Ask This Old House — Season 3
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01 Edging a Lawn; Selecting Drill Bits; What Is It?; Fighting Fire
Oct 4, 200430m
Our first House call of the season takes us to Beverly, Massachusetts, where Roger shows new homeowners Todd and Chrissy Fratzel the proper way to edge a lawn and flower bed. Back in the loft, Tom gives some lessons on choosing drill bits. Then the guys ask ""What Is It?"" Finally, Kevin visits Captain Hugh Duffy at the Boston Fire Department Training Center for some lessons on choosing the right type of fire extinguisher. More Info & Resources
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02 Clogged Trap; Brick Walkway Patterns; Fixing Ceiling Cracks
Oct 11, 200430m
Richard makes a House call in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to help homeowner Ziad Tarawneh replace a trap under his bathroom sink. Back in the loft, Roger shows Kevin a few design options for laying out a brick walkway. Then Tom shows homeowners Rudd Coffey and Melissa Liazos of Watertown, Massachusetts, how to make their cracked plaster ceiling look like new by covering it with drywall. More Info & Resources
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03 Broken Fence; What Is It? Shower Valve; Keyless Chuck
Oct 18, 200430m
Roger repairs a broken fence with teenage neighbor Amanda Rao. Back inside, the guys ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, Richard restores hot-water flow to a shower for a house-sitter by repairing an anti-scald shower valve. Back in the loft, Tom shows how to upgrade an old drill by installing a ""keyless"" chuck. More Info & Resources
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04 Pass-Through Opening; What Is It? Stopping a Running Toilet
Oct 25, 200430m
Tom visits homeowners David and Patti Dobrindt in Milton, Massachusetts, to help them cut a pass-through in their kitchen wall. Back in the loft, the guys ask, ""What Is It?"" After that, Rich repairs a continuously running toilet in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, for homeowner Peter Fay. More Info & Resources
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05 Screw Extractors; Cobblestone Edging; Rotting Porch Post
Nov 1, 200430m
Tom shows Kevin how to remove bolts and screws with stripped or damaged heads. Roger visits homeowner Lauren Speisman of Waltham, Massachusetts, to help create an edge along a concrete walkway using jumbo cobblestones. Back in the loft, Tom, Roger, Kevin and Richard ask, ""What Is It?"" as they identify unknown objects. Then Tom heads to Wenham, Massachusetts, to help homeowner Francine Molay jack up the roof of her front porch and fix a rotting post. More Info & Resources
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06 Flower Boxes; What Is It? New Lawn with Sod
Nov 8, 200430m
Tom helps spruce up the front of homeowner Stacy Keller's Acton, Massachusetts, house by building window boxes for flowers. Then Tom, Roger, Richard and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then Roger installs sod to create a brad-new lawn in the backyard of Needham, Massachusetts, homeowner Peter Burdick, just in time for his family's annual barbecue. More Info & Resources
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07 Anode Rod Replacement; Water Diverter; Too Much Heat!
Nov 15, 200430m
In the workshop loft, Richard demonstrates how to extend the life of a hot water heater by replacing the sacrificial anode rod. Tom visits homeowner Alison Hardy of Topsfield, Massachusetts, and installs a ""cricket,"" or rain diverter, to keep water away from her front steps. Then Richard, Tom, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It"" Then it's off to Brighton, Massachusetts, where Richard helps homeowner Kim McMahon cool off by installing thermostatic valves on her stream radiators. More Info & Resources
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08 Hanging Shelves; Soil Testing; Hot Water Recirculator
Nov 22, 200430m
Tom helps homeowners Rich and Sarah Paisner of Brighton, Massachusetts, get organized by installing adjustable shelves on the wall in their den. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then Roger is joined by soil expert Roberta Clark from the University of Massachusetts for some tips on testing soil before planting. Then Richard gets Tewksbury, Massachusetts, homeowner Paige Impink into hot water by installing a hot water recirculator pump in her upstairs bathroom. More Info & Resources
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09 Plumbing Valves; Old Bulkhead; Drip Irrigation Repair
Nov 29, 200430m
Inside the loft, Richard gives Kevin some lessons on leaky valves and how to repair them. Then, Tom heads to Waltham, Massachusetts to help homeowners David Anderson and Alica Beneteau replace an old, rusty cellar door with a new fiberglass model. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, Roger helps homeowner Christine Dinardo of Carlisle, Massachusetts repair a leaky drip irrigation hose. More Info & Resources
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10 Noisy Toilet; What Is It? Cutting Crown Molding; Broken Tile
Dec 6, 200430m
Richard visits Stephen Davidson of Littleton, Massachusetts to find the source of a strange ""fog horn"" sound coming from his plumbing system. Then Richard, Tom, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Back in the loft, Tom shows the three basic cuts necessary to install crown molding. And tile contractor Joe Ferrante helps homeowner Brandon Ingersoll of Cambridge, Massachusetts replace some hard-to-find broken bathroom tiles. More Info & Resources
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11 Ladder Safety; What Is It? Replacing an Old Retaining Wall
Dec 13, 200430m
Kevin heads outside the barn to learn about ladder safety from expert John Drengenberg. Up at the loft, Kevin, Tom, Richard and Roger ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, Roger rebuilds a crumbling retaining wall with homeowner Colin White of Wakefield, Massachusetts using interlocking concrete blocks. More Info & Resources
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12 Cracked Stucco; Cleaning a Lawnmower; Dehumidifier Pumps
Dec 20, 200430m
Tom heads to sunny Los Angeles, California where he helps homeowner Joshua Tano repair some cracked stucco. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, Roger shows Kevin how to keep a lawnmower humming all summer long by cleaning underneath the deck. Then, Richard helps water-logged homeowner Karen Kostegan of Bedford, Massachusetts install a pump to remove condensate from her basement dehumidifier. More Info & Resources
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13 Planting a New Lawn; What Is It? Replacing a Kitchen Sink
Dec 27, 200430m
Roger re-seeds a damaged lawn for homeowner Mary Brintnall of Beverly, Massachusetts. Back in the loft, Roger, Tom, Richard and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, Richard heads to Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights, Michigan to install a new kitchen sink for homeowners Donna and Tim Mackey. More Info & Resources
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14 Chicago Door Glass; Glass Expert; Pruning a Pin Oak
Jan 3, 200530m
Tom heads to the windy city suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, where he helps homeowner Richard Westphal replace the broken window pane in an exterior door. Back in the loft, Tom and glass expert Larry Rosenfield show Kevin different kinds of safety glass. Afterwards, Tom, Kevin, Richard and Roger ask, ""What Is It?"" Then Roger is off to Brookline, Massachusetts to ""let the sunshine in"" for homeowner Elizabeth Choi by pruning her Pin Oak tree with the help of arborist Matt Foti. More Info & Resources
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15 Old Storm Window; Shrubs; Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Jan 10, 200530m
Tom helps homeowner Tarah Hirschey of Wellesley, Massachusetts make her old windows more efficient by installing new storm windows. Then, Roger offers tips for getting your shrubs ready for winter. Afterwards, Tom, Roger, Richard and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" in the Ask This Old House loft. Finally, Roger heads to New York City where he meets up with home inspector Stephen Gladstone and homeowners Roy and Sophia Pachecano for some potentially life-saving lessons on carbon monoxide detectors. More Info & Resources
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16 Replicating Moldings; Unlevel Patio; Stripping Wallpaper
Jan 17, 200530m
In the Ask This Old House loft, Tom shows Kevin a few ways to recreate different molding profiles. Then, Roger heads to Skokie, Illinois where he has some ""uplifting"" advice for a homeowner with a sinking brick patio. After that, Tom, Roger, Richard and Kevin guess ""What Is It?"" in the loft, Then, Jim shows Kevin and homeowner Caroline Pooler of Andover, Massachusetts a new way to strip wallpaper. More Info & Resources
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17 Rotted Deck Balusters; What Is It? Connecting an Icemaker
Jan 24, 200530m
Homeowner Martin D'Agostino of Swampscott, Massachusetts receives a visit from Tom who knows him how to repair and replace his rotting deck balusters. Then Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" in the Ask This Old House loft. Afterwards, Richard heads off to Salem, Massachusetts to hook up a refrigerator's ice-maker and water dispenser for homeowner Joe Cole. More Info & Resources
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18 Unclogging Drains; Window Weights; Low-Maintenance Garden
Jan 31, 200530m
In the barn loft, Richard ""clears up"" the mysteries of clogged bathtub drains. Then, Tom helps Marblehead, Massachusetts homeowner Terry Lavelle replace his double-hung window weights with spring loaded sash balancers. Afterwards, Tom shows Kevin how to insulate the empty window weight pockets to prevent cold winter drafts. Then Tom, Richard, Kevin and Roger ask, ""What Is It?"" Finally, Roger helps a very thoughtful tenant, Brett Campbell of Arlington, Massachusetts, plant a low-maintenance garden for his elderly landlady. More Info & Resources
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19 Composting; What Is It? Removing a House Trap
Feb 7, 200530m
Roger shows homeowner Doug Ferguson of Hudson, Massachusetts how to recycle his yard waste through composting. They visit a compost bin test site where they meet compost expert Ann McGovern from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Then Roger, Tom, Richard and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" in the Ask This Old House loft. Later, Richard helps homeowner Kate Smukler of Arlington, Massachusetts remove an old cast-iron house trap on her main sewer line so that a clog can be easily cleared. More Info & Resources
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20 Floor Leveling; What Is It? Leaky Water Valve; Air Compressors
Feb 14, 200530m
Tom helps homeowner Mark Andrews of Charleston, Massachusetts level an uneven concrete floor so that he can install hardwood flooring. Then Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" in the Ask This Old House loft. Then, Richard shows homeowner Jenna Williams of Rex, Georgia a simple repair for a leaky water shut-off valve. Then, up in the loft, Tom teaches Kevin about air-compressors and how to select the right one for the job. More Info & Resources
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21 220-Volt Receptacle; Gardening Hand Tools; Macerating Toilet
Feb 21, 200530m
Tom shows Kevin what's inside a typical residential electrical service panel. Then, master electrician Allen Gallant helps homeowner Steve Bankowitz of Burlington, Massachusetts install a 220-volt receptacle in his garage-turned-woodshop. Roger shows Kevin what types of hand tools every home gardener should own. Then, the crew ask, ""Whats Is It?"" in the Ask This Old House loft. Later, Richard helps homeowner Scott Jones of Arlington, Massachusetts install a macerating toilet in his basement. More Info & Resources
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22 Riding Lawnmowers; Garbage Disposers; Rotting Threshold
Feb 28, 200530m
Roger heads to Alpharetta, Georgia to help homeowner Dale Eneberg shop for a new riding lawnmower. Then Roger, Richard, Tom and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Later, Tom replaces a rotting wooden threshold for homeowners Steve Chapman and Maggie Hale of Arlington, Massachusetts. And, back in the loft, Richard shows Kevin how garbage disposers work and explains how to keep them working like new. More Info & Resources
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23 Clogged Vent Stack; What Is It? Backyard Ice Rink
Mar 7, 200530m
Richard helps homeowner Tom Pulkowski of Chelmsford, Massachusetts clear a clogged vent stack with the aid of a fiberoptic plumbing snake. Then Richard, Roger, Tom and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then Roger helps homeowner Dennis Cronin of Duxbury, Massachusetts build an ice skating rink in his backyard. More Info & Resources
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24 Air Cleaner; Walkway Ice Removal; Bathroom Venting
Mar 14, 200530m
Richard helps a pair of homeowners from Arlington, Massachusetts install an electronic air cleaner on their forced-air furnace. Then Roger shows Kevin some tools and materials for removing ice from concrete walkways. And Tom shows homeowner Enza Sheehan of Swampscott, Massachusetts how to properly vent a bathroom fan to the outside of the house. More Info & Resources
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25 Florescent Light; Landscaping Software; Aluminum Heat Cover
Mar 21, 200530m
Up in the loft, Tom shows Kevin a few tricks for using one of the most basic tools, a tape measure. Then master electrician Allen Gallant visit homeowner Kristen Berger of Leominster, Massachusetts and brightens up a dimly-lit basement with new fluorescent fixtures. Then Tom, Kevin, Richard and Roger ask, ""What Is It?"" Later, Kevin shows Roger a software package that can be used to create a three-dimensional landscape plan. And Richard makes a house call to homeowner Wendy Smith in Duxbury, Massachusetts and shows her how to replace the banged-up aluminum cover on an old baseboard heater. More Info & Resources
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26 Window Boxes; What Is It? Plumbing Connections
Mar 28, 200530m
Tom makes a house call to Atlanta, Georgia to show homeowner Terry Andrews how to use masonry fasteners to install window boxes on his brick townhouse. Then Tom, Richard, Roger and Kevin ask, ""What Is It?"" Then, back in the loft, Richard shows Kevin several different ways to make copper pipe connections, including a new solderless system. Then, Roger helps homeowner Alan Lear of Carlisle, Massachusetts install a perimeter drain to catch rainwater running off of his roof. More Info & Resources