In this episode:
Carpenter Nathan Gilbert takes us through his journey from child to carpenter to cast member on the Ask This Old House team. Nathan explains who his biggest influences were, and how he first gained experience in the trade. As a proud military veteran, Nathan explains his call to duty, how he spent his time in the US Navy, and the doors that experience opened for him. He even goes on to explain how general contractor Tom Silva took him under his wing through the This Old House Next Generation program.
Next, we meet host Kevin O’Connor in the shop as master electrician Heath Eastman enlightens him on LED light bulbs. Heath explains how these modern bulbs are more efficient, how to choose one to match an old school incandescent output, and more. Heath even shows Kevin how the temperature scale works and points out that not all LED bulbs are compatible with certain fixtures and switches.
Finally, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey takes us on a house call to knock a couple of items off a homeowner’s punch list. With a wobbly toilet and a sticking faucet handle on the schedule, Richard digs in. He shows the homeowner the potential issues and solutions for that toilet wiggle, including the different types of flanges and seals. With a game plan in place, Richard removes the toilet, makes the repair, and solves the problem.
With the toilet bolted down, Richard moves to the faucet. He shows the homeowner how to find parts for the faucet, then explains the potential issues they could be facing. Finally, Richard removes the stem unit and swaps it out for a new one, solving the sticky problem.
How Nathan Gilbert Became a Carpenter
Carpenter Nathan Gilbert takes us through his journey from child to carpenter to cast member on the Ask This Old House team. Nathan explains who his biggest influences were, and how he first gained experience in the trade. As a proud military veteran, Nathan explains his call to duty, how he spent his time in the US Navy, and the doors that experience opened for him.
LED Light Bulbs 101
Heath Eastman enlightens Kevin O’Connor on LED light bulbs. Heath explains how these modern bulbs are more efficient, how to choose one to match an old school incandescent output, and more. Heath even shows Kevin how the temperature scale works, and points out that not all LED bulbs are compatible with certain fixtures and switches.
Where to find it?
Heath explains that the energy efficient, go-to choice in lightbulbs are the light-emitting diodes or LED bulbs. LEDs can produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb while using a fraction of the energy.
Unlike incandescent bulbs, with LED bulbs you have the option to choose the color temperature of the light. This is measured by a Kelvin scale where lower numbers mean yellow candlelight and higher numbers mean blue daylight.
Heath also explains there many different shaped bulbs, but two common shapes/bases homeowners will be dealing with are the A19 medium base and B12 Candelabra bulbs. He discusses how to read lightbulb labeling to identify enclosed fixture ratings as well as wattage and lumens.
How to Fix a Wobbly Toilet and a Stuck Faucet Handle
Richard Trethewey takes us on a house call to knock a couple of items off a homeowner’s punch list. With a wobbly toilet and a sticking faucet handle on the schedule, Richard digs in. He shows the homeowner the potential issues and solutions for that toilet wiggle, including the different types of flanges and seals. With the toilet bolted down, Richard moves to the faucet.
Original Air Date: Apr 14, 2022, Season 20; Ep. 25 23:42
