Plumbing Consulting

Posted on September 18, 2006 by Tim Carter

Cast Iron Plumbing Stack | Here's a 4-inch no-hub cast iron plumbing stack that branches off to two different full bathrooms. I installed this in my daughter's Bar Harbor home in 2019. I used cast iron because it's quiet. You can't hear any water rushing down the wall or across the ceiling when someone flushes a toilet. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I have two large projects I am tackling; a renovation of an existing home and a new home. The local laws permit me to do my own plumbing design and installation for both jobs, so I need some plumbing consulting help. I have done diy plumbing work, but never something on this scale.

I am up for the challenge. What advice do you offer in this situation? Dana Z., Texas City, TX

DEAR DANA: I have a boatload of plumbing consulting advice for you. The best part is if you need help, I can call you on the phone and consult with you about how to install plumbing or answer any plumbing questions.

CLICK or TAP HERE to order a plumbing phone consult.

Because I have 30-plus years of building and plumbing experience, I think I can give you both a high and low-altitude perspective on what you are about to face. I've been doing plumbing plans consulting for decades and each week I draw plumbing isometric drawings and riser diagrams for homeowners and builders.

To cut to the chase, I think you will get into serious trouble if you try to do both jobs at the same time. If you are able to stagger the jobs so your focus is just on one set of problems, then you very likely will succeed. But be prepared for some mental and physical triage as you will receive some bruises and bumps from going around all of the new learning curves.

This convoluted assembly of pipes was installed by a licensed master plumber. You may be able to get professional results as a do-it-yourselfer, if you get help from a consulting plumber. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Tim, are You a Master Plumber?

For what it is worth, I happen to be a licensed master plumber. This designation was obtained through lots of hard work and formal testing. But the truth be told, you do not always have to be a master plumber to successfully install drainage and supply lines in your projects that will not only pass code, but will also perform flawlessly for many years.

Why are Plumbers Licensed?

Plumbers are licensed because they are responsible for keeping millions of people healthy

To protect public health, good laws are in place in many cities and states. These laws typically cover the installation of plumbing systems where one person is hired by another to do the work. Good plumbing design is critical as serious and deadly diseases can be readily spread if either plumbing drainage or supply lines are improperly installed. This is why plumbing inspections are mandatory, and you must pass them with flying colors.

What Plumbers do Plumbing Consulting?

I offer plumbing consulting services and some other ones do too. CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local plumbers who will consult with you.

There is a very good chance you will find a plumber who will do plumbing consulting for you. Times are much different than they were years ago when plumbers and other tradespeople jealously guarded their secrets and tips. But some plumbers have seen the light, and know they can sell the knowledge from their brains just as easily as they sell the sweat from their brows.

What Plumbing Tools are Best?

The best plumbing tools are the ones you'll use the most. Here's a partial list. Let's talk tools for starters. You may have shovels and some simple saws that will allow you to work with plastic poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, but my guess is you do not own a heavy-duty right-angle drill and special bits to bore large-diameter holes through lumber. Yes, they can be rented, but it may make better sense to buy one. Clean cuts on the PVC piping can be made with a standard power miter-box saw.

What Tools are Needed to Work with Copper Water Lines?

When you start to work with water supply lines, you need a different set of tools if you are working with copper tubing. Acetylene torches, numerous tubing cutters and other small tools are needed to install water lines. Suffice it to say that you may find yourself investing hundreds of dollars in new tools to do this work.

Do I Need to Know the Plumbing and Building Codes?

Not only are there plumbing codes to deal with, you must pay very close attention to the regular building code. Do not start boring large holes into structural framing lumber without making sure you are allowed to do so. Cutting joists, notching them or altering any framing lumber can have serious negative consequences. Pay attention to the fire-stopping aspect of the building code as well. You must be sure that all fire stops are maintained between floor levels.

Who Looks at My Plumbing Design?

The actual work to design and install the plumbing piping will need to be looked at by the person you hire to do your plumbing consulting. You need to make sure you understand the three-dimensional drawing of the plumbing system and how it relates to the actual finished piping. The sizes of the actual pipes are critical. The plumbing code covers much, if not all, of this, but the secrets and tips know by your plumbing consultant may help for a better job.

What are Plumbing Best Practices?

Here are some plumbing best practices you may learn as your plumbing consulting moves forward. Never install a hard 90-degree bend underground in a drainage line. The only place you can do this is at the base of a vertical plumbing stack. Even then, it might be better to install two 45-degree bends to create a 90-degree turn.

All horizontal pipes must slope, and I recommend 1/4 inch per foot of fall. This slope produces excellent drainage within the pipe. Provide numerous clean outs in case you do have to get into the system to remove a clog.

To provide great water flow in a normal house, make sure that the water lines feeding a group of fixtures is no less than 3/4 inch in diameter. For example, when you extend both cold and hot water to a bathroom, use 3/4 inch pipe. Once you are at the bathroom, then downsize the pipe to 1/2 inch for each fixture.

Consider installing a wonderful gravity hot-water recirculation loop so that you always have hot water at each fixture the moment you turn on a faucet.

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Privacy Fence

Posted on September 14, 2006 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I desperately need a privacy fence that will allow me to sit outdoors, and not make me feel like I am in an aquarium. Is a vinyl privacy fence the best one? How high should this fence be? What can I do to make the fence good-looking instead of a harsh exterior wall? Do you think it is possible for me to build a wood privacy fence by myself? Stephanie B., Narberth, PA

DEAR STEPHANIE: Once your new privacy fence is constructed, you are going to have a new comfort level when you are outdoors. I am also sensitive to neighbors who might watch me as I walk around my yard, work on my laptop on my own patio or sleep in my hammock. A privacy fence, or even short sections of fencing, can create cozy micro-environments within your yard that protect you from prying eyes of neighbors or strangers.

This privacy fence does not extend the entire property line. It is just a 25-foot-long barrier that creates a cocoon of solitude for my neighbor's patio and screened porch. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Many privacy fences are usually only 6 feet tall. You may be able to construct a privacy fence around the entire perimeter of your yard, but my guess is that it may only be effective if you live on top of a hill. If the lots around your home are higher than yours, then people above you may have a line of sight that allows them to see you as they look over the top of the fence. This is why a smaller privacy fence near the location you are sitting, sunbathing or snoozing often works best.

Before you run to the lumber yard or fencing store to buy materials, stop by your local government offices. Locate the zoning department. Many zoning codes regulate fences of all types. Not only is the height of fencing an issue, the fencing material and the direction the fence faces is often covered within the code. Zoning codes can be highly restrictive when it comes to fencing. Also be sure there are no subdivision or neighborhood association rules that might govern privacy fences.

Your choices of materials for the privacy fence are many. Wood, vinyl and metal immediately come to my mind. But there is a more natural fencing material many people often overlook - evergreen bushes and trees. One of the advantages of using bushes and trees is that they are commonly a loophole with respect to most zoning codes. For example, your zoning code may not allow a fence over 4.5 or 6 feet tall. But you can readily purchase bushes or trees that will grow to over 20 or 30 feet in height. The trick is to plant the bushes and/or trees close to one another, and select a variety that has dense vegetation.

These white pine trees make a great privacy fence in my yard. There are actually four trees that are staggered. The barrier would be ideal if the deer would not eat the tender shoots off the lower branches! PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

To me, evergreen bushes or trees make a gorgeous privacy fence. I have a row of staggered white pine trees in my own yard that create a wonderful sense of privacy. But, if you decide to build a traditional fence with wood or some other material, you can add beauty with flower boxes that sit on top of the fence or hang on the face of the fence that you see. Plant flowers or vines that overflow from the boxes towards the ground so you have a waterfall of color when the plants are in bloom.

If you decide to build a traditional privacy fence, I feel you can do the job by yourself. Each piece of the fencing system is not too heavy, and the process of constructing the fence is not complicated. But wind is your enemy. A privacy fence not built well, can be blown over by strong wind gusts. The main fence posts need to extend into the soil at least 2 feet for privacy fences that are 6 feet or less in height.

If you use wood, be sure to choose a species that is rot-resistant. Otherwise, select wood that has been chemically treated to resist rot and damage from insects. All wood fencing materials should be treated with a synthetic-resin water repellent or painted. If you decide to paint your wood privacy fence, the paint job will last a long time if you paint all pieces of wood after they are cut to length but before they are installed.

If you fully paint all surfaces of each piece of wood used in the privacy fence, water will have a hard time soaking into the wood. Water that gets into unprotected wood is the primary reason paint peels from wood fencing. Be sure to use stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners to attach the wood fencing. You don't want rust to spoil all of your hard work.

Before you go to all of the trouble to build or plant a privacy fence, erect a test one to see how effective it will be. This can be done with some old bed sheets and a few temporary sticks that are placed in plastic one-gallon milk bottles filled with water. Do this on a calm day with little or no wind.

The purpose of this is to just show where the starting and stopping points of the privacy fence need to be. Don't hesitate to put a few 90 or 45-degree bends in your design to cut off viewing angles, and to add interest to your design. Picture in your mind those old-fashioned accordion changing screens people used in movies and television shows when actors would change clothes in a scene.

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Tool Tip Questions

Posted on September 12, 2006 by Tim Carter

Please answer the simple questions below to help me build a tool website of which you will be proud! After all, your valuable input will allow me to launch a website that will help many people who want to to get professional results when using tools.

This form was created using the easy tools at Freedback.com.

Don't forget to Click the Submit Form button once you have answered the questions.

Tar and Chip

Posted on September 11, 2006 by Tim Carter

Belkay Drive is a small no-outlet street that runs off of Belkay Lane in Amberley Village, Ohio. On August 24, 2006, this small street was refinished with the wonderful tar and chip method of paving.

This paving method coats the entire road surface with a waterproof membrane of sticky asphalt cement. A generous amount of small limestone chips are immediately broadcast into the hot tar. The tar grabs onto the stones and holds them in place permanently.

The chips are rolled in place with a steam roller machine. After several weeks, excess stone chips are removed so the surface resembles any other blacktop surface.

The tar and chip method of paving is not new. It is how roads used to be paved. The surface offers excellent traction and is very affordable. The surface can last up to ten years without any care.

Here you can see half of the road complete and the other half just the jet-black hot tar. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

A special attachment for a dump truck allows the perfect amount of limestone chips to fall into the hot tar. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This is the finished surface. The darker spots are just wet gravel. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

This is the special truck filled with the hot tar. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Window Box

Posted on September 4, 2006 by Tim Carter

This window box loaded with soil and plants weighs over 200 pounds. It is anchored directly to the wall studs with heavy-duty stainless steel clips and bolts. CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to order the exact window box you see above. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I think window boxes would really dress up the exterior of my home and add beauty. My husband thinks the flower boxes will damage the house, and is discouraging me from doing this. Many houses where I grew up had window boxes, and I never saw any damage. What is your opinion about window boxes? Would you tell people to install or avoid them? What type would you recommend? If you do like them, how would you install them to prevent damage? Robin B. St. Rose, LA

DEAR ROBIN: Guess what? Your husband is partially right. Poorly designed window boxes that are installed incorrectly can damage a house. Maybe he is against the gorgeous flower boxes because he saw houses years ago where the boxes did cause problems. Although my comments may help you persuade him, I am quite sure he will see it your way if you start wearing a sweatshirt around the house like my wife wears. It simply says, "When Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy".

In all seriousness, you absolutely can install window boxes that will bring you great joy and satisfaction. High-quality window boxes will not damage your home one bit if you follow a few simple steps. If you haven't already figured it out, I love window boxes as does my wife.

Window boxes can really make the exterior of your home attractive. They can add color to a home no matter what the season. My wife changes the look of our large window box four times a year. I love the window box during all seasons, but I really enjoy the fall assortment of hardy frost-resistant flowers mixed with the colorful gourds and pumpkins.

You can make window boxes out of many materials. The boxes need to be rot resistant and strong enough to hold hundreds of pounds of weight. There are lightweight soil mixtures that do not weigh as much as real soil, but even those materials, plus water and the weight of the plants can add up quickly. The window box material must be able to withstand the weight and not sag, bend or break.

If you want to make a traditional wood window box, you should use redwood or cedar. I would be sure to treat the wood on all sides and edges with multiple coats of a water repellant to help the natural rot-resistant chemicals in the lumber. I have seen plastic window boxes that might work for you as well.

But my favorite window box is one made from extruded fiberglass. These magnificent boxes are completely rot proof, exceptionally strong and they are drop-dead gorgeous. The best part about the fiberglass ones I use is they are hung on the wall with special hidden clips. My window boxes seem to float in midair, whereas other window boxes often have visible brackets that support them.

This is the exact fiberglass window box I have at my own home. They're indestructible! CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to order yours.

One of the most important things you need to consider when attaching a window box to your home is water. You must ensure that there is an open pathway behind the window box so water does not get trapped between the box and the house. The fiberglass window boxes I use are engineered so this happens. The special stainless-steel clips that attach to the house and slide up into a channel on the top edge of the box create a wonderful airspace between my house and the box. Rainwater and any spilled water from watering the plants can readily drain from behind the window box.

Be sure that you also use rustproof fasteners like stainless-steel bolts to attach your window boxes to the house. The bolts must embed themselves into exterior wall studs. Remember, the window boxes present an overhead hazard. If they were to ever pull away from the house and fall, they could seriously injure or kill you, a loved one or a visitor. You must make sure you follow all written installation instructions, and use abundant amounts of common sense when installing them.

The fiberglass window boxes I use have another advantage. They can be painted any color you desire, and the paint will not readily peel off. If you use traditional wood to make a window box, you will very likely have severe paint-peeling issues as the water from the planting soil makes it way through the wood. Once the water gets under the paint film, the vapor pressure builds and causes the paint to fail.

If you have a brick or masonry home, I would also recommend that you apply a silane or siloxane water repellant to the masonry surface behind the window boxes. This clear chemical will repel water that will not readily evaporate from behind the window boxes. These chemicals can be applied with an old paint brush to the small area in question. Most dry totally clear, so even if you get some on masonry not covered by the window boxes, you should be fine.

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Garage Cabinets

Posted on September 4, 2006 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: Because of my tendency to keep too many things, I need garage cabinets. There seems to be an abundance of different garage-storage products, but once I start to price them, I quickly run out of money. What kind of garage cabinets would you suggest for a person who can't afford new, fancy cabinets? Are there things I should avoid? Can I just nail the cabinets to the wall? Kristin, K., Newfields, NH

DEAR KRISTIN: Garage cabinets are absolutely more popular now than I can ever remember. Many building-products manufacturers have started to respond to the marketplace demand of consumers like you. There are many types and styles of garage cabinets, and most of these can really cost a king's ransom once you design a complete solution for your garage. Add to this professional installation, and it takes no time whatsoever to get into four figures.

You have several highly-affordable options, if you want to clean up the clutter in your garage. The first places I would call would be local remodeling contractors, especially ones who specialize in kitchen remodeling. These contractors often have a constant supply of used kitchen cabinets they remove from homes. Frequently these cabinets are in very good condition, and when combined together, they can create a massive wall of cabinetry in a garage.

This garage cabinet was salvaged for free from a remodeling job. It is well-built, and the glass doors let you see what is on the shelves. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Keep in mind that most kitchen wall cabinets are made in standard sizes. Often the cabinet box is 12 inches deep, and comes in different widths and heights. This means you can often combine cabinets from different kitchens and they will mate with one another nicely. You can often mix different styles, and the look is not too bad.

To solve garage clutter, don't think your garage has to end up looking like a kitchen. Keep in mind that you can easily stack wall cabinets on top of one another to create a solid wall of storage. Once the cabinets are fastened to one another and then securely fastened to the wall, you have a garage that may become the envy of many neighbors.

If you want open storage shelves, think about removing the doors from salvaged cabinets. There is no need to try to make shelves from scratch.

Used cabinets can sometimes be found at stores that sell recycled home building and remodeling products. We have several such stores in my city, and they offer unbelievably low prices for cabinets in great condition.

Cabinet companies and plumbing-supply stores that sell cabinets often have a dusty corner of a warehouse dedicated to damaged or mistake cabinets. You might be able to get workable cabinets for pennies on the dollar by visiting these stores or putting your name on a call list for when new cabinets are added to the bone yard.

If you can find a remodeler who regularly works on older homes and you are patient, you may get very lucky one day. Every now and then a remodeling job may involve removing old cabinets that were built-into the house. Most of these cabinets are premium quality made from old-growth lumber. Some often come with glass doors and cabinets with drawers and doors. I know of several houses where cabinets like this were doomed for the dumpster, the most recent one being a film location for a reality-television show.

If you work with old painted cabinets, be careful about the hazards of lead paint. Any cabinets made before 1978 might have lead paint on or in them. Any cabinets that were made and painted before WW II probably have multiple layers of lead paint. Sanding these cabinets can create toxic lead dust. If you need to refinish them, think about carefully removing the paint with chemical strippers. Be very careful, and follow all recommendations offered at http://www.epa.gov/lead.

Cabinets should never be nailed to a wall. Always use screws to attach cabinets to a wall. The weight of a single large wall cabinet and the things stored inside it can often exceed several hundred pounds. Nails can pull away from a wall without warning, while screws offer tremendous holding power. Be sure the screws penetrate through the cabinet and into solid framing lumber at least 1.5 inches. You will often discover the minimum length for a cabinet screw is 3 inches long.

Another way to locate good, used cabinets is to put the word out to all of your friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers. I guarantee you one or more of them will know someone who is planning to remodel their kitchen in the near future.

Keep in mind that stained cabinets can be easily painted to make your garage look neat and clean. You do not have to paint the interior of the cabinet, just the exterior surfaces that you see.

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Wallpaper Borders

Posted on August 23, 2006 by Tim Carter

Wallpaper borders like this one with palm trees are magic. This tropical wallpaper border was easy to install. It requires minimal wallpaper-hanging skill to achieve professional results. ©2017 Tim Carter

"Wallpaper borders are a true wallpaper product, but they differ from regular wallpaper in the manner in which they are installed and their relative size."

Wallpaper Borders Checklist

Prepasted borders are excellent choices
Use clear paste activator instead of water
Allow border to book for five or ten minutes
Borders can be anywhere on a wall

Wallpaper Borders - Easy to Install & Look Fabulous

Are Wallpaper Borders Like True Wallpaper?

Wallpaper borders are a true wallpaper product, but they differ from regular wallpaper in the manner in which they are installed and their relative size. Traditional wallpaper is hung vertically from the ceiling to the floor. Wallpaper borders are hung horizontally.

Traditional rolls of wallpaper might be 21 inches wide and 20-30 feet long. A wallpaper border might be 20 or 30 feet wide but only 6 to 9 inches high.

But this is perfect sizing since you want the border to dress up your wall surface in the same way as a ribbon adorns a gift box.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers who can install your wallpaper border.

Where are Wallpaper Borders Installed?

A wallpaper border is commonly applied to a wall surface where the wall meets the ceiling. However, I have routinely installed a border about 36 inches high off the floor. Wallpaper borders can also be used to separate two different wallpapers in a room.

For example, my basement bathroom has a tropical-themed border that separates a bamboo wallpaper from a light-colored wallpaper that has tropical plant leaves in its background.

The border brings together two vastly different wallpapers making the three wallpaper products look like they were made for one another.

How Hard is it to Install Borders?

It's very easy to install wallpaper border material. The biggest reason, in my opinion, is that you are working with less material than a large sheet of traditional wallpaper.

Furthermore, when you do have to match the pattern, you are working with a strip of paper often less than a foot tall. This makes matching a breeze.

What Tools are Required to Install Wallpaper Borders?

To install a wallpaper border, you do need all of the same tools one uses for traditional wallpaper. Fortunately, you don't need many tools to wallpaper.

Here's a list that will get you going on this job:

retractable razor knife with snap-off blades
4.5 or 6-inch drywall taping knife
smoothing brush or plastic smoother
4-foot level
grout sponge
measuring tape
paint roller & pan
paint brush

Click the Image Below to get all, or some, of the tools now:

CLICK HERE to get all the tools I recommend in one place. It's easy and fast.

Do You Need a Large Table?

It helps to have a large pasting table that serves as a work platform in the event you need to apply a special adhesive or a clear paste activator gel to the back of the border.

What is the Best Border Adhesive?

If you want the border to stay attached to the wall for many years, you must pay very close attention to the type of adhesive you will be using. Some borders come pre-pasted from the factory, but that adhesive may not be suitable if you are installing the border on top of a vinyl-coated wallpaper.

In these cases, you often must use a special adhesive that bonds borders to other wallpaper products. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's written instructions, and use the correct adhesive for your situation.

Will Pre-pasted Border Work on a Painted Wall?

Yes, pre-pasted borders work very well on painted walls.

Since you are applying your border to a painted wall, and you will probably buy a pre-pasted border material, the factory-applied glue will be fine. You can apply water to the border to activate the paste, but I have had far better luck with clear paste-activating gels. These gels are quickly brushed onto the back of the border.

How Do You Hang Borders?

Hanging borders requires the same techniques one would use to hang wallpaper. The biggest mistake often made by rookies is the failure to book the border.

What is Booking and Why is it Important?

Booking is a process where you activate the paste and fold the border so the pasted surface folds back on itself. This process allows the border paper to relax. As the paper relaxes, it swells in size.

You want this swelling to happen on the pasting table while you are working with another piece of the border. If you activate the border paste, and then immediately try to hang the border, you will undoubtedly get all sorts of bubbles and blisters on the border as the border swells on the wall. This swelling action pushes the paper off the wall with each new bubble.

Should Borders Wrap Around Inside Corners?

Avoid the temptation to wrap the border around inside corners where one wall meets another. The border may look good as you install it, but hours later the border may pull away from the corner as the adhesive dries.

Run one piece of wallpaper border around the corner and trim it so there is just 3/16ths inch of border on the next wall. Then match up the pattern and start a new strip of border exactly in the corner. The second piece of border overlaps the small tab of the border from the previous strip on the adjacent wall.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers who can install your wallpaper border.

Column 636

New Hampshire Real Estate

Posted on August 21, 2006 by Tim Carter

New Hampshire has lots of real estate, even though it is a small state. Many people are attracted to New Hampshire because of its excellent location. Anyone who knows anything about real estate knows the three most important aspects of any lot are: location, location and location.

Imagine a place where you could be in the center of majestic mountains within an hour's drive. How about a rural lot where you could drive to one of the largest cities on the East Coast of the USA within two hours? Would you like a secluded building lot where you could drive to the Atlantic Ocean in less than 90 minutes? Well, I know where several are, and they are right next to the land I just purchased.

My wife and I just recently purchased 90 acres in New Hampshire. The land is located in the town of New Hampton. Look at a New Hampshire map, and you will quickly discover that New Hampton is just west of the center of the vortex of the coveted Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Our lot is part of a seven-lot high-quality subdivision. The other six lots are still available as of the date this article was posted. I was an early-bird buyer, and purchased my lot before the site improvements and utilities were installed. The utilities are now in, and you and I can build as soon as possible if you like.

I have always wanted to own a larger piece of land. This 90 acres is heavily forested, has a gorgeous southern exposure and across the southeast corner of the land you will discover 1,700 linear feet of a pristine brook that runs throughout the year. Believe it or not, this fairy-tail brook has a series of five cascades that fall a combined 300 vertical feet, and they are all located within my property lines. I still can't believe Kathy and I own this special natural wonder.

If you are thinking of buying land or even a house in New Hampshire, I can recommend a superb realtor. The agent I used represented me as the buyer of the land, and he was very professional. I should know, as I am still a licensed real estate broker here in Ohio. If you want me to connect you with this realtor, just click here and fill out the form.

Here is video for you to watch. Be sure to look at the still photos below the video.

Enjoy!

The trees are blocking the steep canyon walls in this section of the brook.

This pothole was cut into solid granite by a whirlpool that swirls during periods of heavy water flow. You can see the rocks at the bottom of the pothole that grind away the rock. Who knows how many hundreds of years it has taken to create this wonder!

This is the upper cascade just west of where the property line crosses the brook. Can you imagine how much water flows over this when it really rains?

This is a typical photo of the brook between the five different waterfalls. How many lots do you know of that have a stream running across it like this?

This photo simply doesn't tell the whole story. The view to the mountains to the south is amazing if you just move to the east about 300 feet. I will get that photo next time!

This view is looking east southeast towards the conservancy land and Carter Mountain.

This is the view you will see looking out the back of the house.

Ceiling Fans

Posted on August 16, 2006 by Tim Carter

Ceiling fans are a great way to provide both comfort and style to any room of you home, even ones outdoors. I have multiple ceiling fans in my own home, and am thinking of adding more. But I just don't buy any brand, as over the years I have learned that ceiling fans are like many other things. If you want a ceiling fan that will operate quietly and reliably, then you must pay more money when you buy the fan.

Ceiling fans come in different sizes, and this is important to keep in mind depending upon the size of the room you are trying to cool. If the room you are trying to cool is larger, always get a ceiling fan that has a blade span greater than 50 inches.

The way a ceiling fan works is very simple. As we perspire, the heat from our bodies is transferred to the liquid perspiration on the surface of our skin. When a breeze blows across our skin, it evaporates the liquid perspiration. As the liquid sweat turns into water vapor, it takes the heat from your body into the air. This is the exact same mechanism that fuels monster hurricanes. Heat from the ocean water is carried up into the gathering storm as the warm ocean water evaporates. .

This ceiling fan is in a large sun room. PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Henthorn

To achieve maximum cooling, a ceiling fan has to move lots of air. The distance the fan is from the ceiling and the tilt or pitch of the fan blades must be optimized. If a ceiling fan is too close to a ceiling, say six inches or less, it can't easily get the needed air to push down towards the floor. Just the same, the fan blades must have a tilt to them so they cut through the air and push it down. Airplane and ship propellers operate the same way. They slice through air or water to push objects that weigh many tons.

Ceiling fans that have a blade pitch of 15 degrees work very well. Those fan manufacturers that take the time to perfectly balance the fan blades and mounting hardware do even better. As the fan blades spin around, they need to be balanced just like a car wheel or a washing machine. If you have ever heard an out-of-balance washing machine rattle when it is in its spin cycle, then you know why it is important to have balanced ceiling-fan blades.

Ceiling fans can save you lots of money on air conditioning costs. If you use a ceiling fan in the early parts of the day before the sun bakes your home, you can get effective cooling in the room you are occupying. There is no reason to air condition the entire home if you are just in one place within your home. A ceiling fan uses only a fraction of the electricity that is required to operate a central air-conditioning system.

A smaller ceiling fan for a kid's bedroom. PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Henthorn

If your home is well-sealed, the air inside will still have a lower relative humidity from the operation of the air conditioner the day before. This lower level of humidity will help evaporate the sweat from your skin, even if you don't feel yourself perspiring.

I think it is a great idea to install ceiling fans in all bedrooms, kitchens, family rooms, or any room where you might sit to relax or work. I would also place a ceiling fan on a covered screened porch or even a patio that has some type of awning or other cover to keep rain water from falling onto the fan.

Keep in mind that even when a fan is operating at a very slow speed, it can provide enough cooling to keep you very comfortable. The fan does not need to be blasting you with air as if you were in a gale.

Be sure to purchase a ceiling fan that can be operated with a speed control. Many models have built-in micro processors that allow you to set the fan speed from a wall control. What's more, the fan motor can spin in reverse to pull air up from the ground in winter months. This reverse action takes warmer air from a ceiling and distributes it to lower levels in the room.

Column EM0045

Northern Tool

Posted on August 15, 2006 by Tim Carter

Northern Tool + Equipment is an online business where you can buy tools of just about any type and any brand. Years ago, before the Internet was used for commercial purposes, I used to buy my tools from Northern Tool. Back then, one just used a traditional full-color catalog and a toll-free telephone number to place orders.

One of the power tools I purchased from Northern Tool was a corded one-half inch drill made by Porter Cable. I remember paying $89.00 for this drill back in the late 1980's. This was a lot of money for a drill at the time.

But the moral of the story is that I was buying quality. I still have that drill, and it works just as good as the day it was delivered by the brown UPS truck.

Many of my carpenter friends and subcontractors thought I was nuts for buying tools via mail order. They thought it was crazy to call and send for a tool. My thoughts were about pricing and convenience. The drill was very competitively priced, and I loved how I didn't have to fight a crowd at one of the local stores.

After this positive buying experience, I then purchased a gasoline-powered air compressor from Northern Tool. This larger item was not able to be delivered by UPS, so I had to go pick it up at a freight company. That was a little bit of a hassle, but I got a fantastic deal on the compressor, and it arrived in perfect condition.

There were thousands of people who were buying mail order at the time. It wasn't a new concept, as other major retailers had strong mail-order catalog operations. Heck, L.L. Bean started his successful mail-order business back in the very early 1900's, so you know both mail order and Internet businesses could do well. People love convenience and great pricing.

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