April 29, 2010 Newsletter and Tips
Copyright 2010 - Tim Carter
Remember, Do it Right, Not Over!
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Latest News
I'll be bouncing back and forth between Cincinnati, OH and NH the
next few months as we prepare to move Kathy and Kelly up here to
NH. I'm pretty excited about that as you can imagine.
There are a few minor projects I'm working on here at the NH house
to get it all spiffy for Kathy. We'll be doing lots of interior
painting and the painting the exterior of the house as well.
My daughter Meghan is allergic to many things, and we recently
tested the Harmony line of paint from Sherwin Williams. The odor in
other paints really bothered her in the past, but she had no issues
with this new Harmony interior paint. You may want to try it if
paint fumes bother you or someone else in your home. Other brands
that you may like surely have a similar low-odor paint. Check the
labels.
Deck Sealer Test
Today I'm starting a test of three deck sealers. When it warms up,
I'll be cleaning two boards way out at the end of my dock with my
Stain Solver oxygen bleach. Look below for a quick sale on the
four-pound size. It's a long story.
Last year I cleaned and sealed the dock, but the sealer product I
used failed miserably. It still blocks water, but the clear sealant
didn't block the damaging UV rays of the sun. The gorgeous cedar
turned gray within months.
This sealer was made by a company whose products have always been
superior, and this was the new nano-technology clear sealer. I
wondered if I got a bad batch.
I called the company and talked last week with the head chemist. We
agreed that I didn't do anything wrong, and that the best thing to
do is a side-by-side test to see if the same thing happens again.
The chemist thought that UV light bouncing from the water could
have been extreme and caused the failure. I don't see how that's
possible as the UV light bounces off the water at the complimentary
angle it is hitting the water. Thus it goes back up to the sky or
anything else it hits. I can see the reflected UV rays hitting the
underside of the dock, but not the top.
He also thought that the moisture content of the wood planks was
higher because the wood is only 14 inches or so above the surface
of the water. I was quick to point out that six months out of the
year the dock boards are up on shore stacked so that they are dry
and protected from the sun.
I'll tape a video while we apply the sealers so you can watch me
test two clear products and one that has a pigment. We'll know in
about three months how the sealers are doing. I'll report back with
a follow-up video.
Sediment Clogging Faucets
This past week I've received at least three emails from people who
did a plumbing repair that caused them to have to turn off the
water in the house.
When they turned the water back on, all of a sudden water is
restricted or stops flowing out of certain faucets or fixtures.
Sediment in the pipes is broken loose when you turn on the water at
the main valve. This sediment then clogs the small ports in faucet
cartridges, the flow restrictors in shower heads and faucet
aerators.
You can minimize these issues by SLOWLY turning the water back on
making sure ALL hose bibs are open on the outside of your home.
This way some or most of the sediment is ejected out of these
faucets. This trick works most of the time. Remember, open the main
valve VERY slowly to minimize the hard rush of water through your
pipes.
Unscrew all faucet aerators before you run water out of the
faucets. Flush the lines, then re-install the aerators.
FINAL CALL on Gutter Guard Promotion
Earlier this month I talked about a special promotion available
ONLY to you, because you're a newsletter subscriber. Yes, that's
one of the benefits you get by reading these manifestos! :->>>
I started testing gutter-guard products well over ten years ago.
It's well documented at my website. All you have to do is go there
and watch the videos, read the columns and look at the photos. Use
"gutter guard" as your keyword phrase in my Search Engine.
The bottom line is I finally found a few that only let water in the
gutter. Many, many other types of gutter guards do let small
organic debris into the gutter creating a layer of muck over time.
The manufacturer of the one I chose to put on my own home has been
running a decent promotion for this month. It's about to end in TWO
days! You need to go to their website and just register to show
your name was on the list by the end of business tomorrow.
This company doesn't have dealers in every city. If you get that
kind of message, call the Mastershield company, their number is on
the website below, and ask them for other options available to you.
Here's the actual text the president of Mastershield sent to me
about the promotion:
That's a great deal, especially in these tough economic times. If
you're looking for a gutter guard that works, I can tell you that
nothing has gotten into my gutters the past three years except
water.
Please be aware that I do get paid a small commission if you fill
out the form at the Mastershield website AND they have a dealer in
your city or town. I only do this type of arrangement for products
I actually use and believe in.
Annette Needs a Great Roofer
Annette Rodgers of Wappingers Falls, NY wrote to me yesterday:
I need new siding & a new roof on my home. Since my husband is
deceased I have found that contractors tend to confuse and expect
me to just follow their directions. My home is almost 30 yrs. old.
But has good bones so to speak. How can I find an honest contractor
that will strive to do the best in quality and price without going
overboard or too cheap? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Had Annette been a subscriber two months ago, she would have been
aware of the Roofing Checklist I developed over 15 years ago that
shows you how to find the pro roofer in your city or town.
The bottom line is that pros can be found in just about every town,
you just have to go to where they buy their materials. For example,
here in New Hampshire, I just discovered an amazing lumber yard /
home-improvement center in Bristol, NH. It's R.P. Williams & Sons.
I was in there three days ago buying some 1/2-inch steel rebar.
While I was in the store no less than four contractors stopped in
to buy material. I was only there for 10 minutes! Imagine how many are there in a day.
next few months as we prepare to move Kathy and Kelly up here to
NH. I'm pretty excited about that as you can imagine.
There are a few minor projects I'm working on here at the NH house
to get it all spiffy for Kathy. We'll be doing lots of interior
painting and the painting the exterior of the house as well.
My daughter Meghan is allergic to many things, and we recently
tested the Harmony line of paint from Sherwin Williams. The odor in
other paints really bothered her in the past, but she had no issues
with this new Harmony interior paint. You may want to try it if
paint fumes bother you or someone else in your home. Other brands
that you may like surely have a similar low-odor paint. Check the
labels.
Deck Sealer Test
Today I'm starting a test of three deck sealers. When it warms up,
I'll be cleaning two boards way out at the end of my dock with my
Stain Solver oxygen bleach. Look below for a quick sale on the
four-pound size. It's a long story.
Last year I cleaned and sealed the dock, but the sealer product I
used failed miserably. It still blocks water, but the clear sealant
didn't block the damaging UV rays of the sun. The gorgeous cedar
turned gray within months.
This sealer was made by a company whose products have always been
superior, and this was the new nano-technology clear sealer. I
wondered if I got a bad batch.
I called the company and talked last week with the head chemist. We
agreed that I didn't do anything wrong, and that the best thing to
do is a side-by-side test to see if the same thing happens again.
The chemist thought that UV light bouncing from the water could
have been extreme and caused the failure. I don't see how that's
possible as the UV light bounces off the water at the complimentary
angle it is hitting the water. Thus it goes back up to the sky or
anything else it hits. I can see the reflected UV rays hitting the
underside of the dock, but not the top.
He also thought that the moisture content of the wood planks was
higher because the wood is only 14 inches or so above the surface
of the water. I was quick to point out that six months out of the
year the dock boards are up on shore stacked so that they are dry
and protected from the sun.
I'll tape a video while we apply the sealers so you can watch me
test two clear products and one that has a pigment. We'll know in
about three months how the sealers are doing. I'll report back with
a follow-up video.
Sediment Clogging Faucets
This past week I've received at least three emails from people who
did a plumbing repair that caused them to have to turn off the
water in the house.
When they turned the water back on, all of a sudden water is
restricted or stops flowing out of certain faucets or fixtures.
Sediment in the pipes is broken loose when you turn on the water at
the main valve. This sediment then clogs the small ports in faucet
cartridges, the flow restrictors in shower heads and faucet
aerators.
You can minimize these issues by SLOWLY turning the water back on
making sure ALL hose bibs are open on the outside of your home.
This way some or most of the sediment is ejected out of these
faucets. This trick works most of the time. Remember, open the main
valve VERY slowly to minimize the hard rush of water through your
pipes.
Unscrew all faucet aerators before you run water out of the
faucets. Flush the lines, then re-install the aerators.
FINAL CALL on Gutter Guard Promotion
Earlier this month I talked about a special promotion available
ONLY to you, because you're a newsletter subscriber. Yes, that's
one of the benefits you get by reading these manifestos! :->>>
I started testing gutter-guard products well over ten years ago.
It's well documented at my website. All you have to do is go there
and watch the videos, read the columns and look at the photos. Use
"gutter guard" as your keyword phrase in my Search Engine.
The bottom line is I finally found a few that only let water in the
gutter. Many, many other types of gutter guards do let small
organic debris into the gutter creating a layer of muck over time.
The manufacturer of the one I chose to put on my own home has been
running a decent promotion for this month. It's about to end in TWO
days! You need to go to their website and just register to show
your name was on the list by the end of business tomorrow.
This company doesn't have dealers in every city. If you get that
kind of message, call the Mastershield company, their number is on
the website below, and ask them for other options available to you.
Here's the actual text the president of Mastershield sent to me
about the promotion:
MasterShield is offering your readers a Manufacturer's Rebate of
$1.00 per foot off the purchase price of an installed MasterShield
Gutter Protection system during the month of April. If your
newsletter readers fill out the form for a free estimate at our
website, we'll immediately know this homeowner is one of your
readers and that this special offer should apply.
That's a great deal, especially in these tough economic times. If
you're looking for a gutter guard that works, I can tell you that
nothing has gotten into my gutters the past three years except
water.
Please be aware that I do get paid a small commission if you fill
out the form at the Mastershield website AND they have a dealer in
your city or town. I only do this type of arrangement for products
I actually use and believe in.
Annette Needs a Great Roofer
Annette Rodgers of Wappingers Falls, NY wrote to me yesterday:
I need new siding & a new roof on my home. Since my husband is
deceased I have found that contractors tend to confuse and expect
me to just follow their directions. My home is almost 30 yrs. old.
But has good bones so to speak. How can I find an honest contractor
that will strive to do the best in quality and price without going
overboard or too cheap? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Had Annette been a subscriber two months ago, she would have been
aware of the Roofing Checklist I developed over 15 years ago that
shows you how to find the pro roofer in your city or town.
The bottom line is that pros can be found in just about every town,
you just have to go to where they buy their materials. For example,
here in New Hampshire, I just discovered an amazing lumber yard /
home-improvement center in Bristol, NH. It's R.P. Williams & Sons.
I was in there three days ago buying some 1/2-inch steel rebar.
While I was in the store no less than four contractors stopped in
to buy material. I was only there for 10 minutes! Imagine how many are there in a day.
If you talk with the manager or owner of the business, they know
the best contractors. You just have to know the questions to ask. I
cover all that in my checklists for every project.
Washington DC Trip
I'll be in Washington DC on June 14th and 15th as part of a
initiative to help Congress discover more about how advertising
really works on the Internet. I'll have a small opportunity to get
together then if you live near or in DC. Contact me asap if you
want to get together.
But I have a huge favor to ask. I'll be driving there from
Cincinnati on my way back to NH. I'll have my Super Duty Ford F-250
4x4 towing a 6x10 utility trailer. Suffice it to say the total
length is about 37 feet!
For obvious reasons, I can't park downtown where I'll be staying.
Can I rent your driveway if you live close to the subway line? I
figure I'll park in the burbs and take the subway into town for the
two days, then come back and get the truck and trailer.
Suggestions, comments????
Chain Saw Sharpening Test
Today I expect to take delivery of a fantastic tool that sharpens
chain-saw blades. If you do it by hand, you invariably change the
pitch of the teeth causing the saw to cut in a curve. This causes
the blade to bind.
Anyway, watch for that review SOON!!
Four-Pound Stain Solver Sale
Three weeks ago we had the annual Spring Stain Solver Sale. All
sizes were on sale. Stain Solver, for the 1,800 new subscribers
here since the last newsletter, is my oxygen bleach that cleans
anything water washable, especially floor tile grout. Read what
Jennifer from Locust Valley, NY sent me last week:
I wanted to let you know that your product is fabulous!! I have
kitchen tile that has colored grout and other than mopping it has
never been cleaned. I used your product and let it sit for 1 hour.
I was amazed the stained, dirty grout looks brand new!!!! I will
recommend it to everyone!!
The new distribution company I use (they do a FANTASTIC job!), got
ready for that huge sale looking at the sales figures from last
year. The biggest seller last year was the 4-pound size.
Not so this year! Because I offered a bigger discount the more you
bought, the 4-pound size came in last place. We have *tons* of
4-pounders waiting for a new home! They are afraid in the dark
warehouse at night. I need you to adopt one of these packages.
So I'm offering a 20-percent-off promotion starting today on just the
4-pound size. This offer ends Tuesday May 4, 2010 at midnight Pacific Time. I'll be
sending out reminders about this sale, so don't freak out.
AsktheBuilder.com
P.O. Box 887
Meredith, NH 03253-0887, USA
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