#2394 – Seeds of Success: Early Spring Gardening | Garbage Disposal Tips

Show Notes

In this episode, get helpful tips about early spring gardening, efficient garbage disposals, and safe garage storage solutions. From plants to trash to avoiding toxins and clutter, we’ve got answers to these and other questions from homeowners like you!

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Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript

Spring Gardening: Get ready to spring forward with tips for making your garden grow early in the season.
Garbage Disposals: Cut down on food waste with these garbage disposal options.
Safe Garage Storage: Keep toys and tools away from toxins with safe garage storage.

Ask Your Home Improvement Question

Do you have a home improvement or decor question? Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here.

Podcast Transcript

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00:00:28	TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit, home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:00:33	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:00:35	TOM: And we are here to help you take on the projects you want to get done around your house. Do you think of your house as a money pit? Well, I think of my house as a money pit, and it’s in pretty good shape, but I call it a money pit because it’s a house I love. I mean, in my case, it’s been in my family for many, many, many years, and you may feel that way about your house. We want to give you the advice that you need. You need to spend wisely on that home. We want to teach you how to take care of it so it can take care of you. And listening to this program is a great start. Coming up on today’s show, we’re going to talk about one of my favorite appliances. Leslie, is this one of your favorite appliances, a garbage disposal?
00:01:13	LESLIE: Do you know that I’ve never had one until the ski house in Vermont? And I love using it.
00:01:19	TOM: That’s it. You’re ruined now.
00:01:20	LESLIE: Now I’m hooked. You’re hooked.
00:01:21	TOM: That’s right.
00:01:22	LESLIE: I’m like, just put that down the drain and turn the water on. Look at this. Yeah.
00:01:26	TOM: You’re like, oh, I can’t do that at home, can I? I’ve got to get a disposer.
00:01:30	LESLIE: Also, I’m not so nervous because the kids are older, so it’s like I think I was always afraid of hands.
00:01:34	TOM: The thing is, there are a lot of options in disposers today. And yes, if you’ve never had one, you get one and you’ll never regret it. But we thought it would be a good time to look at some of those options and tell you what really makes sense and what is just kind of the fluff. So we’ll cover that in just a bit.
00:01:47	LESLIE: All right. And also, are you just itching to get your garden growing, but you’re wondering when you should start to plant? Well, we’re going to have some tips on a few plants that can handle. The cold ground now and be ready for a spring harvest in just a bit.
00:02:00	TOM: And garages are spaces where most of us store everything but a car. There are rare exceptions, but I mean, let’s face it. They’re just too attractive to put the stuff that you don’t know what else to do with.
00:02:11	LESLIE: I mean, it’s the best big closet you’ve got.
00:02:12	TOM: It is. But think about it. And this is what kind of always concerned me. It’s a place where so many of us keep toys and toxins side by side. I mean, there’s no other place in the house where you do that, right? I mean, you don’t have a shelf for toxins. On top of the kids’ toys, right? But you do in the garage. So you’ve got to be really careful and keep that space cleaned and organized and safe. So we’ll give you some tips to do that.
00:02:34	LESLIE: All right. And guys, if you are interested in transforming your kitchen with a granite countertop, we’re giving away a kit that can help you do just that in a weekend. It’s the Luxe Rock Solid Surface Granite Countertop Kit. And Tom, you used this for a project at your house, and it came out great.
00:02:51	TOM: I did. Amazing. Now, in my case, you can put this Luxe Rock product. Top of laminate or on top of any old countertop material. You know, the bathroom sort of soapstone, it works for that. I built a countertop out of plywood and thought, huh, I wonder if I could use Luxe Rocks for this. And I did. And I was having fun with my friends when they looked at it. They’d say, that’s granite. I’m like, nope, it’s not. It’s Luxe Rock. It’s a finish that looks like granite, performs like granite. It’s almost as durable as granite, but it’s a lot less expensive than granite. So we’re going to give a kit away today to one caller that reaches us with their questions. Don’t be shy. Reach out one of two ways. You can call us at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or you can post your question to moneypit.com slash ask. Just click the blue microphone button. That message will come streaming right over to us, and we will toss your name in the Money Pit hard hat to win that Luxe Rock kit worth 300 bucks going out to one caller drawn at random. So with that said, let’s get to it. Leslie, the calls are already lining up. Who’s first?
00:03:54	LESLIE: Heading out to California. Cindy. What is going on? How can we help you?
00:03:57	CALLER: We have downgraded to a smaller home, and we bought this cute little house that has got this beautiful six-burner gas stove. And the people that built the house put the stove right next to a wooden cabinet, and I can’t use somebody turn one burner on against the wall, and it caught the cabinet on fire. So I need to find out what I can put against that wall that will either allow me to use it, or not be able to use them at all and just have it look pretty.
00:04:33	TOM: You know, Leslie, so many folks love to have those very large commercial-style stoves today, but there’s a lot more to them than you think because you have all of this additional power in terms of the burners, and also you need better venting, right? You can’t use a typical vent. And in Cindy’s case here, she’s got a serious fire risk. So my thought is this. Tell me if you think this makes sense. First of all, you would get in touch with the manufacturer of the stove because there will be a specification or installation that will give you step-by-step exactly what has to be done to make sure that the surfaces around this range are fire-resistant. You know, there are things that we could suggest, but they may or may not work. You know, putting stainless steel, for example, on this side of the cabinet could help. But then again, it might just heat up, and you could burn yourself on it. So I don’t want to give you any specific advice. about how to make the rest of the area that surrounds this fireproof because I know it does exist. The manufacturers of these types of commercial ranges will have them. You really need to kind of take a step back and see how it should have been installed and then decide how you can modify your existing kitchen to make it work.
00:05:43	LESLIE: Mike in Little Rock, Arkansas, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
00:05:47	CALLER: Well, I’ve been doing some remodeling on my house, and it’s been going on since about 2018. I’m kind of doing it piecemeal as I can afford, things, and we’re getting ready to list it probably earlier this springtime. And I want to know if I can list it as newly remodeled or freshly remodeled. What would be the best way to list it? Because it has taken me three or four years to do it.
00:06:18	TOM: I mean, I think it’s fair to say that it’s newly remodeled. I mean, remodeling doesn’t wear out. And if you had an older house, what kinds of projects would you do? What was remodeled here?
00:06:28	CALLER: Oh, I added a den. I put down new laminated vinyl floors. I put in several pocket doors, added a powder room, changed the bathroom from a tub to a walk-in.
00:06:43	TOM: How about like newly remodeled and freshly updated? Because that kind of covers it. Realtors are always good at all those descriptions, right? But no, I think it’s fair. Listen, you know, houses last a lifetime, and you can’t do that. And the fact that you spent three years fixing this up, especially since two of the last three years pretty much were slowed down by the pandemic, I think it’s fair to say that. I don’t think you’re misrepresenting anything. And then you could fill in the blanks there, let folks know what you did. In fact, that would give you kind of a leg up on the competition, too. We always say that it’s a good idea to have an inventory that lists your improvements when you put a house on the market, especially if any of those improvements are energy-saving, because that’s really attractive to folks today as well. So I think that’s certainly fair. I think it’s fair for you to use those phrases in your listing. And then, of course, you could add some additional detail when you complete any kind of a property sort of inventory where you sort of list the features and benefits of the place and include those types of improvements.
00:07:39	CALLER: Great. I appreciate that. That’s what I’ll do.
00:07:41	TOM: All right. Good luck with your project. And we hope that you sell it quickly and for a lot of money.
00:07:45	CALLER: Me, too. Thanks a lot.
00:07:47	LESLIE: Hey, you want to make our day? Well, go ahead and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and we’ll be jumping for joy. Plus, you guys, your feedback helps us make the show even better for you. Just go to moneypit.com slash review.
00:07:59	TOM: Well, if you’d love to have granite countertops but just can’t handle the expense, we’re giving away a brand-new product from Dice Coatings today that gives you a sparkling granite surface at a fraction of the cost of the real thing.
00:08:10	LESLIE: Yeah, you know what? It’s called Luxrock Solid Surface Granite Countertop Kit, and one kit covers 40 square feet of countertop, making it perfect for updating a kitchen or a bathroom. Now, Luxrock, it spreads easily directly over your old countertop, and then it transforms it into a new smooth stone surface that looks and performs just like real granite. And there’s five color options, so the whole transformation really does just that. It makes your whole kitchen look entirely different, and it takes only two days, and it is a completely DIY project. Now, the kit retails for $299. That’s $299 at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and dicecoatings.com. But one lucky Money Pit question asker is going to get this kit for free.
00:08:56	TOM: So make that you. Reach out to us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit or post your question at moneypit.com slash ask.
00:09:04	LESLIE: Karen’s on the line with a question about circuit breakers and whether or not we need to keep turning them on and off. Welcome. How can we help you?
00:09:10	CALLER: You mentioned something earlier on your show about turning circuit breakers on and off and then doing something. I did not catch the whole thing. I had just started watching the show and also checking for water leaks. I’m wondering if you can repeat that information or if it could be on your website.
00:09:26	LESLIE: So many people talk about exercising the circuit breaker. You know, it’s like, I don’t know if there’s really anything to it other than making sure things don’t get jammed up and everything is capable of turning on and off in the event that you need to do so. So like, what do you recommend, Tom? Every like two or three months do it or like once a year?
00:09:46	TOM: I think you can turn them on or off every couple of months just to keep things flexible. And then also make sure you check your ground fault circuit breakers. Those are the outlets sometimes with the test and reset buttons just to make sure they’re flexible. And operating, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that and it certainly won’t hurt and it could definitely help.
00:10:01	LESLIE: It’s so funny, the outside ones with the circuit breakers, I only really use it during the holiday time. And anytime I need to, you know, reset it because it’s been rainy or whatnot, I always have to use like one end of the plug because it’s kind of stiff because I’m not obviously exercising that circuit. about your water? I mean, you should not have that water meter running at all ever. Like, so is it worth it to go outside, check that meter? If you’ve got all the faucets off just to make sure you don’t have a leak you don’t know about?
00:10:29	TOM: Yeah, it’s a good idea. So if all the faucets and fixtures are off, yet the water meter is still running, then obviously you’re running water somewhere. And the most likely place that would be is a toilet. Typically a flush valve at the bottom of the tank, if it leaks a little bit, it’s going to force the toilet to refill all the time. That’s a very common reason for the water meter to be running even when everything else is off. So it definitely tells you if something is going on.
00:10:56	LESLIE: Well, an easy way to cut down on food waste at home is to install a garbage disposer. You know, there’s nothing more convenient than to be able to send leftover fruit and potato peels, veggie stubs, and all kinds of other waste right down the drain.
00:11:09	TOM: Yep, and as we said before, it’s an appliance that once you own it, you never want to be without one again. So if you’re shopping for one, there are three basic questions to consider. First, which type of disposer would work best in your home? What special features are most important to you? And do you have a septic?
00:11:26	LESLIE: Okay, so let’s start first talking about the different types. Now, garbage disposers come in two basic modes, batch feed and continuous feed. A batch feed model is going to operate only when the disposal lid is engaged and the unit is activated. Continuous feed models will operate with the flick of a switch and then they’re going to run until the unit is turned off and they are way more convenient to use. Now, let’s talk about noise levels here because I’m new to the garbage disposal game. I mean, I’ve talked about them. I’ve seen them. I’ve never actually had one in my home. And so it is always a little jarring when I flip the switch and it’s like, you know, it’s loud. So definitely the newer models will do a quieter run thanks to sound deadening features similar to newer dishwashing machines. That said, sink style is also going to impact the noise. An inexpensive stainless steel sink may not provide solid support for a heavier, higher powered model. And an overpowering disposal may cause a lot of noise. That’s surrounding countertop and cabinets to rattle. So you kind of have to balance the different materials and the type of disposal.
00:12:31	TOM: Now, the other question to ask yourself is, do you have a septic? Because septic systems that are sized to accommodate the usage of several typical home appliances, including disposers, but you need to avoid placing any solid mineralized items like eggs or seafood shells in the disposer because they could contribute to the accumulation of sludge and impact the effectiveness of the septic system.
00:12:54	LESLIE: Now, let’s talk about the noise levels. Let’s talk about a disposer getting stuck because sometimes this does happen. So are there any tricks out there to free them up? Yes.
00:13:02	TOM: If you buy a disposer, you will find in the box, usually what looks like a very oversized kind of angular Allen wrench. And the reason that’s in there is because on the very bottom of the disposer, there is a socket. And if the disposer gets jammed up, you stick this Allen wrench in it and you wiggle it back and forth to free it up. My son was cleaning out his fish tank not too long ago and he got a little bit of a problem. He got some of the rocks, got down the drain into the disposer and the thing jammed up. And he didn’t know what was going on because he says, Dad, every time I turn it on, it just makes a noise. I mean, like this, hum. He’s like, yeah, how do you know? It’s like, because it’s stuck. I know what it sounds like. So I told him, turn the power off, found that Allen wrench, which I said is usually in the cabinet. It’s where most people keep it. And wiggle that motor back, that motor back and forth with the key and take it out, turn it back on and zzz. Look, there you go. Good to go. No charge.
00:13:54	LESLIE: Good tips. I love it.
00:13:57	TOM: I love when my kids call me for advice. It’s kind of like they have to admit that they know something.
00:14:02	LESLIE: Now, let’s talk about a debate. Do you have to run the water? I mean, I am learning that I have to turn the water on when I turn the switch on and that’s what I’ve always heard. No, why not?
00:14:11	TOM: You do not. Because it’s not relying on the water to provide frictionless spin. Well, no, that’s being moved by the motor and the water is not helping. It’s not providing any lubrication. There’s ball bearings in those disposers that are sealed and will spin for years and years and years. So you do not have to run water to prevent, people think you have to run water to prevent damage. The reason you run water is to help move the waste through the disposer, but not because you’re going to ruin it. When I was an inspector, people used to yell at me for running the disposer. I was going to break it. I was going to ruin it. Blah, blah, blah. I’m like, yeah, no, I’m not. Go away.
00:14:47	LESLIE: I’m still going to run the water. I’m just going to do it.
00:14:50	TOM: So yeah, no, you don’t have to run the water. So there you go. If you’re going to get a disposer, that’s what to look for. Good luck. And run the water. And run the water. If you don’t want to hear anybody complaining.
00:14:59	LESLIE: Heading over to Cambridge, Mass. We’ve got Jeff on the line. What’s happening at your money pit?
00:15:03	CALLER: Down in the basement, I want to be able to insulate it so I can put storage down there.
00:15:08	CALLER: Okay.
00:15:09	CALLER: Cabinets and, but I want to do it the proper way. We jacked the house up and put a concrete foundation with a 10-inch wall. And I coated it with the dry lock paint. And I just, and I was reading a magazine about the, the solid foam insulation. And I want to, you know, that’s on the outside of the foundation. And I want to make sure that I’m not doing myself harm by putting it on the inside also to lock moisture in there that may like come up in capillary action from the footing. So I just wanted to check with you the best way to go about that. I want to use that probably two inch or inch and a half foam depending upon how much room I have to do that and then build stud walls.
00:15:53	TOM: Yeah. So perfectly acceptable. I’m glad you’re paying attention to moisture issues. Those are going to source in your area of the country, not from rising water, but basically from a problem with your drainage system, gutters that are undersized or not extended out away from the house far enough and that sort of thing. So just make sure you’re really careful about making, about having all that water away from the house that the grating slopes away and the downspouts are extended. In terms of the insulation, so are you going to put stud walls up in the basement? Is that what you want to do? Yes. So you have lots of options here. You can use a solid insulation board such as what you’ve described right on the foundation. You could also use a product like mineral wool insulation inside the stud base, which is a very moisture resistant stone based insulation that is very, very effective. And I like it because it’s kind of stiff. So it’s easy to handle. I’m doing a big mineral wool project myself now, putting that in floors right above a coral space foundation for the same reason. Or you could go with spray foam. Really? You really want to have a real tight space. That’s going to be a lot more expensive. But I don’t see any issues with that. You could do any of those three methods and it will definitely make that space much more comfortable. And then, of course, you’re going to want to add some heat into that basement space because you’re in a cold area of the country. And by adding a little heat, you keep the humidity actually in check because that heat helps to make it drier in that space as well. OK.
00:17:17	CALLER: I have a couple of boilers there that are indirect. But yeah, with water heaters and I could just add probably a couple of baseboard sections into that. Another question I have is the outside of the foundation from the ground up. Can I paint that? Going back to the I don’t want to lock moisture in there, but it’d be OK to put some paint on the outside, make it look good. Yeah.
00:17:40	TOM: Just remember what comes after paint, more paint.
00:17:47	CALLER: right, Jeff. Really enjoy your show. It’s really, really helpful. I learned a lot.
00:17:52	LESLIE: Now we’ve got Christina in Missouri on the line who is about to tackle a bathroom renovation, but has a lot of questions. Tell us about the project.
00:17:59	CALLER: So my project, it’s the master bathroom and it’s one of those bathrooms where it has the tub and there is a window, a big window right above the tub and a very, very narrow shower. And so I would like to be able to remove the shower and the tub out of the bathroom. completely and make an expanded shower and use the space where the shower is at, make that into storage. And so my question is, what do I do with the window? Do I, I like the light that comes in, but it’s very, very drafty. So if I were to replace the window, would I use like a double pane or triple pane? Or if I were to kind of shore up the window, then would that mean probably obviously some masonry work that needs to be done? I’m just trying to figure out what is the most cost effective and, you know, quickest way, I guess, to be able to resolve the window issue.
00:19:05	TOM: You might want to look into privacy windows. You know, there’s some really pretty privacy windows that are designed for bathrooms. I’m thinking of one that looks like glass block. Leslie, you know, the kind that has like sort of the wavy glass to it. It’s not designed to open, but it brings a lot of light in.
00:19:19	LESLIE: But there are, you know, double hung windows. That are privacy glasses as well that are meant for bathroom spaces. I mean, otherwise, how would the window that’s directly next to my toilet function? I mean, it’s amazing. It’s the worst place for it. But luckily, the glass is, you know, clouded in a way. So there are options that give you the privacy within the glass, but also the functionality of the window. But you definitely do need to upgrade that window system that you have. So you’re not getting those drafts.
00:19:48	CALLER: Right. So I have seen some frosted glass and, you know, and other like Instagram pictures and things like that. But are those types of windows, are they like double pane windows? Do they even? I don’t even know. I guess, I mean, I have a lot of research to do.
00:20:08	TOM: Those type of decorative windows with the frosted glass, they are available and we call it thermal pane, double panes, thermal pane windows. Certainly, you could buy a privacy window that is an Energy Star rated window. It’s not a good thing to look for. The other thing I’ll point out, is make sure that the bathroom, I don’t know if your bathroom has a ventilation fan in it, because sometimes bathrooms with windows don’t have these vent fans, but you’re definitely going to need to add one, especially if you decide to use a non-openable window. And even if not, if you can do the renovation, I would add a bath fan at the same time.
00:20:37	CALLER: OK, yep, we do have one. And I was thinking of replacing that one also, because I think it just, it’s one of those things where if I’m going to do the upgrades, I might as well upgrade that too.
00:20:49	TOM: So, yeah, you know, the four most important words, you know, the four most expensive words for bathroom renovations while you’re at it.
00:20:56	CALLER: Yeah, yes, exactly. Well, it’s all the small things that start adding up that make the project that much more expensive. But having a plan, having a good plan and doing my research and part of the call to you was part of that. So thank you very much. I appreciate it.
00:21:13	TOM: Well, you’re very welcome. Good luck with this project.
00:21:15	CALLER: OK, thank you. Take care.
00:21:17	TOM: Well, are you itching to get your garden growing, but wondering what you can start planning this, early in the season? Well, now’s actually the best time to plant some of those cool season crops. And in fact, if you don’t start growing them to maturity and cooler weather, you’re not going to see the best results. And you’ll notice they could also have a kind of bitter flavor to them.
00:21:39	LESLIE: Now, some of these root crops need 90 days to reach maturity, but others, such as those winter varieties of radishes, they’re ready to begin harvesting in 22 days from seeding. And radishes are so good. And it’s amazing how many varieties of radishes there are out there. Spicy, mustardy. I mean, all kinds of radishes. They’re so yummy.
00:21:57	TOM: They definitely are. And now that you’ve got a bunch of fresher veggies, what are you going to do with them? Well, you can add them to a leafy green salad. Those are also perfect for cool weather growing. We’re talking about lettuces like Swiss chard, arugula, and the leafless lettuces.
00:22:13	LESLIE: All right. Now, if you like snow peas and you want them in your salad, go right ahead because they love to grow in this weather as well. Yeah, snow peas. Turns out they love snow.
00:22:22	TOM: Go figure. For more details, you can check out Green Goodness, 12 veggies you can plant right now on moneypit.com.
00:22:31	LESLIE: What kind of project are you guys tackling this weekend? Perhaps you’re looking at your kitchen and thinking maybe it needs a little update. Well, if you love the look of granite, but you just haven’t been able to handle the expense, we’re giving away a brand new product from Daich Coatings today that gives you a sparkling granite surface at a fraction of the cost of real granite. It’s called Luxe Rock Solid Surface Granite Countertop Kit and one kit covers 40 square feet of countertop, which makes it perfect for updating a kitchen or a bath. It goes on super easy over a countertop. It transforms your old countertop into a beautiful, new, smooth stone surface that looks and performs just like the real granite does. And there’s five color options available and the whole transformation is only going to take two days. So it is definitely a DIY project.
00:23:20	TOM: The kit retails for $299 at Home Depot, Lowe’s or at DaichCoatings.com. But we’ve got one to give away today to one lucky listener. But to win it, you’ve got to be in it. And that means you’ve got to pick up the phone and call us at 888-Money-Pit with your question or post your questions at moneypit.com slash ask.
00:23:40	LESLIE: Heading out to chilly Ohio, we’ve got Kirk on the line who’s looking to make the floors a little warmer. Tell us about your project.
00:23:46	CALLER: I’m putting an addition onto the back of the house and one, I was wondering about doing in-floor heating. Wondering about running that through the fireplace. The other possibility I have, I do have some heat ducts that I can run over. And the other question is about flooring. It’s a two-story addition will be used partially for sales. Wondered about putting tile on the floor. Also, another possibility would be doing textured concrete.
00:24:21	TOM: That’s an interesting idea, Kirk, to run your heating pipes through your fireplace. But I got to say, that’s probably the least efficient way I can imagine you trying to distribute heat.
00:24:32	LESLIE: I mean, is that even a thing?
00:24:33	TOM: I don’t think so. I’ve never heard it. I mean, I give them credit for the creativeness of it. But, you know, look, a boiler exists for a reason to efficiently heat water circulated through plumbing pipes, in which case for underfloor heating, you could use PEX, there’s actually a special floor sheathing that has grooves in it where you can run the PEX pipe in the grooves and then put your finished floor on top of that, which could be any kind of finished floor. But I don’t think you can run this through a fireplace in the sense that use the fireplace as the heating element. It’s just, it’s not going to generate enough. It’s not designed to do that. You’d have to have a wood burning fire going all the time or a coal burning fire going all the time, you know, or a pellet burning stove going all the time. It just makes no sense whatsoever. So we give you credit for the idea, for the idea, for the energy, for the enthusiasm, but really bad idea. If you want in-floor heating though, that is a really good idea. If you’ve got hot water heat, you do it with PEX. Now, if you’ve got hot air heat, you really can’t use hot air heat to do underfloor heating. In that case, what you would have to do is use electric heat on top of the slab. And in that case, it would be really… Like as a separate thing. Yeah, it would be expensive. So if you’ve got hot water and you can do it with PEX piping, that’d be the way to go, but not to heat the water using the fireplace. Well, if you’re like most of us, garages are spaces where we store everything except a car, of course. It’s also where we store toys and toxins side by side. So it’s important to keep this space super clean, organized, and therefore safe.
00:26:05	LESLIE: Yeah, I mean, really, this is the space in my house that gets the most cluttered over winter. I mean, you have all those items that you can’t use because it’s cold outside. Bikes, balls, toys. Yet, for some reason, my kids find a way to take them all out, move everything around, get to other stuff, and just keep moving and making more and more of a mess. Plus, you’ve got all your winter gear in there as well. And this truly is the only space at home where you probably store things like antifreeze and a chemical de-icer right next to a skateboard and a basketball. So, I mean, it’s all kind of in the same spot. It’s definitely not ideal.
00:26:40	TOM: That’s right. So get rid of the empty containers of chemicals that you might have used over the winter. And if you’ve got gasoline containers, say for lawn equipment or generators, they need to be emptied because you can’t store gas long in them unless you are treating it because it’s going to go bad after about 30 days.
00:26:55	LESLIE: Yeah, you’re also going to want to sweep up any salt or sand that just gets tracked in from being outside in these winter months. You’re going to want to move sleds, shovels, all those scrapers right to the back of the garage and then get your hands on those sporting equipment, the lawn equipment, and bring all of that forward. I mean, I kind of try to cycle through a rotation. But again, the kids have other plans and like, you know, seem to just completely disregard any sense of organization in the garage. So I think it’s smart to bring in things that will help you stay organized and keep things in their right place and just get rid of stuff you don’t need.
00:27:29	TOM: It’s also a good time to get rid of things you no longer use or anything that might be in bad condition. So do it now, clean out, and you’ll have the entire summer to fill it right back up again.
00:27:40	LESLIE: Now we’ve got Ann on the line
00:27:41	CALLER: who’s feeling the chill. What’s going on with the insulation in your place? I was just wondering what the best way or best product to use for a very drafty house. Around the windows, underneath the floor, feeling like it’s coming through on the base of the cabinets in the kitchen, drafty.
00:28:02	TOM: So Ann, tackling drafts is, it sounds like it’s a constant battle for you. So I’m going to give you a couple of tips. First of all, with respect to the windows, we need to figure out where these drafts are coming in. If the weather stripping is worn or missing, and say they’re old double hung windows, then that needs to be replaced. I often find though that you’ll get drafts that’ll be around the outside of the molding, even on the inside of the house, that casing, that trim, will sometimes allow air to draft in from the outside, especially on a windy day. So for those areas, we recommend that you caulk the outside perimeter. And for the windows themselves, you should be adding new weather stripping to that. Now you also mentioned being very chilly towards the floor, and the base cabin. So that might be, to me, Leslie, it sounds like it could be the box beam, you know, the floor underneath that part of the house.
00:28:54	LESLIE: It’s just open.
00:28:55	TOM: Yeah, it may not be insulated. You know, that box beam, which is where the floor joists sort of intersect with the outside of the house, that area needs to be insulated. And in fact, if you have an unfinished crawl space, the floor system itself needs to be insulated. So I would start there with weather stripping the windows. And secondly, I would insulate the floor underneath the floor, underneath that area, and especially that box beam area. And if you want to go the extra mile, you could also use a product like Great Stuff to seal any large gaps that are in there where air might be coming in. You know, you can do your own kind of draft inspection if the wind’s blowing right, just by sort of holding the back of your hand against the window area, not without touching, not touching the window, but just right up against it. Because I find that the back of my hand is much more sensitive than my palm. And I can really pinpoint draft sometimes by doing that.
00:29:44	LESLIE: Jeff from Syracuse, New York reached out to Team Money Pit and says, I have hot water heat and need to replace my 40-year-old boiler. I’m wondering if it makes sense to replace the water heater at the same time.
00:29:56	TOM: You know, probably, Jeff, because what I would recommend you do is what we did a couple of years back and that we replaced a boiler and a water heater at the same time. And we did it with what’s called a combi unit. Now, combis are combination boilers and water heaters that are tankless. And the first thing that’s interesting about a combi system is it’s very small. My combi system, my boiler, it hangs on the wall. And aside from the pipes that are attached to it, the main unit itself, it’s pretty much the same size as I think our spice cabinet, which is probably 18 inches wide and about 30 inches tall. I mean, it’s really a small piece of equipment. It also doesn’t have any wasted heat like coming off the jacket. A lot of old boilers do. In fact, when we installed ours, I had to insulate the entire first floor because a lot of the old heat used to warm it. Now that wasn’t happening anymore. So I definitely need to insulate it. And thirdly, it’s far more efficient than either the water heater or the boiler by itself. And lastly, you’ll probably find that there are rebates available right now or tax credits that are available for these efficient systems. So I would definitely tell you to look into a Wheel McLean combi. That’s the brand that I use. There are others as well. I chose that because I knew that brand well, but certainly talk to some different professionals and consider using a combi system and replacing both the water heater and the boiler at once.
00:31:17	LESLIE: All right. Now we’ve got Zane in North Carolina who’s refinishing an oak table. Zane says, Hey, I love your show and I need your help. I’m refinishing a 25-year-old oak kitchen table with a lot of dirt has settled into the grain. I sanded a small test area and refinished it and I’m happy with the result, but I had to scrape each grain with a toothpick to remove the dirt. That is a lot of work. That’s a lot of work.
00:31:40	TOM: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I’m actually refinishing some old cabinets. Cabinets right now and I’m talking about cabinets from the 60s built really, really well. I mean, solid, but they’re old, so they are dirty and I needed to get them really clean. So I used a product called a deglosser. You may have it here called liquid sandpaper and basically I use the crud cutter brand and what I did was I took the doors off in my case and I soaked it with the stuff not for a long time, but I saturated it and then I rubbed it with a scotch pad. You know, those green scotch pads, they come in different abrasion levels. The green one is kind of like a medium grit and it did a really good job of loosening up all the dirt that was stuck to it. It got into the grain. If there were some spots where it was deep, I would use a nylon bristle brush with that deglosser and rub it in there and then once I was happy with the level of cleaning, I would wipe it all off with a damp cloth. I’ll tell you what, you couldn’t really see the dirt that was being picked up when you were doing the project, but Leslie, as soon as I rinsed that rag, you could see all the muddy water that came out of it. So it worked really, really well. Now the other option is to machine sand it and if you’re going to machine sand it, I would use like a vibrating sander. I would start with 100 grit and then I would switch to 180 and then finish it off with like a 220. You’re going to have to do that in stages. So you’re going to basically be sanding down through that grain and into that dirt and that should do the trick.
00:33:08	LESLIE: All right, Zane. I hope that helps you out because oak tables and oak in general does have a super deep grain pattern and so you want to efficiently and effectively get rid of whatever dirt and yuck you’ve got in there and that should do the trick.
00:33:20	TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show on air and online at moneypit.com. We hope that you guys are enjoying your day as we all wait patiently for spring, which is just around the corner. And as you’re waiting patiently, if you’re thinking about projects that you really, really, really want to get done, you don’t know if you can do it yourself. You think you can, maybe you just need a couple of tips or maybe you should hire a pro. Reach out to us anytime, 24-7. At 1-888-Money-Pit because we will always be here to help. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:33:48	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. Remember,
00:33:50	TOM: you can do it yourself,
00:33:52	LESLIE: but you don’t have to do it alone.

	(Note: The above referenced transcript is AI-Generated, Unedited and Unproofed and as such may not accurately reflect the recorded audio. Copyright 2024 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.)