The Handyguys revisit some old issues and discuss some new ones – foamy faucets, cloudy dishes, frog tape giveaway, toilet troubles and bad gas caps on this audio episode.

Topic 1:  The Moen Faucet with foamy smelly water.

Paul discusses his Moen faucet with the pull out braided hose and how it still produces smelly foamy water when not used for several hours.  Moen’s customer service was great but they don’t offer any explanation of what causes the odor or foam. Several listeners contacted the Handyguys with the same issue.  Perhaps they can respond to this post with their experience and offer a work-around to this problem. For now, Paul has not taken Moen up on their offer to replace the faucet with a non pullout head as his wife is hooked on the feature.  They are living with the problem for now.

Topic 2:  The Kenmore Elite Dishwasher revisited (i.e. Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Kenmore)

Paul’s video of the Kenmore Elite dishwasher where he cleans out the basin has solved a lot of folks problems with frustrating modern dishwashers that don’t do the job.  However, he began having problems with a white film building up on dishes.  The problem is now solved.  Cleaning out the basin fixed the problem of grit and being left on the dishes.  This new solution eliminates the cloudy problems with glasses.

Topic 3:  Frog Tape Giveaway.

We have two frog tape sets to giveaway. Each set has two rolls of frog tape, a t-shirt and a bag. Just make a comment on this post to enter. Listen to the podcast for details.

Topic 4: Incomplete toilet flushes

We followed up on a listener question regarding a toilet that does not flush completely. Like the sewage in question, this is a problem that does not easily go away.  Listen to the Handyguys speculate on possible solutions.

Topic 5:  End of season mower care

Paul discusses his frustration trying to prepare his mower for the winter and confuses airplanes with the spinning things on mowers.

Topic 6:  Gas Caps

Check out the new style gas caps at your local True Value and let us know what you think. They are supposed to be better than some of the older “safe” designs. Brian thinks they are an improvement but still a bit awkward. Some of the newest types may be best.

We were one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. We have been compensated for our time commitment to the program as well as our writing and productions about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, as always, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Related shows:

1. Fixing a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that is not Cleaning Dishes
2. Tween Painting Party And Foamy Faucet Trouble
3. Top 10 Essential Tools For DIY And Duct Tape Uses

The Handyguys discuss why modern appliances suck stink and briefly discuss how to fix a whirlpool GS6SHEXNL00 side by side refrigerator.

The Handyguys are NOT appliance repairmen

First off – The Handyuys are NOT appliance repair guys. We are just a couple of handy homeowners who have attempted a couple appliance repairs ourselves. Please don’t call us to come out and repair your appliances. We don’t know everything about all appliances. If its a common issue we have have seen it and can give you some advice but generally we will tell you to continue your research elsewhere. Google is your friend. Try googling a model number. If you got here because of a google search then maybe this info will be useful.

Ranting about modern appliances

The Handyguys rant about whats wrong with modern appliances. So, why do modern appliances stink? More water cleans dishes better, more water gets cloths cleaner, more powerful motors last longer but use a little more energy.  Does it really use less water and energy when you need to run your dishwasher twice because it didn’t get your dishes clean the first time? Same with your clothes washer. If your clothes smell musty and you need to do that extra rinse or a full second wash does that really contribute to being green? It certainly contributes to frustration.

Brian then discusses his front loading clothes washer. It vibrates like crazy. Yes its level and balanced. The repair guys has been out three or four times to replace parts that have been broken due to the vibration but he cant fix the cause of the vibration. The manufacture says my house isn’t build strong enough!!! Hmm, the house is built above code and the floor has been reinforced just to prove its not the house. The manufacture says it should be on concrete and I should move it to the basement or garage and out of the laundry room. Crazyness. This was a very expensive washer from a top manufacturer. Bosch, if you are reading this feel free to respond and prove to us that new appliances DON’T suck stink.

Repairing a Whirlpool Gold GS6SHEXNL00 refrigerator

The Handyguys discuss how to fix a Whirlpool Gold side by side GS6SHEXNL00 side by side refrigerator. We will be posting a video soon. What were the symptoms? No controls, light wouldn’t work. When the bulb was removed everything worked. Some other people have similar issues with this series of refrigerators. Fortunately its an easy fix. Essentially it involves replacing a circuit board. The board is in the bottom of the fridge and accessed from the back. We describe the process in the podcast but the video will show you all the steps.

Defrost or not to defrost

Does it ever make sense to not buy a frost free freezer? YES. Yet another modern “convenience” that causes freezer burn and hard ice cream. Listen to the podcast to find out why.

Related shows:

1. Whirlpool Refrigerator Repair
2. Troubleshooting Ice Maker Not Making Ice And Lawn Aeration
3. GE Refrigerator Not Cooling Troubleshooting and Repair

One Hundred Episodes of The Handyguys Podcast. Wow! The Handyguys discuss some of their favorite shows, talk about what is in store for the future and have a special guest, Marc Spagnuolo, aka “The Wood Whisperer“.

Looking Back

Brian & Paul reminisce about some of our favorite shows.  We had fun trying out riding mowers in episode 71. The dishwasher episode was great because it gets a ton of plays every day. Talking about snow blowers with The Wall Street journal was great last year and has recently been popular again due to all the snow. An who would have thought that the how to build a trellis show would get so many hits?

As I’m writing this I’m thinking about what is a common element in our shows about mowers, snow blowers, dishwashers and trellises. The common element is they all have something extra beyond the podcast. That extra is usually a video, a download or some special images. Expect much more of this in the year ahead.

The Wood Whisperer

Marc was able to call in to the show to congratulate us on show number 100. Marc runs The Wood Whisperer website. We didn’t ask him how he came up with the name but it works. Marc has a ton of information for woodworkers. The Wood Whisperer website teaches fine woodworking, techniques and finishes. He engages his audience and provides valuable content. If you want to learn about woodworking make sure you visit The Wood Whisperer. In this podcast we talk about each of our websites and our strategies for the future.

Looking forward

Marc gave us a great segue into our future plans. For our regular listeners you have heard us mention video before. We have posted a few short video clips already. We are in the process of refining our techniques and delivery mechanisms. We expect to deliver quality beyond the generic youtube video. Think High Definition. We intend to make our regular weekly show available on video as well as audio only. Video subscribers will have the added benefit of some additional content and visuals. We will also be interspersing short how to videos. You will be able to watch The Handyguys online, on a Roku, Tivo, AppleTV, iTouch, iPad, other portable video players or on the big screen in your living room. This will be fun so stay tuned, make sure you subscribe to either iTunes, RSS, email or twitter. You don’t want to miss the official launch of Handyguys TV.

Related shows:

1. Basement Systems And Listener Questions
2. Installing A Tile Back-splash For Your Kitchen
3. How To Caulk Windows And Where To Caulk Windows

The Handyguys discuss the the energy saving task of caulking windows.

Announcements

Before we discuss caulking windows we would like to remind our listeners and viewers of our recent video production on replacing a flush valve.  In addition, we will be re-doing our “Fixing a Dishwasher” video in High Definition for additional clarity on the repair process. We hope to do a video showing some caulking techniques in the near future too.

Window Caulking

Handyguy Paul was asked by a friend “where do you caulk a window?”. That’s a pretty broad question. Is the window wood, vinyl or aluminum? Do You want to caulk it for aesthetics or because of drafts? We will assume drafts. Also, what is the siding material? new replacement windows in old frames? There are a lot of variables. We ramble on in the podcast discussing different places we caulk.

Vinyl windows and vinyl siding

Click to see a full sized image. Image © Andersen Corporation

Vinyl windows, if installed correctly shouldn’t need to be caulked in too many places. Caulking on the interior is mainly for aesthetics. You will caulk where the drywall meets the frame or the casing meets the frame. You can use some painters caulk on the inside where the window meets the casing or the drywall. If it was installed correctly there shouldn’t be a draft coming from this area.

Wood windows with wood siding

Click to see full sized image

These windows require a lot more maintenance. All gaps should be re-caulked. If caulking after painting or if you have natural wood, you use a clear caulk. If caulking before painting you should use paintable caulk rated for exterior use.

Replacement windows

Click to see a full sized image. Thanks to Champion Windows for providing this image.

Replacement windows are installed in existing wood frames. The windows come as a unit and should be caulked properly when installed. In situations with replacement windows, you have the area between the new window and the existing frame to keep caulk maintained as well as around any old trim.

Handyguy Tips

During a new segment to the show, the Handyguys each provide an important tip for the typical homeowner.

Thanks

Related shows:

1. Fall Home Improvement Checklist
2. How To Fix A Broken Window
3. Energy Star Fraud And Basement Egress Requirements

Handyguy Paul Takes apart his Dishwasher to clean out the basin.

The Handyguys planned to tackle two issues in this episode. They began with Paul’s Dishwasher problems and hoped to talk about the Handyguy’s electrical toolkit. However, the dishwasher took up the entire episode and the electrical toolkit discussion got pushed back to another show (ok… we sometimes record these episodes out-of-order so the electrical toolkit discussion was published with episode #70).

So what is the problem with Paul’s dishwasher that is worth talking so long about? Well, no one likes an expensive dishwasher that has problems doing the one thing it is supposed to do. Cleaning Dishes! Handyguy Paul’s wife was not happy about this arrangement. Upon removing glasses from the dishwasher each morning, she was finding them covered in a cloudy white film. Typically this is due to hard water and is prevented with a rinse aid product. In this situation, rinse aid was not addressing the problem.

To make matters worse, the dishes on the top rack were also not being cleaned very well. In fact, it appeared that the upper spray arm above the top rack was not spraying much of any water onto the dishes.

So what was the solution to the white haze (or is it etching?) on the glasses? And how do you fix these problems. You can find the answer by listening to our podcast or watching our little video. Or how about both? Check it out.

In addition, the Handyguys discuss other common dishwasher problems.

While you are here, check out the Handyguys recent trip to Husqvarna to test some chain saws and outdoor equipment:

Thanks to erento for sponsoring this post – Whatever the magnitude or complexity of the project you wish to undertake, online tool hire will provide you necessary tools and equipment.

Related shows:

1. Foamy faucets, cloudy dishes, frog tape giveaway, toilet troubles and bad gas cans
2. Ideal Water Pressure, Fixing A Damaged Wall And V-Jaw Pliers
3. Modern Appliances Stink, Quality Of New Appliances