30]

(theme song)



END HOUR 1 TEXT



(Copyright 2007 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.)

Print Version