The Handygys discuss three topics on this audio podcast – what tools are used to cut metal, are CFLs safe in kids rooms and are water saving flush valves a good investment.

Cutting metal

From time to time homeowners need to cut metal. What do you use to cut metal? Paul grills Brian on what tools he would use.

It will depend on several factors such as:

• What the metal is
• Quality of the cut
• How quickly you need to cut
• How easily you need the cut

Some possible tools are:

• Hacksaws
• Angle grinder
• Cutting torch
• Cut-off saw
• Jigsaw
• Reciprocating saws
• Snips
• bolt cutters
• Rebar cutters
• pipe cutters

CFLs in a kids room

CFLs in a kids room? What is the issue? Handyguy Paul has several young kids and is concerned that if a lamp gets knoced over he will have to deal with mercury contained inside a typical CFL bulb is the bulb breaks. Is this a valid concern? What are people doing? Is LED a viable option? Are there mercury free CFL bulbs? Rugged CFL bulbs?

Water Saving flush valves

Handyguy Brian came across a discussion regarding “water saving fill valves” for your toilet. The principle is they do a half flush (.8 gallons of water) when you do not have solids and a normal 1.6 gallon flush when you need it. In areas where water is scarce this is important, if you have a well that runs dry its extremely important to conserve every drop. The question is – Do these devices make sense for people who are in areas of the country where there are not water restrictions, there are not scarcity issues, and water is plentiful? If you are on your own well then no. How about those that pay for “city water”?

Doing the math

A toilet like this one doesn't use ANY water!

If you pay for water and, like we said, you are in an area where water isn’t scarce, these devices do not make sense. Here is why:

These fill valves cost about $25

The average cost of city water in the US is $1.50 per 1000 gallons or $0.0015 per gallon

That equates to an average cost per flush in the US of $0.0024

If you round the numbers that is about four flushes for one penny or $0.0096

If half the flushes required a full flush and half could use a half flush and the toilet is used 10 times per day you would save half a penny a day!

The savings would be about $2.19 per year. You would need to use the product for 11 years before you can see a return on investment (ROI).

Okay – we rounded the numbers and made some assumptions but the point is the same. If you don’t live in an area where you don’t have water restrictions or shortages you do not need a product like this.

Make sure you listen to the podcast for all the riveting discussion!

Related shows:

1. Ideal Water Pressure, Fixing A Damaged Wall And V-Jaw Pliers
2. Exploding Water Heaters And Home Networking
3. How To Turn Off The Water In An Emergency

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

Basement Toilet Installs, Water Saving Flush Valves and Dryer Vent Cleaning

Saniflow Saniplus Toilet and pump system

First off – The Handyguys begin by addressing a listener question.

Julianne asks:

Hi! I am considering purchasing a bi-level home. When you walk in the door, you have the choice of going upstairs where there is a kitchen, bathroom and 2 bedrooms… Or you have the choice of going downstairs, which is partially in the ground. It has a living room, laundry room and two bedrooms.
My question is this:
The downstairs portion does not have a bathroom. The only bathroom in the home is upstairs. Is it possible to add a bathroom to the downstairs portion of a bi-level home…or is this impossible since it is “underground” and you would have to find a way to flush the “sewage” upward?

Thanks for your help.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Julianne

Short answer – yes!

Listen to the podcast for Handyguy Brian & Paul discussing some issues to consider.

1. Does this house have a city sewer drain or is it a septic system?
2. Where does your sewer pipe enter the house?
   1. On some houses it enters at the floor (or under the floor) of the lower or basement level.  On other houses it enters about 4 feet high in the basement.  If it is above the basement floor, you will need to have an ejector/grinder pump installed.  This is typically best installed in a pit under the floor.  Concrete will have to be removed and you will have to determine where this can be located.  There is also a toilet which is sold with an above grade container which does not require you to cut into the concrete floor.
   2. You normally want to install the bathroom near where the sewer pipe enters the house for easier install.  If you want the bathroom on the opposite side of the lower level, then there would be more work/mess/expense involved
3. Do you have room for the bathroom?  Is it a half or whole bath?  If I recall, you can get a very basic full bathroom in a 4′x8′ area but then you may need more space if installing an ejector pump pit.
4. You will need to install a vent connection for the sink, bath and the pump. You will want to determine how you will be able to route the pipes to either the main vent stack (if large enough for these added plumbing devices) or where you can run a new pipe.

The bottom line is that you should have a couple of professional plumbers size up the situation and provide you some quotes on the work to get a bathroom installed.  It can be complicated but it is certainly doable.

Toilet Fill Valves

The next topic that The Handygys discuss is fill valves for toilets. Handyguy Paul needed a new fill valve for his toilet. He ended up getting a leak sentry version from Fluidmaster. What is special about this fill valve? How does this help you save water? If you have a leak in the flapper and water is draining down the drain the valve wont keep filling the tank. Worst case, if you have a leak, you will loose down the drain only the water in the tank. You will also know you have a problem when you go to flush next time. Listen to the podcast for discussion of this product.

Dryer vent Cleaning

Lastly – The Handyguys discuss dryer vent cleaning. Dryer vents can be dangerous if the get clogged. According to the CPSC in 1998 clothes dryers caused over 15 thousand fires, 20 deaths and 370 injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the exhaust. Handyguy Paul tested out The Linteater system and was quite happy with it. He almost got into a little trouble with it though. Paul – Read The Fine Manual next time! Listen to the podcast for discussion and impressions.

Related shows:

1. Basement Systems Continued and How To Remove Paint
2. Basement Systems And Listener Questions
3. Eliminating Squirrels And Basement Carpet

The Handyguys upgrade their faucet hardware and provide videos to prove it!

Paul installed the Grohe Arden

Many weeks ago we promised to talk about faucet installation. Brian recently installed a great Price Pfister Ashfield for his powder room.  Paul installed a Grohe Arden mini set in his master bathroom.

But  before we can talk about basic plumbing and installing fixtures, we have some other matters to address.

Handyguys Video?

Both Brian and Paul filmed their installation to provide an overview of a faucet upgrade.  If you have not installed a faucet before, we hope these videos will be helpful.  We are going to include links to both videos.  While the videos are similar, we produced them in slightly different ways.  The intent of both videos is to quickly show each step of the process.  In Handyguy Brian’s video, he narrates each step,  but in Paul’s video we just use text to explain the steps.

These are really just sample videos.  Neither sound or video quality is very good. We are looking for your feedback. We would like to know if you value videos like this and how you might view and utilize such media.  Remember, these videos are just prototypes.  If we decide to continue with regular video, we will probably upgrade the quality.  So please let us know what you think, after watching both videos, by answering the questions in our short survey. Thanks.

Grohe Faucet Installation from Handyguys Podcast on Vimeo

Price Pfister Faucet Installation from Handyguys Podcast on Vimeo.

After watching the two videos, please take our survey.

Grohe and Price Pfister Installation

Brian installed the Price Pfister Ashfield in his powder room.

In this week’s podcast, The Handyguys discuss the process of upgrading faucet hardware. Brian talks about his beautiful and stylish Price Pfister Ashfield faucet in rustic bronze. It is a faucet that looks like an old well pump.  Not only is it stylish, but it is solid and works great with just one hand! In addition, this is a a “watersense” faucet which means that it saves 30% water which protects the environment and saves you money!

The Handyguys talk about the water sense program.  You can find more info here:   http://www.epa.gov/watersense/ The bottom line is that a home with watersense faucets can save a significant amount of water. The Handyguys hope to analyze this water savings in a future show to find out exactly how much is actually saved in their homes with watersense faucets.

Paul also installed a water sense faucet, but his faucet comes from Grohe.  His Grohe Arden faucet is a solid and sleek addition to his master bathroom.  You can learn about Grohe’s amazing line of products at http://www.groheamerica.com/.  Don’t expect to see their products at the big box store though as they are only sold at local plumbing distributors or through special order. Fortunately, it seems that many plumbing suppliers carry Grohe and you can also find their parts on the Internet. Check out Grohe’s site for local distributors.

Brian and Paul determine that most handyguys can handle this project with only a few tools and a few supplies. You will need an adjustable wrench, channel lock pliers and possibly a basin wrench.  You will also need some supplies such as plumbers putty or pipe dope and some braided hose. Listen to the podcast for more details.

The faucet upgrade is not a difficult job but it does require some patience and some agility to work with all the connections on the drain, stopper and supply lines.  Hopefully the Handyguys’ discussion of their installs will give you the confidence to upgrade your sinks as well!

Survey

Click HERE to take the survey or alternatively, copy and paste the following URL into any web browser:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jtaPUTKWr2N_2fg0wGqcMEUQ_3d_3d

For other shows on saving energy click here

Related shows:

1. Phased Remodeling, Vinyl Siding Installation And Landscape Grading
2. Tween Painting Party And Foamy Faucet Trouble
3. Home Improvement Tips, Rapid Fire