#2425 – Safe Swimming: Pool Fence Checklist | Gas Leak Warning Signs

Show Notes

In this episode, get tips for indoor and outdoor safety as we reveal the critical signs of gas leaks and how to prevent them, plus the unique requirements of pool fencing to keep your pool area secure. Then, learn foolproof tips for repairing drywall issues once and for all. Tune in and let us help you tackle all your home improvement projects!

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Podcast Transcript

Pool Fence: Swimming safety starts with this important pool fence checklist to protect kids from danger.
Gas Leaks: Learn the signs of dangerous gas leaks and how to avoid them.
Drywall Repairs: Get tips for common drywall repairs like nail pops, holes, and cracks.

Ask Your Home Improvement Question

Do you have a home improvement or decor question? Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here.

Podcast Transcript

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00:00:23	TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:00:28	TOM: And we are here to help you take on the projects you want to get done around your house. If you don’t know how to get started on something, if you’re stuck in the middle of a project, if you’re planning a project for this weekend, for this month, for this summer, or for the year ahead, now would be a good time to get started off on the right foot. And that’s what we would like to do for you. So reach out to us at 1-800-Money-Pit. 888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or just go to MoneyPit.com slash ask. Click the blue microphone button and you can record your question right there. Coming up on today’s episode, what do the following have in common? You ready, Leslie? It starts with a quiz. A white cloud or mist. The sound of roaring, hissing, or whistling. And the smell of rotten eggs. Any guesses? Hmm.
00:01:26	LESLIE: Somebody’s making hard-boiled eggs. No, this is a really dangerous one.
00:01:30	TOM: Yep. These are all signs of a potentially dangerous gas leak. So we’re going to share a really important tip to make sure you don’t see, hear, or smell any of this just ahead.
00:01:40	LESLIE: And also ahead, if your home has a pool, you know that a fence is an integral part of making sure that your house and the pool are safe. But what you might not know is that pool fencing does have some very unique requirements that differ from any other type of fencing. We’re going to share a pool fence checklist in a bit.
00:01:56	TOM: And drywall repairs like fixing wall cracks and nail pops and seams that split open can be a constant hassle for homeowners. But if you do them right, you won’t be fixing them again and again and again. We’ll have tips to take care of those common drywall fixes in just a bit.
00:02:12	LESLIE: But first, our focus is you. We want to know what you want to know. So if you’ve got a DIY project on your to-do list, help us make it a DI done project. Whatever you are working on, we can help you figure out the best way to tackle that project with you. With ease. And really come out with a cool looking project at the end.
00:02:30	TOM: That’s right. Because we want to help you create your best home ever. You can dream it. You can build it. And we can help. So call us right now with your questions. Again, the number 1-888-Money-Pit. 888-666-3974. Or go to moneypit.com slash ask. Let’s get to it.
00:02:47	LESLIE: Heading out to Arizona where it’s been super hot. Barb, what’s going on with your pool? How can we help?
00:02:52	CALLER: We have an older pool. We live in Arizona. The pool is used a lot. The pool deck has lots of cracks in it. The tile needs to be replaced. There’s some rebar that has come up from the pool deck. We would like to go over and retile and plaster the pool again.
00:03:13	TOM: So essentially what you’re telling me is that when the pool was originally constructed, there was rebar, reinforcing bar, that was embedded into the pool so that the pool would be properly supported. And you’re seeing that this is exposed in some areas, which means that maybe some of the surface came away. Perhaps there’s some rust that’s set in. And you want to know if that means you have to completely replace the pool or whether it’s repairable. Is that about right?
00:03:40	CALLER: That’s right. Okay.
00:03:41	TOM: So yes, I think it’s repairable. I think it’s a normal thing for an older pool for this to happen to. And there are going to be a number of products that I suspect that they’re going to be epoxy-based because they stick the best to the old surfaces of pools. And they’re suitable for underwater. And I don’t see any reason that you couldn’t make a repair to that particular area. I would just caution you, Barb, to be aware that sometimes you’ll have contractors that always want to kind of sell you the worst-case scenario in terms of the work. And I suspect that repairing an area where some rebar has become exposed is not an enormous job. I would think that it’s almost a normal seasonal job. That you might have to do from time to time just to make sure that that surface stays in good shape. So if everything else is working well, then I think you probably should just make that repair. And in terms of the pool deck, of course, if it’s tile, you know, and it’s chipped and broken, then that’s a different story. But there are a lot of cool products that are out today that are literally paintable. In fact, there’s a product that’s called Roller Rock. There’s another one that’s a terrazzo coating. There’s a product called Spreadstone. A lot of the good ones are made by a company called Daich Coatings. And you essentially can clean that pool deck surface, not on top of tile, mind you, but like let’s say if it’s a concrete surface, and then apply these products, and you can get really beautiful finishes, you know, without spending a whole lot of money. So I think those are some options for you to kind of spruce this up as we get into summer here and not really have a lot of work to be done before you can actually enjoy that pool because that’s why you have it. You live in a warm area of the country, and this way you can get it fixed up quickly and start to enjoy it once again.
00:05:23	LESLIE: Well, we all love to be comfortable. We love to be comfortable at home, and when something’s not right, it is no good at all. We’ve got Michael in Rhode Island on the line who’s dealing with some uneven heating and cooling. Tell us what’s happening.
00:05:33	CALLER: Okay, so what’s happening is you have to wear a jacket downstairs because it’s so cold, but upstairs it’s actually warm, and we actually want to turn the AC up even higher. But what happens downstairs, I try to insulate around the doors with some of that foam tape, and I even have the AC on. I have the little sleeve in front of the door that kind of blocks the air coming out from below the door, but it’s still really cold. Now, the first floor is kind of like our basement half-finished, and then there’s a garage on the other half. And you have to kind of walk upstairs to get to the first level of living, kind of basically the living room, the kitchen, dining room.
00:06:16	TOM: Okay, like a split level.
00:06:18	CALLER: Exactly, yeah, but you don’t go downstairs. When you walk into our house, you only can go up because we’re on a hill. Got it. So when you’re walking in the front door, you’re going in first level. When you’re walking out the back door, you’re actually on the second level.
00:06:32	TOM: Okay, let me ask you a question. What kind of heating system do you have?
00:06:35	CALLER: Gas furnace.
00:06:36	TOM: Okay, so it’s a gas, forced air furnace, one furnace?
00:06:39	CALLER: One furnace, yeah. We only bought the house a year ago and it died as soon as we got there, so we got a brand new one.
00:06:46	TOM: So when the new system was put in, the HVAC contractors should have done a heat loss calculation to make sure it was the right size. Because it sounds to me like your system is unbalanced. You don’t have supplies and returns that are working together to even out that airflow so that you have the proper temperatures and the proper spaces. And that is the first place I would look. Homes heat and cool not just by blowing air out of the registers, but by pulling it back and reconditioning it and reconditioning it and reconditioning it, either reheating or recooling. And that cycle repeats until this thermostat is satisfied. So it sounds to me like you have a big imbalance that’s causing this. And it’s not going to be just a matter of, you know, of course, you know, sealing up drafts and that sort of stuff is always a good idea, but I don’t think that’s your core problem. I think the way the system is designed, you’re not getting enough airflow in the places you need to. So I would start with that HVAC contractor that sold you the furnace because this is something you definitely should have addressed in my view. All right. Thank you very much. Love you guys. Thank you. Oh, you got it. Thanks so much. Bye-bye.
00:07:51	LESLIE: Hey, guys, if you’ve heard a helpful tip or two while listening to our show, please help us help even more home improvers by dropping us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.
00:07:59	TOM: That would be awesome. And you might even win a copy of our book, My Home, My Money Pit, your guide to every home improvement adventure. Just go to MoneyPit.com slash review.
00:08:10	LESLIE: Heading out to Westchester, Pennsylvania, where we’ve got Courtney, who’s doing some work in the yard with a patio, but a tree’s got other plans. What’s going on?
00:08:19	CALLER: So we want… We want to build a brick patio. We have like extra free bricks, and we want to do it in an area in our lawn where there’s not a lot of grass growing. You know, it’s hard to grow the grass because of these pines. There’s five pines. They’re large.
00:08:35	CALLER: Right.
00:08:35	CALLER: How can I best build this patio without disturbing the roots and having it level?
00:08:43	TOM: The answer is you can’t because if you can’t get rid of these roots, or at least the major big ones that are where this patio has to be, you can’t do it. You’re going to continue to have to deal with them. And no matter how good a job you do in laying in the base of that patio, you’ll find that the roots will just start to lift it up, especially with brick because it happens really quick. Concrete might take a little longer, but even if it is concrete, it would lift the slab up and crack it. One of the things you could think about doing is maybe doing, and I hardly ever recommend this except in this unusual circumstance, would be to do a deck right above grade. So it’s kind of like a wood platform that is right above grade. You’d only have to secure it at the corners the same way you would in any deck. But then if the roots start to come up with that, then at least you’ve got some room to go before they start to interrupt the thing. And you could always pull the deck boards out, cut the root backs a little bit if you can. Roots are pretty durable. You may be able to cut back some big ones and not impact those trees at all.
00:09:43	CALLER: Yeah, we weren’t sure because we only see a little bit. So when we dig down, we’re like, oh, we don’t know. We don’t know what we’re going to find. You know what I mean?
00:09:53	TOM: Yeah. Do a little exploratory surgery with a shovel there and see what you find. Okay.
00:09:59	CALLER: All right. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
00:10:02	TOM: Well, what do the following have in common? A white cloud or mist, the sound of a roaring, hissing, or whistling, and the smell of rotten eggs. Well, according to the experts at New Jersey Natural Gas, these are all signs of a dangerous gas leak. So if you are working in your yard this summer, you need to be able to recognize the signs. These include the smell of the rather distinctive odor of rotten eggs or seeing a white cloud or fog or bubbles even in standing water or hearing a roaring, hissing, or whistling sound. They all spell potential for gas leak. Yeah.
00:10:36	LESLIE: So if you’re working outside this summer and plan to do any amount of digging, you should be planning ahead by calling 811 before you begin. Now, 811 is going to connect you with a free markout service provided by your local utility companies. Once you put that request in for the markout, a technician is going to be dispatched to your home from each of the utilities, and they’re going to mark where all of that underground utility equipment is from gas, electric, water lines, everything. This way, you can avoid them. A contractor can avoid them. I mean, it truly is a map to all the things you can’t see. And let me tell you, it could be super dangerous if you hit something.
00:11:15	TOM: Yeah, definitely. Now, I just used 811 to install electrical service in a detached garage. The old wire had shorts in it, so we wanted to dig a new hole, and we did just that. We called 811. They came out. They marked all of the lines around the house, and we were able to easily avoid them. You know, utility lines can be buried just inches below ground, so you really never know. And an unintended shovel dig could easily hit a line that can disrupt service. It could result in potentially dangerous and very costly consequences as well.
00:11:43	LESLIE: Yeah, you know, not only is this a smart idea, but it’s actually required by law. And I’m talking about even simple things. Small projects like planting a flower bed and shrubs to installing a mailbox or a fence post, those small projects do require a call to 811 for a markout of those underground utility lines.
00:12:01	TOM: So be aware of the sounds and the sights and the smells of natural gas and propane, for that matter. But before you put a shovel, a spade, or any other digging implement in the ground, call 811 every time at least three business days prior to starting your outdoor project, and all of those utilities will flock to your house and mark them down. That’s the amount for you.
00:12:21	LESLIE: Heading out to Wisconsin, we’ve got Kevin on the line who’s shopping for some roofing options and has questions about insulation. What can we do for you?
00:12:28	CALLER: I’m going to build a 1,700-square-foot house this year, one story, and I’m going to put open-cell spray foam in the walls and in the ceiling. My question is, which is the better roof, a metal roof or asphalt shingle?
00:12:47	TOM: Well, in terms of the roof choice itself, asphalt shingle and metal roof, both excellent choices. Of course, a metal roof is going to be more expensive, but it’s going to last longer. Those are investment-grade roofs. They last over 50 years. And in that same amount of time, you’d probably replace your asphalt shingle roof at least twice, if not three times, depending on the roof and the insulation and a few other factors. In terms of the insulation, spray foam is a great choice. I did that to my old house and never looked back. Our bills just went wild. It was way down. We, in our case, sprayed the underside of the roof rafters, not the ceiling level of the second floor. And therefore, we created essentially an attic that’s unvented because it doesn’t have to be unvented. When it’s spray foam insulation, you don’t need to use traditional ventilation. And so my attic, which we use a lot for storage, is pretty much the same temperature. It’s like an ambient temperature all year long, and that’s actually better for everything that we have up there. But I think your first decision point is the shingles or the metal roof because if it was me, I’d think about how many years I’m going to be in there because it’s going to be your last roof basically, so you want to make sure it’s going to actually last. I think about that. I think about the value that it brings to the home. I think a metal roof is going to bring more value than an asphalt shingle roof to the home, and consider that. And of course, the insulation choice, spray foam, a great one. By the way, though, if you are going to go with metal, it’s recommended that you use closed-cell spray foam insulation because it’s more waterproof. It has a vapor barrier built into it. Not all open-cell spray foam gives you a vapor barrier protection the same way closed-cell would. So if it’s metal, I would definitely go closed-cell.
00:14:22	LESLIE: All right, now we’re going to chat with Sally, who’s dealing with an issue with the window. We’re seeing a lot of fogging up. What’s going on?
00:14:28	CALLER: Well, I have two very large double-pane windows, or like big-picture windows, and they have fogged up. It looks like there’s moisture between the two panes. And so I was wondering what can be done. What can be done about that besides replacing it? Is there any remedy for that?
00:14:51	TOM: Unfortunately, there is not. That is a failed thermopane seal. And when that window was made, that seal was used, and it’s placed in a vacuum, and that gap is usually filled with an insulating gas like argon. And so when the seal fails, you get moisture in there, and that’s what you’re seeing with the fogging. Now, it is unsightly. But it doesn’t terribly impact the energy efficiency of the window. So if you don’t mind the fog, you know, it’s not like it’s leaking. It just doesn’t look so nice. But the only way to repair that is really just to take it out and replace it because it’s a sealed unit, and there’s no way to restore it back to its factory manufactured condition.
00:15:32	CALLER: Yeah, I have about seven other windows that are about the same age. They’re over 15 years old, and they’re all fine. But so just these two had a particular problem. When they were made, is that what you’d assumed?
00:15:45	TOM: Yeah, that’s unfortunate. You know, are these the biggest windows, or are they all the same size?
00:15:50	CALLER: Of course, they’re the biggest one.
00:15:52	TOM: Yeah, well, I mean, I ask you that because they’re going to expand and contract more than the smaller windows.
00:15:58	CALLER: They’re about 84 inches long and 56 inches tall. They’re big. They’re really big. Yeah, they sure are. You know, it’s a panoramic view of the mountains.
00:16:10	TOM: Oh, that’s too bad. Yeah.
00:16:13	CALLER: Unsightly, but okay, I’ll get them replaced, and that’s about all I can do. Thank you.
00:16:17	TOM: Okay, bye-bye. All right, good luck with that project.
00:16:19	LESLIE: Heading over to Little Rock, Arkansas, we’ve got Tony on the line. So, Tony, tell us about this tile issue. What’s going on, and where are they?
00:16:26	CALLER: They’re right in front of the bathroom, my bathroom in my hallway.
00:16:31	TOM: Okay, so the tiles lose. How big is the tile here? What are we talking about?
00:16:35	CALLER: It transitions from probably a 12 by 4 inch to a 12 by 12.
00:16:41	TOM: You know, what you’re going to want to do is lift those up. You’re going to have to work on an edge where you can get in there. The first one’s always the hardest to get up. But if they’re loose like that, you won’t have any trouble popping them up. And then you’ve got to get all the grout out of there. And you may need to do that with a grout knife, or you can grind it out. But you’ve got to get the grout out of there. You’re going to need to replace that. And then you’ll use mastic, a thick tile mastic, to reset that tile. And then once it’s dry, then you can re-grout it. Now, the grouting part’s probably the trickiest, because you’re going to have old grout near new grout. And one way that you could deal with that is you could decide to re-grout the whole floor by basically grinding out some of the grout that’s already there, even if the tile’s not loose yet. And this will all be the same color. I guess it kind of depends on what your tolerance is and how close you want those colors to be. But even if you had the same exact product, that grout gets dirtier over time and changes color, and it doesn’t match up.
00:17:37	CALLER: Pretty simple, I guess.
00:17:39	TOM: Yeah, you know, it’s a job. Like anything else, right? There’s a bunch of steps to it, but it’s really not terribly difficult. And if you’re a little bit handy, I’m sure you can handle it.
00:17:47	CALLER: Yes, sir. Thank you very much for calling.
00:17:49	LESLIE: George in Connecticut has a question about a gutter. What can we do for you?
00:17:53	CALLER: I have a house that was built in 1952. It has wooden gutters.
00:17:59	TOM: Okay.
00:18:00	CALLER: The front of the house faces south from one edge in about 6 1⁄2 to 7 feet. The wooden gutter has been slowly deteriorating. Now, I’ve gone all over Connecticut, basically, to lumber yards and other places looking for a section of gutter to splice it in.
00:18:21	TOM: Right. Yeah, that’s going to be very difficult.
00:18:24	CALLER: Yeah, nobody has them. And what surprises me is when you talk to some of the younger people, obviously I’m not a young man, they never heard of wooden gutters.
00:18:33	TOM: Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me. Well, look, you’re in the right part of the country to find a replacement product. There’s actually a company called the Fiberglass Gutters. It’s a wood gutter company. And they make wood-styled gutters but out of fiberglass. I know about them because they did a segment on this old house that we were familiar with back in, I think, 2014, 2015. So go check out FiberglassGutters.com, and you will see that they, in fact, make gutters that look just like your wooden gutters out of fiberglass. Now, you talked about, like, splicing in a section. You’re not going to be able to splice this into an existing wooden gutter. You’re going to have to replace the entire piece. Now, if you can do this and maybe not have to replace all the wooden gutters, good luck. I mean, I don’t know what your house looks like, but you can’t put it in the middle, and you’re going to have to make sure it connects properly. But they’re absolutely beautiful, and once you do this, you’re not going to have to worry about any gutter maintenance again because they won’t rot.
00:19:29	CALLER: So the company I need is Fiberglass.com?
00:19:33	TOM: No, FiberglassGutters.com. Just search for Fiberglass Gutters, okay, and you will find these faux wood gutters. Okay. Well, I think that’ll solve it. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:19:47	LESLIE: Well, now is the season for swimming and fun, and if you’ve got a pool in your backyard, a properly designed pool fence is the most effective way that you can keep small children from danger. But, Tom, pool fences really aren’t like any other type of fencing material. They’re designed especially to keep kids out, and many times people don’t realize that, and they end up just putting in the wrong fence.
00:20:10	TOM: Yeah. Or they don’t know how to do it. They don’t have the right sort of features on it. I mean, first, the fence height needs to be at least 48 inches tall, and the spacing between the chain links, for example, should only be one and a quarter inches. So most chain link fences are two inches, but the reason it’s one and a quarter is because you don’t want any kids to get a toehold on that fence. They also are required to have special types of gates. They have to be automatic closing hinges. This will prevent the gates from accidentally being left open, and even the latches themselves are special. If you’ve ever walked up to one of these pool gates, you’ll notice that to release the latch, you have to raise your hand well above the 48 inches. Usually it’s about six feet high. There’s another part of the gate you have to reach, and that, again, prevents kids from reaching up and trying to let themselves into that pool. So you want to make sure you have the right type of pool fence. And if you’re one of the folks that doesn’t like the look of a fence, I say, first, too bad. But secondly, you can make it a lot more attractive if you choose a black fence as opposed to a white fence. When you have black fencing, it sort of…
00:21:17	LESLIE: Kind of becomes invisible.
00:21:18	TOM: It becomes invisible, right. You kind of look right through it. You see all the landscape and the beautiful pool behind it. So get a black chain link fence that’s pool fencing. It’ll look great, and it’ll keep the pool super safe for the kids.
00:21:30	LESLIE: Victoria from Arkansas is on the line and is having a grout issue. What’s going on?
00:21:33	CALLER: Well, you know, grout this, grout that. Grumpy, grumpy grout. So… Yeah, grout. You know, I hate grouting. It’s real tough. But this is with granules in it. But there’s just a couple small areas where it’s fallen out, the grout. Okay. Do I still need… I mean, this is a pretty tall shower. Do I still need to pull out all the grout from the top to the bottom, or can I just grout those few little particles that fell out?
00:22:00	TOM: No, you can definitely re-grout those areas where the grout’s popped out. And I know what you’re talking about. That’s happened to me as well. Do you have some of the grout available, some of the original grout, by any chance?
00:22:11	CALLER: No, because I bought this house about four years ago, but I found the same type of grout. But it is kind of like a sandy grout. Are you familiar with that?
00:22:20	TOM: For a shower, you typically don’t use sandy grout. That’s usually on a floor where you have a wider joint. You want to basically use a shower-style grout, which is more of a powder than a sand grout. You can find this in home centers. It’s really inexpensive. Unfortunately, even the smallest package is going to be enough to do about three showers worth. Can I use the grout and the tube? It depends on the color. If the color matches. It’s really just a matter of getting the color right. I’ll tell you what I did. When I grouted my shower, and I have a bathroom tub and shower all together, and the last time I grouted that, what I did is I actually bought three different grouts, one that was a little bit lighter, a little bit darker, and one that I thought was pretty close. And I mixed up just a tiny bit of each to double-check the color, because when it dries, it has a completely different color sometimes. And then I was able to find the one that worked best. And in our case, we did take out a lot of the old grout, but our goal there was to really do the whole shower. For you just to do a little patch there, you don’t necessarily have to do that.
00:23:21	CALLER: Oh, thank God. Okay. Well, thank you so much. I’m really grateful that you guys called me back and saved me all that time and aggravation.
00:23:29	TOM: Oh, you’re so worth it. That’s what we do. We save time and aggravation.
00:23:33	CALLER: Yes, sir. No more grumpy grouting.
00:23:35	LESLIE: Thank you so much. Have a blessed day.
00:23:37	CALLER: All right.
00:23:38	LESLIE: Heading out to Minnesota where we’ve got Trevor on the line. How can we help you today?
00:23:42	CALLER: I have tongue and groove boards on my ceiling in my living room. I was wondering about replacing them and putting new ones up, and they’re starting to twist and gap and whatnot. And I was wondering if a person needs a vapor barrier behind there.
00:23:55	TOM: Yeah, there are a lot of advantages to spray foam insulation, and one of them is that you don’t need a vapor barrier. The concept of managing moisture with a spray foam application is not the same as if you had fiberglass. You need a vapor barrier in a fiberglass situation because you need to keep the moisture from building up in the fiberglass and making the insulation ineffective. But with spray foam, it’s not an issue. Basically, there is no sort of unconditioned space left, so it all becomes part of the conditioned space and therefore needs no ventilation. It needs no vapor barrier whatsoever.
00:24:26	CALLER: Okay.
00:24:26	TOM: So it’s pretty easy.
00:24:29	CALLER: Some carpenters have told me that sometimes you need to put sheetrock behind there before you put tongue and groove boards up or something.
00:24:38	TOM: Yeah, because the reason for that is because sometimes when the tongue and groove boards will shrink, you’ll see gaps behind it. So that’s not a bad idea. It’s kind of your option, though, whether you do that or not. If you like the look of the tongue and groove planking on the ceiling, then that’s your call. But certainly, you do not need any kind of vapor barrier.
00:24:59	CALLER: Oh, outstanding. Perfect. Thank you very much.
00:25:02	TOM: Well, drywall repairs are some of the most common home maintenance chores that homeowners have to take on. But if you don’t do them right, you’ll be doing them again and again and again.
00:25:12	LESLIE: Now, the three most common types of drywall repairs that are needed are nail pops, holes, and cracks. A nail pop is going to result from a nail that’s kind of loosened and then backed its way out of the drywall. For that, you can kind of just simply tap it in and then drive a new nail right next to it. But you have to make sure that you cover the head of the old nail with the head of the new one. Then you can spackle that area, smooth it, and allow it to dry really well. Then go ahead and sand and touch up that area. Now, you can also use a drywall screw instead of a nail. I mean, that way it’s just never going to back out.
00:25:43	TOM: Now, the best way to fix a wall or a ceiling crack is to use a strong perforated drywall tape. This type of tape has large squares. It looks almost like netting, and it’s tacky. It’s a little bit sticky. So you first bridge the gap of the crack with this tape, and then you want to smooth on it. Then you’re going to sand a fairly thin amount of spackle or mud over the wall or ceiling crack. And once that area is dry, it can be sanded, and then you’re going to probably end up putting on about two more very thin coats. And on the last coat, you’re going to want to sand it finally and then do a bit of primer and repaint it, and you’ll be good to go. So there’s a few steps there, but if you try to just spackle it, the crack’s going to come through again and again and again.
00:26:23	LESLIE: All right, now if you’ve got a hole, no kit’s needed. You just need a scrap of drywall, a leftover piece of window screening, and some joint compound, and a few common tools really are all it takes. Now our favorite patching method includes a great tip. You want to cut the hole to fit the patch, not the other way around, even if it means making that hole a little bigger. Don’t be scared because this method definitely is foolproof.
00:26:46	TOM: Now when you’re working the joint compound, it’s really kind of like an art. Apply thin coats. Don’t fuss with it after two or three strokes. Leave it alone until it’s dry. Then sand and paint, and you’re as good as new.
00:26:58	LESLIE: Barbara from Rhode Island is on the line. Barbara, you’ve got some funny noises going on with the toilet.
00:27:03	CALLER: What’s going on? I have a half bathroom in my upstairs. It consists of the toilet and a small sink. And for the last few months, when we flush the toilet, we get like a bubble sound, and it will flush, but it doesn’t take like the paper with it. We looked in the tank, and it is right up to the level of the water. The chain is right where the flap opens up, and then it will close, and it will fill. So it’s kind of like we have to flush it twice in order to actually get the paper to go down.
00:27:51	TOM: So the fact that you get this gurgle to me sounds like the venting is obstructed. That’s where the air gets back into the system. There’s a vertical pipe that goes from the back of the plumbing connection up through the roof, and when it’s starving for air, you get that type of a gulp that happens. So it could be that there’s a partial obstruction somewhere in that drain line itself. Have you tried to clear that toilet to make sure that nothing was in there?
00:28:16	CALLER: Yes, my husband did take a plunger, and he used it, and it didn’t seem to help.
00:28:24	TOM: Barbara, it’s good that he tried the plunger, but that may not actually work if it’s obstructed. It can happen. It can work if it’s sort of a larger mass, but if it’s something that got in there, like something that was dropped in the toilet or something that’s worked its way in there from another drain, what you might want to do is try using something called a toilet auger. Now, a toilet auger is kind of like a two-foot-long toilet snake, and what it does is it actually gets into that trap part of the toilet, which is usually where most of the obstructions are. And it’s a very inexpensive tool, and you could buy one at a home center, I’m sure, for probably $10 or $20. And if you use the toilet auger, you’re definitely going to clean out that entire bowl and the trap that’s attached to it, because the trap is just that. It’s a narrow portion where the waste has to flow up and over in order to drain out. And if you get waste that builds up there, then that’s not going to happen.
00:29:23	CALLER: Okay, all right. So we’ll get to that. We’ll try that. And if that doesn’t work, you mentioned about the pipe coming out the roof?
00:29:32	TOM: Yeah, the vent. If that doesn’t work, I would contact, I would reach out to a plumber at that point or a drain cleaning service, because you’ve basically done as much as you possibly can do.
00:29:41	CALLER: Okay. Well, thank you so much. Hopefully the auger will solve the problem.
00:29:46	TOM: All right. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
00:29:51	LESLIE: Abby wrote in to Team Money Pit saying, I’m a novice when it comes to home improvement, and I’d like to fix some sun damage on the front door, but I’m wondering how to sand and prep the door to get it ready for refinishing. You know, refinishing a front door is a great project, Abby, but it’s perfect for a warm weekend because you do need time to allow all of those coats to properly dry. Now you need to time that project so the door is dry at the end of the day and you can reinstall it for overnight and then take it off again in the morning to finish up that job.
00:30:19	TOM: Now you can certainly also work with the store upright, but the job is a lot easier and possibly more effective if you take it off the hinges and work on it horizontally, like on sawhorses, for example. Not only will this let you do a better job sanding, it will be easier on your back and you won’t have to worry about the finish dripping. Removing that door might not be as difficult as you fear because once you pull out the hinge pins, it comes off pretty easily and all you’re going to need is a friend, really, to help you lift it onto a sawhorse because they do get kind of heavy. Now you also asked about sanding. You can start sanding by hand, although I will say it’s a lot easier if you have a vibrating sander like a palm sander. If you do opt for hand sanding and your door features detail like raised panels, take a look at 3M’s sanding sponges. They kind of squish so you can get into all of those nooks and crannies very easily.
00:31:09	LESLIE: Now when it comes time to finish it, you want to stain it after you’ve sanded it, sand it between coats, put a high degree of UV protection on top, and make sure you allow each coat to dry thoroughly.
00:31:19	TOM: Well, our messy pets creating a decorating dilemma. Are you afraid that anything you buy is going to be ruined by your well-meaning pooch? Well, Leslie has tips to help you get the best of both worlds in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie, take it away.
00:31:34	LESLIE: You know, having a pet is super rewarding in so many ways, but they do create a lot of messes. So here are a few ways that you can create a space that will work well for both people and pets. First of all, you want to pick up pet-friendly furniture. Now when I say pet-friendly furniture, I’m not talking about plastic. I’m talking about things like fabric that doesn’t have, you know, easy-to-grip threading in the way that that fabric is woven. A microfiber, something that’s washable, something that’s more commercial grade is definitely more durable and can withstand anything that your pet can kind of throw at it. Now another example is you can buy a pet-proof cover. There’s so many great ones out there that you can see online that kind of fit and tuck and almost look like you’ve reupholstered it. They do require occasional futzing to keep them looking nice, but in a pinch, it’s a good way to cover up something if you’re maybe taking care of a friend’s dog or just in that one room that you have a piece of furniture with a super-duper-duper hairy pet. Now if you’re going to redecorate and change things up on the furniture front, again, you want to make sure that things are super-duper-duper durable. And again, look at fabrics that are resistant to odors, stains, moisture. It’s really ideal if you’ve got a dog or a cat in your life. Heck, it’s ideal if you’ve got kids in your life. I mean, a kid is just a pet. That kind of stands up right. And I’m a mama, too. Everybody’s messy. I’ve got dogs, kids, hamsters. People ruin a lot of things with the furniture, so we’ve got to make sure we’re picking things that will stand up to the test that they can throw at it. You also want to consider, this is super fun if you’ve got the space in, say, a laundry room or a bigger bathroom at home, a pet washing station. This way, you and your dog, if you’re out on a rainy day and the dog kind of rolls around in the grass or gets all kinds of muddy, when you come back inside, this is a great place to kind of rinse off the pup’s feet or give them a quick bath. It’s really a great way to make sure that the mud does not come inside any further than the entryway. If you want some more tips, check out pet-friendly design and decorating tips for your home on moneypit.com.
00:33:36	TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show coming up next time on the program. Adding a backyard deck is definitely one surefire way to increase your home’s living space, but if you’re not careful, it’s easy to make very costly mistakes. So we’re going to show you what you’ll need to avoid when building a deck of your dreams on the very next edition of The Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:33:36	TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself.
	LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

	(Note: The above referenced transcript is AI-Generated, Unedited and Unproofed and as such may not accurately reflect the recorded audio. Copyright 2024 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)