Much to my surprise, I received several emails from bewildered folks. You might be one.
The common message to me was that I didn't conduct the deck stain test correctly. Here's a cobbled-together quote representing the sentiment:
"You should have left that sample board OUTSIDE so it got sun and rain on it too. Where are the outside boards that were in the sun, rain, and snow?"
I thought it was obvious in the video that the deck boards I was standing on were the ones that were stained at the same time, with the same stain, from the same can as the control sample I kicked with my foot.
If you don't create a control sample using the exact same wood and do it at the same time as you stain the exposed wood making sure to keep the sample in the dark out of the sun, how are you to judge the true color fade on the wood exposed to the elements for two years caused by active photons in ultraviolet light?
Is there some magic method you know of how to show the amount of color fade that is hidden from me?
I'll explain all of this in a very extended video you can watch next Sunday.
Why didn't I offer you the first two chapters of my latest Sewer Gas Smell eBook for free?
If I forget to do this when I publish my next book - the one about New Home #HACKS, reach out to me and say, "Tim, WAKE UP!"
Do you like to discover new things? Why of course you do, silly! Don't be mendacious with me.
I'll bet you don't know everything there is to know about sewer gas.
In fact, I'll bet you one of Mr. Gene's Doghouse cheese coneys. His place is on Beekman Street in Cincinnati, Ohio. You want to order a spicy hot dog when you get your cheese coneys. That's the secret.
I couldn't wait. I had to get my control sample out of the garage this morning and record a short videofor you.
It's possible I've discovered the Holy Grail of deck sealers. I wanted to share this PREVIEW video so you don't go out and buy another CRAP deck sealer in the next two weeks. With inflation RAGING out of control - and it's going to get much worse, you can't afford to waste one dollar on a loser deck sealer.
This coming Sunday is Easter. The newsletter is going to be quite short, so be prepared.
Easter is the holiest of feast days for us Roman Catholics and other Christians.
He is Risen!
For me, it's a day of deep reflection.
I'll be spending quite a bit of time during and after church parsing the recent past and pondering what lies ahead for me.
Kathy and I will most likely have a quiet empty-nest dinner eating some ham (not WHAM), smashed red potatoes, and green beans in a tasty cream sauce.
Not sure yet about dessert although I thought I saw some frozen date bar cookies left over in a bag in the back of the freezer yesterday as I was doing a materials inventory!
OMG, date bar cookies... One of my few weaknesses.
Are you sick of your deck sealer lasting just one or two years? Then you have to do all that hard work AGAIN and spend $50, or more, per gallon for a deck sealer that may #FAIL again in just 18 months?
Watch this as I may have discovered the Holy Grail of deck sealers - the best deck sealer! You be the judge.
These two new pieces of hardware replaced my ancient 13-year-old iMac. I'm blown away by the lightning-FAST speed of this new computer. The Mac Mini is just a 1.5-inch thick by 7.5 x 7.5 inch square box!
If you've been a subscriber since the days of yore, when I still sported a fair amount of dishwater-blonde hair, you might recall this funny video.
A person left a comment about it three days ago that inspired me to re-shoot the video. Let's see if you can figure out what his comment might have been. It put a smile on my face.
Watch the short video and maybe you'll understand why I'm about to do all the work required to create a new video with a slightly different ending!
Build a Brick Patio - Easy
I'm just like you. I don't wear my underpants (small clothes) on the outside of my pants for goodness sake and neither do you. I'm not a superhero.
Last week, I think I broke a record. I lost count of the number of homeowners I talked to on the phone or via a video call. Three days ago, I completed one of these affordable consult calls with a man that was in shock over his latest water bill.
The homeowner wanted to know if I could determine if he had a leak in the water line leading to his home. His water bill showed he had used, on average, 45,000 gallons of water each of the previous three months.
I could understand using a large amount of water if it was a family of six with teenage boys taking showers until the hot water runs out! In this case, it was just the husband and wife.
It's important to realize I've been a master plumber since 1981 and my first questions were, "Where is your water meter? Is it inside your basement or outside in a frost-proof pit?"
"It's inside the basement, Tim."
Within minutes, I had narrowed the issue to his humidifier that was directly connected to his furnace and was running 24/7 all through the winter.
"Is it possible for that small 1/4-inch diameter pipe to use that much water," he asked.
Before he asked this, I did a fast calculation based on what water he told me they used each day. I came up with a rough guesstimate of 200 gallons per day. That's only 6,000 gallons a month.
But then his wife spoke up in the background stating she did a load of laundry each day. Hmmmmm???!!!
After hearing that I said, Here's what I want you to do. Adjust your kitchen faucet to where a small stream of water, 1/8-inch in diameter, comes from the fixture. Time how long it takes to fill an 8-ounce measuring cup.
I already knew the answer but wanted him to go through the experience. You might want to do it too to get your head around how much water you might be WASTING.
Realize the valve on his humidifier was probably creating a stream at least 4X, and maybe as much as 8X, what you see in the photo just above.
I did a poll during my most recent LIVE video stream. Fifty percent of those responding were really curious and wanted to know how much water flows from all their faucets and hoses.
They wanted to double check to see if their water meters are calibrated correctly and registering the real amount of water that's being used!
Do you want to check your water usage to determine if your water bill is correct? If so, watch for next Sunday's newsletter.
New Flushable Wipes
I've been testing some new flushable wipes the past month. A diligent PR woman named Megan reached out to me and sent a sample pack. I made her aware right out of the gate I've been a master plumber since 1981.
This is the testing setup for my video. It's a true test for what happens in your home. Copyright 2019 Tim Carter
The claim of this wipes manufacturer was that this new wipe breaks down 5X faster than the leading brand of toilet paper. Megan actually sent me a roll of this common paper along with a glossy placard showing how to TEST the wipe against the toilet paper.
I immediately reached out to her saying, "Megan, the testing method on the placard you are asking people to do is NOT REALISTIC. That's not what happens in a toilet and what happens as the wipe transits to the sewer/septic tank."
She didn't dispute this and readily admitted she and her PR peers know very little about the workings of toilets and pipes.
Fast forward a few weeks and she reached out to see how the testing was going. I responded, "I see on the label, in very small print, it says these are safe to use in septic systems. Can you forward to me the test data, test method, and any photos/videos supporting this claim?"
The two photos above show this claim on the label in very tiny print - about the size of small print on a business card. The Common Man plastic card in the upper right corner is for scale. It's the size of a standard credit card you carry.
The bottom line is the manufacturer couldn't provide to me any actual test data showing what happens to their wipe once it arrives and sits inside a septic tank.
I did agree with Megan that the wipe would fall apart quite readily as it traveled for thousands of feet in a sewer pipe because of the turbidity in the moving water.
You don't have turbidity in a septic tank. Once the wipe gets to the tank, the water doesn't move. I put one of the wipes in a clear bowl and let it sit for a week.
It didn't take long for the wipe to settle to the bottom of the bowl. I had to end the test when Kathy made me get rid of it because she saw one of our cats drinking from the bowl. Here's what the wipe will look like in the bottom of your septic tank.
Why is all this important?
Here are a few reasons:
STOP automatically trusting information you get from people
Engage your God-given critical-thinking skills and question things
Do your own testing - often it's easy
On a personal level, I find it astonishing the attorneys representing this flushable wipes company - which I REFUSE to name - would allow the product to be labeled as it is.
Well, they could be so-so attorneys. There are far more so-so attorneys out there than the cream of the crop.
As you undoubtedly know, only a small percentage of things, people, information, websites, etc. out there are really really stellar.
I'm pretty sure you and I can agree on that.
I'll be back next week trying to save you money and time.
Do you like to hear the slow rhythmic beat of different drums? The first two videos below are soundtracks from the Halo game series that would make Ginger Baker proud. I think you'll love the bass tom-tom drum for sure. Be sure to watch the instructional video just below. It may inspire you to pick up a few sticks!
If you want to listen to the entire Halo Combat Evolved video, that's at the bottom, you MUST PUT ON HEADPHONES for the ultimate stereo listening experience. I use my Bose noise-canceling headphones. They're unbelievable - and that's coming from a guy who ruined his hearing being around screeching circular saws eight hours a day.
The survey consists of three simple questions and the LAST one allows you to go on the record about the things you STRONGLY DISLIKE about modern washing machines.
I'll forward your feelings to the manufacturers so they stop irritating you and start to make better machines.
Best Movie Open EVER
Are you old enough to remember this movie? The 4-minute open, in my opinion, ranks as the best movie open of all time.
I'll have a NORMAL Ask the Builder newsletter, if there is such a thing, for you on Sunday morning.
ALERT:
If you're planning on building a new patio this spring or summer, I've got something VERY SPECIAL for you on Sunday morning!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
P.S. You may not believe this, but men have feelings too. Often we feel hungry, we feel like going fishing, or we feel like watching football! 🙂
