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."