The Handyguys take a listener question about attic venting then talk about air compressors and air tools

First up – A question from Natalie

I live in an 1957 government built home that has a lot of open areas at the bottom of the roof, but none on the top. There is an open space at the bottom of each board that forms the roofline, but no openings anywhere else. I would like to know if I should add two vent openings at the top of the peak, one at each end of the roof? And do you have any recommendations as to what kind?

Thanks, and love your show!
Natalie

Natalie – This is a very timely question. For the benefit of our subscribers our response went as follows:

Natalie – Thanks for contacting The Handyguys! Attic venting is a key factor in extending the lifespan of your roof, keeping summer cooling bills lower and preventing ice dams in winter. The best time to address venting is when you install a new roof. From your description it sounds like you have only soffit vents. Ideally you should have soffit vents in conjunction with a ridge vent or gable vents. First off, make sure you do not have insulation blocking the soffit vents.

Where you go next will depend on the age of the roof. If you will need a roof in the next couple of years I would wait and install a ridge vent at the same time you install a new roof. If the roof is in good shape and you want to upgrade your venting then you have two options.

Option 1 – Install

a ridge vent. This will involve cutting a slot in the peak (ridge) of your roof. A special vent is then installed over the slot to keep out water and allow rising air to escape. Some types of ridge vents are shingled over, some are purely aluminum. I like the looks of the ones that you shingle over. The aluminum only ones are easier to install. One type that you shingle over is a thick mesh that just rolls out over the cut opening in the ridge and then cap shingles are installed over that.

Here is the rolled option that you shingle over. You would need that, in a sufficient length, plus new cap shingles. If you want details on installing that please let us know.

Here is the type you just nail on

Option 2 – Install gable vents. These go in each gable end wall. They install much like a window. You would need to cut a hole for the size of vent you choose. These vents come in aluminum, vinyl, wood and composites. Many sizes, shapes, styles and colors are available.

Here is one example of a gable vent. With this we would need to know the type of siding you have before we could know what else you may need to install it.

Lastly – Please keep in mind. If you have a low slope, not steep, roof you cannot safely install a ridge vent and not expect leaks. Your only choice for a low slope roof is a gable vent.

Feel free to let us know if you have additional questions and feel free to send along some pictures.

And Natalie’s follow-up:

You guys are awesome!

I will take some pics and send. I need to repair the roof now, and am looking at putting on metal roof maybe next year, at which time I will put in ridge vent, but for now gable vents are what I need I think for the winter. The attic gets HOT even in the winter and I have a bad problem with icicles.. until I get the new roof, at which point I will get the ridge vent.. would I then have TOO much venting with the ridge and the gable vents?

I live in Los Alamos New Mexico at 7400′ elevation, in a house built by the government for the folks at Los Alamos National Lab in 1957. Last year we put in 20 additional rolls of unfaced insulation in the attic, and we made sure not to block the openings at the end of the roof – the soffit vents. There sure are a lot of them.

I believe the house is not really sided, per se… more like what is covering up the studs is wood panels with decorative boards, I am not sure of what it is called. I will make sure to get it in the pics.

I have a pretty good pitch for the roof, but be sure not to laugh at my solar panels – from the 70′s, which only blow hot air and still work to heat the house when it is sunny!

Thanks again,

Natalie

You can hear The Handyguys discussing attic venting in the podcast.

Next up – The Handyguys Discuss compressors and air tools

There are many choices of compressors as well as air tools. A key consideration in choosing a compressor is will it have enough air to handle the particular tool. The new Campbell Hausfeld Impact Wrench and Air Ratchet have made determining if you have enough air power easy. They have an easy to read guide right on the package. If the size of your compressor is in the red zone you cannot use the tool, if its in the yellow zone you can use it intermittently, if its in the green zone you are good to go.

Speaking of Campbell Hausfeld Impact Wrench and Air Ratchets – Campbell Hausfeld has come up with some unique packaging. Their new package will not only hold the tool but will hold some accessories as well. If you are looking for an impact wrench or ratchet make sure you check out Campbell Hausfeld.

The Handyguys also talk about what is new in compressors. The Handyguys really like their portable compressors. Paul uses a Makita MAC700. We talked about that compressor in Episode 5. The nice thing about the MAC700 is its light weight and very quiet. The downside is it will not be capable of driving the ratchet or impact wrench.

If you want additional air capacity yet not sacrifice the weight you may want to consider the new aluminum tank compressors from Maxus. Additionally, aluminum tanks do not rust. When air is compressed any moisture in the air will accumulate in the air tank. If you do not drain your tank it will eventually rust. Aluminum tanks do not have this downside. You still want to drain your tank to keep excess moisture out of your tools though. But again, make sure your compressor has enough capacity for the tool at hand. Many small portable contractor compressors will not have enough volume to support an impact wrench or ratchet. Campbell Hausfeld has a buyers guide for compressors. Check it out here and listen to the podcast for additional details.

Lastly – Please do not forget to check out our stocking stuffer guide for that DIYer on your shopping list.

The Handyguys talk about the dirty side of home improvement — well, unless you clean it regularly. The toilet is something nearly everyone owns (unless you live in back woods Appalachia), and everyone has to address the persnickety problems presented by a toilet.

When a toilet fails, you may be left with a water bill that is 10 times higher than normal. Before you have this kind of problem, it is a good idea to learn a little about how your toilet works.

The toilet is composed of a bowl and a tank. Within the back tank, where the water reservoir is located, you will find two main components (just lift up the lid and look inside). The first component is the fill valve.

This valve is connected to your house water via a short section of hose or pipe which connects to the fill valve at the bottom of the tank. This short hose or pipe is normally connected to a shutoff valve on the wall, which feeds water to the toilet. Older houses may not have this shutoff valve because it was not in residential codes a long time ago.

The fill valve’s duty is to add water to the tank when you flush. As the water rises in the back tank, a float rises up and turns off the fill valve at the proper time. Hopefully!

The other main component in the tank is the flush or flapper valve. This valve opens up when you flush to allow the water to flow down from the tank into the bowl.

Another important component that is more difficult to see is the trap underneath and in back of the toilet bowl. This trap keeps sewer gases from coming into the house. It also keeps the water in the bowl and helps to create a siphoning action of the water when you flush to suck out all the “debris”.

Now let’s address the problems common to toilets. The biggest problem is a toilet that leaks. In most cases you will hear the refilling when it is not being used, but in some situations there will be no auditory warning (thus a big water bill). How can you tell that the toilet is leaking at all and that your big water bill is not being caused by long morning showers?

The simplest method to diagnose this problem is to put dye, such as food coloring, into the water tank. After putting the dye into the tank, come back in an hour or so to see if the colored water has migrated down into the bowl (the water will remain clear in the bowl of a toilet that is operating correctly). If the colored water has migrated to the bowl, you have a leaking toilet. There are two possible causes for this leak. The more common reason is that your rubber flapper valve is leaking. This is the valve or stopper at the bottom of the tank that lifts up when you flush the toilet. When the toilet is not being used, it should prevent any water from flowing down into the bowl. If this flapper fails, your fill valve will keep refilling the tank as the water level recedes. Normally you will hear this when it happens.

If your flapper valve is failing, you can often fix the problem by cleaning around and under the flapper. In some situations, grit builds up underneath the flapper, preventing a good seal. On occasion, you can provide a longterm fix by cleaning the area on the bottom of the tank where the rubber flapper makes this seal. If cleaning does not work, you can easily replace the flapper for a few bucks. The Handyguys like the newer Korky flush valves, which can be found at the big box stores. Be sure that your new flush valve fits correctly. Test it by flushing the toilet to determine if the new flapper has a good seal. Also, lift up the float so that the tank fills up over the overflow tube, and confirm that the water runs through the overflow tube without running over the top of your tank. Paul has seen a situation where a wrong-sized flapper valve constricts the flow of the overflow tube and prevents it from working well.

Once you learn how to replace the flapper, it is like changing a light bulb. If you have hard water, you may have to replace it every year.

The other possible problem related to large water bills is when the fill valve is failing and slowly and continually adds water to the tank. You may not hear this when it happens. When you have this problem, your dyed water will run down the overflow tube in the tank and into the bowl. But how do you determine that the fill valve is the problem? One way is to mark the water level in the tank with pencil right after a flush and a tank fill. Make sure that your water is turned off when you do this test. Check back after 30 minutes and see if you water level has receded. If it has, your problem is probably with the flush valve as we stated above. But if your water level remains the same, then most likely your problem is with the fill valve. The water is continually running through the faulty fill valve into the tank and going over the overflow tube.

How do you fix a fill valve? You can replace it completely or you can replace its washers (on some models). If you want to replace it completely, it will only cost about $15. Just turn off the water and flush the toilet to get the water out of the tank. You may want to use a sponge to get all the remaining water out. Remove the supply tube that connects to the bottom of the tank — it is connected with a large nut.

Again, make sure the wall valve is off before performing this operation! Since many toilet wall valves are not reliable, the Handyguys often turn off the entire house water before doing this procedure. After loosening the large nut, there is normally a smaller nut that connects the fill valve to the bottom of the tank that releases the fill valve unit. You can now lift the fill valve out of the tank.

Another problem you may face is that your tank fills up too high or too low after a flush. Normally the water height can be adjusted. With newer toilet parts, there is a float attachment as part of the fill valve. This float device can be raised and lowered accordingly to get the correct water level (most toilet tanks have a mark to locate the proper level). On older toilets, there is usually an arm attached to a float bulb. You can often just bend this arm some to make the adjustment of the water level.

What do you do if you discover that the toilet is leaking water onto the floor? This sort of leak could be caused by a bad hose connection to the bottom of tank. This connection may require adjustment or tightening. It is also possible that this nut requires replacement. In addition, the toilet may be leaking between the tank and bowl, or between the toilet and the floor. Listen to this Handyguys episode for their recommendation on fixing this issue. Hint: mopping up the floor only addresses the symptom, not the cause!

The the other major quandary we all face is the clogged toilet. The Handyguys provide some suggestions for toilets that always seem to clog.

Feel free to use the comment feature below to post your specific toilet questions.