January 26, 2020 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Tim Carter

Is this your first newsletter? Well, I'm most certainly glad to make your acquaintance! I've got a crazy question for you, and BTW it won't be my last one! By any chance are you a fan of hayrides? I'm told they can be life changing just like knowing how to have a basement or crawlspace as dry at the Atacama Desert. CLICK or TAP HERE if you'd like to know how to have a DRY BASEMENT!

You may be one of my old friends, now mind you I'm not referring to the crispiness of your bones and gray cells. If that describes you, then you know this issue could be one for the record books.

Why?

The Annual Treasure Hunt - Next Week!

It's a pretty long story but about six years ago, I discovered, quite by accident I might add, that you love love love to discover new products. But you prefer to do it wrapped up nicely in a challenging game topped off with a fancy bow.

Annual Treasure Hunt

I came up with the idea of a Treasure Hunt that you could do to find out all the great things LE Johnson makes. My talented son drew the map you see above.

Bottom Line: LE Johnson makes, hands down, the absolute BEST hardware for any type of sliding, by-pass, bi-fold, or pocket door.

Next week I need you to participate in the Treasure Hunt game next week. It's really a FUN brain teaser.

Why?

LE Johnson makes this newsletter possible. If it weren't for them, this newsletter would disappear.

It's important for you to play the game next week, discover new things about LE Johnson, and be inspired about how you can recapture space and have GORGEOUS DOORS at your home.

CLICK HERE to get FREE QUOTES from LOCAL contractors for any job in or around your home.

STOP Your House from Burning Down!

Look at this infrared photo:

arcing house wiring
What do you think it is? What is WHITE HOT - see the crosshairs? - and WHY is it so hot?

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover why you should really be concerned about what's going on in the photo. My friend Steve, and his gorgeous wife Karin, were almost statistics from a similar electrical problem in their home.

CLICK or TAP HERE to make sure you don't make the innocent mistake that Steve and Karin made.

You'll discover some new technology I'm using right now in my own home to ALERT me instantly if it senses a problem with my house wiring!

Cleaning Common Stains - Bedding

Do you own a one-of-a-kind quilt like this or some amazing blanket you inherited or made yourself?
fancy blanket with stain

Tell the truth. You weren't reaching for that bottle of chlorine bleach thinking that a dilute amount would be okay, were you?

I'd use certified organic Stain Solver to restore this heirloom quilt so it looks like new.

WHY? CLICK or TAP HERE to get a feel for how SAFE Stain Solver is and how DANGEROUS chlorine bleach is.

Do you finally want to try Stain Solver to restore hundreds of things around your home? My Old Man Winter SALE ends TOMORROW NIGHT.

Use this promo code: OMW

to get 10% off any purchase greater than $25 and FREE SHIPPING to all four commonwealth states and the other 44 that all touch one another.

CLICK or TAP HERE now to save all your things and some SWEET MOOLA.

Winter Photos from My House

You may be one that's been asking, "Hey Tim, how bad is it this year up in New Hampshire? Do you have much snow?"

Well, here's but one piece of eye candy for you. CLICK or TAP HERE or the image below to see MANY MORE:

Here's the sun rising just about a month after the winter solstice. This photo was taken on January 22, 2020.

Tim the Builder - Solomon of Modern Marriages

More often than you might guess, I'm asked to settle an argu..., er I mean a spirited discussion, between two people living under the same roof.

Look at this photo and tell me if you can guess what got someone's blood pressure up higher than the Goodyear Blimp.

CLICK OR TAP HERE to see if your guess was correct.

BONUS points if you know the CORRECT ANSWER before you click!!!

That's enough for a Sunday morning!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
CLEAN all your Stuff - www.StainSolver.com
Send Kelp or is it HELP? - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Do you have a ghost door? Do you know what that is? CLICK or TAP HERE to discover how to get rid of the pesky spirit forever!

Lake Winnisquam Winter Photos

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Tim Carter

Lake Winnisquam Winter Photos - Gorgeous in White

I live on the west shore of Lake Winnisquam in central New Hampshire. It's a gorgeous lake and the third largest one fully within the borders of the state.

Enjoy these photos that I've shot over the past month or so.

It looks like Norman Rockwell stopped by.

Smartphone digital zoom features pretty much are useless. The moon crescent was so crisp with the naked eye.

The sun is about to rise. It gets nice and bright on most days before it pops out over Belknap Mountain across the lake.

Here's the sun rising just about a month after the winter solstice. This photo was taken on January 22, 2020.

The ice is safe enough to walk on for some. Not me! No way, no how!

Ice fishing happens inside this box. Liquid refreshments are also rumored to be consumed by the gallon.

January 24, 2020 AsktheBuilder Spoiler Alert

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Tim Carter

This is a SUPER FAST message. I wanted to share with you what I'm working on right now for Sunday's newsletter.

First, I received a few grumbles about the last AsktheBuilder newsletter.

The messages all were pretty much like this:

"Tim, I WANT to get the great 30% DISCOUNT on all your digital products, but dang it, I don't have any pocket-door questions. NO FAIR!!!!!"

What was I thinking?

Do you want 30% off all my digital products at my AsktheBuilder store?

POCKET is the promo code.

The promotion ENDS this Sunday at midnight. ACT NOW!!!!

CLICK or TAP HERE to get started on saving sweet moola.

You're going to discover on Sunday what's going on here in this photo:

Thermal image Whisker Labs

And check out the following photo. How would you clean the stained heirloom blanket so it's NOT RUINED?

You weren't reaching for that bottle of chlorine bleach were you? That's a huge mistake. Chlorine bleach RUINS fabrics and it causes color fade for goodness sake.

I'm going to share how I'd preserve this one-of-a-kind blanket making it look BRAND NEW.

fancy blanket with stain

Third-Last CALL!

The Old Man Winter Stain Solver sale ENDS in just two days!!!

I'm going to warn you again twice on Sunday.

USE the following promo code to save 10% on certified organic Stain Solver and get FREE SHIPPING to the four commonwealths and other 44 states here in the USA that are all glued together.

OMW

CLICK or TAP HERE to place your order. The promo code works on any purchase greater than $25.00.

Remember, we have a LIMITED NUMBER of the big sizes ( 9 and 50 pounds) in stock!!!!

I've got more for you on Sunday in the newsletter, especially some winter photos of what's happening here around my house.

Don't let the two above promotions pass you by.

It's VERY RARE I have giant sales - especially at my AsktheBuilder store. Any seasoned subscriber will attest to that!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Door Opens On Its Own

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Tim Carter

Door Opens On Its Own | The secret to stopping the door from opening is right there in between the two hinge halves!

Door Opens On Its Own - Easy to Fix in Minutes

QUESTION #2: Hey Tim, thanks for all the free tips and hundreds of videos on your AsktheBuilder website. I just moved into an apartment that’s tired and old. My dad told me about you and I wonder if you can help me as my landlord is slow at making repairs. Can you help me fix a closet door that wants to always shut on its own without having to use a doorstop? Nancy P., Nashville, TN

You don’t have to be a young adult living in an apartment to have the challenges Nancy is facing. These pesky problems can happen in homes, condominiums, as well as apartments. I have a ghost door in my own master bathroom that wants to close on its own and she-who-must-be obeyed has let me know that it must be fixed. I don’t see why I have to be reminded every six months, though!

Door Opens On Its Own Fix

The self-closing door is perhaps the easiest thing to cure. I’ve had great success by simply bending one of the door hinge pins. The bend in the pin creates just enough additional friction to overcome the force of gravity that closes the door without your help.

I prefer to bend the top hinge pin. Open the door partway and slide a folded magazine or some thin pieces of cardboard under the far bottom tip of the door under the handle. This will support the door when you remove the top hinge pin.

Step 1 is to remove the hinge pin as you see me doing above.

The hinge pin is out. Note how the hinge is still together because I supported the lower corner of the door with some cardboard.

I'm about to strike the center of the hinge pin to put a slight bend in it. This will create the needed friction to stop the door from moving on its own.

Sometimes the bottom of the hinge has a hole so you can insert a large nail to get the pin to move up. Once the hinge pin is out, take it outside to a concrete surface and lay it on its side. Strike it in the center with moderate force to put a slight bend in the steel shaft. Reinsert the pin and let’s move onto stopping the door rub.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE Quotes from local Handymen to fix your doors.

I had this happen in my own home. Read about it in the September 28, 2010 Newsletter.

Sara had a door that was driving her crazy. It would slowly close in its own. CLICK HERE to read her story and how to fix the self-closing door.

Column 1337 Part 2

Toilet Tank Leak – No Leaning!

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Tim Carter

Toilet Tank Leak - Don't Lean Against The Tank

QUESTION #1: An unnamed person (rhymes with house) living in my home says that the toilet seat lid and the toilet tank are made for leaning back against while using the fixture for personal needs. In a negotiation debate with this person, I mentioned that the bolts fastening the tank to the bowl aren’t strong enough for leaning as one might against a standard chair. What say you, oh wise Tim? Do you arbitrate these touchy discords between coinhabitants on a frequent basis? Donn R., Shelby Twp, MI

I live in New Hampshire and mice are as common indoors in the winter as snow is outdoors. That said, I’ve never known one to be able to use a toilet. Oh, wait, Donn isn’t talking about a mouse! Truth be told I adjudicate disputes, or should I say spirited discussions, between two people living under the same roof at least once a month.

Why Would a Toilet Tank Leak?

All that said, the bolts in either design are plenty strong and should never break if someone leans back against the tank while sitting on the toilet bowl. It’s the rubber o-rings that surround the bolts that are the issue. It’s entirely possible to create a leak between the toilet tank and bowl if you push back against the tank too much.

This is quite possible as the toilet ages and the rubber o-rings become less pliable. I’m sure you’ve seen rubber that becomes brittle with age. You don’t want to hope that the rubber o-rings stay supple indefinitely. You hope for things you can’t control like the weather or when a volcano might erupt.

Should A Toilet Tank Be Snug Against a Wall?

Plumbers can install toilets so the tank is snug against a wall, but this requires quite a bit of planning. What’s more, if the tank is tight against the wall, the tank lid might not fit well because the lids are larger than the tank and often have an overhanging rear lip.

How Can I Fix The Tank?

It’s easy to keep peace in these situations. When the leaning coinhabitant is out and about having coffee with a friend or picking up materials from the grocery store, you can glue some wood shims between the back of the toilet tank and the wall behind the tank.

You can use wood paint stirring sticks, regular tapered wood shims, and construction adhesive that comes in a standard caulk tube to accomplish this simple keep-the-peace fix. The key thing to remember is to be sure the shims are about 1/2-inch below the top of the tank lip so the tank lid doesn’t touch the shims when you put it back on.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE Quotes from LOCAL handymen that can stop toilet tank leaks.

Column 1337 Part 1

Magic Mold Removal on Vinyl Siding

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: My house is now twenty-five years old. It’s covered with vinyl siding. Every summer I have mold and mildew that develop on the north side of my house. Every few years I remove it. Is there some coating I can apply to the siding to stop the mold and mildew from reappearing? It’s aggravating. What about some sort of magic paint? I’m open to any and all ideas. Robert C., Sylvania, OH

Robert doesn’t suffer alone. I have the same exact issue here at my own home, although my house is covered with fiber-cement siding. You may have black mold and mildew or green algae growing on the north side of your home if you live north of the equator. The north exposure provides the perfect conditions for this organic growth.

Here’s the bad news for Robert, in my opinion. There’s no magic paint or coating I’m aware of that will keep his or your siding free of mildew, mold, and algae. Here’s why.

These three living organisms are just about everywhere. They just need two things to grow: water and food. The northern exposure of houses provides ample amounts of water.

It’s important to realize that direct sunlight doesn’t wash the house walls facing north. This means water is often slower to evaporate. Morning dew can and does form on all the surfaces of the house when the surface temperature drops below the dew point of the air.

Those surfaces on the north side of the house lose this dew last allowing the mold, mildew, and algae to get a drink before the next morning. The soil just below the siding stays far moister than the soil on the other sides of the house all things being equal. Water evaporates from this soil and some of this water vapor might also quench the thirst of the organisms.

Food is readily available in almost all areas of the USA for mold, mildew, and algae growth. Robert lives in Ohio where deciduous trees are as plentiful as kids at an amusement park on a sunny summer day. Some of these trees, especially maples, broadcast a fine aerosol. These microscopic drops of elixir contain sugars that are delicious food for mildew, mold, and algae.

Dust, and other pollutants, can also be food for some of these organisms. Realize that food is everywhere even though it’s invisible and you can’t see it. Old oil-based paints were made from alkyd oil resins. These oils are scrumptious food for mildew and mold!

This is why some modern deck sealers that are made using natural oils turn black in months after you go to all the work to make your deck look nice. You’re slathering on food for the mold and mildew to munch on! Some natural-oil sealers contain chemicals to slow organic growth.

Three years ago, I wrote a book, Roofing Ripoff, about why the asphalt shingles on your roof are falling apart faster than they should. The inspiration for the book came when I was the first person in the world to discover that copper ions will extend the life of asphalt shingles for decades.

Many have known for hundreds of years that copper is also an amazing natural biocide. This is why the hulls of clipper ships and Old Ironsides have copper plates on them. I’ve used liquid copper solution to keep algae off patios. The only issue is the copper washes away with each rainfall and it can create a bluish cast. Some people are very much against the use of aqueous copper like this thinking it harms the environment.

Robert may want to experiment with spraying a copper sulfate on the vinyl siding. However, if he’s got valuable landscaping or trees nearby, the copper is not going to help them live. The issue is the copper on the vinyl siding is temporary and it will wash off with repeated rainfalls.

I think the easiest thing to do, but this is not what Robert wants, is to just wash the siding once a year around Flag Day. It’s warm by then and the chore won’t be too hard. If you wash the house when the siding doesn’t yet have mold or mildew growth, you might be able to accomplish it using a garden spray attachment to your garden hose.

Instead of putting dangerous chemicals in the sprayer, just put in some powdered oxygen bleach as well as some liquid dish soap. Spray this soapy solution on the house and allow it to sit for 15 or 20 minutes. This allows the oxygen bleach to attack and breakdown any invisible food particles. The liquid dish soap lubricates the surface so any food comes off with minimal effort when you rinse the siding.

This simple cleaning procedure ensures the siding looks great all year.

Column 1336

January 19, 2020 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Tim Carter

Are you so new that this is your first newsletter? Welcome! Be aware that you may score a prize or two each week. Some are hidden within this issue of the newsletter!

You may be an experienced subscriber. One that's seen me on both bad and good days. Remember that issue where I talked about my adventure to mukuntuweap? Yeah, that was crazy exciting!

Six years ago, I almost cut off my finger using a power miter saw. I was cutting chunks of oak from a small piece of firewood. It was a stupid thing to do.

The accident happened because I forced the spinning sharp saw blade down into the wood too fast. There was an explosion of wood in front of me. It's a good thing I wear glasses and why you should wear safety glasses. I should also wear safety glasses OVER my regular glasses.

The next thing I knew my left middle finger was hurting. I looked at it and it was still there so that was good news! But a piece of the wood with a sharp edge somehow slammed into the top of the fingernail. Little did I know at the time but it caused some sort of permanent damage to the nail bed below the nail.

The result is the nail is always split in two when it grows out. If I don't keep that nail trimmed close, it snags on fabrics. It's become a persistent pesky problem.

Three days ago, this fingernail snagged on a nice fleece I was wearing. Fortunately, the fleece didn't get damaged. I got frustrated with the nail and rather than walk thirty feet to get a nail clippers I ripped one part of the nail off. This impulsive reaction caused part of the tender nail bed to be exposed. It not only hurt, but it also started to bleed.

I washed my hands, put on a bandage, and grumbled for about two hours about my bad luck as my lovely daughter Kelly would say to me if she were here. Once the bleeding was staunched, I removed the bandage as I wanted to see if I could discover the true cause of the nail-bed flaw.

Out came my trusty Hastings Triplet - a 10X magnifier I've had since the fall of 1972 as a Geology 101 student. You use a 10X magnifier much like you see a jeweler use her/his loupe. You put it up to your eye and get really close to what you're looking at.

I couldn't see exactly what was going on in the nail bed but I started looking at my fingers. Oh my! When you think you have clean hands, think again!

To the naked eye, my hands looked clean. Looking at them through the powerful magnifier it appeared someone sprinkled a tiny box of Trix cereal on my fingertips. There were micro fibers and lots of colored particles of who-knows-what in the countless curved grooves that create fingerprints.

No wonder surgeons and operating nurses scrub their hands with those special sponge pads for five minutes or more!

CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW to get FREE Quotes from local contractors for ANY JOB on or in your home!

Cranberry or Any Fruit Stain

Look at this photo:
Peggy's Sleeveless Top
You're looking at Peggy's very nice sleeveless once pure-white top. That's a spatter of cranberry juice. Ooops!

Guess what? Stain Solver made Peggy's white top WHITE again. Peggy loves Stain Solver because it's certified organic.

She didn't use HARSH chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach RUINS fabrics!!!

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the rest of Peggy's cranberry-juice story and the AFTER photo of her stunning sleeveless top.

No scrubbing was required to restore the top. My Stain Solver is both FABRIC and COLOR-SAFE!

Stain Solver will clean THOUSANDS of stains from anything water washable.

And with it being winter here north of the equator it's time for the first-annual Old Man Winter Stain Solver SALE.

You can get 10% off any sale over $25 and FREE SHIPPING to the forty-four states that are glued to the four commonwealths.

CLICK or TAP HERE to order now and use this promo code:

OMW

The sale ENDS in just seven days. ORDER NOW before you forget, silly!

Smoking Fireplace - Not Vaping or Cigarettes!

Four days ago, a contractor purchased one of my VIP Fast Answers. A homeowner hired him to try to figure out why a pass-through (double opening) fireplace was smoking.

See Through Fireplace Smoking | This is my own see through fireplace. Guess what? It doesn't smoke!!! Want to know why? Keep reading!

I immediately knew why the fireplace was smoking even though I was 1,500 miles away and had not seen the fireplace.

Do you think it's because I have strong mystic powers, or, do you think it might have something to do with me owning a see-through fireplace? That's my fireplace in the photo above.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover WHY the fireplace was smoking.

If you have a normal fireplace - not a see-through one - that's smoking CLICK or TAP HERE to discover what you need to do to stop choking smoke from billowing into your house.

I NEED Your Help - Pocket Door Questions, Please!

I'm working on a fun project and need your help.

I can't share exactly what the project is about - yes, you'll know soon - but it involves me answering a question you might have about pocket doors.

If you take the time to ask ONE question, you'll get a special prize. You'll get a PROMO CODE for 30% off ALL of my digital download products at my AsktheBuilder.com store.

When you go to my store, just about every publication is digital. You're smart. Anything made from atoms and would be delivered by UPS or the USPS would not be considered digital. Examples: Rolls of copper are not digital. Me drawing Plumbing Plans for you is not digital because I use paper and a pen to create the drawings.

Believe me, there are MANY digital download products you might be interested in!

For example, Mary just a day ago purchased my Cork Flooring eBook. What? You didn't know about cork flooring? Tsk tsk!

Now, back to the pocket door questions.

For example, do you have questions about pocket door:

installation
repair
design - what types of doors can you use
latest technology
magic that keeps the doors ON THE TRACK
????

CLICK or TAP HERE and submit your question.

Toasty Warm Bathroom Floors

I've got a tile floor in my bathroom. It used to be ICE COLD.

I'm talking, continental glacier ice cold, not the wimpy Athabasca Glacier ice.

Four years ago, I was remodeling a basement bathroom below the master bathroom and all of a sudden I had access to the underside of the master bathroom floor. I could clearly see the PEX heating line that went to the baseboard heaters in the master bathroom.

BANGO! I got some aluminum heat transfer plates and screwed them to the underside of the floor. The next step was to cut into the PEX heating line to install additional PEX that snapped into the heat transfer plates.

Now the bathroom floor is TOASTY WARM. I mean lay-on-the-floor-think-you're-in-Heaven warm.

So, do you have access to the underside of your bathroom floor? You can do a simple radiant heat retrofit like this without needing a boiler. You can use a SMALL water heater - a normal water heater - to provide the heat.

SECOND ALTERNATIVE:

If the hot-water method described above seems too hard, you can do it with ELECTRIC heat mats under the tile.

Now, this assumes you're going to be remodeling your bathroom, building a new home, or adding a bath in a room addition.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see how I installed these mats in my man cave where I'm TOASTY WARM and it's 5 F outdoors. Yes, I heat my lair with electric floor mats under my laminate flooring.

That's enough for a Sunday, wouldn't you say?

Thanks for looking at all the links in this issue. Don't forget, you can get a one-time 30% OFF DISCOUNT PROMO CODE to use on all my digital downloads if you ask a pocket-door question!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Old Man Winter SALE Man - OMW - www.StainSolver.com
5-Watt Man - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Have you never tried Stain Solver? Why not? Tell me what it would take to get you to try this truly magic cleaner. Remember, you can be part of the Old Man Winter Sale NOW!

Need a FREE Quote or Bid from a local contractor? It's FREE and EASY. CLICK or TAP HERE

Pocket Door Questions

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Tim Carter

Do me a favor and ask at least ONE question about pocket doors.

If you invest your time to do this, you'll get at the END of the survey a SECRET PROMO code to get 30% off ALL of my digital download products at my AsktheBuilder.com store. That's a HUGE SAVINGS.

Be SURE you answer the LAST question at the bottom of the survey!!!!

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See Through Fireplace Smoking

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Tim Carter

See Through Fireplace Smoking | This is my own see-through fireplace. Guess what? It doesn't smoke!!! Want to know why? Keep reading!

See Through Fireplace Smoking - Mason Screwed Up

Last week I did a consult phone call with a contractor. He was called into a job because a see-through fireplace was smoking.

The fireplace was a kit, but it needed work to be done by a mason in the field.

It turns out the mason who put everything together goofed up.

It's important to realize you need to follow the written instructions that come with kits. The instructions clearly said: "Do NOT install a damper."

Guess what? Mr. Mason installed a damper!

That's just one of the mistakes he made. A list of all the possible mistakes is below.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE quotes from local fireplace masons who can follow instructions!

Smoking Fireplace Video

Watch this video to understand some of the issues involved in smoking fireplaces.

Tim, Does Your See-Through Fireplace Smoke?

No, my see-through fireplace doesn't smoke. It's got a properly designed smoke chamber above the firebox and no smoke enters either room.

A fireplace smokes because the mason who built it doesn't know about the simple physics of fireplace design.

The Brick Industry Associaton publishes a series of technical notes that show you, or your mason, exactly how to size the firebox, what all the dimensions should be, how big the flue should be, and how tall the chimney should be.

Smoking Fireplace Mistakes:

A fireplace can smoke for any number of the following reasons:

the firebox width, depth, and height is wrong or out of proportion
the smoke chamber is not big enough
the throat above the firebox is designed wrong
the chimney flue is oversized
the chimney is too short

CLICK or TAP HERE and read my all-important Fireplace Design column to see all the correct dimensions.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE quotes from local fireplace masons who can follow instructions!

Building Technology – First in a Series

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Tim Carter

This is the first column in a series where I’d like to share with you how technology improvements have helped improve building products. That said, not all improvements have worked out so well and sometimes it takes several permutations until the manufacturers get it right.

It’s important to realize I’ve been blessed to have worked in the residential construction industry for decades. This span of time gives me a unique perspective on new products. Another key point is that early in my career, I spent years taking apart 100-year-old houses and was able to see how the craftsmen of old built. Some of their methods, in my opinion, are far better than the way things are done today. I’ll share much of that with you in this series that will unfold as the year progresses.

Today, I’d like to dive into plumbing as it’s an area in many homes that causes lots of consternation with consumers like you because repairs can be costly. You’d probably not think that you could change much when it comes to simple pipes and fixtures, but you’d be wrong. The sad thing is there’s not enough space in this column to tell you about everything.

Let’s start with simple advancements in both drainage and water-supply piping. Go back in time and plumbers used cast iron, galvanized iron, and copper for drain lines. In rare instances, they’d have to use a lead pipe to make certain drains work. The old cast iron was susceptible to leaks and cracks because of how it was made. Galvanized iron pipes would corrode and start to choke off with deposits causing clogs.

Today’s cast iron is spun cast and has a uniform wall thickness. You create leak-proof joints in seconds with rubber gaskets and stainless-steel band clamps. It’s the perfect material to use for vertical stacks in your home to prevent noise caused by water cascading down large-diameter vertical pipes.

The entire plastics industry exploded in the 1960s and codes permitted plastic drain pipes. Plastic drain lines perform quite well and I’ve installed miles of this pipe. Not too long ago it experienced another technology jump when it was made lighter than the first-generation plastic. You can purchase foam-core plastic drain pipe now.

Water supply lines many years ago were made using galvanized iron. These would suffer from corrosion and choke off too. Copper became the standard but once again, plastic muscled its way into the marketplace.

Imagine installing plastic water lines in a new home that have no joints or fittings. It’s installed much like an electric cable. That’s what I just did at my daughter’s new home. The only joints are in the mechanical room at a distribution manifold and the shut-off valve under a sink or where the pipe connects to a shower or tub valve.

I installed all of the water supply lines to four bathrooms, a kitchen and five outdoor hose bibs in less than four hours. Using traditional copper with hundreds of fittings I might have gotten part of one bathroom done in that same amount of time.

Copper water lines have also seen tremendous technological advancements. In a recent column, I shared with you the new fittings that require no solder. You can create a leak-proof joint in less than five seconds using fittings that contain a rubber o-ring. You can’t imagine how much time these save. The best part is you never have to wonder if a soldered joint will leak!

Accessory plumbing products have also seen big changes. For years the plumbing vent pipe flashing up on your roof has been made with a standard rubber that gets destroyed by the sun’s ultraviolet rays in just a few years and then starts to leak. You can now buy a vent-pipe flashing that has a superior siliconized rubber boot that might not be destroyed by the sun for five, or more, decades.

Water supply lines that connect sink faucets, toilet tanks, and washing machines to the water supply have seen amazing changes. Not too awful long ago plumbers had to carefully bend soft copper tubes to make connections. Washing machines used old rubber hoses. Now you as a DIYr can use flexible hoses protected by braided stainless-steel wire to make leak-proof connections in seconds!

Faucet manufacturers continue to make improvements with the cartridges that control the water flow when you turn a handle. I clearly remember years ago having to change rubber washers inside faucets to stop drips. It used to take some skill to change a washer to stop a faucet leak. Now you can stop faucet drips without calling a plumber. With the plethora of how-to videos on the Internet, you can switch out a faucet cartridge faster than you might read this column.

My advice to you if using a brand-new product is to read the installation instructions and be sure everything is being done correctly. Also, keep in mind that the first generation of some new products might not have all the bugs worked out. If you’re installing a product that’s going to be hidden behind walls or under slabs, think about waiting several years so you don’t become a statistic. Go with proven technology in these situations.

Column 1335

The Annual Treasure Hunt - Next Week!

STOP Your House from Burning Down!

Cleaning Common Stains - Bedding

Winter Photos from My House

Tim the Builder - Solomon of Modern Marriages

Lake Winnisquam Winter Photos - Gorgeous in White

Third-Last CALL!

OMW

Door Opens On Its Own - Easy to Fix in Minutes

Door Opens On Its Own Fix

Toilet Tank Leak - Don't Lean Against The Tank

Why Would a Toilet Tank Leak?

Should A Toilet Tank Be Snug Against a Wall?

How Can I Fix The Tank?

Cranberry or Any Fruit Stain

Smoking Fireplace - Not Vaping or Cigarettes!

I NEED Your Help - Pocket Door Questions, Please!

Toasty Warm Bathroom Floors

See Through Fireplace Smoking - Mason Screwed Up

Smoking Fireplace Video

Tim, Does Your See-Through Fireplace Smoke?

Smoking Fireplace Mistakes:

Expert Advice For Your Home