ASK This Old House | Weird Shower Valve, Mossy Roof (S18 E14) FULL EPISODE

Richard travels to Salt Lake City to replace a shower valve he has never seen before in his career with a conventional pressure balanced one; Nathan demonstrates how to refinish stair treads; Tom helps a homeowner remove moss from his roof and prevent it from growing back.
SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: bit.ly/Subscrib....
Enjoying full-episodes of This Old House? Join This Old House INSIDER to stream every episode ever made of This Old House (over 1,000 hours), commercial-free. bit.ly/32CLaGe
Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: www.thisoldhou...
Products and Services from this episode
Shower valve
Temptrol Pressure Balanced Tub/Shower Valve manufactured by Symmons
www.symmons.com/
Sink hole cover
Sink hole cover manufactured by Danco
www.danco.com/
Sander
Rotex 150 multi-mode sander manufactured by Festool
www.festoolusa....
Shop vacuum
HEPA Dust Extractor with a brush attachment by Festool
www.festoolusa....
Finish
Water based polyurethane by Rust-Oleum
www.rustoleum....
About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment-your home.
Follow This Old House:
Facebook: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Twitter: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Pinterest: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Instagram: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
ASK This Old House | Weird Shower Valve, Mossy Roof (S18 E14) FULL EPISODE
/ thisoldhouse

[@Wild_Bill57]

Tommy and Richard are the old guys, but their knowledge is pure gold. Richard’s fix for that shower was incredible!

[@mikebeverly88]

the old guys are the ones with all the knowledge

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

@@mikebeverly88 you don’t know the idiots I work for.

[@codygates9536]

@@mikebeverly88 nnnnr

[@fernandoprieto2865]

i actually hope Kevin would retire already. guy adds no value to the show

[@safepethaven]

Tom and Richard are my heroes! My wish is to have them solve even one nighhtmare at my house.

[@SilentServiceCode]

lol classic plumber's lament sign on the mantle

[@Mrcaffinebean]

Haha that's hilarious

[@richardwilliams5442]

Richard williams

[@joebobjoesayshi]

What does this mean?

[@aminkeykha5546]

@@joebobjoesayshi I am not a maternal English speaker , I thing silentservice code is a service for deaf persons . Mantle is used for earth ! Overall he or she want to say plumber would be sorry for such a program because their technics would be opened to others .

[@thomasambers9977]

@@aminkeykha5546 no they’re talking about the sign above the homeowners fireplace it says classic plumbers lament I imagine as a joke to the plumber from this old house

[@CraigAWSellars]

Richard: "I could do for maybe $2500" - Comedy gold! I almost fell out of my chair on that one.

[@devo076]

6:05

[@fernandoprieto2865]

I would have charged $400 for the plumbing, plus materials, and $300 for the cabinet idea

[@mikep5281]

@@fernandoprieto2865 and charged an extra $500 to let the HO help

[@walterbrunswick]

@@mikep5281 wait what!? when HO helps that's a bonus

[@DTSupstateNY]

@@fernandoprieto2865 idk what state you live in but this is a easy $1500-$1800

[@bozodog428]

Richard and Tommy are a wealth of knowledge. Always love watching their videos.

[@walterbrunswick]

Richard is a "butcher" what we call these days

[@Jeff-vt5bq]

Richard is the absolute best. He is such a patient instructor, never bossy. His explanations are fantastic. So knowledgeable.

[@tammyl.9254]

I'd marry him in a heartbeat. He's sooo good looking, and sooo charming too. LOVE HIM!

[@jimpapathanasiou878]

Richard is a true knowledgeable honest old plumber the world needs more people like doesn't change an arm and a leg all the best from jim the plumber queanbeyan nsw Australia.

[@plumberfromdownunder5118]

I love Richard, he is the Uncle I never had. Thank you for being a great teacher

[@rynjolly1]

Tommy- "Ohh I can fix it." Love it, a guy who loves what he does and has a solution!

[@rchrdgrn]

The man who did my house repipe with PEX really knew what he was doing. He suggested I replace the valves and the water heater which was 12 years old. He did this basically at cost of the valves. It's simplified his installation and replaced all of the 40 year old Plumbing equipment. No problems for 15 years plus.

[@eazyfnduzit]

“I can do it for $2500” 😂😂😂

[@mgjmiller1995]

Richard doing the SLC plumbing repair with the dad was great! I really appreciate that the dad was a) useful to the process and b) didn't ask the painfully scripted questions people sometimes ask 🤣

[@priceandpride]

Me too! They’ve been getting better with the scripts. That fix was hideous though.

[@impsquared]

I use to watch This Old House in the 90s!!! Re-runs starring Bob Villa! I even watched The New Yankee Workshop!!

[@milesharlan1]

Thank You for the Salt Lake City repair!! It gave me some plumbing insights if I need to do a similar repair! Keep up the good work!!

[@patirvin-bz9pg]

Good information. I never heard about the metal strip on the roof. The safety harness was interesting, too. The plumbing was amazing. You are all hired!

[@ronevans852]

That was a nice pluming job on the old house .

[@TOfAllTrades]

That plumbing fix was brilliant. Great work!

[@paedahe4975]

I loved how they saved the young family thousands of dollars. Keeping food in their mouths and the lights on. Good job.

[@devo076]

That sounds like something a Marxist would say.

[@paedahe4975]

@@devo076 How do you figure? Explain.

[@MrOlea]

That shower valve install was pretty slick!

[@sammas7440]

Great job on the shower. I had a tub spout drip; have a Moen single faucet for the tub/shower. I called my home warranty and for a $75 service fee they sent out some plumbers. The two "knuckleheads" showed up at the end of the day (10 mins at the end of the appt window), took a few seconds to look at it and said, "It needs new cartridge. I don't have one on my truck; we'll have to order one and be back." The following week, the plumbing company sent a different knucklehead that didn't know that two previous knuckleheads had been here. He turned off the water, removed the faucet knob and escutcheon plate and commence to tugging on the cartridge (I didn't see him remove the c-clip first) and said, "It's stuck and I will need to replace the valve. It will require modification work to cut through the surround tile to replace the valve and the home warranty doesn't cover that." The plumbing company called back a few days later to make appt for "modification" work and repairs and said it will cost additional $600. I got pissed and told them off for the screw-up between the two separate visits and told them to forget it, because while I was waiting for those few days, I went to YT, figured out how to fix it. I went to HD, spent $40 in parts and spent 10 mins to replace the cartridge and fix the drip. I told my home warranty company never to use this plumbing company; they're a scam and convinced them to at least refund half my service fee. Now look, I got worked up again. It really pissed me off how they tried to scam me. What if I was some home owner that was elderly or not handy with tools? I HATE scammers!

[@tinyku]

I had American home shield and every repair was just a bunch of visit charges and me ended up fixing it myself. I'm not sure if people actually get something out of their warranties but I cancelled mine. I had it because I used to travel so much for work and my wife was afraid of something breaking when I'm not home

[@patirvin-bz9pg]

Realtors sell these home packages to make you think you are covered for future repairs. Pure garbage. A total scam.

[@danielgao52]

Great Very professionally 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😀💪

[@janebutz5375]

Awesome Rich; awesome Rich! I am smitten!

[@rerite2]

Glad to see each of them wear a safety harness. A neighbor of mine, back in 1999, got fed up with the moss on the roof of his 2-story house. No safety harness; not even a rope tied around his waist. Slipped and fell. Hit the driveway. Instant quadrapelgic. Never walked again. Passed away about 5 years ago. Safety first.

[@shatteredreality1987]

Man that's a horrible accident to go through and all because he didn't want to take the time to put on a harness or deal with wearing it. Now he is gone and his family and friends are the ones left behind suffering the consequences of his actions or should I say inactions. People have got to wake up and start being vigilant about their health and safety your family needs you. For some reason or another you may not care about your personal safety but think about your loved ones and what you put them through when you get severely injured or worse killed. I don't think people consider how traumatizing a death of a parent or loved one is to a young child or spouse, hell any loved one taken away to soon like that is going to be severely traumatizing. Loved ones scarred and suffering for life all because your to lazy to take safety precautions or so inconsiderate that you just don't care.

[@MrBAchompBAchomp]

Gotta love the plumber using drywall screws for blocking in the walls 😅

[@common_c3nts]

Licensed plumbers love drywall screws. Also, why no drywall pieced behind the cabinet. It did not have to be mudded, but the dry wall will help with drafts and noise. It will get noisy behind a shower. This was a hackjob.

[@igenr8]

Awesome episode. Relevant, informative, efficient and funny sometimes

[@priceandpride]

Except his joke about cost, the bid of $2500 is about accurate of what plumbers would charge for that small job

[@jmdoutdoors5729]

You guys are gold with your experience. Thank you very much.

[@HectorPerez-tb8hn]

Well done !! I bet that the client is very happy !!

[@user-qk8pi4on9v]

Trying to find a rafter like Tommy does it is impossible. I think he's got jedi powers.

[@josephrobles8728]

You guys do a wonderful job god bless you and staff let keep American moving again

[@Michael1M6]

0:21 I’m headed to Salt Lake City with a solution! Already sitting on the tub where the issue is! 😂

[@---qu9uf]

yo 💀💀😂😂😭😭

[@mc8542]

Great plumbing segment.

[@donnamarie4443]

Tommy and Richard are the best of the best. Love these guys, so knowledgeable and entertaining. I learn a lot watching T.O.H. God bless you both for being so keen and for sharing.👍👍👍

[@marvelstrikeforcevids7141]

I have that exact same valve in my bathroom! I've been needing this video!!

[@shawndinterman2219]

But do you have an upper cabinet covering the access point? If not this video won't apply to you lol

[@marvelstrikeforcevids7141]

@@shawndinterman2219 not quite a cabinet but wood paneling on the other side so easy to remove.

[@paedahe4975]

You will have to access it wherever it is, and put a framed picture over the access hole.😆 No really, you will have to drywall instead of hanging the cabinet. Don’t forget to silicone the new fixture...

[@lukepotosky7710]

@@paedahe4975 Yes, silicone is key! Asv

[@priceandpride]

Same homeowner likely

[@Dirtyharry70585]

Richard is correct when stating the movement needs to be Secure for the shower valve. Our house built in 1996, had Plummer’s who used expanding foam to hold a shower valve and only cheap twist valves on the toilets water cut offs. I’ve replaced every faucet and shower valve along with upper and lower quarter turns to isolate upstairs and downstairs water supplies. Now I’m never without a bathroom to use unless the main is off, like for the water heater.

[@yzhang8629]

10:29 Knowing the professionals are also bothered by cam outs while driving a screw makes me feel relieved.

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

Get an impact gun. Never look back. I borrowed one to drive two 3 in. exterior screws. I ordered my impact gun that evening.

[@kb_100]

@@KitchenerLeslie2 I bought an impact driver last week. It's been life changing!

[@michaele1201]

$3k for the plumbing fix? When that job is all added up.. Time Matl etc.. $3k isn't that far out of the ballpark, You can't expect contractors to work for nothing. The homeowners were lucky to have TOH to the rescue.

[@atlasmenswear7938]

I was thinking the same thing. Even the way it was done here, for a licensed plumber to do all that work, 3k is a realistic price.

[@nephetula]

No, I don't expect contractors to work for nothing, but you'd need to do a TON of padding on the estimate to make a one-day job like that worth three grand. Even figuring $500 for parts (and that's a fairly generous number), the plumber would still be making over $300 an hour if he billed for 8 hours work & TT and he got $3,000 for it. Mighty good money, even in today's economy. `

[@justinlacapria2898]

As a home owner is it acceptable to leave the roof anchors installed permanently with some proper sealing and such for the once and a while roof trips needed? Or is that a no no and they can cause some sort of damage or other problem? Just curious what others would do

[@Auburn7543]

Dude you're insane. 2-3 hour job with a helper and 300-400 in parts at the most. Even a 1000$ is to much lmao. Seriously blows me away how much people think their simple work is worth.

[@USSHammerology]

Leave a little room for some hero slack. Cut the cost slightly at the end of a project and you're a hero. They'll call you back for anything else that needs to be done.

[@juice9767]

Nice fix 👍

[@robertmartinez1228]

Hey Kevin, i wanna see more of Richard doing more plumbing projects.Richards awesome.love watching his plumbing work. Great Job guys.

[@RobertKohut]

More important is ensuring your harness is properly adjusted. You don't want to fall and have your nut squeezed between the leg harness and your body. Also you need a rescue plan so if someone does fall then you can rescue them. Hanging for even 5 minutes can result in serious injury or death. It would always be best to use a travel restraint so you can't fall off the edge.

[@flat-earther]

Would it be good to use a descent device so one can lower themselves in case they fall?

[@ThisNamesNowTaken]

That strip of metal that releases the zinc with the rain, does it ever need to be replaced with a new strip?

[@tcoradeschi]

It will last as long as the roof. Replace it then…

[@DDunc1020]

Putting that homeowner to work!

[@charliebird802]

Boy that shower valve brings back memories! Had one as a kid. I believe it was from Sears but i don’t know the manufacturer.

[@nephetula]

Nails sometimes have a tendency to "pop" over time, requiring resealing the heads. Why couldn't you just stick the zinc strip to the roof with mastic?

[@davem3789]

Nice job Richard.

[@Hannah-ql4ss]

Tide laundry detergent works great to get rid of moss on asphalt roofs .The powder form type .Do it when there’s a sunny forecast for 3 or 4 days and it killed off all the moss on my roof .

[@bosse641]

Good episode. Enjoyed it.

[@chrisnash2154]

How on earth does that family with a 6 and 4 year old keep that house with all that white so clean?!?! They had a white sofa with white pillows. White beds. White walls. It was like walking into an Apple store. Amazing!

[@eazygator]

My white couch has a red line on it from an “erasable” marker by my six year old.

[@Newberntrains]

A good cover or a new couch lol

[@majorpayne5289]

👍God stuff. Oh, the magic of TV and editing! Richard is awesome but I’d like to see the blooper reel cause I can just imagine it is pretty entertaining. These old houses w/ “war time” plumbing can be rough!!! Good job as usual👍🇺🇸

[@sporttracnation9359]

brilliant ideas they have. My one thing is that I just don’t like how they didn’t put back that piece of drywall back cover up the hole.

[@PRO4XKEV]

Great video, great information. Well done.

[@SupremeGrace18]

I recently had a new professional roof installation, it would have been nice if they knew to install the zinc strip.

[@S3v3n13tt3r5]

I like when they visit around the country instead of another house in Massachusetts

[@mits_6131]

I had the same work done, using a licensed plumber, for my mothers home on both bathroom shower and tub. Total cost $1700.

[@priceandpride]

Just replace the whole thing and be done with it. This fix was ugly

[@tristanschaper281]

Pure gold on all of it. Well done!

[@ironqqq]

10:27 Drywall screws to secure blocking? Tommy would not approve of that.

[@illestofdemall13]

It isn't holding up 200 lbs. It isn't that critical.

[@illestofdemall13]

@@Kevin-mp5of Ok, since you said period. Lol

[@Mike__B]

Richard : Going to spray this down because it's really close to the wood *next scene as after he turns the torch on* wood is all scorched with burn marks. Richard, you're the expert, no fire blanket?

[@Newberntrains]

I noticed that and thought the hell got some rock wool or something

[@dwh3276]

Mus t have edited out a prior solder that wasn’t right. Lol

[@Handygrrl]

What holds you from falling when you're repairing those 12 holes from the red safety/fall bracket? Can they be filled from inside the attic?

[@zcpoling]

They answer that at the end of the video lol

[@flat-earther]

_''What holds you from falling when you're repairing those 12 holes from the red safety/fall bracket?''_ I guess whatever held you when you got on the roof in the first place to screw the bracket in. _''Can they be filled from inside the attic?''_ I'm not a professional but I'm pretty sure that you should seal it from outside.

[@maryperz-jones4528]

I wonder about 2 things: 1.- testing for leaks before closing holes? 2.- installing a flange at the base of the bath tub spout?... are these 2 things necessary?...thanks...

[@victorn4745]

That plumber should have just said 2900 and he would have agreed lol

[@wildbill23c]

Could you get say 2-3 of those roof brackets and just install them permanently so that future roof work those brackets are already there to be used? I guess it might be OK until its time to replace the shingles on the roof, then you'd simply just have to uninstall and reinstall them after the roof replacement.

[@Al-ImprovEd2022]

That’s how I think. They would be noticeable is the issue.

[@dkhnova]

If it were me, I would have kept the kitchen cabinet down and looked for leaks while someone turned the water on and off.

[@flat-earther]

They probably did that but they never show all steps on camera.

[@ml9633]

Thanks again :) Maurice

[@MonkeyManMechanicals]

$3000 was what the Plumber estimated. What they did was way over that. Removing cabinets hahahahaa.

[@patirvin-bz9pg]

That's because Richard replaced all of the pipes and with copper. A beautiful job. A plumber would have charged $500 over the $3,000. Plumbing costs are over the moon.

[@warrensnow6695]

I bet the homeowner likes getting paid when he goes to work. Thank god for This Old House doing doing about 3 thousand dollars worth of plumbing and carpentry work for free for the show.

[@osirisvelasco7003]

Lol catch the nut on the back

[@raghavvasudevan6159]

11:24 Classic Plumbers Lament

[@RyanOnWeather]

puts on harness for safety *me getting on the roof by balancing on a ladder in the back of a pick-up truck while having a couple beers*

[@stillnessbetween5103]

Richard needs to take a look at the Antex Pipemaster 120v soldering tool. My house has lathe and plaster walls and I got tired of burning the wood and praying I had soaked it enough so there wasn't a chance of fire. Picked up this tool, and it works great ! It has 1/2", 3/4" and 1" heads. Operates quickly and I haven't singed my arms or surrounding items from a torch since.

[@nephetula]

An old license plate or a piece of a cookie sheet can be bent and shaped as needed, and makes a good flame shield when soldering near studs and wood.

[@dks13827]

The bad thing is these videos make things look easy.............. but not this one. Not easy.

[@terencecampbell8363]

Removes obscure shower valve and replaces with obscure shower valve. When you buy a new valve check the next isle to see if they sell the repair parts for it. On another note, don't use pexA from the valve to the tubspout. The deminished diameter of the fitting can cause flow from the showerhead and the spout at the same time when it should only be flowing from the spout.

[@susyshepard320]

What do you do about safety with the possibility of falling AFTER you remove the harness safety bracket and you are still up on the roof, you have to fill the 12 holes AND you have to get to your ladder ? ? Besides being very careful.

[@MoneyAndPeople]

I assume you would tactically mount the safety bracket in the least dangerous place, maybe you would place it in a spot where you can remove it whilst on a ladder. I too would like to have this question further answered by someone more knowing.

[@dila12345]

The humidity issue is caused by the foam insulation in the house and the wrong efficiency AC unit. The AC needs to be high efficiency 2 stage cooling. The house is sealed so well the humidity can’t get out.

[@Furiends]

I think the root anchors should just be a permanent feature of the roof.

[@marke.1021]

Was thinking the same thing of Roof Anchor. Maybe put an eye bolt as in huge one just because and attach to roof or wall if possible. Get into attic and brace the heck to of it and then attach to roof caulk ..ok over caulk it and add several coats of all weather spray paint to it doesn't rust for ever..or close to it.

[@mikehouser5430]

Rust

[@BackyardBroskis]

looked like the crimp rings you connected the copper to the pex were slid too far down. Pex recommends 1/8" to 1/4"

[@dane7401]

When sanding between polyurethane coats, what's the recommended sandpaper grit?

[@craig221]

Legends

[@jasondixon1760]

I listen by sound..... LOL

[@dks13827]

My auto mechanic has a sign that says........... $100 charge if you say: But, parts are cheaper on the internet.

[@scaryperson27]

The plumbing work was good. However, the hole behind the cabinet should have been patched as it acts as a fire barrier. Fires are most likely to start in the kitchen. An unlikely event though.

[@cn3121]

Old Sears shower valve. Definitely an oddball find.

[@MrBluemanworld]

The first plumber was right, pay up, Charlie

[@dannersmyers]

In real life paying for these modifications including the cabinet installation would be $2500 as much as a brand new shower insert I love how he jokes about that!

[@michaelcrisp2239]

love ya all

[@airtitimes]

Are there roof securing devices that can be installed and left in place? As homeowners would have to get up to the roof periodically to inspect/clean/repair, it makes no sense putting all those screws in every time.

[@tcoradeschi]

I would suggest that you should not be on your roof “periodically”. Being on the roof should be an exception, not a rule. I have a 25 year old house and I have NEVER been on the main (2 story) roof. And have no intention of ever doing so (it’s a 9/12, someone else will re-shingle it, not me).

[@artyzinn7725]

in the end the plumbing job 12:30 would easily run $3000 but at least the bathroom wasn't messed up, would be good to give the total hours spent on the fix...

[@carlsanders7919]

No fire extinguisher? Living on the edge, brother

[@tommartinez62]

Everyone and their brother makes a universal cover plate, you can spend hundreds on what Rich put in thirty to forty on a Delta or Moen or 15 or less on a generic like Danco. All will cover for a standard 8" center to center spread valve. The spout being to close to the valve is what you normally have work around. In most cases you don't have to open up more wall than what the face plate covers.

[@patirvin-bz9pg]

I did not hear the rafter. Tommy has bat ears, along with other super powers.

[@shawndinterman2219]

Would his plumbing fix still be a 3k dollar bill is the question?

[@Mike__B]

3k was not a plumbing fix, 3k was a "This is what I want to do" project

[@shawndinterman2219]

@dan klassen I figured that would be the case

[@joea5183]

Also, always caulk a tub spout. There isnt a gasket behind it and 2ater ftom the shower can get behind it and caus3 mold

[@kilcar]

Bravo! Why didn't the contractor who quoted $3K think of this!?

[@YazanarafatY]

كلكم أبطال

[@AnonyMous-lk7zi]

Why not use PEX for all of it?

[@taeraresh2115]

Explained in the video. He wanted the extra rigidity from the copper, since the valve and the shower head will both be getting moved during use.

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

Hey! Sment! It's back!

[@richardb.5691]

Plumbing solution was great but .... I would have checked for leaks before putting that cabinet back up.

[@patirvin-bz9pg]

I'm sure they checked. Just didn't show it.

[@jonathan-pf9fv]

Can anyone tell me why the original tradesmen bored holes in the dry wall by the shower head? Was that some sort of adhesive for the surround seeping out, or was that mud?

[@flat-earther]

I wondered about that also. I'm not familiar with it but I found out it's rock lath, also called gypsum lath or button board, a board that predated drywall, it has holes so the plaster spills through them to create keys to hold the plaster to the rock lath.

[@jessethepondhopper8370]

Youngster knows how too use cheese cloth now lol

[@pkfan5112]

He should put something to plug the big pipe to prevent stuff dropping into it

[@stephengee8488]

Falls off roof while fixing holes from where previously attached. 😮

[@peterhanson3962]

Why don’t roofers install the zinc strip when installing the roof?

[@paristo]

Sorry first time read wrong. Yeah, odd thing that they didn't.

[@mikebeverly88]

@@paristo it isn't needed in most applications. also, it kills the roof quicker so you know job security. But it would be a great add on they could offer east $200 for a few bucks and 15 min.

[@theamerican7080]

Because it doesn't do diddly-squat.

[@ivettesantana4319]

You should see our shower valve. It should have its own you tube video. the faucets are split and they open and close opposite ways like a bathtub that is high up

[@ivettesantana4319]

will this repair cut shower pressure?