The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out how many volts your heating system should be able to take. Prevent accidental electric dangers by following these tips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether you should keep doors in your house open or closed when they are not in use. Learn whether or not this will impact the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn the cheapest and most expensive ways to heat your home. From natural gas to electric heating, see what type of heating is best for your home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the best time to replace your water heater and what can be causing your water to smell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about the different types of insulation you can use when adding extra insulation to your attic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to repair damaged drywall that may have been caused by a roof leak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to protect cedar shingle siding. Find out how to use semi-transparent stain or boiled linseed oil to preserve cedar shing siding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn steps you can take to determine whether cracks in slab house walls and floors are benign, or clues to larger structural issues. Also, a fun, simple test to determine whether a house is level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes the solution to a leaky skylight is as simple as diverting water away from it. Learn how to create a DIY diverter that pushes precipitation around the light, rather than over it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Notice a crack in ceiling that you would like to permanently fix? Find out the process that involves more than just patching over the crack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why basement wall cracks that have formed recently are caused by poor drainage conditions around your home's foundation. Get tips on checking your gutters, downspouts and soil grading to fix the problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to improve rain water drainage in the yard of a home that is surrounded by neighbors. Get tips on making sure the first four feet away from the foundation slopes down six inches. Learn why you should use clean fill dirt rather than Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair mortar that has severely deteriorated in your home's foundation. Get tips on repointing or replacing the mortar with a formula that has a bit more lime in it, which will make it stick to the old stuff better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of roof rats. Get tips on removing their access to your roof by trimming back palm trees and removing their food supply so they have no reason to stay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove old products from your deck before you restain it. Learn why you should be careful not to damage the wood when you use a power washer. Get tips on applying Behr's premium stain and finish stripper, then putting their solid color Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you can't just put in new glass when replacing your old windows and expect it to be energy efficient. Get tips on downloading The Money Pit's free guide to choosing new windows that will walk you through all your options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you don't need to replace the breaker box in your house if it trips the breakers when you try to run two window AC units at the same time. Instead, the solution is to add another circuit specifically for the second AC unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair dents in wood door frames. Get tips on using wood filler to make the repair. Also learn why you might want to consider installing corner guards to protect the wood from future damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to fix a cracked septic tank. Get tips on how to find a home inspector who can diagnose the severity of the septic tank crack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover which cleaning products work best for tough - and even unusual - cleaning jobs around your home and garden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Removing water stains from the wood logs in your log cabin is entirely possible. Learn two methods for removing water stains from wood, including pine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Furnishing and flooring basements, which are prone to moisture, requires special considerations. Find out which flooring you should and shouldn't use in basements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what's causing lightbulbs on a microwave to require constant replacing - and how to fix it. Also, get insights on the average lifespan of a microwave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to insulate the exterior walls of your home. Get tips on removing your existing wood siding, going right to the studs, putting on foam sheathing and then firring it out and residing it from there. Learn why 1-inch is the thickness that Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Annoyed by not knowing why you have a leaky window? Find out about a test to perform to help determine a window leak cause and solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might not need a permit to install French doors if it's just a door replacement, but you should check to be sure. Get tips on signing up on AngiesList.com to find a contractor to put in the door. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn what to do when you find a contractor has stolen from you and hasn't finished a job. Get tips on what to do to bring the contractor to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to make a kitchen cutting board. Find out how to season a cutting board for your kitchen using vegetable oil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When hardwood floors need to be refinished, sanding is one of the trickiest steps. Get it wrong and your floor can be permanently damaged. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to make the surface of your lanai water-resistant. Get tips on using "sleepers" to create a pitch so the water will roll off, and covering the wood with fiberglass with an abrasive finish for a durable, non-slip surface. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bacteria can breed in showerheads according to a study completed by the University of Colorado at Boulder. Hear an interview with Laura K. Baumgartner, a researcher who worked on the study. Learn about the shower head study, cleaning shower heads and Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Worried about finding asbestos when you pull up your linoleum floor? Learn the likelihood of asbestos on sheet linoleum and whether to call a pro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should hire an architect to come up with a design plan for a roof over your deck. That way, you can show the plan to contractors and have them bid on the project. You will then be comparing apples to apples, so to speak, instead of trying to decide among different solutions proposed by different contractors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is bamboo a good and viable flooring choice for your kitchen? Listen here to find out the good, bad, and ugly of the situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When heavy rains bring basement flooding, learn the easy way to make sure it never happens again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frustrated by the mold that developed on your deck during the winter? Find out about an effective product to clean mold from deck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove old wallpaper. Get tips on renting a steamer to moisten the glue so you can peel the paper away. Then scrape the glue off and prime the walls before you paint them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should simply replace a rusted faucet rather than try to repair it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having a hot tub inside your home can be relaxing. But tearing out rotted, moldy walls because of all the humidity it generates, not so much! Find out how to avoid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to fix a delayed toilet flush. Find out how to replace a flush and fill valve in your toilet when your flush is sluggish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to fix drafty windows in an apartment. Find out how temporary caulk can seal your windows against winter drafts and insulate without making a permanent change to the property. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about easy-clean grout, epoxy vs. sand. Find out how epoxy grout cleans up better than sand grout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on garage floor paint, and find out if epoxy garage floor paint can separate from the floor in hot weather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meal moths infesting your floured foods and cereals? Find out what you should do to control them without having to throw out so much food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to line a laundry chute. Find out how to use a duct to create a laundry chute that won't snag clothes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how poor drainage can be mistaken for leaky windows. Get tips on how to fix your drainage problems and how to keep your home dry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tips to select the best primer for a painting project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether infrared heaters work well and whether they are affordable. The answer is that they work well and yes, they are affordable. SUNHEAT is one company that offers high quality infrared heaters. You can use them for particular rooms or Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what brand of toilet to install in your man cave. Learn about Saniflo, a company that specializes in upflow toilets. It's a pump that takes all the effluence and pumps it out, and it works completely automatically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Household noises, how to decide where they are coming from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices