‘S’ trap drain vs. ‘P’ trap drain in home

After performing more than 10,000 home inspections, I’ve come to the realization that two of the most important contractors in the home are an electrician and a plumber.

The problems I generally see are in the more rural areas, where codes are lax or not enforced at all.

If an electrician makes a mistake, the results are usually immediate, resulting in blown fuses, tripped breakers or house fires.

If a plumber makes an error, outside of a leaky pipe or a supply line, the error may take a lifetime for you to discover. What I’m talking about, in general, are viruses and bacteria that exit the waste system.

Click HERE for the full article from The Seattle Times

Read Full Post »

Hints From Heloise: Run, disposal, run!

Dear Heloise: I have a perfectly good GARBAGE DISPOSAL, which I use faithfully! However, my question is, How long do I let it run?

People have told me to wait until it stops “churning,” but it seems to me that it keeps on making a noise. I’m always afraid I won’t get all the garbage churned up — help! — Barbara in New Braunfels, Tex.

Click HERE for the answer from The Washington Post

Read Full Post »

Remember: Don’t Burn Your Leaves

We’ve addressed the importance of indoor air quality a number of times here at the Mastercraft blog. Outdoor air quality, however, is just as important and something you can easily affect.

Given that it’s the fall season, many of you will be raking leaves this weekend. We at the Mastercraft Editorial Command Center are here to remind you to not burn your leaves. Burning leaves is often illegal in many communities and there are great reason why.

Why leaf burning is bad…

• It’s a fire hazard. People who burn leaves often do it in their backyards, where flaming leaf embers get picked up by the wind and can be easily transferred to a nearby roof, starting a fire.
• Open leaf burning produces hydrocarbons and particulate matter which often end up in your lungs. These are toxic and carcinogenic compounds.
• The pollutants released from leaf burning that end up in your lungs don’t just enter, they stay there. Studies have shown that these pollutants can stay in the deepest parts of your lungs for a number of years.
• The carbon monoxide and harmful smoke can trigger severe asthma attacks.
• Do not put leaves in a wood burning stove.

What to do instead…

• Many communities have separate waste disposal services for compost-type products, including leaves. Some require you to bag the leaves up, others just ask that you rake them into the street for pickup.
• Compost. Compost. Compost. When composting, be sure to occasionally turn over the compost heap in order to speed up the process.
• Turn the leaves into mulch by shredding them and spreading them around a garden.

Happy autumn everyone!

Read Full Post »

Wintertime Blues: How to Winterize Central Air Conditioners

Last month, we delved into the age old question: What do I do with my window air conditioner during the winter months?

Okay, so maybe it’s not age old. We’re doubting it was something Confucius ever asked. But, still, it was something we needed to address. Lucky for you, dear reader, Mastercraft isn’t the business of philosophy–unless you mean zen and the art of furnace maintenance. We’re pretty good at that.

Anyhow, we hope we helped you out with your window AC unit. But what about our friends with central air conditioners? What do they do to winterize their units? Central air conditioning units aren’t exactly considered ‘mobile’ now, are they? Well, fear not…….

How to prepare you central air conditioner for winter

1. First of all, winterizing your outside central air units doesn’t take much. These things are built to withstand the elements. The manufacturers know that these machines will be sitting outside year round–two feet of snow or not. If you choose not to do anything, you’ll probably be okay. But, as we say, better safe than sorry. So here’s what we recommend.
2. Find the master power switch for your unit and turn it off. There’s no point in keeping it on if the a/c is going to be off for the next several months.
3. Clean the outside of the unit. If you choose to cover your unit during the winter months, give the unit a good, light brushing beforehand.
4. Cover the unit. AC covers typically cost under $30 and are easy to find.
5. Clear any snow or ice that builds up on top of your unit. Any unnecessary strain to your expensive unit should be avoided.
6. Fire up that furnace and stay warm!

Read Full Post »

Plumber: Hot accessories can make your bathroom cool

Q: I finally talked my husband into redecorating our bathroom. The white tile floor and fixtures are fairly new, so we’re not changing them. By keeping our white plumbing fixtures, we can paint the walls any color we want. Also, with the money saved, we would like to install some really nice bathroom accessories. Can you please suggest a few “hot accessories” that will be practical and look nice in our bathroom? — Jenni, New York state

Click HERE for the answer at The Republic

Read Full Post »

Homework: Heating and cooling maintenance

If you have neglected your heating and cooling system for a few years, are you able to regain that lost efficiency by getting back on a regular service schedule, or is that efficiency lost forever?

There are a number of variables that would determine whether your system would return to its original stated efficiency.

There is always going to be wear and corrosion just from the age and use of the equipment, but if there’s no major damage caused by neglect, then a good, thorough inspection and cleaning can help restore a system to its original efficiency.

Click HERE for the full article from Newsday

Read Full Post »

DIY Journal: Choosing a wall color is tricky in room makeover

Choosing a wall color can be one of the most challenging aspects of a room makeover. Because the light in your room changes throughout the day, and the same color of paint on different walls can look like an entirely different color, you should experiment with different shades of the same color.

For my powder room, dark gray walls will have accents of fuscia and a framed oval mirror. It’s serene and calm with a few color punches.

I’ll be creating a custom frame for an oval mirror I found, as well as a small fuscia ottoman to place by the window. The rich gray provides a crisp, clean contrast to the white wood trim, oval sink and toilet. Neutrals, including grays, come in many subtle shades. It’s worth your time and money to purchase test containers to know what the paint will look like on your walls.

Click HERE for full article from the Indianapolis Star

Read Full Post »

Thomas Crapper: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

Perhaps the most famous name in plumbing is Crapper. Thomas Crapper, that is. The man with the name that would go on to make an indelible mark on the field of plumbing was an actual plumber. Ah, but did he actually invent the flushing toilet? Follow us down as we explore the story behind Mr. Crapper.

The Man

Thomas Crapper was born in Yorkshire, England somewhere around 1836. In 1853, he would begin the journey that would forever become his legacy: He became an apprentice to his plumber brother. Just shy of ten years later and Thomas became a sanitary engineer.

Crapper was a big proponent of sanitary plumbing in a time when it just wasn’t a normal way of life for most. As a result of his work in sanitation, Crapper was eventually asked by Prince (and future King) Edward to supply his estate with the plumbing technology Crapper championed.

Crapper’s toilets became the toilets of royalty–a different throne that ushered in a new age of sanitation.

The Myth

Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. Its invention is actually attributed to a much, much older era. It’s believed that one John Harington invented the ancestor of our modern toilets in 1596. The man was an accomplished author and master of art yet it is the toilet for which he is most often remembered.

Of course, various kinds of toilets have been employed by civilizations for thousands and thousands of years. In fact, very primitive–yet, all things considered, sophisticated–flush toilets have been found among the remains of Indus Valley Civilizations from the 26th century B.C.E. The Indus Valley is a region that straddles the modern day border of Pakistan and India.

The Legend

While Thomas Crapper didn’t invent the flush toilet, he did do a lot to promote its widespread use. Besides outfitting royal palaces and estates with his own brand of toilets, Crapper also invented the ballcock–a major landmark in the technology.

His name has become synonymous with the technology that changed the way we live. His positive impact on all our lives can easily be taken for granted but it’s important to acknowledge the man that did so much to make sanitary restrooms a reality: Thomas Crapper.

Read Full Post »

Home Improvement Dictionary: Surge Tank

Surge Tank

File under: Plumbing

A storage reservoir that mitigates sudden drops and rises of water pressure in plumbing systems.

The tank can both absorb excess water as well as supply the water necessary to maintain required water pressure.

Most common in commercial and industrial plumbing systems.

Also occasionally used in mining and automotive technologies.

Read Full Post »

7 Small-Budget, Big-Impact Reader Upgrades

You don’t need to spend a fortune or call in the pros to get high-end results on your next redo project. Coming up, can-doTOH readers give a plain home curb appeal, transform a lackluster living room with new trim and paint, carve out a stylish and space-saving breakfast nook, and more—all on a shoestring.

For three years, Roy and Beth Shore worked side by side, room by room, transforming their lackluster 1980 Colonial Revival into a distinctive home filled with architectural details. Among the last projects on their to-do list was a front-entry face-lift, which Roy decided to pull off on his own as a surprise for his wife. Beth was barely out of the driveway for a long weekend away when Roy started framing a new portico based on a napkin sketch he’d done a year earlier. The centerpieces of his design were a pair of elegant tapered columns, scored for just $53 at a salvage yard, and a prominent, low-pitched cedar roof. “I really wanted the cedar, so I used sweat equity to justify the cost,” says Roy. Beneath the roof cornice, he created a pediment out of 1×12 trim boards with a hand-cut arch in the center that offers a glimpse of the portico’s beadboard ceiling inside. Brown paint ties the ceiling in with the home’s existing mahogany front door and the varnished ipe shutters the couple crafted themselves ($380 for the wood). “I had just put the first coat of paint on the portico by the time Beth was rolling up to the front door,” says Roy. “She loved it!”

Click HERE for the full article from This Old House.

Read Full Post »