March 21, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
Tell the truth. You’re a brand-new subscriber. It’s often said timing is everything. Welcome, for starters! This might be one of the most unique newsletters I’ve ever sent in the twenty-five years it’s been published. Strap yourself in. I NEED YOUR HELP and that of every subscriber who’s reading this.
You're about to see some secret information I've never shared with you before.
You, though, might have been here for long enough to remember the video I did about bathroom exhaust fans. Do you HATE how noisy and LOUD your fan is?
Yeah, I thought so. CLICK or TAP HERE to see the whisper quiet one I installed in my daughter’s new home. You simply can’t hear it! Scroll down just a bit in the column to watch the video.
FREE BIDS - Local Contractors
CLICK OR TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local contractors for ANY PROJECT.
Economics 101
Back in the day, I tried to take an economics class in college and it made my head explode. I dropped it after a week. My oldest daughter went on to double major in economics and public relations. It's pretty obvious she didn't get my math genes!
I do know that the law of supply and demand is real. You may be feeling it when you try to get bids for work.
But have you seen or heard what’s happened to lumber prices? Holy Cow!
Sans Mustache
Phil Mizzi is a virtual friend of mine in Australia. He’s a subscriber I’d love to meet face-to-face. Over the years, Phil has offered me lots of help and suggestions about my Ask the Builder website and I've reciprocated when he's decided to tackle a project.
I’ve had the great fortune to meet quite a few subscribers in person, though, and you may be one.
Back when I was doing lots of traveling for business, I’d try to carve out time to have a meet up no matter what city I was in. They were always tons of fun. I need to do a local one for those here in New Hampshire!
Anyway, Phil reached out to me a few days ago and said:
“...On another topic, at the end of the ride-on-the-lawn-mower video, it panned to your website and what I thought I saw was a Tim without a mustache!! Was that you and when was that?”
Good eye, Phil! Yes, about eleven years ago, my mustache disappeared one afternoon. CLICK or TAP HERE for an amusing story about what a Dad will do for his daughter.
Wait until you see the photo of me on that page. Jeeez, I just may remove it by the time you see this. I HATE that photo!
I NEED Your Help
Is it possible for you to do me a favor? This is a big one.
Please read all of the following and then share your thoughts with me. I’ve never before disclosed this much information in the newsletter and it’s sort of a Pandora’s box.
You have no idea how valuable your input is. Trust me when I say you’ll be helping millions of people.
Each day, I have thousands of people visit AsktheBuilder.com.
Here’s just one report I get. This one shows you exactly what’s happening with one aspect of my website. This report covers the past seven days:
The arrow points to the fact that in the past seven days almost 58,000 folks came to AsktheBuilder.com.
All the visitors had one thing in common.
They’re in pain or at the very least they needed help with some sort of problem.
Perhaps you’ve had it happen to you. Something has gone wrong. Maybe you’ve got an issue with your home or a contractor conflict.
Maybe you’re like Christian from the UK who I heard from this past Thursday. He was frantic because he felt a plumber was putting in the pipes wrong in his room addition.
Christian was right. It was a huge hot mess. You have no idea how many things are wrong looking at all the photos he sent. Here’s but one photo:
I immediately responded to Christian after he sent his photos. It was 7 PM my time, just before dinner, and I felt the need to get him out of his huge mess.
I told him I had been a master plumber since age 29 and that there was so much wrong that it would require a phone call to share what needed to be done. There was just too much to type.
He never responded. Can you believe that? Isn't that insane?
Those pipes were about to be covered with CONCRETE. Tell me how hard it would be to fix them after that happens.
HELP Tim! Throw Me a Life Preserver!
You’re panicked in many cases when you come to AsktheBuilder.com. I know as I've read tens of thousands of your help requests over the years.
You’re often filled with fear.
You do realize that when you’re fearful you make dreadful decisions. You don't think clearly. I see it happening each day.
You need help from an expert - someone you can trust who doesn’t have a dog in the fight, right? I think I pretty much fit the bill as being unbiased since I can't see your house from where I live and I'm not bidding on your job.
As for being an expert, I think the About Page on my website covers that pretty well, but I could be wrong!
But once at my website, things go off the rails faster than orange slices disappear on the sidelines at halftime during a grade-school soccer game.
Startup Failures
I’m aware of no less than three Internet startups that tried their best to SOLVE the above problem. The founders of the startups were acutely aware you needed help from an independent expert.
These startups raised tens of millions of dollars from venture capitalists. They put that money to work trying to solve the conundrum. The investors' money created websites where you could get on the phone with a plumber, carpenter, electrician, roofer, etc. and get help.
Each one of these startups FAILED.
They vaporized. The phones grew cobwebs on them.
The money for each startup dried up.
Why? Help Me Understand.
I’ve been offering a nearly identical phone coaching service for decades.
I’ve completed hundreds and hundreds of phone calls with homeowners like you. Heck, it's possible I've done close to a thousand paid phone calls in the past twenty-two years.
Just two days ago, I solved Steven’s problem in three minutes.
He told me he had spent three days online trying to get an answer as to the SMALLEST size header he could put in a bearing wall in his living room so the floor above wouldn’t collapse.
He loved my answer and thought the call was the best $$$ he’s spent in ages.
A few days ago, Lori wanted to know the exact vinyl cedar shake product I’m going to use on my next house. I answered her in minutes and offered up a few additional tips to make sure the job looks superb.
Josh needed help with his shear wall in a room addition. The list of help calls I've completed is endless.
Now look at that graphic once more:
In the past week, 687 visitors of the 57,800 went to this page on my website where I offered to give them options to solve their problem.
All 57,800 visitors saw this offer to get the help they needed.
Do the math. Just over one percent decided to look into the offer.
Think about that - just one percent.
I want you to CLICK or TAP HERE to see what they saw.
Guess how many who landed at that page filled out the form?
400, 300, 175, ?
Fifty-one. Less than 10 percent.
Why?
Why would 636 people back away from that FREE offer of HELP?
It gets worse.
Within hours, I’d replied to each of those 51 who’d filled out the form.
Most of the problems they had were very COMPLEX. It was impossible to answer them in two or three sentences or with a Yes or No.
I replied telling them how serious the issue was and that it required a short phone call giving them the link to the phone call page.
These homeowners were about to spend tens of thousands of dollars and possibly make a mistake unless they got some expert advice. Remember, they FILLED OUT THE FORM telling me their problem.
Guess how many of the 51 decided to make a small investment in getting that advice??
20, 15, 9, ?
One. One person.
Why? Why only one?
This is where you come in.
Would you do me a favor and take this short survey so I can try to discover why people aren’t willing to invest in an expert’s advice?
The LAST question is perhaps the most important.
Use your magic wand. Tell me exactly what you’d need to know before you’d invest a small amount to get an expert’s advice.
Be reasonable. Keep in mind, I can't come to your home if you want me to help you. Well, actually I can. I do offer that long-distance service.
And if you want the expert to be local to you, keep in mind they need to be compensated for all the travel time to and from your home.
That’s enough for a Sunday.
Thanks for your help!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Get CLEAN - www.StainSolver.com
POTA - www.W3ATB.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
P.S. Please take the Investing in Advice survey. Your answers could end up helping TENS OF MILLIONS of homeowners just like you.
Tim’s Mustache Disappears
Tim's Mustache
"Hey Dad, you'd look really great without a mustache."
My youngest daughter had popped her head into the dining room just to drop that quick comment. It was the winter of 2008-09 and I was back in Cincinnati for one of my visits from New Hampshire.
Just months before, I had moved to New Hampshire with my oldest daughter and future son-in-law. My wife and youngest daughter would follow us up in August of 2010 after she graduated from high school with her friends.
I was busy working on my laptop at the dining room table and replied, "I'm sure you're right, sweetheart." I didn't think any more about it and kept clicking away on the keyboard.
An Hour Later
"Dad, I was serious. You'd look so much younger if you shaved off that mustache." Kelly had come back downstairs from her room to give me more encouragement. Just as fast as she said it, she was gone back upstairs.
I had just passed the double-nickel birthday a year or so before and maybe she was right. Maybe I would look younger without a hairy lip and while I was at it, maybe I should lose 20 pounds.
The issue was this mustache was a legacy one. It had been on my face for almost forty years as I grew it my freshman year of college if my memory serves me right. What's more, my wife liked it. You know the saying, "Happy wife, happy life."
This is the first known photo of me with a mustache. It's not as full as now. I HATED this photo. My Mom forced me to go to a professional photographer.
"Hmmmm, maybe she's right. Maybe I would look younger. And after all, even if I shaved it off, it could grow back in two months. I'm up in New Hampshire so what's the big deal if I don't have one?"
The gears in my head were spinning.
However, I had left out one important aspect of the SMA | sans-mustache analysis.
The fact that my daughter might be yanking my chain. Hard, really hard.
I've had trouble in the past calibrating my sarcasm sensor and bad things can happen when you get bad data, right?
Two Minutes
"Heck, what do I have to lose? Let's do it."
I got up from the dining room table. My daughter had left the house and my wife was down in the basement in her office. No one knew what was about to happen.
I went upstairs to the bathroom and two minutes later my upper lip was as bare as a newborn's bottom.
WOW, did I look different in the mirror! Did I make a mistake?
The Bomb-Drop Dinner
I decided not to say a word about the shearing experiment. Hours later dinner was being prepared and we sat down to eat. My wife looked across the table and her eyes got pretty big.
"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?" My wife was aghast.
"Well, our youngest said I'd be far more attractive to you if I shaved it off."
"She was wrong!"
"Dad, I was just kidding. I never thought you'd do it."
"Add some fertilizer or do something. I want that mustache back as fast as possible."
She Who Must Be Obeyed is not to be questioned. But I wasn't going to brush some magic hair-growing potion on my lip. I knew how fast it would grow back.
Back in New Hampshire
Two days later, I was back on the road heading northeast to New Hampshire. I decided my oldest daughter needed to see the experiment so I continued to shave my lip as well as the rest of my face.
When she saw me she exclaimed, "Dad, boy do you look different! Your upper lip is HUGE. Maybe you better grow it back before a plane lands on it."
Let's see if you agree. The only evidence of this crazy experiment is the following video. If someone took a photo of me, I'm not aware of it. Let me know what you think.
Editor's Note: The March 21, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter also mentioned how much Tim hated the above photo. Surprised is still is posted!!
Investing in Advice Survey
This is a typical problem a homeowner like you faces. How many things are WRONG in this photo? How do you fix them? What unseen DAMAGE is happening? Do you NEED HELP? CLICK or TAP HERE to tell Tim Carter your problem after taking the survey below.
UPDATE: CLICK HERE to see the results of this survey in the March 28, 2021 Newsletter.
Investing in Advice Survey - Don't Hold Back
How Do I Stop Peeling Exterior House Paint?
Peeling Exterior House Paint | This peeling paint happens every few years on this cottage. I know as I drive past it after seeing them scrape and repaint it! Copyright 2021 Tim Carter
QUESTION: Help me, Tim! I’m so darned frustrated! The paint on the outside of my home and a shed keeps peeling. Both have wood siding on them.
Every few years I’m out there scraping and starting over. What am I doing wrong? I follow the directions on the label of the paint can to the letter. Is it the paint? Is it something I’m doing wrong? Is it just the weather where I live?
I’m beginning to think an evil hex was cast upon my house by an enemy of a former owner. Please help me because I don’t want to put up vinyl siding to eliminate the paint issue. Debbie S., Waterloo, IA
Do you have chronic peeling paint issues at your home or business? A friend of mine has it here in New Hampshire on some cottages he owns. Peeling paint is a burr under the saddle of many I’m afraid and the causes are numerous. I don’t know that I can cover all of them in the small amount of space provided for this column. Let’s get started.
CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE PAINT REMOVAL BIDS from local painters.
Why Doesn't Paint Peel From Cars?
I feel the best way to understand why paint peels is to step back and think about all the things you know of that are painted but you almost never see them peel. How about your car or truck? What about street signs? What about painted aluminum siding, gutters, and downspouts? How about lawnmowers, snowblowers, and many garden tools you might own?
Do you know someone who has a house covered with fiber cement siding? My house has it. There’s not one place where my paint is peeling. My neighbor’s house has the same siding. Both houses are twenty years old, and there’s not a speck of peeling paint in our harsh New Hampshire weather!
The one thing in common with everything above is the paint is applied to things that are not wood. Wood is a very interesting material but it doesn’t play well with most paints unless you paint it correctly before it’s installed.
Why Does Paint Peel From Wood?
Paint peels from wood because wood shrinks and swells. Wood is hygroscopic. This means that water can easily enter wood either as a liquid or a vapor. The issue is when most wood gets wet, it swells and expands in size. Metal and fiber cement siding don’t change shape when they get wet. This is very important.
Now let’s think about paint. What is paint in its most basic form? Paint, for the most part, is just colored glue. The chemistry of most paints is not too far from common white and yellow glue or caulk that you might purchase at a paint store or home center. My original business partner and I used to paint homes in the summer in college. He went on to get a Ph.D. in chemistry where he worked for 30+ years for the largest paint company in the USA. Over the years, he’s taught me much about paint.
What About Lead Paint Danger?
Lead paint danger is real. You can get very sick removing lead paint. Read all about lead paint danger here.
Is Paint Just Colored Glue?
Yes, I realize I’m oversimplifying it, but think about paint. It’s made to stick to things just as glue adheres to things. Paint can have all sorts of other characteristics to minimize color fade, gloss, etc. but when the dust settles, its main job is to stay stuck to the things it covers.
Here’s the rub. If the wood that’s under paint moves too much, that is expands and contracts as it gets wet and dries, this movement can be more than the paint can handle. When the bond breaks between the wood and the paint film, the paint peels.
Will Water Vapor Cause Paint Peeling?
Paint can also be pushed off wood by the vapor pressure under the paint. If wood gets wet and the sun heats up the wood siding, the water in the wood can turn to vapor creating a blister. This vapor pressure can easily pop the paint right off the siding. You can demonstrate this by coating a balloon with a thin coating of flour and water. Let it dry, blow up the balloon and the flour pops off.
Debbie did all she was supposed to by following the paint label instructions. Do you? Do you actually wash the surface you’re going to paint like you wash your car or dishes? You need to rub the surface with soapy water, rinse and allow to dry. Do you scrape off all other loose paint? You wouldn’t put on fresh clothes to go out to dinner after sweating all day working in dirt and grime, right? You’d take a shower. So make sure your surface is squeaky clean.
When is the Best Time of Day to Paint?
Painting at the right time of day can play a part. It’s best to follow the sun. This means to paint in the shade, not in direct sunlight. It’s best if the paint dries slowly. Painting on hot breezy days is perhaps the worst time to paint in my opinion.
Should Wood Trim and Siding be Pre-Painted?
If you want the paint to stick well to wood for many years, you need to shrink wrap it in the paint. This means you need to paint the wood on all sides and edges. You can pre-paint wood siding and trim with primer and finish paint and then install it.
Should Cut Ends of Wood Be Painted?
However, if you cut siding or trim to length, you then need to paint the cut end. Most carpenters are reluctant to do this because it really slows them down and it can be a mess. But the cut end of siding and trim is the place where water enters wood the easiest! These cut ends must be sealed if you want to prevent peeling.
Column 1397
March 14, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
Just as each year spring brings new life, so too with newsletter subscribers! That’s you! Don’t blush. I know you’re a new subscriber. You get a hearty welcome from me and all my underwater allies.
You, however, might be a subscriber who’s seen one previous newsletter or you may have seen over 1,000 - yes, I’ve produced over 1,000 Ask the Builder newsletters. I love you too and I’m glad you’ve decided to stay on board!
Do you remember the video I did about riding lawn mowers? Recently I’ve been getting comments from teenagers who used to watch it as toddlers.
They LOVED what happened at the end of the video. I remember getting emails years ago from some moms who said I made their kids laugh uncontrollably. Watch it yourself and see if you chortle.
Deluxe Composite Decking Survey
Are you tired of cleaning and sealing your wood deck every two years? Here’s an expensive wood sealer that’s not two years old. Look at it peeling!
Just a week ago, I talked to Ed on the phone about it. He's HAD IT with maintaining a wood deck and asked me a bunch of questions about composite decking because he's planning to switch this year.
Would you like scads of FREE gorgeous inspirational composite deck photos? How about FREE easy-to-follow composite deck installation instructions that can save you thousands of dollars? Yep, I thought you’d like that. Keep reading.
Three weeks ago, I asked you one question about your interest in composite decking. You didn't let me down. The results were fascinating and surprised me! I discovered what you really wanted to know about this wonderful product. My three decks and front porch are composite. Trex Transcend® if you want to know the brand.
Guess what? I now have a second survey that allows you to help create the ultimate and perfect outdoor deck material. Imagine that, the dream composite deck material!
I want to know what your vision is for composite decking. Please do me a HUGE FAVOR and take this quick five-question survey. CLICK or TAP HERE to begin.
Not only will you help yourself, but you're also going to help others with your answers. How? Look at the last question in the survey. Yep, it’s time to dust off your magic wand!
Oh, here’s the BEST PART! If you share with me your name and email address at the end of the survey, you’re going to get TWO stunning PDF files. The first one has dramatic inspirational photographs of dream decks. You’ll glean ideas about how to incorporate some features into your new deck.
The second PDF is one that shows you how easy it is to install a top-quality composite deck. I used these instructions to install my composite decking and it still looks like the day I put it in.
TRUST ME, you really need to see these two PDF files.
CLICK or TAP HERE to begin the simple survey.
Leviton SmartlockPro GFCI
There’s a new GFCI you should know about. It’s much sleeker than traditional ones and it’s easier to install.
I recorded a video you should watch. CLICK or TAP HERE to see it now.
Virginia and Pocket Doors
Virginia is a subscriber to this newsletter. Last Sunday, she took my advice and watched the NEW VIDEO I did about Pocket Door Privacy. Virginia thinks YOU need to watch the video too. She shared this with me:
“I would love to build a lot of pocket doors into my house. I would like to use them for the bathrooms (especially those that are en suite), for the den, the library, and the office. I may even choose to use one for my pantry!”
After watching my Pocket Door Privacy Video, you and Virginia will have all your questions about pocket doors answered.
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.
DECK OR PORCH - Now is the time to get bids!
EXTERIOR PAINTING - GREAT TIME TO GET BIDS IS NOW
WINDOW REPLACEMENT - BRRRR, are yours drafty?
Tornado Probability UP
Some meteorologists are predicting this year could be a bad one for tornadoes here in the USA. Do you live in a moderate to high-risk area for tornadoes?
If so, what are you doing now to prepare if one strikes? Have you seen photos of the flattened houses with the owner’s belongings scattered all over the street and in neighbors’ yards? Remember the somber faces of the devastated homeowners in shock? I’m talking about the people you see being interviewed by reporters on your local TV news.
Do you have a go-bag? What about all those things you own that can’t be replaced? What are you doing to PROTECT THEM?
Have you scanned your priceless photos? What about all the papers and drawings you have from your kids’ school days? What about all your other important papers, policies and things that would take weeks to reproduce?
Have you thought about your sentimental jewelry, bibelots, gewgaws, etc. that mean so much to you? Could you grab all these and be out the door in one minute?
This same plan needs to be in place for floods, fires, etc. How many times have you heard that sobbing person on the TV news say, “I lost EVERYTHING…”
You don’t need to lose everything. You can plan ahead, protect these things, and put them in SAFE PLACES when bad weather is forecast.
All you have to do is fire up those tiny gray cells God gave you and engage your critical-thinking skills. Remember just one thing that my daughter Meghan might say: “Excuses are reasons for failure.”
Now you know what to do. For the love of God, STOP making excuses.
When you get things done, you don’t have to offer up excuses.
It’s Never Too Late
It’s never too late to discover something new. Take me for example. I’ve never before planted anything from seed and then watched it grow.
But on Saturday morning, March 6th, I planted 36 Rutgers tomato seeds I saved from last fall. I used a very cool little terrarium growing kit.
The directions said it would take a week to see the sprouts and being impatient, I was lifting the lid each day. Just four days in, there was nothing to see.
But on Wednesday morning, I lifted the lid and here’s what I saw. SPROUTS!
HOLY TOMATO - really tomato!
Look below at what happened just 48 hours later. This photo was taken at 6:40 am on Friday morning. I’ll be harvesting delicious Rutgers tomatoes the size of baseballs by next week at this rate! 🙂
That’s enough for a Sunday.
Be SURE to take the short composite-deck survey. You MIGHT be CREDITED with the next NEW INNOVATIVE product or change!
It’s possible NO ONE has thought of the idea you have bumping around in your tiny gray cells. TAKE THE SURVEY NOW, Please.
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
BEST Organic Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com
Activating Parks AGN - www.W3ATB.com - NEW STORIES!
P.S. Be honest. Do you really know how plumbing vents work? I’m willing to bet you have it all backward. CLICK or TAP HERE and let me know if you discovered something NEW.
Composite Deck Survey March 2021
Composite Deck Survey March 2021
Please complete this survey. You'll get two amazing FREE PDF documents if you enter your name and email address at the end of the survey.
Leviton SmartlockPro GFCI
Leviton SmartlockPro® GFCI | This is the Leviton SmartlockPro® GFCI. CLICK or TAP HERE to order a case or just one.
Leviton SmartlockPro® GFCI - Sleek New GFCI
The Leviton SmartlockPro® GFCI is a pretty cool receptacle. It's easy to wire up.
How Sleek is the GFCI?
It's so sleek it doesn't project beyond the cover plate.
Where Can I Buy the Leviton SmartlockPro® GFCI?
CLICK or TAP HERE to purchase it.
How Do You Connect the Wires?
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? – Air, Baby, Air!
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.
CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local plumbers who can do a vent pipe.
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.
CLICK or TAP HERE and I will DRAW YOUR PLUMBING VENT PIPE diagram.
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.
I’ve recorded a great video for you that shows all the vent pipes in a new home. I think you’ll be amazed at how many there are and how they all connect to just one pipe that exits the roof in this very large home.
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How to Repair Cracked Backsplash Grout
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.
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What Causes the Grout to Crack?
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.
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