High-Tech Solutions to Cut Energy Costs #1107161

TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: And we are here to help you with your home improvement projects, your do-it-yourself dilemmas. Whatever is on your to-do list, slide it right over to ours by picking up the phone and calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Coming up on today’s program, the best way to keep those utility costs low is by making sure your home is properly winterized. And there are many new ways to do that, including some high-tech solutions we’ll tell you all about.

LESLIE: And also ahead, it may not be a homeowner’s favorite thing to do but if you have a septic tank, taking care of it is crucial to avoid a very big mess. We’ll have tips on how to keep your septic system happy.

TOM: And if you love the look of greenery around the outside of your home but seem to have only a black thumb when it comes to getting greenery to flourish inside, we have a solution.

LESLIE: And if you call in your home improvement question, you might just also win a copy of our book, My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure.

TOM: We’ve got three copies going out to lucky callers, so make that you. Pick up the phone and call us right now. We’d love to hear about your home improvement project at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.

LESLIE: Anna in Delaware is on the line with a painting question. What can we do for you today?

ANNA: We painted around the bottom of your house, the foundation, with cement and sand.

TOM: OK.

ANNA: And what I want to know, can we paint over that with regular paint or would that bleed through?

TOM: The cement-and-sand mix is like a stucco mix, right? And is that sticking to that foundation? Is it breaking off in any way or is it still solid?

ANNA: No, no. It’s in good shape but I wanted – I really wanted to paint it. Some of the neighbors paint it and they look nice. Would it be OK?

TOM: OK. So what you need to do is you need to prime it first. You need to use a masonry primer. That’s really important.

ANNA: But do you have to sand that out?

TOM: No. As long as it’s intact, OK?

ANNA: Yeah, it’s in good shape, yeah.

TOM: Then you need to prime it first, because the primer is what’s going to make the top right – make the top layer of paint stick, so to speak. So you prime it first, let the primer dry really, really well. And then you can put on the topcoat of an exterior-quality paint on top of that and it should be fine. But just remember, you know, after paint comes repaint. So, once you paint it the first time, you’re going to have to paint it again and again as years go by.

ANNA: Yeah, OK. You put the primer on first.

TOM: That’s the key. Make sure it’s primed.

ANNA: OK. Use primer first. OK. That’s what I wanted to know.

TOM: Alright, Anna. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Robert in Arkansas is on the line with a question about insulation. How can we help you?

ROBERT: Yes. I have a pier-and-beam home and the insulation – I happened to be up in there sealing my ducts in my air – for my air-conditioning in my house? And I happened to be up there looking at the insulation and it was real thin and it had a white backing on it. And it was only about an inch high and I thought, “Wow. I need to put some insulation in there.”

So I went to my local Lowe’s store and I rented the machine from them and I bought the blown insulation. And I bought like 20 bags and I just started blowing it in. And that was approximately 10, 12 years ago. I happened to be up there again this year, looking around, and I noticed that it has kind of compressed and turned into little, tiny BBs. And I’ve heard you all talk about insulating the attics of people’s homes but I didn’t know what – how to go about trying to put something else up there, if I need to vacuum all that stuff out of there and try to lay some actual good insulation and what the number would be.

TOM: Well, if the insulation has settled, I mean, generally speaking, you want 15 to 20 inches of insulation. If it’s settled so now it’s a lot less than that, you can either remove it and put new insulation in or you could add an additional layer on top of it, depending on how difficult, I guess, it is to work up in that space.

ROBERT: Right. It’s pretty tight in some of the spots.

TOM: Yeah.

ROBERT: That was the reason I went with the blown.

TOM: Yeah. No, I hear you. So I think what you probably want to do is just supplement what’s there. It’s not unusual for it to settle over the years, a little bit. But perhaps you need to add a little bit more to that space. That’d probably be the least complicated way of improving that insulation right now, given the fact that you’ve already got blown in there, Robert.

ROBERT: Now, I’ve heard some other insulation questions asked on your show, because I listen to it every Sunday, religiously. And I’ve heard them talking about laying them in between but I’ve also heard them going over the top of the beam.

TOM: So, if you have fiberglass insulation that’s flush with the ceiling joists – let’s say you had 2×8 ceiling joists and you had maybe 8-inch batts laid in between those ceiling joists – to put the next layer of insulation on top of it, we always advise that you do that perpendicular. So you go the other way, the opposite way, and across the beams at a 90-degree angle.

In your case, it sounds like it’s all covered already with blown-in insulation. Is that insulation above the ceiling joists right now or has it settled down below it?

ROBERT: No, it’s settled down way below it.

TOM: OK. So if it’s settled down below it, then maybe you could add another – you could add some unfaced fiberglass batts if you think you can get those up in there. And lay those perpendicular to the beams.

ROBERT: OK. That was going to be my next question, if it needed to be unbatted if it – or if I did buy the batting, in certain areas would I want the batting up or would I want that paper down?

TOM: No, you want unfaced. Because the moisture barrier goes towards the living space and that’s already inaccessible now because it’s going to be the ceiling that’s under all that blown-in.

ROBERT: OK.

TOM: If you think it’s about flush with the top of the ceiling joists right now, then I would just add a second layer perpendicular to that. And you can do that with batts.

ROBERT: OK. That’ll work. I appreciate it. Thank you all so much.

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

LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com.

Hey, guys, we are creeping towards the Thanksgiving season. So what is it that you are working on at your house to make it perfect for all of those seasonal guests? We’re here to lend a hand, so give us a call at 888-MONEY-PIT 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

TOM: 888-666-3974.

Up next, a septic system is a hard-working part of a home’s plumbing that most of us would rather be out of sight and out of mind. We’ll have tips to make sure it stays that way, after this.

TOM: Up until now, you purchased insulation to insulate, to help keep warm spaces warm and cool spaces cool.

LESLIE: But now, Owens Corning has changed all of that with Pure Safety High Performance Insulation. Pure Safety not only insulates but also actually contributes to a healthier, safer and more comfortable environment for your family.

TOM: That’s right. First, it’s a high-density, all-purpose insulation that efficiently fills cavities in your home with a layer of thermal protection. Next, Pure Safety contributes to healthier indoor air. It stays put in walls and floors and produces 50 percent less dust than some other insulation products. That means healthier air for your family to breathe.

LESLIE: Pure Safety is also fire-resistant. In case of a fire, you’re going to have extra minutes to escape to safety. And those are minutes that can make all the difference.

TOM: And finally, Pure Safety reduces noise up to 50 percent. It helps to keep outside noise out and reduces inside noise from traveling from room to room inside.

Pure Safety High Performance insulation from Owens Corning, a single product that will enhance your family’s health, safety and comfort. Learn more at PureSafetyInsulation.com. Pure Safety, the greatest home improvement you’ll never see.

ANNOUNCER: Today’s Money Pit is presented by Mr. Beams. Lighting solutions that can be installed in five minutes. No wires, no electrician, no kidding. Find Mr. Beams lights at major retailers and learn more at MrBeams.com.

TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

Give us a call at 888-MONEY-PIT. You will get the answer to your home improvement question. Plus, this hour, we’re giving away five copies of our book, My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. It’s chock full of the same kind of tips and advice that you hear, right here on the radio.

TOM: Except it’s got pictures. It’s going out to one lucky caller drawn at random. Make that you. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Patricia in Louisiana is on the line with a siding question. How can we help you today?

PATRICIA: I have listened to a program that you guys had done just a little while back and somebody was asking about putting gutters on the side of a manufactured home. Well, I – it was funny because I had actually done that. And it does not work very well because most of the siding on a mobile home is corrugated, so it really doesn’t work really well. And they put these really skinny gutters on.

Well, in the areas that it didn’t exactly go flush to the metal siding, there has been runoff that’s gone down and just in a few places, so it’s not horrible. But I’ve tried to clean it and I’m afraid to push on it too hard because, obviously, the corrugated aluminum bends. And I’ve used a product that you guys also suggested, which is a spray that actually gets rid of mold and mildew and stuff like that on the side of buildings. That works fabulously but it did not clean off the staining from the rain.

And I was wondering what I could use to either cover the staining or – I’m afraid of painting anything for fear it looks like I painted the side of a mobile home.

TOM: Right, right. So, a couple of things. I’m glad that the Spray & Forget that we recommended works so well.

PATRICIA: It was wonderful.

TOM: So, there are house cleaners that are out there that are a little more corrosive. I mean the reason that works so well – the Spray & Forget works so well – is because, basically, it’s kind of like a mildicide: it kills the mold and the mildew and then it just sort of falls off. The house cleaners are more like old-fashioned sort of soap and water and that sort of thing.

One that I used to recommend a lot, that works pretty well, is called JOMAX – J-O-M-A-X. You’ll find it at a home center or hardware store. And that’s a house cleaner that you might be able just to mix up a really small batch of it and see if that will take out that stain.

It also occurs to me that the stain could be an erosion of the finish, so it might not be a stain that’s on top of the siding; it might actually be sort of some of the siding – some of the finish on the siding deteriorating. In that case, obviously, there’s nothing that you can do about it short of painting.

Why are you reluctant, though, just to paint the whole side of the house?

PATRICIA: Because I don’t have that kind of money at hand to do. I’m actually selling my lakefront property and this is a really cool, little mobile home that I put on it. And I just – I’ve spent so much money on these 2 acres recently that it became a money pit but a good one. It’s a nice one but it’s just – everything I have has gone into this place. And to be quite honest with you, I have tried to use those sponges that have a little bit of rough on the other side: you know, one side sponge, the other side is abrasive. And I’ve tried to use that and the color of the stain does not change at all, whether I use a little bit of baking soda, not super abrasive but abrasive.

LESLIE: It sounds like it’s either a chemical reaction or some of the finish has changed due to sun fading. That’s what it seems like rather than something you can clean.

TOM: Yeah, that’s a really good point.

PATRICIA: It’s not in the sun. I actually have a carport. And so some of it, you can just see where it’s been runoff from the little, teeny, tiny gutters that they put up alongside these mobile homes. Which I’m not kidding you, it’s not even a ½-inch wide.

TOM: So, here’s what I would suggest you do: take a picture and post it to The Money Pit’s Facebook page. It’s Facebook.com/TheMoneyPit. Give us a little bit of history and we’ll take a look and get you an answer. Sound good?

PATRICIA: Thank you very much.

TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, if your home has a septic system instead of city sewer, you’ve got the responsibility to make sure it works and stays out of sight and out of mind. You need to be careful because without regular maintenance, septic systems will fail. Those tanks are expensive to fix or replace. And if you’ve got a failing tank, it can absolutely contaminate drinking water.

So what do you need to know? First off, the EPA says that you or a pro should be inspecting that tank about every three years and pumping it as necessary. You want to use water very efficiently because if you use too much water, you’re going to shorten the life of that septic field.

Also be careful with household hazardous waste. If you dump stuff like that in your sinks or your toilets, it’s going to end up in the septic tank and it’s going to mess with the biology of all the breaking down of the solids that’s in that tank. And that can cause a shortened life of that septic system, as well.

And be careful with your drain field. If you know where it is, fantastic. If not, find out because you want to make sure you don’t do something dumb, like park a car or a truck on that and crack the drain field. Or more importantly, you want to plant anything more than grass over it, because the roots can get in there and clog the drain field, as well.

LESLIE: Yeah. Now, I think it’s important to remember that there are other ways that your septic tank could fail. You want to think about household toxins: you know, those oil-based paints, solvents. They should not be going into your septic system. Also, you want to avoid getting kitty litter, coffee grounds and grease into those septic tanks, as well.

Now, household cleaners, just don’t use the hazardous ones. Avoid ones that say “danger” or “poison” on the label. Caution means it’s only moderately dangerous. So you want to keep an eye out on what’s in those cleansers, as well.

Now, hot tub or other chlorine sources that drain into the system, that kills the good bacteria. So that’s really sort of defeating the purpose of the whole septic system, which is this natural environment that kind of breaks everything down within the system.

You want some step-by-step advice on how to maintain your septic system, check out MoneyPit.com.

TOM: 888-666-3974. Give us a call, right now, with your next home improvement question.

LESLIE: Herbert in New York, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

HERBERT: I have a little, white line going almost around my basement wall, on the bottom cement block. It’s probably 3 inches high and it doesn’t smell but I just noticed it maybe last year. I don’t know. But I know that my wife noticed it again. She heard your radio program; she’s told me about it. I had a friend of mine who does cleaning – professional industrial cleaning – and he said, “Just vacuum it off.” He says, “And then wipe it down with water and …” – he said something else, like …

TOM: Probably vinegar, if your friend’s really smart.

What you’re seeing there is nothing more than mineral-salt deposits. And the reason you’re seeing them along that bottom row of block is because when you build a concrete-block house, you stack the block on the foundation – on the footing. And the first row or two of block are filled solid with concrete or with mud and the rest of it is hollow. So, as water gets into that block wall, it falls down through the hollow wall, it hits the solid areas in the bottom, on those bottom first couple of rows, and then it just sort of leaks out. And then it evaporates and it leaves its salts behind.

So that white line around that whole bottom perimeter is evidence that you’ve got to do some improvements in the grading and the drainage outside, to keep water away from the house. Because if you don’t do that, that could get worse. And in the worst case scenario, it could turn into a flood.

But it’s not mold. It’s just mineral-salt deposit and it will dissipate with white – with a solution of water and white vinegar.

HERBERT: Can I just mention one thing? The house – the bowl has been dry. Last year, we had a lot of flooding outside. There was a lot of rain. And there was no water, noticeably, in the basement but it was damp.

TOM: But you see, when you have mineral salts that are forming on the wall, there is water in the basement; you’re just not seeing it. That moisture, that humidity is in that wall and it’s evaporating that water into the basement. If it – I mean it’s great that it hasn’t gotten so bad that it floods but that would be one of the early signs of a potential flooding, OK?

HERBERT: Yeah, it does make me feel – breathe a little better tonight.

TOM: Alright. Well, sleep well. It’s not that much of a problem. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Raymond in Georgia, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

RAYMOND: I’ve got a dilemma with my last flat-top stove. It’s a Samsung. I’ve had it for about probably close to three years. And my right front burner goes directly to hot and stays there. It has no control. It’s a – you have two burners into one: a small burner and a big burner. And I’m not sure what to exactly do here besides call our appliance person. And I’m just kind of on the poor side trying to figure it out.

TOM: Well, it could be one of two things. It could be the burner, which is replaceable. You do have to disassemble the glass top to do that, to get to that actual element. Or it could be the thermostat itself. In either case, we’re talking about a repair that has to be done here, a product that’s going to – a part that’s going to have to be switched out. Because what you’re describing is obviously not normal, nor does it sound very safe.

So, unfortunately, this is a circumstance where you may need to turn to an expert because we don’t know what parts you’re going to need. And I could send you to a site like RepairClinic.com, for example, where you could order these parts and perhaps get some online instruction on how to do it yourself. But it’s going to be somewhat trial and error, because you just don’t have the tools to determine which part of the circuit has gone bad. Nor do I feel like it’s a really good idea for you to do it yourself unless it’s something you have some significant experience with.

RAYMOND: Sorry to hear that but I kind of understood that was probably what’s going to be the answer anyway. I’ve been playing with it and keep looking around and YouTubed a lot of things. But I haven’t found anything that really helped me.

TOM: Well, there’s only so many parts to these ranges. And it’s got to be either the element or part of the control circuit that’s controlling the element or in your case, not controlling the element. So either way, one or the other has to be replaced.

Look, you could call Samsung directly, describe the problem, see if you can get through to customer service or write them and see if they can provide any advice or direction. Perhaps this is something they’re familiar with, something that’s been reported by other customers. Maybe there’s even a recall on it that you’re not aware of. It wouldn’t hurt you to do that before you start spending money.

But I don’t encourage you to do it yourself unless it’s something you’re really comfortable with, because we’re talking about taking apart some electronics here. And if you make an error putting it back together, it could be unsafe. OK?

RAYMOND: Right. I’ve called Samsung and I’ve talked to them and they can’t give me any answers, either. Best thing they were telling me is no different than what you’re telling me it’s about: get an appliance person out there that’s professional, doing the job itself. And of course, again, there’s only so many parts and I’m – I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet.

TOM: Alright. Well, sorry we couldn’t give you more do-it-yourself advice. But sometimes, the best advice we can give you is to tell you to not do it yourself.

Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Just ahead, with temperatures dropping, adding weather-stripping and more insulation might be on your project list. But technology advances give us many more options that can help make those investments easier and smarter. We’ll share the details, next.

NORM: Hi. I’m Norm Abram from This Old House. And when we’re working on our projects, we listen to The Money Pit.

TOM: Up until now, you purchased insulation to insulate, to help keep warm spaces warm and cool spaces cool.

LESLIE: Pure Safety is also fire-resistant. In case of a fire, you’re going to have extra minutes to escape to safety. And those are minutes that can make all the difference.

TOM: And finally, Pure Safety reduces noise up to 50 percent. It helps to keep outside noise out and reduces inside noise from traveling from room to room inside.

TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Hey, here’s a quick cleaning tip, which is perfect for this time of year. It’s time to reverse the blade direction on your ceiling fan. Why? Because you want to make sure that you’re pushing that warm air that gets trapped up there back down into your room where it can do some good.

But before you do, those blades, they’re big and they’re big, fat dust magnets. So here’s a trick of the trade. Grab an old pillowcase and gently cover that blade. Then you can pull it back slowly to remove all the dust and the dust stays inside the pillowcase instead of all over your house. So, think about that little trick of the trade. Get those ceiling fans cleaned up and reverse them and you’ll be good to go for the season ahead.

LESLIE: Alright. Don is on the line with a Victorian home and lots of design questions.

Hey, Don. How can we help you?

DON: I have a Victorian house, OK? It looks big from the outside but when you go inside, the rooms are small; they’re tiny. And I’d like to make the rooms bigger or else just start over from scratch. And everybody tells me it’s one of those houses that’s been here many moons. It’s a historical house, OK? But the rooms inside are just small but the house outside looks big. What can I do to make the rooms bigger? Do I need to start all over again from scratch or what? Or just rebuild or …?

LESLIE: Well, if the structure is in good shape on the exterior and the siding is interesting and especially if the home is historical, you might not be able to do too much with the exterior or the size of the home, depending on what the historical registry might be with the property.

That said, you can do a lot of changes on the interior. Walls can be moved, plumbing can be moved. It really depends on what kind of floor plan you’re trying to achieve, how much more space you’re trying to gain, how many bedrooms you’re trying to achieve. You know, it’s hard for me to comment on what you can and cannot do without actually looking at a floor plan. But know that pretty much anything on the interior can be changed. Of course, depending on how much you’re moving and where, that will affect the budget. But almost anything is possible.

TOM: There’s also decorating techniques that you can employ that can make those very small rooms look big. Incidentally, with old homes, small rooms were the norm because they were easier to heat. They didn’t have the expansive rooms of today. That’s why the rooms are so small. But you could employ some decorating techniques that can make those small rooms look bigger.

For example, one trick of the trade is if you paint your ceiling white, you bring that white paint down about 12 inches onto the walls itself. That gives the appearance of more space overhead. It’s a pretty neat trick and it works really, really well, especially if you frame the difference in color between that and whatever wall color with a very thin strip of molding. It really makes it look like almost sort of a paint-on, coffered ceiling.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And that molding that you’re talking about, Tom, that occurs 12 inches down, that’s picture molding. And that’s what was used in Victorian homes to actually hang your pictures on the wall. You would never put a nail into the plaster, because you didn’t want to damage it. But you would put two clips with a chain hanging down from that picture molding to your piece of art. And that’s why that’s there, so it’s really a great, natural line to add that ceiling color to.

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

LESLIE: Well, an energy-efficient home can save homeowners big on energy and cash. But since they’re so airtight, they also often require extra ventilation to maintain a healthy indoor environment.

TOM: Yep. And that’s where mechanical ventilation steps in. Here to help us understand the options is Richard Trethewey, the plumbing-and-heating contractor on TV’s This Old House.

Welcome, Richard.

RICHARD: Hey, guys.

TOM: It seems somewhat counterintuitive to think that we have to let air into a building when, for hundreds of years, we’ve done nothing but chase out these drafts.

RICHARD: Well, we had no issue having fresh air come into a building when the buildings were poorly insulated and the windows leaked and they had sash cords and things like that.

LESLIE: Because it was coming in everywhere.

RICHARD: It was coming in plenty.

TOM: Right.

RICHARD: But now, as the energy went up and people insulated better, we really have to worry about getting fresh air – and I really mean that, fresh air – into the building.

TOM: But the trick is to do that, though, without losing the heating or the air-conditioning that you’ve paid to generate.

RICHARD: Right. So people used to think, “I’ll just put on a bath fan or a kitchen hood and it would pull air out and some air would leak in through the outside doors and windows,” and that’s not the case anymore. So, now, in order to guarantee you get fresh air into a really tight building, you need some sort of mechanical ventilation. And that is going to be either a thing called a “heat-recovery ventilator” or an “energy-recovery ventilator.” They’re fundamentally the same thing.

TOM: OK.

RICHARD: It’s a box – a magic box – that sits somewhere in your building and has four duct connections. One is to exhaust all the air from the kitchen, the bathroom or from some central area and you push that air through that magic box. And the air continues through a core inside and gets dumped to outside. But at the very same time, the same amount of air comes from outside, comes through that same box and goes in the opposing direction. It goes across that plate, where the air doesn’t touch directly but the heat always transfers to cold.

So imagine you’ve got heated air that’s going to try to leave the building in the winter. You’ve got cold air from outside. It passes through, picks up the heat that was going to leave the building and keeps it within the building.

LESLIE: That’s interesting.

TOM: Yeah, so same way that a furnace works, with a heat exchanger inside the combustion gas – inside of that, the air moves over the outside.

RICHARD: Correct.

TOM: You’re kind of doing the same thing but you have the air moving in opposite directions, with a common surface in between that transfers not the air but the heat.

RICHARD: That’s right. And that’s the key to it, that you’re touching without contaminating the air between – you know, there’s no contamination between those two airstreams. But what comes in is – 70 or 80 percent of the heat you would have lost stays within the building. And so, then the only difference between the two models I talked about – the HRV and the ERV – is one removes humidity and one doesn’t.

LESLIE: In some sense, you want to take humidity out of the building to a certain percent but you need it to also maintain the integrity of your furniture and your skin.

RICHARD: Right. That’s right.

LESLIE: So how do you find that balance?

RICHARD: Well, think about in the winter, people say, “Oh, I’ve got some relatively dry air in the building. But at least it’s a little more moist than it is outside on a really dry winter’s day.”

TOM: Right.

RICHARD: “At least I can pick up some humidity from showering and from cooking.”

So, with an energy-recovery ventilator, that humidity transfers to the incoming air and stays within the building. So it does a nice job.

The heat-recovery ventilator doesn’t do anything for humidity; it just removes it. So, different people are more comfortable with it in different parts of the country. But in all cases, they both work beautifully.

TOM: So it is a somewhat regional decision? Like if you live in the southern states – where it’s really, really humid – you might choose one or the other? Or if you live in Minnesota, you would choose one?

RICHARD: Well, there’s no humidity in the American Southwest. There’s none anywhere.

TOM: Yeah. Right, right.

RICHARD: So you could use – it wouldn’t even matter. A heat-recovery ventilator would be fine. But it’s just – I think it’s regional preferences. I’m a believer in the energy-recovery ventilator because it doesn’t need a drain and you can stick it anywhere – upside-down, sideways or backwards – in your house and it’ll just always transfer in the right direction.

TOM: What a great invention. Richard Trethewey, the plumbing-and-heating contractor on TV’s This Old House, thank you so much for stopping by The Money Pit. What a great way to conserve some energy and get fresh air all the time.

RICHARD: I wish we could get some fresh air in the studio.

LESLIE: You need to bring your equipment guy.

TOM: Yeah. We need to have you work on this place a bit.

LESLIE: Alright. You can catch the current season of This Old House and Ask This Old House on PBS. For local listings and step-by-step videos of many common home improvement projects, visit ThisOldHouse.com.

TOM: And This Old House and Ask This Old House are brought to you on PBS by GMC. GMC, we are professional grade.

Up next, if you’re sorry to see the green fade away as winter approaches, we’ve got tips on the best plants for use inside your home, so you’ll have plenty of green for the season ahead. That’s all coming up, after this.

TOM: Up until now, you purchased insulation to insulate, to help keep warm spaces warm and cool spaces cool.

LESLIE: Pure Safety is also fire-resistant. In case of a fire, you’re going to have extra minutes to escape to safety. And those are minutes that can make all the difference.

TOM: And finally, Pure Safety reduces noise up to 50 percent. It helps to keep outside noise out and reduces inside noise from traveling from room to room inside.

TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

It is filled to the brim, you guys, with all the same kinds of tips and advice that you love and you hear, right here on the radio.

TOM: Going out to five lucky callers drawn at random. Make that you. The number, again, is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Now we’ve got Deanne on the line who needs some help with the windows at her money pit. What’s going on?

DEANNE: I have old, steel-framed, metal commercial windows in my house. And they – outside walls are double brick. There’s no wood in the outside walls, so these are screwed right into the brick. And we took out one and replaced it and we had a very hard time doing that. And I don’t know if we should replace them or just try to repair them.

TOM: Well, I mean if you repair them, they’re – I can’t imagine they’re very energy-efficient. So, repairing them and making them operational could restore some of the function but I don’t think they’ll be energy-efficient. Replacing them is a better option but of course, as you cited, because they’re built into the wall it’s a difficult installation. Because you’ve got to get the old ones out.

So, is this a project you want to do yourself or you think maybe you want to have a pro help you?

DEANNE: I used to have a builder’s license but I – physically, I can’t do that anymore. So I’d probably hire someone.

TOM: Yeah, I think you might want to think about doing that. Because taking out those old, metal windows that are screwed into the brick is an awful lot of work. And also, if you’re going to put replacement windows in, they’ve got to be measured just right and they’ve got to be installed just right so that they don’t leak. And I don’t think you want that responsibility. You ought to have a pro measure them and install them. I think this way, you’ll be assured they come out just right.

Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, if you’d like to choose the best plants for inside your home this winter, the first step is really thinking about your house. Which rooms get the west, north and south and east sun? The sunny in the morning versus the afternoon-type rooms are the ones that are best. And then choose your plants accordingly.

LESLIE: Yeah, you really need to think about what types of houseplants are most popular and which are going to work best in varying levels of low to bright light.

Now, most popular – not the best, though, you guys – the number-one plant that’s requested from nurseries is a Ficus. But this isn’t a really practical plant for a home. They’re kind of difficult plants to maintain, they grow in full sunlight and they’re going to drop a lot of dense foliage. And you’re going to end up cleaning up all of those leaves, right from inside your house.

TOM: Ah but they’re so beautiful, though. I had one in my house many years ago and I loved it. But you’re right: eventually, those leaves all fell off and it was a pain in the neck to keep up with.

LESLIE: Yeah. But if you like the look of a Ficus, you can really go with a good alternative, like a kentia palm. Now, it’s really popular in parlors and dens of Victorian homes. Each leaf is gradually smaller on each of those palm fronds. They’re really rich in their green color; it’s kind of elegant-looking. And the lady palm is a good choice, because each leaf is like a lady’s hand. It’s got a paper-like texture. It’s really beautiful.

TOM: There are also several varieties in the Dracaena family. These can work well as shorter plants and also taller plants, with variations in the leaves for kind of a nice color contrast. And then finally, orchids, always a great option, especially the moth orchid. The flowers will last for months and they’re very easy to maintain. And they don’t need a ton of sun.

LESLIE: You know, I think it’s important, though, with plants, they do need some work themselves. So if you’re thinking your plant might need to be repotted, there’s a couple of telltale signs.

First of all, if the plant’s not absorbing water, either it’s the roots are too full and it’s not absorbing water properly or it’s so full of roots that there’s nowhere for that water to go. So it might be time to repot the plant.

Now, in general, you want to go up about 2 inches in pot size and you want to use potting soil. Don’t confuse that with topsoil, because you use that outside. Then in the pot itself, you want to line the bottom with rocks or even broken pieces of clay pottery. And that’s going to make sure the dirt doesn’t clog the holes and the plant can actually drain.

TOM: Yep. That’s all you need to do. Just add the soil, go almost to the rim, add your plant, fill up with dirt, cover and water thoroughly and you’re good to go. You ought to have plenty of green to last you all winter long.

888-666-3974. Hey, you’ve got a question about a green home improvement project or maybe one that’s not so green, give us a call right now. We’d love to help.

LESLIE: Glenn, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

GLENN: Hi. I was calling to find out – I was looking to purchase, used, a propane heat stove for the house to replace my wood stove. And my question is – I live in town, in a home now that has natural gas. And I’m wondering if a propane stove could work in a natural-gas environment.

TOM: Not unless it has a new burner put into it. Because the burners are different for propane and for natural gas, Glenn. So you can’t just use one in place of the other; you have to have a different burner. Because the orifice, the size of the holes where the gas comes out, is different.

GLENN: Oh, OK. Now, I know – I’ve had experience in taking something that’s natural gas and converting it. I would guess, then, that you would make it smaller.

TOM: Same idea, yeah. And you have to have the right parts to do that.

GLENN: OK. So it sounds like probably more than a project and probably more expensive than I would want to tackle.

TOM: Probably, yeah. You might be – just want to pick up a new stove. By the time you get the parts for it, you’d probably be halfway there. And this way, you’ll be starting clean, OK?

GLENN: Well, thank you for letting me know that and I really appreciate your help. And I enjoy listening to the show.

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

LESLIE: Winter is right around the corner. And winter brings a whole bunch of mysterious things that go on around your money pit. When we come back, we’re going to answer a question of somebody who’s dealing with a mysterious stain, so stick around.

TOM: Up until now, you purchased insulation to insulate, to help keep warm spaces warm and cool spaces cool.

LESLIE: Pure Safety is also fire-resistant. In case of a fire, you’re going to have extra minutes to escape to safety. And those are minutes that can make all the difference.

TOM: And finally, Pure Safety reduces noise up to 50 percent. It helps to keep outside noise out and reduces inside noise from traveling from room to room inside.

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

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Give us a call, right now, with your home improvement question or post it online at MoneyPit.com or to our Facebook page at Facebook.com/TheMoneyPit.

Hey, if you’d like to spotlight a room’s decorative point of interest and just shed some light on for maybe utility and safety, you can think about adding track lighting. It’s actually easier than ever before because now it’s a modular design, which allows different tracks and fixtures to be easily snapped together in an endless variety of patterns and style. It’s a quick weekend do-it-yourself project that you can get done right now.

LESLIE: It’s pretty surprising how many amazingly beautiful fixtures there are that just attach into a track: I mean pendants, drum shades. Lots of excellent options out there.

You guys, while you’re online, you can post your question, just like Andrew in Buffalo did. And he writes: “In the last few years, my 12-year-old house has developed dark areas where the sheetrock was screwed to the trusses. This is only at the outer edge, where the ceiling meets the wall. I assume this has something to do with the cold winters. Should I be worried?”

TOM: Well, no, you shouldn’t be worried. It’s called “ghosting.” And it’s caused when the warm, moist air rises to the ceiling and is then cooled near that outer edge of the wall where you’re seeing it. And then it kind of falls once it’s cooled. And household dirt and dust that collects on those coldest spots is what’s causing that dark area. So, it doesn’t meant that your house is dirty but if you think about the sort of the convective loop of that warm air rising to the ceiling, hitting those cold areas on the outside of the wall and then falling, it’s going to kind of wash any dirt or dust that’s in the air against that wall. And it’s going to leave those kinds of streaks.

It’s not a huge problem but it is an opportunity to evaluate the insulation that you have right above that space and make sure it’s adequate. Because if you can keep that insulation at the right levels, that ceiling is going to be the same temperature as the room below and you won’t have as big a convective loop and you won’t get as much streaking on the ceiling.

LESLIE: Alright. Next up, Wendy writes: “I have an interior door that’s sticking at the top, above the door knob. I tightened all the screws and the hinges and did find three that were stripped and replaced those with bigger and longer screws but no luck. I was told to try and run 3-inch-long screws through the middle hole of the hinge facing the jamb but I’m not sure which hinge: the top, the middle or the bottom.”

TOM: So that’s a good question. Keep this in mind. If you can imagine those spots of the door, say, the hinges – the top, the middle or the bottom – if you were to tighten up that top hinge, what would happen to the door? Well, what would happen is the opposite edge of the door would form a bigger gap. So if the door was sticking, say, on the top left corner and the hinge is on the top right corner, if you put a longer screw in that hinge and you were able to really tighten it up, that would pull a bigger gap in that space. Now, let’s say it’s sticking in the very top of the door. Well, now you want to move the top down. Then you would insert that longer screw into the bottom left corner.

Just think about the effect on the door based on which way you move the hinge. In some cases, you need to actually move a hinge out, maybe by unscrewing it and putting a shim behind it and putting it back together. In other cases, you’ve got to move it in closer to the jamb to release some space in that door.

Now is a good time to do this. And once you get it sort of adjusted and flowing right, put at least an 1/8-inch gap in that space. If you can’t get that much and you’ve done all the work that you can do with the hinges, sometimes you have to take the door off the hinges itself and make a small cut to it, just to make sure you have enough room. Just be very careful to make sure you are marking where that cut has to be. Because when you get the door off the hinges, sometimes it’s hard to tell which side’s up and which side’s down.

LESLIE: Yeah. But you know what? It’s interesting how all of those little tricks make that door work so much better.

Alright, Wendy. Good luck.

TOM: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com. Thank you so much for spending this hour with us. We hope we’ve given you some ideas, some inspiration to take on the projects you need to get done around your money pit. If you’ve got questions, remember, you can reach us, 24/7, at 888-MONEY-PIT or online at MoneyPit.com.

I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

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