Screened Porch Design

Posted on by Tim Carter
screened-in porch

This screened-in porch needs a paint job, but its design is perfect. I know as the owner still compliments me 20 years after I built it. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: The next project at my home is a screened porch. I have looked at many screened-porch plans, but none of them really excite me. While looking at some pictures of screened-in porches, I have some really good ideas about what I want in my screened porch design. What should I take into consideration in this planning phase so that I end up with the perfect screened-in porch? Caroline M., Belmont, NH

DEAR CAROLINE: Screened-porch designs, and I mean good ones, are often hard to discover. My feeling about this stems from the fact that most of the ones I have seen seem to be mutations of decks that are just thrown onto the rear or side of a home. You have to keep many things in mind when you decide to build a screened porch.

The first thing you need to consider is the size of the screened porch. One really effective way to create the floor plan is to buy the furniture you intend to use on the porch before you build the structure. Set the furniture up in your yard spacing it exactly as you intend to place it on the finished screened porch. Be sure you have the spacing correct so people can walk freely around the chairs, tables and any decorative items you may have.

Use string to create the outline of the porch so you can see the shape and get fairly accurate measurements. My guess is that you will discover that you need a screened porch that measures at least 15 feet by 15 feet to seat at least eight or more people comfortably.

The outside design should match the style and character of your home. This means you should copy the roof pitch as well as the exterior trim details. The overhang of the screened-in porch needs to match your existing one or be in scale if your home is a two story.

Be very aware of interior hallways or pathways within the floor plan of the porch if you plan to have a door leading from the porch to your yard. A doorway will often consume 15 or 20 square feet of floor space inside the screened porch, especially if it is placed in a corner.

I urge you to give serious consideration to a vaulted ceiling inside the screened porch. This design detail is magical as it creates a feeling of immense spaciousness. A vaulted ceiling also helps keep the porch slightly cooler as hot air can easily rise up to the highest point of the roof and exit through ventilation devices installed with the roofing.

Your outdoor screened-in porch design should include soft indirect lighting that bounces off the ceiling as well as task lighting over a table. You want to be able to see what you are eating or what cards you were dealt as that poker game extends into the night.

Be sure to plan for adequate electric outlets in key locations where you might place a television, sound system or any other appliance than needs electricity. You must avoid extension cords at all costs, as they can be very dangerous.

You are going to get many pleasant benefits from your new screened porch, but be aware there are undesirable secondary effects that catch people off guard. These structures are almost always added to a home. The natural light entering the finished room that abuts the screened porch is always significantly diminished. That room will be dark and gloomy, so it may need additional artificial lighting to compensate. You can add skylights in the screened porch to help get additional light into the house.

Be sure the walls of the screened porch are tall enough so that views are not blocked by the roof overhang, any beams that are supporting the roof and the actual finished framing around the screens. You may discover that you need a wall height of at least 9 feet to ensure the views from the porch are only obscured by the screening itself.

The flooring of the screened porch is important. It needs to be weatherproof and good looking at the same time. Be aware that tiny bugs can come up through any cracks or gaps in the flooring unless you have screening that extends all the way to the ground around the structure. The roof will protect the flooring from much of the sunlight, but driving rain will get the floor wet on many occasions.

Be sure to include a powerful ceiling fan in your design. You may need the air movement on evenings or days that are hot and devoid of wind or breezes. A high-quality ceiling fan will be whisper quiet or completely silent so you can hear nothing but the pleasant sounds of nature just the other side of the screening.

Related Column:

Create a Utility Screened Porch

Column 729

How to Pressure Wash Your Roof Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from companies who will clean your roof for you.

Roof cleaning may sound crazy, but cleaning roof shingles is a task many homeowners must do. Check the video for the moss, lichen and algae on Tim’s own roof. You can use a pressure washer to safely clean your asphalt shingles.

A pressure washer can damage roof shingles. You must use the correct spray wand tip when cleaning your roof. The 25 degree spray nozzle is generally the best choice. It will provide a fantastic stream of water to dislodge the moss and algae without damaging the shingles.

Try to stand on a dry portion of the roof when you work. Wet shingles can be really slippery. Always aim the pressure washer down the roof. Never aim it up the roof, as it can blast water under your shingles and cause leaks in your home.

Keep the tip of the pressure washer wand at least 12" away from the shingle surface when you begin cleaning. Clean off one shingle and check to see if the pressure washer is stripping away any of the colored granules off the shingles. Adjust the distance between the spray nozzle tip and the roof shingles to get maximum cleaning without damaging the shingles. Constantly stop and inspect the shingles to ensure no damage.

If done properly, you can remove years of algae growth, moss and lichen off your roof. And with no damage to the roof or to yourself. Just take your time.

This very controversial video was shared in Tim's July 11, 2014 Newsletter.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from companies who will clean your roof for you.

Drilling Holes for PVC Pipe Fittings Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Here is a tip to remember when drilling holes for PVC pipe fittings. If your job requires that a PVC fitting be partial inside a stud, be sure to drill the right size hole. In a prior job, Tim was working with 1-1/2" PVC, so he knew that he needed to drill a 2-1/8" diameter hole for the pipe. But he soon discovered a little problem.

Looking at the sample holes, the PVC pipe fitting hub will not fit into a 2-1/8" diameter hole. It is large than the opening. Instead of having to spend time enlarging the hole you just drilled, be sure to drill a 2-9/16" diameter hole. This size will accommodate the PVC pipe fitting hub.

So before you start drilling holes in your studs for your plumbing project, think it through. Figure out if any fittings will be inside studs. If so, drill the right hole, the first time.

Right Angle Drill Versus a Hole Saw Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Tim is getting ready to install a new sink drain. The drain requires a 2-1/8" diameter hole drilled through a 2x4 bottom plate and a 3/4" thick subfloor. Or about 2-1/4" wood thickness. Normally, a hole for a drain would be done with a hole saw. However, hole saws are only good for drilling through material about an inch thick.

As an alternative, try a half inch, right angle drill. These drills delivery incredible power to the drill bit on the end of the shaft. The right angle drill turns at a slower speed than a regular drill, but has a high power output. This drill will allow you to drill through that bottom plate and subfloor quickly. It also drills a very precise hole.

As Tim states, "There is nothing like the smell of pine shavings in the morning."

This set up will drill a hole through all the wood and allows the PVC pipe to be run to the basement. To do the job correctly, you have to have the right tool and drill bit. Even if you have visit your local tool rental store. It will save you time and money.

Plumbing Vent Pipe Tip Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Plumbing Vent Pipe Tip

What do you do when you are installing a sink and there is an obstacle in the way for the vent pipe? The code requires a cross vent pipe to be installed and connected to the existing vent pipe. If there is a copper water supply line in your way, you could cut the copper supply line, redirect it and solder it back together. There has to be an easier way.

There might be - look up! The code does not state where the cross vent pipe goes. You might be able to run the cross pipe above the copper supply line. In the video, the cross vent pipe can be installed above the copper line supplying water to the shower head. Just drill through some studs to run it to the existing vent line.

So if you run into what might at first appear to be an obstacle, stop and think it through. Look for alternatives that will work. You might have to talk to a local inspector to see if there is an alternative that will work on your project.

May 23, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

MY LAUNDRY ROOM
HOME DEPOT AND LOWES COMMENTS
MEMORIAL DAY WORK WARNING
OXYGEN BLEACH

My Laundry Room

This weekend I am switching out all of the cabinets in my laundry room. This room is not in my basement where many washers and dryers are located. I am also adding a few extra cabinets that should have been installed when I built my house. It is going to be a fun little project that I hope produces one or two informative videos. You will see before and after photos as well as videos.

I wanted to mention that the new cabinets are not the normal 30-inch high ones. The bad boys that were just delivered yesterday are 42-inches high, so we will gain about 15 extra cubic feet of storage space than we currently have. The plan is to put things up high that are not used that often.

Many people forget about these taller wall cabinets when remodeling a bathroom, kitchen or a laundry room. They usually are pretty affordable, so I urge you to consider them when looking at wall cabinets.

One of the videos I plan to tape is about my dryer-vent pipe. Years ago, I was an idiot and installed the outlet for the dryer down low at floor height since that is where the outlet is on the dryer. Let me tell you that is a mistake. Wait until you see what I am doing to make it super easy to get my dryer in and out of the space at any time. It will take only 30 seconds to disconnect the vent pipe from the wall.

I also plan to show you in a video the way I bring water to my washing machine so it is easy to turn off and on. You really need to be able to easily and quickly turn the water on and off to the washing machine in case you leave your home at any time. About five years ago, one of the supply hoses to my washer burst. Luckily, we were eating dinner at the time and I heard it leaking. Since then I installed burst-proof hoses. But the key is to have handy valves you can turn in case of a problem or to ensure the water is only on when the washing machine needs water.

As for dryer venting, I want to hear from you with any and all questions you have about dryer vents. I will do my best to get answers to you as fast as possible.

Home Depot and Lowes Comments

In last week's newsletter, I had a minor rant about Home Depot and Lowes. As expected, I received other comments.

Martin Brummel took the opportunity to let off some steam. He wrote:

"On your statement about the big box stores, I could not agree with you more. The public does not realize that the box store's pricing on a lot of their items are more than if you search out your local lumber or supply houses. Also, your local suppliers are usually home-grown businesses, and they will almost certainly go the extra step for you, and will work even more diligently with you if there are any problems with the products that they sell. You can talk to almost anyone, and they will have a story about a big-box store that had ordered and / or installed products, for them or their friends, and the disasters that followed. I am a contractor and have been so for over 20 years, and I almost always use the local suppliers because the service and quality is  always better. I always wonder why a professional contractor would ever exclusively use the big-box stores. Bigger isn't always better. Thanks for letting me vent."

A few hours later I got this email from Tim Chapin in Macedonia, OH:

"Hey, you are right about prices at Home Depot and Lowe's.  Another item that I've found huge mark ups is on HVAC sheet metal parts. Go to your local HVAC contractor supply houses and you can save a fortune, and have a way-better selection. I'll never buy a pipe or boot from either Home Depot or Lowe's again.
I think the worst thing they do though is put a lot of materials in people's hands that, if not used properly, can lead them to kill themselves. Some jobs should be left to the professionals. And, just so you know, I'm not a contractor!"

I share these wonderful comments in an effort to help. So you know, I did not get any emails taking me to the woodshed. When I get emails or calls putting me in a bad light for crossing the line or making a mistake, I absolutely publish those as well. I try to be like Fox News - Fair and Balanced. (Ouch, I can hear the emails on that one now!)

Memorial Day Work Warning!!!

Cleaning with Oxygen BleachMany people do larger outdoor projects on the first real weekend of summer. One of them is wood deck cleaning and sealing.  I have a huge category at AsktheBuilder.com all about Deck Maintenance.

But here is the bottom line:

  • Avoid cleaning your deck with a pressure washer. They can cause severe damage by eroding the soft spring wood that is in between the darker bands of summer wood
  • Avoid using Chlorine Bleach as a cleaning solution. The chemical name for this product is Sodium Hypochlorite. Look for that on the label of anything you are thinking of buying. Chlorine bleach is highly toxic to all nearby vegetation, including trees. It takes the color out of the wood. It can accelerate the corrosion of all fasteners and metal framing components. It is better to use Oxygen Bleach. Read the next item in this newsletter for a special offer.
  • Be sure to seal the deck with a sealer that is made from synthetic resins. These products are not food for mildew and algae. I talk about these in great detail in many of my past Deck Sealer columns that can be found in the Deck Maintenance category.

Over the years I have received countless emails and calls from people who have either ruined their decks or had a professional ruin it with a pressure washer. Be careful with those machines around wood!

Oxygen Bleach

I sell oxygen bleach, and have done so for about 13 years. The name of my product is called Stain Solver. Years ago, I was exposed to the product when doing research for a deck-cleaning column. When I heard about it, it was one of those classic Too-Good-To-Be-True products. Well, guess what? It was and is that good. So good in fact, that my wife and I decided to start to sell the product. Go here to see what else it cleans.

For all of you deck-cleaning warriors, I am offering you this weekend off. How would you like a Super Sale price on the 12 and 50-pound sizes of Stain Solver? This is an amazing offer I will extend until next Wednesday (expired on May 28, 2008) since you may not get this email until next week when you get back to work.

Since the prices of so many other things are going up, I am calling this the Neutralizer Sale. My prices are going down as others go up.

Use this Promo Code for the discount:

20ssdeck (Sorry, the sales has expired.)

Remember, no spaces and lower case. Go here to get some.

BeforeBefore & After Stain Solver is perhaps one of the greenest cleaners out there. My raw materials are made in the USA and the ingredients used to make the active cleaning agent are food-grade approved by the FDA! You can't get much purer and greener than that!

Keep in mind my Stain Solver safely cleans hundreds of other things. For example, I just hung up the phone with June Hunter. She purchased eight pounds of Stain Solver to clean the grout in her kitchen floor. Wow, does it do a good job of cleaning floor grout. I know this first hand as I used it for years on my own kitchen floor grout that would go from light gray to black around the refrigerator. Gray was the original grout color, but my kids would drop food and drinks, and soon enough, Yuck!

Index of past newsletters.

How to Build a Retaining Wall

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: Can you tell me how to build a retaining wall? Are retaining-wall blocks a good choice when building a retaining wall? What mission-critical things do I need to know about these walls so that I do not have a collapse or other failure in the years to come? I have access to lots of large stone. Can I just stack them to make a retaining wall from stone? Janine W., Fort St. John, British Columbia, CA

DEAR JANINE: Retaining wall construction is an art that has been around for thousands of years. You can see them in just about any archaeological photo of ancient building sites. In almost all cases, these long-gone builders used stacked stone to build walls that still are in good shape today. All you have to do is understand what they perfected through trial and error.

Since you live in a cold climate, you have two primary forces of nature that try to make retaining walls fail. The one is gravity, and this affects all retaining walls. The second one is frost in the soil. Natural erosion is working at all retaining walls, but it can be very slow acting, so it is often not a factor.

This retaining wall was built with lots of care and skill. It is still perfect after 20 years of harsh weather. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This retaining wall was built with lots of care and skill. It is still perfect after 20 years of harsh weather. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The soil that you are trying to hold back is being pulled towards the center of the Earth, but there's also a down-slope component as well. You can readily demonstrate this with a small pile of dry sand. Build a small hill using dry sand, and if you take some away at the bottom or the middle the entire face of the hill moves down.

The retaining wall you construct has to be strong enough to offset the pushing force of the soil. Do not underestimate this force as a cubic foot of moist soil can often weigh up to 100 pounds.

Large stones that have lots of surface area touching one another can often do the job. The friction of the stones rubbing against one another works against the pushing force exerted by the soil.

Tall retaining walls are at the greatest risk of failure. As the retaining-wall height increases, the force trying to topple the wall increases by a large factor. For example, if you double the height of a wall, the tipping force may increase by a factor of three or four times!

My advice to you is to take a little road trip around your area to see if you can discover some old retaining walls made from stacked stone. See what kind of condition they are in, and study those that appear to be very old and in great condition. Measure the size of the stones, the height of the wall, what is above the wall and the construction method. Take lots of photographs as they will help you as you start to construct your wall.

Try to keep your retaining wall under 3-feet high. These small walls are fairly easy to construct, and the force of gravity against them is not too great. You may want to construct the wall so it leans back a bit and is not perfectly plumb. This technique offsets the center of gravity of the wall making it harder to tip over.

Frost damage to retaining walls can be sinister. As soil freezes it expands. On a normal flat area, this expansion force is normally in the up and down direction. Builders know this as frost heave, and water-works employees know that this pressure cracks water mains underground.

But the frost can push sideways when it is adjacent to a retaining wall. Frost will relieve its expansion pressure using the path of least resistance. Since the ground freezes from the top down, it pushes sideways against the top of the retaining wall where the leverage force against the wall is greatest. One way to minimize frost damage to retaining walls is to backfill the wall with a well-drained material. Rounded gravel is ideal. The soil itself needs to be well drained so that water can't build up behind the retaining wall.

Retaining walls can be constructed with many materials: wood, poured concrete, concrete block, decorative stackable concrete block, etc. The science and engineering of retaining walls is very complex, so do not try to do a tall wall without an engineered solution.

Loads on top of a retaining wall also must be considered. If you have a flat area adjacent to the top of a retaining wall and park a heavy vehicle on the surface, the weight of the vehicle also pushes against the wall.

Be sure the base of the retaining wall is set down in solid soil. Do not just install the first row of stone on the top soil. The organic material in the soil is not a sound foundation for the wall. Be aware of soil creep. The soil itself is being pulled down slope each year by gravity and frost.

Column 728

May 20, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

FEEDBACK!
HOME DEPOT AND LOWES IN THE NEWS
LOW WATER FLOW
MY ROOF
TALK TO ME

Feedback!

As you might expect, the unusual piece I did in last-week's newsletter about my phone call with US Senator Jon Kyl generated some great responses. You can't believe how much I value the effort made when you reach out to me. It makes all of what I do worthwhile.

Here are a just a few of the messages I received:

Matt Reeder from Columbus, Ohio wrote,

"I am a huge advocate on something called the fair tax. There is a huge grassroots organization in place. Check out fairtax.org Congressman Linder and Neil Boortz have written 2 books on the subject. Next time you are on a plane I would suggest the read."

Not too long after his email, I heard from Jenny who also lives in Ohio. She wrote:

"As the wife of a committed public servant. What you have said resonates with me and I congratulate you for your service. The fact that you are a flat-tax advocate makes you a voice of reason in a very crowded Internet world.
I'm an aspiring, stubborn do-it-yourselfer who found your site by home improvement searches. I am now a devotee because you provide an easy to follow format for diy'ers and share very common sense beliefs.
We live in Northeast Ohio....the rust belt. Should you find yourself in this neck of the woods, please let us know. We are very active, know many like-minded folks and will go shoulder to shoulder with you to advance the cause!!"

Then an hour or so later Joseph Broder from up east in Connecticut emailed me. He definitely had some first-hand experience in the subject. Check out what he said:

"You are spot on about contacting one's elected representatives. Having served in the Connecticut state legislature and on the Glastonbury, CT town council, I can attest to the fact that few constituents ever bother to make contact. Accordingly, when I would receive more than a few contacts on a particular subject, it usually made a significant impression. (Of course, if the contacts appeared to be an orchestrated effort, the contacts were sometimes suspect.) Actually, even a single contact, thoughtfully expressed, would often move me and/or colleagues to investigate or act on a particular issue or matter."

I don't know about you, but the message is crystal clear. Together we can make a difference. Please consider taking some of your daily energy and allocate it to a cause you are passionate about.

Home Depot and Lowes in the News

Today as I was eating breakfast, I saw a small article in the paper about how Lowes is suffering from lower earnings. They expect Home Depot to report similar numbers to their stockholders. The housing slump and soft economy are no doubt to blame.

If you are a long-term subscriber, you know that I am not a huge fan of either giant retailer. Yes, they offer convenient shopping hours and one-stop shopping, but as far as I am concerned, that is where it ends. I know you might have a connection to one of these companies, so please hear me out.

One of the things that gets stuck in my craw is the perception they create about having low prices on all things. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just a month ago, I discovered that I could get crown molding from a lumber yard for 65 percent less than what it was being sold for at Home Depot. I am talking about the exact same item, not a substitute.

There are many other examples I could draw upon, but that is not the point. In these tough times economically (gasoline above $4.00 per gallon!), we all need to preserve cash. I urge you to really spend some time calling around to other businesses before you start your next project. You may discover what I already know - that I often can get better prices, better quality and better service shopping at places other than the big box stores.

Low Water Flow

I get many questions about mysterious low-pressure problems in kitchen and bathroom faucets. The water flow is fine in other fixtures, and this puzzles people.

The cause is almost always related to small pieces of sediment that are clogging the aerator on the faucet or the small port openings in the faucet cartridge. Most of the time it is the aerator at the tip of the faucet.

When you remove the aerator, look up inside the faucet to make sure you have all of the parts. You may see a small plastic disc in the aerator that has tiny holes in it. My guess is you will see little bits of crud there. Use a pin to clean it. If there are hard-water deposits on the aerator, soak it overnight in some warm white vinegar.

My Roof

This summer I am having a new roof installed on my own home. The original shingles are worn out. When I built my home years ago, I installed the roof with some helpers. Time has taken its toll on my body, so I am hiring one of the top roofers in Cincinnati to do the job.

You may be in the same situation. You need a new roof, and do not want to have some bottom feeder up on your roof creating a bunch of leaks. Are you wondering exactly what I did to find the best roofer? It is not as hard as you might think.

Since I can't do a Vulcan mind-meld that would transfer my knowledge into your head like Leonard Nimoy used to do in Star Trek, I did the next best thing. You can use my Roofing Checklist. Actually, it is my New and Improved Checklist.

This checklist ensures you will find the best roofer in your area. There are a series of questions you ask in a face-to-face interview, but more importantly, I give you secret links to four videos I taped that show you the exact method I use to find a pro. It is a bulletproof method. In the videos, I also tell you all about the pitfalls in contracts, plans and specifications and change orders.

My Roofing Checklist also has a really detailed spreadsheet outlining all of the cost items in a regular roofing job in case you want to discover what the materials cost on your job. Also included are all of the really important things I have written about roofs.

All of these money-saving tips and secret techniques in one Instant-Download .pdf document! Can you believe that? To celebrate my own roof job, I am putting my Roofing Checklist On Sale for the next three days with a huge 25% discount. You can have it right now for just $12.75. (Offer expired on May 23, 2008.) You get it as a download file minutes after your order is complete. All you do is check your email after you click the Submit Order button.

Go here to get the Roofing Checklist:

To get the discount, use this Promo Code:

roofcheck

Note - all lower case and no spaces!

This offer expired on Friday, May 23, 2008, sorry.

Talk to Me

Just over an hour ago, I hung up the phone with Dr. Mitch. He is an emergency-room physician up in Minneapolis. Dr. Mitch had seen in my store the neat product where you can talk with me. Yes, I call you on the phone.

He has a home on five acres and his sump pump runs quite a lot he told me. So much so that he is terrified of flooding in his basement. Dr. Mitch wanted to talk to me about what he could do to get rid of that constant worry, especially in the spring when the snow melts.

My 15-Minute Phone Consult did the trick! In fact, I went over about five minutes with him at no extra charge. He said he is going to send photos of the completed project, and I can't wait to see them.

If you have a problem that is stumping you, and you want to discuss it with me, you can do it.

Index of past newsletters.

May 15, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Issue

HOT ATTICS
TIPS FROM A BUDDY
4-WAY SWITCH VIDEO
US SENATOR JON KYL

 

Hot Attics!

Soaring temperatures are just around the corner. When your attic gets hot, and I mean hot like 140 F or more, the insulation that is supposed to keep you cool gets hot. You don't believe me? Take an old thermometer and bury it deep in the insulation so it is in contact with your ceiling. Go take a reading at 5:00 p.m. after the attic has been cooking all day. You will be shocked at what the thermometer reading is.

If you want to lower the temperature of your insulation, which in turn causes your air conditioner to run less and use less energy, you may want to install a radiant barrier. Please read this past column of mine about a Radiant Barrier product I tested. Then read the other columns in my Radiant-Barrier category to get a pretty clear picture of how they work.

Tips from a Buddy

I belong to a secret group of Internet Entrepreneurs. Over the years, some of the members have become dear and trusted friends. One of them is Chuck Eglinton. Chuck has a passion for electronic gadgets, travel deals, and how to get amazing bargains on top-quality things. Each time he discovers something special, he sends out a quick email to a select group of his friends.

I am on that list, and just last Friday he told me about a $99 deal on a TomTom One GPS unit. I immediately bought one, got it two days ago with the free shipping, and once again Chuck's advice was solid. The unit is now in my youngest daughter's car. It is great security for Kathy and I as our youngest just started driving and I worry about her getting lost, especially at night.

Chuck has given me permission to invite you to his very exclusive list. I may regret this in the long run as you may beat me to a deal. You will learn that when you get his email, you better read it and react. The deals he tells us about are never unlimited.

4-Way Switch Video

Would you like to discover a correct way to wire the magical 4-Way switch? I just loaded a video about this to my website. These special switches are required when you desire to control a light(s) from three or more switch locations. There are three places in my own home where I have one or more lights controlled by four different switches!

After you watch the video, check out the new gadget to the left of the video. This is a new tool at AsktheBuilder that suggests other videos of mine that are related to the one you just watched. It has some incredible technology behind it.  Tell me what you think of that gadget, and how it can be improved.

US Senator Jon Kyl

A week or so ago, I promised to tell you a story about a phone call I had with a United States Senator. Now don't think that I am going to get political on you, as this is a Home-Improvement newsletter. You didn't sign up for politics, and I am by no means a political pundit.

The purpose of this story is to be motivational in the event you are upset by anything at all that is impacting your life. Perhaps the cost of gasoline is crushing you. Maybe you are aghast at the cost of food. Do you operate a small business, like I do, and are there things that are holding you back? I think you get the message.

Several years ago, I got a phone call from a reader named Patricia Allen. Patricia lives up in the mountains in eastern Arizona. She read my columns for years in the Arizona Republic and started to write to me with questions. I always answered, and on this particular day she called me with a sense of urgency.

Her husband and their neighbor were about to make some adjustment cuts on laminate tops for the neighbor's kitchen. Patricia felt like they were way out of their comfort zone and said, "Tim, would you help me and talk with my neighbor?" I said, "Sure, what is his number and I will call him."
"You don't have to do that as he is standing right here. His name is Senator Jon Kyl." I said, "State senator or US?" Patricia responded, "US."

Well, I gulped and talked with Senator Kyl. He was very pleasant, apologized for interrupting my day and was very polite. After I told him how to make the cuts and not ruin the tops, he said, "What can I do for you?"
"Well, just call me back and give me a full report," I said.

Forty-five minutes later the phone rang, and at the end of the line was a beaming Senator Kyl. He told me the job was a huge success, and that my advice had saved him $6,000 in new countertops. In an effort to repay me, Senator Kyl offered to take Kathy and I to dinner the next time we were in Phoenix. I said thanks, but that the odds of that were slim.

But I did ask him, "Senator Kyl, I am really interested in the Flat Tax initiative. What does it take to get that into law?" He responded, "Tim, you need to get a grass roots movement started. Many of us in Congress really pay very close attention to messages from a grass roots campaign."

Since that call, I can attest this to be true. I just completed ten years of public service in my own village - eight years on our Planning Commission and two years as an elected Councilman.

In two weeks, I have a meeting with Congressman Steve Chabot, the standing member of the Small Business Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. I will be discussing how the Internet and my small business interact. The point is I am trying to make is that we need to reach out and make a difference.

If you are upset about anything, contact the local, state or federal elected officials who can change things. Start a national movement. Get involved. You don't think it is possible to make a difference? Think again. Go read how Mothers Against Drunk Drivers got started. You have what it takes to be the next Candy Lightner.

Index of past newsletters.

How to Wire a 4 Way Switch Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

How to Wire a 4 Way Switch

How would you like to be able to control one or more light fixtures from three or more switch locations? It is done with a 4-way switch. This video will show you how to install a four way switch in your home.

First, be sure to turn off the electric service to the circuits you are working on. A 120 volt circuit can kill you. To install a 4 way switch, you need to install it between two 3-way switches. To review, watch the Three Way Switch video first. Tim will wait while you watch.

Now that you have an understanding 3 way switch wiring, do you recall that the white cable, running between the two switches, has a red wire, black wire, white wire and a bare, copper ground wire. These wires will feed right through the 4 way switch. It is just that simple.

A 4 way switch has five screw connections total. There are two on the top, two on the bottom and the green grounding screw. The important thing to remember about the 4 way switch is it must be installed between two 3 way switches. If it is not between the three way switches, it will not work.

The video shows the switch boxes being numbered to help with the description. Box 1 is the first on the 3 way switches; box 2 is the new 4 way switch box being installed and the last 3 way switch box will be number 3.

Cut the white cable near the spot where the 4 way switch box will be located. Mount the switch box and feed both ends of the white cable into box 2 (the 4 way switch box). You should end up with a cable from box 1 going into box 2 and a separate cable from box 3 going into box 2.

Strip the insulation off the two cables and you will be ready to connect the 4 way switch. There will be two sets of red, black, white and copper wires inside box 2. To make the connections:

Wire nut the two white wires together. Twist the two copper wires together, leaving a pigtail to attach to the green ground screw.

That will leave you with 5 wires - two red, two black and the one copper pigtail. Since there are five screw connections on the 4 way switch, all the has to be done is connect these wires to the proper connections.

Where a lot of people make a mistake is if you take the two wires coming from one of the boxes, say box 1, connect one of them to the black screw and on to the brass screw on the same side of the switch, it will not work.

To properly wire the switch, you must connect the wires from box 1 to the two brass screw connectors. It does not matter which color wire goes on which brass screw. Then connect the two wires from box 3 to the two black screws. Again, it does not matter which color wire goes on which black screw. Finally, install the bare copper wire on the green grounding screw.

Restore the power to the circuit and give it a test. Your light fixture is now controlled by three different light switches. As long as the 4 way switch is wired between two 3 ways switches, you will be good to go. Flip the switches and you are done.