November 2, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

FIRST eBOOK FROM YOUR SUGGESTIONS
A VERY GOOD CAUSE
SETTING YOUR HEAT TOO LOW
NEW ADVERTISING SOFTWARE AT ASKTHEBUILDER.COM
SAVE MONEY BUILDING GIFTS
THANKSGIVING STRESS - ACCCCKKKKK!
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

FIRST eBook FROM YOUR SUGGESTIONS

Editor's Update: This eBook is currently out of print.

Moments ago, I just finished the first eBook based upon the feedback you gave me about the short help guides. Energy savings was the top vote getter. That makes perfect sense for any number of reasons.

Your comments pointed out that saving energy is a really Green thing we can all do.  I couldn't agree more, and my geology degree taught me that Mother Nature is a wonderful provider, but she can only work so hard. We're using up many of her resources faster than she can create them for the ever-increasing population.

The number two reason is that we all need to conserve cash in these harsh economic times. What if I told you that my new The Real Truth about Energy Savings eBook will save you hundreds and probably thousands of dollars this heating season? It's absolutely possible. I'm doing it myself in my own home.

I had several of my colleagues read and review the eBook as I was going through the final edits in the last 36 hours. They particularly liked the section where I discuss the psychological tricks salespeople use to part you from your money. One of my friends said that she was amazed at how practical the information is and easy to implement.

My favorite part in the eBook is where I reveal what often happens in the media world when companies that make energy-savings products hire public-relations companies. You're going to be shocked at what I have to say, and I'm quite confident several PR people who are friends of mine are going to be quite upset at the kiss-and-tell chapter in this eBook.

This eBook, in my opinion, is really going to save you huge money. My friends said it's a great value and to sell it for $27.00. I've decided to offer it to you for just $9.97 for the next seven days. After that, the price is going to go back up to $27.00.

This eBook is an Instant Download .pdf file. This means you get it in your computer moments after you purchase it. You then have the option of printing it out if you want. As with all my products, it comes with an Unconditional Guarantee. If you feel, after reading it, that you'll not save at least ten bucks on your energy bills, just email me. I'll give you all your money back. Heck, I don't care what your reason is. If you don't like it, just tell me and I'll give you your money.

Remember, the price is just $9.97 for the next week. After that, the price goes up.

 

A VERY GOOD CAUSE

Pat Lithglow is a subscriber to this newsletter. About ten days ago, she reached out to me asking me for help. Google is sponsoring a competition.

After you watch that video and get ramped up about the good we can do, then go watch this 30-second video. All of us have time to do this. Your small investment of time can make an enormous difference.  Please watch this video. I LOVE the child's Australian accent.

 

SETTING YOUR HEAT TOO LOW

John from Lapeer, Michigan emailed me the following:

"I am preparing to leave for Florida for 3 months during the winter months. I have reviewed all your suggestions regarding winterizing, however, I plan to leave the furnace on at the lowest setting recommended. I do not know how low this should be. Is there a point where it is too low (other than 32 degrees F.)"

My response to John was that he should be very careful about setting the temperature too low, especially if he seals the house up tightly and then the temperature of the surfaces inside the house drops below the dew point of the air in the rooms.

Sound confusing? Well, each day in your bathroom you're doing the same thing when you take a hot shower. After you step from the shower is the mirror fogged? If so, the same fog might be on any surface in the room that has the SAME temperature as the glass in the mirror. But you can't easily see the fog or water vapor on the walls, ceiling or wall paper because of their non-glossy texture.

If the water in the air condenses on the cold walls, furniture, carpet, etc. in John's house because he turns down the temperature too far, he could have massive mold blooms over just about everything in the house. That will cost far more to clean up than spending the money to keep the house at 55 F. The mold spores are already in your house and John's. The food they eat is also there. All they need is liquid water to start to grow.

 

NEW ADVERTISING SOFTWARE AT ASKTHEBUILDER

With the economy in a tailspin, you need every possible advantage you can get in this market. Do you work for a large or small business that sells anything that is home-improvement related? Maybe you're a roofer in El Dorado Hills, CA, or own a small hardware store in Burlington, VT, or your employer owns a replacement-window company in Scranton, PA. I think you get the point.

In just a few days, we will finish installing new software at my website that will allow me to do something never before possible. What if I told you that you could run an ad about your business at my website that will show your ad just to people who you sell to? In other words, if you own a small plumbing business in Tyler, TX, I can show your ad only when a person from Tyler is on my website. What's more, the ad will only appear on pages that have to do with plumbing!

In addition, you that you could name the days of the week when you want the ad to run? How about if I told you that you could also call out the times of day you want the ad to appear?

This kind of power now allows you or your employer to reach the exact audience in your marketplace as never before. It's absolutely amazing. If you want more information about this, contact AsktheBuilder. You will see a link there that asks you to fill out a form.

 

SAVE MONEY BUILDING GIFTS

A few days ago, I got this fantastic new tool kit. It's a pocket-hole jig that allows you to build a ton of projects that look professional. I'm not kidding here. All you need is a couple of saws that allow you to make precision cuts and this jig kit to do it.

You have plenty of time to build some Christmas gifts that will be cherished by those who receive them. Your effort will be forever remembered if you give someone a simple bookcase, footstool or anything that requires you to join two pieces of wood with a strong joint.

This pocket-hole jig is made by Kreg and is called the Kreg Jig. I could write for another ten minutes, but feel the video at their website says it all.

 

THANKSGIVING STRESS - ACCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Ellen has worked for Kathy and I for nearly 15 years. She spearheads the Stain Solver business. There's a good chance you've talked to Ellen on the phone if you've called in with a question or ordered over the phone.

Well, Ellen and Kathy have reminded me that Thanksgiving is less than a month away. If you're hosting your family and friends at your house, then you're probably going to start cleaning soon. Right? What happens if your kitchen floor is tile and the grout is grungy? Well, my Stain Solver will make that grout look like new with minimal work.

Then what about the actual celebration on Thanksgiving Day? I got a letter from a customer several years ago that brought a smile to my face. The woman wrote that she had just installed white carpet days before Thanksgiving so her house looked amazing for her guests.

You know what happened don't you? Yes, someone dropped a glass of red wine onto the spotless carpet. In normal situations, there would have been mountain loads of stress and anguish. My customer told the guest to relax and keep eating. She said, "We have nothing to worry about. I have some  Stain Solver. I'll worry about that tomorrow morning." And she wasn't kidding!

So to promote a stress-free holiday for you, why not get some Stain Solver to help you clean and have on hand in case someone spills cranberry juice, red wine, red soda pop or whatever or your carpet or cherished table cloth?

Ellen and Kathy have authorized a massive 25 percent Promo Code to enable you have a Stress-Free Stain-Solver Thanksgiving.

The promo code expires on Saturday November 9, 2008. Use it or lose it. Act now before you forget.

Go to Stain Solver. Here's the promo code:

25thanks

 

LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

Are you thinking about vinyl-siding installation? Some people will be attempting this job since money is tight.

Watch me perform some magic to make a blacktop driveway crack disappear. I'll bet you a chocolate malt from Aglamesis that you haven't seen this trick.

Index of past newsletters.

October 28, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

CHAIN-SAW FUN
PEDESTAL SINK QUESTION
NEW SPADE BIT
THE ECONOMY, YOU AND I
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

 

CHAIN-SAW FUN

Two weeks ago, I became the proud owner of a Craftsman 18-inch Professional chain saw. It has a 40cc engine and is remarkably lightweight. Many moons ago, when I was a much younger man, I used chain saws frequently. My father-in-law owned a 240 acre tract of land that was heavily forested. He and I would go there to cut down trees for firewood and to open up the view to the great North Bend of the Ohio River. President William Henry Harrison is buried just a mile from this land.

I needed this new saw to cut up some trees here at my New Hampshire house that the previous owner had foolishly left piled up for over six years. These were magnificent oak trees that the owner had abandoned and left to rot. Some had trunks that were 20 inches in diameter! Luckily I was able to salvage them for firewood.

The Craftsman saw brought back lots of memories. First, how dangerous these tools can be if you don't follow all the safety instructions. Secondly, I had a vivid recollection of how heavy the old saw was I used 30 years ago. It was a marvelous Stihl saw, and had the same length bar and chain and a similar engine as my new Craftsman saw.

It's amazing how advancements in technology have taken out so much weight with no sacrifice to cutting power. I'm really impressed with this new saw, even though I frowned when I first took it out of the box. It was so light I thought it was a toy saw.

I plan to do a basic video about this saw in the next week. It cut through the oak logs like a hot knife through cold butter. My guess is that one could do about 30 videos on how to use chain saws. In fact, you could probably make a two-hour movie showing all aspects. But I'm going to do the view from 35,000 feet. I'll announce it here when the video is complete.

 

PEDESTAL SINK QUESTION

Donna P. from Weston, CT wrote me asking, "I have a pedestal sink to be installed and I don't understand why the plumber wants to open the wall up to put wood blocking across for support when the instructions that come with the sink say you can just drill into the sheetrock and install appropriate toggle bolts. Why would it need the extra support of blocking if the sink is on the pedestal as well?"

Donna, that's a fair question. The plumber may not have had great luck in the past with wall anchors, and is nervous about the sink moving. You need to understand that it's not good for plumbing fixtures to move as the connections to the water lines and drain can fail. Also, if the drywall gets soggy the anchors will fail. But if you have soggy drywall, you have more serious issues.

I agree with the written instructions and have used toggle bolts successfully with pedestal sinks. Just get the right size and put in your contract that you assume all responsibility if someone yanks the sink from the floor and throws it out the window like in the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

By the way, this is the type of questions and answers you will see in the new website I'm working on. The visitors to that website are going to see hundreds, and eventually thousands, of one-on-one email Q & As, chat sessions and even videos of me answering questions.

I'm really getting excited about this new website. I had a major epiphany about it ten days ago when my oldest daughter Meghan talked to me about the concept. She simply said, "Dad, what people really want is just answers to their questions. They are busy and don't have time to sift through multiple websites, some of which are filled with questionable solutions, to get an answer. Your subscribers are going to love this new site where they can get a specific answer to a question either from you or someone else who is an active member of the community you will be assembling."

You know what? Meghan is spot on. If you agree, let me know. Each person that sends me an email with constructive comments and suggestions about this new website AND has the Subject Line say "Meghan Rules" will get entered into a drawing. When I launch this new website, ten winners - selected at random - will get a free scholarship/subscription to this website for life. Remember, the Subject Line of the email MUST say:  Meghan Rules. Spell it correctly!

 

NEW SPADE BIT

A few days ago, I received in the mail a sample spade bit. You may yawn thinking big deal and mumble to yourself, "Who cares about spade bits?"  These bits are really fantastic when it comes to drilling larger holes through wood. Traditional spade bits I used years ago were flat, had a round shaft, had a sharp point and low-angle cutting edges.

Bosch sent me an amazing spade bit called the DareDevil. This bit has a full-cone threaded tip that pulls the bit through the wood, spurs and reamers on the cutting edges, a contoured face on the paddle that aids chip removal and the end of the shaft has a hex shank! This means that when the bit hits a knot, it still keeps spinning as the chuck of the drill would have to be very loose for the bit to stop while the drill continues to spin.

I haven't used this new bit yet, but it has all of the things that are needed to produce large holes in wood with minimal effort.

 

THE ECONOMY, YOU AND I

I subscribe to many magazines, and one of them is Forbes. They put out a special edition last week that dealt with all of the scary economic news. Kathy and I have put the new-house project here in New Hampshire on the shelf until things sort themselves out. No doubt you have put the brakes on projects and purchases in your home as well.

The lead article, How Capitalism Will Save Us, in this special edition was written by Steve Forbes, who I believe is the son of the founder of Forbes magazine. In the article he does an autopsy of the current economic situation and compares it to the other "two big economic disasters of the 20th century" - the Great Depression and the great inflation of the 1970s.

In the article, Forbes says that those two economic horrors and our current situation were/are being blamed on greedy corporations and "economic royalists". He makes a pretty firm argument that in fact all three situations were caused by government mistakes - in other words our Congress let us down as they are the legislative branch of our government. Be really careful about blaming the Executive Branch - am I glad I remember my Boy Scout Citizenship of the Nation merit-badge facts! Keep in mind Congress does the heavy lifting when it comes to getting stuff done at the Federal level.

Forbes says that the Great Depression was directly caused by the passage of the Smoot-Hartly Tariff of 1929-30. This law imposed massive tariffs (taxes) on countless imported items. Other countries responded by enacting high taxes on our exports. The global trading system collapsed leading to capital or cash flow being restricted. The Great Depression resulted from this mess, not the collapse of the stock market. Remember, the stock market is an emotional betting game played by multiple players at the same time. If you want the real story, always look at the hard-core economic indicators.

I could go on and on, but you would be bored to tears. What I did discover from the article is there is crystal clear proof that lower taxes on ALL people plus businesses lead to enormous economic growth. This makes perfect sense when you stop and think about it. The article is long, so be sure to click through to all the pages.

Yesterday, I had coffee with that local politician who was trying to get my vote. I asked her, "Kate, tell me the last time you were really happy with the way the politicians at ALL levels were spending your hard-earned money you send them each week." She couldn't answer, but agreed that it would be best if MORE taxpayers money fueled the local economy as she rarely sees Federal and State taxes flow backwards into our town.

I urge you to read the article in Forbes. My guess is that you will be enlightened and think about politics in a entirely different manner. It just makes sense that if you and I have more money to spend the way we want, we will buy and invest in things that will help us and the businesses we support. That builds a vibrant economy at all levels.

Oh, if you're a new subscriber, you need to know that I served over ten years as a government official. For eight years, I was an appointed member of my Village's Planning Commission and I was elected to two terms as a Councilman. So I have personal first-hand experience as to how government can waste vast sums of money. I resigned from my second term of office because of enormous frustration in working with some people who refused to stop the wasteful spending of precious tax dollars.

 

LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

Mentioning my Boy Scout years brings back memories of campfires. You can have your own fire pit that allows you to spend quality time outdoors!

Millions of people have septic systems - I'm now one of them - but maybe have no clue what this mysterious system of tanks and pipes looks like that's buried in your yard. And what's with a leach field? A bunch of blood-sucking insects in your yard? No way! You MUST watch this video. Seriously. I show you a septic system before it's buried.

Index of past newsletters.

Blacktop Driveway Crack Repair Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Blacktop Driveway Crack Repair Video Transcript

Oh hey, how are you doing? I’m just bringing out the last tool to start my blacktop crack repair job. Great weather today, blacktop’s dry and that's exactly what you need when you get ready to finish a blacktop repair job.

Here's what we've got. The first thing we need to do before we get started in case the safety police are watching. It's time to get on the new cool safety glasses. Oh yeah.

What do you think about that?

Now what we got to do, the first thing that it says on the instructions on the caulk or the repair sealant that we're going to use is you got to clean out the crack. I like to use a regular broom. It works really well. Just go ahead and sweep it out. Get all that loose debris and loose sand out of the way.

Oh yeah, simple as that and once again remember the blacktop’s got to be nice and dry. So let me show you what I've got what we're going to use today. We've got this nice crack and this particular crack is kind of like a v-shape. Because it’s v-shaped it's really pretty hard to install a backer rod that sometimes you have to use when you install a crack sealant with blacktop.

Use a backer rod when the crack is shaped more like this where the sides of the crack are pretty parallel. You'll get those cracks very frequently in a blacktop driveway but not this particular one.

So what we're going to do first is all you have to do is start with this compound. It's an asphalt repair sealant. Check this out says it right here asphalt repair.

It's got all the nice instructions and it looks like it's just like really caulking and simple all you do is go ahead and start to squeeze it out being really careful that you don't put too much of the material too high. Because you would have a real mess on your hands.

You can see how easy that comes out. it just flows out of the tube and one of the reasons it flows really well is because I made sure it wasn't too cold out here. The outside temperature right now here is about sixty sixty-five degrees. This material flows just beautifully out of this tube and you can see that now, check this out, get a little closer, I want to show you something.

I'm coming up to a really big wide area and I want to fill that up but not too high and you'll see in a minute why. And there's another one coming up right next to it. Oh yeah look at this right here you can see a big area I kind of put the sealant in there making sure it's not too high.

All right now, here's what I want to show you the next step is I've got this cute little stick it's actually from a piece of mulch. Check this out. You can see it's about a quarter-inch

wide and I found it in the mulch actually right next to the blacktop drive. I just use that, come down here close, I want to show you something.

I actually want to spread this sealant so that it smears on the blacktop on either side of the caulk and I'm also making sure that the caulk sealant is not too high and this makes for a really really good bond so that the crack sealant material will not come out.

Come down here where it's really really wide. Before I started the job I went around and I found some of the rocks that had actually come out of the blacktop drive. What you do is actually put these rocks right in the sealing compound. I know it sounds crazy but this actually helps it helps disguise the crack for one and it helps make the crack sealant work a lot better because it makes it stronger.

And you just push those rocks down into the sealant and then you push the material up against it so that the cracks and so that the cracks fill up with material and it sticks well against these little rocks.

The final step in the process is to actually take some of this magic compound that I have in this can next to me. Oh-ho, wait till you see this trick! A lot of people don't do this. This is one of the secret Ask the Builder tricks.

Before I started the job I went to the sides of the driveway and I found some sand and some of the sand came from the stones and the rocks around the driveway. But actually matches perfectly some of the rocks that are actually in the blacktop. And you go ahead and just sprinkle this sand on to the fresh compound.

Look at that.  Simple as that and this sand does two things. Number one it will prevent tracking in case somebody makes a mistake and walks on this material and prevents it from it spreading onto the driveway. It does that, that's really important.

But number two it's actually going to help disguise this crack so that the crack looks more like the actual blacktop on either side of the crack. It's that simple to patch a blacktop crack. I'm Tim Carter for Ask the Builder dot com. If you want to discover more home improvement tips, go to AsktheBuilder.com.

Related Links

How to Repair Driveway Cracks

Driveway Erosion Repair - Don't Let it Get Out of Hand

CLICK or TAP HERE for FREE QUOTES  from local asphalt crack-repair contractors.

Buy This Great Blacktop Crack Filler

blacktop crack filler

This is a quality crack filler you pour into cracks. CLICK the photo to have it delivered to your home.

 

Septic System Anatomy Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Am I glad you are here today! Guess what I discovered? I found a septic system that is being installed and it hasn’t been covered over with dirt. The inspector is coming tomorrow, so it is a great opportunity for me to show you the basic components of a septic system. The septic system consists of the septic tank, the distribution box and the leach field.

This is the actual septic tank. It is a precast, concrete structure that a crank lowers into place. This particular one is about 750 to 1,000 gallon capacity. The waste water from the house comes directly into this tank. The tank has lids that allow you to inspect the inside of the tank. They also serve a very important service. Every three to four years, you need to have a company come in and pump out all of the solids, that have collected inside the septic tank.

The distribution box takes the waste water from the septic tank and directs it out to the leach field through four different pipes.

The leach field in this system looks a little weird because of all the concrete covering. This leach field will actually be underneath the road leading to the house. The waste water enters the leach field from the distribution box. The leach field consists of a foot thick layer of sand. The waste water filters down through the sand, where it gets cleansed of all the bacteria and pathogens. And then it flows back into the water table.

That is how simple septic systems work.

Author's Note: We've received other questions with similar problems or questions. Here's one from Howard Stein of Oklahoma City, OK, regarding his home septic system.

"We have ten inches of snow and the temperature is near zero Fahrenheit. It will stay like this for several days.  Is it safe to use our washing machine (doing regular laundry) in this frigid weather since we have a septic tank and fear that the "arms" cannot properly dispose of large volumes of water into the ground?  Many thanks for your help."

Howard, typically in most septic systems, the tank and drainage fields are located well below the frost line.

Tim Carter

October 21, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

SMOKING GUN - DOWNSPOUT DRAIN PIPE
SATURDAY MEET AND GREET
BROKEN LINK IN LAST NEWSLETTER
SWINGING DOORS
NEW HAMPSHIRE PHOTO ALBUM
MEETING THE CANDIDATES
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

SMOKING GUN - DOWNSPOUT DRAIN PIPE

This morning, I was on the phone with Greg. He had purchased one of my 15-Minute Phone Consults. Greg had a damp basement issue. When he first purchased the consult, I asked him about the problem and then requested he send me photos of the outside of his house as well as the inside basement walls.

Bingo! When I got to the seventh or eighth photo I saw one of the major issues. At least one of the roof downspouts was dumping water just feet from Greg's foundation. I wrote a column about this and actually did the calculations as to how much water comes off the average roof. Read the column and you'll be amazed!

The bottom line is that once Greg pipes all his roof water to the lowest spot of his property and he installs one of my super-duper Linear French Drains, his basement is going to be much drier.

SATURDAY MEET AND GREET

I had a great response to getting together with you at a local hardware store. I'm all set for this Saturday rain or shine. Let's you and I meet at the Aubuchon Hardware store in Concord, NH at 1:30 p.m. Here's where it's located:

Aubuchon Hardware Store #141
80 South Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
603-228-5500

Rod Hunt gets the honorary award for Person With the Most Desire to Attend. He lives in Australia and wrote to me that he would love to come, but it's a bit of a trip. I also heard from many others who had conflicts or it was too far to come. Thanks for contacting me telling me of your interest. I'm trying to figure out a way to do these on a regional basis. At the very least as I travel to conferences and other events, I'm going to plan these realizing that not everyone lives close to me.

One of the things I'll be talking about this Saturday, while in the store, are ideas I have that will allow you to drastically cut your heating bills this winter. I've been testing some things and the results are very promising. I'm also going to debunk some myths.

Remember, the cost to attend this event is nothing. You just have to get to the hardware store in Concord.

BROKEN LINK IN LAST NEWSLETTER

One of the links in the last newsletter was broken. I hate when that happens. It was a mistake on my part. The link will take you to an Eco Starter Kit that allows you to become part of the Green Movement and helping you to save the environment. You can purchase a kit that has things that can make you greener than a seasick person on a ferry boat crashing through 20-foot seas. Now don't take that to mean this product will make you sick. It was a pun!

SWINGING DOORS

Kathy from Milwaukee wrote to me today saying, "I would like to install a swinging door between my kitchen and dining room.  I can not find these types of door anywhere.  How do I install this type of door?  Is it just a regular wooden door without the handle (with window) and special hardware?"

That's an easy one! Kathy, those doors are just solid doors that come with no hinge mortises nor any cuts. These pristine doors are commonly called slabs. It's best to get a solid-core door for this, but hollow-core can work. If you want glass in the door, you'll have to go to a real lumber yard and order the door from a catalog. There are websites that sell these special doors.

You then need special hardware that creates the top and bottom hinge points. This is available from real hardware stores that sell an assortment of door locks, hinges, cabinet knobs and all sorts of decorative hardware.

Finally, the door edge that is on the hinge side needs to be milled with rounded edges instead of square edges. This needs to be done to prevent the door from rubbing against the jamb. You can do this at your house with a router and a round-over bit.

NEW HAMPSHIRE PHOTO ALBUM

I created a public photo album on Google Picasa to share with you some of the things I've been seeing over the past month. Autumn is my favorite season, and here are some photos that should explain why I moved here. Pay attention to the captions as they help explain where the photo was taken. All the photos that don't have me in them were taken by yours truly. Brent Walter took the photos where you see me.

If you're driving around New Hampshire, start paying attention to license plates. You may get behind me, and if so, honk! People up here seem to have a love affair with vanity plates. The one I got serves double duty. See if you can figure both of the things it stands for. I'll tell you in the next issue.

Editor's Note: The link to Google Picasa no longer works. Google has dropped Picasa.

MEETING THE CANDIDATES

In today's mail, I got a postcard from a candidate running for state representative here in New Hampshire. Her name is Kate Miller. On the card was her phone number and email address. Kate said on the card, "Call her at XXX-XXXX to let her know what issues are important to you."

So by gosh I called. I got her answering machine, but several hours ago she called me back. We talked for about ten minutes and I asked if she was going to have any public appearances where I could see her face to face. Kate said, "Why don't we just meet at the Village Perk near the Town Hall for a cup of coffee?" Bingo! We're getting together on Monday.

I only bring this up to urge you to get involved. I realize you and I can't meet every candidate, but there are usually websites that list who the candidates are and where they stand on an issue. Many candidates have their own websites. Educate yourself before the election and please vote. Election day is right around the corner. You must make informed decisions that day or suffer the consequences.

LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEO

Do you have cracks in your blacktop drive? Would you like some secret tips to fill and hide them? I thought so!

If you have a lot of logs to split and not much time or muscle, you may want to watch my latest video on hydraulic log splitters.

Index of past newsletters.

Fire Pit

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: Last night I sat around a fire pit at a friend's house. Everything about this magical outdoor fire pit, including the occasional puff of smoke, was enjoyable. I've decided I want to build a fire pit. What's involved? Is it a good idea to have a patio fire pit or should I consider a garden fire pit? Do you have to have a fire-pit ring? Valerie C., Brant, MI

DEAR VALERIE: You and I, and thousands of other people, were doing the same thing last night. It was a glorious autumn evening and I watched the last rays of sunlight wash the trees across the lake from my house with my back to the fire. Unfortunately the previous owner of the house I moved into made several mistakes when he built my backyard fire pit. I think he was a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning from all the gas that washes over you as you sit in front of my fire pit. Next spring I intend to move mine.

The first thing you need to do before you get out your shovel and order the material to build your new fire pit is to check with your local officials. There are many communities that are starting to restrict outdoor fires for all sorts of reasons. At the very least, there may be zoning regulations that control if you can build an outdoor fire pit, and if so, its size and where it can be located on your property. Don't overlook this important step.

This fire pit, while attractive, was built in the wrong location by a homeowner who didn't orient it to the view and prevailing wind direction. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This fire pit, while attractive, was built in the wrong location by a homeowner who didn't orient it to the view and prevailing wind direction. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

There are countless fire-pit designs. Some are as simple as the traditional campfire surrounded by a ring of rock. A friend of mine built a fire pit in the middle of his patio and had a welder make a five-foot diameter steel fire pit ring. This homeowner set the top of the steel fire pit ring flush with his brick pavers for a very sleek look.

When I relocate my fire pit in the spring, I'll use large rounded boulders that currently form the back wall of my fire pit. These rocks will be about 9 inches higher than the surface of my patio. The inner diameter of my fire pit will be no less than 5 feet and there's a good chance I'll make it 6 feet in diameter.

The previous homeowner who built my fire pit made two enormous mistakes. The first one was to ignore the natural view. In my case, the patio is immediately adjacent to a very large lake. The fire pit is on the house side of the patio and your back is to the magnificent lake view when you look at the fire. I plan to move the fire pit so that you can see the fire easily and view the lake to the left of the flames.

The second mistake that was made was failure to orient the fire pit with respect to the prevailing winds. More often than not when you are sitting at my fire pit you're bathed in smoke as the patio is downwind of the fire. I can't believe the owner made this basic mistake. The new location will allow the smoke to drift over the lake and away from my patio most of the time. There will be occasions when the wind will shift, but for the most part I'll be smoke-free sitting on the patio.

Consult with your local fire department's fire-prevention officer. She/he may be able to offer some great tips so that you don't set your house on fire, your neighbors' and/or the woods around your home. Be sure you assemble some basic fire-fighting tools and supplies to have at the ready when you do decide to have a roaring fire. A charged garden hose is a must if it's available.

I prefer to build a fire pit that's recessed in the ground about 9 to 12 inches. It's best to construct a gravel-lined drainage ditch away from the bottom of the fire pit to a low spot on your property. This feature prevents standing water from laying in your fire pit. The last thing you want is to have to bail out black ash-laden water some evening when you want to build a fire.

As the trench leaves your pit you can install a drainage pipe to channel the water. Be careful if you choose to use plastic pipe. Don't extend the pipe into the fire pit as the heat of the fire and the coals will melt it in short order. I plan to use a cast-iron pipe in my fire pit to eliminate the possibility of problems.

If you decide to build an outdoor fire pit and you have neighbors who live nearby, you can maintain friendly relations with them if you take the time to burn only very dry wood. Wet wood creates vast amounts of smoke that pollutes the air and irritates neighbors. Dry wood releases far less unburned combustible material into the air.

Never burn garbage, plastic or anything other than wood in your fire pit. Different man-made objects can release very toxic gases as they burn. You can poison yourself, your friends or neighbors.

Use common sense in dry weather when there is a possibility of wild fires or forest fires. Follow all outdoor fire bans in dry weather or periods of low humidity and high winds. The seemingly simple fire in your outdoor fire pit can kill people and cause millions of dollars of damage in very short order if conditions are favorable.

Column 749

Hydraulic Log Splitter Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Look at the size of this log. Do you think I want to be carrying these around all day? Forget about it. When I have a lot of logs to split and a small amount of time, my weapon of choice is a gas-power, hydraulic log splitter. This is a massive hydraulic log splitter with 27-ton of power and it can handle longs up to 24 inch long and up to 24 or 30 inches in diameter.

Before you start using one of these log splitters, stop and get out the owner’s manual and read the safety instructions. The more complicated the tool, the more that can go wrong and the more serious the injuries.

The first step is turning the engine on to power the hydraulic pump. Then place a log on the splitter bed against the stop and turn on the hydraulic jack. Tell me that is not sweet!

If you do not want to lift the large, heavy logs and carry them over to set on the log splitter, because it is too much hard work. With this model hydraulic log splitter, you can tilt it up into a vertical position. Now instead of the piston going sideways, it goes up and down. Roll one of the logs onto the splitter stop, start the engine, pull the handle and the log is split with no lifting.

Tim Carter

October 16, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue?

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR
MEET AND GREET
THE GREEN MOVEMENT
TALE OF WOE
FINAL CALL FOR STAIN SOLVER SALE
LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEOS

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

Four days ago you tilted my email Inbox. I asked for your suggestions about the booklets that are needed to get all of us through these tough economic times. I got so many responses that I'm still sifting through them. I can't thank you enough. Already I'm able to see some clear patterns with respect to where you need help. This is going to be an interesting project.

The ideas you came up with are fantastic. Some of the projects you suggested are really ambitious in that instead of being a booklet, they would become 1,000 page encyclopedias! Those will have to wait, as my intention is for these short booklets to be no more than ten or twenty pages of text with a few photos to show the mission-critical steps.

I'm trying to write about things I'm confident you can do with little help from others. Money is tight so I want to create a product that shows you how to do the job yourself, will save you hundreds of dollars and empower you with a series of small successes. Once you gain confidence with some of these smaller projects, then you can move on to bigger jobs. 

I was very surprised at the number of projects that were suggested that I've already covered in either past columns of mine or EBooks I have already written. For example, you may have asked me for a booklet on installing Crown Molding. I've had that available for nearly 8 years. I got many requests for booklets on what it takes to Paint Kitchen Cabinets. I wrote that one about 7 years ago. You may have asked about the newer Instantaneous Water Heaters, well I wrote all about those six years ago.

It's tough to market all those things on one page of a website. I urge you to always use the search engine at the top of every page of my website. If you dig down into the search results, you may be amazed at what you will discover. As for completed booklets,  my suggestion to you now is to check to see if I already have what you need. You can do that at this page of my website.

The booklet titles on this page will soon start to grow, and as I complete each title, it will be offered to you first here on this private list.

Once again I thank you for emailing me. It's a joy to read your emails so keep them coming.

MEET AND GREET

I would love to meet you. Do you live within an hour's drive of Concord, New Hampshire? Would you be interested in coming to a local hardware store in Concord to hang out with me for 90 minutes or so? We could talk about a project you're planning or maybe I can help you selecting a product or tool. The only cost would be your time and the gasoline to get you there. If you're interested, I need to know as soon as possible. I was thinking of doing this on Saturday October 25th. Please email me now so I can tell the store how many people will be coming. Once I pull this together, I'll send a notice as to the time, place, directions, etc.

THE GREEN MOVEMENT

I've been slow to jump into the fray about the Green Movement that many are smitten with. This isn't because I'm anti-green. Anyone who knows about my recent move to New Hampshire knows I purchased 10,000 years or more of *carbon offsets* when I purchased my 90 acres of dense woods. I have tens of thousands of trees on the property now and 1,000 or more new trees are planted each year. My guess is my trees are manufacturing enormous amounts of oxygen each year by consuming tons of carbon dioxide each day. I have a mix of hardwoods and evergreens, so the evergreens can be true workhorses each day of the year.

I absolutely feel you and I need to do everything to conserve natural resources. Common sense tells us that each year there are more people on this fragile sphere that's hurdling through space. We have a finite amount of space and resources. We must limit or eliminate polluting our ecosystem. That's non-negotiable.

But what's been troubling me is the marketing I see. Some manufacturers are jumping on the green bandwagon using the green movement to sell. A product that's the same thing it was five years ago is all of a sudden green. That makes me lift an eyebrow as well it should with you. I ask all the time why it wasn't important five years ago to talk about these things, but now it is.

My daughter Meghan interviewed a green expert, and taped two videos with this amazing woman, Debra Green. Seriously, that's her name. Here are the two videos:

 
 
Going Green

If you are trying to become more eco-friendly and aren't sure where to start, you may want to look at this product that was sent to me to evaluate. It's a kit that can get you started down the green pathway in case you are procrastinating. I tried to discover from their website who the owners are and who is behind this product line, but I had no luck. I know the company's in Milwaukee, but that's about it. If you're a better detective than I am, please let me know what you discovered.

To discover more about the Green Kit, check out the Eco Starter Kit from eco hatchery.

TALE OF WOE

Steve Kennedy lives in Cincinnati, OH. He contracted to have some colored stamped concrete installed at his house. He had some issues with the quality of the concrete. You should really watch the amazing video he produced.

The lesson here is that exterior decorative concrete, while gorgeous and amazing, can be very unforgiving if things go wrong. In Steve's case a hammer drill and some colored cement stucco will solve the issue. The repair will never look perfect, but it will look lots better than it does now.

If you are a contractor who does work for homeowners, you absolutely positively MUST watch the video. If this doesn't teach you to be responsive to your customer's requests, nothing will.

FINAL CALL FOR STAIN SOLVER SALE

The huge sale I announced four days ago about Stain Solver has been such a huge success we are nearly sold out. If you want to get the 25 percent discount you only have three days left. The same goes for that classic 6-pound size. We're nearly sold out. If you want only six pounds, you have to act now. Once we sell out, the next size up from 4 pounds will be 8 pounds. If you are a new subscriber in the past four days, go to the Stain Solver website to see what the buzz is all about.

The promo code for the 25 percent savings is:  kathy25   Remember, use lower case. (Offer expires October 19, 2008)

LATEST COLUMN AND VIDEOS

Hardwood repair to flooring is a tough job. Read why you may want to hire a pro for this job.

Log splitting can be fun and hard work. Discover what is the best way for you to do log splitting.

Have you seen the cool Manual Log Splitter? It's a great way to contribute to the Green Movement.

Index of past newsletters.

Blacktop Crack

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I have a blacktop crack that needs to be repaired. I've tried different blacktop-crack-seal products, but some have been messy. Is there an easy-to-apply blacktop crack sealer that produces great results? What is a good way to seal blacktop cracks to prevent water penetration? Maggie S., Athens, OH

DEAR MAGGIE: Blacktop crack repair can be a little messy for any number of reasons. I remember clearly years ago using a putty knife and a large bucket of sticky asphalt to patch cracks in driveways. No matter how hard I tried to stay clean, I had that black goo on my hands and lower arms.

There are any number of newer products that are somewhat easier to work with. One blacktop crack filler is a pourable product that works well in warmer temperatures. You can also use a blacktop crack filler that is applied with a standard caulk gun. I prefer this product as I seem to have the best control when tooling the crack sealant into the crack. Since the cracks themselves are unsightly, there's no need to make things look worse with crack sealant that's spread unevenly on the pavement.

This blacktop crack can be repaired with a simple caulk gun and a tube of asphalt crack sealant. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This blacktop crack can be repaired with a simple caulk gun and a tube of asphalt crack sealant. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The best way, in my opinion, to apply the blacktop crack sealants is to stop and read all of the instructions on the product label. You need to be sure you have all of the right tools and products to ensure successful completion of the job. All too often people forget a very important step or two when sealing blacktop cracks.

When you read the label and instructions on some of the products, you will probably discover they mention the use of a backer rod. A backer rod is usually a foam product that is pushed down into a deep crack to save you money and help improve the appearance of the repair. The foam backer rods look like miniature garden hoses and come in different diameters and lengths.

Many of the blacktop-crack-repair products shrink in volume as they dry and cure. If you apply the minimum amount of material as is called for in the instructions, the shrinkage will be minimal. But all too often someone in a hurry will simply fill the deep crack with the crack filler. When the product dries, there is a noticeable depression in the crack. What's more, the person wasted valuable material deep in the crack where it's not needed.

Usually the depth of the crack filler should be equal to or slightly greater than the width of the crack being sealed. The instructions on the label of a crack sealer I just used said that the maximum thickness of the crack sealants shouldn't exceed one-half inch. It also said that the maximum width of a crack shouldn't exceed one-quarter inch.

It's important for you to make sure the crack is cleaned of all loose debris and that the blacktop is dry. Once again, read the instructions on the product you intend to use as some may allow you to apply the sealant to damp blacktop. This is often the case if the sealant is water-based.

Temperature can also be an issue. Most blacktop crack sealants can't be applied in cold weather. The label will once again tell you the minimum temperature for good results. But be careful as you need to understand that the minimum temperature usually extends to the entire drying and curing time. This means that if the label says not to use the product below 40 F, then if the daytime high is 40 F and the temperature is expected to drop into the 20's F hours after you apply it, there can be product failure.

Blacktop crack repair is important for any number of reasons. Water that enters the crack can penetrate the gravel base and work its way into the soil below the blacktop. If this happens, mud can be pumped up into the gravel. The mud can lubricate the gravel causing it to shift as cars and trucks drive across the blacktop.

If you live in a cold climate, the water is more sinister. In really wet weather, the water can fill up and stand within the crack. If the temperature drops below 32 F, the water can freeze. When water freezes it expands nine percent in volume. This expansion can cause the crack to get bigger or cause more severe damage to the blacktop. The best way to extend the life of blacktop is to keep cracks filled.

Column 748

October 12, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

SPECIAL EDITION

This is a quick newsletter blast that has some big news, and I need your help again. I'm going to have some new-product news to share in about three or four days, so watch for that. There will be some cool video links in the next issue as well.

What's in This Issue

Scary Economic News
Stain Solver and the Economy

SCARY ECONOMIC NEWS

If you're not fretting about the economic news, then you're incredibly lucky. Today, I attended the annual meeting of my subdivision Association. The house I bought here in New Hampshire is part of a 60-lot development. The outgoing president of the Association, Matt, made a statement that his 401K plan was now a 125K plan because of the historic downturn in the stock market. That comment brought only polite laughter as everyone in the room was suffering.

Kathy and I have decided to substantially restrain our spending, and maybe you've decided to do the same. This preserves cash as none of us knows how long things will take to get back to normal. The trouble with this mindset is that it can actually make things worse. Consumer spending makes up a majority of our economy. If we all stop spending money, tens of thousands of companies will go out of business making the current mess seem like a walk in the park. It's really a conundrum.

My gut tells me that for our economy to get stronger again, we're going to have to go back in time and live like our parents. This means you and l should start to build a decent savings account and when borrowing money, do so conservatively.

Once again I need your help. I've decided to budget a significant amount of time to help you through this economic turmoil. You're probably stuck in your current home, and will not be able to sell it anytime soon. This means that you'll need to make improvements and you probably will not be hiring contractors to do it as cash is tight.

What quick step-by-step booklets, with photos and videos, can I produce to help you:

1. Do needed repairs
2. Save energy
3. Make simple improvements that will brighten your home

Think about the top three projects you would like to tackle, and I'll roll up my sleeves and start writing the quick guide booklets for you.

Here's my offer. The first 50 people who give me three great suggestions for the subject matter in these guides, I'll give you a secret promo code to get a 40% discount on anything you want from my store. I'll send you the promo code as soon as I determine who the 50 are. Remember, you MUST give me three titles or distinct topics.

If you're not one of the first 50, keep reading as I have something for you that should be of great interest.

STAIN SOLVER AND THE ECONOMY

If you're a seasoned subscriber to this newsletter, then you know that the last time I had a promotion about Stain Solver was when I moved into the new warehouse back in August. Since that time, there are nearly 10,000 new subscribers who receive this newsletter. If you're one of the new subscribers, I feel you need to experience the crazy Stain Solver sales I have from time to time. The last sale was so successful we completely sold out of all the material we had in stock. Kathy, my wife, was about to choke my guts out, she and Ellen had to work so hard to fill the orders. Ellen is in charge of the Stain Solver operation, and she was not too happy as well.

Kathy and I own Stain Solver - it's this crazy little cottage business we started 12 years ago to help us survive as I made the switch from full-time builder to full-time writer. Well, it's time for a crazy sale - really crazy.

First, Stain Solver is a great product for these harsh economic times. It's an oxygen-bleach cleaner that removes the toughest stains out of just about anything. Since times are tough and you can't buy those new clothes you might want or you need to clean the worn carpet in your house, Stain Solver can make those things look fantastic. There are literally hundreds of things around your house both inside and out, that you can restore by cleaning them with Stain Solver.

If you're embracing the Green Movement, then you have to love Stain Solver. When you mix the powder with water, all you get are billions of oxygen ions, more water and a little bit of natural soda ash! No toxic chemicals, no odors, no danger to plants, etc. It's simply a wonderful product.

So here's the great news! When we moved into the new warehouse, we needed to conserve space. To do that, I've introduced these cool new containers that save more of our planet's natural resources. With these new containers, I'm using far less packaging materials. Wait until you see these cute little buckets Kathy and I are using for our  bigger sizes. And to save even more of the planet's natural resources, Kathy and I have decided to eliminate one of sizes we've had since we started the company.

We are phasing out our six-pound size forever. If you want to be one of the last people to order this size, the time is now, and I mean now. Once we sell out of this size, which I expect will happen rapidly with this announcement, then all you will be able to get is the 8-pound size. Furthermore, we're replacing the 12-pound size with a new 16-pound tub of Stain Solver. Confused yet? Here's the rundown:

After we sell out of the six-pound size, we will offer Stain Solver in 4, 8, 16 and 50-pound quantities. That's still a wide range of sizes, so you will be able to match the size you need to the job you have. We discovered that you wanted the new 16-pound size to do those larger jobs where 12 pounds simply wasn't enough.

You need to know that Kathy is the chief financial officer of the company. I'm just the creative guy. I had to do some negotiating with her to get permission to offer you this insane sale price.

Kathy said that for the next week only I can give you 25% off any size of Stain Solver. If you're a long time subscriber to this newsletter you know a sale like this is about as common as a priest at a high-stakes poker game.

I urge you to act now. Go to the Stain Solver website now and read the customer reviews, look at the before and after photos and see all of the stains it will clean. And don't forget about the guarantee ..... You'll see that once you get there.

Here's the promo code for this sale: kathy25

http://www.StainSolver.com

The sale ends in just seven days. (Sale ended on October 19, 2008.)  If you procrastinate, you'll regret it.

Watch for the next newsletter in just a few days.

Thanks as always for your support and kind words.

Index of past newsletters.