Greetings and solutions! That’s a quirky salutation my father-in-law would sometimes say to me when I’d come over to pick up his daughter for a date. He’d then chuckle as his shoulders would go up and down. Doc had a marvelous sense of humor. I think I do too but you be the judge as you enjoy more and more of my Ask the Builder newsletters!

This issue is unusually long packed with lots of good stuff. Sit back and relax. Too bad you don’t have a bag of home-made toffee popcorn to munch on. You’ll see that just below!

This could be the 523rd Ask the Builder newsletter that’s plopped into your inbox. You might remember the time I tried to do some humorous acting and, well, it’s a good thing I had a day job, right?

CLICK or TAP HERE and see if watching it a second time gets you to crack a smile. Come on, I really tried!

Making a Racket

Growing up did your mother or grandmother shout, “Hey, STOP making such a racket in there!” ? Well, a new internet startup has made good use of that word.

I joined the new Racket social media site and we’ll see if it goes anywhere. I made a racket about Sewer Gas Smell just minutes before typing this newsletter.

CLICK or TAP HERE to listen and tell me what you think.

CLICK or TAP HERE to join Racket and follow me. You’ll see what new things I’m creating for your listening pleasure.

Here’s a great use of Racket if you’re a grandparent. The length of the rackets is just nine minutes or LESS. You can start to read a small book to your grandchild who lives in a different city or town. Break the book up into segments or rackets.

Send the racket link to the grandchild’s parents and see if it’s a hit. I’ll bet the urchin loves hearing your voice!

You can make a racket with friends by recording a conversation. People can then listen to your racket, and ask you a question. You get one minute to answer them.

I do see some possibilities with Racket and I’m currently exploring a few. As Kenny Chesney said in his famous hit song, “...only time will tell, but it ain’t talkin’.” CLICK or TAP HERE and listen to Kenny for yourself.

FREE BIDS - Local Contractors

I really liked this product because the drywall mud could ooze through the glass fibers and truly become one with the wet GOP as Marcy Lewis used to call joint compound. This new, or newer, fiberglass tape is designed for flat seams, not inside corners. Give it a try and see what you think.

Laundry Sink Dry Well

Are you planning on building a new home? Are you doing a big remodeling job that involves your laundry room or someplace you would install a slop or laundry sink?

Are you connected to a septic tank? If so, I recommend you separate the laundry sink from the main plumbing system and drain the sink outdoors to a dry well out in your lawn or backyard. I say this assuming your local plumbing department is okay with gray water being dumped outdoors.

You probably don’t even think about all the gray water you create outdoors, do you? I mean after all, you use your garden hose to wash grimy stuff outside or to clean paint brushes in a bucket when the weather allows you to do this, right? What’s the difference if you do it indoors and dump the same water and debris outside?

Here’s the stinky truth about septic systems. You only want body waste and moderate amounts of toilet paper to go into septic tanks. Period.

Adopting this practice pretty much guarantees you’ll never have issues with the tank or the leach field. Paint, oils, excessive cooking grease, chemicals, etc. wreak havoc inside the dark dank chamber of your septic tank.

Connecting a laundry or slop sink to a separate dry well ensures none of these undesirable things get into the septic tank.

I've always been an ask-for-forgiveness type of guy. That practice has served me well over the years. If anyone asks why you're digging the dry well, stare at them for a pregnant pause, and then say, "I'm looking for treasure."

After all, you already know where to look for treasure in the right place! I shared that two weeks ago, silly.

Suing Your Contractor

Relationships run off the rails. Marriages fail.

Remember the first few days when the job started at your home? Everything was unicorns and rainbows, but now the honeymoon is over.

You want to sue him because the workmanship is so bad. He’s not shown up for weeks and you don’t want to see his face if he does.

You KNOW you’re right. You KNOW that if a judge or jury heard your side you’d get your money back and everything would be hunky-dory.

By gosh, you want your day in court!

STOP. STOP RIGHT NOW.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see why you’d be better off going to the $50 blackjack table at the Bellagio instead of pouring thousands of dollars into a lawsuit.

Remember, ALWAYS split aces and eights!

Mother’s Day Gift - Toffee Popcorn

I was the happy recipient of a dandy bag of Pat’s Hampshire Toffee Pop several days ago. HOLY SWEET TOOTH!

I’ve had caramel corn before, but now I’ve had the BEST.

Order NOW to get some for that special Mom in your life or just for yourself. CLICK or TAP HERE to place your order.

This is toffee is hand-made by Pat in her kitchen. It's not some mass-produced product created in a factory by an army of drones or robots. You can taste the difference!

DIY Plumbing Advice

You’d do well to discover how to do certain plumbing repairs around your home. The cost to get a plumber out to your home is going up faster than the price of a Bitcoin on certain days.

What simple plumbing tasks do I think you can handle? I’ve always tried to be honest and let you know when I think things are beyond your skill set. The good news is there are several things you can do!

These small plumbing victories will build confidence and who knows, soon you might be roughing in a new bathroom in your basement! 

If you need help doing tougher plumbing jobs I should be on your short list of people to talk to! Keep in mind I've been a master plumber since age 29. I'm pretty good at kitchen-remodel jobs!

I’ve helped quite a few homeowners do tricky plumbing installations by advising them during a phone consult. You won’t be sorry. Talking to me on the phone can be fun after all!

CLICK or TAP HERE and tell me if you think you can handle these three simple DIY plumbing jobs.

That’s enough for a spring Sunday.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Squeaky Clean - www.StainSolver.com

Airwaves Boss - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. You goofed up. You tried to install a new 3-Way Switch and you got the wrong wires attached to the screws. I can SAVE YOU before your significant other gets back from her/his shopping trip. CLICK or TAP HERE and watch this FUNNY VIDEO - HURRY!!!