Calcium Magnesium Acetate won't put pock marks in your concrete steps, walkway or driveway. It won't bother pets, track in on your carpet nor stain as much as good old table salt, Sodium Chloride will. Click on image for link. #safety #concrete #popular

Just installed a new diswasher for a neighbor. It has a loop on the discharge tube, on the side of the dishwasher, which prevents backflow from the disposer into the dishwasher...which would be really bad. However it does not prevent crud from the disposer, or sink, getting into the discharge tube and making it smell. Therefore, a high loop in the cabinet is still required, unless you have an air gap (that thing on top of the sink that gurgles when your dishwasher is runni

Note the PVC cover on this closed cell foam pipe insulation. I see many an uncovered piece of foam around the low pressure line (cold line) next to the compressor-condenser unit that has been worn away by sun, water and feet! Just saw this on a new house and said: "That'll work!" No sense trying to cool the whole outdoors AND get your house down to a livable temperature when it's 105 in the DMV! #HVAC #plumbing #popular #insulation

After a remodel and adding a new set of drywall, it can be a far reach to screw in an outlet. This extender can take care of those loose connections to the electric box. Click image above for link. Metal switch plate covers can also help. Metal Switch Plate Covers #electric #popular

This switch senses humidity and turns on the bathroom fan automatically! Good for basement and top floor bathrooms. If moisture doesn't make it up to the attic it can't do any damage! I especially recommend this attached to a bathroom fan in moist basements. If you don't have a bathroom fan already, or even a bathroom in the basement you can still install a bathroom-type fan. Just read that dehumidifiers can use more than 1000 kwh/year, so over $200 in VA. They just take o

Replace your old toilet innards with this new dual-flush water saver system for siphon toilets in less than an hour—the hard part is getting the old stuff out! This is a second generation dual flush that just has one handle: down for heavy, up for light, and is fully adjustable for bowl height, and both flush strengths. Click on image for link. #plumbing #popular

Well, it certainly affects mood (ergo, "mood lighting") and is the point of argument for couples and their progeny. She does not really like any kind of overhead lighting. We have small table lamps under the counter in the kitchen, for example. Therefore if you have recessed lights and no way to dim them you are at their mercy. The color of light is measured in Kelvins, degrees Celsius adjusted to absolute zero, so find bulbs with literally the right warmth for you. I pr

Current code recommends Ground Fault Circuit Interupters, in basements, garages, outside and within 6 feet of water inside. They are easy to update, Beware of the ones with "safety" covers that are "tamper resistant" because these commonly get jammed and may lead to more serious damage to the wiring or encourage alcoholism. This model actually sings when tripped, making it much easier to figure out which other receptacles are connected to it. One of these can be connecte

House wash--gets rid of mold and algae! Wear goggles! Wear old clothes! Just attach it to your garden hose. When empty simply refill with 50/50 bleach/water plus a half cup of laundry detergent and do it again and again...also effective on decks and plastic patio furniture. Pretreat any nearby plants with a coat of fresh water before and after using the bleach spray. Click on image for link. #mold #cleaning #popular #exterior

Most of us are more worried about waistline expansion than that of our water. Have I said before that home inspection is a lot like medicine? You are going to have different valid opinions, much is based on the condition of the particular patient and accepted practice will change over time, especially with new procedures. There are some hard facts that won't change: in this instance, however. 1) Water expands when heated; and, 2) Water is heavy. These expansion tanks hav

Thumb gum or electricians' putty is used to fill any openings that you don't want permanently sealed, because you eventually will have to have the AC unit replaced, or redo the hose bib or plug a hole for a fitting in your furance. Plus it's the adult version of PLAY DOH and therefore very satisfying to use! Click on image for link. #plumbing #caulking #popular

Radon is a decay product of Uranium, which has 92 protons. Lose six and you get Radon. Lose four more and you quit with Lead (82). Radon (86) decays into Polonium with 84 protons. Polonium is what Marie Curie found in pitch blend, she named it after her native Poland, but her exposure to it gave her leukemia and killed her... after she was the first to ever get a Nobel in Chemistry and Physics! Polonium releases alpha particles, two protons and two neutrons, a Helium nuc

This little $5 device has endless uses. It's great for "sweeping" driveways and patios and cleaning out your outdoor drains. The ones at the bottom of your stairs often don't have their own trap, because the water in the trap would freeze. A horizontal portion of pipe usually runs to an indoor drain with a trap. So to clear the horizontal pipe simply put this on the end of your hose and shoot it down the drain! Can save many a basement from flooding! #drainage #plumbing #

Click on image for link to product. Cut to size with a utility knife and glue together with Gorilla Glue to make a box around your attic opening. No more fiberglass and dust in your face, and you can save up to $20/month in utility costs, plus help keep moisture out of your attic. Wow! EASY! Here's the type of plugs found in new houses. #attic #ventilation #insulation #popular

You used to have to wait 24 hours after caulking a tub before you could use it…which means it never got done! This caulk dries in 2 hours! The preparation is the important part. Scrap out all the old caulk, wipe with rubbing alcohol and a cloth towel, then dry with paper towels. LET EVERYTHING DRY. Mask each side of the joint with blue painter's tape. Apply new caulk and finagle with your finger dipped in paint thinner. Remove the tape carefully and let dry. This caulk