May 18, 2010 Newsletter and Tips
Copyright 2010 - Tim Carter
Remember, Do it Right, Not Over!
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Latest News
I got my exercise last week and it continues today! I went up and
down from the garage to that attic no less than 40 times, maybe 50
as my son Tristan and I emptied the attic of years worth of
clutter. It was a rainy day, and the temperature in the attic
probably never got above 72 F. Just after sending this newsletter
to you, I'll then start to carry up old games and 25 years worth of
the Carter family life from some shelves in the basement storage
room.
This is all happening here in Cincinnati as I get ready to move
Kathy and Kelly up to NH later in the summer. The Victorian home
here I build back in 1986 has a traditional walk-up attic that
you'd expect to find in an older home, but not a modern one less
than 25-years old.
I framed the attic the old-fashioned way with rafters instead of
trusses. If you're building a new home or even a room addition, any
rough carpenter worth his salt can frame a roof almost as fast as
setting trusses. I say this assuming the roof is pretty simple.
If your builder or remodeler insists on using trusses, be aware you
can get special storage trusses and even full attic trusses that
allow you not to waste space up in the roof area.
Cutting Off Fingers
My ad salesman Loren sent me a video to watch that demonstrated a
cool table saw that can prevent injuries. The person being
interviewed said in the USA there are about 3,000 fingers and
thumbs cut off in table-saw accidents per year. That nearly ten per
day.
This saw is called the SawStop. The inventor got the idea back in
1999, and it took over four years before the saws went into
production.
Solar Attic Fans
As summer is just about here, attic temperatures will begin to
soar. It can easily get to 130 F and above in an attic. Several
years ago I installed two solar-powered attic fans in my attic that
were GUARANTEED to lower my attic temperature.
I urge you to read about the results here my column about solar attic fans.
Funny Home-Improvement Stories
A month ago I introduced a new feature to the newsletter: Your
Funny and Embarrassing Home-Improvement Stories. Here's one that
was sent to me by Wendy from Centerville, OH:
When my husband I lived in our first little house, someone gave us
a humidifier for our furnace. My husband, never mechanical,
installed it himself, but it didn't work. For several days I heard
him down in the basement swearing. Finally we called a
professional. My husband told him of all the trials and
tribulations he had gone through. We all went down to the basement.
The furnace guy looked things over, then flipped the ON SWITCH! It
worked perfectly fine after that!
Wendy, I can relate to that. About two years ago I couldn't get my
scanner to work. I hadn't used it in quite a while and the button
on the front of the panel wouldn't turn the machine on. Frustrated,
I was about to go buy another scanner when my teenage son Tristan
asked me what was going on. Within seconds the scanner came alive.
Tristan gleefully exclaimed, "Dad, all you had to do was flip on
the Power switch right here on the side of the scanner."
Duh............
Do you want to share your funny or embarrassing story? Share it here.
down from the garage to that attic no less than 40 times, maybe 50
as my son Tristan and I emptied the attic of years worth of
clutter. It was a rainy day, and the temperature in the attic
probably never got above 72 F. Just after sending this newsletter
to you, I'll then start to carry up old games and 25 years worth of
the Carter family life from some shelves in the basement storage
room.
This is all happening here in Cincinnati as I get ready to move
Kathy and Kelly up to NH later in the summer. The Victorian home
here I build back in 1986 has a traditional walk-up attic that
you'd expect to find in an older home, but not a modern one less
than 25-years old.
I framed the attic the old-fashioned way with rafters instead of
trusses. If you're building a new home or even a room addition, any
rough carpenter worth his salt can frame a roof almost as fast as
setting trusses. I say this assuming the roof is pretty simple.
If your builder or remodeler insists on using trusses, be aware you
can get special storage trusses and even full attic trusses that
allow you not to waste space up in the roof area.
Cutting Off Fingers
My ad salesman Loren sent me a video to watch that demonstrated a
cool table saw that can prevent injuries. The person being
interviewed said in the USA there are about 3,000 fingers and
thumbs cut off in table-saw accidents per year. That nearly ten per
day.
This saw is called the SawStop. The inventor got the idea back in
1999, and it took over four years before the saws went into
production.
Solar Attic Fans
As summer is just about here, attic temperatures will begin to
soar. It can easily get to 130 F and above in an attic. Several
years ago I installed two solar-powered attic fans in my attic that
were GUARANTEED to lower my attic temperature.
I urge you to read about the results here my column about solar attic fans.
Funny Home-Improvement Stories
A month ago I introduced a new feature to the newsletter: Your
Funny and Embarrassing Home-Improvement Stories. Here's one that
was sent to me by Wendy from Centerville, OH:
When my husband I lived in our first little house, someone gave us
a humidifier for our furnace. My husband, never mechanical,
installed it himself, but it didn't work. For several days I heard
him down in the basement swearing. Finally we called a
professional. My husband told him of all the trials and
tribulations he had gone through. We all went down to the basement.
The furnace guy looked things over, then flipped the ON SWITCH! It
worked perfectly fine after that!
Wendy, I can relate to that. About two years ago I couldn't get my
scanner to work. I hadn't used it in quite a while and the button
on the front of the panel wouldn't turn the machine on. Frustrated,
I was about to go buy another scanner when my teenage son Tristan
asked me what was going on. Within seconds the scanner came alive.
Tristan gleefully exclaimed, "Dad, all you had to do was flip on
the Power switch right here on the side of the scanner."
Duh............
Do you want to share your funny or embarrassing story? Share it here.
Deck Stain Sealer Test
The day before I came back to Cincinnati from NH, it was a glorious
spring day on Loch Winnisquam. I decided to start a real test of
three wood deck/dock sealers. I had cleaned and sealed my cedar
dock back in June of 2009, but the nano-technology clear sealer I
used failed miserably. The wood turned gray within months.
I taped a video of the testing process. I urge you to watch it.
I'll do followup videos at two-month intervals this summer until
the dock comes out of the water. You'll see I had some fun taping
this video. Pay attention and listen for the harp.
If you've had tremendous success with a CLEAR wood deck sealer,
please email me with its name. I'm looking to test other brands
this summer. I want to know if you have used a clear PENETRATING
sealer that keeps the wood looking great for at least two years.
Send me closeup photos of your deck wood that looks great and tell
me the name of the sealer you used.
Mechanical Plumbing Vents
A friend remodeled his kitchen three years ago, and his sink ended
up in an island cabinet. Prior to that, the sink had a standard
vent line. The plumbing code allowed him to install a mechanical
vent in the sink base cabinet. I've never been a fan of these vents
as I always felt the spring mechanism in the vent would fail or
slowly fail over time.
Sure enough, his sink has started to drain slowly because the vent
is failing. You can vent an island sink with a loop vent that works
well. Make sure your plumber does this in lieu of one of these
inferior mechanical vents.
Chain Saw Chain Sharpener Test
I'll be finishing the testing of what appears to be a magical and
affordable chain-saw chain sharpening tool this weekend. I'll share
those results in the next newsletter. If you use a chain saw,
you'll want to read this review.
AsktheBuilder.com
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Meredith, NH 03253-0887, USA
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