Shownotes
In this hour we dive into money saving tips to keep the most expensive systems in your home alive and working all while trying to avoid replacement. These systems can be expensive and are getting more expensive every year. So today we dive into those tips and tricks that can save you money and push off those replacement projects until interest rates get a little bit better.
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Transcripts
[00:00:24] Eric Goranson: And it could be a tile shower. It could be a tub shower. It could be a floor. It could be a backsplash. We're on the house shows. Brought to you by Pyramid Heating and Cooling. Serving in Oregon, the Portland metro area, and Bend, Oregon, they are your one stop shop for heating and cooling and indoor air quality.
[:[00:01:14] Eric Goranson: That's a great way to cook to find out more head over to monumentgrills. com. I'm Eric G we've got a great show lined up for you, but first, if you're new to this show, if you're catching us on the podcast, YouTube, or on the talk media network, On radio stations all across the country. Thanks for joining us today.
[:[00:01:56] Eric Goranson: And we've got our YouTube channel. So make sure you find that out there [00:02:00] and you can find that all down in the show notes here. If you're listening on the podcast, guys, we've got a great show here this hour. We're going to talk about my top 10 tricks to extend the life of the most expensive systems in your house.
[:[00:02:41] Eric Goranson: So the first one here is probably one of the most expensive in fearful projects around your house. And that is foundation issues. Now, this can be pretty expensive, and we've talked about this in recent episodes here and there, but I wanted to just talk about it first off in this one because it's important.[00:03:00]
[:[00:03:27] Eric Goranson: Cause it's our dry season, right? It is just bone dry. We might just get a little bit of rain a month and those yards turn absolutely white. The problem is, though, is when your yard turns white, that ground that is clay shrinks up like an old kitchen sponge sitting on the window sill. And so everything shrinks up.
[:[00:04:33] Eric Goranson: So you have less house movement. Go ahead and fix those cracks. That's not too bad to do, but many times just keeping that water around the foundation Keeping that soil at a constant dampness will keep that from moving around so much, and it'll slow down or even eliminate those foundation issues. So you can fix those cracks with carbon fiber, depending on what you have.
[:[00:05:11] Eric Goranson: Keep the house from moving around. You're going to have a lot less drywall cracks and windows and doors moving around on the inside as well. You'll have less of that stuff. If the house isn't moving. So those are my two tips right there. And if you've got those foundation cracks, just get them repaired.
[:[00:06:01] Eric Goranson: On getting the right solution there. So that's a big one right there. So keeping those foundations good, keeping them damp, but not overwet. It's just like when we talk about those, uh, downs, you want to get that water at least 10 feet away from the foundation. Those are all things you can do to keep that foundation a lot better shape.
[:[00:06:47] Eric Goranson: So how do you do, how do you keep that from getting out of control? There's a couple of things you can do to get that life out of that roof. If you're an area where you get moss or lichen from rains, if you're in a wet area, [00:07:00] make sure that you've got like a zinc strip across the top or you're treating that roof.
[:[00:07:23] Eric Goranson: Cause that's the key right there is if you remove those granules, that's a really big issue because that's the wearing surface of the roof. So when that roof gets worn out, it's the granule loss that's hurting you. And so there's guys that can get up there that, that can softwash that. And do a gentle wash, no pressure washing, but they'll get up there with a hose and, and softwash that there are companies out there that sell a treatment that keeps the roof a little more pliable, but I'll be honest.
[:[00:08:08] Eric Goranson: com. I wouldn't mind having a little more information or your experience with it, but really keeping that roof clean is a big deal. And if you can keep that stuff off of it, it's just going to last a lot longer. So make sure that that little bit of maintenance up there, get up there, keep the gutters clean.
[:[00:08:45] Eric Goranson: Cause you don't want to be wearing that surface off. But really keeping that maintained is going to be the key. Now, the next one here, we're going to talk about sighting, but one more thing that I want to mention here before we go out to break, we'll talk about sighting here in a second. [00:09:00] One more thing I want to mention with roofs is when you're up there, inspect it, make sure that, that if you can find a few extra bundles of shingles that you can put away, you're Keep in the cool area.
[:[00:09:28] Eric Goranson: And have it look halfway decent roses are red Violets are blue Around the house with eric g coming back to you right after the break You thought it was gonna We'll be right back Should I be allowed to be so hot[00:10:00]
[:[00:10:25] Eric Goranson: com. I'm Eric G we've been talking about my top 10 tricks to extend the life of the most expensive systems and products in your home before we get it back into that discussion, I wanted to talk about a couple of things. If you've been catching the show, the around the house, Northwest television show that, uh, do with great television.
[:[00:10:59] Eric Goranson: So [00:11:00] take a look at that. You can catch that over at around the house, online. com. And you can catch it over there on the YouTube pages and stuff. So it's really fun. We've got some kind of a new design oriented with it. We're doing a few less heavy projects. We're talking more about some beautiful homes that we see out there.
[:[00:11:39] Eric Goranson: That was becoming such a big undertaking week after week and with a tight crew and my buddy Bradley that was doing those first episodes with us boy, he will be missed on our team. We've got some great new team members, but it's a reimagined around the house Northwest. So take a look at it. If you haven't catched it, but caught it before, if you have a great television station in [00:12:00] your area, take a look, there's hundreds of stations across the country.
[:[00:12:24] Eric Goranson: Cause so many people out there are really trying to extend the life out of things in their home. And one thing I want to talk about here before we get into this, that's related is so many people go, man, I would do this as a DIY project, but I just don't know how to do it. Take a look in your community.
[:[00:13:14] Eric Goranson: We have really failed a couple generations now with not giving them the knowledge to do basic things like that. These places are really doing some great education, and it's basically for the cost in many of these places. So take a look and see if there's any classes you can take to tackle these projects, because it could be really beneficial to you and save you a ton of money.
[:[00:13:56] Eric Goranson: Your next one is a DIY project and save you [00:14:00] some serious money. We were talking about foundations earlier, roofs, keeping up with that. Now with siding, this is an important one. And there are so many different sightings out there, but you could have vinyl sighting with a quote unquote, lifetime warranty.
[:[00:14:36] Eric Goranson: Is that vinyl sightings, it will get dirty, chalky, mildewy. All these things will happen. If it's in a wet, damp area, you'll see stuff growing on it. Cause it's still PVC plastic, right? It's still vinyl. So what you want to do is make sure and get that clean. I think the biggest mistake that I see people doing though, is they'll get in there with the pressure washer and do some significant [00:15:00] damage.
[:[00:15:33] Eric Goranson: Get in there, get that cleaned up. A lot of these vinyl sighting cleaners have some stuff that keeps that oil back in there. So it'll eliminate that chalkiness and and all of that. So that's good. And then, of course, where you need to caulk things in. Make sure that's caulked in. And that's going to be really with any type of sighting out there is to make sure that between window trim, door trim, and the sighting that you've got that caulked in at the right place.
[:[00:16:35] Eric Goranson: You see out there making sure that stuff is hard, thin primed and painted. Those little touch ups are really good. I've got to get my scaffolding set up here. Cause I've got. A whole area of my house that I just painted last year. Then I've got a woodpecker coming in here before the weather turns. I've been chasing him off.
[:[00:17:18] Eric Goranson: And I don't want to get that wet and rotted because otherwise I'm going to be replacing all that siding on that side. And when you have T one 11, that's a big job. Because all that stuff sits there and causes a heck of a big mess. What can happen with that is, is traditionally that T one 11 citing is, is actually the sheathing and the sighting is one.
[:[00:17:55] Eric Goranson: So that is structure and it is also citing. So you want to make [00:18:00] sure that stuff's in the great shape because otherwise you've got some structural issues there. So really keeping that looking good. If you've got brick out there, making sure that's clean, making sure it's pointed, making sure that all that stuff is looking good.
[:[00:18:31] Eric Goranson: So don't get too crazy with the mortar blocking that stuff up. That's there for a purpose. What do Eric G and Taylor Swift have in common? Absolutely nothing. Thank the good Lord. More great household tips on around the house with Eric G right after the break. To the around the[00:19:00]
[:[00:19:24] Eric Goranson: com. We've been talking about my top 10 tricks to extend the life out of the most expensive systems in your home. And that's super important because I'm just trying to save you money. And maybe help extend the life out of stuff around there. Now, before we get into the list here, I wanted to talk just for a moment about checking out our YouTube channel.
[:[00:19:56] Eric Goranson: com. And you can find that. And our other channel, which is part of a [00:20:00] KBTV Fox 12 for the around the house, Northwest television show that has stuff hiding over there. So take a look. We've got a lot of video stuff for you and tips and tricks and everything else hiding over there. Next up on our list here, we're talking to HVAC.
[:[00:20:34] Eric Goranson: It could be a backsplash. It could be anywhere that you've got tile. And there's some basic maintenance things that I always recommend for that. First off, If it's around a tub shower or a shower base, for instance, is making sure that all that caulking is clean sealed up and is operating correctly. So that needs to be a hundred percent silicone caulk.
[:[00:21:16] Eric Goranson: So there are some products out there that I'm seeing some tile guys use. I don't think it's reliable, but they've got some of these new kind of hybrid grouts that they say will work, but I've seen them fail too many times. So until technology gets better, I would like to see that. Anywhere it changes direction to be silicone.
[:[00:21:52] Eric Goranson: Now, if you have to clean it out, get in there and get in there with a razor blade and clean out all of that caulking that all the moldy stuff, all the [00:22:00] stuff that's loose, get it out of there. And then just go back with a color matched caulking, and you can go in there and really get that dialed in and looking good.
[:[00:22:26] Eric Goranson: So my question is, when was the last time you sealed that grout? Because grout is not waterproof unless it's one of the new ones that have that epoxy or some of the sealing properties built into it, into the older stuff. No, it's just a regular. Cementatious grout. So it's like a cement based product. So what you want to do is make sure that you get in there and get that cleaned up.
[:[00:23:08] Eric Goranson: So that way you get that looking good and fresh, and that's just going to extend the life out. If you're getting so much. Mold and junk and nastiness on those. That's going to help break down that grout. So you just want to make sure that you get that cleaned up. Now, if you've got grout failing, and now you've got water down underneath the tile on the shower floor, then you've got a leak.
[:[00:23:46] Eric Goranson: We got huge wide. Grout lines that maybe are half inch and those things just get dirty so quick. So get in there, really clean it up and use some really good quality sealer out there. Don't get the cheapest stuff. You can get the most expensive stuff you can [00:24:00] afford. That's higher grade. Do some online research, see what you can do out there and get a good grade of it because it will last longer.
[:[00:24:25] Eric Goranson: All right. The next one here is one that can be pretty dangerous if you're not careful. This is maintaining your garage door. Now, garage doors can be six grand. They can be 25 grand. It's really depending on what you're trying to do. And how many of them you have, but if you've got that older wood door, here's what I recommend.
[:[00:25:06] Eric Goranson: That's pretty hard to repair on a garage door. So there's not much you can do about that. Usually with a wood one like that, it's time for replacement. But here's the thing. If you've got a wood door or even a metal one, This is probably where you want to bring in the professional to come in and do some maintenance on it.
[:[00:25:42] Eric Goranson: You should have grease on the wheels and the bearings. And then after a while, what happens is Those springs will fail. And the problem is if you've got a car in there, all of a sudden you'll hear this boom and this whizzing noise. And that means that you probably lost the spring up top. And usually it happens in my experience is when the door's [00:26:00] coming down, it'll be eight or 10 inches off the ground.
[:[00:26:23] Eric Goranson: You literally have to put a rod in a hole. Turn it a quarter turn, stick a rod in that same hole and use that. And if you have the wrong tools, you're trying to do with a screwdriver or whatever else I have seen two people in my lifetime, trying to do this, the DIY project, and it came out and they broke their job.
[:[00:26:59] Eric Goranson: And so [00:27:00] that's a great way to keep that thing working. So usually it's depending on the door, but even if you have to come in and do new springs and bearings and all that stuff, I've seen a professional start as much as five or 600 bucks for that. But if you can get a few more years out of the door, it's not a bad way to go and it'll make it quieter.
[:[00:27:38] Eric Goranson: So a little bit of maintenance on that is going to save that door and keep it lasting a long time. Even the metal ones will wear out. So you just want to make sure that you've got all those bearings and stuff looking good And that way, you know, you're gonna have less issues with it down the road And it's not gonna rot out if it's wood and if you can keep that going a little bit longer mine I had to finally replace the last year.
[:[00:28:21] Eric Goranson: And really save yourself some money. So one of my first tips here for maintaining that plumbing system is do not use drain cleaners in your house. Don't pour it down the drain. Rarely does it do the job. Rarely does it work correctly. In my opinion, stay away from those drain cleaners. When you come back here.
[:[00:29:09] Eric Goranson: back to the Around the House show, the next generation of home improvement brought to you by my friends over at Monument Grills. To find out more about their amazing grills for all of you that love to cook outside, head over to MonumentGrills. com. We've been talking about the top 10 tricks. To extend the life of the most expensive systems in your house.
[:[00:29:49] Eric Goranson: I wanted to talk about two more here in our last segment today. And the first one is getting the most out of your appliances. And I'll be honest, a lot of these appliances, we've added so much technology to them [00:30:00] and they really just don't last as long as those old. 1970s and eighties Kenmore ones did back in the day.
[:[00:30:32] Eric Goranson: Mila is another one out there that really has tried to build machines last a long time. They traditionally in the past have carried parts for 20 years. And sometimes that's the problem with a lot of these appliances that, okay, great. We control panel quit. And I can't even get a control panel for it. And I've run into that.
[:[00:31:13] Eric Goranson: And so we've really created a almost throwaway set of appliances out there that starts to get pretty expensive. So here's some of my tricks and tips to keeping those things living the longest life for you in between having to replace them. First off, before we get too deep into appliances, let's talk about your water quality coming into your house because your washing machine, your dishwasher, You're anything, including hot water heater, that ice maker in the refrigerator rely on a high quality water coming in.
[:[00:32:05] Eric Goranson: So take a look. I work a lot, lot with a King water filtration. We're going to have those guys on the show coming up soon. Great company. And they are really good at taking that water quality issue and getting it dialed in, whether you've got a system where you've got to fix hard water, that's coming in where you've got that high mineral content, that's going to build up in a dishwasher or a wash machine and fill up.
[:[00:32:57] Eric Goranson: Even if you put a system in [00:33:00] test before it, test after it, just make sure you know what you're consuming in your water, because all it takes is for some, some material to be coming in your house. It could be a valve that was replaced years ago that now has lead in it or something like that, or you've got some serious issues.
[:[00:33:44] Eric Goranson: I love my front load machines. I've had them for probably 20 plus years. And they work well for me and I know there are people that are top load people out there and you still need to clean those as well because what you do is you have an inner and outer tub. That inner tub, you can't see. And what [00:34:00] happens is on those inner tubs for those machines is you get soap, oil, all that buildup behind it, and that can be pretty unhealthy.
[:[00:34:26] Eric Goranson: That gets it from blowing that pump up. So make sure that you've got that dialed in and cleaned up now with anything else, just keeping a clean dishwashers, making sure that you're cleaning out the little grills and things down below, make sure you run a clean cycle through it, and these are all things that should be maintained, check to make sure that the ice maker is working correctly and make sure you vacuumed out around that refrigerator.
[:[00:35:09] Eric Goranson: And nobody wants that. So you want to make sure you got that cleaned up down there and looking really good so you can get the most life out of that appliance. And that's a big one right there. So spend some time maintaining these, not saying you have to have a come out and have service for those, but a lot of these are just DIY tricks to make sure if you've got hard water.
[:[00:35:52] Eric Goranson: So you've got that. Dialed in and looking good because we want these things to last the longest that they can. Now, the [00:36:00] last one on here is something that's exterior and it's something that gets forgotten a lot. And I wanted to mention it here. Wood fences, but you'll put up that a cedar fence or wood fence.
[:[00:36:29] Eric Goranson: This stuff is really cool. If you're putting a post in and replacing a post, it's a sleeve that goes over the post that goes in the ground and keeps it from rotting. So it seals around that. So you don't get water down there. And that ground contact is what tears it up. Now they also make a new product that you could actually drill in and put and re inject basically inside of it.
[:[00:37:17] Eric Goranson: Pers would preservative alive in there and it doesn't break down so you can do this to your fence posts I just went and did it to mine because I'd already put them in But you can drill in and put that in and take a look at post protector for that That's a great one there and the other things that you can do to keep this dialed in and looking beautiful Just make sure you've got everything cleaned up on the fence if it needs painting or staining stay on top of it And then make sure that you're not hitting around it with the weed eater or the string trimmer and you're taking damage with that.
[:[00:38:06] Eric Goranson: With that, I just go around. I just literally mix up a little bit of sudsy water and basically take some Dawn in a, in a pump sprayer. And I go around and just spray it down with the Dawn dishwashing detergent and then hit it with the hose. And it just releases the dirt off of it. If I needed to scrub any, uh, like tree sap or something, I could clean it up there, but really this stuff is so.
[:[00:38:47] Eric Goranson: Now there are things out there that are hard to not really maintain. And that's sometimes going to be an electrical system. When you have an electrical panel, for instance, that is outdated, You can't just put in old use breakers [00:39:00] in it. Sometimes with those there are fire hazard. You need to change them out and swap them out.
[:[00:39:23] Eric Goranson: You just have to start over. All right, everybody. Thanks for tuning into the first hour of around the house show. We'll see you for our two. Thanks for tuning in today.
