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.

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 basement—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.

In this episode of The Handyguys Podcast the Handyguys Brian & Paul continue their interview with Paul Mackie from The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association.

This part of the interview contains discussion of:

• Can a handyguy build his own deck.
• Exotics versus cedar versus synthetics
• Quality of cedar in various markets

Tips and considerations for a DIYer when building a deck

• board spacing
• corrosion resistant fasteners
• hidden fasteners

Thanks to Western Red Cedar Lumber Association for this picture of a great looking deck. Click for full size.

What are some of the skills needed to build a deck? The Handyguys, Brian & Paul, discuss what it takes. The conclusion – if you are handy you could build a deck and save some money in the process. If you are building a second floor deck or if you deck is high you may want to consider having someone do the framing. Height ads complexity plus safety may be a concern. Listen to the Podcast for the full discussion.

The Handyguys wrap up the discussion talking about comprehensive landscape design. You may want to consider hiring a landscape designer to help you come up with a complete plan including hardscape, plants, shrubs and lighting.

Thanks to Mr. Cedar, Paul Mackie, of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association for a great interview.

Brian & Paul continue to discuss the tools after Mr. Cedar signs off. There is a minimum compliment of tools you will need. The Handyguys like their tools and discuss some upgrades that would make building a deck easier. The table below shows the minimum tool and a possible upgrade. You can click each picture for a full description and purchase option for each tool.

Deck Building Tools

	Possible Required Tool	An upgrade to the required tool
Post Hole Digger
Plumb & Level
Saw
Hammer
Driver

Thanks to Timbertech for the image Click for full size

The Handyguys answer a basement remodeling question and then list some basement mistakes.

Don't finish this basement! Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodnight_photography/

The basement finishing topic is popular among handy folks around the home. Many handyguys across America and the world have basements that they want to remodel to create new livable space. Basements are no longer scary, dungy places but can become vital living spaces to your home. But before you you begin finishing your basement, listen to our basement series and then listen to this episode about mistakes that “some” handyguys make when working on their basement.

But before we get to Brian and Paul’s list of basement mistakes, the Handyguys address a question from Mike regarding his basement:

Hey guys,

I have recently found your show and appreciate your knowledge and help. I figured as a new homeowner who likes to constantly improve his house, I would try to get you opinion on a project I am thinking of taking on during the cold season here in New England.

We are thinking of finishing a portion of our basement for a rec/bar room. After doing some research about how to refinish I have read about the traditional way of framing walls, using rolled insulation and drywall. There is another method of using furring strips attached directly to the foundation and foam board for insulation. I was wondering if you had comments on either method or why I would want to stay away from either method.

Between the two I had been planning on framing everything out, however the simplicity and lower costs of furring strips is attractive. This does come with some disadvantages (attaching directly to the foundation).

With building frames I would have to rerun the forced water baseboards, which is a little more complicated.

Overall my basement is very dry, there is one crack, and it is sealed with epoxy injection. The house is almost eight years old and already has cables and outlets run.Thanks for the help if you get to me!

 

The Handyguys are not thrilled about the furring strip technique. Sure you might save some time and money with this technique, but there are many drawbacks. We emailed Mike some suggestions.  Listen to the podcast for details.

12 Common Basement Design Mistakes

The Handyguys spend some time listing out key basement design mistakes. In this segment, Paul and Brian each prepare their own list independently without telling one another and then reveal their items live on the show. Here is a summary of the Handyguys basement finishing/remodeling mistakes. Please listen to the podcast for more details (and to see who comes up with more mistakes!).

1. You begin finishing a basement that is not a good candidate for finishing…. C heck out our episode #17 – “Is Your Basement Ready?” to help you determine whether your basement is ready.
2. Poor Capacity sizing and planning for utilities (HVAC and electric).
3. Assuming that drop or suspension ceilings are cheaper then a finished drywall ceiling.
4. Overestimating your skill limit.
5. Underestimating Costs.
6. Bad lighting switch locations.
7. Poor insulation and/or insulation techniques
8. Poor planning of low voltage wiring locations.
9. Trying to do it all yourself (i.e. not subbing out some aspects of the job as necessary).
10. Improper planning of combustion air availability for utilities.
11. Not using pressure treated wood for bottom plates and anywhere wood is in contact with concrete.
12. Chopping up basement space into many small rooms which can create an awkward flow and unused space.

Do you have some better ideas of basement mistakes in basement design? Let us know if you do.

This post is a new addition to our basement finishing series.

The Handyguys complete their basement finishing series with an interview of a basement refinishing expert Roger German.

Part 2 of 2 of Roger German’s interview, Part 6 of the basement finishing series.

Brian and Paul complete their interview with basement remodeling expert Roger German. Mr. German is the author of Remodeling a Basement from the Taunton Press’ “Build Like a Pro” series of books. This is the second half of our interview.
In part 2 of the interview, Roger discusses the following:

• Basement Extras
• Lighting
• Drop Ceiling vs. sheet rock
• More on water mitigation

Thanks to listening to this interview with Roger German.

This post will conclude our 6 part series on basements. As always if you have any questions about any DIY or home improvement topics feel free to contact us. You may also comment on these posts.

In next weeks episode we will address several listener/reader questions as well as provide plans and give guidance on building and arbor for your garden.

The Handyguys complete their basement finishing series with an interview of a basement refinishing expert Roger German.

Part 1 of 2 of Roger German’s interview, Part 5 of the basement finishing series.

Brian and Paul are fortunate for the opportunity to interview an author and basement finishing expert. Roger German is the author of Remodeling a Basement from the Taunton Press “Build Like a Pro” series of books. Due to the length of this interview, it will be split up into two parts.

In part 1 of the interview, Roger discusses the following:

• How Roger got started with his book
• To DIY or not to DIY
• Mistakes seen
• You can do it cheap, do it fast, do it high quality – Pick two
• Some code issues
• HVAC, heating, venting, cooling options
• Steel vs wood studs
• Water mitigation

We wrap up the show talking about insulation, R values, vapor barriers, and mold prevention, etc. Thanks for listening. Buy the book or shop in our store to support the Handyguys Podcast. Next week will be part two of the interview.

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.