Home Removal Services Blog

How to Fill Holes in House Wood as You Prep to Paint then Finish by Sanding

It would be easier if a wooden house did not require much more than minimal house repair. Only scrape and caulk some, put down some sheeting for paint drips, and slap on a new coat of durable house paint.

Maintaining your house is more difficult. Instead, one almost always has to patch the wooden surface of your home.

This house of mine had to have quite a bit of work. The steel sheeting near the roof gutters leaked and enabled the water to penetrate the wood behind the eve. Over time, the wood became rotten and the paint fell away.

I was determined to fix this myself. I was worried whether regular wood filler would last.

My next door neighbor worked on the wood of his home frequently in an endless battle rot from termites. Sam’s repairs looked good years later. I wanted know why his repairs did not crack.

Use Bondo to Fill Wood then Use Cordless Woodworking Power Tools to Finish Sanding

He said his brother had told him that automobile filler called Bondo to repair any imperfections in the home’s surface. For some background see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)

Bondo was great for car dents. Bondo was heavy and durable. Bondo permitted sanding and lathing. When he suggested doing this, I instantly knew that it would do the job.

Using Bondo, the trick is to do the job in layers with thick layers at the outset and less material thereafter. Bondo allows you to form shapes with molds, if you use wood molding and wax paper. When sanding and finishing prior to painting all you need to do is to use one of the power sanders to make the Bondo blend smoothly with the wood.

Homeowners with a wooden deck, you should be aware that you can also apply this auto patcher to fix splits in the surface of wood decks of various types. It is useful, when you are treating a wooden deck.

Note the fact that Bondo finishes with a reddish hew and this will show through, when you apply a non-hiding water sealant on a wooden deck. If you intend to waterproof a lumber deck that has Bondo, you might need to use a dark stain.

Also you do not need to find a car parts place to acquire Bondo. You can get Bondo at Home Depot or Lowes. You probably would also like to know that my wood repair shows no signs of deterioration after many years.

Few people realize this, but anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of a household’s energy bills – whether they’re gas or electric – come from how much energy it takes to heat up water in a water heater. Imagine cutting your bill anywhere from 50 to 80 percent just by using a free energy source to heat up your water! That’s what happens with solar water heating systems.

How Do Solar Water Heating Systems Work?

Basically, solar water heating systems include two components: storage tanks and storage collectors. There are also two types of solar water heating systems you can use: ones classified as “active” and ones classified as “passive.” Active solar water heating systems have actual pumps and controls that pump and direct water. Passive systems don’t have any of those same components.

Solar water heating storage tanks are special in that they have an additional outlet connected to them and an outlet leading out from them. In two-tank systems, the solar water heating system preheats water before it enters traditional water heaters. In one-tank systems, the solar water heating system heats the water up directly.

What Types Of Solar Collectors Are Used For Solar Water Heating?

There are three types of solar collectors used in residential homes that are using solar water heating systems. A flat-plate collector is a waterproof, insulated box that has a dark absorber plate underneath a glass cover. Plates used when solar water heating pools typically do not have a cover on them.

Integral collector-storage systems, sometimes called batch systems, feature one or more black tubes or tanks that are contained in a glazed, insulated box. The collector preheats the cold water which passes through it in this solar water heating system. After filtration into the conventional water heater the water is filtered into the home’s pipes.

And finally, another type of collector is called an evacuated-tube solar collector. These collectors have parallel rows of glass tubes that are transparent. Each individual tube has a glass “outer” tube and then a metal tube which is attached to a fin. The fin’s special coating absorbs energy and keeps heat in. This solar water heating collector beneficial for commercial aspects.

There are also two main types of solar water heating or solar pool heating systems: direct circulation systems and indirect circulation systems. Direct circulation systems circulate water for the actual household through the collectors and then into the home. This type of system effective in the region where the temperature is never below the freezing point. Indirect circulation systems actually circulate a non-freezing fluid through the collectors and then through a heat exchanger. This heats up the water and then filters it to the home.

Considering all the perks that go along with a solar water heating system it’s really no wonder people are converting.