You can put the wires around the screws as normal or slide them into the clamps on the rear and then tighten the screws. The clamp method is much easier than bending the wires around the screws.
What Happens if the GFCI Malfunctions?
The SmartlockPro® does just that - it LOCKS out. If the circuitry can't provide ground-fault protection, NO electricity will flow through the outlet. It fails in the SAFE MODE.
How Do Plumbing Vents Work | Most of the pipes you see in this photo are vent pipes and wastewater never travels through them. You have almost as much vent pipe in walls and ceilings as you do drain pipes! Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
How Do Plumbing Vents Work? - They Let Air In
QUESTION:Hey Tim, I had the opportunity to tour a house under construction. All of the plumbing drain lines were in, but I also saw all sorts of other extra pipes that connected to the drain pipes and eventually combined and went up through the roof.
It got me thinking, “What are these pipes and why were they installed?” What’s more, do you think I have these same pipes in my home? It seems like a lot of wasted pipe to me. Sharon A., Lake Wales, FL
You may not have ever been blessed to see what Sharon did. I say this because it can really be eye-opening to see the bones, wires, pipes, etc. in a home before the skin of drywall or plaster is applied. You’d be stunned to discover what’s just on the other side of that smooth coating if you had x-ray vision like Superman.
I’ve been a master plumber since age 29. When I first jumped into the building business after getting my geology degree in college, I gravitated to carpentry, plumbing, electric, and roofing. All of those things were of great interest, but plumbing cast a long-lasting spell on me. I really enjoyed the challenge of the three-dimensional problem-solving you have to do to run all the drain and vent pipes in a typical home.
I wondered how it all worked and was lucky enough to work in many old homes where I saw how long-gone master plumbers of old installed giant cast-iron pipes. You often could still smell the oakum oil-soaked hemp used to pack the joints before they poured the molten lead to make the joints water-tight.
Indoor Plumbing Only Since the 1880s
It’s easy to fall into the trap thinking that indoor plumbing has been around for centuries. The truth is indoor plumbing is one of the newer innovations in building. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that people made the connection between common diseases and the lack of sanitary conditions in crowded cities. Once this happened, plumbers gained the stature of doctors because they, the plumbers, could keep you healthy by installing piping in such a way as to remove harmful waste from your home.
It didn’t take long for plumbers to figure out something you might have not paid much attention to back in high school physics class. I’m talking about the Venturi effect. When water rushes down a pipe and it passes an empty pipe, the moving water can create a vacuum.
Venturi Effect Sucks Water From Traps
If you don’t install vent pipes at each fixture in a plumbing system, the Venturi effect comes into play. Bad things can happen when you flush toilets, drain a tub, do laundry, etc. The water rushing and cascading through the pipes can suck the water out of the u-shaped traps under your sinks, tubs, floor drains, and showers. When this happens, vermin can crawl into your home, and sewer gas can enter as well.
The plumbers of old quickly discovered a plumbing system needs to breathe in air just like you breathe air into your lungs. You can demonstrate this quickly with a disposable simple plastic water bottle. Fill one of these cheap bottles with water and turn it upside down. The water will glug glug glug out of the bottle. There’s a battle going on between the water and the air outside the bottle. Air is struggling to get into the bottle to replace the water that’s emptied out.
Simple Water Bottle Test
Now do the same thing, but poke a very small hole or cut a thin slit in the bottom of the bottle and turn it upside down. The water drains from the bottle freely because air can enter the bottle through the small vent hole or slit you created in the bottle.
Roof Vent Pipe = Vent Hole in Water Jug
That vent pipe you see on your roof does the same thing as that tiny hole or slit you cut into the water bottle. It’s where the air is sucked down into the plumbing system each time you drain water from a fixture. You can connect all the vent pipes that connect to each plumbing fixture in your home to one simple pipe that exits the roof, or you can have several vent pipes pop through the roof to minimize the amount of pipe you use.
Kitchen Island Loop Vent Sink Plumbing | Eighty percent of the pipe you see in this photo is VENT PIPE! The only part that is drain pipe is that part next to the blue PEX water line. These are the pipes you may not see in a kitchen island that help prevent sewer gas from polluting your kitchen. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
What Size Should Vent Pipes Be?
Plumbing vent pipes have to be sized correctly, they need to have a slope to them to drain any condensate back to the drain pipes, and they must be installed with great care. Plumbing codes address all of this and you always want to make sure vent pipes are installed with the same skill as drain pipes.
Are AAVs a Good Idea?
While on the topic, I’m not a fan at all of the modern air-admittance valves (AAV) that seem to be the belle of the ball. They have moving parts and we all know that things with moving parts fail sooner or later. Traditional vent pipe systems have no moving parts. Period.
Repair Cracked Backsplash Grout | This is a close-up photo of a granite countertop that’s got a tile backsplash sitting on it. The grout between the tile and granite has failed. What’s the best way to repair this? Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
Repair Cracked Backsplash Grout - Do It In the Winter
QUESTION:Hello, Tim. I could use your help. The grout line between my kitchen granite countertop and the tile backsplash has cracked for the umpteenth time. Each winter the crack appears and each year I re-grout it hoping it will be the final time.
Am I using the wrong grout? How would you repair this and why does the crack disappear on its own in the summer? I have the same issue with other cracks around my home that mysteriously open and close depending on the time of year. Gary K., Columbus, OH
I swore off almost all gambling years ago when my wife caught me trying to make double-or-nothing basketball shots with my young son. She made me pay the $100 I was up to when she opened the garage door discovering me frantically trying to make a basket. Of course, he ratted me out because he thought he was rich. I’m pretty certain he still has that money and the shameful incident is brought up with regularity at family gatherings!
That said, I’m willing to bet that you might have a similar issue in your home with cracks that appear in the winter months and then disappear in the summer. It happens here in my own home.
The source of the pesky cracks is water, actually water vapor. You won’t find these cracks in well-built motels made from concrete and steel. Concrete and steel are very stable and don’t change shape when wet. You find them in houses and buildings built with wood that are located in climates where it does get hot and humid in the summer months.
Wood is hygroscopic. This means that it changes in size in response to moisture content. Think of a piece of wood like a cheap synthetic sponge. When you get one wet, it swells. When it dries out, it shrivels up. The change in size is fairly dramatic.
This shrink/swell issue isn’t as bad in older wood-frame homes. I’m talking ones built using old-growth timber from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Modern framing lumber has been hybridized to grow faster and the light-colored spring-wood bands of wood fibers are much larger than the darker summer-wood bands when the tree growth slows because of the lack of water and oncoming winter.
You’re looking at an old piece of lumber from the late 1800s versus a modern timber. Look at the difference in the size of the growth rings. The light-colored bands are spring wood and absorb lots of water vapor causing the wood to swell. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
This newer hybridized lumber is much more reactive to changes in water content than the wood of old. It swells and puffs up slowly as the humidity rises in your home. Here in the northern hemisphere by the end of August, the wood framing in your home is like your lungs after you take an enormous inhalation of air.
As your home, and Gary’s, transition to January and February, this water is liberated from the lumber and the cracks bloom in your home like flowers in the desert after a 1-inch rainfall. The water in the wood is pulled out by the drier winter air in your home.
When Should I Repair the Grout?
In my opinion, the best way to deal with these cracks is in the dead of winter. Gary needs to stop using hard grout and switch to the best caulk with the most elasticity. This characteristic is often called out on the label of the caulk. You'll discover high-quality caulks at a home center or large hardware store.
What is the Best Caulk to Use?
Remember, the more expensive the caulk is, almost always it’s a better product. Why? In these cases, the manufacturer puts in better ingredients that almost always are more expensive.
Large deep cracks might have to be filled with a foam backing rod before you install the caulk. You’ll probably end up using a water-based caulk and as these dry and cure, they shrink. You minimize shrinkage by minimizing the amount of caulk you use.
How Do You Remove the Grout?
Gary needs to carefully scrape away all the failed grout. The granite top is pretty hard and very scratch resistant. That said, I’d use plenty of water and a new stiff 1.5-inch putty knife with a sharp edge. I’d get the countertop wet and slide the knife across the grout much like a snowplow pushes snow. I’d angle the tool so the grout is pushed towards the tile.
After going about an inch or two, I’d use a damp sponge to pick up any of the grit the putty knife loosened. You don’t want to grind that grit into the granite. I’ve never had issues getting up old grout from granite. The polished granite surface usually surrenders the grout with minimal work.
You do the same process to remove any grout from the vertical tiles, but it takes far more patience and skill. Work slowly and use a deft touch. Great lighting will aid the process. Feel free to use a child’s squirt gun to rinse grit down onto the granite top. Imagine you’re a dental hygienist for a day. Think about that. How cool is it to have one of those tiny fancy squirt guns they use to rinse teeth?
Once you have the grout all cleaned off, slide the tip of a paper towel into the crack between the tile and the granite to get liquid water that’s hiding in the void. Once you have all the water out, allow the crack to dry for 48 hours before caulking. I have a great caulking video on my AsktheBuilder.com website to show you exactly how I get a smooth joint each time. You should watch it.
I’ve been told my newsletter is one of the quirkiest ones around. If this is your first issue, you get to be the judge and jury. Often I start off with a subject that has nothing to do with home improvement. Today is one of those days. You’re about to meet Jason who I saw as he was walking along Lower Bay Road. I headed to the grocery store and he was headed to work.
You can see sunrises like this driving along that road here in central New Hampshire.
You, though, might have been a subscriber for 269 moons, maybe more. Do you recall that video I shot for Channel 9 news in Cincinnati, Ohio? Ron Fischer was the videographer and it was one of my first videos for the TV station. CLICK or TAP HERE and tell me if you think you’re a sissy.
Be SURE TO SCROLL DOWN below the video to see the BEST drill bits.
Synchronicity
Has it happened to you? It’s like falling in love. You know it when it happens. CLICK or TAP HERE and take a dip in the magic waters of synchronicity. I fell under the spell of this elixir this past Wednesday morning as I drove down Lower Bay Road.
Wayne’s Heat Pump in Massachusetts
A few days ago, Wayne reached out to me.
He wrote, “Have you thought about doing articles for AsktheBuilder.com for people who are considering replacing or installing a new heating system considering the influence of some people who are doing some things promoting the Green New Deal?
I live along the coast in Massachusetts above Boston and need to replace my oil-fired hot-air furnace in the near future and am thinking that a heat pump might be a good alternative.”
What do you think I told Wayne? Do you think heat pumps are the bee’s knees and the best thing to use in all climates?
CLICK or TAP HERE and pay very close attention to what I say about the balance point.
Pocket Door Privacy
Have you discovered you need more privacy in your home because more people are home more often?
I recorded a NEW SHORT VIDEO that you should watch. It's guaranteed to inspire you. CLICK or TAP HERE to watch the SHORT VIDEO.
Free Advice & Bids
Are you in need of FREE ADVICE AND BIDS from LOCAL contractors?
Based on the emails and complaints about WAITING TIME I get from subscribers just like you, now is the time to start the bid process. Contractors are busy and you may end up waiting a long time if you don’t get in line!
CLICK OR TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local contractors for ANY PROJECT.
CLICK OR TAP the following links and let me know how quickly you get contacted. I'll bet it's fast.
One of my best friends from college is Phil. He and I met in the summer of 1972 on a two-week geology field trip to the Southwest. We still stay in touch.
We were the primary drivers of Big Red along with Steve Bernius, I believe. Phil’s sitting in the passenger seat in this photo and that’s me with the golden locks at age 19 ready to jump in and drive Big Red towards the extinct Bandera Volcano.
As of a few days ago, he said there are still thousands of homes and small businesses without water. Not only is it an issue of overworked plumbers, but there's also a shortage of repair parts.
STOP! Did that sink in about the shortage of repair parts? What should you do now to be prepared at your home if something breaks during a disaster?
Even if you’re not going to install the parts, wouldn’t it be nice if you had them on hand? You’d be empowered and might conjure up the courage to reach out to me for help or watch a few YouTube videos to get your life back to normal.
Camp-out on Your Tile
Peer at this photo of Kevin’s tile floor:
Do you know what’s going on? What caused this to happen to the tile?
P.S. Did you put too much trust in the contractors you hire? Do you think it’s dangerous to do that? No matter HOW you answer those two questions, please read this column and ask yourself, “How many Sebastians are there out there?”
Roy was kind enough to grant permission to me to share his life-saving synchronicity tale.
Here it is:
Several years ago, before cell phones, I drove to Kearney, NE one year to help with a high school academic competition. Well, this particular year, I was driving down I-80 at about 4 a.m.
As you can imagine, there was hardly any traffic at that hour. I passed a car, which appeared to be abandoned, on the side of the road. When you're driving 55-65 mph, a car parked on the side of the road goes by pretty past.
However, I felt like I had seen something or someone IN the car, even though it was pitch black/dark out. I had to decide whether to keep going or to turn around at the next exit, which was several miles down the road.
I believe the Lord was telling me that I needed to go back. So, I drove a few more miles to the next exit, turned around, went to the next exit past where that car was, turned around again, and headed to their car.
When I pulled up behind the car, I very slowly walked up to the car, since I had no idea what/who I would find. I had NEVER stopped for this kind of situation before.
I came up to the car and knocked on the window. This was winter and it was probably 10-20 degrees outside.
The person in the driver’s seat very slowly cracked the window. What I saw amazed me! There were four adults, a baby, and a dog in that car!
I had a Chevy Cavalier (4-door) at that time. I asked if I could give them a ride. They were very hesitant, but I told them I could not leave them in the cold!!
Due to allergies, I told them I couldn’t take the dog, but we squeezed the five of them into my car and headed down the road.
They asked me to leave them at the next exit at a gas station. As you probably remember, gas stations were not open 24 hours a day a lot back then. This was the early 1990s. I told them we probably wouldn’t find one that was open.
So, I asked them where they were headed. They lived in Kearney, NE! I couldn’t believe it. When I told them I was GOING to Kearney, THEY couldn’t believe it.
They accepted my offer to take them all the way home to Kearney. Then, they told me they had been stuck there for 4 hours. A tow truck had come but didn’t have the necessary equipment to tow the vehicle AND take the passengers, so they were waiting for another tow truck and someone to pick them up.
One hour after waiting, they no longer had heat in the car. So, they had been in the 10-20 degree temps for over three hours when I pulled up.
So, we had a nice long, warm, chat for the three-hour drive to Kearney and left them at their house. They were so grateful. I was so happy to be of assistance.
It was one of a few miraculous pick-someone-up stories that I have had the blessing to be a part of.
I always think, what if I had not listened to the Holy Spirit guiding me to go back and check the car?
I tell people, sometimes you have to listen and act on that still, small voice…
Your story inspired me to tell you mine!
God bless,
Roy
NOTE from Tim Carter: My good friend Tim Lewis, DVM, is quite sure the dog survived. Tim grew up on a farm and told me, "Cats, dogs, etc. are tough. They can survive brutal cold if you just get them out of the wind and they have water every few days." Roy told me the next day the car was gone on the side of the road so the dog was only in the car maybe six or eight hours alone before the tow truck arrived.
Fix Smoking Fireplace - This may look to you like a well-built fireplace. You’d be wrong. It was built by a buffoon. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
Fix Smoking Fireplace - Bad News, Start Over
QUESTION:Tim I really need your help. I just moved into my new home and have a smoking full masonry fireplace. It’s 55 inches wide and has an arched opening that’s 33.5 inches at the peak of the arch.
It looks like regular brick mortar was used with the firebrick. For whatever reason, it has two flues and a damper on each one. It smokes like an old steam locomotive sending clouds of choking smoke into the house!
Cracking a window helps but doesn’t solve the problem. Should there only be one flue? Should I only open one damper? What’s wrong? Tim Y., Broken Arrow, OK
When I opened Tim’s email and saw his fireplace photo, I exhaled a heavy sigh. I was flooded with a range of emotions. Frustration, sorrow, mild anger, and sympathy were at the top of the list. It breaks my heart to get bad news like Tim’s knowing that it’s so easy to build things, even fireplaces, that work perfectly. The science of how fireplaces and chimneys work has been known for hundreds of years.
CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local fireplace experts to see if they MIGHT be able to fix your smoking fireplace.
Time to Bring Back Vocational Training?
I want to take this opportunity to once again plead the case for you to lobby your local school board to bring back vocational training in both grade and high school. In my opinion, it should be mandatory and all boys and girls should be exposed to the same learning material each year as they move through the 12 grades. We need to expose students about how houses work and the right way to do things because they're all going to need a roof over their heads as they grow older.
The vocational training not only will help give young people confidence about how to do minor repairs and talk intelligently with contractors, but it may also prove to be a springboard for those that might want to work with their hands in a rewarding life-long vocation. We must have new young people entering the trades each year. This is just common sense. Let’s expose the trades to children and allow them to see how rewarding it is to absorb this valuable knowledge.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and deal with what should have happened at Tim’s house as his fireplace was built. I’m sorry to say that Tim’s fireplace is the absolute worst job I’ve ever seen in my career. It was destined to fail from the get-go.
Who Has Clear Fireplace Building Tips?
The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has published clear and concise pamphlets for decades that show exactly how to build a residential wood-burning fireplace that will never smoke. Not only do these pamphlets cover the sizing requirements, but they also go into great detail how to properly size the flue and match it to the height of the chimney.
Are Fireplace Dimensions Critical?
It’s important to realize the size and shape of the firebox are directly related to the width and height of the opening to the fireplace. You can’t just guess as did Tim’s mason. As crazy as this sounds, Tim’s mason created a firebox that had two short stub walls that projected back into the firebox, then the two walls went off at 45-degree angles to meet at a hard 90-degree corner in the rear of the firebox. It’s no wonder smoke billowed into Tim’s house.
The shape and size of the firebox critical, but what you don’t see above the firebox is even more important. The shape and size of the throat of the fireplace as well as the design of the smoke shelf is of the utmost importance to ensure all the smoke and hot gases go up the chimney rather than roll into the room.
Can a Determined Non-Pro Build a Good Fireplace?
What’s sad about all this is that you with just moderate hand-eye skills can build a non-smoking fireplace using the easy-to-understand information available for free from the BIA. It’s maddening that anyone would have a smoking fireplace when you think about how the technical drawings, specs, etc. are all readily available.
Should I Use Brick Mortar in a Fireplace?
No. Regular brick mortar should never be used to install the special firebrick in fireplaces.
Let’s talk about the use of ordinary brick mortar inside fireplace fireboxes. It’s a mistake, plain and simple. The firebrick used in a firebox is special refractory brick meant for high temperatures. It’s quite possible the temperature in a roaring fire could exceed 1,000 degrees in certain situations. Normal brick mortar is not made to withstand this temperature swing from room temperature to 4-digit temperatures.
Is Fireclay the Best Fireplace Mortar?
Fireclay is the best thing to use to create thin joints between the firebrick. Fireclay is a special fine clay you mix with water to the consistency of a thick gravy. Skilled masons carefully dip the edge of a firebrick in this to apply the perfect amount of fireclay to each brick. The joint between the firebrick usually ends up no wider than 1/16th of an inch.
CLICK or TAP HERE to have this fantastic fireclay delivered to your home.
How Do you Use Fireclay?
With the wet fireclay on the edge of a firebrick, the mason then presses it against another one and the fireclay creates a fireproof bond. This fireclay is not much different than the clay my daughter uses to make pottery. she fires this clay in a kiln that reaches temperatures in excess of 2,100 F. It will easily withstand thousands of fires over decades of use without crumbling as ordinary brick mortar will.
I’ve created a special page on my AsktheBuilder website sharing all the BIA information with you. CLICK or TAP HERE so you can have a non-smoking fireplace:
Tented tile | This is a classic example of tented tile. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
"It's important to realize not all tile tents. Your tile tented because the wrong clay was used to make your tented tile."
Tenting Tile Cause and Repair - Simple Physics
Tenting tile is a very common problem. It happened to Kevin, one of the subscribers of my FREE newsletter. Here's what he sent to me, including his photo above:
"Hi Tim, my name is Kevin and I am a long-term subscriber of your newsletter. I live in the Florida Panhandle and Friday evening while watching television I heard a loud pop/ping type of noise that sounded like a neighborhood kid had thrown a rock and hit my window.
About 30 minutes later I heard it again and did not immediately see any issues as I have a large area rug on top of my tile. Later after getting up and stepping on the rug I heard an odd grinding type noise and upon further investigation I pulled the rug back and noticed the tenting of the tiles running towards the exterior window.
My house is on a concrete slab and the tiles were in place when I purchased a home in 2002. A freeze here is rare but we did have two nights of temperatures in the upper 20s about a week prior. I was just wondering what your take on the situation."
The ceramic tile detaches from a concrete slab and creates a pressure ridge on your tile floor. My college degree is in geology and I know a thing or two about expansive clay, the clay used to make the tenting tile.
It's important to realize not all tile tents. Your tile tented because the wrong clay was used to make your tented tile.
Why Does Tile Tent?
Tenting tile is caused by expanding tile. This expansion causes a compressive force within the actual tile and a tension force between the tile and the concrete slab. Since the tile can't go down because the concrete slab is in the way, it releases the compressive force by going up. It's much like you squeezing, or compressing, an open bottle of ketchup. Squeeze it hard enough and ketchup squirts out the top of the bottle.
Why Does Tile Expand?
Ceramic tile is made from clay. Clay mineralogy is extremely complex and some clays expand and contract dramatically depending upon their moisture content. All you have to do is research expansive clay soils and see how they can cause large concrete slabs to crack and crumble. Expansive clay soils are abundant in Texas and some other USA states.
Ceramic tile made from expansive clay will be the first to tent. The underside of almost all ceramic floor tiles is unglazed and water and water vapor can enter the tile with ease. The water causes the tile to begin to expand.
Can Tenting Tile Happen After Many Years?
Tenting tile can happen at any time. It just depends on how well it was adhered to the concrete slab and what caused water or water vapor to suddenly start to move up through the concrete slab into the tile.
A well-adhered tile subject to tenting may never tent because the thinset used to bond the tile to the concrete slab is so strong it can resist the upward motion. The expansion of the tile in these instances leads to chronic crumbling and cracking of the tile grout.
How Do You Repair Tile That's Tented?
You need to remove the tented tile. Salvage as much as you can. Grind off the old thinset and seal the bottom of the tile with an oil-based matte urethane. Allow the urethane to dry for 48 hours. Seal all new tile the same way that will be used in the repair.
Install the tile back on the slab using the method you see in this thinset installation video. Do NOT SKIP the step of wetting the concrete slab before applying the thinset.
How Can Tenting Tile Be Prevented?
There are a number of ways to prevent tenting tile:
I now do the hunting and gathering of materials at the local Market Basket store in Tilton, NH. I slid sideways into this new responsibility and as crazy as it sounds, I’m enjoying drifting around the ends of the aisles with the buggy filled with food.
I imagine I'm driving a rally car sliding sideways around turns on the dusty gravel roads in the deep forests of Maine during the New England Forest Rally (NEFR). I make sure I don’t run into another person's buggy and am slowly discovering the best times to shop when I can do the most drifting with the least likelihood of an accident.
You don't know what drifting is? Oh my gosh! Watch this short video to see what I witness each summer as Chief of Communications for the NEFR.
The Market Basket store is about a 25-minute drive from my home, but it's worth it. The first half of the drive is along the western shore of Lake Winnisquam, so you can't complain about the scenery. Go early enough one day when the store opens and you can be treated to a sunrise like this across the calm lake waters.
This is what Mother Nature can whip up for eye candy on many a morning in New Hampshire.
The store also is at least 50% larger than the also-ran store I used to shop at in downtown Meredith. Market Basket has a much larger variety of things and the produce section is stunning. They even stock the mouth-watering Oriental yams that are far superior to sweet potatoes!
This past week on the way to the store, I was driving down Lower Bay Road in Sanbornton, NH. This twisty two-lane road hugs the west shore of Lake Winnisquam. Rarely do you see a person walking on this road. And when you do, you’ll almost never see someone wearing a backpack.
There was nary a cloud in the sky at sunrise but by now, it had become overcast. It wasn't bitter cold as it was the day before with a windchill of -20F, but it was still biting cold.
A car was approaching in the distance and I spied a young man on the other side of the road walking facing this car as he's supposed to. He wisely climbed up on the crusty plowed snow next to the road to avoid being hit by the oncoming car. “That was smart. Good for him.” I thought as I drove past.
He was well dressed and walking with determination. I estimate he was in his late 20s.
Something in my head screamed, “STOP. Go back and offer this man a ride. He’s not just walking around the block.” If I were a betting man, I'd wager he was headed to Route 3, the main north/south road that cuts through New Hampshire. It used to be the fastest way to get from Massachusetts to Canada before the Interstate highway system was even a glint in the eye of President Eisenhower.
At the very least I was sure I could give him a lift to Mosquito Bridge where Route 3 crosses the pinched narrow neck of Lake Winnisquam. Once there, I knew he’d be turning left or right.
The red arrow points to Mosquito Bridge. The old wooden bridge that crossed over the lake had a more pronounced arch to it similar to the shape of a mosquito poised to suck your blood. Mosquitos have been nominated numerous times to be the New Hampshire state bird.
I stopped my truck about 150 feet past him and put it in reverse. I started backing up and who knows what he was thinking about this big 4x4 coming right back at him. I rolled down my window and said, "It looks like you could use a lift. Where are you headed?"
"Tilton," he said.
"Well, you're in luck. That's exactly where I'm going." He accepted the ride, jumped in the truck, and said, “Thanks. My name is Jason. What’s yours?”
“Well, I’m Tim Carter. Glad to meet you, Jason.”
This ride was going to save him four miles of walking on a cold morning.
Within two minutes it happened.
Synchronicity
Years ago I had the good fortune to interview an older police detective, Donald Clark, for a column about selecting the best contractor I was writing. He casually mentioned how easy it is to pry information from criminals. "People love to talk about themselves. You discover how to use this to your advantage in my business."
Soon Jason was talking all about himself sharing his dream to start a podcast featuring his favorite music. I listened to what he wanted to do and responded.
"You do a podcast? Are you serious? Sure, I'd love to know what you know." I think Jason felt like it was Christmas morning.
I started to spew out a ton of tips as we glided towards Tilton. When we got to where he had to be, I pulled over on the road shoulder and we talked another ten minutes.
His idea was to play his favorite songs on the podcast and I told him that he really couldn't do that without the permission of the songwriter. I offered up what I thought might be a better idea and he latched right onto it.
It was an amazing thing for me to watch as this young man's dream all of a sudden became the next closest thing to reality. You could hear the gears grinding and meshing in his head while he visualized himself doing his first podcast.
It was a magical moment for me too.
Jason then exclaimed, “This is synchronicity! Things happen for a reason. You stopping to offer a ride is living proof of the concept. Thank you so very much!”
Jason opened the door of the truck and moments later my turn signal was blinking and I pulled back onto Route 3 headed to the racecourse, er, I mean Market Basket.
Let’s hope Jason's podcast debuts soon and it brings him and his listeners copious amounts of pleasure.
At some point in the past, my guess is a friend or family member of yours said, “Well, look what the cat dragged in.” as you traipsed into a room. You know they were happy to see you, but they wanted to mix it up with some fun. I’m thinking you’re a new subscriber and this being your first issue, I don’t know you well enough to pull that off. But maaaaaaybe one day I’ll be able to!
You, however, could be an honored subscriber in good standing.You remember just last week when I shared the column about my modulating boiler. It’s quite possible you skipped over it for any number of reasons.
Look at how SMALL it is! It's about the size of a piece of checked luggage, yet it can heat a four-bedroom home AND provide unlimited hot water for showers, baths, dishwashing, etc.
It was Bad form for you to skip over it!
But you get another chance.
Why was that column important? Old boilers and furnaces work much like a bottle rocket you might light on the 4th of July. When the fuse ignites the fuel in the tiny object, it’s full ON and the rocket flies up into the air. Just before you lit the fuse, the rocket was in the full OFF position.
A modulating furnace or boiler works much like the burners on your electric or gas stove. You can ADJUST the temperature/flame of a burner depending on how much heat you need to cook.
With a modulating boiler or furnace, the computer within the appliance supplies only enough fuel to the burner to meet the demand for heat at that point in time.
When you click or tap my links your tiny gray cells will thank you and you’ll save money too!
My Latest Book
I’ve only a few more chapters to read in the first book in A Game of Thrones five-book series. It’s a fascinating saga and no doubt I’m going to read the rest of the series.
This book was a homework assignment given to me by my son for a secret project I’m about to start. You’ll hear more about me eating this hush-hush elephant one bite at a time in the future.
Holy tomato!I’m not going to share what happened two nights ago as I was reading the book before stepping up into the last train to Sleepland, but I was stunned the author would employ this drastic plot twist.
This stunning surprise in the book was foreshadowed earlier when Cersei came down to the garden to meet with Lord Ned Stark.
Listen closelyto what she says at the end of this video clip. I’d hate to be in the room when Cersei wakes up on the wrong side of the bed!
Preventable Texas Misery
Do you live in Texas or anyplace that was recently hammered by bitter cold temperatures? The weather two weeks ago caused mayhem and MILLIONS of dollars of PREVENTABLE damage. I mentioned this in last week’s newsletter.
After writing that piece, my brain wouldn’t let go. I was deeply troubled for days.
The pain was released when I decided to dedicate my national column last Monday to the debacle- or what I feel is one.
I BEG OF YOU to CLICK or TAP HERE and do whatever you can to PASS THE URL along to all your friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, etc. to help PREVENT misery and wasted money in the future.
What’s in it for you when you click the above link?
First, you’re going to discover HOW EASY IT IS to drain down your water lines so the water doesn’t FREEZE and BURST the pipes.
Then you’re going to see the EXACT WAY you should install a main water shutoff valve so that you can still have WATER when the temperature is falling FAST in your home!
It turns out Earl also got to meet the Lone Ranger. He was in the sixth grade in 1960 at Oxford Elementary School in Dearborn, Michigan.
“Tim, when I was in the 6th grade and a safety boy, the Lone Ranger visited our school with a pink Cadillac and his horse Silver in a trailer. My job was to hold the reins of Silver while he addressed the students who were sitting in the play area behind the school. I was very honored to do this. Sincerely, Earl”
How cool is that? To be the person who held Silver’s reins!!!!
Are you in need of free advice and BIDS for work from LOCAL contractors? CLICK OR TAP the following links and let me know how quickly you get contacted. I'll bet it's fast.
How many flat-screen TVs do you think are in the room? I’ll BET you’re WRONG!
Peach
Last week, I shared a brief story about a subscriber named Peach.
We all have talents, and I’ve decided to do my best to turn the spotlight on yours by showcasing subscriber’s websites. This week it’s Peaches’s turn. Just look at what she can do!
Oil painting - River Horses Boy on Raft - Peach McComb
CLICK or TAP HERE to see more of Peach’s work. In addition to doing her own art, she offers classes. I desperately need ten or twenty classes, especially in watercolor. A trip to the land of BBQ and country music could be in my future.
Do you have a hobby or small business website of your own? Do you want me to feature it in this newsletter ? CLICK or TAP HERE and fill out the short form for goodness sake. You could be next in the spotlight.
Last Call
Are you afraid of anything? I’m not a big fan of serpents and I’m slowly losing my nerve when it comes to high places. Other than that, I’d say I’m pretty brave.
I’d like you to watch a short video of a child facing fear - deep fear. WAIT for it at the end. You may have the same reaction when you KICK YOUR FEAR to the CURB.
Seriously, it's time for you to start dealing with your fear. It could be ruining your life.
Spring is Soon Going to be Sprung
Spring is coming to New Hampshire. Can you believe tomorrow is March 1st? Holy cow!
The town road agents are about to post the roads. That’s a sure sign we’re getting close. Heavy trucks are prohibited from many side roads. My town has a 6-ton weight limit.
Here's why. The roads become spongy as the deep frost begins to thaw. Trucks can pulverize the fragile asphalt paving because the soil between the asphalt and still-frozen ground below the thawed mush is like soft marshmallows.
P.S. Do you struggle with hard water stains? CLICK or TAP HERE to see how EASY it is to remove them. BE SURE TO LOOK at the Before/After photos sent in by Saskia at the bottom of the column!
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