The Handyguys Podcast » gutters

Hurricane Preparedness

The Handyguys — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:47:18 +0000

In this audio podcast we comment on the most common tips for hurricane preparedness, add a few of our own, and then interview a Handyguys Podcast fan and hurricane veteran.

Hurricane Earl from the ISS, click to enlarge

For complete preparedness tips please check out these resources:
www.nhc.noaa.gov
www.fema.gov
www.ready.gov
wikipedia.org

Here are some tips The Handyguys discuss:

Check gutters and downspouts, make sure they are functional and well attached.
Put things like lawn chairs, garbage cans, recycling bins, and anything that could blow away in a secure location. Look around at your neighbors property too. Help them get cleaned up. Their stuff could blow into your windows.
Trim dead limbs from trees
Ensure your sump-pump is operational, consider a water powered or battery backup sump pump
Ensure you have a working flashlight and that you know where it is
Make sure your vehicle(s) are filled with gas
If you have a generator - make sure its in working condition, test it. Make sure you have a supply of fresh gas and that you know how to use it (and how you shouldn’t use it)
If you have a chainsaw – make sure your blades are sharp and you have gas/oil, etc.
Make sure you have a battery or hand crank operated radio so you can get storm updates in the event of a power failure
Make sure your garage door is latched closed (helps keep water out and secures somewhat better against wind). Don’t close the garage door if you are running a generator in the garage
Make sure you have supplies of medications, water, food, etc. (If you loose power frequently how long is it usually out?)
Make sure your cell phones are fully charged.
Identify the safest room in your house. It would be a room with no windows or exterior doors.
Turn your refrigerator to its COLDEST setting a few hours before the storm.

These aren’t all the things you need to do. That will depend on the severity of the hit in your area. Make sure you keep safe and follow all emergency instructions and evacuations if necessary.
Make sure you subscribe to the podcasts or videos, our email newsletter, twitter or follow us on facebook.

You can also track hurricanes in real-time with the map below:

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Avoiding Costly DIY Mistakes

The Handyguys — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:59:09 +0000

Costly DIY Mistakes and Listener Questions

First off – The Handyguys welcome listeners from RFC Radio and give them a brief background on The Handyguys.

Costly DIY Mistakes

Having to pump water from a finished basement is a costly mistake

This week we talk about the most costly mistake a DIYer can make when finishing a basementâ€”not taking care of potential water issues before finishing your basement. Water can damage your belongings and your newly finished wall and flooring and can cause mold, rot and decay. The Handyguys provide some tips to ensure your basement will stay dry. Even if you are not finishing your basement, check out the podcast tips and keep your basement dry!

Ideally, water penetration is prevented from the outside of your foundation wall. The most common contributor of a damp or wet basement is improper grading around your house. If the ground around your house slopes toward your house then water will likely find its way into your basement. Fix the grading and you can prevent most water problems. Another common contributor to water in the basement are short downspouts that empty water to close to the foundation. You should extend your downspouts at least four feet to six feet from your house.

Listener Questions

Broken Window

The Handyguys then address a question left as a comment on our show about window repair.

Bonnie Writes:

Randomly exploding windows? What could be going on? Listen to the podcast for some discussion about the problem.

Hi, My husband and I have been searching the net looking for an answer. Our home has vinyl windows they are probably at least 15 yrs. old. So this year in the last 4 months they have started to literally explode. So far 4 of them. We were actually home when one went tonight, it sounded like an explosion, we thought someone threw a brick at our house. After looking around sure enough it had happened again. We can’t figure this out. They are double pane, argon gas filled. No real pattern, sometimes its the inside pane (1) and sometimes the outside pane (3). Can you by any chance tell us whats going on? I am going to call the insurance agent tomorrow but I don’t know if they will cover something like this. any ideas would be most appreciated.

Thank you Bonnie

The Handyguys address this very odd issue and give some suggestions for Bonnie. Listen to the podcast for details.

HE Furnace Vent

Another fan write us ad asked about critters getting into the vents for their new High Efficiency furnace.

Diane Wrote:

Just had a 95% high efficient furnace installed with the vent going out the side of my home (PVC pipe).

My concern is that a small animal could crawl into it?

Should it have some sort on grate on it? It is only @ 2 feet from the ground.

Thanks!

Diane – The way your vents are installed is normal. We do have some suggestions if critters become an issue or you are concerned. Listen to the podcast for details and discussion.

Dryer vent Discussions

The Handyguys wrap up the show with a brief discussion of dryer vent cleaning. This should be an additional item for our Spring Home Inspection Checklist that was discussed during show 57. Do you clean your dryer vents? Any tips you would like to share with other listeners? Leave a comment.

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Behind The Scenes With The Handyguys

The Handyguys — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:59:15 +0000

The Handyguys are interviewed by a local Ohio Newspaper.

The Handyguys were interviewed by Joy Brown from the The Courier in Findlay Ohio. We recorded the interview and turned it into a podcast.

Some of the topics covered in the interview:

Spring repairs
- Gutters, repair or replacement
- Shingles
Spring Time Home Inspection
- Check out the home inspection checklist as part of Episode 57
Are you ready for a DIY project?
- Do you have the right skills?
- Have you helped someone else with your particular project?
- What resources do you have? Tools? Money? Time?
- Are you ready to DIY was also discussed in regards to basements in Episode 16
Background on Handyguys Podcast
- How we got started
- Where we learned what we learned
- Some of our most successful projects
- Some of our project failures
Some other online resources
- Tile – John Bridge
- Plumbing – Terry Love
- Electrical – EZ DIY Electricity
- Woodworking – The Wood Whisperer

You can check out the article written By Joy Brown after the interview here http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2009/Apr/19/ar_news_041909_story3.asp

Thanks for listening. We will be back next week with more home improvement advice. As always, if you have any questions about you home just let us know.

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