The Handyguys did a bit of virtual perusing of the isles of our local True Value. Each of us made a Christmas shopping list and then compared our choices in this entertaining podcast.  We selected some excellent practical gift ideas for the handyguy, handygirl or anyone else. You must listen to the full podcast for our  explanation of why these items belong on your Christmas list.  And Merry Christmas!

• Alan wrench set
• Leatherman
• LED Christmas lights
• Porter Cable Oscillating Multitool
• Frost King electric heat cable
• Grill/Smoker/Fryer
• Lodge Cookware
• screwdrivers/all in one screw driver
• Fire pit
• Mouse traps
• Carbon-monoxide  detector

Listen to the podcast for all the discussion and why we selected these items.

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 about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Can you save some money using LED Christmas Lights? The Handyguys discuss LED, mini-incandescent and C9 and C7 Christmas lights.

LED Energy Savings

This podcast was inspired by an article Handyguy Brian read on the Fox News Website entitled Good Return on Investment: LED Holiday Lights. Are they really a good investment? Perhaps, perhaps not! Do the Handyguys dare to disagree with Fox New reporting? In the name of fair and balanced the Handyguys discuss the energy savings of LED Christmas lights.

Yes – LED Christmas lights save energy. According to the article you will save about 71.4 cents per 100 light string per season.

How about return on investment? You Decide. Handyguy Brian went by the True Value and picked up a 300 light set for $39. That is a projected savings of $2.14 per season. Assuming Brian needed to buy new incandescent strings every 3 years due to failure, assuming $15 each time, and assuming that the LEDs lasted the advertised 20,000 hours (129 years at 155 hours per season), the ROI would 5 years. If ROI was calculated only on energy savings the ROI would be more like 18 years!

Bottom line, buy quality, name brand, LED lights with a warranty. Save the info about how to file a warranty claim for your LEDs.

The Colored and the Whites

What about white lights versus colored lights? The Handyguys discuss an old article by a radio talk show host Michael Smerconish. Michael has said

White lights are boring.
White lights are sedate.
White lights are pretentious.
White lights are for fakers
White lights are un-Christmas.

Wow Michael, tell us how you really feel! Read Micheal’s articles Enough with the white Christmas, already! and The Coloreds and The Whites

Also discussed are the older style C9 and C7 lights.

Listen to the podcast for all the lively discussion.

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 about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

In this audio episode of The Handyguys Podcast Brian and Paul discuss a listeners question about recessed lighting.

How to Install Recessed lighting

We got the following question from Rob:

I recently discovered your podcast and I love it. I’m working my way through the archives, but I don’t see an episode on adding recessed lighting to a room. I know that there are many ways to go about this, but my home does not have an attic. It does have crawl space for the lights, but not one that I can access from above. I would need to cut holes into the ceiling and place the lights in the ceiling from below. I know that there are different types of lights based on new construction versus not, and I know that I would need to run wires, which could prove difficult since I don’t have access to the crawl space. I will be having my roof replaced shortly. Would it make sense to cut the holes and then as soon as the room is off, drop a lot of wire? Also, what are the appropriate types of lights, how many, and how far apart should they be in the room, etc. It’s a family room, so there will be tv watching, reading, kids playing, etc.

Thank you again for a great podcast. Rob

The Handyguys initially responded via email to Rob but decided to dedicate a show to the topic. Listen to the show!

Retrofitting recessed lights

The hardest part of retrofitting lighting is running the wires. You typically would cut into the drywall at every point where you needed to drill through a joist to enable fishing the wires back to your electrical panel. In the podcast we discuss some other options.

Lights per circuit

As for the number of lights, pick up a good electrical book to help determine how many lights per circuit is possible (it will depend on the light used, other loading on the circuit, the wire and codes).

Placement

Try and pick areas where they wont glare on the TV or in your eyes and provide the light where you need it. Dedicated lighting stores sometimes have lighting designers that can help you.

True value stores will have everything you need to do this project. Check them out, they are a great resource for local advice and supplies.

Types of Recessed lighting

As always, listen to the podcast for all the discussion.

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.

Images in this post Copyright © 2000-2010 Cooper Industries, Inc., used with permission.

In this video The Handyguys discuss installing a wall sconce to add ambiance lighting, that wont glare on the screen, to a basement home theater.

Glare is the issue, planning is the answer

When you are considering lighting for your home, whether it be for a home theater, television viewing area, home office, kitchen or other places, it is important to consider placement of lighting so it will not cause glare. When Brian finished his basement he included a home theater. (It’s really not that grand, more a movie watching area) The lighting Brian originally installed were some recessed can lights. Once the wide-screen TV was acquired, the surround sound set-up and the furniture placement finalized, it became apparent that light from the recessed cans would cause glare on the TV screen.

The solution became to install some wall sconces. Brian was lucky to find Rejuvenation Lighting out of Portland, OR. Rejuvenation has a large selection of wall sconces. Even better, they had lights that had an old-time movie theater look.

Installation

We wont cover fishing wire in this video, that will be sometime later this year maybe.

1. Locate box location, trace fixture box, cut hole for box
2. Shut off power
3. Test that the power is off
4. Pull wires into hole and then into box – half inch of the Romex sheath should be inside the box
5. Install box in cutout
6. Connect fixture wires to house wiring – white to white, black to black, ground to ground. If your fixture doesn’t have a ground wire, the Romex ground should be connected to the fixture bar ground screw.
7. Mount the fixture according to the directions that came with it

That’s it, in a nutshell, if you have any questions about installing a light or any other questions for The Handyguys feel free to contact us.

There are dangers lurking around around your home!

The Handyguys guys discuss some safety precautions that every homeowner and every Handyguy should consider when working around the home. We can’t cover every aspect of home safety in this podcast but we can provide a quick overview. If you are new homeowner or a handyguy, please pay attention to this podcast.

Fire Protection

In general, every home is required to have smoke alarms and many homes will be required to have sprinkler systems as well (this is being added to future building codes). However you should also have fire extinguishers in key locations like the kitchen and garage (or other work areas). Many people have fire extinguishers but don’t know how to use them or even forget where they are. Find your fire extinguisher and read the instructions.

Electrical Safety

Use voltage testers! Make sure you are not working on hot wires. Stop and Think before doing anything dumb.

Plumbing Safety

Watch out for fires when you are soldering copper.

General Carpentry Safety

Every tool is a safety hazard, especially power tools. Don’t wear loose clothing around them and be sure that you spend time reading the manual on those shiny new tools.

Lawn Work Safety

Eye and ear protection is a must and watch out for flying debris from the mower and other lawn tools.

Furniture Finishing Work Safely

You always hear about how you need “good ventilation” when you are working with solvents, but another danger is spontaneous combustion. When you dip rags into a solvent such as linseed oil, they can spontaneously catch on fire when they are crumpled up and disposed into a trash can.

Blood in the garage???

There are so many dangers around the home. The Handyguys should film a “blood in the Garage” video to convey those dangers. Anyone know a special effects guru?

The Handyguys talk to Wayne Gilchrist from http://www.ezdiyelectricity.com.

How does a homeowner get started working with electricity?

The Handyguys of been involved in electrical projects since they were youngsters.  Handyguy Paul stuck his finger in a light socket when he was in Kindergarten and learned firsthand about household AC!   Both of the Handyguys have done a lot wiring over the years, whether on their family home or as volunteer work for someone in need.

While we both understand the basics of home wiring, we are not experts in the field (as a matter of fact, we are not experts in most fields).  Since electricity is more dangerous then seeding your lawn, we thought it would be nice to have a master electrician on the podcast to give us his perspective on the handyguy and home wiring.

The Homeowner starting out with electrical work

Please listen to the podcast to get Wayne Gilchrist’ take on the following topics:

1. Know your limitations!
   • Do your research.
   • Do not tackle major projects such as connecting your service panel.
2. Follow these recommendations:
   • Use voltage meter.
   • Always, Always, Always, Always turn off the power before working.
   • Use Common Sense.
   • Respect electricity!

Wayne from EZ DIY Electricity

Some Questions for Wayne:

We asked Wayne about  the use of cheap outlets with back stab connections.  We also also asked about questions our listeners had regarding dimmers switches and 3-way switches.

Listen to the podcast to get all of Wayne’s answers to our questions and to learn more about his services. We did this interview because Wayne offers a great service. This is not a sponsored show and we were not compensated in any way.

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

First up the electrical tool kit we talk about some key tools for doing electrical work and comment on an article in Fine Homebuilding called An Electrical Tool Kit by Brian Walo.
Fine Homebuilding says (About Brian Walo’s article):

He recommends three electrical testers, a variety of drivers (Phillips head, flat head, nut driver, and Robertson drivers), pliers (side-cutting, crimpers, strippers, end cut, and needle nose), and materials (electrical tape, wire nuts, crimping sleeves, bonding screws, cable clamps, staples, and screws).

Well we discuss what a typical handyguy may want to have and share some of our own favorites in the podcast.
Below are some must haves.

Testers

Well, we think there should be several types of testers. Some simple, some fancier, depending on what you are testing. The three types each have different purposes.
First – A non-contact voltage Tester. This type of tester can tell you if you if a wire is “hot” without needing to remove a wire nut. Its a good first check but many recommend that you also use a true voltage meter to be positive the electric is off before you work on something.
Second – A tester that checks for correct wiring. These are simple devices that you plug into a receptacle and indicator lights tell you if its wired correctly. The one in our kit below also can test GFCIs.
Lastly – A voltage meter – A voltage meter is used to measure the voltage on a particular wire or for testing continuity. It can also test batteries and other low voltage circuits.
This kit from Greenlee includes all three at a good price.

http://astore.amazon.com/handyguys-20/detail/B000FCIMFS

Drivers

Screwdrivers are needed. For electrical work a number of different sizes and styles are needed. The Handyguys and the author of the Fine Homebuilding article all despise “standard” or slotted screwdrivers but they are a necessary part of the process. You couldn’t install a faceplate without one. Many of the older devices only have slotted screw heads. You will need two sizes of slotted, small and medium. Philips is pretty common these days and a decent #2 Philips is probably your most used size. Many of the newest devices use square drive or robertson tips. They give very good positive grip on the screw heads.
This set from Klein http://astore.amazon.com/handyguys-20/detail/B000MKMIH6 is top of the line and wont break the bank. It includes all the sizes you would need except the square drive

The square drive http://astore.amazon.com/handyguys-20/detail/B00093D6YU can be bought separately. This square drive screwdriver also has a little hook right below the handle for bending wire. It really speeds up the job of putting in outlets and switches because you do not need to reach for your pliers to put the bend on the end of a wire you are going to terminate.

Pliers

Get the best pair of “linemans pliers” http://astore.amazon.com/handyguys-20/detail/B0000302W6 you can buy. Cheap ones will dull, chip and generally frustrate you . They are used for many things from cutting, twisting, crimping and pulling.

Strippers – You can strip wire with a pocket knife or even your linemans pliers. A tool dedicated to the task will be easier and faster. http://astore.amazon.com/handyguys-20/detail/B00080DPNQ

Miscellaneous

In the podcast we also go into a lot of other items such as wire nuts, screws, crimps, clamps, staples and so forth. If you want links to any of that just use our contact form and we will get them for you.

Tips

• Have some extra screws handy. 8/32 and 6/32 will be the most common size.
• For fishing wire the author uses a 10′ piece of pex tubing. Read the article for how that works.

When the power goes out.

The music provided at the beginning of this segment is from Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at music.mevio.com

When would you use a portable generator and when would you want a standby generator? The Handyguys discuss the options and pros and cons of different types.

Bottom line – when using a portable generator make sure you follow all of the safety rules provided in the owners manual.

A finished kitchen remodel done by Brian.

The Handyguys Brian & Paul discuss a DIY kitchen remodel.

Some of the topics discussed in this podcast:

• Planning
• Skills
• Tools
• Timeline
• Budget
• When to bring in a professional

Listen to the podcast for details and enjoy the before and after pictures. The first three are before pictures. The rest are after. Click on any image for a full size view.

Knobs, switches and valves

The Handyguys provide an operations manual for your home.

When you buy a new piece of cool electronic gear, you get an owners manual that you can refer to when you need help.  Unfortunately, your house—the biggest purchase you may ever make—doesn’t come with a manual. The Handyguys discuss all the typical switches, valves, knobs and buttons you may find in your home.  Disaster can be averted by reviewing the location and operation of all of these devices.  An ounce of prevention will prevent a 8000 pounds of water leaking out of your toilet!

Since you don’t have a home owners manual, you can listen to our mini audio manual.

Some of the items discussed in this podcast:

• Shutoff valves (know where they are and make sure you can turn them!)
• Washer valves
• GFCI outlets
• Furnace on/off switch
• Main water shut-off
• Electrical
  • Breakers
  • Fuses
• Radon mitigation status indicator
• Gas valves
• Other items

If you have any questions about any mysterious switches, valves, buttons please let us know.

A review of the Powercost Monitor^TM

A couple months ago, the Handyguys heard about a device that can tell you your current home power consumption and hourly cost for electricity.   The device is the Power Cost Monitor from Blue Line Innovations.   We contacted the company and got some units to try out.   Here is our review of these units, including the pros and cons of this interesting device..

.

What is the Power Cost Monitor?

The device consists of a transmitter that you connect to your electrical meter and a receiver that you place in your home.   The transmitter reads the power consumption from your meter and sends the data to the receiver.  The receiver displays current costs per hour for your electricity.   It also shows total kilowatts of power used.

How does it work?

You program the receiver with your local power company’s rate per Kilowatt hour (KWh).   This information can be found easily on most electrical bills.   You also have to enter in information about your type of meter.   The receiver then presents live data (it is actually delayed 15-30 seconds) about how much money you are paying per hour to for the power being consumed in your home.

The receiver gets its data from the transmitter which reads the power consumption from your electrical meter.

Why would you want it?

The Powercost Monitor is useful   because you can determine how much money is being burned from your electrical devices at any given time.   The monitor can also keep track of ongoing power consumption throughouth the month.   This information is helpful in the event that your power company charges you an increased rate when your Kilowatt hours passes a certain point (in our area, the increased rate kicks in at 1000 KWhs).   It is nice to have a live data feed of your power consumption because it reminds you to turn off lights make other changes to lower your power consumption.

How do you install it?

The instructions that come with the monitor are helpful.   Attaching the transmitter to your meter is a piece of cake.   However, Brian did experience some problem with interruption to the wireless transmission.   Paul did not have any problems other then the fact that the display light did not work on his receiver (when he pushes the light button, the unit goes nuts with beeping as it continuously switches between 24 hr and 12 hr setting). Fortunately there is little use for the light feature anyway.

How you can save money using this tool

First, determine your baseline power usage.   This is the power that is generated with a minimum number of lights and appliances running.   Once the power consumption has leveled out, start turning on specific appliances.   When you see that number increase, you should investigate what is adding to your power costs.   It is a good time to identify power hungry appliances like your clothes dryer, the microwave, and the electric hot water heater.   Of course you can’t easily eliminate many of these items, but at least you have a sense of how much power they consume.

You can also turn on lights – particular chandeliers with multiple bulbs – to get a sense of how much power they consume.   You may want to switch to CFLs (more on that in a future episode)

Here are some calculations discovered by Paul.   These calculations can   be made without a powercost monitor but the monitor at least brought the issue to Paul’s attention:

• Dining Room Chandelier costs around $.05/hr to run according to the powercost monitor.
  • This can be confirmed through simple math:
    • Cost per KWh on Paul’s electrical bill=$.1485
    • Chandelier uses 360w or about .36 KWh.
    • To run chandelier costs about $.053/hour to operate.
• Microwave costs around $.24/hr to run.

Paul also discovered that you can save considerable coin using CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs.  More on that in a future show.

Final Review Summary of the Power Cost Monitor

Pros:

• Gives you live power consumption rate.
• Provides outdoor temperature.
• Helps you track down unknown or forgotten power consumers in the house.
• Batteries Included!
• Nice Stocking STuffer!

Cons:

• A little too expensive.
• Will it hold up to foul whether?
• You have to do some detective work to zero in on some power consuming devices.
• The device can be a little finicky… such as the light button not working on Paul’s unit and Brian’s unit sometime losing wireless connectivity.

Listen to Podcast for complete details of our review.

Part 4 in the Basement Finishing Series

The Handyguys are becoming the “Basementguys” in this new fourth installment of the basement series.  The Handyguys discuss basement materials and revisit some old advice they gave about mowing lawns.

First up… a discussion about some advice that Handyguys gave in Episode #15 on lawn care.  Is it true what one of the Handyguys said regarding your mower height?  Handyguy Paul said that if you mow the lawn lower, the grass will grow faster in order to get more sun and generate more food for the roots.  It sounded too good to be true so he sought out to prove his own advice.  Paul performed a little experiment on his backyard.  We could show you a picture here but Paul was a little embarrassed.  He cut a 30 foot swath down the middle of his back yard an inch shorter then the outside edges of his yard.  He wanted to see if it would grow any faster then the rest of the yard.  What was the result?  You will have to listen to the Podcast and see if the Handyguys offered good advice or bad advice.

The Handyguys then discuss the many choices that you have in regard to basement materials.  You want to finish your basement but what materials will you choose? Should you use steel studs or wood?  What about the pre-fabricated basement systems?  Drop ceilings or sheet rock?

The Handyguys also discuss sound blocking options.

Photo © 2008 Bungalow Chronicles

Good design will help your basement blend in with the rest of your house and not feel like a cheap addition. Planning and good material choices with a good decorating sense will go a long way.

Material talk and more discussions about your basement on episode #19 of the Handyguys Podcast.

Thanks for Listening

The Handyguys give an overview of how to plan for your finished basement.

Part 3 in the Basement Finishing Series

Now that your basement is ready to finish, you need to develop a plan to execute that construction job down under. The Handyguys know some creative visionaries can see the complete construction plan in their head and just start driving nails until they have a beautiful basement. However, for the rest of us, we need to write out some basic plans, study the building codes, and determine whether we have enough money to complete the work. That’s right, you are going to need a handful of hard earned cash to get your basement finished well.

But where do you start? First, you should determine if you can afford to finish your basement. The Handyguys tell you how much it will cost per square foot to get the job done. Make sure you can afford the job before you begin making your plans.

Once you have determined that your wallet is up to the task, get out the graph paper or install a design program such as Google Sketch Up to draw out your new basement. The Geeky side of the Handyguys suggests using the computer, but it certainly is not required. The building inspector just needs a drawing that shows your dimension, windows sizes, outlets and other items that the Handyguys discuss on this episode.

What about code issues? What do you need to consider to get those plans right? There is more to consider then just electrical loads, outlet placement, etc. You need to do load calculations on your HVAC system to make sure that it can handle the load of your additional living space. If your central heat cannot take the load, you will want to consider other sources of heat (generally you do not need to cool the basement space as the earth does a sufficient job).

The links below may be helpful for fulfilling your local codes. However, you must determine the codes that are established in your local jurisdiction! That is the only way to be compliant.

Check out the podcast for more information and view these helpful links:

General code checklist

Heat Loss and Gain Worksheet

The Handyguys help you determine whether your unfinished basement is suitable for finishing in their home improvement podcast.

Part 2 in the basement finishing series.

Are you tired of that dirty old basement which is filled with all of the junk that you don’t need? Have you been waiting to use that pneumatic nailer you recently purchased? Then it is time to begin finishing your basement. But before you shoot your first nail, you have to determine if your basement is a good candidate to be converted to living space. You don’t want to spend a lot of time and money finishing your basement if water, mold and moisture are going to ruin your hard work.

The Handyguys take a look at some of the hurdles you must face before even thinking of finishing your basement. They provide some tips for the do-it-yourself minded individuals who would love to see a nice play room, entertainment room or billiards room in your basement.

Do you have enough electrical power to handle the new space you want to finish? If not, you may need to upgrade your service. Consider talking to an electrical professional to evaluate your current electrical service and panel.

In addition, you must have adequate heating and a/c for the new space.

The common problem you must correct before beginning finishing work is to mitigate against any kind of water or moisture penetration. You don’t want that new Berber carpet to become moldy or soaked from a freak rainstorm. You should have a good water mitigation plan in place handle the threats that nature brings. If you have severe water problems, you may want to talk to a few local water mitigation contractors to see what products they offer to prevent water penetration. If you decide to have a drainage system installed, be sure to wait a couple of years to confirm that it stand up to all kinds of weather. You don’t want to discover that your new system fails during that huge thunderstorm when the power goes out.

Another common problem is Radon. This natural gas is not something you want trapped in your home. There are reasonably priced systems available to prevent radon gas from seeping into your home but you want to deal with this issue before you begin finishing the basement. It will make your life a lot easier.

In addition to problems from the outside, there are potential problems already in your basement.

Is your stairwell adequate?

Is your ceiling height high enough for finished space? Are utilities and ductwork going to be in the way?

Check out this week’s podcast for more details.

Part one of the Basement Series can be read and listened to here.