Tim Carter of "Ask the Builder" needs help...

…with a Well Water Quality concern. This could be a great opportunity for exposure if someone can help him. (I do know from past newsletters that he does mention names and places of those that have helped him)…

Here is his weekly newsletter that discusses the problem…

May 12, 2009 Newsletter and Tips

Copyright 2009 - Tim Carter

Hello Jeff!

Welcome if you are a new subscriber. If you like this newsletter, feel free to forward it to as many of your friends as you wish.

If you wish to Unsubscribe, look all the way at the bottom for the Unsubscribe link. All you have to do is click it to stop getting this newsletter.

F****OLLOW ME ON TWITTER](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=it7Vz2PDot_TyMYGV78.qQ)

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don’t hit the Reply button just yet.
Go immediately to my web site](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=vC0olKfDa8CO0zGjr11WNw) and type in the keywords about your
problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of
every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if
you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The
exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be
ignoring them.

Allergic to Well Water

My daughter Meghan, who runs the AsktheDecorator site (you might
want to get on her newsletter list as she’s working on an exciting
project you’ll want to know about - look at the bottom center of
her home page to subscribe to her newsletter.), is allergic to many
foods and now we’ve discovered she reacts to the well water here in
New Hampshire. Her skin swells up noticeably when it comes into
contact with the water.

I had the water tested when I bought the house, getting the most
extensive tests done that I could. All the reports came back that
the water was fine. The water does have a slight sulfur odor, but
that was deemed not a health issue.

My questions to you are:

Are you - or someone you know - allergic to well water, and if so,
what have you/they done to correct the situation?

If you’re on a well, what water filtration system have you used to
make your water as pure as possible? What systems have failed you
in the past?

I’ve contacted the Water Quality Association in Chicago THREE times
to get information, and they have never followed through. I’m a
member of the working press and have contacted their PR person to
no avail. I want to write a column about this situation and even do
videos, but they’re avoiding me like the swine flue. It’s crazy.

If you work with this association and have a magic decoder ring to
get access to their members, let me know. Or, if you work for a
water-purification company that is a member of this association,
you should know that your dues money could possibly be spent
responding to press requests. Heavy Sigh…

If you can help Meghan and I through this situation, we would be
eternally grateful.

Memorial Day Grill Out

I just assembled a new Weber grill for the lake house. Oh is it
nice to cook outdoors again. This gorgeous Genesis EP-310 Weber grill](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=yBjzEKHHEJvtik8o4hWuHg) is
a dark green that matches the trim on my house. It’s very handsome
and can it cook food! I mention this in case you’re on the fence
needing to make a decision about a new grill for this summer. With
Memorial Day just around the corner, you may find these bad boys on
sale.

Mine has three separate stainless-steel burners, stainless grease
shields so the burners don’t get clogged with food or grease,
wonderful cast-iron grates, and plenty of shelf space on the left
to put down a platter or plate. It’s a great grill. Mine is propane
as we don’t have natural gas here at my house. You can get them to
burn natural gas. If you get one, let me know how you like yours. I
LOVE mine!

Loft Bed for Six Foster Kids

Liz Blackfox emailed me asking, “My daughter is taking in 6 foster
children in a very short time. They need an “L” shaped loft. Two
girls along one wall and one girl along the bottom of the “L”. They
are on very limited income and have little building experience.
Would you please tell me where I can go to find some sort of plan
to build such a loft? I have called two lumber stores but they
said they have no such book or plans.”

Liz, I believe I can help you. I have several columns that show you
how to build a simple loft bed. You’ll have to modify my plans
slightly to make the “L” bend, but that’s pretty easy to figure
out. Check out these past columns that have photos and illustrations:

Loft Bed Column](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=Ctl4jVvnzGPn4jtuxB.nEg)

Building a Loft Bed](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=y5JCCtPbw_rWU7ORd5dYkQ)

3D Illustrations of a Loft Bed](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=5fcitXTWJIexlVSb1G7Hzg)

More Loft Bed Information](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=AuTT89V42lPRV_cIUdcXLQ)

Marshalltown Drywall Tools

About five weeks ago I received some drywall tools](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=v5SId8AgU5aKbLNYM4O_Og) to test. I got
an assortment of broad knifes, two different stainless-steel mud
pans, a dust collector, a taping tool, etc. I’ve used Marshalltown
tools for years, and still have a magnesium float that’s finished
countless yards of concrete sidewalks, patios and steps. It’s a
cherished tool of mine.

The quality of these drywall tools is simply astounding. They are
well designed, not heavy and can last generations if you treat them
with care. I can tell you that when finishing drywall, the tools
can make a huge difference. A low-quality tool will have you
struggling. A great tool will enhance your finishing skills. I urge
you to really take a look at all the tools Marshalltown makes for
drywall. While you’re there, take a look at all the things they
make. You’ll be surprised.

Dock and Deck Cleaning!

This weekend I’m going to clean and seal my wood dock as well as
the steps that lead to the dock. I’ll be using my Stain Solver,
because it’s absolutely non-toxic and will not hurt surrounding
vegetation, the lake, the fish or anything in the water. You may
want to clean your wood deck before a Memorial Day party.

To help you on this project, I’ve just had Roger make a price
adjustment on our 16-pound size. See the link just below. This is the
most common size ordered by folks who clean their decks. This size
makes 40 gallons of cleaning solution. You’d be surprised how quickly
you can use up even 20 gallons. So if your deck is smaller, you’ll have extra left
over for your laundry, tile grout cleaning or any other stain-removal job.

If you’re interested, you need to act fast. Why? There are only 200
of these containers in the warehouse, and I don’t know when the
supplier can restock us. The first 200 people who order get the
special price.

Ellen’s ready to ship them to you now. You’ll be amazed at how well
Stain Solver cleans wood decking. Watch this past video of mine to
see how I used it on an abused deck. I show you in this video why you
should NOT use a pressure washer. The video has a corny opening, but
cut me some slack. :->

Here’s the video](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=VhNoJ14DBqFv9QCTpXIJWA).

Here’s the link to the the 16-pound Stain Solver](http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KHsyR&m=1a1SWMMtK5NiL5&b=wFViEkwYydTWJp4p8_REvw).

Don’t hesitate. It WILL sell out.

Who Killed the Dragons?

At lunch today Meghan, Brent and I were talking about the boat
docks that were installed next to our Association beach. It’s very
expensive to take them in and out of the water each season. I
thought that the boat owners might consider using bubblers to
prevent ice from forming around the docks. A bubbler makes the
water move enough that it can’t turn to ice, even though the
temperature of the water is well below freezing. The trouble with a
bubbler is if it stops working, the super-chilled water can flash
freeze very rapidly.

But Meghan commented, “They just need to get a dragon.” We then got
sidetracked into the demise of dragons. That brought to mind a
conversation I had with my son Tristan back three months ago as I
was driving him back here from Burlington, VT where he’s in school.
We were making our way down I-89 behind a huge snowplow through a
mild snow storm and he quipped, “Dad, I think the snowplows of the
future will have giant lasers on them that just vaporize the snow
and dry the road at the same time. That would be so much safer.” I
agreed, but I’m quite sure that technology won’t happen in my
lifetime.

The dragon idea, though, has legs. All those knights in the Middle
Ages really goofed up slaying all of them. Think of all the jobs a
pet dragon could do around the house: Melt snow, warm up the soil
to do early planting, barbecue, preheat ovens, reheat bath water,
replace space heaters - so long as he wouldn’t set things on fire,
etc. You can tell the conversations at our meals are quite
stimulating.

Latest Columns

I’ll have new columns, and hopefully a video or two, for you next
issue!


P.O. Box 887
Meredith, NH 03253-0887, USA