Frozen Lake Winnisquam
Tim Carter shares views of black ice on Lake Winnisquam, NH, by his house. He drills through to see how thick it is. What's your guess?
DIY Plumbing Challenges
Here’s a homeowner’s attempt at installing a DIY toilet. He’s already made two grave mistakes. (C) Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Plumbing Mistakes
I’m blessed. Not only do I get emails each day from readers like you, but I also get questions from the Ask Tim page at my AsktheBuilder.com website. Believe it or not, these questions are never tiring and it’s like Christmas morning when I open them. The high-resolution photos that often accompany the inquiries are like magic eye candy to me. My wife thinks I’m nuts!
Today was no different. Wayne reached out to me from Houston, Texas. He decided that he was going to do some serious DIY plumbing at his house and as he put it, “I’ve racked my brain and can’t come up with a code-approved way to make this happen.”
Wayne chose to have me help him.
He not only asked for help on the phone (CLICK HERE), but he also had me draw out on paper exactly how the pipes should be installed.
Here's part of the plans I drew up for Wayne. I call out special fittings in many cases to help make the systems work. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
It just so happens I’m a master plumber. I’ve been one since age twenty-nine. I did all the plumbing on most of my jobs and thoroughly enjoyed it. Designing and installing plumbing drain and vent lines is like a giant 3D puzzle to me. As crazy as it sounds, it’s fun.
I’m not going to try to transform you into a plumber with this column, but I’d like to share some pointers that might come in handy if you decide you want to do what Wayne’s trying to accomplish. If you want to leave the job to a real plumber, the tips might allow you to verify he’s using the best practices at your home.
Transporting waste water from your home to a city sewer or your own septic tank is serious business. In the late 1800s when indoor plumbing started to take hold, plumbers were treated with equal, or greater, respect than physicians of the time. Once it was understood that sewage was the cause of serious disease, anyone who was willing to pipe it away safely was considered to have a super power of sorts.
The drain and vent pipes in your home mimic what Mother Nature does on a much grander scale. The issue is most people don’t stop to ponder what they see with their eyes.
Look at how creeks, streams and rivers work. Small streams eventually connect with larger rivers. When they intersect, the angle is rarely a hard 90-degree turn but more often some gentle angle close to 45, 30 or 22 degrees.
The blood vessels in your body are designed the same way. Don’t ignore technology that Mother Nature has perfected when it comes to the best way for liquids to flow.
You should design your wastewater pipes in a similar manner for the most part. It’s a bad plumbing practice to have a hard 90-degree bend in a horizontal drain line that’s buried in a slab or otherwise hidden. If you have to make a 90-degree bend, use two 45-degree fittings and put a small piece of straight pipe between the fittings if possible.
It’s fine to have a larger-radius (sweep) 90-degree bend at the base of a vertical drainage stack where the wastewater starts to travel horizontally. It’s also a good idea to have a sweep 90-degree fitting where a drain pipe pops out of a wall for a kitchen, vanity or laundry sink.
Drain-cleaning flexible snakes can navigate around these sweep 90 bends but may drill through a plastic PVC or ABS a hard 90-degree fitting in by mistake. You can use those hard 90s all day long in your vent pipes that supply your plumbing system with much-needed air.
Don’t forget about pipe slope. Use gravity’s magic force to get your solid and liquid waste out of your home. All drain lines should have a minimum fall of 1/8 inch per foot of horizontal run. Some codes allow 1/4-inch of fall per foot.
If you slope the pipe much more than 1/4-inch per foot, you can set yourself up for future clogs as the liquids may outrun the solids in steep-pitched pipes. The solid waste may sit in the pipe and accumulate creating a clog. Avoid the temptation to create lots of fall in your horizontal drain piping.
If you’re unclear about the magic vent lines in your home, you should watch a video I taped. This video will get you up to speed so you don’t make critical venting mistakes!
Column 1231
New Home Hiccup
A mistake in roof height was caught very late in the job. Now it’s a nightmare. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter
New Home Construction Hiccup
DEAR TIM: My builder really goofed up my new home. A room at the corner of the house next to the front door had its roof installed too low. The mistake is being corrected but I’m quite upset as I don’t feel the job is being done right. They’re leaving the old roof in place and putting the new framing on top of the old! Everyone is pointing fingers at who’s responsible. What I want to know is if this ever happened to you and how did you deal with it? Who’s ultimately responsible and how can mistakes like this be avoided? Cindy D., Breckenridge, CO
DEAR CINDY: Oh my goodness! I can’t believe what I see in the photo you sent. What a shame, especially since your new home is covered in stucco. It’s so hard to match stucco, but perhaps your plasterer will conjure up every bit of skill he possesses to make it look like nothing happened.
Let me share a similar story that happened to me late in my building career just before I transitioned to building with words and electrons instead of lumber, brick and copper.
I was working on the toughest job of my career at the time. For all intents and purposes I was building a small house onto an existing house in Cincinnati, Ohio. My appetite for more challenging jobs was insatiable.
Fortunately I had a fantastic set of blueprints and specifications to guide me. In a perfect world, and it only happened to me once in my twenty-plus years of building, the plans and specifications are so complete the builder never has to ask one question of the architect or homeowner. Everything the builder needs is on the plans.
This job was very complex. The old garage was to become the new enormous kitchen. A new two-car garage with separate garage doors was part of the new structure I was tasked to build.
The exterior of the giant room addition was used brick veneer that we expertly whitewashed to match the existing 70-year-old faded whitewash. The plans called for a gentle brick arch over each new garage door.
I built the arch frames for the bricklayer and installed them at the exact height as called for on the plans. My bricklayer installed the brick and they looked fantastic.
Within a day or two the homeowner complained the arches were too low. I was perplexed because I had triple checked my measurements. I went out and remeasured and the arches were right where the architect said to put them. Everything was done exactly per plan.
But the arches were too low, so low that if you tried to pull in the homeowner’s minivan the roof would scrape the right and left sides of the arch!
Who’s fault was it? I got blamed because, “You should have KNOWN when you set the forms they were too low!!!!” Let the finger-pointing games begin indeed!
My bricklayer and I worked together to raise the arches one foot to remedy the error. The cost was split three ways by me, the bricklayer and the architect. I’m still bitter about it because the architect should have absorbed the entire cost.
Who’s ultimately responsible for your mess? It’s a tough call and many attorneys have new fancy cars because people feel quite passionate about who should pay for these mistakes on new home jobs.
When you look at the contract documents, you might discover that you’re responsible. You might have signed a contract that says you’ll pay the builder XXX dollars to build what’s on the plans and in the specs. If the plans show it the way he first built it, he did what he was supposed to.
If the plans show it at the correct height and the framers made the walls too low, that’s an easy call. The builder has to absorb the cost as he’s ultimately responsible for field checking all work to ensure it matches what’s on the plans and in the specifications.
However, it ultimately comes down to you. You can’t hope everything is going to go right on your job. You need to check, recheck and check again all work as it happens. Is this hard? Yes. Will you avoid giant mistakes like you’re facing if you get out a tape measure every few days? You bet you will.
Climate Change Myth Debunked
Climate Change Debate | This is the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. It's the poster child for the man-made climate change group. They point to this glacier's rapid retreat and melting as proof positive that man is ruining the planet. The melt rate of this glacier is minuscule compared to the rapid melt rate of the massive continental glacier just 15,000 years ago. Read below for all the FACTS about the last continental glacier. I took the above photo of the Athabasca Glacier in 2012. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter
Man-Made Climate Change is Questionable - Why? Look at the Rocks
SUMMARY: Climate change is real. It's been changing for millions of years long before man started introducing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Everything that follows is a fact. I've been an expert witness in home improvement lawsuits for over 25 years. Courts and judges require me to tell the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth in depositions and on the witness stand.
You need to know the whole truth to make the correct decision about any topic. What you're about to read are climate change TRUTHS that have been withheld from you by the media, many scientists, and others.
It's important for you to realize my college degree is in geology with a focus on continental glaciation. The following are facts found in any treatise on Continental Glaciation:
- Twenty-thousand years ago the last continental glacier in the USA reached its maximum advance
- It averaged 3,000 feet in thickness
- This massive glacier extended from the North Pole across most of Canada, and all of New England down to New York City
- The thick glacier extended across the upper Midwest and much of the Rocky Mountains were engulfed in deep snow and mountain glaciers
- This monstrous glacier started to melt about 15,000 years ago
- It retreated back to the North Pole within 7,000 years
- The climate went from arctic to tropical in a matter of a few thousand years creating this rapid melting rate
- There were no factories, power plants, buses, trucks, etc. spewing CO2 during this time period all those thousands of years ago
- Mother Nature changed the climate as she did three other times in the past 2,000,000 years
Why haven't you seen the above facts that are etched into the geologic record?
Why doesn't the mainstream media share these facts?
The X post below shows that USA Today, a mainstream media member, knows all about the geologic record, but they choose not to share the whole truth with you.
USA Today states man-made climate change is real. This X post says is it's not. There were no fossil fuels burning in Medieval Times for goodness sake. How was it that Greenland was green hundreds of years ago when man was creating NO CO2?
Are you on the side of the debate thinking that man-made CO2 exhaust will create devastation? If so, you better watch this video because CO2 is not the issue.
Do you think Al Gore is a climate expert? Are you aware that just about all his predictions never came true? Why is it that the mainstream media doesn't point out that Mr. Gore's predictions have not panned out?
Do you believe the world will end in 2032 because of climate change? New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made this bold claim in a speech.
Stop and ask yourself WHY you believe in man-made climate change.
Read Dr. Robert Cialdini's Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion book. You'll discover the powerful psychological triggers of social proof, authority, and scarcity which can be used to influence how you feel about a topic, product, or political movement.
You need to apply critical thinking to the climate change issue. It demands it, or otherwise, you could find yourself on the wrong side of history just like all those old scientists who swore the Earth was flat.
Think about that. Think how vicious that argument was hundreds of years ago and how those who disagreed with the flat-earthers were persecuted.
History Shows the Experts Can Be Wrong
Scientists hundreds of years ago preached the earth was the center of the solar system. They were wrong.
Doctors hundreds of years ago believed that blood-letting would cure many illnesses and disease. They were wrong.
Scientists hundreds of years ago stated the Earth was flat. They were wrong.
It's possible we're at one of these moments in time now. The current scientists that claim man is changing the climate may be wrong.
Climate Change Myth Debunked - Look At Rocks For the Truth
My college degree is in geology. Think about the old saying cast in stone and what it means. The true story of climate change is cast in the geologic record all over the world. The facts locked in the rocks are irrefutable.
Here are some basic geologic facts that prove man-made climate change is questionable at best:
- vast continental glaciers have advanced and retreated in North America four times in the past 2,000,000 years
- no CO2-belching factories, buses, cars, trucks, coal-fired power plants, etc. existed during that time
- mountains in the Northeast USA have giant glacial scratches proving the glaciers were there
- enormous glacial outwash deposits are scattered all over the Northeast and Midwest USA from the glaciers
- New York State's Finger Lakes were created by the continental glaciers
- Central Park in New York City has exposed bedrock with deep glacial striations - the venerable New York Times produced an in-depth feature about this
Geologic data contained in and on top of rocks can't be altered by scientists. Rocks, sand, and gravel tell no lies. If you want the truth, you look at geologic data. Rocks don't make mistakes but scientists can.
You can see evidence of climate change in New Hampshire geology. No humans were around creating CO2 to create this climate change.
New York City Glacial Striations - Evidence Abounds
You can spend a day or two or three examining all of the continental glaciation facts in and about New York City.
This past article in the New York Times offers you some stunning illustrations, facts, and history.
Look at this photo of a huge glacial striation in the Pemigewasset River just a mile south of Bristol, New Hampshire. The bowl-shaped groove was cut in the granite bedrock as the huge continental glacier slid over the rock using fine stones in the ice to grind the groove:
The red arrow points to the glacial striation. (C) Copyright 2021 Tim Carter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Athabasca Glacier Facts - The Cold Truth
This is a close-up shot of the Athabasca glacier. I was standing on it about a mile up from its terminus. While it seems enormous, it's not compared to massive continental glaciers. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
It's important to realize the man-made climate change community points to the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Icefields as proof that man is to blame for climate change.
I've walked on the Athabasca Glacier. It's a very small glacier. The glacier is maybe 3 miles long and less than 1,000 feet wide at its terminus.
The Athabasca Glacier is thin. It's only several hundred feet thick at most.
Since the late 1800s, when we've been spewing CO2 into the atmosphere, the glacier has retreated less than one mile.
That equals about 37 feet 6 inches of melting per year. You can confirm this with ease. Go do it now.
The USA's continental glaciers were huge. They melted much faster 15,000 years ago than the current rate of glacier melt worldwide.
This is cross-bedded sand and small gravel in central New Hampshire. It's far above the current river bed of the Pemigewasset River. The last continental glacier's meltwater deposited this sand about 12,000 years ago. I took this photo in 2017 at the Pemigewasset Valley Fish & Game Club. The credit card is for scale. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Continental Glacier Melt Facts
The last continental glacier was massive. It covered the North Pole and extended to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The tremendous glacier left a nice conversation piece for you to look at.
It's called the Doane Rock - a glacial erratic boulder.
In addition, consider these additional continental glacier melting facts:
- Grafton Notch State Park was created by the meltwater
- the last massive thick glacier retreated approximately 1,742 feet per year
- the terminal moraine of the last glacier is just north of Cincinnati, Ohio
- the second-last continental glacier meltwater changed the course of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio
This is the glacial geology map of the state of Ohio. It shows the different geologic evidence of the massive continental glaciers. Copyright 2018 State of Ohio
Summary - Always Look At Rocks for the Truth
The massive continental glaciers were thousands of feet thick. They covered tens of thousands of square miles. The minuscule Athabasca glacier is a tiny pin prick on a map compared to the huge ice sheets.
The massive ice sheets melted at a far faster rate than the Athabasca glacier is retreating. That evidence is undeniable.
There was no man-made CO2 around during the four periods of continental glaciation that occurred in the past 2,00,000 years.
If you want the truth, always follow the money and study the rocks.
Just as history eventually showed that scientists and experts were wrong about blood-letting, the earth being the center of the solar system/universe and the earth supposedly was flat, you may live to see that man-made climate change might not be true.
Kenny Chesney wrote a great song about this. Listen.
Frost on Nails in Attic
This is frost on a piece of high quality insulated glass in my man cave. The outdoor temperature was minus 6 F and there's NO humidifier in this building! The same frost on nails could be happening in my attic! Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Frost on nails in attic spaces may frighten you. It should to a degree. It's important to realize frost is in your attic for a few reasons.
Frost on Nails is Frozen Condensation
Remember the last hot and humid day you were sitting outside drinking a cold beer, iced tea, soda or glass of ice water? The outside of the can or glass had drops of water on it that rolled down and got the table wet.
Another key point is the water moments before was invisible. The water was a gas in the air surrounding you and the can or glass. The water is the same thing that creates the uncomfortable humidity most people loathe.
This exact same process is happening in your attic during extreme cold weather. The nails that you see in your attic get as cold as the outdoor temperature. The air in the attic has water in it and it condenses on the cold metal.
A point often overlooked is that since it's winter, the water freezes on the cold nails. This is why you see the frost.
A tool like this shoots nails through shingles. The tips of the nails are supposed to penetrate through the wood on your roof. The nails are 0 F too as long as the roof is shaded. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Related Links
Turbine Whirlybirds Can STOP FROST
Frost in Attics - Mystery Revealed! and How to Eliminate It
Free & Fast Bids
How to STOP the Frost on Nails
At the present time, here's how to stop the frost you're seeing in your attic:
- lower the humidity in the house
- increase air flow through attic
It's not easy to lower the humidity in your home. Many sources advise you to ADD humidity to your indoor air to feel warmer in the winter.
It's easier to increase the air moving through your attic using roof turbine vents and other traditional roof vents.
It must be remembered you must have great soffit ventilation so the air travels through your attic as a constant breeze.
Without delay this air movement brings in drier outdoor air into the attic. The dry air evaporates the frost!
Old Houses Didn't Have Frost
A point often overlooked is old houses didn't have this frost on nails problem.
The houses were drafty and the humidity couldn't build up to cause a problem. Your modern house is much tighter and the humidity can soar.
January 3, 2018 AsktheBuilder Second Newsletter
As often happens with a special announcement, I LEAVE OUT important information in the rush to get news to you.
Within minutes of sending out the last message, James wrote:
"Can you also do a newsletter to cover frozen pipes? I'm have to deal with it this morning in one of the upstairs bathrooms. Fortunately, it has not burst and there's a slow drip. I'm heating the pipes with hair dryers and those thermal tapes. But I'm looking for a more permanent preventative measure (aside from having to leave the cabinet doors open and running a slow drip at night) ... also I want to avoid having to tear everything up as well."
What do you know?
I created a NEW COLUMN about Preventing Frozen Pipes last night before supper!
CLICK HERE to read it.
It contains UNCONVENTIONAL information you'll not usually find in columns written by people telling you to run water, open cabinet doors, install UNSAFE heat tape, blah blah blah blah.
Those are temporary fixes that sometimes work. If you want to STOP frozen pipes forever, then CLICK HERE.
Once again, PLEASE FORWARD this message to anyone you know who has frozen pipes.
Sadly for James, I've got bad news if he wants a permanent fix.
He's going to tear a few things up, but he'll NEVER EVER AGAIN have frozen pipes.
GREAT VIDEO About Staying Warm
The column I wrote two hours ago has a GREAT VIDEO in it about why your house is COLD.
CLICK HERE and SCROLL DOWN to see it.
I Didn't BUILD the House I Live In
Each time I gritch about my house I get replies like this,
"Tim, how could you install a boiler that's too small? How come you don't have more PEX tubing in the floors so you get more Btus per hour? How could you, the EXPERT, make such a mistake?"
"Tim, why don't you have a great wood stove in the house to add extra heat to stay warm? Do you want me to send you some cheese to have with your WHINE? :-)"
Guess what?
I didn't build the house I'm living in.
I've spent the last eight years correcting many mistakes, but trying to correct this heating deficiency is just way too much work. I'd be ripping out all the finished ceilings in the basement.
No way I'm doing that.
As for the wood stove on the first floor, guess what?
The DUMB A * * architect and homeowner made two fatal flaws in the living room here:
- it's too small
- there's no raised hearth
If the living room were five feet longer, you could put an add-on, drop-dead-gorgeous wood stove in the living room.
If there was a raised hearth, you could pipe the stove pipe into the existing metal chimney of the inefficient wood-burning fireplace we have now.
Believe me, when I do build my dream house - I'm trying to make it happen soon - it will be warm as toast if the outdoor temperature drops to -30 F or below.
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
Pass the Cheese, Tastes Good With My Whine!
January 3, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
Why You're Cold
Happy New Year!!!!
2018 is off to a bitter start for much of the USA.
Jim Cluett is my very good friend and amateur radio mentor here in NH. I was talking with him yesterday and we were both gritching about the cold weather.
He's lived here in central New Hampshire for most of his life. There was an eight-year period where he was on Prince Edward Island in Canada working as a TV news reporter / producer. He knows all about cold and drifting snow from up there.
"This is the longest and coldest period of weather I ever remember. Sure, we'd get damn cold for a day or two or three, but below zero temperatures night after night for ten days?"
Then yesterday just about 15 miles west of me at another amateur radio friend's house, it was minus 22 F just before dawn.
Are you COLD in your house? I am even though this bad boy below is running constantly.
That's my boiler. It's running all the time. Each of the eight radiant heating zones in my house is calling for heat. I'm burning about 20 gallons of propane now per day.
Are You or Friends / Family COLD?
An hour ago, I just finished a new SPECIAL COLUMN about what's going on since tens of millions are suffering.
Are you one? Are you cold and you can't figure out WHY because your furnace, boiler or heater is running and you're still cold?
CLICK HERE NOW and read this short column.
Would you do me a favor? A big one?
Would you FORWARD this email / newsletter to any friend, family member, co-worker or ???? who is cold and upset thinking something is wrong with their heater?
I'm afraid they may WASTE MONEY calling in a furnace repair person. If the heater or furnace is running, NOTHING IS WRONG.
A service call is unnecessary.
That's enough for today.
I'll have more new columns for you this weekend.
Stay warm!!!
Yeah, Steve I know you'll not suffer today in Altadena, CA!
Alexa just told me it's going to be 74 F there today.
Happy Birthday Steve!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
Size It Right And Not Suffer!
Why Is House Cold With Heating On
This is my own boiler. If the outdoor temperature drops below 5 F, the house loses more heat each hour than the boiler is able to produce in an hour. The colder it gets outdoors the colder it starts to get indoors. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
You wake up on a frigid morning or come home from work and your house is cold, yet the heater or furnace is on.
You might mumble out loud as you shiver, "Why is house cold with heating on?"
This is the column Tim asked in his January 3, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter if you would share with your friends, family, etc.
Why Is House Cold? Furnaces Can Only Do So Much
Here's why your house is cold when your heating is running non stop:
- Furnaces, boilers and electric heaters can only generate X amount of heat per hour
- Think how shoes, clothes and hats come in different sizes - so to heaters
- Your builder / HVAC man installed a heater sized for an average low temperature in your city/town
Related Links
Heat Loss Explained - Sizing Heaters and Furnaces
Electric Floor Heat - Very Cozy But Can Be Expensive
Candle in a Warehouse Example
I can explain why you're shivering with this example. Imagine if you had a standard candle and you were in the middle of a large warehouse.
The first thing to remember is there's no way the candle can produce enough heat in one hour to heat up the warehouse to a comfortable temperature.
But put that candle inside a small picnic cooler container and the temperature will get nice and warm in a short amount of time.
Free and Fast Bids
CLICK HERE to get FRE & FAST BIDS from local heating companies that can install a LARGER heater.
Heat Loss Calculations - This Is The Secret
Another key point is heat loss. Your home has a distinct heat loss each hour. Imagine if your house was 70 F inside and it was 0 F outside.
If your power went out and your heater stopped working, the temperature inside starts to drop. Each hour it gets colder and colder because of this heat loss.
Your home may lose heat faster than a neighbor's home because your home has:
- poor insulation
- many air leaks
- ill-fitting weatherstripping around doors and windows
- lots of windows and doors
It must be remembered that each house has it's own heat loss per hour. A point often overlooked is that your heater, furnace or boiler also can only produce a given amount of heat per hour like the candle above!
As soon as the heat loss per hour is GREATER THAN the heat per hour the heater can produce, your house starts to get uncomfortable. As the outdoor temperature drops lower and lower, it gets colder in your home.
Your Heater Is Sized for AVERAGE Low Temperature
Your heater or furnace is sized according to an average LOW temperature in your city or town.
In other words, it would be wasteful to install a heater in your home that would produce enough heat each hour to heat the giant warehouse we discussed. That would be overkill and waste lots of your money.
Most of the time your heater keeps you comfortable because the outdoor temperature is at or ABOVE the average low outdoor temperature.
Sooner or later bitter cold weather happens and your furnace or heater just can't keep up.
How to Stay Warm in a Cold House!
This is how I'm dressed in my cold man cave! Note knit hat, fleece vest, fleece light jacket. You can't see my long underwear and wool socks! Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
It's easy to stay warm when your house is cold. Just do the following:
- wear long underwear inside
- put on a knit hat
- wear wool socks
- put on layers inside - even a fleece jacket
- add a SAFE amount of humidity to the air inside your home
These things retain more of your body heat and believe me you'll stay warm!
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local heating companies that can install a LARGER heater.
Preventing Frozen Pipes
Preventing frozen pipes was not a priority for the plumber who did this poor job. These CPVC water lines froze even though they were covered with insulation. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Water Pipes Need Not Freeze
This is the column Tim added in his January 3, 2018 AsktheBuilder Second Newsletter.
Water supply lines in your home freeze because they get cold. Your plumber or builder should be smart enough to know to keep water lines on the warm sides of floors and walls.
If you want the best advice on how to prevent burst water lines, absolutely click or tap here.
Preventing Frozen Pipes Checklist:
- Water lines should be installed on the warm side of walls and floors
- Design house or room addition so plumbing fixtures are not on exterior walls if possible
- Exterior walls and floors that must have water lines must be oversized and thicker
- Water lines in exterior walls and cold floors must touch up against warm wall surface
- Create one-inch air space between water lines and tight-fitting closed cell foam insulation in wall / floor cavity
Related Links:
Frozen Pipes in Outside Walls Are a Thing of the Past
Frozen Pipe Story and Solution
Free & Fast Bids
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local plumbers that can install pipes that won't freeze.
Installation Requires Attention To Detail
Extra attention is required for preventing frozen pipes. Do all these things:
- Use PEX piping in walls subject to freezing. PEX can handle repeated freeze/thaw events without bursting
- Install separate easy-to-access shutoff valves for water lines that could freeze in case lines burst
- Turn off water shutoff valves in bitter weather and open faucet valves to release pressure
PEX No-Burst Water Pipe is Easy to Install
Watch me demonstrate how to connect PEX piping to a fitting in about 15 seconds. PEX is something to use when thinking about how you'll take care of preventing frozen pipes. This plastic piping is true DIY plumbing piping material.
You don't need a fancy power tool like you see me use in the video. Simple hand-powered expansion tools can be purchased very affordably.
It's important to realize you can convert to PEX piping from copper, CPVC or any other water supply line. Just use PEX in those walls / floors that are in danger of freezing.
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local plumbers that can install pipes that won't freeze.
Laundry Room Ideas
Great laundry room ideas are much needed here. This is my laundry room. I didn't design nor build it. You may think it's a nice one. It pretty much SUCKS. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Laundry Room Ideas - Beware Of Function Flaws!
Laundry rooms are one of the hardest-working rooms in a house outside of the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I don't go into my laundry room to relax, read, watch TV or jump on my amateur radio.
I go in there to get clothes clean, use the utility sink, iron clothes, feed the dog, etc.
I'll bet you do the same, right?
It's important to realize you must avoid the mistake of making your laundry room beautiful before making it fully functional.
For one thing you need great laundry room ideas that will allow you to work with minimal frustration.
Keep reading as I've got lots of the ideas you need!
Related Links
Laundry Room Plans - Avoid These Mistakes at All Costs!
Laundry Room Cabinets - Lots & Lots of Choices
Dryer Venting - IMPORTANT TIPS HERE!
Free & Fast Bids
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local remodelers who can create a dream laundry room.
Top Five Functional Laundry Room Ideas
Before creating this page I went online and looked at many laundry room photos. Almost all of them could have been in a magazine they were so beautiful.
Beauty is one thing, but function is another. You can have both, but always think of function first.
Here's my top five laundry room function ideas:
- laundry basket height
- double-bowl utility sink
- floor drain
- waterproof flooring
- easy access for washer / dryer maintenance
None of the above ideas are sexy, but each one will make your life so much easier.
Laundry Basket Height - It's Most Important
How do you deal with your dirty laundry now? Do you put your basket up on a 36-inch tall countertop? The top of the basket is now almost 54 inches off the floor! That's hard on your shoulders.
Do you put it on the floor? Is the floor always clean and free of dirt and lint? How's your back feel bending over so much to lift the clothes into your washer?
Consider a rolling platform that puts the top of the laundry basket about 32 inches off the floor. Try this idea out now using a simple cardboard box in your current laundry room. Experiment until you discover the perfect height for you.
Here's my wife's laundry basket on a temporary cardboard box. The lip of the basket is just above the bottom of the HE washer opening. The box is about 14 inches tall. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Double-Bowl Laundry Utility Sink
I grew up with a double-bowl cast concrete laundry sink in my basement. Now I have a single-bowl thermoplastic one made by Mustee.
Mustee makes a fantastic double-bowl thermoplastic wall-mounted sink. CLICK HERE to order one.
You'll never regret having two bowls in your laundry room. One bowl can be dedicated to YUCK projects while the other bowl can be relegated to CLOTHES ONLY so it's always free of paint, oil, grease, etc.
Here's my single-bowl laundry sink. I wish the builder had made the room longer to accommodate a double-bowl version. All that was needed was 20 more inches! CLICK THE PHOTO to order an affordable Mustee double-bowl wall-mounted thermoplastic sink. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Floor Drains Are A Must in Laundry Rooms
I had to install a new drain pump in my washing machine the day before New Years Eve. The job would have gone so much faster had there been a floor drain in my laundry room.
Washing machines can develop leaks. A floor drain can prevent thousands of dollars of damage and you'll have NO MOLD outbreak!
Waterproof Flooring Prevents Mold & Rot
Another key point is waterproof flooring. Don't even consider laminate flooring as it has a wood-dust core.
You want ceramic tile, natural stone or some other material that can be installed over the cement base that will be installed over the waterproof membrane that connects to the floor drain.
Easy Access for Maintenance & Repair
The water shut off valves for the washer need to be above the top of the machine and in clear sight. You should turn off the water each time after the washing is complete. Modern braided supply hoses can fail and a flood will be the result.
The metal vent pipe for the dryer needs to extend up from the base of the machine and go outside through the wall just above the top of the dryer. You should be able to unscrew two or three screws on the 90-degree bend allowing you to slide the dryer out away from the wall to clean out the pipe.
You'll need at least 4 feet of space between the front of the dryer and any cabinets across from it to be able to slide it out the entire way so you can get access.