Trex Transcend Deck Kit | Hot Water Recirculating Pumps | Air Purifiers | Ep #2240

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.

TOM: And we are here to help you tackle the projects you want to get done around your house. Sadly, summer is ending but fall is beginning. It’s what we term the “Goldilocks season” because, Leslie – why do we call it that?

LESLIE: It’s just right.

TOM: That’s right. It’s just right. Not too hot, not too cold. You can work inside, you can work outside. You can build decks, you can build garages, you can build sheds, you can paint your living room, you can paint your bedroom. You could put in a whole new kitchen. Everything goes right now. It’s the perfect time to get projects done and we want to help you do just that. So reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or post them to MoneyPit.com.

So, coming up on today’s show, we’ve been telling you about the Trex Transcend Deck Kit, which came out at Lowe’s a few months ago. Well, I ordered a kit and over the last few weeks, I’ve actually been building a brand-new deck with it. And the project is now done and looks fantastic. So if that’s a problem you want to take on for the fall, I’m going to share a few tips about what I learned working with the Trex Transcend Kit along the way.

LESLIE: Alright. Looking forward to that.

And if you’re tired of waiting for hot water to arrive at your shower each and every morning, adding a hot-water recirculating pump would be a great project. We’re going to explain how these pumps work to deliver hot water instantly instead of you having to wait and wait and wait for all that cold water to warm up.

TOM: And before we get stuck inside, if you guys have ever used an air cleaner to get rid of odors in your home, you may know that many simply cover up those odors instead of kind of eliminating them directly. Well, we’re going to share details on a new technology in air purifiers that completely destroys odors from pets, cooking, cigarette smoke and a heck of a lot more.

LESLIE: Plus, we’ve got some great tools to give away from Arrow Fastener, including a cordless staple gun and the WireMate Staple Gun, which is super handy. Guess what, guys? We’ve got holiday decorating coming up. And it will definitely help you tackle all of that super-fun décor.

TOM: But first, we want to help you. So call us, right now, with your questions. You can reach us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or you can post your questions to MoneyPit.com. Just click on the blue microphone button.

Let’s get to it. Leslie, who’s first?

LESLIE: Ellie in Wisconsin is on the line and just got a new place – congratulations – and you’re looking to put up some wall shelves, do some decorating and show some things off. How can we help?

ELLIE: I have a new home that is actually brand new – it’s a flip – everything inside. I would like to put up wall shelving. I desperately need wall shelving for the bathrooms, I think, because I don’t know where else products would go. And I have no idea where to – first to begin.

TOM: Well, bathrooms are a great place to start your how-to project, Ellie. You know, I give you a lot of credit for going out there and buying a few tools to get yourself started with.

In terms of these shelves, if it’s a small shelf – for knickknacks and things of this nature – you don’t really have to attach it to the studs, which makes the project a lot easier. There’s a whole bunch of different types of wall anchors that are out there that basically will hold just fine in that drywall. If it’s even a little bit heavy, you can use something called a “toggle bolt” or there’s a cool little connector that’s called the Monkey Hook. It’s a piece of wire that goes into the drywall, then bends up behind the wall. And those things can handle up to 50 pounds.

So, I wouldn’t get too worried about having to go over the top with some heavy-duty shelves and drilling through the walls. Because aside from finding the studs, you also want to make sure you’re not finding your plumbing pipes with that drill and causing a leak, which would be a big mess.

LESLIE: Yeah, Ellie. You really just need a light-duty drill driver that’s going to help you with a ton of projects around this new house. And for shelving, make sure you pick something stylish. You can go for some that are more shallow, more of a leaner ledge if you just want to put some artwork or some pictures on it. You can go for ones that are more deep. Maybe you want to put cookbooks or some bathroom products on it, depending on where you’re putting the shelf.

But make sure that you properly anchor it for the weight that you plan to put on it. And it’s always good to put more weight anchors than you might actually put on the shelf, because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

TOM: Yeah. But if it’s light duty, you don’t have to go ahead and worry about connecting it to the studs. You’ll be able to hang it right from the drywall with – using the types of connectors that we talked about.

LESLIE: Alright. Now we’ve got Marcus from Louisiana on the line.

What is going on at your money pit?

MARCUS: I have an insulation deficit in my attic. It’s real tight up there.

TOM: OK.

MARCUS: I’m not really able to get up there and put any more insulation in. And I’ve had this salesman come by and introduce me to these thermal barriers. It’s like a big – like a foil that rolls out.

TOM: Mm-hmm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

MARCUS: I think it’s kind of – it’s got little – it’s multilayered.

TOM: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

MARCUS: And they’re claiming that it helps reduce the temperature in the attic by several degrees by reflecting the heat back up.

TOM: Right.

MARCUS: And I’ve seen them displayed at the home show before with a little box with the light bulb in the top and has – one side has the thermal barrier, the other side doesn’t have it. And you can see a difference. And I just wondered if they – if you all thought they really worked in reality.

TOM: Yep, they do work. I’m not quite sure what their claims are. I’ve seen some kind of outrageous claims in terms of how much they’re going to lower your bills. But remember, the heat gets into your attic a number of different ways. It gets in through sort of thermal transfer of the building materials, it gets in through convection of the air and it also gets in through radiant – the UV radiation – pushing through the shingles. And that gets that lumber hot and then it pushes down and hits the thermal barrier and bounces back up. So it is going to reduce some of that heat. But it’s not going to be a one-stop shop.

MARCUS: Right.

TOM: The other thing that you need to know about thermal barriers is there’s got to be a – it’s got to be perpendicular to the roof, absolutely square for it to work right. And if it gets dirty or dusty, it doesn’t work. So, it has to be installed in a way that it’s not going to trap dust or dirt. Because if you basically cloud that up, then it has nothing to reflect back. So I think in warmer climates, it can be a good option.

One of the things that you might want to do is go to Energy.gov. This is truly an expert, independent site. And they have a lot of information on radiant barriers on that site. Radiant, not thermal barriers. It’s really called a “radiant barrier.”

MARCUS: Right.

TOM: And you can read about all the issues impacting that, like the installation and the cleanliness of the barrier on – in an ongoing situation like that, in terms of its effectiveness. And I think that’ll probably help inform this decision more.

But I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I just don’t want you to expect more than it can deliver.

MARCUS: I’ll go to that website and check it out.

TOM: Alright. Well, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for reaching out to us.

LESLIE: Alright, guys. Call us, reach out. Whatever it is, we want to give you a hand.

So, to do so, we’ve got an awesome prize for the holiday season that we are giving away. It’s from Arrow Fastener and we’re calling it the Get Ready for Fall Prize Pack and it includes the E21 Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun, a battery that’s going to last for up to 3 hours on a full charge. I mean you can do great projects with this: some sort of general repairs, upholstery projects, holiday decorating, crafting. Perfect for the fall season.

We’ve also got in this prize pack a T25X WireMate Staple Gun. And this is awesome for low-voltage wires. So if you’re putting up some holiday lights or maybe some decorations, this is definitely going to come in handy. And you’re going to get a supply of staples.

This Fall Prize Pack is worth $75 but it could be yours for free.

TOM: I see you decorating your house for Christmas with a holster on – a two-gun holster. You’ve got the WireMate Staple Gun on one side, you’ve got the Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun on the other side and you are just going to town.

LESLIE: Oh, my goodness. It’s an apron. I wear an apron when I’m doing my outdoor decorating, because you have to have a lot of supplies handy. And I love to do it. And in fact, I’m begging for October 1^st to come, just so I can really go for it.

TOM: Well, get ready for fall with this prize pack from Arrow Fastener. It’s going out to one listener drawn at random. Make that you. Just call us with your home improvement question at 888-MONEY-PIT or click the blue microphone button at MoneyPit.com.

LESLIE: Heading over to Tennessee where Laurie is on the line with a question about a concrete floor.

How can we help you, Laurie?

LAURIE: The flooring that we have now – and it has some cracks – I want to know what I need to do to fill those cracks.

TOM: Well, cracks in concrete are really pretty typical. So I wouldn’t get too upset that you have a crack or two in that surface.

If you want to repair those cracks, if it’s something like a garage floor, for example, you can patch those. There are different products that are used specifically for repairing concrete. They’re available in a tube, they’re available in a caulk gun, they’re available, also, as – in sort of like a stucco-like consistency that you can recoat the surface with. So, if you have a surface that’s really badly cracked or it’s deteriorated, you can use a product like Re-Cap, which is made by QUIKRETE. And you apply that to the old surface. It adheres perfectly. And when you’re done, looks like a brand-new concrete slab has been poured.

LESLIE: Sean in Texas is on the line. He’s got a question about a central-vacuuming system.

What’s going on? Those are super awesome.

SEAN: I’ve been in the house about 10 years. I don’t know how long the central-vac system was in the house prior to me being there.

In the past year, I’ve gotten a lot of condensation water buildup in one of my inlet pipes and that pipe runs inside my A/C closet. And I just – I don’t have any idea how to keep the condensation, because the condensation is actually running out in brown, muddy-looking water down my walls and ruining my walls, also.

TOM: OK. So this pipe runs through the closet where the air-conditioning system is. Is that correct?

SEAN: Yes, sir. Runs through the closet and then up into the attic.

TOM: OK. So, what I think is happening here is you have cold temperature on one side of this pipe, which is probably because it’s running through the room where the air conditioning is, and then you have warm air inside the pipe, which releases its moisture and forms a condensation.

So the solution is simply to insulate the central-vac pipe because that will prevent the temperature change and that will, in turn, prevent the condensation.

You know, typically, we don’t insulate central-vacuum pipes. But in this unusual circumstance, by putting insulation around the outside of it, you will no longer have the difference between the cold temperature on the outside and the warm, moist air on the inside. And that should take care of the problem.

SEAN: Would that be inside the attic? Because I’ve already done that in the closet itself and it didn’t seem to help.

TOM: Yeah, I would do it across the whole pipe. Because if it’s a condensation problem, you need to basically stop the temperature differential across it. And that will do that.

SEAN: Alright. Well, thank you for your help. I appreciate you.

TOM: Alright. Good luck with that project.

Well, if you’re ready for a new deck or maybe you have one that’s well built but you’re kind of tired of having to stain it all the time, then you really should consider ordering a Trex Transcend Deck Kit at Lowe’s. This is a project I took on and it really came out great. I am just thrilled with it.

LESLIE: Yeah. And you know what the nice thing about the Trex Transcend Deck Kit is that it’s going to include all of the Trex materials that are required to build a 12-foot by 16-foot deck with Trex’s top of the line Transcend decking, the Trex Fascia and the Trex Hideaway Hidden Fasteners.

So, Tom, how did it go? Did you find any surprises along the way? Any issues?

TOM: Oh, boy, did we. Whenever you work with an old house, there’s always surprises. So my initial plan was to basically recover an old deck that was there. I had looked at the deck pretty carefully. I went under it. I sort of banged on the joists. They seemed pretty solid but they were 24 inches on center. So I was going to add another joist in between so I’d only have 12-inch centers. Now, the maximum you could go is 16. I figured 12 is overkill but what the heck.

But when I pulled up all that old decking, oh, my God. I started to find rot that I never knew was there. And I ultimately scrapped the entire structure and basically rebuilt it from scratch. Which turned out to actually be a lot easier than working with some of that old lumber, because everything was nice and straight and flat. And the Trex laid on it just perfectly.

And I’ve got to tell you, I loved using the hidden-fastener system. This is the first I worked with that. There is a tool that helps you set it exactly where you want it. There’s one screw that basically drives it in and it keeps a perfect ¼-inch gap in between the boards, which is important. Because if you don’t have the gap, you’re not going to drain properly. And even when you get leaves and debris, if it’s too tight, they sit on the deck. If it’s just a little bit wider, they’ll slip right through. And it just makes it a lot easier.

Now, the materials were beautiful. We used three different types of Trex boards. We had the board, which is sort of the square edge. And then we had the decking, which is grooved on either side so that you can use a hidden fastener. And we used the fascia. We framed the perimeter to make it look like a picture frame. So you take the square edge and you frame the outside perimeter and then you sort of infill with the decking. So it’s a really sort of neat, trimmed, finished look. And then I also went for the Trex railing and I used the cocktail-styled rail so it has a flat cap.

But this railing system is beautiful. First of all, it was really smart the way they designed it to go together. It has black aluminum balusters and white rails with the grey Trex cap on top. It was absolutely gorgeous.

And bottom line, it was a really fun project to do because it’s kind of like – it comes together so quickly. It’s a lot of work. Some of the stuff is heavy to handle. But I’ll tell you what, I really enjoyed working on it.

The best part, Leslie, were the steps. I built steps that were about 4½ feet wide. And I think I had seven stringers because you can only go 12 inches on the steps but you had to double up around the post on the end. But every step is pictured-framed, as well.

Now, if you want to check out the photos, we’ve got tons of them online.

LESLIE: Yeah. That’s a fantastic project. And I’m so glad that you really got a really beautiful product.

But the best part, Tom, I think here is that it’s going to be so much easier for you to take care of. You don’t have to worry about sanding or staining or painting. Just occasionally some soap and water. That’s all you really need to keep it clean and looking brand-spanking new.

Now, you can follow along with Tom’s project on our social or you can learn more about the new Trex Transcend Decking Kit, available exclusively through Lowe’s at Lowes.Trex.com. That’s Lowes.Trex.com.

Now I’ve got Winston on the line from Ontario, Canada.

And you’re dealing with some stains on a concrete floor. Is it a driveway? Garage? What are we looking at?

WINSTON: A garage.

LESLIE: Alright. So tell us what happened.

WINSTON: OK. This engine was leaking down to the floor. Tried to get the spot from the floor but it penetrates inside the concrete.

TOM: Mm-hmm. Yeah. That’s because the concrete is very, very porous.

WINSTON: Right.

TOM: And once that happens, you’re never going to be able to get all that stain out. What you can do is to paint the floor with an epoxy garage-floor surface kit.

Now, there are a number of products you can use. I would recommend you look at Abatron – A-b-a-t-r-o-n – Abatron.com. We’ve been recommending them for years. They make an excellent set of products designed for resurfacing concrete and repairing concrete. And you should look at the epoxy coatings that they provide. Because once you apply that to the concrete slab – you have to prep it properly. There’s usually an acid-wash step that makes sure the concrete is ready to receive the epoxy. But it’s a really cleanable surface. And so, if you do get drips and leaks from oil, it’ll be fairly easy for you to clean it up.

WINSTON: Thank you very much. I really appreciate that.

TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Alright. Now we’re going to talk to George who’s got a gardening question.

What’s going on at your money pit?

GEORGE: Hello. I have a grapevine. The grapes, they start turning brown and they’re falling down before they’re ripe. I don’t know what to do with them.

TOM: Ah, George, I’ve heard this before. And it’s because of a fungal disease, that’s known as black rot, that this happens. It’s more prevalent in wet weather. But basically, it usually starts as sort of a whitish spot on the grape. And then it sort of starts to form a brown sort of halo that looks almost mummified. And then it turns black and falls off.

There is – it can be treated. There are some fungicides that are designed to treat this. In this case, I don’t know if you’re growing them because you’re making wine or you’re eating these grapes. You want to make sure you choose the proper fungicide for that. But I’m pretty sure what you’re describing is a typical type of fungal disease that’s known as black rot.

LESLIE: Heading over to Florida, we’ve got Beverly on the line who’s got a question about siding.

What’s going on? Are you installing it yourself?

BEVERLY: It’s just a shed. And it’s 10×10 and I had some siding that I got – some vinyl siding – and I wanted to put it on a shed. And I figured the shed’s only 8 feet high so I’d be able to put it on myself.

TOM: OK.

BEVERLY: But I heard conflicting opinions about whether I should use screws or nails.

TOM: Oh, OK.

BEVERLY: So, one hardware-store guy goes, “Use screws.” Another one says, “Use nails.” And it’s going on oriented strand board. And then I put tar paper.

TOM: OK. Yeah. So it’s not a tough question; it’s not even a close question. You’re going to use nails. And not only are you going to use nails, you’re going to use nails and you’re not going to drive them home. You’re not going to drive them to where they’re solidly banging that siding into the oriented strand board.

Vinyl siding has some peculiarities to its installation method. So you know, of course, you start low, right and the pieces interlock. Now, if you’ll notice, vinyl siding doesn’t have nail holes; it has nail slots. And that’s for a really important reason. The vinyl has a really big expansion ratio. So if you put the vinyl siding on too tight, where it can’t slide, it’s going to buckle and looks terrible. You can always see a bad siding job, in the south side of the house, when the sun hits it and it buckles. And that’s because the siding was nailed on too solidly.

So you’re going to use a flathead nail. A roofing nail would be fine or something like that. And you want to just put it in the center of the slot and you don’t want to make it tight. You want to leave enough space. When you’re done, you should be able to grab that piece of siding and slide it back and forth in the slot, you know what I mean?

BEVERLY: Yes.

TOM: And if it slides back and forth, that’s perfect. That’s exactly what you want. It’s not going to fall off. It’s not going to blow away. But because you’ve put it on loosely that way, it’ll be able to expand and contract and not buckle. OK?

BEVERLY: Well, I’m glad you told me. Because the first – I put the screw in and I put it in tight.

TOM: Yeah. That’s natural. That’s what we are sort of destined to do – is to really always make stuff really strong and tight. But when it comes to siding and that vinyl siding, it’s just not done that way and that’s why.

BEVERLY: OK. Well, thank you very much.

TOM: You’re welcome, Bev. Good luck with the project. Thanks for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: So, do you hate waiting for your shower to heat up? Well, hot-water recirculation pumps can help. They’re going to deliver hot water to faucets almost immediately. Even more, they help save households, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water each year.

TOM: Yeah. So, here’s how they work. The hot-water circulation pumps are actually pumps that are located at a point of use. Now, that would be like under a sink. And what they do is they return water that’s not hot back to the cold-water supply line and then keeping the water in the hot-water supply line hot for when you’re ready to use it. So what that means is hot water’s available to the faucet almost immediately, which is really valuable for homes with long plumbing runs: you know, where the water heater’s at one end of the house and the sink’s at the other. It takes a really long time for that hot water to make it all the way across the house and that wastes a ton of water.

LESLIE: So, do you find that hot-water recirculation pumps are kind of one size fits all?

TOM: Well, not really. There’s really two types. The first one runs like an extra loop of pipe out to the farthest fixture you have. And that lets the water constantly circulate through the entire system. But that can only be installed when the house is new, because basically you’ve got to get the pipe everywhere the faucets are or the shower is and so on.

The other option, though, is to install what’s called a “crossover.” And it goes between the hot and the cold supply lines and also at the farthest water-using device. And the way this works is the water from the hot-water tank basically circulates out to the crossover and then back through the cold-water line into the tank. It’s a lot easier for retrofits because you don’t need to add any pipes. So it’s definitely possible for a DIYer to take it on.

LESLIE: Now, let’s talk about water being saved. Are we really saving a significant amount?

TOM: Well, in traditional plumbing setups, without recirculating pumps there’s a lot of cold water wasted while we let it run and wait for it to heat up. Now, the exact saving is going to depend on how much water you’re using. But manufacturers usually talk about 10,000 to 18,000 gallons of water every year that basically just gets wasted and dumped right back into the earth.

LESLIE: Now, what about the costs? Is it very expensive to install or run?

TOM: Well, that’s a great question. But it’s one of those projects that’s DIY if you’ve got some basic plumbing skills. If not, you’re going to want to hire a pro. But if you’re a DIYer, you should be expecting to spend about, I don’t know, maybe $300 to $500 for the recirculating system itself.

But keep in mind, that’s only part of the expense, right? Because if you set the system up to run 24/7, your water-heating costs are also going to go up. The way around that is to use a timer. Because you don’t need to have instant hot water at your sink at, I don’t know, 12 noon or 3:00 a.m. in the morning, right?

LESLIE: Yes, you do. At my house, you need 3:00 a.m. hot water.

TOM: Well, you do because you’re waking up and showering at that hour.

LESLIE: How dare you.

TOM: But you know what I mean. For the most part, you can set it for your work schedule, OK? And this way, it’s only on for an hour or two around those times when you’re going to be showering and using the bath fixtures in that way and then off the rest of the time. And then it becomes very, very affordable.

LESLIE: Alright. That’s good tips.

Alright. Now I’ve got Rich in Florida on the line who’s got some flooring issues.

What’s going on?

RICH: I have – I think it’s a laminate flooring and the boards are separating in a few spots. And I was wondering if there’s any companies or tools you can get to put them back together.

TOM: So, Rich, when laminate flooring goes down, it’s almost always locked together. And when it starts to separate, it’s usually because it wasn’t installed correctly that this movement occurred. And when it starts to separate, it is impossible to get it to go back together again, unless it just happens to be one or two pieces on the end of the run where you have nothing in the middle of it. But when it’s in the middle of a floor, you can’t get that to go back together because, frankly, the piece is usually physically deformed. So, unfortunately, this has to come out and be replaced.

I guess the only good news is that laminate flooring is not glued down; it’s a floating floor. So you can remove it. And the cost of new flooring has gone down a lot. Today, we would probably look more at the luxury vinyl-plank products, the engineered vinyl-plank products or the hybrid-stone products, which you can find for $3, $4, $5 a square foot. It’s pretty inexpensive. And then you would probably use that to replace the entire floor.

So, sorry we don’t have better news for you. But when that laminate flooring starts to come apart at the seams like that, it’s not going to go back together. It just goes one way.

LESLIE: Well, have we got a great reason for you to reach out to Team Money Pit. We’re giving away a Get Ready for Fall Prize Pack from Arrow Fastener that’s going to include the E21 Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun and the T25X WireMate Staple Gun. These two are in your tool kit for all of your holiday decorating. It’s really great to do projects outside of the house, get everything ready for the holiday, come inside, reupholster a dining chair and put up some decorations.

Yes, I’m very excited that we’re entering the fall season and I can finally decorate the house again. I tell you, when it becomes after Easter and I have to take down all of the holiday decorations, I get so sad. So this is great. Great time of year.

TOM: Do you talk to your decorations to say, “I’m coming back soon. Don’t get lonely”?

LESLIE: “I promise you’ll be back real soon.”

But this is truly a great prize pack to get yourself ready for the holiday season, make your house look great. It’s a wonderful prize pack from Arrow Fastener. You’re also going to get a supply of staples. It’s worth $75 but it could be one lucky Money Pit listener’s for free.

TOM: That Get Ready for Fall Prize Pack from Arrow Fastener is going out to one listener drawn at random. Make that you. Reach out to us with your home improvement question at MoneyPit.com. Just click the blue microphone button or call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, if you’ve ever used an air cleaner to get rid of odors in your house, you might know that a lot of them just cover up the odors instead of eliminating them directly. EdenPURE has a new product out called the Thunderstorm Air Purifier. And this air purifier will completely eliminate any odors instead of just covering them up. We’re talking about odors from pets, cooking, urine, even cigarette smoke. The nastier, the better. This product can clear it up.

LESLIE: I think they’re leaving off a big thing here: teenage boys’ rooms.

TOM: No doubt.

LESLIE: I mean EdenPURE sent us one and I very happily tried it out. First, I started using it around the kitchen. And then I said, “Let me put it in his room and see how it works.” And it really is fantastic because rooms just get stale.

And the way this works is interesting. The EdenPURE Thunderstorm uses Oxi technology that’s going to send out O3 molecules into the air. Now, these O3 molecules than seek out bad odors and other air pollutants and completely destroys them. It’s kind of similar to what happens in nature after a thunderstorm, when O3 molecules are released to remove pollutants and then naturally purify the air. Same thing with EdenPURE and teenage boys’ rooms. It definitely works great.

TOM: Yeah. And you can put a number of these around your house because the unit is small, it’s compact, it’s portable but it’s also really powerful. You just plug it directly into the wall so it doesn’t take up any floor space. And it even includes a 6-foot USB cord so you can run it in your car, your RV, your truck. And unlike any other air purifier, there’s also no air filters to replace. And that’s going to save you money every single month.

LESLIE: Now, the EdenPURE Thunderstorm Air Purifier retails for $129 and it covers a medium-sized room. But right now, there’s a fantastic offer for Money Pit listeners. Just go to EdenPUREDeals.com and enter the promo code MONEYPIT3 and you’re going to get $200 off the 3-pack. So you’ll get all 3 units for under $200.

TOM: You know, Leslie, I was checking out the reviews on this product. And by the way, there are thousands of 5-star reviews. But the comments are really telling. One reviewer said she’s had the unit for less than a week and says it’s already been really good at getting rid of tough odors from three pets, as well as smoke and other smelly odors.

LESLIE: Yeah. But I’m telling you, I came across a favorite of mine. And Shelly, I hear you on this, honey.

Shelly says she loves the product because – “Finally, my family room no longer smells like a teenage boy.” There’s definitely a distinct funk that comes along with those kids. And this has definitely helped all of us.

TOM: You can check out the Thunderstorm Air Purifier for yourself at EdenPUREDeals.com. Remember, enter your promo code MONEYPIT3 and get $200 dollars off the 3-pack, so you’ll get all 3 units for under 200 bucks. Plus, shipping is free. That’s EdenPUREDeals.com – E-d-e-n – PUREDeals.com. Promo code MONEYPIT3. EdenPURE, innovative products for better living.

LESLIE: Now I wonder if I can put it in his shoes.

TOM: Hey, maybe. You could plug it in and have the shoes sitting right in front of it. I bet you that would just take care of them.

LESLIE: Oh, you think I’m joking. I’m going to try.

TOM: I’m thinking track and tennis shoes, maybe ski boots in the winter, that kind of thing. Just blast those odors right away.

So, Leslie, I got a call from a neighbor.

LESLIE: OK.

TOM: And she asked me to come over and take a look at her garage-door opener which was not closing all the way. It had been working perfectly and it just wasn’t closing all the way. So, I went over there. I was like, “Huh, I bet you it’s getting hung up in the tracks.” So I go grab my trusty WD-40. I spray it all down. And it does the same thing, exactly. I couldn’t figure it out, because I should be able to figure it out, right?

LESLIE: Yeah.

TOM: Because I am a home improvement expert. It’s my job to figure this stuff out. Well, after scratching my head, I look down at the bottom of the door. And I notice that when the door came up, it took with it a cobweb. And when the door came down, the cobweb swung out and broke the electronic eye at the bottom of the door. And because of the cobweb, the door was going back up. It was the dumbest thing. I should’ve seen it right away. But all I had to do was brush it away and it worked perfectly.

LESLIE: That’s amazing. It’s always the little things. Well, I’m glad you found it.

TOM: Alright. Well, let’s see if we can help Sheena. Now, she’s got not such a little thing.

LESLIE: Yeah. Sheena wrote in saying, “My bathroom-exhaust fan has dripping water on the ceiling next to it. What could be causing this?”

TOM: Well, here’s what I think. I’m going to guess that you have central air conditioning. And when you have warm, moist air and it gets drawn up into that exhaust area – and especially if it’s not ducted properly or maybe there’s a gap in the ducting – the exhaust ducting – that warm, moist air is going to strike the cold metal ducts and it’s going to condense. And what happens when water – when moisture condenses? It releases water and it just goes drip, drip, drip. We see this a lot in the summer, especially when it gets really, really humid out because of the cold air that gets up there.

Now, air can get up through an exhaust fan, it can get up around a light if you have a flush light in the ceiling. And when that happens, you’ll get a lot of condensation.

So the solution here is to get up in the attic above that. First of all, make sure your exhaust duct is properly connected to the exhaust fan. And secondly, insulate those attic ducts. You can wrap them with insulation; there’s insulation designed just for this. And this way, you won’t have a cold surface for that warm, moist air to strike against.

LESLIE: Yeah. I don’t know if you remember we had this recently. Maybe it was last summer already at this point. But all of a sudden, water dripping from the exhaust fan. But my air handler upstairs, there was a clog and water was dripping into the tray and then not dripping down.

TOM: Oh, you had an overflow. Yeah.

LESLIE: And we had an overflow. And I mean it happened, I thought, pretty quickly. So it was lucky that we found it.

TOM: You know, I had an overflow once in a drain pan. You know what caused it? There was a paper label somewhere on the equipment and it had just floated over and perfectly aligned itself with the drain hole in the pan. Can you believe that?

LESLIE: That’s perfect but terrible at the same time.

TOM: It is always something.

LESLIE: Alright. Now we’ve got David who says, “I purchased my home 2 years ago and the home inspection came back fine. Now, the walls are cracking, the nails are popping out of the drywall. What do I do?”

TOM: That’s troubling to a lot of people but I think a lot of folks presume incorrectly that drywall cracks and nail pops indicate some structural problem. The fact of the matter is that homes expand and contract all the time, David. And this movement is very, very normal. If you’re concerned, you could hire a structural engineer to review it but I do think it’s overkill.

You could also contact the home inspector and offer him the opportunity to come back and take a look, let him know your concerns. But I feel confident that – I’ve seen this so many times over the years. All homes are going to have cracks in drywall, especially around the doorways and the windows. And nail pops? That’s just normal. So, a quick fix: just put another nail next to it, overlap the head, drive it in and re-spackle it and you’re good to go.

LESLIE: Alright, David. Good luck with that. And trust me, you’re going to see more.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Thanks for spending a part of this September day with us. We hope that you’ve picked up a tip or two to help you beautify your home. If you’ve got questions, remember, you can reach us, 24/7, at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. Or you can search out your project on MoneyPit.com, where you’ll find over 10,000 posts that are just there waiting to help you take on the jobs you want to get done around your house.

Until next time, 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.

(Copyright 2022 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.)