July 2, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

What's in This Issue

WHITE VINEGAR
ANGIE'S LIST
THUMB INJURY
MY CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY
CERAMIC TILE TIPS
LATEST COLUMNS AND VIDEOS
NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP
ADDITIONAL CONGRESSIONAL VIDEOS

White Vinegar

If you have had the opportunity to read many of my past columns, you know by now that I often try to weave into my stories the physics and chemistry of home improvement, remodeling and building. A simple example of this might be the destructive nature of chlorine bleach. In a nutshell, the active chemical in this bleach is the chlorine ion. Think of it as a high-powered laser-guided 1,000 pound bomb that blasts apart fabric and dye pigment molecules. This is why things cleaned with chlorine bleach fall apart and the color goes away. But I digress......

Last night I had to clean a fiberglass utility tub that is adjacent to my laundry room. This sink really gets abused with cleaning all the things you would never place in a kitchen sink. As I was scrubbing it, the dirt would not come off, and the surface felt gritty.

I thought to myself, "No way this could be hard water deposits." But the dirt was not coming off and my instinct told me it had to be hard water. Hard water deposits can be hundreds of layers thick, and each layer can have dirt in it that is then covered with the next layer of calcium carbonate. That is the primary hard-water deposit most of us have. These form each time the water dries on a surface. You see these water spots on the hood of your car, a pot or a glass that air dries.

Each time I used the sink the water dried on the sides leaving a new layer of rock. Rock you say? Limestone is calcium carbonate.

So if you are busy, distracted, lazy and fail to clean a sink (for years) that is used several times a week, you can have hundreds of ultra-thin layers of deposits each one with some dirt bound into it.

I had a one-gallon bottle of white vinegar next to me and decided to install the drain plug and pour some into the sink as the bottom of the sink had the worst build up. I knew that if the deposits were hard water, the vinegar would help soften them.

White vinegar is simply a weak acid. The hard water deposits are alkaline. Acids react with alkaline compounds and dissolve them into solution.

I came back 30 minutes later and the sink bottom looked like new after a quick scrubbing. To clean the vertical sides of the sink, I simply got some paper towels wet with the vinegar and applied them like wallpaper to the sides of the sink. Suffice it to say the sink looks like the day I installed it. White vinegar does a great job of dissolving hard-water deposits. You just have to be patient with it and let the objects soak for hours if possible.

Angie's List

There is a very cool cooperative service called Angie's List. It is where people like you share stories and recommendations about good contractors. Do you use this service, and what can you tell me about your experiences?

Thumb Injury

Two years ago I was holding a 2x4 that I was hand nailing. Somehow the dang hammer didn't hit the head of the nail square and jumped off striking the base of my thumb where it connects to my wrist. I almost passed out from the pain. I didn't break the bone, but I did damage a tendon that connects out to the end of my thumb.

I had a doctor look at it, and followed his advice to make it heal. The trouble is, it seems to have never completely healed. When I start to use my thumb and stress it, the injury flares up again.

Two days ago it got so painful, I went back to the hospital. There I discovered that this specific injury can became very debilitating if ignored.

I share this story with you in an effort to get you to have chronic pain looked at. Don't try to suck it up and be the tough person. That is usually what I do trying to be stoic. Well, had I done that with this injury, I may never again have golfed, kayaked, or done much of anything that requires you to grip something with your hand. Please visit your doctor when pain does not go away.

My Congressional Testimony

In the last newsletter, I shared that I had been invited to testify in front of a Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Small Business Committee. My Congressional representative- Steve Chabot - is the Ranking member of this Committee.

In the invitation I was told that I could submit written testimony that would be entered into the permanent record. The purpose of this is to give the witness an opportunity to share all the points he wants to make. You can't assume you will have the time in the hearing to make all of your points. You can read my opens in a new windowwritten testimony if you desire.

The invitation also was very clear saying that I would be expected to deliver an oral summary of my points that was to be no longer than five minutes. You can see that presentation in video format. But before I share that link, I want to set up the scene.

I am pretty embarrassed to say that I don't dress up much. The last suit I bought is at least 15-years old and is a tad tight. My oldest daughter Meghan took me to Romualdo, which is a custom men's shop in Maderia, a suburb of Cincinnati. She selected a navy blazer and a white shirt with French cuffs. For the occasion, my kid's - for the first time in my life - got me some gorgeous ties for Father's Day. I can't remember the last time I was so dressed up, and I must say I felt really good in the new threads! But let me tell you it is really hard to insert a right-side cuff link with a left bum thumb! I almost had to have the front-desk clerk do it for me.

The hearing lasted two hours, but the event is cut up into 19 videos that are on YouTube.com. I am in several of the videos, but #3 in the series is the one where I give my oral opening statement. The Subcommittee is chaired by Congressman Gonzalez, a Democrat from Texas. The ranking member of the Subcommittee is Congressman Westmoreland, a Republican from Georgia. They were the only two present as the hearing started.

My Congressman, Steve Chabot, wanted to personally introduce me, but was running late. Chairman Gonzalez was starting to introduce another witness when Chabot walked into the room. You can hear part of the exchange between the two Congressmen at the start of the video. It is hilarious, especially when you realize Chabot is a Republican and see how he forgets to give thanks to his ally Westmoreland:

opens in a new windowWatch my oral statement in part #3.

If you look to the lower right of the video as it plays on YouTube, you will see a box that is titled "Related Videos". In that box you should see the other 18 videos that make up the hearing. Videos #1 and 2 are the opening statements of Gonzalez and Westmoreland. Videos #4, 5, 6 and 7 are the oral statements of the other witnesses. The question and answer part of the hearing takes place in videos 8 through 18. I am in video #8 and 18, as well as two or three others. Video 19 contains the closing statements of Gonzalez and Westmoreland. You have to watch video 19 to hear what Congressman Westmoreland says. I can see why the people in the 3rd District of Georgia elected this man. He is indeed honest.

I would appreciate it if you would rate my videos when you watch them. It is my understanding you can only rate them if you have a YouTube account. You can get a YouTube account for free and you do not have to upload a video. It takes seconds to create a YouTube account.

The additional videos are shown at the bottom of this newsletter.

Ceramic Tile Tips

I just finished installing new ceramic tile in a shower stall in my laundry room. It came out really swell. It was a very easy job as ceramic-tile installations go.

One of the things that made 95 percent of the tile go in with ease is I did not install the first row on top of the shower base *first*. The first tiles were the second row. I discovered long ago that bathtubs, shower bases, and just about any object that tile rests on is never in the same plane much less level. Tubs frequently are twisted like a helix.

I have a super high-quality level and used it to create a perfectly level line around the three walls. This line was made so that a full tile would fit under the second row and the highest point of the shower base. My base was nearly perfect, and there was only a variance of one-eighth inch.

I nailed strips of very straight lumber to the cement backerboard carefully on this line. The tiles that were installed rested on this lumber. The advantages of doing this ensured the tile would not slide down the wall under gravity, and all of the horizontal grout lines from the bottom to the top were guaranteed to line up perfectly.

Latest Columns and Videos

Here are two of my latest columns and videos loaded to the website:

Columns:

opens in a new windowOverhead Garage Storage

opens in a new windowHow to Drywall

Videos:

Here is a video that has a mixture of fact and fiction. Enjoy!

opens in a new windowOrigin of the Cobb Salad

How about a video of me driving at a tad over 139.79 mph?????

opens in a new windowTim Driving a Real NASCAR Car - No Kidding

Index of past newsletters.

Newsletter Sponsorships

I am really proud to say that this newsletter has grown in both reputation and size to attract companies that make great products and offer superb services.

In the past I really fell down getting the newsletter out because it was lots of work with no pay. It was easy for me to neglect you as I turned to other tasks that put food on my table.

You will see an ad next week, and if you have a company that wants to advertise, contact me. The rates are very affordable.