Show Notes
Transform your home and garden with expert tips on today’s episode! We start with strategies for optimizing your garage workspace for DIY projects, then serve up ideas for creating your own pizza garden to grow your favorite fresh toppings. Finally, learn the importance of deep cleaning your washing machine from dirt and odors and hear answers to more home improvement questions!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Washing Machine: Put a new spin on laundry day by deep cleaning your washing machine to banish dirt and odors.
- Gardening: If you want to spice up your gardening projects, nothing tops growing a delicious pizza garden.
- Garage Space: Get tips for creating an efficient garage workspace to make every DIYer more productive.
Top Questions & Answers
- Porch Railing: Karen wants to add a railing to her porch and is concerned about it being sturdy enough. She gets tips on using the right screws and where to attach it.
- Insulation: Mike’s old house has no insulation inside the brick walls. He should seal any drafts, add attic insulation, and install rigid insulation board and new drywall inside.
- Popcorn Ceiling: Removing a popcorn ceiling can be a mess, but Laurie gets suggestions on how to wet and scrape the surface without damaging the ceiling.
- Water Softener: Ellie seeks advice on replacing her water softener that’s outside the home. We recommend testing the water and getting a model that’s rated for exterior use.
- Landscaping: There are hills and sinkholes in the lawn above the septic tank. Heavy equipment may crush the pipes, so Chris should use a wheelbarrow to add topsoil and level out the lawn.
- Windows: The original windows in a historic home are very drafty. Jim can add weatherstripping or temporary caulk, or find a company that makes replacement windows to match the old style.
- Microwave: The light under Frieda’s old microwave above the stove keeps burning out. We discuss several possible causes, but it may be time to replace the appliance.
- Plumbing Odors: Sewer odors are coming from the bathroom sink, tub, and shower. Gary gets tips on how to scrub the drains with oxygenated bleach to clean out the biogases and bacteria.
- Hardwood Floor: Jennifer is installing hardwood flooring and gets information on placing it parallel to the longest walls and measuring the room to avoid narrow cuts.
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
| 00:00:29 | TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. | |
| 00:00:35 | TOM: Hey, guys, what are you working on this beautiful spring weekend? If you are in your house, if you’re in your yard, if you’re thinking about taking on some projects to improve your outdoor living space, maybe spruce up your kitchen, spruce up your bathroom, maybe do a big remodeling project, maybe do a little project. We don’t care if you’re hanging a picture or changing out your kitchen. If you’ve got a project in mind and need some help, we’d love to talk. We’ll be with you about just that. The number here is 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or go to moneypit.com/ask. Click the blue microphone button and post your question. Coming up on today’s program, are you a do-it-yourselfer but need better do-it-yourself workspace? We’re going to share some tips to create a productive and efficient garage workspace to handle projects both big and small. |
| 00:01:22 | LESLIE: And it’s one of your favorite foods or maybe your kid’s favorite. I’m talking about pizza. Can you imagine being able to grow all of your favorite pizza toppings right in your backyard? Well, you can with your own pizza garden. We’re going to have some tips on how you can do just that in a bit. |
| 00:01:38 | TOM: And could germs actually be lurking in your laundry? It might seem counterintuitive, but for the health, safety, and cleanliness of your family, it’s important to actually wash your washing machine. We’re going to tell you how to deep clean your machines just ahead. |
| 00:01:52 | LESLIE: I mean, imagine that. All that water and soap and you still have to clean it. But first… First, guys, our focus is you. We want to know what you want to know. So if there’s a DIY project on your to-do list, let us help you make it a DI done project. So let us know what you’re working on so we can lend a hand. |
| 00:02:10 | TOM: Call us right now with your questions at 1-888-Money-Pit or go to moneypit.com slash ask. Let’s get to it. Leslie, who’s first? |
| 00:02:18 | LESLIE: All right. Now we’ve got Karen in Pennsylvania online who wants to add a railing to a porch. Tell us about it. Okay. |
| 00:02:24 | CALLER: When we built this home, they put in a… A prefab hollow porch, okay? Okay. A wider porch and then two steps that go down at our front door. And my husband wants to put a railing on it. Would it be sturdy enough to put a screw in a post to put the railing in, to screw it? The one will be attached onto the house that is brick. Okay. And the other one would be going into that hollow porch. Would that be sturdy enough to do that? |
| 00:03:05 | LESLIE: Well, I think it can be sturdy enough if you use the right attaching points and the right type of screws. Now, when you’re going into any kind of masonry, so for the house as well with the brick and the hollow concrete steps, you would use something called a tapcon, which is just a very specialized type of screw that’s meant to go into a masonry surface. And the way sort of the grooves are on the stem of the screw itself is they’re tighter together. They’re a little thicker, so they’ll really bite into that masonry and really grab a hold. So if you use something like that, which is appropriate for that location, it should have no problem as long as you get the right weight, the right length, you know, depending on that situation. You can find it at any home center. They come in, you know, just a couple or in a larger box. Some of them need a specialized bit. Sometimes you need a hammer drill just to sort of get into that masonry surface first to allow space for that screw. But, I mean, it’s generally an easy project. And, you know, just a little… A little bit of time and a little bit of effort. |
| 00:04:00 | TOM: Yeah, they’re very distinctive. They’re a blue color. And, by the way, if it turns out that that hollow step just doesn’t have enough meat in it, so to speak, to attach, the other option here is just to drop the post in front of the step or to the side of the step, depending on how it lines up, you know, with the rest of your house, and just set a post in the soil. To do that, you would simply use a post hole digger and dig down about three feet. You would stick a wood post in there. And then you could pour a concrete mix by Quikrete. Quikrete, that’s available in the red bag. It’s called fast-setting concrete. You pour it in there dry. Now, you don’t have to mix it up first. You pour it in there dry. Make sure the post is nice and level. And then you water it like you’re watering a plant. You just put some water in the hole, and it hardens for you. And then you could adjust the height of it. You could cut it down to size. And that would be then supported by the soil. So, if it turns out the step is just not possible for you to support the post there, you could always do it by setting the post directly in grade. Okay? |
| 00:04:54 | CALLER: Okay. All right. Well, thank you so much for your answer. I appreciate it. |
| 00:04:58 | TOM: You’re very welcome. |
| 00:05:00 | LESLIE: All right. Now, we’ve got Mike on the line who is super chilly in Chicago, and he’s got a question about insulation. What’s going on? |
| 00:05:06 | CALLER: My wife and I are first-time homeowners. We bought a house last year that was built in 1910. It is a classic Chicago two-flat that was converted into a single-family home. It’s a flat roof made out of brick. I have a scoping camera that I’ve been poking around behind nooks and crannies and walls and things like that. I’m pretty convinced that there’s no insulation in the walls. So, what are my options here? You know, moisture is a concern. It’s my understanding that brick needs to breathe. You know, do we have an option of putting insulation in? If so, what type? You know, what concerns might there be? What questions might we want to ask? Is it a matter of, you know, do you need to tear out the drywall and fill the insulation in, or can it just be packed in the cavity there? So, those are the types of questions I’m waiting through. What are my options? What it might look like? How would you go about this? Thanks so much. |
| 00:05:55 | TOM: Mike, I love the fact. First of all, I’m not a fan of the drywall. First of all, that you own a borescope. That’s a tool that the only folks that own those are home inspectors like me, where we have these cameras that you can use and look into walls and around outlets. They’re very fun. So, I’m glad you got one of those. So, now that you’ve got it, now that you’ve used it, and you’re going to find more things to do as a result of that, including insulating these brick walls. Now, unfortunately, you have some limited options here. Typically, brick walls, obviously, as you know, were not insulated. The fact that you have a double wall was all the insulation you get. Right. So, if you did want to insulate those walls, your only option is really to take the drywall down inside your house and then to apply rigid foam insulation, sheet insulation to those walls and then put the drywall back. That is something that is obviously a pretty disruptive process. There’s a lot of work to be done. But the other thing you could do is focus on all the things that you can control. So, for example, let’s talk about drafts. You can seal those windows inside and out by caulking the exterior perimeter, and the interior perimeter, I usually caulk both sides of the trim on the inside to cut down on drafts. You could replace windows if they’re drafty, obviously, and you can do energy star windows. If you have outlets and light switches and that sort of thing on exterior walls, make sure that you’re putting gaskets behind them. There are switch gaskets and outlet gaskets. It comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They’re very inexpensive, a dollar or two apiece. They’ll help seal out those drafts. And you mentioned you had some insulation in the attic. I would quantify that and see how much insulation, and make sure you’re maximizing. The insulation that you can have there, I realize it may be a narrow space, but doing those sorts of things will help make the place more comfortable. So, good luck with that house and that project, and we’re glad you’re getting a lot out of the show. Take care. |
| 00:07:40 | LESLIE: Hey, Money Pit listeners. If we’ve saved you some time, money, or hassles with your projects, you would totally make our day by leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Just go to moneypit.com slash review. |
| 00:07:53 | TOM: Well, guys, are you thinking of sprucing up your outdoor living spaces for spring? It’s the season to do just that. And if you’ve got a concrete patio or porch that’s part of that project, we’ve got a great product to give away to one lucky listener. |
| 00:08:06 | LESLIE: That’s right. We’ve got the Spreadstone Decorative Concrete Resurfacing Kit up for grabs. It’s pre-mixed. It’s factory tinted. It goes on super easy. You do not have to be an artiste to make this look amazing. You just roll on those coatings, and you’ve got a beautiful new stone surface. You can check out the five amazing colors at dychecoatings.com. That’s D-A-I-C-H. D-A-I-C-H coatings.com. For $155, that can’s going to cover about 100 square feet of space, but it’s yours for free if you get on the air with us and we draw your name out of the Money Pit hat. |
| 00:08:38 | TOM: That’s right. We’ve got one kit from Daich Coatings going out to one lucky listener. So call us right now with your questions or post them to the website at moneypit.com slash ask. |
| 00:08:48 | LESLIE: Lori in Missouri is on the line and needs help with some spackling. What’s going on? |
| 00:08:52 | CALLER: Well, I have basically it’s that popcorn ceiling. Yep. And I’d like to know, an easy way that’s not so messy to remove it. I want to have a flat ceiling. |
| 00:09:03 | TOM: Unfortunately, you can’t do that without the mess you’re going to be quite a messy project. There are a couple of tricks of the trade that will help you, though. But let me kind of walk you through this. The first thing you need to do is to test it for asbestos because you want to make sure that there’s no asbestos in that sort of popcorn material. You can pick up an asbestos testing kit. Most homesteaders and major hardware stores or you could use an outside lab. It’s not terribly expensive. Once we know that it’s not asbestos, then your first option is kind of what we call the wet scrape. And what you do is you start with kind of like a one gallon garden sprayer, a garden pump sprayer, and you spray that popcorn material very lightly. You don’t want to overspray it, but you want to kind of saturate it and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes. And then you should be able to take it. Take a spackle knife or a putty knife and simply scrape off that ceiling. Go slow. Start in a small area. Make sure that it has absorbed the water. And once you’ve scraped that entire ceiling, you can kind of take a survey of the job because I’m sure you missed some spots. And of course, the second option is to do that, but do it dry. And it’s totally doable, meaning it’s been done, though, with varying levels of success. It’s not totally encouraged because if you do, of course, have any asbestos, obviously you can’t do it. If you have lead paint, it’s a problem. It’s much easier for stuff to become airborne. So it’s a very, very dusty way to go. Now, there is a tool that’s available that kind of helps with this. And one is called a popcorn ceiling scraper. It’s actually a vacuum attachment. It attaches to your shop vac or your wet dry vac. And as you sort of pull it across that surface and the debris scrapes off, it goes right. Into the vacuum. And then there’s another one that Homex makes that’s just like a very, very wide scraper, kind of like think of it as like a 10 or 12 inch wide spackle blade. And that can help you with the project, too. But, you know, if your desire was to try to do it in a way that was less messy, it’s just not going to happen. By nature of the beast, it’s going to be very messy. And then, Leslie, once that stuff is down, you know, she’s probably not going to have a perfectly clean ceiling as much as you would have if it was brand new. But I think you do have to prime it before you’re painting it, right? |
| 00:11:28 | LESLIE: Oh, absolutely. And I was going to say, when you’re scraping, try not to like gouge too deeply. You don’t want to damage the ceiling any further in the process to give you more stuff to repair. But a primer is going to be really imperative. You know, latex primers are available. You can get ones that are oil based. You can get a bin or a zinser. You really want to sort of seal in that surface and then always go with a flat paint on the ceiling and make sure you get ceiling paint because that’s just going to adhere more nicely to a ceiling since it is over your head. And it does have a little bit more thickness than a regular wall paint would. But after that, I think you’re going to be super happy. |
| 00:12:01 | CALLER: I appreciate it. My husband’s laughing at me. |
| 00:12:06 | TOM: He’s laughing because he’s not going to do it. |
| 00:12:11 | LESLIE: Well, if you enjoy doing DIY projects, having a dedicated space is essential for getting things done efficiently. But if you’ve got a garage, that space can easily be transformed into a functional workshop without breaking the bank. We’re going to share tips. How you can create a garage workshop in just a weekend, including proper lighting, all for under 500 bucks. |
| 00:12:33 | TOM: Well, the first step is to get a sturdy workbench with a solid top. You basically want to aim for a bench that’s about 24 inches deep and about 38 inches high. Now, some come with drawers and even have adjustable height tops to suit your comfort level. I mean, for me, I prefer a taller workbench to avoid backaches from leaning over the work that I’m doing. But you can buy a ready main bench for just about $500. Or build a simple one yourself in less than a day for about $100. And if you want to really make it a comfortable space, just add a cushioned floor mat right in front of that bench where you’ll stand as you work on your projects. |
| 00:13:07 | LESLIE: Now, bright lighting is crucial for your work surfaces. High-intensity LED shop lights are excellent for task lighting over the workbench. And these lights are many times brighter than the old fluorescent shop lights that they’re styled after. You want to aim for 130 to 150 lumens per square foot of workspace when you’re planning your lighting. |
| 00:13:26 | TOM: Now, you also want to make sure your workshop has sufficient electrical service with enough outlets and capacity for your power tools. Place outlets near your workspace to avoid using extension cords and causing tripping hazards. And think about upgrading the 20-amp circuits for better performance of your tools. |
| 00:13:42 | LESLIE: Now, effective storage solutions are essential. You want to plan what items you need nearby, what can be displayed openly, and what should be kept behind closed cabinet doors. Modular storage systems offer flexibility in arranging the tools. The shelves, the bins, and hooks to kind of really suit your specific needs. And many garage storage systems are also available for convenience. For larger tools and supplies, you can use sturdy, stackable plastic bins with lids. So you kind of have to get creative and really figure out what you need to store where. |
| 00:14:12 | TOM: And lastly, if you’re going to be using the workshop during the winter, think about some heating options for comfort. There are a lot of affordable electric heaters that are available to keep your workspace cozy during those chilly project times. And in fact, we’ve got a guide to buy. Buy garage heating on MoneyPit.com, which you’ll probably find very, very helpful. |
| 00:14:30 | CALLER: Ellie in Florida, you’ve got the Money Pit. How can we help you today? Yes, I just recently moved to Florida. And the house I bought, the water softener is broken. Because I believe it’s because they had it outside the home. Every other house in my community has them in the garage. And mine, for some reason, the water line is on the opposite side of the house in the garage. So it would be, I believe it would be a major problem. Thing to have the water line brought from one side of the house to the other so I could have it inside. And Sears tells me that I can have it put outside, but you have to have some kind of protective covering. Lowe’s tells me that they don’t sell any that go outdoors. And a private plumbing company is telling me that they have one that sells the boat to put outside specifically. And other people are saying you don’t even need one to go. Don’t even bother the expense. |
| 00:15:25 | TOM: So I don’t know what to do. So first of all, the question is, do you need a water softener or not? Right. |
| 00:15:31 | CALLER: I mean, I looked online and, you know, I see the pros and cons. Right. |
| 00:15:35 | TOM: Well, I mean, if you have, if you’re accustomed to a water softener and you eliminate it, you may find that you don’t like that experience. You certainly could bypass the water softener just to see if you like the water. Is the water city water? |
| 00:15:48 | CALLER: Well, it’s not well water. So does that mean it is city water? I don’t know. |
| 00:15:52 | TOM: Yeah, it’s city water. If it’s city water, you probably do not. You do not need a water softener. |
| 00:15:56 | CALLER: Well, I was, I think, no, you know, I don’t think it is city water because people in Ocala, I think they told me that they, that they don’t need it. They have city water. I could be wrong. I’m not sure. But everybody in this development says you need it. |
| 00:16:08 | TOM: Ellie, the first thing you want to do is figure out if you’ve got city water. If you do, it’s going to be treated. If you’ve got well water, then you do need probably a water conditioner as well as to have the water tested to make sure that it’s safe. And that’s something that should be done on an occasional basis. Now, in terms of the enclosures. Given the fact that you’re in Florida, we’re not concerned about freezing pipes. I wouldn’t be too concerned about putting it outside. I wouldn’t want to have it enclosed. Now, how do you do that? Well, you either use one that’s ready to be outside and perhaps you’re the water treatment company, the plumbing company has one that has such a certification. It’s designed for interior or exterior use, and that’s fine. And if not, you’re going to have to construct something or have something constructed or perhaps pick up a small shed or something of that nature where the equipment could be protected from the weather. But I think the first thing you need to do is determine whether or not you need it and determine what kind of water supply you have. If it’s well water, get it tested. You can even have the hardness tested. You’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with. And if it’s city water, then I think you could try bypassing the system you have right now and see if you like it. I hope that helps you out. Ellie, thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:17:17 | LESLIE: All right. Now we’ve got Chris from Tennessee on the line who just put in a new septic tank and needs some help with the yard work. What can we do for you? |
| 00:17:23 | CALLER: Oh, yeah. We had some people to come and put our septic tank in about five years ago, and the yard looked great when they got done with it. Now we’ve got a bunch of sinkholes and a bunch of hills in the backyard, and I just want to know the best way to fix that without messing up the septic tank and messing up the water line and stuff. |
| 00:17:42 | TOM: So is the distribution field in the area where all these sinkholes are in this depression? |
| 00:17:47 | CALLER: Yes, sir. |
| 00:17:47 | TOM: So you’ve got to be really careful because you don’t want to put any heavy equipment over that because you can crush those pipes. So you can add topsoil. On top of that, but I wouldn’t go over it with anything heavier than a wheelbarrow full of dirt. And so I would fill them in by hand, and I would rake that out, and I would reseed it. The good news is that it will probably grow quite nicely being over the septic field, but I would be careful not to put anything heavy equipment-wise into that area because you can crush the pipes, and then you’re going to have a bigger problem. |
| 00:18:17 | LESLIE: Jim in Illinois is on the line with some drafty windows. Tell us about your money pit. |
| 00:18:21 | CALLER: Well, I have a historic. Old home. It’s over 100 years old, and it has all of the original windows and glass in it. |
| 00:18:30 | CALLER: All right. |
| 00:18:31 | CALLER: And they are, needless to say, very drafty. So I was trying to figure out a way that was fairly cost-effective, closing up those drafts. |
| 00:18:39 | TOM: So if you want to keep the original windows, then you essentially have to work with what you have. So adding weatherstripping is really the limit of what you can do with those. I will say that if you’ve got one that’s really, really drafty in a room that maybe you don’t need to open the window, there is a product that’s called temporary caulk or weatherstripping caulk. It’s basically a caulk that’s designed to go on clear, and then in the spring, you can peel it off. It comes off sort of in a rubbery strip. So that’s also an effective way to seal a window that you’re not going to open. But remember, you’re kind of sealing it shut. So you’ve got to be careful not to do that in a bedroom or a place where you need to have emergency egress. Now, if you want to replace it, you can do that in a room that’s designed to go on clear. If you want to replace the window, you could look at different manufacturers that make very historic windows. Marvin, for example, is very good at this. Anderson is good at it as well. They make windows that fit well into a historic building. And then, of course, you’ve got all the modern conveniences that are associated with that. I think that you would find, you know, obviously huge energy differences, not only in the drafts, but also in the solar heat gain in the summer, because I’m sure there’s nothing stopping all of that heat of the sun from getting in to those windows. And if you have new glass that’s got a low heat gain, you’ve got to be careful. It’s going to reflect that heat back out. So weather stripping, liquid weather stripping, or temporary caulk, or window replacement, those would be your options. Okay. |
| 00:20:05 | CALLER: you very much. |
| 00:20:06 | TOM: You’re welcome, Jim. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:20:11 | LESLIE: Well, a pizza garden is a fun way to get the whole family involved in gardening. Plus, it’s a great way for parents to sneak in some veggies. So here’s what you need to know. First of all, let’s talk about the space. You don’t need a lot of space for your pizza. A 4×4 area is pretty much perfect. You can even make a circle and mark off the areas in wedges for more fun, like a pizza pie. Get it? Now, those raised beds are going to work wonderfully for this type of garden. You just have to make sure that the soil is well-mixed, drained, and then ready to go. |
| 00:20:42 | TOM: Next, it’s time to pick your tomatoes. Now, tomatoes are the key to pizza sauce, so they’re definitely a must. Roma tomatoes are the choice when making sauces. Now, if you’re going to go for the small, compact pizza garden in, say, a 4×4 area, you probably only need one plant. And I always surprise Leslie when we plant our garden, and we always buy the tiny little seedlings from the garden center, and they look so lonely at that moment, right? There’s so much room around them. And man, three months later, four months later, you can hardly see through it. It’s a complete forest of plants. So remember, they’re going to grow. They’re going to get big. Next, it’s time to pick your peppers. You’re going to want to choose a bell pepper plant or two, and also a banana pepper plant. Choose. Early varieties, and make sure they are good choices for your growing area. |
| 00:21:29 | LESLIE: All right. Next, you want to spice it up, because really, what’s a pizza without the spices? It’s just boring. I mean, pizzas are Italian in nature, so that means basil, parsley, and rosemary. Now, you can plant one or two and, you know, use them fresh or dry, whatever you want. You just snip off what you need, and then, of course, that plant just keeps growing. Now, don’t forget onions. Onion bulbs are quick and easy to plant. They can be harvested as green onions, or you can allow them to develop into bigger, full-size onions. And, of course, you’re going to need those onions when you’re making your sauce for the pizza. So you definitely have to grow those. |
| 00:22:02 | TOM: Now, once everything is planted in your garden, you’re going to be delighted at how much fun it is to see your pizza garden growing. What a great project to take on with kids, too, right? |
| 00:22:12 | LESLIE: Frida from Ohio is on the line with the Money Pit. How can we help you today? Hi. |
| 00:22:16 | CALLER: My radar, Amana Radar Range microwave, it’s mounted above my stove. And on the bottom, the down light that shines down onto the stove, the light bulbs in that keeps burning out. And I have to replace them about once a month, and they’re getting expensive. |
| 00:22:37 | TOM: What kind of light bulb are you using? Is this a regular incandescent? |
| 00:22:39 | CALLER: It’s like the R11, the little appliance bulbs, 40-watt. |
| 00:22:42 | TOM: And is this a fairly new problem, this once-a-month burnout, or has it been going on for a long, long time? |
| 00:22:47 | CALLER: It’s getting worse. I mean, we’ve had the microwave in here. It’s probably about 16 years old, give or take. |
| 00:22:55 | TOM: Yeah, that doesn’t really owe you any money. That’s pretty old for a microwave appliance. You’ve pretty much reached the end of a normal life cycle. In fact, I’m kind of surprised it lasted that long, because it’s been my experience that the microwave ovens that are mounted above ranges don’t last nearly as long as a countertop microwave, because the additional heat from all that cooking has the effect of sort of wearing on those components. Typically, when you get a bulb that burns out quickly, it’s either because you have a microwave, or it’s because you have a microwave. You have a loose connection, you have a loose ground, or you have a problem with the voltage that’s going in there. Sometimes, depending on what’s happening with the power company, you could be getting, say, more than 120 volts. You might be getting 125, 130 volts sometimes, because there could be something that is bad down the line with the power supply, the quality of the power supply. So if you have extra volts going into those lights, that is one of the first things that tends to show it. It’s kind of like the canary in the coal mine. You know, when the lights start to go burn out frequently like that, it could be an issue with the voltage. So have you been thinking about a new microwave? |
| 00:24:02 | CALLER: Not really. |
| 00:24:04 | TOM: What I would suggest is at this point, you really need to have the voltage tested. So I would call the utility company and ask them to meter the voltage going into your house and see if it’s… Let’s eliminate that as a possibility. If that is okay, the second thing I would check, is the plug that it’s actually plugged into. I’d check the outlet to make sure it’s properly grounded. And if it’s properly grounded, then I think you’ve exhausted the two things that are the easiest to fix. And at that point, you might want to think about replacing the microwave. |
| 00:24:36 | CALLER: All right. That sounds good. |
| 00:24:37 | TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. Well, this time of year, we’re all spending a lot of time outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. But if your concrete porch or patio needs an update, we’re giving away a great product that can help. It’s from Daich Coatings. And it’s the Decorative Concrete Resurfacing Kit. |
| 00:24:53 | LESLIE: Yeah. And it comes in five great colors. It goes on super fast, super simple. You don’t have to be an artist. And it’s going to make a surface of your concrete that’s super attractive, but also really, really durable. You can check it out at daichcoatings.com. That’s D-A-I-C-H, coatings.com. We’ve got one can, which will cover about 100 square feet of space, up for grabs. |
| 00:25:16 | TOM: That’s going out to one listener drawn at random. So make that you. Reach out to us with your questions now. Now at moneypit.com slash ask, or call us at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 1-888-666-3974. |
| 00:25:30 | LESLIE: Gary in Virginia is on the line and is dealing with some odor coming from the sink. Tell us what’s going on. |
| 00:25:35 | CALLER: We do have a problem in the bathroom. I’m not sure where it’s coming from. I don’t know whether it could be trapped gases or whether it could be, I don’t think it’s anything in the water because it’s just in the bathroom. But a lot of times when we take a shower, you know, get out and now if we get dried off and everything and leave the bathroom, we come back in, it’s a terrible odor in there. It smells like, you know, kind of like a sewer, I guess, maybe. But, I mean, we’ve had our septic pump days last year and, you know, it’s not bad. And it not only happens in the shower, it can happen in the, like if we use the tub or sometimes if we’re at the sink, you know, like we show you, if I shave. or something like that and finish up, it’s like it comes up through the pipe. But it doesn’t happen every time. It could happen twice a week. It could happen no time. |
| 00:26:31 | TOM: It sounds like something we call biogas. You get bacteria that will form in the drains and in the traps and in the fittings around there. And the bacteria itself has an awful odor to it. So what I would do is I would take the trap apart for the bathroom sink because you can get to that. I would, you know, use a bottle brush. And scrub the heck out of all of that. I would put it back together and fill the entire trap with oxygenated bleach and let it sit. I would do the same thing for the bathtub. I would take the drain cover off. I would use a bottle brush to get down there and scrub the insides of those pipes. And I would fill those with oxygenated bleach and let them sit. Because the bleach is going to kill those microbes, kill that bacteria. And that should make a difference. If it is biogas, it smells terrible. And… |
| 00:27:15 | CALLER: But why wouldn’t it do that at, you know, every time? |
| 00:27:18 | TOM: Well, sometimes it’s more active than others. It’s all I could say. But, you know, it depends on a lot of things, including the air pressure in the room. You know, if the room happens to have a lower pressure because of other things going on in the house, it may draw out or not. So it’s probably there all the time. It’s just that you don’t smell it because of the airflow. |
| 00:27:35 | CALLER: You know, we’ve had, you know, a plumber look at it and, you know, he’s just… He can’t find the answer either. So, you know… |
| 00:27:42 | TOM: Well, I think if you Google biogas, you’ll see that there are a lot of folks that have the same issue. And this is how you solve it. Right. All right. I appreciate your help. Well, did you know that your washing machine might not actually be washing the germs out of your family clothes? Here’s what happens. Over the years, washing machines can become contaminated with fecal bacteria, and that potentially can leave millions of germs behind in your laundry. Even worse, it might even be possible that the viruses linger on clothes and potentially affect those who come in contact with them. |
| 00:28:13 | LESLIE: Well, that’s just gross. Thank you so much, Tom. My job. Well, always. We always learn something nasty, but here is how you fix it. Now, to kill any viruses or bacteria, first, you want to wipe the washer door, those washer door seals if you’ve got a front load, with a solution of 25% bleach and water. Now, unless white streaks are your thing, you’ve just got to be careful not to spill it or have it come in contact with the clothing. And next, then, you run that washer without clothes in it using just hot water and one half gallon of bleach. That bleach is going to sanitize the machine, and all of the plumbing components involved. And that’s going to kill any viruses or bacteria that’s been left behind. |
| 00:28:54 | TOM: And finally, be sure to select the extra rinse option to make sure all the bleach is cleaned out before the next load. |
| 00:29:02 | LESLIE: Jennifer in Texas is on the line and needs some help with a flooring project. Tell us about it. |
| 00:29:06 | CALLER: We are planning on laying hardwood in our home. We have a two-story home. And I’m wanting to know if it is better to lay each plank the same direction, upstairs and downstairs, or can we switch it up? |
| 00:29:21 | TOM: Generally speaking, you want to go in the long direction of the room. So in other words, you want the boards to be parallel to the longest wall. I would not switch that up because it’s going to look odd, don’t you think? |
| 00:29:33 | LESLIE: Yeah, it makes the room seem bigger. Oh, OK. |
| 00:29:35 | TOM: Now, what kind of hardwood floors are you putting down, Jennifer? Are they pre-finished hardwood floors? |
| 00:29:40 | CALLER: Yeah, it’s the snap and lock. |
| 00:29:42 | TOM: OK, so it’s an engineered floor. So makes it or they’re parallel to the long. And remember, nothing is square about a house. So measure the center of the room as determined by the center point between the walls. And figure it out so you don’t end up with like a sliver of hardwood floor on the end. |
| 00:30:00 | CALLER: OK, thank you. |
| 00:30:01 | TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:30:06 | LESLIE: Mark in New Jersey wrote into Team Money Pit and says, I’m upcycling some accent pieces we had in storage for my living room, but I’m struggling with putting them together. Is there a secret? Isn’t it? It’s so fun when you kind of discover your own prop closet and you’re seeing like, oh, I know I’ve had all these things forever, but look how fun it can be when I’ve grouped them a little bit differently or put them together in unexpected ways. So I kind of always go with the rule of keeping things in odd number groupings. Three, five, seven, you know, it’s just, I don’t know. It always feels better when it’s just an odd number. And I’m looking at their shape, their sizes, their colors, the finishes. I like to mix it up. I like to keep things in different. You know, sort of similar tones, but different ways of representing that color. So again, if the finish is different, if the sheen is different, something, anything. And then I kind of group them together. Something tall, something medium, something small. You know, you don’t want three things of the same size. You kind of mix it up. And the best way is to just kind of play around. Remember, you can do lower arrangements on a coffee table. You can add something taller against a wall. You can also layer things. If you’ve got like a large piece of art, no one says you have to. Hang it on the wall. You can kind of lean it and then put a large vase or urn or something with it. You just kind of have to play. I’m also super happy to put the puzzle together for you if you want to send us some pics. |
| 00:31:27 | TOM: All right. Dante says he has a leak in his garage. He says it’s a slow leak during heavy rains where the garage meets the house. He was told by a roofing company that flashing was never placed beneath the shingles against the house. He’s wondering what the best sealant would be to stop the leak for the next few years until he gets a new roof. All right. So I would say you don’t need a sealant here. I’d say it’s easier. Make this flashing repair because the sealants applied on top of a roof are simply not going to last. They look like hell, by the way, because they’re just like black, plasticky, tarry like patches. They dry out quickly and you end up putting more and more and more on. So I would say that the flashing now is not a terrible job, depending on what kind of siding you have. I’d rather see you do that and be good to go than just try to nurse this thing along for a few years. Just doesn’t make sense. |
| 00:32:13 | LESLIE: All right, Dante, good luck with finding that leak. |
| 00:32:15 | TOM: Well, even a tiny, tiny water leak can cause a lot of damage over time. If you’ve got a spare half hour, you can easily check for leaks in and under all the sinks in your home. Leslie explains how in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie, a little leak can add up to a lot of cash. Yeah, |
| 00:32:33 | LESLIE: it sure can. And here’s the best way to check for leaks in sinks. You want to turn each faucet on and run it full blast for a minute or two. Then with a bright flashlight, you want to inspect the drain under the sink. If no leak is spotted, close that stopper and let the sink fill up until it hits the overflow. But do not walk away during this part because some faucets can fill the sink faster than the overflow can drain it. And then you’re going to end up with a lot of water everywhere. So stick around for this part and pay attention. Now, after that water has been running through the overflow for another minute or two, you want to check the drain under the sink again. If no leak is spotted, your sink is good to go. You can move on to the next sink and repeat. Now for toilets, you want to pour a bit of food coloring. Into the tank, wait 20 minutes and then check the bowl to see if any of that colored water has leaked through. If it has, you need to replace that flush valve. This way, you’re going to stop flushing your money down the toilet. I mean, it definitely is a good way to know if you’ve got a leak in the toilet. And I’m telling you, replacing that flush valve is super duper, duper easy. And there’s a ton of great videos online as well. |
| 00:33:38 | TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the program, stone walls are synonymous with strength, but a poorly built wall, can crumble in no time at all. We’re going to share tips on how to build a stone wall that will stand the test of time on the very next edition of the Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:34:00 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself. | |
| 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.) |
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