Transcripts

Transcript For October 20, 2007, Hour 2

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 2 TEXT:

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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. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. We want you to look around your house right now. Think about the long, cold winter months you’ll be stuck inside staring at those four walls. There’s got to be something you want to do. Well we’re here to help you get the job done. Just give us a call at 888-MONEY-PIT. Soup to nuts and floorboards to shingles, we’ve got great tips, great advice to make your home improvement projects more successful.

Coming up this hour we’re going to have some tips on easy and inexpensive ways that you can change the entire ambience of one room with the flip of a single switch. You say it’s not possible? We say it is when you install a dimmer and we’ll teach you how to do that in just a bit.

LESLIE: And also this hour, the saying goes, “A rolling stone gathers no moss” but your roof, it’s a completely different story. Especially …

TOM: It doesn’t roll.

LESLIE: No. Especially since …

TOM: And it does gather moss. (chuckling)

LESLIE: We hope it’s not rolling anywhere. And it’s true; roofs can have those unsightly moss stains and they can build up. Well we’re going to tell you how to prevent that moss from building up on your roof.

TOM: And some of you may already be feeling the chill in your part of the country so we’re going to talk about the energy bleeds, the loss of your warm and cozy feeling and those energy dollars because of the gaps in your house. You might think that windows and doors are the biggest culprits but actually the biggest loss can be from the places you can’t see. We’re going to find out where those are from one of our expert pals, Kevin Ireton, the editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine. He’ll be here in just a bit.

LESLIE: And it wouldn’t be the Money Pit if we didn’t have something fun to give away this hour. It’s the perfect prize for October which is Fire Safety Month. It’s the HomeHero kitchen fire extinguisher. It’s worth 30 bucks. It’s absolutely gorgeous to look at. It’s super easy to use and it could save your life.

TOM: So give us a call right now. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.

Leslie, who’s first?

LESLIE: Time to jump in the tub with Patricia from Rhode Island. What’s going on? How can we help?

PATRICIA: Well, I have a plight about my tub.

LESLIE: Alright.

PATRICIA: I don’t know which way to go. You know, the tub is an old – is in good shape, except, you know, it’s not in good shape. I mean it’s kind of pitted and you know. And I didn’t know whether to have it reglazed or to put in a tub liner.

TOM: Well, that’s a tough choice because, you know, neither of them would be our favorite. Our preference would be a complete replacement because if you glaze it it’s not going to last nearly as long as the original tub and if you use a liner it’s real expensive ..

LESLIE: And it ..

TOM: … but it takes up some tub space.

LESLIE: Yeah, it makes the tub smaller.

TOM: Yeah.

PATRICIA: Oh, it does?

LESLIE: But it’s done in a day. Yeah, because of course it’s got to sit inside the existing tub and then cover over your existing wall so it’s going to shrink a bit to accommodate, you know, fitting into things.

PATRICIA: And then, you know, I didn’t – I just saw there yesterday where they have these bathtubs that they come and they’ve got a door around them.

LESLIE: Oh, yeah. Those are fantastic; especially if you’re concerned about access or climbing into the tub or maybe you’ve got some upper body strength issues where, you know, helping yourself up or in and out of the tub is kind of difficult. These tubs with the doors, they’re much higher on the side; they’ve got built-in seating so you open the door, you climb on in, you sit down, you close the door, seal it all off. It automatically makes it watertight. Then you go ahead and fill the tub up while you’re in there. I mean they’re fantastic because you get a nice, deep soak and also, you know, for an access issue if you’re concerned about, you know, being in the home for a couple of years it’s tremendously helpful.

PATRICIA: OK, so you don’t really recommend reglazing.

TOM: You know, it’s not my favorite thing to do, Patricia, because it doesn’t last that long. I mean you’re going to get a few years out of it. It’ll certainly look better than it does right now. But it’s not as tough as the glaze that was originally on the tub. You follow me?

PATRICIA: OK. And so it’s better to either replace it with that – you know, trying to find about that tub where you can walk into the door or they may – they have the alternative of taking the tub out and putting in like a shower.

TOM: Of course. Yeah, those are always options.

Hey, Patricia, I tell you what we’re going to do for you. It sounds to us like you’re probably going to need some contractors to help with this. So we’re going to give you, for calling in today, a Money Pit membership in the American Homeowners Association. That’s worth about 120 bucks and with this membership you’ll be able to use it to find discounts on all types of home improvement products and services as well as discounts on groceries and vision and insurance and legal things and all kinds of stuff to help you in that house. And hopefully with that on your side you’ll be able to find the perfect contractor to get this job done for you.

PATRICIA: Oh, well terrific. I appreciate that.

TOM: You’re very welcome.

LESLIE: And you know what? Patricia, when you’re doing some research the tub you’re talking about is called a soaker tub or a walk-in tub. So just do some research on line or in your local papers and you’ll be able to find one no problem.

PATRICIA: OK. I wondered about that; whether that would be a better option.

TOM: It’s a great option for you, Patricia. Stand by. We’re going to get some information and we’ll send that Money Pit membership out to you.

And if you at home are interested in learning more about that membership you can log onto MoneyPit.com because this month we are giving away 1,000 free Zircon laser levels and stud sensors to the first 1,000 members. That sign-up at MoneyPit.com so check it out today. It’s a great service for our listeners. We’re happy to offer it.

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

JOE: Hi, I’ve been in my house for – it’s a 10-year-old house and I have squeaky floors and I have no clue how to go about fixing them.

TOM: Well, a 10-year-old house is probably going to have plywood as the floor sheathing. Is that correct?

JOE: That’s correct.

TOM: And I can also tell you that the nails that would have been used to affix that plywood to the floor joist was a seven-penny nail called a cooler in the business and the reason it’s called a cooler is because as this nail is driven through the plywood the friction melts a glue that’s on the outside. It’s actually a rosin-coated nail …

JOE: OK.

TOM: … and the friction melts this glue and then the nail is supposed to just sort of stick in place as well as being, you know, driven into the wood.

JOE: Sure.

TOM: But in truth, what happens is you get this expansion and contraction. Imagine – you know, the violinists put rosins on their bows to give them more friction.

JOE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: Well this rosin on the nails gives it plenty of friction but it doesn’t sound anything like a violin. (Leslie chuckles)

JOE: Yeah, yeah.

TOM: Unless you’re a really, really bad violin player. (chuckles) And as the nail pulls in and out of the floor it makes a horrible squeak. So the solution here, Joe, is to secure the floors better down – the plywood subfloor down to the joist. And the best way to do that is to use case hardened screws and to screw the floor down.

Now, do you have carpet in the areas where the squeaks are the loudest? What kind of floor covering do you have?

JOE: The majority of the house is carpeted and, ironically, that’s where all the squeaks are; is …

TOM: Of course.

JOE: … the carpeted areas. Not the tile area, of course.

TOM: Well listen, if you really want to fix this once and for all you’ve got to pull the carpet up and you’ve got to screw the floor down. Because that’s the only thing that’s going to fix it. If you have one area that’s particularly bad I can give you a trick of the trade. You can take some finish nails; some #12 or #14 galvanized finish nails. You can identify where the floor joist is underneath the carpet by using a stud finder.

JOE: Right.

TOM: You can drive the nail through the carpet and into the floor joists and then the last thing you do is sort of pull the carpet up through that and sort of brush (INAUDIBLE).

LESLIE: It hides it.

TOM: It’ll disappear and that’ll solve the problem.

JOE: (overlapping voices) Right. Give it a quick yank?

TOM: Yeah, exactly. Quick yank.

JOE: Yeah.

TOM: And that will tighten up the floor. Now, I will tell you, it’s not going to last as long as pulling the carpet up and screwing it down but if it’s one that’s really bugging you that’s a way to fix it.

JOE: That’s cool. Somebody was saying there was some hardware that you actually attach. It’s like a U-shaped clamp; you attach it to the …

TOM: Yeah, there’s all sorts of brackets and gadgets and stuff like that out there but it’s not really all that necessary. You know, a good drywall screw will do the better job.

JOE: OK, good.

Well, what happens if you don’t fix the squeak. Do they get worse or they just stay the same and then irritates you?

LESLIE: You hear them far less.

TOM: That’s right. You get used to them. Ambient noise.

JOE: (chuckling) This is true. OK. Very good.

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

JOE: Thanks for the advice.

LESLIE: You are tuned in to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show and you can call in your home repair or your home improvement question 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever’s going wrong at your house we’ll help you through that home improvement adventure. So give us a call at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Up next, a decorating tip that takes 15 minutes, costs five bucks and can change the look of your entire room.

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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, 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 at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974. We’re giving away, this hour, a pretty cool prize. It’s the HomeHero fire extinguisher from Home Depot. I like this because it doesn’t look like a fire extinguisher. It looks like a …

LESLIE: It’s white.

TOM: Yeah, it looks like kind of a very cool, kitchy kind of appliance that you’d be happy to have in your kitchen and that’s exactly where it belongs. So you can kind of leave it out. You could bolt it to the wall. It’s going to fit in with any décor, yet it’s going to do a great job of protecting you in the event of a fire and October is Fire Prevention Month so it’s a good idea to have one around. If you’d like to win it it’s worth 30 bucks. We’re going to give it away to one caller at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: That’s right. Give us a call right now and maybe your question is about creating that certain mood for those different rooms inside your house. You know, maybe you want some mood lighting for your next intimate dining adventure or you’re looking for that nice, relaxing space in your bath for that next relaxing dip.

Well, there’s an easy way to achieve it. It’s super inexpensive and it’s actually a do-it-yourself project. It’s adding a dimmer. If you do it, it adds depth and mood to any room; practically every room in your house. There’s so many options from toggles to slides. It is a do-it-yourself project. It truly is a brilliant and bright idea and let me tell you, putting in a dimmer can really change the nature of a fixture and make it so much more intimate. It’s worth it and I promise you, it’s safe to do. You know, and it really can make a difference. We just put a fixture in our screened-in porch and, you know, it says maximum wattage capacity and instantly you want to go for those major light bulbs. But we turned it on and this thing was like a beacon that would attract people; not the mood we were looking to have in our beautiful, screened-in porch. Put a dimmer on it and now we can enjoy that light …

TOM: Cranked it down.

LESLIE: Yeah, at full blast or as dim as we want. It really does make a ton of sense.

TOM: And you can actually save some energy, too, as you rotate that down because you’re not using as much power.

So, if that is your home improvement question there is the answer. If something else is needing to be done to your house pick up the phone right now and call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: We’re taking a call from Iowa with Cindy who’s seeing some cracks in her walls. Tell us about it.

CINDY: Hi, I’ve got some diagonal cracks from my windows; from where the finished wood is. I had one last year and now I notice this year all my windows on the east side of the house have those.

TOM: Hmm. And you think this is the first year that you’ve seen these cracks? You haven’t seen them before?

CINDY: Well, I saw one last year.

TOM: Right, but now you think there’s more so you think this is active and they’re continuing to open up.

CINDY: Cracks are (INAUDIBLE) windows have now got cracks.

TOM: So is it your sense that this started with one window and now is spreading to more, so this is not something that you’ve seen before?

CINDY: Correct. It’s all on one side of the house.

TOM: Alright. Well, there’s a couple of things that come to mind here. First of all, cracks under windows is not unusual because that’s the weakest part of the wall. If you had a crack and you tried to fix it it’s probably going to open up again unless you used a drywall tape on top of that crack when you tried to repair it. If for some reason you are happening to get a lot of movement in that wall it might be advantageous to take a look at the foundation to see if that’s behind it because that would be the most obvious place to start. If you’re getting a lot of movement on one side of the house we want to make sure that nothing is disturbing the foundation; there’s no drainage problem that’s causing it to be unstable.

Probably a good first step on that is to have a partial inspection done by a professional home inspector who really would have nothing to sell you but good expert advice. So if you’re concerned about the structural integrity, that’s where I would start. If you are concerned about just these cracks and cosmetically, you know, just hearing about a few cracks under windows doesn’t, frankly, bother me that much because I know how common they are and if that’s the case you need to sand the cracks; you need to put a fiberglass-based drywall tape on top of it, the kind that looks very meshy and sticky; and then you need to put two to three coats of spackle over it and that will stop the cracks from opening up again.

CINDY: OK. Thank you very much.

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

LESLIE: You know, I was wondering is it a new home for her? Did she just paint? Was there a new coat of paint? Because these cracks are just going to occur over time, especially in those areas like you mentioned; windows and doors. There’s just a ton of movement there.

TOM: Absolutely.

LESLIE: Alright, our next caller has a unique situation which could be potentially dangerous. A leaky roof over an electrical fixture. Don in Colorado, welcome to The Money Pit.

DON: Thank you for having me. I appreciate you taking my call.

I’ve got a balcony, a walkout balcony, over a living space and the living space has an electrical fixture under it. And I noticed that when we have weather that hits the southern exposure the water gets behind what I believe is a little flashing and comes down through the fixture. And it’s kind of a scary situation and I’ve got a deck out on the balcony right now that’s not nailed down but I believe it’s just in place there and screwed into place with the support structure.

TOM: What is that deck surface made of? What is the impervious layer made out of? Is it built-up roof? Is it fiberglass? What is it?

DON: It’s a built-up roof but there’s something that looks like bentuthane (ph). It’s not a rolled roofing product that’s on there underneath it but it looks like it’s sealed and what they’ve done is they’ve come up against the house and kind of pushed it up in kind of a U …

TOM: Under the siding?

DON: … and then flashed – and then up under the flashing.

TOM: Mm-hmm. And you have a door there? Is it a sliding door?

DON: Well, it’s a French door and …

TOM: Alright. Well, listen. This is a really tough place. It’s a very, very difficult place to flash and it’s going to be virtually impossible for us to try to help you figure out where this leak is. What we can say is this. If you could grab a hose and try to work the different areas of this flat deck very strategically to see if you can “make it leak,” that might give you …

DON: Right.

TOM: … a better idea. But I will say that the most common place for this is where the roof goes up under the siding and also under the door for these leaks to occur. The fact that the water’s getting into the ceiling and down through electrical fixtures; certainly that is scary; certainly it is something that’s going to require a repair not only with the electrical fixture but also if you let that water sit in that space long enough, Don, you can develop a mold problem.

DON: OK.

TOM: So you’ve got to get to the bottom of this leak and the best way to do that is to strategically try to see if you can run some water through a hose around that deck and figure out where it’s leaking. The roofer ought to be doing this for you and trying to figure out where that leak is happening and then fixing it. I’ve seen situations like this where it just becomes almost impossible to find it and folks end up ripping out the whole deck and replacing it and if that ends up being you I would definitely not recommend a roll roof material or a modified bitumen material or a built-up material. I would only use fiberglass. A fiberglass roof deck is absolutely the most impervious way to go. You will not need a decking surface over that. It both keeps the water out and gives you a nice surface that’s non-slippery that you can enjoy.

DON: Why thank you. Where do you get a fiberglass unit like that?

TOM: It’s not a unit. It actually is built in place. What happens is the roof decking is removed. There’s fresh plywood put down and then the fiberglass is actually laid down layer up layer by a roofing specialist who knows how to do this; the same way that you would make a hull for a boat. You know, the fiberglass is put down; the resin is put down; it’s built up; the top layer has usually abrasive additives to it so you don’t slip and when it’s done you’ve got a super, super durable surface that you don’t have to worry about putting chairs on that or tables or, really, any kind of problems. If it’s done once and it doesn’t leak it’ll never leak again.

DON: OK, thank you.

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

LESLIE: James in Utah could have a structural problem on his hands. What’s going on at your house?

JAMES: I noticed my I-beam had some rust on it and could I use a paint in an enclosed area where the furnace is and would that be a problem that would cause maybe an explosion with the fumes?

TOM: That’s an excellent question because if the fumes do get dense enough and connect with the pilot light, certainly that could happen. So what we would recommend is this. If you’re going to paint in a space like that you should turn the pilot light off and turn the furnace off; turn the pilot light off of both the furnace and the water heater if it’s nearby; ventilate the space. You can use a fan. The fan could be sort of in the doorway of the furnace room and be blowing air or pulling air out.

LESLIE: Outwards, yeah.

TOM: And this way there’ll be plenty of fresh air in there while the paint’s drying. Now, once it dries …

LESLIE: Yeah, how long do you have to allow it to cure?

TOM: Not too long. I mean, you know, just until it’s dry to the touch. It’s only going to offgas while it’s drying.

LESLIE: OK.

TOM: So once it dries then I think you’ll be in good shape.

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

This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Up next, sealing up your windows and doors? Good idea to keep heated or cooled air in and out. But there are actually other areas of the house, a little bit less obvious, where you can have even bigger energy leaks. We’ll help uncover them after this.

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ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is brought to you by Rheem water heaters. For dependable, energy-efficient tank and tankless water heaters you can trust Rheem. Learn more at Rheem.com. That’s R-h-e-e-m.com. Now, here are Tom and Leslie.

TOM: You know, most people think windows and doors are the biggest sources of energy leaks because, frankly, they’re the most visible. But in reality, the majority of energy leaks happen in places that you can’t even see.

LESLIE: Ah, but even though you can’t see them you can correct construction mistakes and cut your energy bills by a third or more if you’ve got the time to do a little bit of detective work. We’ve got some advice from Fine Homebuilding’s Kevin Ireton.

Kevin, welcome.

KEVIN: Hi, Leslie. Hi, Tom.

TOM: So Kevin, you know there’s so many places where there are holes in the house and I read once that if you add up all of the holes in the average house, the holes you can’t see – the little gaps around windows and doors and outlets and lights and switches and under siding – that it can actually add up to be a 16-square-foot hole which you’d be aghast at having in your house but yet it does exist.

KEVIN: It’s like a garage door into your house that you don’t even see.

TOM: So how do we identify – let’s start with the gaps in construction; the ones that are not that most visible. I mean we all know we can pick up a caulking gun and shoot around a window but how about maybe the places where insulation was left off or there were other sorts of construction defects?

KEVIN: Well, the most common leaks, you know, kind of happen where one trade ends and another trade begins and frequently around pipes and wires and heating and air conditioning ducts are places that don’t get sealed well enough. And so one of the things to do is to go into your basement or crawl space; go into your attic and look for holes where wires or pipes are coming through that haven’t been sealed with either caulk or a spray foam.

TOM: That’s a good point and you mentioned ducts. Let’s slay the myth right now. Duct tape was never designed for ducts. It shouldn’t be used for ducts; it wasn’t intended for ducts and a lot of us put duct tape on ducts but it dries up and falls off. Have you seen that a bunch?

KEVIN: Absolutely. Duct tape is good for everything except for sealing ducts. (Leslie chuckles) That’s the ultimate irony. There is actually a mastic that you’re supposed to use. It comes in a tub and sometimes you use a fiberglass reinforcing tape but it’s sticky stuff that you smear on the outside of the duct; anyplace one joint – there’s a joint in the ductwork. And that’s what’s going to remain flexible as the thing heats and cools but also seal the duct and the truth is most ducts in houses leak about 30 to 40 percent of the air that blows through them.

TOM: That’s just amazing.

We’re talking to the editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, Kevin Ireton.

LESLIE: So Kevin, I know that there’s a lot of lapses as far as the amount of insulation or even any insulation used behind wallboard because, quite frankly, it’s an area you can’t see. So, how do you deal with it if you’ve already got the home; sort of fixing that or if you’re in a new construction or a new build or in the process of remodeling do you have to sort of police the whole process to see what layers are happening in between the studs behind the wall?

KEVIN: Leslie, that’s exactly right. Somebody really has to police the whole process because what happens is maybe your insulation contractor’s really conscientious. He comes in and does a great job but subsequently somebody comes along, moves the insulation back to do something or has to take it out to put in a light fixture or whatever and then they don’t understand that it has to be put back and it has to be put back very conscientiously; otherwise, those little leaks are going to add up.

LESLIE: And they can add up in a major way and even with insulation, if you’re going to sort of, maybe in your attic space, add the proper r value but sort of skimp on certain areas of the attic space, how much does that affect the overall r value and the working structure of the insulation itself?

KEVIN: You know, one of the figures that I learned recently that just really surprised me. Let’s say you’ve insulated your house and you’ve filled 98 percent of the holes and you think, “God, 98 percent. That’s pretty good.”

TOM: (overlapping voices) That’s a lot, right? Yeah.

KEVIN: Well the truth is that with – you know, by missing just two percent of the spots you end up reducing the effectiveness of that insulation to about 58 percent of the performance.

TOM: Kevin, another place where you can actually lose a lot of energy is by having the wrong size HVAC equipment. Bigger is not always better when it comes to furnaces and air conditioners. Are you seeing that in your research?

KEVIN: That’s such a common mistake. I think most air conditioning units in this country are oversized and the problem is to size them correctly takes a really involved calculation that involves how much r value you’ve got; what kind of windows you’ve got; how many are south facing. It’s really complicated. So a lot of installers, they just put in an oversized unit because it’s easier and they think, “Well, you know, that’ll make sure that I don’t have a problem.” But the truth is that the industry actually says in most cases you’re better off under-sizing your AC unit and it’ll run a little bit and it’ll run more effectively.

LESLIE: Now what about if you’re in the market for a newer home? Is there anything sort of potential to be wary of when you’re looking at the architectural design; you know, the overall layout or features on the house? Is there something that might make it less energy efficient?

KEVIN: Well, the thing to watch out for is that as houses become more sophisticated architecturally – the little bump-outs; the little cantilevers; the dormers – those things which can really add visual appeal and make a house very charming also create challenges for air-sealing the house and insulating. So, if you have a lot of those things in a new house you’re looking at then you want to look real closely to make sure that they were sealed properly and insulated properly.

TOM: Good tips to help you save energy this winter.

Kevin Ireton, the editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, thanks, as always, for stopping by The Money Pit.

KEVIN: My pleasure.

TOM: If you want some more information on how to make your house more energy efficient you can go to Kevin’s website at FineHomebuilding.com or check out the latest issue on newsstands now.

LESLIE: Thanks, Kevin.

And maybe while you’re up in your attic adjusting your insulation or checking that r value up there you might start thinking about your roof. In fact, are you thinking that your roof has a green tinge to it? Well, if it does it’s most likely moss and it can grow right on those shingles and really affect the appearance of your roof. Well, there is a way to keep that moss at bay and we’re going to share it with you next.

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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: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

And we know you like to do things in your house.

TOM: Absolutely.

LESLIE: Maybe one of them is cooking. Not necessarily a home improvement project but it does involve some hazardous potential materials in your kitchen. And in fact, cooking is the number one cause of fires in your home. So call us right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT because we’ve got a chance for you to win an amazing prize today. It’s going to keep you safer in your kitchen and even all around your home. It’s the HomeHero kitchen fire extinguisher. It’s got a grip and trigger system so it’s easy to use for one-handed use regardless of your strength and it looks so good that you can just keep it right out on your kitchen counter or on your shelf, which is going to put it right where you need it in the event of an emergency. It’s worth 30 bucks. It’s available exclusively at The Home Depot but it could be yours for free for asking your question on air.

TOM: 888-666-3974. Give us a call right now. You can get in on that great drawing for the fire extinguisher. And perhaps your question though has to do with your roof; specifically, “How do I get rid of the ugly, green cast because it doesn’t match anything that I have in my yard.” (Leslie chuckles)

Well, if you have green moss on your roof there are some solutions; a couple of things you can do.

First of all, you want to trim back trees because typically you get the moss on the north sides and the east sides when you have a lot of overhanging branches because that’s keeping the sunlight from getting to it, which is a great natural mildicide.

Secondly, you’re going to have to wash your roof and you could use a mildicide. Like, for example, Jomax, which is a house cleaner …

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: … works well. There are probably others out there and if you wash down the roof, if you have heavy, heavy concentrations of it, that will clean it off.

And lastly, what you can do is you can replace your existing ridge vent if you have one or add one if you don’t. But instead of using a standard ridge vent, use one that’s made of copper or nickel and here’s why. Because as the rain hits it and the water runs through the ridge vent it’s going to release some metal or some copper – some nickel or some copper into that and that acts as a cleaner and actually will clean that roof and keep the moss from coming back.

You ever notice, Leslie, when you see chimneys, sometimes they have streaking under them where they look brighter than other places?

LESLIE: Oh, yeah.

TOM: That’s because of the copper flashing on the chimney. That copper releases, acts as a mildicide and cleans the roof.

So those are ways to reduce the amount of moss that grows on your roof, clean it and keep it from coming back.

If you have a roofing question and we can help you with it, give us a call right now at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Leslie, who’s next?

LESLIE: Sue in Florida’s up next and you want to talk tankless water heaters, which Tom and I love. So what’s your question?

SUE: Well, hi and thank you for taking my call. I’m a condo dweller and the tank that is in my house has been there ever since the condo was built like 25 years ago. So I know it’s time to start thinking about replacing it.

LESLIE: It’s overdue.

SUE: Yes, and I’m happy about that. And everybody’s talking about this but I don’t know anyone personally that has a tankless hot water heater and so I went to my local home repair place and found out that you can buy it but no one is interested in installing it there and I’m thinking, “Geez, maybe this is, you know, something that isn’t really a practical thing.” I don’t know what the upsides of the – you know, everyone says, “Oh, it’s going to save you a lot of energy and …” you know. Do you have an opinion about that?

TOM: Well, we do. We like tankless water heaters and it’s unfortunate you haven’t found a referral to somebody that can install them. But rest assured …

SUE: Oh. Oh yeah, I’m sure that I can find somebody …

TOM: Yeah.

SUE: … but you know what I mean. They don’t install them where they sell them.

TOM: No. No, I do think they’re a very good piece of equipment. You know, the way it works is it basically heats the amount of water that you need on demand and that gives you a lot of advantages. A usual – a typical water heater is pretty dumb because it basically heats the water to where the thermostat’s set and keeps it heated even if you’re not using it.

LESLIE: Well, all day long …

TOM: Right.

LESLIE: … when you’re not even wanting it.

SUE: Yeah.

TOM: The tankless water heaters are much smarter in that they only heat the amount of water that you need and when you need it and that’s what makes them so much more efficient. Now, they are more expensive but they do last longer and they also take up a lot less space. So I think that tankless water heaters are a grand idea and I think it’s definitely something you should consider.

SUE: Well, do you think that the initial cost of installing it is, you know, worthwhile in the long run? How long do you think that one would last?

TOM: I think that one is going to last a good 15 or 20 years.

SUE: Mm-hmm.

TOM: Now, the cost benefit question really gets in to how long you’re going to live in that condominium. You have to measure the savings against how long you actually have it but, generally speaking, it’s a very smart thing to do. They’re also, by the way, Energy Star rated and you might be able to even qualify for an energy tax credit by buying one now.

SUE: Wow.

TOM: OK?

SUE: Well, that sounds good. I’ll do a little more investigating. Thank you.

TOM: (overlapping voices) Alright, Sue. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.

Now that’s a good example of somebody that heard about something that seemed like it makes sense and needs to check it with us and we’re happy to share what we know.

LESLIE: Yeah, and they’re fantastic; those tankless water heaters and having a 25-year-plus water heater, Sue, it’s time for a new one.

TOM: Yeah, you better change that before it schedules a change on it’s own and decides to break open on you.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) (chuckling) Which could be a big mess.

TOM: And you know, in a condo, that’s an even bigger mess because – especially if it leaks to the neighbor.

LESLIE: ((overlapping voices) Dealing with neighbors.

TOM: Yeah, exactly.

LESLIE: Alright. Now we have Amanda in Tennessee who’s got a question about microwaves. What can we do for you?

AMANDA: Well, I’d always heard the rumor that if you stand too close to a microwave it’s bad for you while it’s running.

TOM: Hmm. And you’re wondering if it’s true and you think we know the answer? (chuckling)

LESLIE: Well, I know it’s bad to carve your mom’s name into it and then blame your mom because I did that when I was a kid. (Amanda chuckles) I scratched in “Mom” with one of the house keys and when somebody – namely my Dad – walked by and said, “Who did this?!” and I said, “It says ‘Mom.’” And he’s like, “If it was Mom she would write ‘Pauline’.” I was like ugh.

TOM: Aw, busted. (Tom chuckles)

LESLIE: Busted.

TOM: Well Amanda, the truth is that it really is not unsafe to be close to the microwave oven. I mean these things are all tested and certified so that there’s no microwave leakage. In fact, the FDA is aware of the fact that there are rumors(Leslie chuckles) that there could be allegations of radiation injury from microwave ovens, but according to the FDA there’s actually never been one actually proven. The injuries from microwave ovens that they found are the same injuries that you would have with any other cooking surface like hot food and splatters and stuff like that. So, technically, you can’t get hurt and you can’t get radiated by standing too close to the oven but my question is why would you want to. You know? I mean it’s a watched-pot-never-boils. Don’t stare at the food while it’s cooking. Just walk away and come back when it’s done.

AMANDA: Thank you.

TOM: You’re welcome, Amanda. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show and coming up just for you, are you not using all the rooms of your house? Well if you’re not, we’ve got a quick and easy way to cut your heating costs so stick around.

[audio timestamp: 39:47]

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: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

Hey, do you have a home improvement question or maybe a repair question or a decorating question but you just can’t get to the phone or maybe you’re just even too shy or you’re afraid of us and you don’t want to call in? Well, if you’re feeling kind of timid you can shoot us an e-mail or even if you’re short on time just go to MoneyPit.com and click on Ask Tom and Leslie and we will answer your e-mail question like we’re going to do right now. We’ve got one here right now from Joan, coming from our e-mail bag, who writes: “I want to know if it’s advantageous for me to close off rooms that I’m not using when I’ve got my heating system on. I live in a colonial, two-story home. I’ve got four bedrooms upstairs but I only use the one main one. Would doing this help me cut down on the cost? I’ve got a hot air system.”

TOM: Well, Joan, the best thing would be to have a system that’s appropriately sized for your house. It sounds like it’s a bit too big. That being said, if you are going to shut off a room, the better place to shut off the room is at the supply duct itself; not necessarily at the register.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Just closing the door.

TOM: Right. Not closing the door. Not even at the register. Now, the supply ducts are going to have dampers in them and they’re a little bit hard to spot from the outside because they’re a little handle and when the handle is going across the duct, or perpendicular to the duct, it’s off and when it’s with the duct, or parallel to the duct it’s open. So if you can identify which duct is going to that room and turn off the damper, that would be the best place to shut this room completely off. But before you do that, make sure you don’t have any plumbing pipes in those walls because if it’s super cold they could freeze a lot easier than what you expect them to and that could end up being a costly energy leak and the cost of that plumber is going to be so much more than what you would have saved by (Leslie chuckles) by heating that unused room.

LESLIE: Alright, we’ve got another here from Louise in Springfield, Illinois who writes: “Our house is 23-years-old with the original roof. Where two specific parts of the roof meet a lot of snow tends to pile up. Last year some of the snow started to melt and we noticed icicles hanging out from between some of the horizontal siding on the house. We never saw that before and want to know if you think that that water seeped through the roof and behind the siding. Also, do you think the 2x4s got wet?”

TOM: Quite possible. It sounds like ice damming. What happens is if you don’t have the right type of weatherproofing material on your roof the water …

LESLIE: You mean underlayment, right?

TOM: Underlayment, right, underneath the roof shingles. What happens is as the snow melts it will run down your roof but when it gets to that overhang it can actually freeze and sort of build like a curve of ice there and that acts as a dam and then the water strikes that and sort of does a u-turn and runs under the shingles. It can leak into the house.

Now, couple of things you can do here.

First of all, go up in your attic and make sure that area is well-insulated except that you don’t want to have the soffit area blocked. So where the insulation goes up against the roof sheathing make sure there’s a place for an airflow in there.

Secondly, the next time this happens call your insurance company and file a claim and have the roofing contractor that comes out to make the repair install a product called Ice and Water Shield. This goes under the roofing shingles. It goes up about three feet. The market leader on that is Grace Ice and Water Shield. Stuff’s been around forever; works really, really well. And this way, if you get any ice damming, it won’t be able to back up. Even if it goes under the shingles it won’t go through the roof sheathing and that will solve that problem. The website for those guys is GraceAtHome.com. Give you some tips there on avoiding ice dams.

We have another e-mail here from Bruce in New Jersey. He says, “My front door has a small brick porch outside. There is lime or calcium that has leached out of the mortar, forming a rock-hard white stain. The stain is on both the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the brick steps. How can I remove it?” This …

LESLIE: That’s pretty easy, actually.

TOM: … sounds to me like it could be a job for some, probably Calcium-Lime-Rust – some C-L-R – or something like that because that’s probably mineral salts.

LESLIE: Yeah, that’s absolutely mineral salts and it’s super easy, just like Tom said, with some C-L-R. If you want to try a home remedy first, white vinegar and water tends to really get rid of those mineral stains inside and out.

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

Hey, coming up next week on the show we’re going to talk about your windows; specifically, how safe they might be. Do you have kids? Do you have pets? You know, it’s important to look at your windows from a safety standpoint to prevent falls or strangulation and next week on The Money Pit we’re going to do just that. Some tips that you can’t afford to be without.

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]

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(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.)

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