The Handyguys Podcast

Over 70% of the country has been classified as abnormally dry, or worse. What about the oasis in your own backyard?

Grass left wet overnight, or for long periods of time, can encourage fungal diseases that cause discoloration. Water in the early morning so your lawn isn’t damp for long periods, when the sun isn’t high enough to evaporate the water before it penetrates the soil.

Cut at the maximum height to enhance stress tolerance. Mowing on the high side encourages roots to grow deeper into the soil, absorbing water from the insulated soil. As a rule of thumb, remove only about 1/3 of the grass blade each time you mow. If you cut too much at one time, the long clippings can cause stress on the grass, inhibiting healthy growth.

The water will not be able to penetrate deep enough into the soil to maintain moisture and promote greater root depth. This will also encourage weed growth and spread of disease. Instead, water infrequently, but deeply, to encourage a strong root system. Aim to apply about an inch of water to the soil each week – but always be mindful of local watering restrictions if in place.

During drought, always follow local water restrictions when applicable. It is ok to let your lawn go dormant, as most turf species can tolerate some periods of time without water from rainfall or irrigation. Most species will recover relatively quickly when water is applied from rain or irrigation. During any period of dormancy caused by drought, monitor the turf to ensure that it shows some sign of green color, though it may be faint. During this period, waterless frequently for longer periods of time, as possible and as allowed by any local watering restrictions. If you have questions about your type of grass or its drought tolerance, the local university extension service or landscaper are great resources.

Though it may seem like it needs more nutrients at this time of year, putting fertilizer down on dry soil can actually burn the grass. Improper fertilization can also help promote disease, so always follow proper fertilization practices for your area and the time of year.

In the fall however, one of the best practices to follow is proper fertilization. If you have a cool season lawn that is breaking dormancy from the summer stress, fall is a great time to prepare it for the potential stresses of next summer. Similarly, early fall is also a good time for a final fertilizer application on warm season grasses for the same reason. Regardless of your turf type, be sure to follow recommended fertilization practices for your specific grass and climate to provide the best possible benefit. If needed, your local garden center can be a good source of advice on how fall fertilization can promote root growth and dense turf coverage to help it withstand any potential stress in the coming year.

The post Drought Lawn Care first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Drought Lawn Care appeared first on The Handyguys.

In this audio podcast The Handyguys discuss building an Azek Cellular PVC deck. The Handyguys discuss when to DIY and when not to DIY, design considerations, choosing a contractor and materials selection.

Handyguy Paul decided not to DIY this Cellular PVC ceck. Listen to the podcast for why.

Think about how you will use your new deck. Plan for the space. Think about furniture and traffic flow. Materials such as Cellular PVC are a great, low maintenance choice.

Handyguy Paul picked a contractor that was highly respected in his area. He was able to inspect several decks built by his contractor up close. When he met with the designer he was able to see pictures of almost exactly what he had in mind. Listen to the podcast for more on the contractor, Decks-R-Us, and what set them apart from other builders.

Handyguy Paul went with an Azek Cellular PVC Deck. The material is low maintenance and was also what his contractor was most familiar with.

The post Building an Azek Cellular PVC Deck first appeared on The Handyguys.

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Handyguys Brian and Paul bring in HVAC (Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning) expert and the co-owner of Interstate Air Conditioning and Heating, Raymond Kishk, to talk about energy efficient air conditioning systems.

This information will help you choose an energy efficient air conditioning system and keep your current unit running efficiently.

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) simply indicates how much energy is required to run the unit. Many appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators have SEER ratings. The higher the SEER rating the more efficiently your appliance runs. According to Raymond, the lowest SEER rating is about 8; but some states require a SEER rating of at least 12 or 13.

He adds that although two different brands may have the same SEER rating, you may want to compare the features that each has to offer. An air conditioner with a timer, for example, also contributes in saving energy.

Air condition units with VRV (Variable Refrigerant Volume) system are especially advantageous if you’re looking to provide air conditioning to several rooms in one house or building.

Raymond explains that this system has one condensing unit and allows you to set up 10 to 15 blowers for different rooms, which lets you adjust the temperature individually. Plus, if one blower breaks down, the air conditioning in the other rooms will not be affected.

No matter how high the SEER rating of your air conditioning unit, failing to perform proper maintenance will still add expenses. Raymond mentions that a dirty filter adds at least five dollars a month to your bills. A dirty coil makes your air condition work 30% harder.

The good news about the new energy efficient air conditions we have today is that maintenance is not any more difficult than old units despite the new technology that it has. With proper maintenance, you can keep your costs at a minimum.

Hopefully Raymond  has shown you that it is cost-effective to purchase an air conditioner with a high SEER rating.

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The Handyguys discuss chainsaw safety in this audio podcast.

If you rent, borrow or buy a chainsaw, you will still need to be aware of proper chainsaw safety. In the summer, many areas are affected by thunderstorms. In the late summer and fall, some contend with hurricanes, others tornadoes and may need to put a chainsaw to use for cleanup of debris. Other people may be cutting and splitting wood for heat, some people are clearing their property. Regardless of how and when you use a chainsaw, safety must always come first.

We can’t cover every aspect of chainsaw safety in this show. Please read, understand and follow all the safety precautions outlined by the manufacturer of your chainsaw. Use common sense. Do not push yourself or your chainsaw beyond what you can handle.

Your saw will have several chainsaw safety devices built into the design. These will vary by manufacturer. Ensure they are properly attached and operational.

Most manufacturers will have their manuals online. If you do not have a manual you should find one.

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/forest/support/download-manuals/

http://www.stihlusa.com/manuals/product-instruction-manuals/

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/ (good luck, I had trouble finding manuals online)

http://www.echo-usa.com/Support-Help/Technical-Documents?sm=true

The post Chainsaw Safety first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Chainsaw Safety appeared first on The Handyguys.

While planting and growing grass is not difficult–I once heard that it could be planted on concrete–there are strategies for successfully planting grass seed to ensure the most success. Listen to this audio podcast to hear the discussion about all these topics.

Fall – The best time for planting grass seed is fall. Early enough so it becomes established before the first frost bot not too early that the heat will hinder growth.

Plant what grows best for your part of the country and the site conditions. Your local seed supplier will carry what you need. Companies like Pennington Seed ship different varieties to different parts of the country.

Yes, brand does matter. You want a quality seed that will have a deep root system and look nice.

Yes, a blend of varieties will offer multiple benefits. Some grasses take a long time to germinate, others germinate quickly. Some spread and some are bunch grasses. Using a blend when planting grass seed gives you benefits of multiple varieties.

As little as possible. Deep roots from quality seed will lower the need for fertilizers.

As needed, follow the instructions for the variety you plant and keep well watered until the grass seed is established.

Handyguy Brian discussed some of the things he learned about Pennington Grass. He visited Pennington’s R&D facility in Oregon earlier this year and has some interesting insight into seed varieties.

At Pennington’s “Seed for Yourself” Summit, Handyguy Brian was given the opportunity to try planting grass seed in a small plot using Pennington® Smart Seed to learn about the benefits of using a high-quality, pure seed product. Seed products are most appropriate for use when planting grass seed for a new lawn or re-seeding large areas.

Every bag of Pennington® Smart Seed contains pure seed and no filler. The seed varieties used in Pennington® Smart Seed are some of the most advanced varieties available and have been developed for their drought tolerance. At least 60 percent of the seed in every bag of Pennington® Smart Seed has been qualified by the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) for its drought tolerance. Pennington Seed is one of the three founding members of the TWCA, which works with state university systems and private research enterprises to develop turfgrasses that use less water.

In addition to using only the most advanced varieties, each seed is further enhanced with Pennington’s exclusive MYCO Advantage seed technology, which helps to introduce beneficial micro-organisms that attach themselves to the emerging seed roots for a denser, deeper root system.

After minimal soil tilling, Brian evenly spread fertilizer and Pennington® Smart Seed across his plots. Over the next several weeks, each plot received regular watering as appropriate.*

During the first days of planting grass seed , the seed absorbs water but has not swelled to the point of bursting open. Depending on the variety of grass, germination is not typically visible until at least 8 days, with some varieties taking well over 14 days.

At 14 days, germination is visible with a number of seeds having sprouted. Germination progresses over the next few weeks.

Through day 35-49, the grass continues to thicken across the seeded area. While full establishment for Pennington® Smart Seed takes longer than Pennington® 1-Step Complete, the grass grows beautiful and thick.

Pennington offers specialized variety blends or mixes of Pennington® Smart Seed. Pennington® Smart Seed comes in both traditional variety blends/mixes (Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue and Fescue/Bluegrass), as well as specialized mixes that are customized to specific regional climates – taking the guesswork out of selection. Varieties include: Sun & Shade, Dense Shade, Northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Pennsylvania State.

The post Planting Grass Seed, Strategies for Success first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Planting Grass Seed, Strategies for Success appeared first on The Handyguys.

The Handyguys, Paul and Brian, discuss your mailbox post options in this podcast. Before you dig a hole in your lawn, or get a chinook helicopter to remove your old post (as Handyguy Paul playfully suggests), it’s best to know what choices you have when it comes to choosing a mailbox post.

Basically, you want to match your mailbox post to the style of house that you have. In some cases, a neighborhood has the same type of posts and you want to blend in by building one that looks the same as your neighbors’. But if you don’t have any limits to the kind of post you’re building, here are some of your choices:

You can choose from a variety of woods when creating a mailbox. The most common are cedar and redwood. You can also opt for pressure treated lumber. Take note that one disadvantage of wood is it rots easily. This means you may have to replace your mailbox post often.

From your mailbox post options, cast iron posts are probably the most durable. The only problem is it can easily develop rust, which will then cause damage to your post. Make sure you keep it painted if you’re choosing an iron cast mailbox post. Powder coated posts are also available in the market, which lengthens the life of your cast iron post.

One advantage of using plastic is it doesn’t rust or rot. Plus, today’s plastic posts come in different molds. Some are made to look like stones, which can be perfect for the style of house that you have.

Spindigger is a new product that your Handyguys have recently tried out and is a good addition to your mailbox post options. Spindigger’s mailbox posts are made of rust proof cast aluminum and require no digging. Handyguy Brian says that it basically has an auger-type device, which screws your post to the ground. To find out more about Spindigger’s mailbox posts, go to www.spindigger.com You can also check out this brief video The Handyguys made installing a SpinDigger. Listen to the podcast for the full discussion.

The post Mailbox Post Choices first appeared on The Handyguys.

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The Handyguys interview Mike Ballou,  product Manager for John Deere, and discuss mower maintenance and the best way to care for your lawn.

Proper mower maintenance is critical for having a healthy, green  lawn.  Do not begin this new mowing season without changing the oil, sharpening your blades, lubing the joints and checking filters and spark plugs.  Your mower manual will provide all the details you need for proper mower maintenance.

Mike provides detailed instructions on:

There is some good material here that the Handyguys have not covered previously. Check out the full podcast and start your lawn off on the right track this mowing season.

Mike’s suggestion to mow your grass is a good one. Set the height to one of the highest settings. This will help prevent disease, crowd out weeds, reduce watering and your lawn will look fuller all season long.

We have been longtime advocates of using sharp blades. Mike provides another great tip. Buy an extra set of blades. If you have your blades professionally sharpened, you can just swap on your sharp blades while you wait for your dealer to sharpen the dull ones.

Mulching is always preferable to bagging. The clippings add water and nutrients back into your lawn. The only time you shouldn’t mulch is if you have waited too long between mows and have extra tall grass.

You should only remove about 1/3 of your blade height at one time. This will allow the mulching to work properly and will not stress your grass too much.

You may also want to check out the video we did a while back on how to sharpen and balance your mower blade.

The post Mower Maintenance and Tips for a Better Lawn first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Mower Maintenance and Tips for a Better Lawn appeared first on The Handyguys.

The Handyguys continued a discussion from an earlier episode on generators. Paul wanted to follow-up with the methods for connecting a generator to your electrical system. Generator transfer switches and manual generator interlock devices are discussed on the show.

Manual generator transfer switches are best suited for use with portable generators. Essentially you just throw the switch, plug in your generator and start it up.

An automatic generator transfer switch is usually used for standby generators that switch on automatically. They are also the most expensive type of transfer switch and the most complicated to install. They are usually installed by the electrician who installs the standby generator.

A manual interlock is the cheapest method of switching over from the utility grid to your generator power. This interlock from http://www.interlockkit.com is available in many states and they have versions that fit the most common electrical panels.

There is discussion of the pros and cons of using the cheaper interlock method instead of the more typical generator transfer switches. Listen to the podcast for details.

The Handyguys wrap up by changing the subject to discussing picking paint colors. Brian asks listeners to send @handyguys a tweet with a color for his master bedroom. The first color suggested on Twitter may be used when Brian paints his bedroom. Yikes!

The post Generator Transfer Switches Interlock Devices first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Generator Transfer Switches Interlock Devices appeared first on The Handyguys.

Okay – here is a quick tip, not a full show.

Fall and spring are a great time to aerate your lawn. An aerator will break up hard compacted soil and allow water and nutrients to better reach the roots of your grass. We all know that, that’s not the quick tip. The tip has to do with when you rent an Aerator.

When you rent an aerator, there is often the previous user’s bits of dirt and grass embedded in the plugs inside tines. Those plugs can contain weeds, weed seeds, other varieties of grass, etc. When you run the aerator over your lawn, you essentially will plant whatever the previous user had in their lawn in your lawn. Not good.

Avoid spreading of weeds, take a moment to hose off the tines before you begin aerating your lawn.

The post Renting a Lawn Aerator and Avoiding Weeds first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post Renting a Lawn Aerator and Avoiding Weeds appeared first on The Handyguys.

The Handyguys discuss modern refrigerator troubleshooting. Many of these tips apply regardless of who makes your refrigerator.

Paul’s GE side-by-side refrigerator is not cooling correctly (model gss25tsre.ss). In this audio podcast, The Handyguys discuss how to track down the issues.

Some common problems with modern refrigerators include:

Paul’s GE refrigerator not cooling was a big issue. His freezer temperature rose a little above freezing and his refrigerator was not keeping the milk cool. Paul looked to the back inside wall of his freezer for a solution. A panel can be removed to expose the evaporator coil. When his refrigerator was not working well, he noticed that these coils were frozen which prevents the fan properly cooling the freezer (and therefore the refrigerator as well).

The initial fix was to melt the ice on the evaporator coil to allow the unit to operate. This fix lasted about a month before it froze up again. The reason the defrost unit fails is usually the result of a bad defrost heater, defrost thermostat or thermistor. Some older models also have a defrost timer but this feature is handled by the main control board on his model (at least he thinks it is…he’s just a handyguy!).

Paul tested the heater for continuity and it appeared to be working fine. He also tested and replaced his thermistor. He has a new thermostat if needed but could not wait for this problem to occur again, so he just went ahead and replaced the entire control board. Time will tell if this fix worked (it has been about 3 weeks).

Paul highly recommends the forums at http://www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/ for advice and feedback on your appliance repairs.

Listen to the podcast for all the gory details.

The post GE Refrigerator Not Cooling Troubleshooting and Repair first appeared on The Handyguys.

The post GE Refrigerator Not Cooling Troubleshooting and Repair appeared first on The Handyguys.