Show Notes
Join us today as we discuss how to save water outdoors during the scorching summer months and highlight the latest advancements that make heat pumps more efficient and cost-effective. We’ll also cover the benefits of metal roofing during an active storm season. Plus, get expert tips on managing lots more DIY home improvement projects!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Heat Pumps: New heat pump technology offers energy-efficient heating for any climate.
- Water Saving Tips: Every drop counts when it comes to saving outdoor water on hot summer days.
- Metal Roofs: Weather the storm with a metal roof that will stand up to severe conditions.
Top Questions & Answers
- Popcorn Ceiling: Can you clean a popcorn ceiling? Nancy should use a feather duster to get rid of dust and cobwebs, then give the ceiling a fresh coat of paint.
- Solar Panels: John is noticing the production is dropping on his dirty solar panels. He needs to climb up and use a high-pressure hose to clean the pollen off the panels.
- Moles: Moles are tearing up Michelle’s yard! We recommend treating the lawn to get rid of grubs so she can get rid of the moles.
- Landscaping: Alex’s home is located on a steep hill. He gets tips on building a retaining wall with specifications from a landscape engineer.
- Porch Odors: Anna’s unfinished, closed porch has a musty, moldy smell. She needs to pull out any insulation, clean the walls well, and let the space dry and air out completely.
- Electrical Outlet: An electrical outlet died but no breakers were tripped. Steve should have an electrician check the current and find where to repair a failure on the line.
- Woodchucks: Darlene is trying to keep woodchucks in check! She can discourage them by removing all woodpiles, spraying hot pepper or predator urine in their dens, and applying repellent to any plants they eat.
- Tree Roots: Ken is concerned about a tree growing next to the foundation of his home, in an area treated for termites. We recommend carefully cutting away the tree roots.
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
| 00:00:31 | TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:00:36 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| 00:00:37 | TOM: Hope you guys are enjoying this beautiful summer weekend. Are you working inside or outside the house, wherever you’re working on your house? We are here to lend a hand. Your first step, though, is to reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-Money-Pit. Or better yet, just go to MoneyPit.com and click the blue microphone button for a very prompt response. Coming up on today’s show, did you know that 50% of the water we use outdoors goes to waste due to overwatering, evaporation, and wind? We’re going to share some water conservation tips to help us get through these upcoming dog days of summer. |
| 00:01:13 | LESLIE: And heat pumps have been around for many, many years, but very often homeowners just don’t understand the technology and how to get the most from this technology. We’re going to walk you through how heat pumps work and how new technology is dramatically reducing the cost to both heat and cool your home. |
| 00:01:29 | TOM: And the expert forecasters at Colorado State University are predicting 23 named storms this year, a big uptick over past reports. So if you’d like to add a roof to your home that can stand up to that kind of severe weather, it doesn’t get any better than a metal roof. We’ll explain why just ahead. |
| 00:01:47 | LESLIE: But first, do you love your home, but sometimes you feel like it’s an empty house? Or an endless pit that you’re just throwing your money into for home improvements and repairs? Listen, we get it, and we can help you tackle your to-dos with confidence. So let us know what you are working on, what you plan to work on, or what you hope to tackle, and we can help you lend a hand. |
| 00:02:05 | TOM: The number here is 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Let’s get started. Leslie, who’s first? |
| 00:02:13 | LESLIE: Got Nancy in Arkansas on the line with a painting question. How can we help you? |
| 00:02:16 | CALLER: I’m on behalf of my mom, and she has an older home. And she has like a lot of, like, she has a popcorn ceiling, and she has a lot of, like, cobwebs and stuff. And I’m just wondering, like, what would be the best way of removing those to eliminate as much, you know, debris falling in the carpet and that sort of thing, but, you know, to give it a fresh look? |
| 00:02:44 | LESLIE: Well, I think with a popcorn ceiling, you know, number one, you’re fighting the texture, so everything kind of wants to get stuck up there. So first off is I would start with one of those, like, Swiffers that look like a feather duster just to get all of that dust and that, the cobwebs down so that you’ve got a clean surface. And if that looks okay, then you might want to stop there. You can’t really clean a popcorn ceiling because the way you remove a popcorn ceiling is to spray it with water and then you scrape it off. So if you try to clean it with any sort of cleanser or moisture, you’re going to start to disintegrate the popcorn and make that come off if it’s truly a popcorn ceiling and not like a textured stucco or something like that. So I think once you get the spiderwebs and things off of it, you might be better off just painting it and giving it a fresh coat to just, you know, sort of freshen up the ceiling space a little bit. But if you do decide to paint the popcorn ceiling, you have to get a very specialized roller. It looks like a foam roller that has, like, a spiral cut to it, and that will open up to sort of accommodate the popcorn ceiling texture. If you use a regular roller, it’s going to paint it and then pull the texture off. So you have to be careful in your application. But that’ll do a great job of freshening it up. Okay. Well, great. Well, thank you so much. |
| 00:03:53 | TOM: You’re very welcome. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:03:58 | LESLIE: John in Rhode Island has a question about solar panels. How can we help you today? |
| 00:04:01 | CALLER: Solar panels installed the latter half of March and had been noticing a steady increase in production up until about two weeks ago. And I have noticed the production falling off and, of course, the pollen has increased. And I’m wondering if there’s anything you can do about that? Is there anything on the market that I could treat the panels with? The panels are located kind of high on the roof. It’s difficult to get to. And just like I said, I’m just wondering if there’s something that I could add to it to have the pollen wash off quicker. |
| 00:04:32 | TOM: So it’s pollen and tree droppings, huh? |
| 00:04:34 | CALLER: Yeah. Well, actually, the trees I’m in good shape with. But it’s really basically the pollen. I live in a wooded area. And like I said, I’ve watched the production, you know, with these inverters. You can really carefully monitor what the system is doing. So although the days are getting longer and the sun is getting higher in the sky, production is off. And the only thing I can relate it to is the pollen. |
| 00:04:57 | TOM: John, that’s actually a surprisingly common problem. And the solution is simply to clean those panels. Now, in your case, that may be easier said than done because you’re telling me they’re difficult to reach. It might also be possible to install sort of a cleaning system that consists of manifolds that are, say, installed right above those solar panels where you basically can turn on the water and run water over them occasionally to clean them out. But, of course, that’s a lot of work. Is it possible for you to get a ladder up against the side of that house there and use a hose or maybe a high-pressure hose to be able to kind of wash the pollen off those panels? Because it’s pretty well documented that solar production goes down, as you’ve discovered, when those panels get covered with dirt or pollen. |
| 00:05:43 | CALLER: Right. Right. Well, I guess the thing, I’m sure there’s something I could invest in, certainly a better ladder, a taller ladder. And also, there’s got to be something where I could actually get the hose on a pole. I have a pruning pole and maybe point it at an angle, you know, where it could wash the panels. But, again, I thought maybe the solution would be, well, in the spring, get up on the roof, treat the panels, and then I should be all set. But, you know, maybe it’s just as simple as a hose. Yeah. |
| 00:06:13 | TOM: I’m not aware of any treatment there. It’s going to basically make them more slippery. You know, I guess there’s maybe I’m thinking like in terms of a wax. But, you know, Hyde Tools, H-Y-D-E, they have a product called Pivot Pro that attaches to a regular hose and it has an angular nozzle up top. And it’s designed for like cleaning gutters and then cleaning like boats and getting underneath spaces and things like that. And basically, the head pivots. So, you can get all sorts of different angles with it and it also steps up the pressure of water coming out of it. Pretty inexpensive tool there. You might want to look that up online and give it a shot. |
| 00:06:46 | CALLER: I think I will. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. |
| 00:06:48 | TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:06:53 | 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. |
| 00:07:02 | 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. |
| 00:07:13 | LESLIE: Michelle in Michigan is on the line with a question about mold. That’s a lot of Ms, Michelle. What’s going on? |
| 00:07:18 | CALLER: Well, I have about an acre and a half of backyard. Well, actually an acre and not quite a half. But I have moles constantly coming from my neighbor’s yard and tearing up. And they’re living under my patio. |
| 00:07:30 | LESLIE: Well, you know why they’re coming to your yard is because your yard is serving up a tasty treat that they really like. So, the reason why moles show up is because your property probably has grubs. And you might not see them. They’re living in the dirt underneath the lawn. But that’s what the moles are eating. So, the trick to getting rid of the moles is to get rid of the grubs. |
| 00:07:48 | CALLER: Now, how would I go about by doing that? Because I’ve done everything I could possibly think of. Spraying, putting things down, even a few homopathic things. But nothing seems to be working. |
| 00:07:59 | LESLIE: There’s a couple of different products that you can use that will, I guess, treat the grub situation. One of them that you can find at your local home center is GrubX. And that’s an application that you’ll put on the lawn. And that will get rid of the grubs. I mean, it won’t happen instantaneously. But it’ll start to get rid of the grubs. And then the moles will figure out that you have grubs. And you don’t have the tasty treats in the lawn anymore. And they’ll start moving elsewhere. Have you tried anything like that? |
| 00:08:19 | CALLER: No, I haven’t tried anything like that. My neighbor down the street told me to poke little holes in the ground and put bubble gum in there. And they might be confused, thinking it might be a grub or worm. And they might not want to come back. I was trying to do something where I wouldn’t hurt them. But they’re really hurting my yard. |
| 00:08:36 | TOM: That’s right. It’s really simple. If you eliminate their food source, they’re going to go try to find that somewhere else. So, the grubs are the food. If you eliminate the grubs, you’ll eliminate the grubs. Eliminate the moles. Okay. |
| 00:08:46 | CALLER: Well, great. Then I’ll have to give that a try. |
| 00:08:49 | TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:08:53 | LESLIE: Alex in West Virginia is on the line with a question about grading. Tell us what’s going on at your money pit. |
| 00:08:59 | CALLER: I bought my house last year. It’s a 1926 American four-square home. The lot that the home was built on is 140 feet deep by like 30 feet wide. But the problem is the drop from the very back of the lot to the very front of the lot. It’s pretty significant. It’s about 10 feet. So, the house is on a hill and I’m wondering what I can do to level out the front yard so it’s easier to mow and so it looks nicer if I could build some sort of retaining wall. And then I want to do something in the backyard the same way because playing on it for a dog and a kid is kind of hard. I was wondering what you thought about maybe trying to level that out somehow. |
| 00:09:35 | TOM: Well, right now it sounds like the house is going to cut into the hillside. Is it so it slopes down towards the street in the front or it slopes away from the house? |
| 00:09:43 | CALLER: That’s correct. It slopes down. If you stand in the very front of the yard, you’re not even above the line in the back. |
| 00:09:50 | TOM: So, I mean, a retaining wall is the best way to achieve that. But, of course, building a retaining wall, especially if you’re talking about several feet like that, is no small task. I mean, it’s a pretty big project and it’s got to be done well because if it’s not engineered properly, it’s going to fail. Fortunately today, there are a lot of good masonry products, precast masonry products that work extremely well for retaining walls. It used to be that your best option was to build a retaining wall. It was something that looked like railroad ties that were stacked up. And you had these railroad ties that would go back into the hillside. They were called dead men because they would just lay there and hold the wall in. That’s a terrible thing. But eventually, that’s what it was called. It was called the dead man. And it was the piece that was perpendicular to the wall and was basically covered with soil because that would be sort of the tie that would hold it in place. But today, you could use precast retaining wall blocks. They’re made by a number of great manufacturers. And you can stack those up once you prepare the base properly and then just sort of backfill as you go. And remember to provide for proper drainage because that really is the key. Whatever you do, you want to make sure that you’re handling the water that’s running down that hillside properly. And if you are building to a slope like that, it’s really more important than ever to have what’s called a swale where the water sort of divides before it gets to the back of your house and then goes around the left and the right sides and then runs down to the street. But certainly, that’s an option. But it’s a big project. And it’s one that I would recommend you get professional help with because of the size and the scope of it. Well worth having a landscape architect or designer kind of spec that out for you because if you’re going to do it yourself, you’ll know exactly what you have to do. And if you’re not going to do it yourself, you can use that spec to get bids from qualified contractors. And you’ll know that they’re all going to be sort of bidding apples to apples. The problem is if you just call a contractor and say, build me a retaining wall. Okay. Everyone’s going to build it slightly differently. And it’s going to be hard for you to figure out what’s the best choice because the guy that’s the cheapest may not be doing the best job or using the best materials. You follow me? |
| 00:11:49 | CALLER: Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. Yeah. |
| 00:11:50 | TOM: That’s the way I’d approach it. |
| 00:11:51 | CALLER: I appreciate your answer. I watch your podcast every week. |
| 00:11:54 | TOM: Well, thank you so much for doing that. And we’re so glad you called. All right. Thank you. Well, now that we’re in the official dog days of summer, it’s a good time to keep an eye on your water use because it turns out that as much as 50% of the water we use outdoors goes to waste due to overwatering, evaporation, and wind. So here are a few tips to water wisely. Yeah. |
| 00:12:16 | LESLIE: When you’re watering your lawn and your garden, you only want to water when it’s needed. So depending on the weather or type of plants or turf, you might find that you only need to water once or twice a week. Now, when it comes to the time of day to water, you do want to water early in the morning or way later in the day because if you water when the sun is low, that’s going to help you minimize evaporation. You also want to make the most use of rainwater, so collect it if you can in rain barrels. This way, you can use it later to water those outdoor plants. And also, watch what you’re watering. Check those sprinkler heads to be sure you’re not wasting any water on those paved or those unwanted areas. You can reduce run times for the shady spots, and you can keep an eye on the weather. If rain’s in the forecast, turn that sprinkler system off ahead of time. This way, you’re not watering when it’s pouring rain. I always hate it when I see that. |
| 00:13:06 | TOM: Oh, me too. Just the other day, we have a heat wave going on here. Just the other day, I was at a banquet hall for an event. As I got out of my car, I noticed there was water running down the parking lot. As I got closer, I saw the sprinklers. They were trying to water this narrow strip of greenery, and it completely missed, and there was just water in the parking lot. So, just a ridiculous waste of water and resources. So, yeah, adjust those heads, guys. Now, let’s talk about other things you can do in the yard. If you’re planting new grass, new plants, use drought-resistant species. Native plants have the benefit of being adapted to local conditions, and they do need less maintenance and less watering. And use mulch. Mulching beds can definitely help retain moisture and prevent weeds. So, two to three inches should do the job. Then set your mower higher. Mow that turf at two and a half to three and a half inches when it gets really hot, depending on the time of the year. |
| 00:13:57 | LESLIE: And in Illinois is on the line with a question about a porch. How can I help you today? Well, I have this problem. |
| 00:14:03 | CALLER: This porch is closed in. It’s not even on the north side, but the north side of it is not finished. And recently, I have had this moldy, musty smell in it. Now, yesterday it was nice. I opened the windows, and you couldn’t smell it, or when I have the dehumidifier on. But if I have neither, I can smell that musty smell. And my question is this. I’ve taken off the old insulation that was in there. And do I need to do anything, like to the boards, to the wood, before I put the new insulation in it? And will that help? |
| 00:14:44 | TOM: Okay, so first of all, this is a porch, so it’s not a heated space. Is that correct? Yes. Why are you insulating it if it’s not a heated space? |
| 00:14:51 | CALLER: I just thought maybe that would help the moisture for this dampy smell. |
| 00:14:56 | TOM: No, not at all. In fact, it will make it worse. You basically want to let this dry out as easily as possible. Look. Anything that’s outside in it is always going to be damp, just because of the nature of it. But I don’t think you want to close this in, add insulation or anything like that. That’s just going to hold moisture. And it has absolutely zero benefit as insulation, because you’re not trying to keep the heat on one side and the cold on the other. So I would definitely pull that insulation out, Anna, and I would air out those spaces. And what I would also do is I would spray those walls with a good quality cleaner, like Spray and Forget. That will take care of mold, mildew, algae, even dirt that forms on those walls, and take that out of the equation as well. So pull the insulation out, spray them down, and then let them air out, and I think that will solve it. Anna, thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:15:49 | LESLIE: Steve in Delaware needs some electrical help. What’s going on at your money pit? |
| 00:15:53 | CALLER: I have an outlet that died on me. I changed the outlet, but it still doesn’t work. All the breakers, none of the breakers went. And all the GFI’s are all good. It just don’t work. |
| 00:16:07 | TOM: So it’s just one outlet. That’s correct. And you have no ground faults that tripped it, and you have no breakers that tripped it. Do you know if the wiring is hot in the outlet? |
| 00:16:16 | CALLER: I put a tester on it, and it says it’s not hot. Now, all of a sudden, it just died. |
| 00:16:21 | TOM: Well, it says the outlet’s not hot, but I wonder if the wiring feeding the outlet is hot. That’s my question. So you, first of all, you probably shouldn’t be doing this repair. Steve, unless you’re very, very competent with electrical work because it’s potentially dangerous. But if I was you and I was faced with this problem, what I would do is I would take the cover plate off of the electrical outlet. I would use one of my electrical testers that detects current, not the outlet, but current. And I would stick it in there and see if I actually have hot wires. If I have hot wires, then I know I’ve got a bad outlet. And if that’s the case, we need to turn the power off completely, make absolutely positively sure that the power’s off. And then switch out that outlet with a new one. |
| 00:17:03 | CALLER: Well, I checked the wires. When I went to switch the outlet out because there was a crack on the outlet, I switched the outlet out. And I checked the wires when I did that. And I’m not getting any electric to the wires. |
| 00:17:16 | TOM: So, Steve, this is now beyond the scope of what I think you probably should be doing yourself because outlets can be wired in series, and so the actual failure can be somewhere else down the line. And I think you ought to turn to an electrician and have them investigate it and repair it. Just make sure it’s safe, okay? All right. Thank you very much. You’re welcome, Steve. Sometimes it’s a do-it-yourself project, and sometimes it’s not. |
| 00:17:38 | LESLIE: You know, heat pumps have been around for many, many years, but too often homeowners don’t understand the technology and might not be getting the most they can from this type of system. |
| 00:17:48 | TOM: Well, to help understand how heat pumps work and how heat pump technology has advanced, we welcome Terry Frisenda, the Senior Business Development Manager with LG Energy. Welcome, Terry. Hi, guys. |
| 00:18:00 | TERRY FRISENDA: Thanks for having me on the show today. |
| 00:18:02 | TOM: Hey. We’re happy to have you. And, you know, heat pumps have been around for decades at this point, but over the last decade, we have seen a lot of improvement in the technology, which has enabled these to work in environments that you never could use them in before. I mean, I spent 20 years as a home inspector, and we always used to see these in the southern states. But as soon as you got north of maybe Delaware or New Jersey, you never saw them again because they just got too expensive to run. But now, we’re seeing heat pump technology work very well in states like Minnesota. So, how has it changed? |
| 00:18:34 | TERRY: Well, you know, it’s interesting to see that I’ve been in the business since 1975. So, like you, I have seen a lot of change in our industry. And, you know, the standard heat pumps that we grew up with or that I grew up with, you’re right. They couldn’t work in these temperatures below 35, 38, 40 degrees, you know, whatever that number was from the specific manufacturer. But this inverter-driven heat pump technology has changed. This has allowed this technology to advance to very, very cold climates, minus 13 degrees rated and below. So, yes, sir, they work in those extreme temperatures now. |
| 00:19:09 | TOM: Now, inverter is the game changer. Can you just talk to us a bit about what that is when we talk about inverter technology and how that differs from what we’ve had in the past? |
| 00:19:16 | TERRY: So, the standard heat pumps that you and I are accustomed to were fixed speed, if you will. So, the compressor always ran at 60 hertz. The inverter-driven systems have the capability to change your electrical characteristics. They literally run from, for the LG brand, run from 10 hertz to 150 hertz. Being able to spin that compressor faster is exactly what enables it to go outside and move that heat that’s available to capture and move it inside, which our standard heat pumps of the past could not do. |
| 00:19:47 | LESLIE: Now, let’s talk about heat pumps. I think a lot of people think you only get heat from them. Is that true? |
| 00:19:52 | TERRY: No, that’s not true. That’s funny, too. I think that’s true, too, because if you think about the central air unit that’s existed for a very long time, when you walk outside in the summertime when your central air is running, you feel that heat coming off the top of it. A heat pump just takes that wasted heat, reverses the flow or the cycle of the refrigerant, and uses that waste heat indoors to make heat. That’s how it does it. So, it’s making air conditioning and heating from the same box. |
| 00:20:20 | TOM: Now, another myth that we often hear is that heat pumps don’t work in very cold weather. And you’ve talked about this. It’s really the technology that now is allowing this high-efficiency situation where heat pumps can operate in temperatures that are as cold as minus 25 centigrade. |
| 00:20:35 | TERRY: That’s exactly correct. And, you know, it’s worth noting that 100% of that technology is from offshore manufacturers. Today, still, U.S. manufacturers struggle with that. And even though they’ve gotten better, they don’t meet the criteria to be cold climate certified. And so, you have a group of heat pump manufacturers producing product and have been producing product for a very long time that work in those environments. Really, it’s moving heat that’s available to capture from outdoors to indoor. That’s what the heat pump does. And there’s heat to capture, but not at 60 hertz, not at a constant speed. |
| 00:21:12 | LESLIE: Now, I think a lot of people also think, well, with this technology, perhaps a heat pump isn’t really that great for the environment. But that’s not true. |
| 00:21:19 | TERRY: No, it’s far from true. Heat pumps are efficient. They have what’s a measurement that’s called coefficient of performance, which is the DOE’s measurement criteria for how efficient they are. A gas furnace, for example, has an efficiency of COP of one. You pay a dollar for heat, you get a dollar’s worth of heat. LG’s heat pump has coefficients of performance as high as four. You pay a dollar, you get four dollars’ worth of heat. That’s the easiest way I can try to explain that. So you’re using less energy overall. |
| 00:21:52 | TOM: There’s also a lot of concern today about getting away from gas, which I’m not so sure I agree with, but it is what it is. In some states, folks are really going to be forced into using more electric appliances. So I’m glad to hear that the heat pump technology is really leading the charge on that. Now, lastly, let’s talk about the rebates. There’s so many good rebates out there right now and incentives. What’s current right now that homeowners should be aware of as they think about updating their HVAC systems and going with heat pumps? |
| 00:22:19 | TERRY: Certainly, you see a plethora of states, particularly in Northeast and Northwest, where heat pumps haven’t existed as a technology. There are giant rebates driven from local and federal utility companies. In addition to tax credits, a $2,000 tax incentive exists on coal-climbing heat pumps. So there’s a lot of money being thrown around. It remains to be seen on the IRA funding, what the states do with that. But there’s even money there that’s going to be made available for heat pump technology. |
| 00:22:53 | TOM: Terry Frisenda from LG Air Conditioning Technologies. Thanks so much for stopping by the Money Pit and updating us on heat pump technologies. Exciting time and provides a really great option for folks that are ready to replace their HVAC systems because they can get a far more efficient system than was ever available before. Thanks again for stopping by the Money Pit, Terry. |
| 00:23:12 | TERRY: Thank you. You guys have a great day. |
| 00:23:15 | TOM: Darlene in New York, you’re next on the Money Pit. How can we help? Hi. |
| 00:23:18 | CALLER: I seem to be having a problem with a woodchuck. It goes from my neighbor’s shed in the backyard to across our yard into the other yard. And we’re getting all like holes in our backyard. They’re destroying our yard. |
| 00:23:36 | TOM: Are you sure they’re woodchucks and not moles? |
| 00:23:39 | CALLER: No, they’re huge. It’s like a mother and maybe three babies. |
| 00:23:44 | TOM: All right. Well, there’s a couple of things that you can do to kind of discourage woodchucks. I mean, one of them I’m not sure applies to you. And that is just to make sure your yard is less attractive to woodchucks by removing any kinds of stumps or wood or brush piles. They do like to chew on wood to keep their teeth filed down. So if there’s some good stuff around your yard, they’re going to be gnawing at that. The other thing that you can do is to repel the woodchucks with something like hot pepper spray. You know, if you have like liquid hot pepper spray. You can spray it in the holes and they will not go in there. They do not like that. Or you can use one of their natural predators, which is like fox or dog or raccoon. That’s available as a spray and basically replicates their urine and kind of keeps them away. And then on your plants, if you were to apply something like a deer off type of a spray, which basically sits on the leaves of the plants or the bushes and if the woodchuck was to eat it, it has a really nasty taste to it and that keeps them away as well. So there’s a couple of things that you can try without calling in a pro to see if we can try to minimize the woodchuck visit to your backyard. |
| 00:24:52 | CALLER: Okay. So if I do use the hot pepper spray then, I just spray it inside of the holes in our yard? |
| 00:24:58 | TOM: Yeah, in that area, right, to kind of discourage them from using them. Maybe they will not create any more. That’s what we hope. All right. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:25:09 | LESLIE: Well, the expert forecasters at Colorado State University are predicting 23 names. They’re going to be named storms this year, one of which, you guys, is Leslie. And that’s always, like, stressful. It’s like you don’t want your storm to be a Nancy, but you also don’t want anybody to get hurt. So I apologize in advance for Hurricane Leslie. May she be out to sea and strong but not hurtful. Anyway, that’s a big uptick, you guys, over the past year’s reports. So if you want to add a roof to your home that can definitely stand up to the severe weather we’re going to see, it truly does not get better than a metal roof. Yeah. |
| 00:25:44 | TOM: A properly installed metal roof that’s quality is going to be impervious to a whole wide range of extreme climate conditions. I mean, modern residential metal roofs are not going to warp. They’re not going to crack. They’re not going to rot or rust. And they can last up to 50 years with very little maintenance required. Yeah. |
| 00:26:00 | LESLIE: And roof damage is truly one of the most expensive costs that homeowners face after an extreme windstorm hits their area. Now, a high wind, typically, along with those high winds, you’re going to get heavy rains. That could expose homes. That could cause homes with compromised roofing to water damage. And that’s why metal roofs are a really smart choice because a metal roof can withstand gusts of wind up to 140 miles an hour. Yeah. |
| 00:26:24 | TOM: In fact, recent post-hurricane inspections have found that metal roofs actually have fared far better than those roofs covered by asphalt shingles. But a good metal roof is as much about the material as it is about the installation. So choose quality water-resistant underlayment. And make sure your installer follows local building codes. Hurricane clips and interlocking systems also give you extra insurance against extreme winds and those monster storms. |
| 00:26:50 | LESLIE: You know, the Metal Roofing Alliance is a leading homeowner source for information, tools, and resources about today’s metal roofs. If you want to learn some more, take the first step and download the Metal Roofing Alliance’s Buyer’s Guide at www.MetalRoofing.com. Ken in Illinois might have an issue with a tree causing some rain. What’s going on? |
| 00:27:13 | CALLER: Well, I’ve got a tree or either that or a very stubborn big weed that is growing right next to my foundation. |
| 00:27:22 | TOM: Now, does it appear to be causing any issues or you’re not seeing any cracks in the foundation, are you? |
| 00:27:26 | CALLER: Not yet because it’s probably about the size of maybe between a quarter and a half a dollar. |
| 00:27:32 | TOM: Yeah, this is kind of a nuisance right now. And as long as it’s not like, you know, part of your prized tree collection, I would not let it continue to grow that close to the foundation. I would cut it away. I mean, a lot of folks are concerned about the impact of roots on foundations. And for the level of concern, the times I actually find scenarios where roots have actually impacted a foundation are rare. So, it’s something to panic over. But it’s not wise to allow anything like that to grow that close to the foundation, especially at this early stage. So, I would definitely cut it back. |
| 00:28:06 | CALLER: I mean, every time I cut it back, it just keeps growing. So, I want to somehow get rid of it. And I don’t know how to actually kill it. So, can’t you just dig it out? Well, you know what? I would. But we just had a termite treatment around there. And they told me not to disturb the dirt. Oh, I get it. |
| 00:28:21 | TOM: Yeah, you don’t want to disturb the treatment chemicals. Yeah. Right. Well, I’ll tell you what. I think that if you were to dig carefully around it and just cut it down to a little surface a little bit, you probably wouldn’t have much effect on those treatment chemicals. On the treatment? Okay. Well, I might. Yeah, I just wouldn’t. I wouldn’t pull dirt out and put it in fresh dirt or anything like that. I would just try to put back what I took out. Okay. I really don’t think it’s going to affect you. Okay. Well, we’ll give that a try. All right. Well, good luck with that project, Ken. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-Money-Pit. Thank you. Have a good day. |
| 00:28:54 | LESLIE: Joe wrote in to Team Money Pit saying, I used five-quarter cedar decking for a covered front porch back in the 90s and stained it with a glossy stain, which is now peeling. The pressure washer is only taking some of it off. So I’m looking at either using a belt sander or a diamond brush tool to get it back to something I can stain. Do you have any better ideas? |
| 00:29:12 | TOM: You know, in this particular case, I would recommend the diamond brush tool because that’s kind of like an abrasive wheel that runs inside of a housing. And it does a really good job of stripping down whatever’s on that deck. After you do that, you’re probably going to have to set some nails. You may find some cracked boards to replace. But I would definitely use a diamond brush tool because the belt sander, you’re just going to end up spending a lot of time replacing. And it might be too aggressive for that softer wood. |
| 00:29:38 | LESLIE: All right. Sounds good. Good luck, Joe. |
| 00:29:40 | TOM: Well, laundry rooms get busy in summer, keeping your family supplied with clean clothes. Leslie has tips to help in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie, you have two very active laundry generators in your house, maybe three. |
| 00:29:56 | LESLIE: Try sometimes four. I swear it’s like the two adults don’t generate that much laundry. It’s the three boys, you know, one being my boyfriend’s son. When they are all together, it’s a tremendous amount of laundry. It’s just sports stains and, you know, who’s rolling around on the lawn playing games outside? And I tried on this sweatshirt but didn’t like it, so I’m putting it in the hamper instead of actually folding it and putting away. |
| 00:30:22 | TOM: What amazes me is that you have an artificial lawn, but the kids still manage to get grass stains. |
| 00:30:27 | LESLIE: yeah. They still go on the front yard. They still can go on the real grass. And when they go to the outside, you know, in the turf in the backyard, they rip up the lawn. They rip up all their socks because they think they don’t need shoes outside. So it’s like you can’t win. It’s just ridiculous. And truly, it’s just a never-ending amount. And there are ways that you can help, you know, always run a full load. That’s definitely going to help you cut down on water usage. Run that full load in the later hours, especially in the summer so that you’re maximizing the energy use and not generating a ton of heat in the house during the hot hours and then causing more air conditioning. So truly, you’re going to run the same amount of energy and water. If it’s one shirt or a full load. So fill that washer up. Now, you also want to switch loads while the dryer is still warm. So this way you can kind of maximize the heat. I’m not saying you have to fold it right away because straight up, I have slept with a pile of laundry on my bed for three nights while I’ve been like, I’m going to fold it tonight. And then I leave for work the morning. |
| 00:31:24 | TOM: Just keeps rolling along. |
| 00:31:25 | LESLIE: So listen, you can dry all the things, but I’m not saying you have to fold it immediately, although I do recommend folding it immediately. And you want to make sure with your dryer that you’re cleaning that lint filter constantly after every single load because it will help that dryer run more efficiently and of course more safely. Now, if you find that you’re ready for some new appliances, look for Energy Star certified washers and dryers. They’re going to use 20 to 25% less energy than those conventional models out there. And finally, wash with cold water instead of hot. Truly, the detergents today are really made to perform excellently in cold washes. So that’s great. It also can cut a ton of energy usage about half since you’re not using the water heater to raise that water temperature. And I promise it will still be just as clean. And if you have a child who plays baseball, my baseball mother friends all tell me that a pressure washer does wonders in getting rid of those sliding stains. Wow. |
| 00:32:21 | TOM: Do the kids take the uniform off before they get hit with the pressure washer? Yes. |
| 00:32:25 | LESLIE: They lay them on the driveway. But it’s amazing to me to watch these women out there pressure washing baseball pants. It’s just stunning. |
| 00:32:32 | TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the program, does an Energy Star rating really matter when buying a new appliance? Well, whether you’re shopping for a new fridge, a dishwasher or a washer or dryer or any other appliance, we’re going to explain why that little blue star makes a difference in helping you select the best performing and least expensive appliance to operate on the next edition of the Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:32:57 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| 00:32:58 | TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself. |
| 00:33:00 | 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.) |
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