State Proline XE Combi Boiler

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Tim Carter

This is my new State Proline XE Combi boiler. It's unbelievable that it heats my entire home and provides all the needed instantaneous domestic hot water for cleaning and bathing. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

State Proline XE Combi Boiler - Small Workhorse

The first week of December I removed a clunky cast-iron boiler at my home and replaced it with a sleek and compact State Proline XE Combi boiler. Read the cover story on this in Tim's December 7, 2018 Newsletter.

The difference is simply amazing.

My State Proline XE Combi boiler is magic in a box. CLICK HERE to discover more about it.

WATCH ME show off my new State Combi boiler in this video:

How Does the Size Compare to the Old Cast Iron Boiler?

I would say the new State Proline XE Combi Boiler is less than half the size of the old Peerless cast-iron boiler.

This is my old boiler after we took it outdoors. It was about 28 inches wide, 32 inches high and about 34 inches deep. I can't believe I didn't take a great photo of it still in place! Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Is the New Combi a Modulating Boiler?

Yes, my new boiler only creates as much flame is as needed to heat the demand. My old boiler was either OFF or running at FULL BLAST. A modulating boiler uses much less fuel.

How Efficient is the State Proline XE Combi boiler?

It's got a 95% AFUE rating. That's about as high as you can get.

Here's the State Proline XE Combi boiler with my domestic hot water manifold to the right. Each one of those PEX lines feeds hot water to a faucet in the house. The combi boiler can make hot water as long as there's propane in the outdoor tank. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Put Out Grease Fire

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Tim Carter

Put Out Grease Fire - Use Lid Not Water

Watch the terrifying video above of what happens when you try to put out a kitchen grease fire using water.

Why is Water Bad?

The water is bad because it immediately goes from the liquid to the vapor (steam) state as the temperature of the burning grease is quite possibly 500 F. Water boils at 212 F.

How Can the Steam Explode or Burn?

As the tiny water droplets turn to steam, they get coated with a fine layer of grease. The grease-coated steam becomes a giant flammable cloud in your kitchen.

What are the Best Ways to Put Out a Grease Fire?

There are three safe methods to put out a grease fire:

dry baking soda
pot or pan lid
fire extinguisher

Dry powdered baking soda works well for small fires.

Sprinkle this on a small grease fire. CLICK HERE or the photo to have this delivered to your home.

A lid works because it cuts off the supply of air, or oxygen, to the grease fire. The moment the lid is on the pot or pan, the fire immediately goes out.

Don't PANIC putting the lid on. Just calmly slide it in place so you don't upset the pot or pan and get severely burned by the scalding hot grease.

A dry chemical fire extinguisher is best because you can stand safely away from the grease and put out the fire.

This is a perfect fire extinguisher to have in your kitchen. At the time I created this page, it was LESS THAN $20. That's a small price to have enormous peace of mind. Put it under the sink cabinet. CLICK HERE or the photo to have one delivered to your home.

You can see how small this fire extinguisher is. It will fit under a kitchen sink cabinet with ease. CLICK HERE or the photo to have one delivered to your home.

Why Your House is Cold and Stop Patio Algae and Moss

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Tim Carter

Why Your House Is Cold

Question #1: Tim, I’ve got a forced-air furnace. Several rooms in my house are cold in the winter and are hot and stuffy in the summer when the AC is on. Most of the rooms are comfortable. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done to fix it and if I build a new home how can I prevent it? Kelly S., Rochester, NY

Do you have the same heating and cooling problems that Kelly has? I know many do based on the number of people who email me each week when it gets cold and hot!

There are several possible reasons why a few rooms in your home might not be as comfortable as others. Let’s assume that the vent covers in the rooms are wide open, the damper controls in the branch ducts are wide open and there are no stuffed animals being held prisoners down in the ducts.

It’s important to realize that furnaces and AC units are like shoes and clothes. They are matched to the heating and cooling requirements of your home. If you buy shoes that are too small, you bet you’ll be uncomfortable. A professional heating and cooling contractor will do calculations that tell him exactly how many cubic feet per minute of conditioned air must go into each room to keep you comfortable.

The supply air duct system in your home needs to mimic the blood vessels in your body. The reason your blood pressure is the same throughout your entire body, even at your fingertip, is because the blood vessels get smaller and smaller the farther away they are from your heart.

Your main supply duct needs to do the same or otherwise, there’s not enough energy in the remaining forced air to push into the rooms at the far end of your home. If your basement is unfinished, look at your main supply duct to see if it gets smaller as branch ducts go off towards the other rooms that are comfortable.

You might be able to fix your existing supply ducts with relative ease if they’re accessible. The first step in the process is to have a contractor do the calculations to see if enough air is getting to each room. There are online help aids if you want to do this yourself. Look for a Manual J guidebook should you want to attempt to do all the calculations.

The second step is to make sure your furnace or AC units are indeed the correct sizes. A professional contractor will probably have to assist you with this. If your furnace and AC unit are sized properly, then make sure your main supply duct does get smaller and smaller. If it doesn’t, then you’ll have to modify it.

Stop Patio Algae and Moss

Question #2: Mr. Tim, can you help me? I’m in a constant battle fighting mold, mildew, and algae on my outdoor patio and sidewalks. I’m tired of scrubbing them. Is there some magic liquid I can spray on the concrete and paver brick? David L., Orlando, FL

I don’t know about you, but I have the same problem as David. On the north side of my home, I’ve got a paver stone pad outside a door from my garage. It constantly has slippery green algae I have to clean off, well I used to clean it!

Mold, mildew, algae, and who-knows-what likes to grow where they can get abundant food and moisture. Shaded patios and sidewalks can be prime candidates. These organisms will grow on vertical surfaces too such as siding and brick.

I decided to solve the problem using technology from shipbuilders of old. Go back more than 200 years and the shipbuilders used thin copper plating on the hulls of sailing ships to prevent the growth of barnacles that would create drag and slow down the ships.

Copper is a natural, safe biocide. As with most things you don’t want too much as it can cause problems. I’ve discovered a safe way to put copper on my pavers so it doesn’t leach into the pure water of the lake I live on here in New Hampshire.

I mix up about 1.75 pounds of blue copper sulfate crystals with a gallon of hot water.

This is copper sulfate. It dissolves easily in water. Spray it on with a hand-pump sprayer. CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER THE COPPER SULFATE NOW.

The crystals dissolve very fast as you stir them. I then put this solution in a standard hand-pump sprayer and apply a fine mist of the liquid just on the pavers and concrete.

I’m careful to make sure I don’t have any get in the grass and I only put on enough so it doesn’t puddle. You’ll discover it almost always soaks into the masonry in a few minutes.

After it dries, I apply more. I do this about three or four times so the copper soaks down into the surface of the masonry. The surface of the concrete does end up with a blueish color, but the color fades away in a week or two. The best part is I don’t have any algae, mold or mildew problems and neither will you!

Nothing Like It In The World

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Tim Carter

CLICK HERE to order this remarkable book that chronicles the railroad industry in the USA from 1830 until the late 1850s when a few men got serious about building the transcontinental railroad.

Do you think you know why Abraham Lincoln was so very interested in this project BEFORE he was elected President?

December 1, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Tim Carter

Today started out to be a bluebird day here in central New Hampshire. Blue skies are forecast and temperatures are supposed to scratch their way up to 38 F. But as often happens, gray clouds move in robbing us of the much-needed infrared energy from our friend the sun!

The beginning of December for me means winter is here. Already we've had two pesky snowfalls. The last one was so wet it was impossible for the snowblower to handle it.

The snow was like concrete. It was crazy heavy, yet only 3 inches deep. You could only take a small shovelful, pick it up, and walk with it to the edge of the driveway. I was none too happy out there moving the frozen water from one place to another.

I then started to put my driveway into perspective. The previous two weeks I had been re-reading a book I read about fifteen years ago, Nothing Like it In the World.

This book will blow your mind, if you've had the good fortune to drive out West - especially along Interstate 80 from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California.

Those railroad tracks and trains you see paralleling the interstate highway are the subject of the book. You're looking at the transcontinental railroad.

Shoveling my driveway, and it's a pretty big one including the apron, allowed me to think about the 30,000 men who used their bare hands to do all the work day after day in just about any weather.

In the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, the industrious and hard-working Chinese immigrants had to shovel away, by hand, enormous piles of snow from the tracks so the supply trains could move rails, ties, fishplates, bolts, food, and everything else to the crews hard at work in the Great Basin in Nevada. I'm talking 30-foot snow drifts they had to hand shovel.

They didn't have fancy Gore Tex fabric to keep them dry. Can you imagine the quality of the shoes or boots they had?

Cuts through solid rock were done by hand. Tunnels up in the Sierra Nevada mountains were created all by hand at the mind-numbing rate of less than a foot of progress per day on each of four rock faces in the grand summit tunnel. That was even with crews working around the clock.

There were no power tools, no giant machines to cut or drill into rock. Blasted rock and soil were lifted by hand in most cases into wheelbarrows and horse-drawn carts.

There were crude horse-drawn graders that worked in the soft soil of the Great Plains, but hundreds of miles of track was laid on ground where men had to move the material with their hands.

This is a FANTASTIC book that will hold your interest. I guarantee it.

CLICK HERE to order it.

Winter Topics

Two days ago, I received a press release about a newer deicing product. It was a typical press release that extolled all the benefits but, as usual, avoided the "How does this compare in cost to regular deicing salt?" question.

I decided to do the math for you. I BEG YOU to just skim over this very short column. I want it to just be a reminder for you to get out some paper and a pencil when a salesperson is trying to play one or two Jedi mind tricks on you.

CLICK HERE to read about Entry Ice Melt.

Why is My House So COLD Tim?

CLICK HERE to discover a few of the reasons why you might be shivering in your home as winter descends upon you.

Do DeIcing Salts HURT Concrete?

CLICK HERE to discover the truth about deicing salts and concrete.

Why Those Rooms are SO COLD!!!!

CLICK HERE to discover why those rooms in your home are SO COLD when other rooms are just fine.

New Stocking Stuffer!

Okay, I know I promised you that my stocking stuffer ideas would be $15 or less. I went over budget a little bit this week, but believe me it's a great product. Christmas is now just over three weeks away!

Here are the past stocking stuffer ideas if you're a new subscriber:

Super Useful LED Headband Light

Handy Tiny Screwdriver Set

10X Hand Magnifier - Mine's 45 years old!

Life-Saving Fire Starter - You MUST GET THIS ONE

What Happens When the ATM is BROKEN?

Now, for this week's stocking stuffer:

This is a BRAND NEW tape measure. I love it because of the SIZE of the tape.

I GUARANTEE you that whomever you give this to is going to LOVE YOU. Wait until you see how it fits into your hand.

CLICK HERE to see more photos and a video of the tape.

That's enough for a Saturday morning. I need to get ready to go to Skip's Shop with my son. Skip's is in Bristol, NH and is always an adventure. Lots of delicious eye candy there!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Super Clean Man - www.StainSolver.com
Morse Maniac - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Stanley Fatmax 25′ Tape Review

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Tim Carter

This is a fantastic tape measure. It's all about the fit in your hand. It's also super durable. CLICK HERE or the photo to have one delivered to your home.

Stanley Fatmax 25' Tape - You'll Love the Feel

The Stanley Fatmax 25' tape might be the all-around best tape to have in your toolbox or hand.

It's not too often you need to measure more than 25 feet, so why carry around all that extra steel?

Is the Tape Made in the USA?

You can see the American flag on the front of the tape. It says it's Made in the USA with Global Materials. Go back into history and you'll discover that the USA was the "China" of the world back between 1870 and 1930. Imagine what people in Europe said about us! Oh my!

You can see it says WITH GLOBAL MATERIALS. Look at the photo above to see the MADE IN USA. CLICK HERE to have one in your hands in days.

What is the Standout Distance?

The standout distance of the Stanley Fatmax 25' tape FMHT36325S is 13 feet. That's very impressive and handy.

What Does it Cost?

As of December 2018, this Stanley Fatmax 25' tape was $26.99 on Amazon.com. You may find it for less on a special at some other location.

Does it Have a Stronger Belt Clip?

Yes, this new Fatmax tape has a much nicer and stronger belt clip. It's much easier to engage your belt.

The clip is strong and engages your belt fast. CLICK HERE or the photo to have one on your belt in two days.

How Much BladeArmor Coating Does it Have?

This new Fatmax 25' tape has 2X more BladeArmor. It extends out past 6 inches on the blade.

The markings are clear, the MAXshield coating is better, and there's more BladeArmor. CLICK HERE or the photo to have this weapon out on your job site so you can win the battle!

How Far Can you Drop it and it Survives?

Stanley says it will survive a 50-foot drop. If that's true, it's astounding.

Your thumb will have no issues working the lock. CLICK HERE or the photo and get two of these so you can have one for the thumb on each hand.

Entry Ice Melt

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Tim Carter

Entry Ice Melt | This is standard rock salt. Too much has been applied. It's better to use the smaller pellets instead of the coarse crystals as you see in the photo should you want to minimize tracking into a house or business. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"I hope you're sitting down as Entry Ice Melt is 37.5 times more expensive to use than rock salt."

Entry Ice Melt is an expensive liquid non-chloride deicing product. This product was introduced in Tim's December 1, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Entry Ice Melt - Expensive Solution

I was made aware of the Entry Ice Melt by a press release sent to me championing all its wonderful benefits. My job is to do a real-life comparison between it and other deicing products.

Entry Ice Melt Application Video

Watch this video to see how to apply Entry:

Does Entry Work Like Rock Salt?

Yes, Entry works just like rock salt. Entry is a liquid you spray on pavement or steps after you shovel the snow away. It melts ice and snow in normal cold temperatures just as does rock salt.

What Does Entry Cost?

I priced out a gallon of Entry at Amazon.com and it was $40 per gallon in November, 2018. CLICK HERE to see the current price of Entry. The Entry website says to apply it at the rate of 3/4 gallon per 1,000 square feet. This computes to a cost of 3 cents per square foot.

What Does Rock Salt Cost?

I priced rock salt out at the Aubuchon Hardware website the same hour as I priced the Entry. A 50-pound bag of sodium chloride pellets was $7.99.

How Much Rock Salt Should Be Put Down?

The Salt Institute refers to a white paper that recommends that you only need 5 pounds of rock salt per 1,000 square feet to get effective melting of a paved surface. Do the math and you'll discover that rock salt only costs $0.0008 per square foot.

How Much More Expensive is Entry than Rock Salt?

I hope you're sitting down as Entry Ice Melt is 37.5 times more expensive to use than rock salt.

How Do I Minimize Tracking Rock Salt Into my Home or Business?

It's important to realize that most people put down too much rock salt thinking more is better. It's not.

Follow these steps to minimize tracking rock salt into a structure:

Remove as much snow as possible from the paved surfaces
Use small rock salt pellets instead of giant crystals
Broadcast the rock salt at the suggested rate of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet

November 27, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Tim Carter

You may be a new subscriber. WOOT! Welcome to the island!

If you're an island inhabitant of record for any period of time, don't try to play any pranks on our new friends!

Christmas is four weeks from today! Holy potato!

It already looks like Christmas here in central New Hampshire as a week ago we got about 6 inches of snow, and overnight we got another 3 inches of wet snow. The photo below shows you what it looked like last week here two days before Thanksgiving.

That drooping thing in the photo is one half of my amateur radio zepp dipole antenna. Just last night I was communicating with a person in Italy using that silly wire!

Don't Get Sent to the Dog House!

I BEG you to watch the following two short videos.

If you're a woman, you'll howl with laughter.

If you're a man, you'll relive a past horror or I may save you from a miserable fate. CLICK HERE for the videos.

Revised Columns

I continue to revise columns at the website for you. It's a fun project because it allows me to see how much extra stuff I've stumbled across in the 25 years I've been doing AsktheBuilder.com.

What's really interesting is to see some of my first columns and compare them to my current writing style. Wow, what a difference!

The three I've got for you today I think you'll find to be most helpful.

The columns all have superb VIDEOS in them that will save you time and sweet moola.

You can click the photo below or the headline to get to them.

I BEG YOU to at least SKIM over each one so if you have the problem in the future, you'll get a reminder from your gray cells that I've got your answer waiting.

Recessed Lights Go On and Off!

Brick Patio Repair - Surprise Answer

Patio Moss Mold - Easy to Remove & Prevent

Shopping at Amazon?

If you're shopping at Amazon, you can help ensure this newsletter continues to end up in your inbox.

Please CLICK HERE and use my affiliate link to do your shopping at Amazon.com. I get a small commission on stuff you order. It helps keep the lights on here at AsktheBuilder.com.

Winter Clothing Test Begins!

I just wanted you to know I'm about to begin a field test of the Dickies Sanded Duck Coverall. I'm also testing the same item but in the bib version.

We had a cold biting day here about ten days ago where I tried them for just a little bit outdoors. They did really well.

The true test is wearing them all day.

You'll know more soon. If you want to discover more in the meantime, CLICK HERE.

That's enough for today.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Super Clean Man - www.StainSolver.com
Morse Man CW - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Dog House Jewelry Commercials

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Tim Carter

JC Penny Doghouse commercial

Doghouse Commercials - Be Smart Guys! Don't Buy Dumb Gifts

The two videos below were a very clever way to market jewelry by J.C. Penny.

Be sure to watch both. I was sent to the dog house to fold laundry the second year I was married.

I thought a clothes hamper was a great gift idea for Christmas instead of using a plastic basket.

"Stupid stupid stupid!"

PRO TIP: For the most laughter, be sure to pay attention to how much hair Donnie has in the video clip that plays during his review board session.

Video #1 - Watch this one first:

Watch Video #2 next:

These videos are featured in all my AsktheBuilder.com newsletters in the days before Christmas. Here's a list of them:

Christmas 2020
Christmas 2018

Where Your Roof Leaks & Chimney Crowns

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Tim Carter

Where Your Roof Leaks

Question #1: Tim, I really need your help. My roof is leaking and my last attempt to get it repaired was fruitless. It rained again and water still came in. Where do most roof leaks happen? Is it okay to use caulk or black roofing cement to do a roof repair? I just need you to help get me up to speed so I can talk with a roofing contractor. Geri G., Sea Girt, NJ

I’m willing to bet a few dollars that your roof leak is probably happening in the same place as Geri’s. Based on my forty-plus years of clambering around on roofs, I’m of the opinion that well over ninety percent of roof leaks happen at flashings.

A roof flashing is a thing that stops water from coming into your home where something pops up through your roof. That something might be:

a chimney
where two roof surfaces intersect
a plumbing vent pipe
a powered attic fan
a turbine vent
a dormer
etc.

You’ll also find roof flashings where a lower roof touches up against a taller wall of your home or a neighboring building like the condo next door or the walkup next to your home.

Roof flashings can be made from thin metal, rubber, and a few other materials. Some flashings are built into products like a bathroom vent roof cap or the standard plumbing vent pipe flashing.

Flashings can be challenging for a rookie roofer. Some flashings are easy to install while others require considerable skill and an understanding of basic physics principles.

I prefer roof flashings made from metal that can be soldered. Copper, galvanized steel, lead, and traditional tin-plated steel are examples of these fine materials.

Standard caulk and black roofing cement are not acceptable materials to use with flashings. The sun’s powerful ultraviolet (UV) light breaks down these materials in a few years. It’s okay to use caulk and roofing cement as a last resort to make a temporary leak repair, but don’t allow a roofer to convince you they’ll work for the long term.

I’ve got some nice photos and videos showing you common roof flashings at my website. These will help you select the best roofer to repair your roof. Roof Flashing Click Here

Chimney Crowns

Question #2: Oh my Tim, I need some advice. I’ve got a brick chimney and a contractor told me the crown was crumbling and needs to be repaired. What is a chimney crown and what’s involved in the repair? Gary N., Saginaw, MI

There are countless brick and stone chimneys out there and you may have one on your home. Chimneys are expensive to repair so you want to keep yours in excellent shape.

A chimney crown is the roof of a chimney. Just as the roof on your home keeps water from entering the center of your home, a chimney crown prevents water from soaking down into the core of the chimney.

Just about every chimney crown I’ve ever seen has been installed wrong. The best ones have a flashing membrane under the crown material to capture any water that might leak through the actual crown material.

Crowns are supposed to be overhang the chimney and have a drip kerf on the underside of the overhang. The crown material should be made using concrete that has a blend of hydrated lime, Portland cement, and small pea-sized gravel.

Many bricklayers just use the regular mortar mix for the crown material and they taper it down to the edge of the last row of brick. This is a big mistake and the Brick Industry Association frowns on this poor practice.

The chimney crown should not touch up against the clay flue liners that are in the center of the chimney. These should be surrounded by a layer of foam so the flue liner can expand and contract without exerting pressure on the crown material. A special high-performance caulk that resists UV degradation fills the top 3/8 of an inch where the crown material is adjacent to the clay flue liners.

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