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E1 | Water Heater Autopsy, Composting | Ask This Old House
09/29/22 | 23m 42s | Rating: TV-G
The Ask This Old House team shares their personal stories about why they like to work together; Richard performs an autopsy on a retired water heater by cutting it open to diagnose why it failed; Jenn shares her love of educating kids about the outdoors. Then, she and Nathan build a compost bin for a net zero elementary school.
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E1 | Water Heater Autopsy, Composting | Ask This Old House
Kevin
On "Ask This Old House," our experts travel across the country to answer questions about your house. Today, what's it like to work alongside the "Ask This Old House" crew? We'll gather our experts to see what they really think about each other. Then what's happening inside a hot water heater after a decade of use? Richard will take a look inside a tank-type water heater that's past its prime. Oh! Plus, Jenn and Nathan will team up with a great group of fourth graders to build a compost bin to reduce waste at their school. On "Ask This Old House." It's kind of a remarkable group, when you think about it. None of them wanted to be in television. They're all professional tradespeople. They all continue to practice their profession. And I think that says it all.
Tom
What do I think about Kevin?
Mark
One word to describe Kevin is generous.
Jenn
Perceptive.
Mauro
Smart.
Nathan
Kevin is locked on.
Richard
Kevin is the glue. He's the consistent thread between all the segments. He's the perfect scene partner. He's that catalyst that makes you better. He's just always on. He listens better than any host we've ever had.
Tom
You want me to say it in one word? Sonny.
Chuckle
Tom
You know, I kid about Sonny. I consider him a dear friend.
Jenn
Tommy Silva, the GOAT. He is -- He's just -- He's the greatest. He is -- He just inspires people.
Ross
Tommy is a magician. You could drop him in the woods, you know, with nothing but a, you know, Swiss army knife and he would figure out a way to make some contraption. He can almost do anything with his hands. It's just so impressive.
Kevin
He's incredibly curious. He keeps trying to figure out new stuff and new ways to do things. He's inexhaustible.
Richard
Tommy is one-of-a-kind. He knows what he knows, but he has this humble gentleness to him. both in front of the camera and behind.
Jenn
Mark, Mark, Mark.
Tom
Mark. The salt of the earth.
Nathan
I would have to go with humble. It's amazing what he's capable of. Hardworking. I mean, he's got a work ethic like no one else and it doesn't matter if it's 100 or 20, you know, he's showing up.
Jenn
He's dedicated. He's committed. He has a company of over 100 people. He keeps them all organized. And on top of that all, he's an amazing mason.
Kevin
If you sit down and share a meal with this guy, you're going to see a whole different side of Mark McCullough.
Tom
He is a funny guy, yeah.
Heath
One word for Jenn? Authentic. You get exactly what you see. She's credible.
Mark
Genuine.
Tom
Jenn -- upbeat. Always has a smile on her face.
Mauro
Fun.
Kevin
Jenn is exuberant. She just loves to pass on the enthusiasm, to get folks riled up about what she's doing. And it comes across with a big smile. To describe Jenn in one word, I would definitely say sister because she is like a sister.
Jenn
Heath. Gosh!
Tom
Heath? Shocking sometimes. No. Electrician, shocking, get it?
Kevin
I say this in an endearing way. He is an electrical geek. Like he really wants to understand, you know, how it works, but he also really wants to understand what's required, what's the latest and greatest, what, you know, is the technology that he has to both use to be code, but what he can use to make a situation better.
Mark
One word to describe Heath?
Methodical. Ross
He's meticulous.
Mauro
Heath is a perfectionist.
Tom
He's there round the clock, if need be, and, to me, those are the kind of people you want to have as friends and also on your team.
Jenn
Mauro is -- He's meticulous.
Heath
Meticulous. Just seeing some of the work he's done is just amazing.
Ross
Detailed.
Tom
He's a gem.
Nathan
I would say dependable because I have personally been in a spot a couple of times where I needed his help. The next morning, he showed up.
Richard
Mauro is the maestro of paint. Every time, the product is just amazing. He's got that little twinkle in his eye. That's not a bad thing, either.
Mark
One word to describe Mauro? Artistic.
Tom
Nathan. How would I describe Nathan? Cool guy.
Nathan is a guru. Mauro
Forthright.
Tom
Very focused, determined.
Heath
Meticulous. If you ever looked inside of his work vehicle and seen how well-labeled everything is, you'd understand.
Richard
Nathan is exactly what we hoped to find in our Generation NEXT initiative. He's really coming into his own.
Kevin
Nathan? Listen, he's a Boy Scout. Eagle Scout, actually, and he he carries himself that way, you know. He's very thoughtful. He's very deliberate. He's very calm under pressure. He knows exactly what needs to get done and he doesn't stop until he finishes it.
Jenn
Nathan is industrious. He is an innovator. It's so awesome to see a young-er person just crushing it.
Richard
Ross Trethewey, I like a lot.
Laughs
Heath
One word for Ross. Innovative. The technology he sees and works on is unbelievable.
Nathan
Well-rounded. He is definitely engaging.
Mauro
Ross? Really smart.
Tom
Known him since he was a little kid and watched him grow up, high school, college. Very knowledgeable on his trade. He's an "engineer," so, I can get lost in some of his conversation.
Kevin
Ross knows a lot of stuff about stuff you never knew you needed to know about.
Laughs
Kevin
I mean, he's a total engineer, but he makes everything work and he makes everything more comfortable and that's sort of his gift. He gets it from his dad, but he also charted his own course.
Richard
He's my son. He's a full-blown mechanical engineer and he brings sort of a joy of learning, you know. He always wants to be on the front edge of everything.
Tom
Richard? Oh, boy, Richard. Let's talk about Richard.
Mark
One word to describe Richard? Charismatic.
Ross
Dad. I mean, plumber, but Dad. I mean, that one's self-explanatory.
Laughs
Nathan
I would definitely say passionate. He has a passion for what he does like I've never seen anyone else.
Richard
So, it's sort of like fishing, Kev.
Laughter
Kevin
Not my kind of fishing.
Richard
Oh, I got one!
Jenn
Mr. Trethewey. He's very passionate.
Tom
He's a good teacher and he has the passion of his trade and he can pass that knowledge on easily and explain it very well.
Kevin
Richard's been at it from the very beginning. Forty years later, he still has lessons to teach. He still has knowledge to share. He loves the collaboration "Show people who these tradespeople are. Let's tell them what goes into keeping the systems running." He wants those people who do it day in and day out to be recognized for what they know and for what they do. That's who he is, you know, chief cheerleader.
Jenn
Gosh, the team is -- Everyone's just cool. Everyone does their thing, everyone does their job, and we all meet in the middle.
Heath
I think what makes the current group so special is that we're happy to be there, happy to work with each other and help each other out.
Kevin
That they really enjoy mentoring people and they really enjoy teaching people. And I think people can see it. When somebody loves something, you know, when somebody loves what they do, it just comes across with all of them. Hey,
Richard. Richard
Hey. A moment of silence, please, for our newly departed.
Kevin
Another one bit the dust. Okay.
Richard
This water heater has lived a good life, about 16 years in service.
Kevin
And now it's done?
Richard
Right. So, this is the standard tank in America, a gas-fired tank-type water heater. And, you know, people forget that it is merely a glass-lined steel tank.
Kevin
You don't like the whole steel and water together.
Richard
The water can get to the steel and it'll rust. And so you can see indicators here that it leaked at the flue passageway here, right here.
Kevin
But other than this, I mean, to most people,
this looks like it's fine. Richard
Right. And most people just ignore it and then, all of a sudden, they wake up in the morning and there's no hot water and there's water in the basement and so they'll never proact to replacing it before the fact, okay?
Kevin
Okay.
Richard
But I thought we would do a little autopsy on this one.
Kevin
You're going to open it up?
Yeah. Kevin
A live cutaway.
Richard
Why not?
Kevin
Absolutely, why not?
Get your gear on. Kevin
I'm down for that. We always come into the cutaways already done.
Richard
Alright. I have a diamond blade.
Whirring
Kevin
I'm going to go here. Oh! Good thing the patient was dead, Richard, otherwise, you would've killed it.
Richard
I think those saws would kill him.
Laughs
Kevin
See what we got in there.
Richard
Oh, my goodness! Look at -- So,
Laughs
Richard
this is the anode rod. You see this right here? This is the thing that saves this tank from -- from rot.
Laughs
Richard
This is what it's supposed to look like.
Laughter
Richard
That's what it's supposed to look like. And this is sacrificial. Once this goes, everything aggressive goes after the tank. And then -- Oh, lookit right here. All rotted right here at the weld with -- right here at the bottom of this. So, this is the hot water out and the weld must've let go because it's coming right through there and then indirectly made that.
Kevin
Is it as bad as you expected?
Richard
It's kind of typical. You can see -- This was once this shiny, glazed surface and now you can see it's pit-corroded. Each one of these places is where crazing in the enamel let go and it caused pit corrosion right there and, sooner or later, it just goes "Fssh."
Kevin
And, as I look on the bottom, I mean, I'm looking at chunks of this tank and all the built-up minerals and stuff. This is potable water.
Richard
That's potable water. With a little bit of rust.
Kevin
Oof! What's the lesson?
Richard
The lesson is expect 10 or 12 years out of these tanks, if you can do it. If the anode rod got changed, you could probably get 20 years,
but nobody ever does it. Kevin
Right.
Richard
Looking at that water at the bottom, you understand that, anytime you heat water, any sediment wants to drop to the bottom, so I would drain water out with some regularity. Don't go crazy, but just sort of try
to keep the sediment off the bottom. Kevin
Yeah. And then with these things, obviously, beauty's only skin deep.
It's nasty in there. Richard
This is beautiful.
Kevin
Except for in there.
Cool. Richard
That was fun, actually.
Kevin
I love that, Dr. Trethewey.
Laughs
Kevin
Very nice. I thought the lesson was going to be use a six-inch grinder, instead of a four-inch grinder.
Laughter
Richard
That, too.
Jenn
Excellent. I've always worked with kids. I've worked in youth centers. I've been camp counselor at a summer arts camp. I worked on a farm, teaching outdoor education. I love watching kids discover and find out for themselves. It's so cool. There's nothing like sticking your hands in the dirt and feeling it yourself. Don't worry about getting dirty. It's going to wash off. The thing is good things take time. It takes time to grow a plant. If you know where things come from, if you grow your own food, you learn respect for it. It's just that little respect of time, which I think is so important, that I think our world has gotten away from because we want this immediate gratification. Composting is a great project for kids because it's easy to do. It's another way of teaching responsibility of, "Oh, I can put my banana peel, my orange peel, in the compost and then it's going to break down and turn into soil for free. Why wouldn't you do that?" With kids, in terms of teaching them, I like to let them just do it themselves, at first. Kids, they already have a plan, way before any teacher comes in. They're creative. They're not afraid to explore. They're just going to do it. Give it a little love over there. So, kids give me a perspective. It reminds me to go in with an open mind. Kids keep us all in check.
Nathan
Look at this place.
Jenn
I know. What a unique school.
It's brand-new. Nathan
This is incredible.
Jenn
Very environmentally conscious.
Elizabeth
Hi!
Jenn
Hi, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth
Hi. I'm Elizabeth Kaplan. I am the K-7 math-science coordinator here at the Hosmer School in Watertown, Massachusetts,
and this is our new building. Nathan
It's beautiful.
Jenn
I mean, it's -- it's really an exceptional school.
Elizabeth
Want to take a look?
Jenn
Yeah.
Let's go take a tour around. Elizabeth
Sure. So, you can see everything in this building was intentionally designed for student use.
Nathan
These open lockers are really cool.
Elizabeth
Thank you. They are amazing. So, our building is LEED Gold certified.
Nathan
What does that mean?
Elizabeth
LEED stands for leadership in energy and environmental design and it means we use less energy than we produce.
Jenn
So how are you producing energy here?
Through solar panels. Jenn
Mm-hmm, nice. I did notice the parking lot was all solar panels.
Elizabeth
Yeah, and they're all over the roof as well.
Jenn
Very cool. I'm so happy you emailed us. What exactly do you need our help with?
Elizabeth
Well, as a part of our commitment to reducing waste, we are composting as a school and we're not only composting our kitchen scraps and our lunch scraps, but we're also composting in the garden.
Nice. Elizabeth
Let's go to a classroom.
I'll show you more. Jenn
Love to see it.
Elizabeth
So this is our fifth grade classroom.
Jenn
Good morning, guys!
Nathan
Hey, guys.
Students
Morning!
Jenn
So nice to see you.
Elizabeth
Everyone, this is Jenn. She's a landscape contractor.
And this is Nathan. He's a carpenter. Nathan
Hi, guys.
Students
Hi, Nathan! Hi, Jenn!
Elizabeth
So, our fifth graders are learning about composting and how nutrients are broken down and released into the soil. So, every grade level in our school makes a contribution to the garden. They all plant something. They harvest. Some of our vegetables are served in our cafeteria and families take care of it in the summer.
Nice. Jenn
What a great community-building project you get to do with your families, too. So, who knows about composting? Because there's a couple of things you need to know. We need to have the greens and we need to have the browns, right. Who knows what -- something green that you put in compost? Uma.
Uma
Grass clippings.
Jenn
Yes! Grass clippings. Anything green, like grass, any leaves from trees or shrubs or perennials. Those could all go in as green. Now, the other question is what is something brown to put in? Anybody have any idea? Daniela.
Daniela
Dried sticks or brown leaves.
Jenn
Yes! So, you need the brown leaves and sticks, like anything from fallen trees, any kind of broken, anything that's crispy outside, that's going to be your brown, your carbon, okay? So, but when we put the two together, who knows the ratio of green to brown? Avantika.
Avantika
So, three brown parts and one green part.
Jenn
Correct! So, three parts brown, one part green. So, you get all your your leaves and your sticks, all the brown stuff, like in the fall, when you're raking up your leaves, you could layer them. So, do three parts brown and then you go one part green. You gather anything green leaves and you could just do layers and layers and then your compost pile is going to start to cook, so. And then what's going to happen when it starts cooking? What does it turn into?
Students
Compost!
Jenn
Yes! You guys are so smart. And so that compost that comes out of the greens and browns that have been broken down, we're going to feed the plants. It's a very nutrient-rich compost soil that will go to the roots. It's going to make stronger flowers. It's going to have stronger fruits. And the overall health of the plant, it's going to be more disease-resistant as well.
Elizabeth
And the other thing composting does that we talk about is it reduces our waste. So, a lot of trash goes into landfills and, if we're composting, we're putting much less trash out there.
Jenn
So, let's let the worms do their job, okay?
Laughter
Yeah. Elizabeth
So, I want to show you the garden.
Nathan
And we're going to make you guys a composting bin. Ready to get started?
Yep. Nathan
Alright.
Elizabeth
So, here we have our new school gardens that we're just getting started with.
Jenn
Wow! What a great outdoor classroom.
Nathan
This is beautiful.
Jenn
I love the layout. So, does each raised planter represent something for a class, or how do you guys work it?
Elizabeth
Yeah. I mean, every class plants something out here. For example, the second graders just planted these radishes and you can see they're coming up. We also have some husk cherries and here we have tomatoes that we've been planting. We're going to plant some chive. And, up at the top, we have our plot for our three sisters garden and it's corns, beans and squash and they're crops that have been planted by indigenous people for millennia.
Nathan
Wow. Very cool.
Very cool. Nathan
I love it.
Elizabeth
So, in order to incorporate composting into our school garden program and into our curriculum,
Okay. Jenn
Right. And so most towns require bins. Some towns do pickup on curbside. Some towns, you could hire services. But, essentially, everyone is going to have to be composting and this is a great way to start.
Elizabeth
Yeah, this is our Earth Machine, where we put some of our food waste there. So, no meat or no bones or no dairy. Our schoolwide composting, the company that picks up will take care of that.
But we need a bin for our yard waste. Nathan
Okay.
Jenn
I think Nathan might be able to help out with that.
Nathan
Where do you want to put this?
Elizabeth
I was thinking over here.
Nathan
Alright, this looks like a great spot.
Yeah. Nathan
About what size you thinking, fill up the area?
Elizabeth
Yeah, something that would kind of fit in this corner.
Nathan
Okay, well, that's about... It's about 6 feet from here to the end of the tape. Do something 6 feet wide. That's 4 feet there, but 4 feet deep.
Jenn
Design-wise, I think it works.
Yeah. Jenn
You know, you have the whole perimeter. You could go all the way around, access from all sides and whatever kind of top you're going to do,
it'd be nice to access. Nathan
Yeah, I think so. And, for -- for the height, maybe 36 inches. We'll keep it a little bit lower for the kids.
That's great. Nathan
Make it easier for them to work in it. For material, I bought some 2x6 cedar.
Great. Nathan
I think that'll blend in well with the shed and the fence. Let's get some tools out and get started.
Great. Jenn
I
like it. Nathan
Alright.
Jenn
Hey,
Nathan. Nathan
Hey.
Jenn
Glad to see you're working on a design for me.
Nathan
I got a little something.
Jenn
Yeah. A couple things -- I like to use a rot-resistant material, such as cedar,
like this. Nathan
Absolutely.
Jenn
I think that's a great idea. And then having sides and a top is also very important
because that's going to help the compost cook. Nathan
Yep.
Jenn
And then having a removable slat or like a door to just access the compost, I think is a great idea. So, what have you come up with?
Nathan
I think we can do that all with this design. For the front, I'm going to sandwich some material together. I'm going to take some 2x6 cedar, add a rip to the middle, and then what I can do is create a little channel for these removable panels to come in and out,
so they can get access to the bottom. Jenn
Nice.
Nathan
In the rear, some simple 4x4 posts. For a top, I'm going to do a sheet of plywood cut in half and I'm going to put a piano hinge on it, so, if they're working in one bay, they can flip the lid off, work, and then flip it back when they're done.
Jenn
That's a great idea because two different --
two different timings with the compost piles. Nathan
Exactly.
Excellent. Nathan
So, I think it's going to work out really good.
I think we're ready to start cutting. Jenn
Can I help?
Yeah. Jenn
Okay.
Nathan
To get started, I want to cut the 2x6 boards that will make up the sandwiched front posts. I'll cut the two pieces at 39 inches. Then I'll rip another piece at 2.5 inches wide to act as the slot to receive the slats. So, we'll drop that first side piece on. Once the posts are all cut to size, we can start assembling the frame. This one here. Grab one of those 4x4 posts. I got some 1/2-inch cutoffs, if you want to bring those over. We'll put these between every course. So,
if you want to toss me a long back piece. Jenn
Okay.
I love your spacers. Nathan
Like them? Now, we can make the slats for the front. Jenn, why don't you cut the pieces to 29 inches, while I work on the dividers? While you're at it, why don't you sand down the edge of each board? That'll help it slide down the post easier. For the center divider, I'm going to attach a nailing cleat, run 1x6 cedar boards up the middle, and then cap it off on the other side. Finally, we can work on the top of the bin. I'll cut the plywood with my track saw, keeping the dimensions slightly oversize, so it fits nicely over the bin. We'll attach this piano hinge to connect the two pieces on top of the bin, to make it easy to open and close.
Jenn
Love it. Oh, hi, again.
Laughter
Students
Hi!
Nathan
Hello. What do you guys think? Student #1: It's amazing. Student #2: It's cool! Student #3: It's really big. Student #4: Awesome. You like it? Student #5: It looks like a bin.
Jenn
A bin?
Laughs
Jenn
...check
this bin out. Nathan
Here you go. So you can put the lid back and forth. When you guys want to get inside and work, you just lift these panels out in the front, so you can get all the way down to the bottom when you need to, and put them back.
That's cool. Jenn
Right? It's clever. So you can get to it. All these are stationary, but those are the only ones that move.
Elizabeth
This is so great. Thank you so much. We do have one more favor to ask. We have some scraps from our lunch and from yard waste. Could you help them get started with their compost pile?
That's a good idea. Jenn
Start. Christen it.
Alright. Jenn
Start it! Browns, please! Just going to sprinkle it in, then we can spread it out.
Nathan
Nice. Good clippings in there.
Jenn
Green Committee!
Nathan
Now, we're ready for some greens.
Jenn
Perfect. Throw them all in.
Nathan
Oh, good job. Alright, so now that we're done, we can slide those boards back in.
I know. Nathan
Don't pinch your hands.
Jenn
I think you guys are good to go for the season.
Applause
Jenn
Whoo! Thank you, guys.
Student
We're done
indistinct
Student
?
Indistinct
Laughter
Kevin
Next time on "Ask This Old House"... Are you considering an electric vehicle? We'll tell you everything you need to know about installing an EV charger at home. Then from basket weave to herringbone to English bond, we'll show you how to lay out different brick patterns. And we'll repair and repaint a crack in a built-in china cabinet. All that on "Ask This Old House."
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