Show Notes
In this show, we’ve got advice to save on heating costs, detox your mattress for better sleep, and ensure your home is fire-safe with the right smoke detectors. Plus, we’re here to answer more home improvement questions, so be sure to listen in for DIY tips!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Mattress Cleaning: Rest assured and get a healthy sleep with cleaning tips to detox your mattress.
- Heating Costs: Cut your heating bills by finding and sealing energy leaks around your home.
- Smoke Detectors: Get the right kind of smoke detectors to protect against every type of fire.
Top Questions & Answers
- Clogged Plumbing: Nicole doesn’t want to use harsh chemicals on her clogged shower drain. A drain snake is cheap and effective, but she may need to call a professional drain cleaner.
- Attic Vent: John’s roof vent sometimes leaks. It may be from wind-driven rain, so we suggest installing a ridge vent that runs down the peak of the roof.
- Painting Bathroom: Can Chris paint over her outdated bathroom tiles? It can be done but may not last, so she may want to decorate around the old tile colors for now.
- Cement Board: Jeffrey gets tips for using colored silicone caulk that expands and contracts to fix his cracked cement board siding.
- Appliance Stains: It’s frustrating to keep stainless steel appliances clean! We recommend some products Tom can use to maintain his appliance surfaces.
- House Noises: What is that humming and buzzing sound in Diane’s house? It will take some detective work to track down house noises from drafts or plumbing vibrations.
- Doors: Al’s prehung metal door rotted around the door jamb. It’s not worth repairing, so he should replace the door with a fiberglass model that doesn’t rust and is more efficient.
- Countertops: What kind of countertop is best for a remodeled kitchen? Lori learns the pros and cons of granite, marble, quartz, laminate, and tile countertops.
- Insulation: How should Kenny insulate his tin roof? We discuss two types of insulation options, depending on how the roof is put together and the structure of the house.
- Mailbox: How can Lynn replace a rusted mailbox in a brick enclosure? She finds out steps for cutting off the inside bolts and finding a new mailbox that fits the space.
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
00:00:01 | TOM: Cost to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. | |
00:00:31 | TOM: Are you guys enjoying this chilly winter season? Are you feeling a draft or two around the house? Maybe you’re thinking about replacing windows or doors. Maybe you’re ready to upgrade your kitchen. Maybe you’re planning for some warm weather projects like a deck or a patio or some neat new lighting or maybe even some landscaping you’re starting to draw up some plans for. If you’ve got a project in mind or one underway, we would love to help you with tips and ideas to make that project go smoothly. So reach out to us right now by going to moneypit.com slash ask. Press the blue microphone button for the fastest possible response. Coming up on today’s show, as the temps go down, the cost of heating your home goes up. So we’re going to share a few simple steps you can take around your home to reduce energy use and save some money as well. |
00:01:15 | LESLIE: And are you laying your head down on a bed of bacteria every night? |
00:01:19 | TOM: Oof, that sounds so good. That’s disgusting. |
00:01:21 | LESLIE: I know it’s so gross. So when you think about how long some people keep their mattresses, it really is necessary to detox those mattresses to keep them clean and to keep you healthy. |
00:01:32 | TOM: And home fire risk goes up in the winter. But did you guys know that not all smoke detectors work with every type of fire? We’re going to explain why and how to make sure that you are protected. |
00:01:42 | LESLIE: All right. So let’s get to work. We want to hear what you are working on at your money pit. Have you already started maybe that big project for 2025 or something like that? Perhaps you’re tackling some smaller projects throughout the year? Well, whatever it is, let us know how we can lend a hand. |
00:01:57 | TOM: Call us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Let’s get to it. Leslie, who’s first? |
00:02:05 | LESLIE: We’ve got Nicole in Texas on the line who’s dealing with a clogged drain. What kind of drain? How much of a mess is this? I’m so sorry. |
00:02:12 | CALLER: Oh, it’s okay. It’s our shower drain. Okay. So we have an aerobic system. Okay. So we don’t want to use a lot of chemicals in there. And ruin our good bacteria of things we’ve got going on. So I’m not really sure what to use for a clogged drain in an aerobic system. |
00:02:28 | TOM: Okay. Yeah. Well, you did mention in your question that you can’t use that thing that pulls hair out, which, by the way, I just want to take this opportunity to mention. This is like a very short drain snake. It’s about 12 to 18 inches long. And boy, does it work. You know, as a father of a daughter who had three other female roommates in college, that thing came in handy many, many times. I’ve had tenants with hair that clogged drains, and it works very, very well. And it’s like dirt cheap. So always my first line of attack is to use a drain snake that’s designed for hair. Short of that, and because you have a septic system, you’re right, you don’t want to put drain or really anything else in that system that could affect the natural field that’s developed with the enzymes that are there. Right now, I would suggest that you just use a mechanical snake. Now, you can go to a store like Harbor Freight. These are not expensive. They work really, really well. A drain snake will do just that. It will follow the drain down through the trap to the area that’s clogged. And you just sort of work it, go down a little bit, bring it back up, go down more, bring it back up. And sooner or later, you’re going to find the source of that clog. Now, if that doesn’t work, you may have to call a professional drain cleaner. But I think you can do this yourself because those drain snakes work very, very well. |
00:03:43 | CALLER: Okay. Well, that’s really good advice. I really appreciate it. |
00:03:46 | TOM: Okay. Well, good luck with that project. |
00:03:48 | CALLER: All right. Thank you all. You all have a great day. |
00:03:50 | TOM: You too. Bye. |
00:03:51 | LESLIE: Heading out to New Jersey where John has some issues going on in the attic. Tell us about it. |
00:03:55 | CALLER: I have the breather up on top of my roof. It leaks, comes down into the attic, and I have a little container up there. And sometimes, I don’t get up there in time, and it’s kind of messing up my ceiling. |
00:04:08 | TOM: Well, that’s not good. |
00:04:09 | CALLER: Well, I’ve gone up there, and I’ve had that can of, I forget what you call it, your spray can. I spray it, and it’s like a rubber or whatever. I’ve sprayed all around the metal flashing, and it’s still leaking. I don’t see any holes anywhere else. There’s no missing shingles. I don’t know what else it could be. |
00:04:25 | TOM: Okay. So let me just clarify for me. When you call this an attic breather or vent, what are we talking about? Is it a square hole in your roof with a vent over it? Is it a ridge vent that goes down the peak of the roof? Or are you talking about the plumbing vent that comes up through the roof? |
00:04:40 | CALLER: No. It’s almost up in the, about midway. Okay. There’s one on one side of the roof and one on the other. |
00:04:47 | TOM: Okay. So it’s a square vent? |
00:04:48 | CALLER: Right. And there’s no, the opening is, it’s on an angle. But I don’t know if it’s enough of an angle when the wind drives the rain in a certain direction. |
00:04:58 | TOM: Yeah. That’s what I was thinking. You may have some wind-driven rain in here. And what my advice would be to you is, you have a ridge that goes down sort of like a peak of the roof that goes down the middle of the house? No. It goes across. It runs horizontally. What kind of roof style do you have? Is this like a standard colonial house or what is it, a ranch? Small ranch. Okay. So here’s what I would do. You may very well be getting wind-driven rain inside that. What I might suggest is that’s actually not the best kind of vent. And there’s an opportunity for you to improve your ventilation here in your attic space, which will actually make it cooler in the summertime and drier in the wintertime, which makes your insulation more effective. And to do that, what I would do is I would remove those square vents, patch the hole, and reshingle over that. And I would replace that with a ridge vent that goes down most of the peak of the roof. The ridge vent is not likely to leak if it’s properly installed. And that will open up that space to more ventilation, which will have the benefits that we talked about. Wow. Okay. Okay. That’s my next project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
00:06:12 | LESLIE: Guys, if you’ve heard a helpful tip or two while listening to our show, please help us help even more home improvers by dropping us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. |
00:06:20 | TOM: That would be awesome, and you might even win a copy of our book, My Home, My Money Pit, your guide to every home improvement adventure. Just go to MoneyPit.com slash review. |
00:06:31 | LESLIE: Hey, guys, did you know that a burglar enters a home every 30 seconds? That’s why we’re so excited to partner with Vivint Home Security. Money Pit listeners can get their award-winning, smarter, simpler home security system starting at just a dollar a day, plus free professional installation with a signed agreement. Restrictions apply, but don’t wait. You must call now at 800-586-9606. That’s 800-586-9606. Kris in Arkansas is on the line with a painting question. How can we help you today? Well, I bought a house, and it has two bathrooms. |
00:07:10 | CALLER: And the tile sink and tubs are baby pink and baby blue. |
00:07:15 | TOM: What’s wrong with that? |
00:07:17 | CALLER: Well, not exactly what I had in mind. But I was wondering if you can successfully, until I get to redo the bathrooms, if you can successfully paint over them without it looking terrible. |
00:07:32 | LESLIE: Yes and no. I mean, you can. There’s quite an extensive process to it to make sure that you get proper adhesion. That it sticks very well. However, whenever you’re dealing with a painted surface, and water is involved, and areas that you have to clean as well, you’re going to get some wear and tear. So I don’t think it’s the best idea. I mean, there are kits that you can buy online. Basically, if you want to do it without a kit, and of course, then you don’t want to paint the grout, but a lot of people do paint the grout, and then that looks weird also. So you’ve got to think about all these things. But you’re going to want to use a very, very durable oil-based primer. And of course, you’ve got to clean those tiles. Very, very well before you even think about putting a drop of primer on them. |
00:08:12 | TOM: And I think Sherwin-Williams actually makes a primer that is super, super adhesive. And the reason I know about this is because the way they demoed it was by painting it on tile and then putting a second layer of paint on it. But even though it’s a really adhesive paint, I agree with you completely that eventually in a very short period of time, especially if you’re cleaning the surface, you’re going to start wearing through it. Okay. |
00:08:36 | CALLER: And like I said, not knowing if it could or not, I just was, you know, thinking if I could buy myself some time and just paint it until I can redo. Or maybe it’s sounding like I should just wait until I can redo. |
00:08:49 | TOM: Well, you know, the bad news about those old tile bathrooms is that they have, you know, these very traditional, like 1960s-like colors. The good news is that the tile quality is usually really good, and the way it’s installed is really solid. And that’s why, if at all possible, maybe you could think about decorating around this tile. So you said you have, is it pink and blue? Yes. |
00:09:13 | LESLIE: You know, with the pink, I think we’re seeing such a big trend in pink really making a comeback in bathroom spaces. You know, you could go overload on the pink. You can add in florals. You can add in different tones of pinks. You can sort of tone it down with neutral beiges and grays and hints of gold and sort of make it like glamorous and more girly. You know, there are ways you can do that. Blue tile, I feel like, you know, it’s just a poor choice. Blue tile perfect. Blue tile. I totally agree with you. You know, maybe everything else goes like super clean, but I just feel like if you attempt to paint the tile, you’re going to be sad in the long run. It will perhaps motivate you to do the permanent work more quickly. Okay. |
00:09:52 | CALLER: Well, exactly that, and that’s why I called. I just wasn’t sure if there was some miracle cure that I, you know, hey, this works great or not. And I am trying my best at decorating around, but the pink, yes, has worked better than the blue. |
00:10:10 | TOM: At least we solved half the problem, Christine. |
00:10:12 | CALLER: I appreciate it. I appreciate it so much. |
00:10:15 | TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
00:10:18 | LESLIE: Well, as the temps go down, the cost of heating your home goes up. Here’s a few fast and easy fixes to stop the less well-known sources of energy leaks. For example, you might be surprised to learn that that cold air can make its way into your living space through the lights and through the outlets on those exterior walls. The simple solution is to add a pre-fit plastic foam outlet gasket behind the cover plates to seal those drafts out. |
00:10:45 | TOM: Now, another place heated air inside your home escapes in cold weather is through the chimney, and it’s an easy fix to insert something called a chimney balloon into the flue. It’s a plastic balloon that inflates to fit your chimney, and it acts as a plug to prevent unwanted airflow, and it’s easy to remove when you want to use it. Use your fireplace come next fall. |
00:11:06 | LESLIE: All right, now caulk is a great way to keep water out around the outside of the windows. But did you know that it can also stop drafts on the inside of the window? Cold drafts can leak through those exterior walls and then make their way into your home. So to seal those out, you want to add a bead of caulk between the interior window trim and the wall. |
00:11:25 | TOM: And here’s one more. Lock your windows. Why, you say? Well, if you’ve ever rotated the lock on a double-hung window, you might know that when you do that, it actually pushes the window down to the sill and really creates a very tight seal. So by locking those windows, you’ll actually seal out some drafts. |
00:11:42 | LESLIE: Jeffrey in Wisconsin, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today? |
00:11:45 | CALLER: Well, I’ve got cement board siding, and occasionally a crack appears. And I’m wondering, I’ve tried a couple different caulks. The last one was quad, and it just kind of swells and shrinks with the weather, and it shows after you paint it. Is there anything out there you can help me with to repair cracks in the cement board siding? |
00:12:10 | TOM: What you want to use is a silicone caulk because it’s the most permanent one. It’s got good adhesion and expands and contracts. But you are correct that it is very difficult to paint. So what I would tell you to do is to use a colored caulk to choose the caulk and the color of the siding. And this way, you don’t have to worry about painting it, and you can still have the qualities of expansion and contraction. And adhesion, so it will stay put once you apply it. I mean, cement board siding does not need to be painted nearly as often as wood siding. So if you get the right color and you get it applied properly, you know, this is something that can be with you for 10 years. Okay. The product is available in many different colors. I see it on the Home Depot website in gray and tan and white, of course. And there’s also something called paintable silicone. It’s a white silicone caulk. But it’s paintable. It’s made by GE. It’s called GE Silicone II. So you have a lot of options to choose from. |
00:13:08 | CALLER: Yes, I’ll check that out because what I’ve had so far hasn’t really done what I’ve been able to be satisfied with. |
00:13:16 | TOM: Well, remember the secret to, you know, a successful caulking project is to make sure the surface is clean and dry when you apply it. And make sure you give it plenty of time to set up. But, you know, I tell you, if it’s done right, it’s pretty indestructible stuff. Okay. Well, thank you. You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
00:13:33 | LESLIE: Tom in Arizona, you’ve got the Money Pit. How can we help you today? |
00:13:36 | CALLER: Talk to me about this thing called stainless steel that stains. Stainless steel appliances and how you clean them. Yeah. |
00:13:43 | TOM: Stainless steel and the stains that follow it, right? |
00:13:46 | CALLER: Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah. |
00:13:48 | TOM: You know, everybody thinks it’s indestructible and, you know, always stays beautiful and silvery-looking and all of that. But, you know, it is indestructible, but it doesn’t stay pretty. You know, it’s used a lot in commercial kitchens for a very good reason because it’s very, very clean. It’s very durable. But if you want it to look, you know, shiny like chrome all the time, that’s just not going to happen. So you got to kind of accept that. It’s like if you have copper. We had somebody that called once and said, you know, I can’t keep my copper gutters without turning green. I’m like, people pay extra for that. You know, that’s called patina. It’s like the natural way copper turns. And with stainless, it’s going to get stained and it’s going to get discolored and you’re going to have to polish it probably more than you’d like to. But that’s just kind of the way it rolls. |
00:14:29 | LESLIE: Right, Leslie? It definitely is. And you know, it’s interesting because some of the appliances have made that turn towards the non-fingerprinting stainless because it’s amazing how quickly stainless steel does get fingerprinty. And one thing I didn’t realize, which I should have before I got my stainless fridge, is that you can’t put a magnet on it. So then it’s like all the fun things you’d put up of your kids, you know, it’s kind of useless. You can’t put any of those things up. And in fact, some now manufacturers are putting a magnet, you know, a magnet backing on their stainless. So that you can do that. |
00:15:01 | TOM: That’d be a big problem in my house. I don’t think I’ve seen the refrigerator door since it was delivered. |
00:15:05 | LESLIE: I mean, it’s true, but there are, you know, special products that are meant for cleaning stainless steel. It’s important that when you do clean the stainless, that you wipe it in the grain of the stainless itself because you can then scratch it and cause like a weird swirling pattern. In my opinion, it’s gorgeous and I think it’s worth the work. So you know, it’s just something you got to deal with, unfortunately. |
00:15:26 | CALLER: What products would you suggest or process to clean? |
00:15:29 | LESLIE: Well, you know, it’s just something you got to deal with, unfortunately. You know, the one that I actually like actually comes in a wipe format and it’s called Wyman. It’s W-E-I-M-A-N. I know you can get it at Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond. You can get it in a spray. You can get it in the wipe. I think the wipe kind of just makes it, you know, the easiest to deal with. Plus then you end up with the extra liquid at the bottom and you can use regular rags when you’re done. But I think the important thing is, you know, use a product that’s meant for stainless and you’ll find that you have good success with it. Okay. |
00:15:53 | CALLER: Is there any type of polish to put over that then to help preclude getting stained again right away? |
00:15:59 | TOM: I don’t think so because you’re not going to be able to like buff this to keep it clean in that sense. So I think it’s just a matter of wiping it down on a regular base. It’s more of a maintenance issue, Tom. Okay. |
00:16:08 | CALLER: Thank you very much. |
00:16:10 | TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
00:16:14 | LESLIE: All right. Now we’ve got Diane in Massachusetts on the line with a noise question. What’s going on at your money pit? |
00:16:19 | CALLER: So I did the house 12 years ago and I had blown-in insulation put in through a three-year and the house is noisy. I can hear a humming. It’s annoying. It’s a buzzing. I don’t know why after doing all of this surrounding the house and trying to keep it warm, I would hear a humming, a resonance in the house. |
00:16:40 | TOM: Well, I’ll tell you what. There’s got to be a reason for this and it’s going to take some real detective work to figure it out. I’ll give you an example from my own home. You know, we recently, I’d mentioned earlier on the show, put in spray foam. We put in spray foam insulation and sealed up the attic. It’s never been warmer in the house as a result of it. But in one part of the house, it still was technically a conditioned attic. So by code, we were required to leave some vents in that attic. Now it ended up that it was so tight in that attic space, even with the vent, that whenever the wind blew, we’d get this really weird, almost like haunting sound. You know, when you were a kid and you took an old bottle and you blew it across the top? And made a big, deep sound with it? Like a big jug? Well, that’s what it sounds like when the air blows across this vent and it makes a really weird sort of vibrating sound in that part of the house. Until I figured it out, I was really scratching my head. So there’s always a reason for this. In our case, it was a vent. In your case, it could be plumbing. Very often, we get noises in homes that are sourced from plumbing. Sometimes when you run hot or cold water, pipes will expand or contract and cause sort of like a cricking sound that will vibrate through the entire house. It could be electrical. If there’s outlets or panel boxes in those parts of the house, they definitely should be inspected to make sure that nothing is disintegrating inside that electrical area. There’s nothing about adding blown-in insulation that will cause a noise. So the source must be somewhere else that you’re going to have to dig into a bit more, Diane, before you’ll know what to do about it. But I would trust your instincts. If you’re hearing it, it definitely hits you. Sometimes people think they’re going nuts, but I’ve got to tell you, there’s a reason for that, but it’s definitely going to take some detective work to get to the bottom of it. Okay. |
00:18:31 | CALLER: You coming over? |
00:18:34 | TOM: All right. Well, you put on the coffee, and next time I’m up in Massachusetts, we’ll stop by. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
00:18:42 | LESLIE: Allen, Arkansas, you’ve got the Money Pit. What can we do for you today? |
00:18:45 | CALLER: Yes. I’ve got a door, and I’ve always had a door at this spot. And I bought it. My case doors were, you just slide it in the hole, and the bottom part of it on the outside kind of like just rotted away. And eventually, now after maybe five years, their bottom foot of it on one side is completely gone, and the other side is getting gone. And I was wondering what kind of problems I might have. It’s on the west side of the house. Okay. |
00:19:21 | TOM: So you’re talking about the door jams. It was a pre-hung exterior. Yeah. So the exterior door and the door jams at the bottom are rotting away. Is that correct? Yes. Yeah. That’s really typical with a pre-hung door. And unless you’re very careful with the maintenance in terms of painting that on a regular basis and not letting water sort of collect in that area, it’s kind of the way those doors fail is the way they wear. My sister had a door just like that that I helped her with last summer, and we basically just cut the whole thing out of the opening and put a new one in. The doors are not that expensive. I mean, you can get a nice ThermaTru door, for example, fiberglass door with rot-resistant jams now. They’re made a lot better. You know, for a couple hundred, $300, and I popped it in in an afternoon, I don’t think that there’s anything worth saving about the door as you describe it now. It’d be very difficult for you to repair that. And because it’s pre-hung, it’s going to be attached to the metal sill at the bottom. You’re also not going to be getting a good air seal there, so it’s going to become drafty. |
00:20:21 | CALLER: Okay. Yeah, it’s one of those metal doors with the glass in the middle and the little louvers in the middle. Yeah. |
00:20:27 | TOM: Well, here’s the thing. When you get a new door, you really ought to look at the fiberglass doors because they can look like that sort of plain metal style, or they could have a nice wood grain to it. But the nice thing about fiberglass doors is the door itself doesn’t rust, and it’s a lot warmer. It’s much more insulated and energy efficient than a steel door. |
00:20:44 | CALLER: Oh, good to know. Okay. Leslie, I appreciate it. I enjoy your show immensely. Thanks. Thanks a lot. |
00:20:50 | TOM: Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. And you guys have a great day. |
00:20:52 | CALLER: You bet. |
00:20:53 | TOM: Well, for all the time we spend on them, most of us give our mattresses little to no TLC, which means a shortened lifespan and even the risk of illness. |
00:21:03 | LESLIE: Yeah, that’s right. If you don’t take the steps to keep it clean, you could be sleeping on a bed of bacteria. You want to keep those germs away by investing in a mattress cover. Not only is that mattress cover going to protect the mattress from dust and dust mites, it’s going to ward off bacteria. Yeah. |
00:21:20 | TOM: Now, if something were to spill on your mattress, don’t soak it. Instead, spray on a solution of mild dish soap and water and scrub it with a soft brush. Then blot it with a dry towel and let it air dry. |
00:21:31 | LESLIE: Now, every three months, you want to alternate between rotating and flipping your mattress. If you’re going on vacation, let your mattress do the same. Strip the bed, leave everything open to give that mattress a nice dose of sanitizing, fresh air and sunlight. |
00:21:46 | TOM: And one thing you don’t want to do is to use dry cleaning agents on your mattress. These chemicals and the spot removers that are sold, they can be harmful to the fabric and to the underlying mattress material. So take a pass on the dry cleaning agents and let Mother Nature do the sanitizing by leaving it open and exposed, especially if you go away for a couple of days or more. |
00:22:09 | LESLIE: Lori in Pennsylvania needs some help picking out a counter material. What are you working on? |
00:22:13 | CALLER: It’s not for me, actually. It’s my daughter and my son-in-law. I have bought a house and they’re moving in in January. They want to remodel their kitchen and they don’t know what kind of counter to get. Can you recommend anything? And I did hear you guys say last week there was an alternative to quartz. |
00:22:30 | LESLIE: There are. Now, countertops, of course, run the gamut of budgets, and it also depends on the quantity of countertop. I mean, to me, when you think about like the best of the best when it comes to a countertop is I love granite. I also love marble. However, marble requires light. It’s a lot more maintenance, a lot more sealing. It’s a much softer material than the granite. However, if you’ve got a lot of counter surface, granites and marbles can get very pricey because they’re priced by the linear foot. Sometimes they’re several hundred dollars per foot. The edges then cost extra money. So you got to kind of figure it out that way. I think the top of the line, though, is going to be a granite. Then you can have those quartz products. You know, there’s silestone. There’s a lot of granite. Zodiac. And those are made from quartz. They’re a hard surface. It’s a solid surface. And they can look from anything from a solid color to that same sort of speckled finish to a grainy appearance. And they’re going to be extra, extra durable as well. But they’re going to be very similarly priced to a granite as well. Laminate is going to be, you know, sort of on the lower end price-wise. But laminates today come in so many different looks, if you will. And they’re going to be very similarly priced to a granite as well. So you can get something that looks like a granite. You can get a solid, you know, a solid color. You can get a speckled finish. You can get a vein with a graining. All right. Well, thank you very much for the advice. Time to talk tin roofs with Kenny in Mississippi. What’s going on? |
00:24:00 | CALLER: I’ve got a tin roof on my house, but there’s no insulation up under the tin roof. And I’m wondering what would be the best kind of insulation to use. Spray on or something that you, you know, some sticky size or whatever. |
00:24:15 | TOM: So, Kenny, you know, I’ve got a tin roof on my house, but there’s no insulation up under the tin roof. Well, you know, the answer depends on basically how your roof is put together. Now, if you have the kind of roof, kind of attic structure where you have a ceiling and then you have an attic and then you have the underside of the roof, in that situation, you’re going to want to make sure that your ceiling, which is below your roof and above your head, is well insulated. And that type of home, you ought to have probably about 15 to 18 inches of insulation there. So the first layer would lay in between the ceiling joists. And then the second layer would lay in between the ceiling joists. And then the second layer would be on top of that perpendicular and it would be unfaced fiberglass insulation, most likely. Now, if you have a cathedral ceiling where you look up and see the underside of that tin, that’s a whole different situation. In that case, the best insulation to use would be spray foam insulation because it could be sprayed directly onto that tin roof and then it could be painted. So those are the two options, but it really depends on what the sort of structure of the house is. If you’ve got an attic, then you could just use standard insulation on that, you know, ceiling area, which is essentially the attic floor. I hope that helps you out and good luck with that project. |
00:25:21 | LESLIE: Well, today, better home design, fire resistant materials, up-to-date electrical systems are all helping to reduce the risk of fires in homes. But while that’s good news, fire risk always goes up during the winter, which makes this a great time to dial in fire protection advances for your home. |
00:25:41 | TOM: Now, it starts with choosing the right kind of smoke detectors for your home. There are basically two types. Ionization and photoelectric. Now, the ionization smoke alarms are generally more responsive to flaming fires, while the photoelectric smoke alarms are generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering. So for the best protection, it’s recommended that you have both ionization and photoelectric technologies in your house. Now, these can be two separate detectors or combination alarms that offer both technologies in the same unit. |
00:26:13 | LESLIE: That’s right. Now, for a kitchen, you want to look for a detector with a red light. If you don’t have one, you can use a reset or silencer button. That’s going to allow you to shut down the detector for approximately 10 minutes during a nuisance alarm, like when you’ve burned toast, and then it goes right back to being on full alert. The testing is critical. You want to be sure that your detectors are tested at least once a month using that built-in test button on the detector. For detectors that are hardwired to the home’s electrical system, you want to check that the status light is flashing regularly. How many should you have? Well, there should be at least one detector. There’s a number of detectors that are installed per floor in your home, and because a quarter of all home fires start during typical sleeping hours, there should be a detector outside of each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. |
00:26:59 | TOM: Now, let’s talk about replacing old detectors. Remember that the detectors are always on, so to speak, and sampling the air. So that’s why they can wear out, and they ought to be replaced at least every five years. So a real smart improvement, now that we are into the new year, is to upgrade all the smoke detectors in your house. and that’s why. |
00:27:17 | LESLIE: Heading over to Illinois where Lynn’s on the line who’s having a bit of trouble getting her mail these days. What’s going on? |
00:27:23 | CALLER: I have a mailbox that’s enclosed in a brick enclosure, an ornamental brick enclosure. And the mailbox has rusted and the door eventually fell off and I couldn’t reattach it. So I’m just wondering, it’s a pretty small mailbox inside that enclosure so I can’t slip another one in inside it. But I was just wondering if there’s any suggestions of what I could do about that. |
00:27:50 | TOM: Wow, yeah, that’s definitely a hassle. And sure, that metal box that was surrounded by bricks is definitely going to have a life expectancy which you’re apparently at the end of right now, Lynn. So let me make you a couple of suggestions. First of all, that mailbox had to have been installed into that brick with some sort of mechanical fastener. So the mason would have, you know, made the brick. But he also would have had to have attached it in some way. I suspect that if you look, perhaps you need a bright flashlight for this, but if you look deep into that metal mailbox, you’re probably going to see the heads of some bolts or nuts or screws that are sticking through the sides of that mailbox. I’m going to tell you how I would do it. You may not have the tools for this or the patience for it, but what I would do is I would cut the head of that screw off from the inside of the mailbox. I mean, this is something that I would do with a Sawzall. You could probably also do it. Frankly, with just a hacksaw blade, if you’re patient enough, you’d slide it flush with the metal mailbox and basically saw back and forth. It’s a little rough to handle, so just use some tape on the raw part of the blade that you’re holding on and be careful not to slip because you could like, you know, cut yourself doing this. But you’re going to cut those screw heads off. That should loosen this box enough for you to get it out and you may have to pry it a little bit. Eventually, try to get it out with as least damage as possible, but just yank it out of that hole. Now you’ve got this clean hole to work with. And at this point, I would just get online and start searching for mailbox upon mailbox upon mailbox and see if I could find one that has a dimension that feels like it would work. You know, Amazon Prime is perfect for this if you have it because they usually have free returns and you could order three or four of them until you find one that fits and send the rest back. And I also might suggest that nowadays, a lot of those mailboxes are made of a very sturdy plastic, which is simply not going to corrode like the metal one did. I bet when this was first installed, there was no such thing as a plastic. The plastic mailbox that was sturdy, these new mailboxes made out of a really sort of industrial-stain plastic. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I’ve seen them and played with them, and they’re pretty tough. I would suggest you slip one of those into that brick opening because it’d certainly be worth the extra effort so that you don’t have to disassemble that brick portion of the mailbox holder, so to speak, to get this project completed. |
00:30:07 | LESLIE: Monty in Virginia wrote in to Team Money Pit and says, I’m planning a trip and I want to see if I can find a place where I can keep my pipes from freezing while I’m away on vacation. I get the temptation, you want to not have a large expense in your heating expenses there while you’re out of town, but you don’t want to come home to a disaster. I find like 62 is the lowest I’m willing to go. What about you, Tom? |
00:30:31 | TOM: Oh, man, that’s really low. A lot of bad things can happen because it’s not just the fact that your pipes can freeze, but you’ll have higher humidity and moisture in the house at those temperatures. And that can start to make paint peel and wallpaper come off the wall and mold to grow. So I don’t think I would go any lower than about 65. And the other thing that I would do that’s really important is I would turn off the main water valve. There’s no reason to leave the main water valve on if you’re going to be away for that period of time. So turn it off. And this way, if a pipe were to freeze and break, the only water that’s going to leak out is what’s in the pipe. You’re not going to have a geyser that just runs and runs and runs. You’re not going to have a geyser that just runs until the water starts running down the street outside and gets somebody’s attention. So we don’t want to see you turn your house into the next Frozen movie set or something like that. So definitely turn the main water valve off. Keep the temperature at about 65. It’s also smart to shut off any circuit breakers that you’re not using if you know what everything does and what it’s all connected to. Because why have the circuit energized if you’re not home? These are safe, common sense things to do before you take off. |
00:31:38 | LESLIE: All right. Hope that helps you out, Monty. And thanks for the tip. I’m going to go up those three degrees. All right. Now, Charmaine in Cleveland writes in saying, I’m calling about my washing machine. It sounds like it’s going to take off. I mean, it looks like it moves. It shakes. It’s so hard. It’s moving around. I think it’s going to knock a wall down. |
00:31:54 | TOM: Yeah. Generally, what you’re talking about here, Charmaine, is a washer that is out of level. So the first thing you need to do is to level that washing machine. You need to level it in both directions, right? So side to side and front to back. I’d like to use like a two-foot level on that, not the little tiny ones because they’re not all that accurate. And then once it’s perfectly level, I would add anti-vibration blocks under the washer feet. These are rubber discs or rubber square blocks that are indented where the foot goes for the washer. There’s four of them, and it kind of acts like a shock absorber, and it’s amazing, especially with these high-efficiency machines that spin really fast. It takes all that shake, rattle, and roll right out. So level it and put those blocks in, and you will be good to go. |
00:32:36 | LESLIE: All right. Good luck with that. |
00:32:38 | TOM: Well, good lighting is important in every home. Not just in your home. Not only will it make your home look bigger, but it can also be much safer. Leslie has some tips for brighter spaces in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie? Yeah. |
00:32:51 | LESLIE: First of all, in those living and reading areas, you’re obviously going to need plenty of floor lamps and table lamps, but you just need to make sure that those lamps are actually pointing toward the activity and not towards you. Now one area where direct lighting is super important is in the kitchen. If you have one main overhead light source, you want to consider the light source. You can also consider adding additional pendant fixtures above those work surfaces, and then even task lights mounted under the cabinets. Now if you’ve got a room that’s tough to fill with natural light, like maybe it has only one window, an easy fix is to place mirrors in strategic places to bounce light around the room. And if somebody in your family has vision problems, you can take advantage of those high-contrast colors. You can put a dark switch plate on a light wall and choose bright colors for the furniture and accessories. If you’re looking for some more lighting tips, head on over to MoneyPit.com. |
00:33:45 | TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up on the next episode of the program, we’re going to talk about wallpaper, because getting rid of it, the old stuff, it’s the only thing that might be standing between you and your dream room, because a lot of folks are facing that very situation. And the truth is, wallpaper removal is a dreaded task, because it can be very difficult. But with the right steps, removing wallpaper can definitely be a quicker and easier process. So we’ll share what you need to know to get that done on the very next edition of the Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
00:34:16 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
00:34:18 | TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself. |
00:34:19 | 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 2025 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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