We had lots of good calls this week. Kevin started us off with a compliment on his Window World casement windows. He said before they were installed in his 1950s-style home, you couldn’t stand to be in certain parts of the home during the summer.
“Literally, right after the windows got installed in late August, the entire house was the same temperature, the air conditioner didn’t work as hard and it’s just been an absolute pleasure.”
Thanks for the shout-out, Kevin!
Double-Pane Window Drip
Next was James, who gets a dollar-bill-sized water stain on his double-pane window sills every time it rains. His home is 17 years old, and he’s afraid to call a window company because he doesn’t want to be pressured into buying window replacements for the entire home.
We explained that they can be done a little at a time, and even if you don’t need to replace them all at once, they’ll all need to be replaced eventually. Our design consultant Jim frequently goes out on one- or two-window calls, although we know that many other companies make you do the whole house and charge $1,500 to $2,000 a window. Not the case with us – we could do the whole house for the same price!
Garbage Disposal Grinding
James had one more question – his garbage disposal was making a terrible noise at times. Before James replaces it, we recommend he tries a few things. First, if the issue is the blades getting stuck, he can cut a lemon into quarters and grind them through, adding a teaspoon of cooking oil while they’re grinding. That should unstick the blades. If this doesn’t solve the issue, it could be a bearing problem and that’s something that can’t be repaired.
PVC Pipe Condensation
Jim was concerned about the condensation coming out of his pipe, which is no longer a drop but a steady stream. After describing the cold air in the home, we determined that it’s probably just humidity. Consider that in South Texas an average air conditioner can produce up to 7.5 to 10 gallons of water within a day. Jim asked about whole home dehumidifiers, which work in conjunction with the ductwork. It’s like putting a small unit on your existing unit and pre-dehumidifying the air before it reaches your system.
Elastomeric Roof Coating
Bill called in asking about elastomeric coating for metal roofs and whether it was a viable temperature control option for a metal roof. We recommended that he not touch his brand new standing seam roof, it’s a great roof already. At the very least, wait until the warranty period is up before painting it. A great alternative is adding a radiant barrier in the attic. Bill also asked about insulation, and we recommended if he’s only doing part of his home that he do blown-in insulation. He could rent the equipment and purchase the foam at his favorite big box store.
Tile Roofing
Sean has a clay barrel tile roof that was installed in 2009. They’ve been having some leaking issues with it and had another company take a look, and they said the roof was incorrectly installed, with tar pavement nearly dissolved and every other row of tile nailed on. Unfortunately we see this a lot with tile roofs and generally recommend standing seam unless you’re totally in love with tile. If in doubt on whether that’s allowed, check in with your neighborhood association or deed.
With all that said, it does sound like it was nailed on improperly. If you stick with tile roofing, the good news is that now they have synthetic underlayment that would work well. But unfortunately, they’re going to have to pull off the existing roof to apply that new underlayment. You also may consider imitation tile, which is beautiful.
An Inspirational Story
Casey called in and shared her beautiful story about how she took ownership of her home improvement after her husband passed away. It all started with her dryer, and now thanks to YouTube she fixes all kinds of things, saving tons of money.
Here’s her story:
In other news:
- Manuel called to confirm whether Centrocon was the best option for termites. We definitely agreed with the recommendation that he received, but also told him that the pros at Apple Pest Control could give him some solid advice if he was still in doubt.
- Dan wanted a water softener recommendation for his septic system, and we recommended Mr. Rooter and stressed that he would need to use potassium rather than salt.
- Leah wanted to know if she would need somebody to raise the fireplace after she stripped her sunken roof. As long as there isn’t an underlying reason for the sinking and existing height is okay, this isn’t necessary.
- Romero asked is homeowners are liable if they make a mistake. The answer is no, but to file a complaint you would need to track down the appropriate governing body.
