Ask This Old House TV

Showing results for "Season 4"
Scan the episodes below and select "more" to get information on products or services you saw on that episode.

Episode #426

Installing a mini-split air conditioning system, what is it?, de-thatching a lawn… more

Episode #425

Cutting ceramic and stone tile, installing a sump pump … more

Episode #424

Replacing an old dishwasher, what is it?, sharpening a wood chisel, using lawn spreaders… more

Episode #423

Replacing an interior "hollow-core" door with a new "solid-core" door, repairing a leaky kitchen faucet… more

Episode #422

Repairing stripped threads on a cast-iron radiator, fixing a grading problem, what is it?, stabilizing a wobbly newel post, refinishing an old cast-iron bathtub… more

Episode #421

Installing an instantaneous water heater, planting trees to save energy, installing cellulose insulation … more

Episode #420

Installing a granite driveway marker, what is it, repairing a hot water radiator system … more

Episode #419

Building a custom radiator cover, installing a steam humidifier in a forced-air heating system … more

Episode #418

Transplanting a white spruce tree, what is it?, extending a staircase handrail … more

Episode #417

Repairing a residential well, repairing a hole in vinyl siding … more

Episode #416

Choosing and using hammers, repairing a pressure-assisted toilet, repairing a plastered wall … more

Episode #415

Installing a low cost in-ground sprinkler system, what is it?, pouring a concrete footing for a deck … more

Episode #414

Installing a radon mitigation system, pruning an apple tree for fruit production… more

Episode #413

Installing a new vinyl floor, what is it?, preventing frozen pipes… more

Episode #412

Washing windows like a pro, what is it?, flushing an electric water heater… more

Episode #411

Snowthrowers, what is it?, where to find it… more

Episode #410

Pruning an overgrown privet hedge, installing a new basement laundry sink … more

Episode #409

Viewer tips, re-shingling a garage roof using asphalt-fiberglass shingles… more

Episode #408

Circular saw 101, what is it?, installing a new outdoor faucet using PEX, cabling an oak tree to prevent splitting… more

Episode #407

Removing and preventing moss, algae and lichen from a roof, what is it?, repairing a leaky water valve, planting shade-tolerant ground cover under a European Beech tree … more

Episode #406

Building a raised garden bed with landscape timbers, clearing a bathtub drain. … more

Episode #405

Caring for a rose bush, how to steady a wobbly toilet, plugging a basement water leak using hydraulic cement.… more

Episode #404

Original Air Date: Week of October 27, 2005

Up in the loft, landscaping contractor Roger Cook shows host Kevin O'Connor how to repair a flat wheelbarrow tire. He also shows a new type of flat-free tire. Then, general contractor Tom Silva helps a homeowner repair an aluminum rain gutter. Then, back in the loft, Kevin and Tom demonstrate a tip sent in from a viewer on how to drill a hole in ceramic tile. Then, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey helps a homeowner with a leaking T&P valve on his water heater by installing a thermal expansion tank.

Repairing a flat wheelbarrow tire
Landscaping contractor Roger Cook demonstrates how to repair a flat wheelbarrow tire. He explains the difference between tube and tubeless tires and shows the repair methods for each. He then shows a new type of flat-free tire that is made of closed-cell polyurethane.

Where to Find It Tire repair kits can be purchased at your local home center or automotive parts supplier.

The flat-free tire is made by:
amerityre.com

Repairing an aluminum rain gutter
General contractor Tom Silva visits a homeowner to help her repair a broken aluminum rain gutter. First, he eliminates a sag in the middle of the gutter by reinstalling the gutter with new hangers and screws. Tom is careful to make sure the middle of the gutter is higher than the ends so that rainwater can run to the downspouts on each end of the gutter. He then re-attaches the downspouts with new straps and self-tapping gutter screws.

Where to Find It
The rain gutter brackets, straps, and screws were provided by:
Harvey Industries

Ladders and expandable planks were provided by:
Lynn Ladder & Scaffolding Co., Inc.

Viewer Tips
Kevin and Tom demonstrate a tip sent in by a viewer. They use a drywall screw for making a dimple in tile before drilling a hole to prevent the drill's bit from wandering. Tom then shows another method: by starting the drill very slowly, he breaks the glaze of the tiles before drilling the hole.

Where to Find It: Carbide Tile bits
Vermont American/Robert Bosch Tool Corp.

Installing a thermal expansion tank
Richard installs a thermal-expansion tank for a water heater with a leaking temperature-and-pressure (T&P) valve. By connecting a pressure gauge to the water heater, Richard discovers that the existing T&P valve is working properly but that there is too much pressure inside the heater. To relieve the pressure, Richard installs a thermal-expansion tank. He begins by installing a pipe that will connect the expansion tank to the cold water line on the water heater. He then fills one side of the expansion tank with air and mounts it to the ceiling. Once installed, Richard tested the system and found that the pressure inside the heater was normal. Back in the loft, Richard shows several other one-way valves that can cause excess pressure inside domestic water heaters.

Where to Find It
Richard installed a thermal-expansion tank for a domestic water heater.
Therm-X-Trol, model# ST-12
Manufacturer: Amtrol Inc.

Episode #403

Installing an under-sink water filter, planting a drought-resistant tree.… more

Episode #402

Quieting creaky stairs, static cling solution, and installing an electric shut-off valve for a washing machine … more

Episode #401

Repairing a mortared stone walkway, patching an oak floor… more