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February 2007 Dear Craig, My wife says I must be half dolphin because of the way I slosh water around in the bathtub. How can I stop getting water between the bathtub and the wall? It's beginning to look awful.Drenched in Detroit Dear Drenched, I can't help myself.....my first response is "Stop bathing!" Well, I got that off my chest so now I'll be (reasonably) serious. Wet inner walls are no laughing matter. You need to dry out the bathtub area, particularly where the tile or tub enclosure meets the tub edge. I suggest a hair dryer. Mold, ruined backer board and loose tile are just a few of the miseries that await you if you don't catch the problem as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are simple solutions, if the problem isn't too far advanced. If you haven't installed a Tile Flange Kit, consider looking into one. You didn't mention any obvious softening of the wall above the bathtub so I'll just concentrate on the area where the two edges meet. First, clean out any flaking or crumbling caulk. If there is any mold showing you must get rid of it. Dry the area again if it needs it. Then buy or get out your trusty caulk gun. Every home should have one because caulk comes in many forms and can be used for sealing just about anything. For this project you need to have a new tube or two of Tub and Tile acrylic sealant. If you've never used a caulk gun before, practice a little first. You're aiming for a steady, thin bead of caulk to seal the edge between the tub and the wall. Try not to use your fingers to direct the caulk; let the point of the caulk tube do that for you. Also, the main thing to remember is to take your finger off the trigger immediately when you come to the end of the line. Remember to seal the caulk tube and to clean up the caulk gun. Do not wash the residue down the drain - unless you want to fix another kind of problem, ok? Dear Craig, I read someplace that we still waste gallons of water when we flush liquid waste down a toilet. Is there some way not do this - short of the old adage "If it's yellow let it mellow....?Wondering in Willamette Dear Wondering, 'Sounds like you or your parents grew up in California in the arid 70s! You're in luck - there is a new way to save flush water and it's simple enough (and even fun enough) for a kid to do it. It's called a dual flush system toilet. While it's a new concept in the U.S., it's old hat in Europe. There are two buttons: one for solid waste, which uses 1.6 gallons and one for liquid waste, which uses a mere .08 gallons per flush. That's a lot of savings and it'll even help teach the little ones to count! For more detailed info, let your browser do the search on the Internet. While you're searching you'll also find there's a model that let's you recycle hand-washing water into the toilet's tank. I haven't seen it myself, but it sounds like yet another creative way to save water. |
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