September 26, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

I was born at night, but not last night for goodness sake. I see why you're huddled with Mac, Christine, Noah, Bristol, Eric, Sonia, and Cathy. You're a brand-new subscriber in the past week! You get top billing each week in the newsletter. Thanks for subscribing and I appreciate your trust.

That said, you might have subscribed years ago. This newsletter is about twenty-five years old. Sadly, I didn't do the right thing by keeping track of issue numbers. Otherwise we'd both know how far back we go.

But many moons ago, I wrote a column that's still relevant today. Look at this photo:

house foundation

You might not realize what you're really looking at.

But CLICK or TAP HERE and you'll discover something I'll bet you didn't know. You absolutely need to check out the column if you're building a new home or putting a big room addition on your home.

Searching PRO TIP

Let's say you're on Google, or any other search engine such as DuckDuckGo (quack!). You decide to search for help with ceramic tile.

But, your inner voice says, "Hey, I just want to see all the ceramic tile columns and videos Tim Carter, the Ask the Builder dude, has written. I don't want to see any bogus information from other bozos."

Did you know it's really easy to do this? You'd just see my content and no one else's in the results! Here's how it's done:

Type this first into the search bar with NO SPACES:

site:askthebuilder.com

Then add a space and what you want to search for. Let's say it is ceramic tile. Here's what your search request would look like:

site:askthebuilder.com ceramic tile

Go ahead and try this and have some fun. Think of all the topics you want to know about. Here's a short list:

  • roof leaks
  • clean a deck
  • best house paint
  • pvc
  • air conditioning

I think you'll be blown away by the amount of content I've created in the past 28 years!

While on the subject of search engines, I think there's something you should know.

You might think that the top three or five results you see when you search on Google are the pages that have the BEST INFORMATION for what you're looking for.

Not so. Those pages are the ones that directly or indirectly make the most amount of MONEY for Google. STOP trusting Google for goodness sake! If you feel Google is looking out for your best interests, you're sadly mistaken.

Do a test. Search for something on Google. Look at the results. Then type the exact same search query into DuckDuckGo.com.

Look at the difference in QUALITY of the content of the top three to five pages that get returned to you using DuckDuckGo.com. My guess is you'll soon start using DuckDuckGo as your search engine.

Get FREE Bids Now!

Man Shoveling
CLICK or TAP HERE now to get FREE BIDs from LOCAL contractors for any interior or exterior project at your home.

AstroCrete Follow-Up

You may have been one of my subscribers that got back to me about making concrete on Mars using astronaut pee. CLICK or TAP HERE to see what I was talking about.

I was making fun of how inaccurate the news article was and warning you to stop believing everything you read.

I decided to do some additional math. You should too. I challenge you to calculate how much pee six astronauts generate in two years. Go ahead, do it.

STOP trusting all you read online for goodness sake! That AstroCrete column I read was even MORE INACCURATE than I originally thought!

Is This Wrong?

Look at this photo:

configuration of pvc drain pipes

Is there something wrong with these pipes? If so, what is it?

CLICK or TAP HERE to see if you were right or wrong. I guarantee you're going to discover something that will BLOW YOU AWAY.

Bumfuzzled

Earlier in the week, I was absolutely bumfuzzled. I received a press release from a PR person about a product that had won an Innovation Award from some website.

I decided to check into it because one might think that if you're going to announce to the world that this or that product is really innovative, that you'd have to at least try using the product, right?

Not so it turns out!!!!

This website charges hundreds of dollars for the manufacturers to SUBMIT their product to be considered for the award.

The website then does no testing. I guess they just look at the product website, photos, product label, etc. and make a decision.

This is all buried deep in the pages of the website. But you, the unsuspecting consumer, probably ASSUME the website is doing the right thing thinking about YOU and doing testing to ensure the product is great.

Well, the trouble is, it's a shell game. You may not know the actual definition of the word INNOVATION! Here it is:

"a new idea, device, or method"

The product was new so it does fit the definition. Thus, the products just get this fancy award because they're NEW not because they're GREAT products. Sigh!

But don't you feel it's a slight-of-hand? I know I did.

Oh well, as the Romans figured this out so very long ago:

Caveat Emptor

That's plenty for a Sunday. This weekend, I started my five-week gig as the telegraph operator inside the historic Ashland NH RR station. Live nearby, come visit and watch me use a traditional straight key to send Morse code.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
GET CLEAN - www.StainSolve.com
Sleeve Socks! - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Did you know you can use regular 16d SINKER nails to attach wood to concrete floors and wall? CLICK or TAP HERE to see it done!

Installing Plumbing Drain Pipes

Posted on by Tim Carter
configuration of drain pipes

Installing Plumbing Drain Pipes | This configuration of pipes may look odd to you and you think it’s wrong, but it’s not. There was never a clog here in eight years. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Installing Plumbing Drain Pipes - It's Somewhat Easy

I’ve been a master plumber since 1981. I’ve always loved doing plumbing because it’s a very interesting three-dimensional challenge when it comes to installing drain, waste, and vent (DWV) piping in a new home or a large remodeling job. Because I was also the lead carpenter and builder on my jobs, I was able to think ahead to ensure that all the framing and rough lumber was installed so it would not have to be butchered to get the pipes in.

Two weeks ago, Amanda, who lives in South Carolina, reached out to me. She wanted to know how she could get money from the original plumber who put in the drain pipes in her home. Amanda got some bad advice from some other plumber or remodeler who told her a toilet drain pipe had been installed wrong by the original plumber.

Amanda paid the new plumber to cut out the perfectly fine pipes and install new ones with more gentle bends in them. What a shame she wasted so much money! She could have spent less than $50 and arranged a simple phone call with me to ask me if she was getting good advice. But that’s water over the dam.

Amanda could have also read my very short PDF document about Best Practices for Installing PVC Drain and Vent Pipe. It's an instant-download product and less than $15! What a shame she didn't know about it as she would have instantly discovered her pipes were fine.

Here was Amanda’s situation. The toilet drain pipe ran in between two floor joists for about five feet. It then turned down using a normal 90-degree fitting, some call it a short bend L, and immediately connected to a sweep 90-degree fitting that was rotated 90 degrees so the toilet waste could continue its journey to the sewage plant running under the floor joists but now perpendicular to the joists.

She was told the short 90 was improper. I asked her if she had ever had a clog in the eight years since the house was built. Her answer was, “No.”

cast iron lines meghan house

I installed this cast iron in my daughter's new home. Those band clamps make it so easy to do! Look in the upper left of this photo and you can see a sweep 90 fitting on that horizontal drain up in the ceiling. If you need help with your plumbing installation, I offer PHONE COACHING. CLICK or TAP HERE to set up a call.

Here’s why she never had a clog. The short 90-degree fitting resembles the exact change of direction toilet waste would encounter if the pipe was connected to a standard tee fitting. Plumbers for many decades have installed horizontal toilet drain pipes that connect to tee fittings. Watch the video below and you'll see this tee fitting about 2:03 into the video.

When you flush the toilet, the water and waste head straight down and immediately hit a 90-degree fitting under the toilet flange. This 90-degree fitting sends the water horizontally towards the tee fitting maybe a foot or two away. When the wastewater gets to the center of the tee, it takes a sharp turn and heads down again. Think of a river going over a waterfall. This is a completely acceptable configuration, after all, it’s worked well for Mother Nature for millions of years.

Tear out the plaster or drywall and you’ll discover this exact configuration in millions of houses and buildings all across the USA. Plumbers have used tee fittings since the early 1900s and still use them today. In fact, I used this exact configuration two years ago when I recorded my video about flushable wipes.

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO to see this tee fitting. Advance to 2:03 if you want to save time.

In many situations, the vertical pipe that leaves the bottom of the tee fitting is just a vertical stack. This pipe might be 8 or 9 feet tall. Think of a plumbing stack as a chimney. Wastewater goes down the stack as smoke goes up a chimney.

At the bottom of stacks, the best practice is to install a sweep 90 fitting. These fittings have a slightly greater radius than a short 90 fitting. The longer radius is very friendly to drain-cleaning snakes. This is exactly why plumbers have used sweep-90 fittings for decades.

In Amanda’s situation, she had an acceptable piping setup it’s just that her stack was only 3 inches tall! There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve done this before where I’ve had to have a horizontal drain pipe tuck up against floor joists in a basement or crawlspace. I’ve never had clog issues.

It’s possible that Amanda misunderstood the advice she was given or the plumber giving the advice wasn’t clear. All change-of-direction fittings buried under a slab should never have any 90-degree fittings. If you need to change direction under concrete or other buried piping conditions say in a sewer line, you use two 45-degree fittings. It’s a best practice to separate the 45-degree fittings by at least 6 inches if possible. This is an aid to drain cleaning snakes.

You can have a 90-degree fitting under a slab, but it needs to be either at the base of a stack as I’ve already described or it can be under a toilet that sits on a slab. If there’s a clog at these two locations it’s usually remedied by installing a clean-out tee just above the base of the stack or removing the toilet to inspect the 90-degree fitting.

If you want to know more about plumbing drain lines or the mystical plumbing vent lines, I’ve got several videos for you here on my www.AsktheBuilder.com website. Look at the titles:

plumbing videos

Go ahead, use the SEARCH ENGINE here on the site and you'll see the same results below the Google ads.

Just type “plumbing videos” into the search engine up above. If you have questions about your plumbing drain pipes, CLICK or TAP HERE and type your question to me. I’d love to be able to help you save time and money.

If you need me to draw plumbing isometric drawings for you or draw a riser diagram, CLICK or TAP HERE.

Column 1422

Meredith Porphyritic Granite

Posted on by Tim Carter
Meredith Porphyritic Granite

This is but one sample of the Meredith Porphyritic Granite (Mpg). Look below at another one that really shows off the giant phenocrysts of orthoclase feldspar. Photo credit: Tim Carter

Meredith Porphyritic Granite - Most Beautiful Rock in New England

The Meredith Porphyritic Granite can be found in and around Meredith, New Hampshire. I happen to live directly on top of this massive pluton and my college degree is in geology. Some references to this geologic rock formation in the older literature refer to it as the Kinsman granite.

granite rock in NH

This is the Meredith Porphyritic Granite next to my driveway. This is an exposed piece of bedrock that extends miles below the surface of the Earth. Builders and excavators refer to this as a ledge.

When Did This Granite Form?

The granite formed in the Devonian Age about 340-360 million years ago.

How Did the Meredith Porphyritic Granite Form?

The most likely chain of events that created this stunning rock with massive feldspar phenocrysts started with the seafloor being subducted under an old continental plate edge. Keith Heyer Meldahl offers an amazing description of events in his easy-to-read-and-understand book, Rough Hewn Land.

In a nutshell, as the seafloor is subducted under a continent's edge as a result of plate tectonics, about 50-70 miles below the surface of the Earth this thick seafloor plate starts to melt. Seawater is in the rock and some actual liquid seawater under tremendous pressure is pulled down with the seafloor. The presence of seawater lowers the melting point of the rock.

The seafloor starts to melt and giant blobs of this molten rock begin to rise up through the continental crust. Think of these blobs as massive hot-air balloons slowly floating up into the air.

As the blobs slowly rise over millions of years, the chemistry of the rock changes with element substitution. The rock transforms from seafloor sediment and pillow basalt into granite.

The giant phenocrysts in the Meredith Porphyritic Granite attest to how slowly the giant blob, a pluton, rose to the surface. The slower the rock cools and solidifies, the bigger the mineral crystals.

Eventually, through other tectonic events, the pluton makes it to the surface of the earth. A vivid example of plutons, actually a series of them stuck together, is the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

meredith porphyritic granite

This is a fantastic sample showing the many minerals within the granite. There are small flecks of mica if you look for them. The ruler markings are centimeters alternating white and red. I added the electrical tape on that ruler in 1972 for my Geology 101 class. As you can see, I still have it 49 years later! (C) Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

What Minerals are in the Meredith Porphyritic Granite?

You'll find the following minerals in the granite:

  • large white phenocrysts of orthoclase feldspar
  • plagioclase feldspar - dark matrix material
  • quartz
  • biotite mica
  • and muscovite mica 

The mineral list was provided by Jay Long in his Stepping Stones Across New Hampshire book.

fine grained granite

This is NOT Mpg. It's a different granite. Note how the mineral crystals are so much smaller. You don't see any huge feldspar phenocrysts. There are hundreds of different types of granites that exhibit different colors and mineral sizes. Go visit a shop that sells granite countertops to see!

September 19, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

September 19, 2021 Ask the Builder Newsletter

Ah, I get it. You're standing over there against the wall with Missy, Fran, Sean, Noble, George, and Meg because you just subscribed in the past week. Welcome! I devote this top paragraph to you each week. Thanks for becoming part of my virtual family.

You, though could have subscribed in the past few weeks. Do you remember my August newsletter where I shared getting two glasses of T-Rex lemonade?

It turns out one of my subscribers, Erik Thorson, wrote a delightful song about lemonade! CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to it. It's guaranteed to make you smile.

AstroCrete BWAHAHAHAHA

I ran across an intriguing article in the news this past week. It was about building with concrete on Mars. Astronauts would use all their body fluids to make AstroCrete. Here's a pull quote from the article:

"A crew of six astronauts can produce an estimated 500kg of high-strength AstroCrete on a two-year mission on the surface of the moon, according to the findings."

(There was a typo in that pull quote because the entire article was about building on Mars, not the Moon.)

Since you probably don't know much about concrete, that 500kg number is meaningless to you. 500kg equals 1,100 pounds. One cubic yard of concrete here on our Earth Ball weighs about 4,000 pounds.

So two years for six astronauts to make 1/4 yard of concrete... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This is why you need to be careful about being WOWED by articles like this. For goodness sake, do the math!

It's going to take hundreds of years to build a concrete building up on Mars at that rate! "Tom, you need to DRINK MORE WATER!"

CLICK HERE to read my follow-up on AstroCrete in the September 26, 2021 Newsletter.

Old Blueprints Filled with Gold

Steve is one of my best friends. He lives in sunny southern CA. I go out to visit every few years and was last there three years ago, helping him with his Honey-Do list. We had a blast and recorded, with the help of his darling wife, this video about how to stain Mexican outdoor patio tiles. It's a funny and informative video. I will NEVER make it as a Hollywood actor. Not on my best day.

A few days ago, Steve sent me a link to a curated scanned copy of a nearly 100-year-old builders magazine. It's filled with amazing articles and photos. Here's one you should study:
fireplace blueprint
These three images of a residential fireplace may not mean much to you, but they're filled with gold. The architect who drew these knew exactly how to build a fireplace, firebox, and chimney that will NOT SMOKE.

CLICK or TAP HERE and allow me to put flesh on the bones of the above blueprint. I share all the critical dimensions that you can plug into the blueprint. Trust me, you'll want to bookmark the page.

If I were a young architect, and even one that had a few years under my belt, I'd spend two hours a week going over old blueprints like these. Many have details you simply don't find in modern plans.

Get FREE BIDS NOW

CLICK or TAP HERE or Mr. Shovel Man above to get FREE and FAST Bids from local contractors for any inside or outside job at your home.

VIP Fast Answer and Consult Call

The past two weeks, I've done a boatload of VIP Fast Answers and my trademark 15-Minute Phone Consult.

In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm just 2.5 hours away from talking with Cosmo. He lives out in the Pacific Northwest and watched my video series about building my deluxe shed. He ordered a stunning pre-cut shed kit. Cosmo has a few questions about getting the concrete piers at the right height.

Why do I promote these services?

I get no less than TWENTY emails a week from homeowners like you that are in a MESS and need me to throw them a life preserver. They decided they KNEW BETTER and just jumped into a job or decided to TRUST what the contractor told them.

The average cost to FIX the mess they're in is about $2,000.00.

Why not invest $20 or $50 before you get in a mess? Having me advise you is the BEST MONEY you'll spend on your project. Period

Changing Word Meanings

I've been building my Ask the Builder and STAIN SOLVER websites for over twenty-five years. I also work on my ham radio blog and my personal blog.

Did you know that I can go back to one of my old columns and completely change a sentence, delete things I've said, or add content in just SECONDS and you'd be none the wiser?

If you don't have a copy of the original page, you have no idea the content has been changed. It's sort of spooky.

Well, I think this is starting to happen with the English language! If I can do the above with my website, don't you think those that own the online dictionaries can do the same?
close up dictionary page
If I'm right, then it makes sense for you to have one, or more, hardcover traditional dictionaries around your house. It's pretty darned hard to change the definition of a word in one of those!

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the dictionary I use multiple times each week.

Yicky Drain Flies!!!

My friend Jim reached out to me days ago asking about how to get rid of pesky drain flies.

Floor Drain

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the easy easy steps on how to defeat forever drain flies.

That's quite enough for a Sunday.

Peace out.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Organic Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com
RR Telegrapher - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Did you know fresh concrete can BLEED? How's that possible? If you make a mistake, you can RUIN the concrete! CLICK or TAP HERE and stuff a bit more info into those tiny gray cells of yours.

Buy a Hard Cover Dictionary

Posted on by Tim Carter

Buy a Hard Cover Dictionary

It's really easy to change the definition of a word in an online dictionary. It takes seconds. And I know it's happening online.

We can't have invisible people changing the definition of words for goodness sake!

But no one can easily change the definition of a word in a dictionary that's in your house. I'm talking about a real book!

Here are a few great ones. I own this one and use it many times a week:

dictionary cover

CLICK or TAP HERE to order this dictionary.

Do you need a dictionary with larger type to make it easier to read? Here's one:

Webster's dictionary cover

CLICK or TAP HERE to get this dictionary.

 

 

 

Drain Flies How to Get Rid Of

Posted on by Tim Carter
Floor Drain

Drain Flies - This is a typical floor drain. The flies set up camp just under that shiny drain strain cover.

Drain Flies How to Get Rid Of - Easy!

My friend Jim from Cincinnati, texted me the other day: "How do I get rid of drain flies?"

I replied, "Simple..." I then outlined the steps in the text message. Here they are for you.

Step 1: Remove the drain cover and use a toilet brush, liquid dish soap, and plenty of water to scrub the sides of the pipe all the way down to the water level of the trap. If the brush handle is long enough, clean all the way to the bottom of the trap. Add water as you scrub to keep the brush filled with a frothy soap solution. Be sure to clean the drain cover too, including the holes and the underside of the cover.

Step 2: Pull out the toilet brush and pour a gallon of water into the drain. Use a flashlight to see if the sides of the pipe are perfectly clean. If not, repeat step 1.

Step 3: Once the pipe walls, and drain cover are clean, add two tablespoons of chlorine bleach to the water in the trap if you're on a city sewer system. If you're on a septic tank, add 1/2 cup of STAIN SOLVER certified organic oxygen bleach. Each month add a gallon of water to the trap and repeat the addition of the bleach or STAIN SOLVER.

What Causes the Drain Flies?

The drain flies are attracted to the nasty biofilm that builds up on the sides of the floor drain pipe. If you keep the walls and the cover clean, there's no food for the drain flies. It's that simple.

September 12, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

Whatcha doing standing with Emma, Janna, John, Monica, Fausto, and JM? Why of course, this is your first issue and you're all chattering about what to expect! Well, it's a pretty good issue if I don't say so myself!

But what about you? Have you been around here umpteen years like Patrick? Do you remember that column I wrote about building the Dream Garage? Do you have issues getting in and out of your car when it's in the garage? It's impossible for my wife to exit our car in our garage. I didn't build the house we currently live in. CLICK or TAP HERE and immerse yourself in all the things your garage should have.

I Need a Black Paisley Vest - HELP!

For five weekends this fall, I'm helping out the Ashland NH Railroad Historical Society. I dress up as an old RR telegrapher and send Morse code while train passengers visit the restored RR station.

I need a black paisley vest, but have been unsuccessful locating one my size. I'm talking about a standard vest that you'd wear as part of a 3-piece suit. All I see are ones for men who are 5' 11" and taller. All of the vests I see are much too long and would hang down way too low on me. UGH.

If you locate one that will work to these sizes, I'd be MOST GRATEFUL:

Front Length - 21 inches
Back Length - 19 inches
Chest - 44 inches
Waist - 43 inches (odd since I wear size 38 pants)
Rear Shoulder to Shoulder - 16 inches

Let me know if you can uncover where this vest is sold. Thanks! Remember, black paisley.

Howard's Old Faucet

Look at this photo:
old shower faucet
The faucet is dripping and Howard wants to replace the inner workings but has no clue who made the faucet. I don't recognize it at all. There appears to be a logo under the concave part of the chrome trim. Let me know if you know who made it.

This is also a teaching moment. Years ago, I reminded you in a column that when you buy a new faucet or have one installed you should take the installation manual and parts list and put them in a ziplock storage bag. You then tape this to the inside of the vanity in the bathroom or your kitchen sink base cabinet. Do this with ALL fixtures and faucets in your entire home.

Better yet, about five or ten years down the road, purchase replacement cartridges for the faucets while the parts are still available. Put those in a separate bag and tape it to the inside of the vanity or sink base cabinet.

You'll never regret doing this.

FREE BIDS for ANY JOB

CLICK or TAP HERE or Mr. Shovel Man below to get FREE BIDS for any job around your home.
Man Shoveling
Roofing 101 - Don't SKIP THIS!!

Are you getting ready to have a new roof installed? Look at this photo, please. What do you think this is:
DaVinci Roofscapes shingles
Do you know where most roof leaks happen?
Do you know what's the BEST plumbing vent flashing?
Do you know the best skylight flashings?
Do you want a SIMPLE form you hand to each roofer that he fills out so you can see who's the real PRO?

CLICK or TAP HERE to get all the above and MORE.

Brittle CPVC - Ticking Time Bombs

A really good friend of mine, we go back almost thirty years, reached out to me a few days ago. He is also a plumber and was a warehouse manager for a Cincinnati-based plumbing wholesale business.

He's doing some remodeling on a flipper house he bought out in the country. The previous plumber used CPVC piping for the water-supply lines.

Here's what my friend sent,

"I capped some 1/2" CPVC pipe with Sharkbite caps so I could keep a primitive bathroom going for myself. That stuff shattered like glass as I tried to use my battery Dewalt recip saw on it.

I ended up using a hacksaw with a 24-point blade and going very gently to get it to cut without splitting. This house was built in 1988.

The CPVC has had crawl space exposure its entire life, but still I remember 1988 as not being that long ago regarding a site built home. I could snap a piece only 4 or 5 inches long like a pencil."

What's your takeaway here? If you're at all familiar with CPVC, when it's new, it's NOT brittle. You can bend it and it will not snap.

If your home has CPVC water-supply lines, then be sure they're not under any stress and you'll have a flood.

Talk to Me Before not After

Richard lives in Columbus, OH. This is another teaching moment you should never forget.

He emailed me about four days ago and said,

"As part of a recent roofing job, I also had ridge vents installed. I'm now considering whether I have adequate venting in the eaves of the house.

I've found plenty of info about matching the vent capacity of the eaves vs. the ridge vent, but nothing addresses anything like the built-in roof vent. Any suggestions?"

I grinned at my computer monitor and said out loud, "Richard you should have researched this BEFORE you even called roofers to get quotes. You should have read all my roof ventilation columns. You maybe should have done one of my 15-Minute phone calls."

I responded and told Richard to go read all my past work about turbine vents.

Now he has to bring back the roofer to add them. Such an extra unnecessary expense!

That's enough for this Sunday. My health is continuing to improve. My wife Kathy and I beat Covid and have the best natural immunity you can get. WOOT!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
BEST DARN CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
Train Telegrapher - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Are you getting ready to have a new roof installed? Asphalt shingles? You'd do well to READ my short expose' Roofing Ripoff book. CLICK or TAP HERE to read the first few chapters for FREE.

Roofing 101

Posted on by Tim Carter
Tim's NH Roof

Roofing 101 - Tips for an Expert Installation | This is my own roof. I hand-nailed each one of the DaVinci Roofscapes virgin polymer shingles that look like real slate. It fools anyone who sees it. They always remark, "Wow, real slate!"  I estimate this DaVinci roof will last 75-100 years. It's definitely a positive asset when I go to sell my home in a few years. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Roofing 101 - What you Need to Know

I have no clue how many new roofs are installed in the USA each year, but it’s got to be in the hundreds of thousands. Perhaps a new roof is in your future or in the next few years. If so, you’d be wise to retrieve it from my AsktheBuilder website when it’s time for you to meet with a roofer.

Most roofs installed in the USA are asphalt shingles. The reasons are many, but for the most part they’re easy to install and they’re affordable. The issue is the asphalt shingles of today are nothing like the ones that were manufactured even 40 years ago. I exposed the shortcomings about five years ago in my Roofing Ripoff book. You might want to read this short book. It will absolutely put your head on a swivel as to all things asphalt shingle. I discovered while writing the book how to make asphalt shingles last 40, or more, years. It’s all in the book.

roofing ripoff cover

Where do Most Roofs Leak?

If you’re like most homeowners, you wring your hands worrying about leaks. It’s a valid concern! Understand the vast majority of roof leaks on the average home almost always are at a flashing. Rarely does a leak form in the giant open field of shingles.

What is a Flashing?

A flashing is a transitional material that connects your roof to something that’s not a roof. Here’s a short list of where you’d find flashings:

  • chimneys
  • dormers
  • plumbing vent pipes
  • skylights
  • any other vent that is popping up through the roof to expel air from your home

There’s a common plumbing vent-pipe flashing many roofers use that has a rubber boot attached to an aluminum flashing base. The issue is after ten years or so, the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun cause the rubber to crack and split where it touches the plumbing vent pipe. Water can enter here.

I’ve discovered a better plumbing vent pipe flashing made from powder-coated steel and it has a special siliconized-rubber boot. My guess is from my own testing it might last fifty, or more, years. It’s made by Lifetime Tool. CLICK or TAP HERE to purchase this amazing flashing. It's the one I used in the video just below.

Here's a video I recorded about this amazing flashing:

How Can I Discover More about Flashings?

You can start by reading all of these articles here on AsktheBuilder.com:

Roof Flashing Repair - Not Always Easy

Metal Flashing Installation Tips

Roof Flashing for Bathroom and Kitchen Exhaust Fans - Video Here!

You’d do well to educate yourself using different books, shingle manufacturer’s installation instructions, and even some YouTube videos about how flashings should be installed. Once you grasp this somewhat simple topic, you’ll know the right questions to ask the roofers you’ll get bids from.

Is Caulk an Acceptable Flashing Add-on?

Don’t even think of using caulk on a roof to help seal joints in flashings. Caulk is not a permanent roofing material. Once again, it’s also very susceptible to damage from UV rays. Flashings should be made from metal that you can solder. Copper is an excellent flashing material. Tin used to be used for decades but stringent EPA regulations have all but killed the tin market. Talk to your roofer about flashing materials that can be soldered.

What are the Best Skylight Flashings?

As for skylight flashings, I’ve had the best luck with Velux. They have pre-engineered aluminum flashing kits. The base and head flashings for the bottom and top of the skylight don’t require any soldering. I’ve installed them on countless jobs and have these on my own home and have never had a leak.

What are the Best Nails to Use with my Shingles?

The nails that are used to fasten your roof to your home are extremely important. Once again, read the written installation instructions from the shingles you decide to use. See what nails they require so you maintain your warranty. Pay attention to the length of the nail and how far it must penetrate the wood roof deck. Hot-dipped galvanized nails are the best. The roofer that installed the shingles on my New Hampshire house, I didn’t build the house I currently live in, used nails with a thin electroplating of zinc. Read all about different galvanized roofing nails here.

When I re-roofed my home six years ago, many of the nails I was taking off were heavily rusted. They were only eleven years old! The nails you use should last longer than the actual roofing material.

Should I Use an Underlayment or Watershield?

You may wonder about underlayments or watershields. I happen to live in the Northeast where ice dams are as common as kids swimming in our wonderful lakes here in the summertime. Ice dams can form at any location on a roof, although most do form down at the bottom of a roof where the roof passes over the exterior wall of the home.

I decided for the ultimate peace of mind to install Grace Ice and Watershield over my entire roof. I lapped it up on the sides of my skylights and connected it to my plumbing vent pipes as well. You can’t see any of this as it’s all hidden by the other flashings that cover these roof penetrations. I now don’t have to worry at all about dreadful leaks caused by ice dams.

My best advice is for you to select the roofing material you’re going to use. Do this before talking with any roofer. Once you’ve made your decision, get the full set of written installation instructions from the roofing manufacturer. Read them.

Do You Have a Handy Bidsheet I Can Use to Discover the Best Roofer?

Yes, CLICK or TAP HERE for an instant download bidsheet that will help you identify the most professional roofer to do the work. It comes with a 100-percent money-back guarantee.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local roofers in your city or town.

You’ll quickly discover the instructions are easy to follow and understand. Once you understand how your roof should be installed, you can ask the right questions when talking with roofers. Be sure you put in your contract with the roofer that he’s to install the roof exactly as the instructions say. Period.

This article was featured in my September 12, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

 

Column 1420

September 5, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

I see you standing in the group with Lindsay, Robert, Barbara, Marcia, Mike, and a scad of others. This is your first issue and I welcome you!

This issue, however, might be your 378th one! I've published nearly 1000 newsletters and who knows, you may be one of my first subscribers!

Do you remember the column I did about using the correct gray-colored paint primer? It's pretty interesting when you think about black and white photographs! CLICK or TAP HERE and allow some extra knowledge to seep into your tiny gray cells.

Covid Survivors

This is the first newsletter since the middle of August. You may have noticed no issues were sent out the past two weekends. I contracted the illness, as did Kathy my wife, on or about August 8th. I survived because of the grace of God and the tender care and love I received from Kathy. I know that she alone, with some help from my youngest daughter, ensured my survival.

In the first ten days of the illness, Kathy watched over me like a hawk always looking to see what direction I was headed on an hour-by-hour basis.

She was only slightly ill for 36 hours and nowhere to the extent I was sick. This is why she was able to care for me like a private nurse.

If you want to know all the details of what happened including how we zeroed in on when we were infected, the medications I was taking, and other things, CLICK or TAP HERE.

Roots in Sewer Lines

Look at this simple drawing I made:

tree roots sewer line sketch

While I was recovering from the virus, I received an email from a man who used my method of dealing with tree roots in a sewer line.

He told me my method saved him $10,000. Of course it will!

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover how simple it is to ensure tree roots don't enter your sewer line.

Cincinnati and Chicago Meetups

All good things must come to an end. It's quite possible I'm about to do the last two meetups of my AsktheBuilder career. You may have in interest in attending one.

What happens at a meetup? It's a fun party-like atmosphere. Most of the time the attendees ask all sorts of questions about all the inner workings of what happens behind the magic curtain of Ask the Builder. The conversation is wide-ranging and I'm always very interested in you and your story. Everyone has a story and they are wonderful to hear at a meetup.

The bottom line is an AsktheBuilder.com Meetup is fun!

I'm going to be in Cincinnati the first week of October for my 51st high school reunion. Our 50th was cancelled last year by the governor of Ohio.

If you want to do a meetup while I'm in town, I can carve out the time. It would happen in northern KY at the offices of Bold Homes. The president, Mike Kegley, has graciously offered to host the meetup.

But you MUST REPLY NOW so I know how many might come. The cutoff to keep the event at Mike's offices is eight people. If more than eight people show an interest, we'll move to another location.

The meetup would be in the afternoon for sure. Once enough people RSVP, then I'll figure out the exact date and time.

As for Chicago, another friend has offered up his house for a meetup. He lives in Palatine. He can host about the same number of people. If enough people express an interest, THEN I'll add an extra two days and drive to Chicago from Cincinnati on October 10th or so.

You know what to do. REPLY NOW with all your contact information if you want to get together in either of the two cities. If many decide to attend, then we'll work together on Plan B as to locating a quiet place in each city that can handle the overflow crowd.

Hurricane Ida Takeaways

Hurricanes are big storms and can make for big news. Ida put a few heads on a swivel this past week, especially in the Northeast where it caught many by surprise.

Here are some facts about hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other natural disasters including widespread civil disorder:

1. Your home and the possessions within your home are the LEAST important asset in your community. This means when a disaster strikes don't count on first responders SHOWING UP at your home.

Why? There might be 1000X homeowners like you needing help for every first responder! What's more, the first responders already have a list of the most valuable community assets. They preserve those first. Guess what? You and your home are at the BOTTOM OF THE LIST. Don't believe me? Ask your fire chief.

2. You may not find someone to do repairs for months. It's the same problem. High-quality contractors will be overwhelmed. You need to meet with neighbors and friends and come up with a plan. Who has what skills? Who has what tools? Figure out how you can work together as a team to do the basic repairs to protect your homes until months later when a contractor can show up.

3. Pre-buy materials. The time to buy that giant blue tarp for your roof is NOT the day after the hurricane. Think ahead. Purchase and store whatever materials and tools you need to SURVIVE until such time as you can get the proper repair work complete.

That's quite enough for my first Sunday back.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Best Cleaner Ever - www.StainSolver.com
Morse - Original Digital - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. What do you think you know about making repairs to concrete block or stucco? CLICK or TAP HERE and let me know if you discovered something new. WATCH ALL THREE videos at the bottom of the page.