November 17, 2024 • 34 mins
Dean helps a caller with an issue with their electrical transformer making noise + vibration and how to conceal the disturbance.Dean continues to advice caller on their noise complaints with their electrical transformer. He covers H track circuits, UV lights and power surge protectors. Plus, about noise canceling with the use of a waterfall & refilling water daily as the water evaporates.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp the
House Whisper on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
On the iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Dean Sharp the House Whisper Live every Saturday and Sunday morning. Hey,
follow us on social media. We only do the good
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(00:30):
the board. That's all you have to remember. Home with
Dean And just another reminder. Today the last day to
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(00:53):
lot of fun special guests. Al Dick Home is sponsoring it.
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(01:13):
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By the way, that's how we give the seats away,
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(01:34):
plus one. And if you've already entered, check your messages
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only have till the end of today to get back
to us to confirm that you want to go. So
there you go. All right, that's all happening next week.
(01:56):
Very exciting. All right, it is time to go to
the phones. Let's talk to Let's talk to Rick. Hey, Rick,
welcome home.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Hello, and good morning. I have a electrical transformer in
my backyard. There's one every five houses. I've had the
DWP come out and they did a two week test
on it. It does operate within its margins. I also
(02:30):
called eight hundred dig because I want to put up
a fence, and eight hundred Dig came out and marked
the ground down where the underground wires and piping is
and for where not the dig So I know that,
and I've been googling lots of fabric and material and
(02:53):
using wood and a space put material make a space
to absorb the vibration of the coils of this transformer.
Speaking to the DWP people, I've expressed that it's not
the actual noise, it's the vibration hum that penetrates, and
(03:14):
so he recommended. Also, I call my city council person
who I'm talking to tomorrow morning, and all the neighbors
have this same issue, but nobody's ever done anything about it.
And I'm a new homeowner here, and if I'd known
about it, I don't think i would have bought the place.
And that's where I'm at. All types of material is
(03:37):
out there. A lot of it comes from other states
back East though, and I don't know whether to build
some type of a dome or you know, how to
contain the vibration from the coils the sound. That's my issue.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Okay, all right, So you've got a ground based transformer
sitting in the corner of your yard and and it's
making it's making noise. And again, now are you feeling
the vibration down through the ground or are You're just
saying it's the vibration that's making its way through the
yard and becoming a sound factor.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Correct. And also my next step is a noise ambient
noise level complaint. That's that's the next thing. But yes,
it's just the humming of it. Also found out that
this is a sixty year old unit and where I
used to live was also all electric and they were
updated units and they're so quiet. So that's there's a
(04:39):
big difference between this ancient device and new gyptology.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. All right, Well, here's my advice. Do
not break the bank. Okay, it's wise. It's first of all,
it's wise to consider a well planned uh sound reduction wall. Okay,
it's a good idea. So I'm all for it, and
(05:06):
uh and I want to help you understand how you
can go about doing it. I I but I also
don't want you to break the bank on on the
highly expensive materials to get this done, okay, uh. And
the reason the reason is this, Uh, there are there
are not uh a ton of soundproofing materials. In fact,
(05:29):
I'll go so far as to say I know of zero.
And this is from somebody who has built sound studios
before recording studios. I mean, soundproofing is part of you know,
what we do. I know of no soundproofing material that
is specifically explicitly designed for exterior use. Okay, it's all
just a carryover of standard soundproofing materials. And the problem
(05:53):
with that is that it's never just Soundproofing is a
layered thing, and it's never just about the material. It's
never there's no wonder material out there. Sometimes mass loaded vinyl.
I'm sure you've researched it and come across some info
that sometimes mass loaded vinyl is kind of touted as
(06:14):
a wonderkinned material, like the ultimate wonder material when it
comes to soundproofing. In fact, when you go to and
I'm giving you this illustration for a reason, when you
go to the International Builders and Design Show, there's always
a company selling mass loaded vinyl and you walk by
their boot and what they've got is a massive speaker,
(06:35):
I mean just a really loud speaker sitting on their
counter and there's a box over it. Okay, literally, they've
built a box that just sets over this speaker, and
the inside of the box is lined with mass loaded vinyl.
This incredibly heavy, very thick, very dense material, and it's
very very useful as a soundproofing material. The box sits
(06:57):
over the speaker and it's silent, silent, and then they
pull the box off and you realize that the speaker
is blaring, I mean, just incredibly loud. But here's the thing.
If there was a one inch hole in that box, Okay,
all the mass loaded vinyl in the world would not
(07:18):
keep that thing.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Okay, it has a vent on top. It has to
be vented too.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
So what I'm doing with this illustration is I am
adjusting your expectations. I think you are best to build
a sound baffling wall, but I think you're also best
to continue your efforts with the city. In fact, you
know what, Rick, I don't want to go long into
this break and make the next one short. But there
are a couple other things that I want to tell
(07:48):
you about this because a lot of people have sound
issues in their backyard. Noise pollution is just part of
twenty first century life. So I want everybody to hear me.
Can you hang on and we're going to go to
We're going to here's some news, and we'll come back
and I will continue to address this with you.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Is that okay?
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Rick?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Appreciate it?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
All right?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Rick, I'm gonna pop you on hold. You hold on,
and all of you who are listening, who have wrestled
with noise pollution in your yards, you hold on too,
and we'll hit this thing head on.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI A M six forty.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I've got Rick on hold. Let me get him back
on the line. Rick, you're still with me, Bud?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
All right? Rick is there? Okay? So Rick, Rick's got
a town home.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
He's got a an electrical transformer, the transformer for his
little klump of houses. And now, in a lot of situations,
some of you are thinking, wait, what what's that? Okay,
if you happen to if you happen to have poles,
you know, like power poles around your house, you'll as
(08:55):
you drive around the neighborhood, you look up to the
top of the pole and you'll see every few holes
there's what looks like a gray trash can hanging at
the top of the pole. That's the transformer that's distributing
the power from the main lines to a clump of houses.
And it's usually four or five, maybe six houses per transformer. Okay,
(09:16):
Rick happens to have a ground based one, an old
one sitting and uh and it's sitting there and uh
and it's vibrating and it's making noise, and so uh
the question now.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And he's doing he's doing all the right stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
He's calling a city council, he's talking to water and power,
UH to get this because it's a it's annoyingly noisy.
So I wanted everybody to hang on because I because
I wanted to talk have this conversation about noise pollution
in our yards. So in your situation, Rick, I'm telling
you about mass loaded vinyl and how you know, Uh,
(09:53):
soundproofing material providers just want to they want to push
their stuff at you. And it's very expensive. I mean,
it's expending stuff. And I don't want you to break
the bank over it, because if you can't seal down
the air space around the thing that's making noise, then
you're not going to silence it. What you are able
(10:16):
to do, though, is you can achieve some buffering and
reflection and baffling of the sound. Okay, I just want
to get your expectations set straight. That does that mean
that mass loaded vinyl built into a fence around this
thing wouldn't help. No, I'm not saying that it wouldn't help,
because mass is important, Okay, mass is important. I'm just
(10:41):
want you to be aware that if you you know,
you're spending your life savings on this wonder material and
you can still you know, it hasn't shut it all
down when it's said and done, because no material, no
soundproofing material, when there is still air coming out.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
You know, perfect example right here at kfive.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
You know, uh, millions of dollars get spent soundproofing studios,
recording studios and broadcast studios, and all you have to
do to defeat it and is for somebody to leave
the door to the studio open, right the door. If
the door of the studio is open and we're on
the we're on the air talking through our mics, and
(11:24):
somebody you know, is talking loudly and walks down the hallway,
it's like, well, now there's noise in the studio. It's
simply an illustration that if you can't shut all the
airflow down, you're not going to completely shut it down.
So with that bed stay that being said, the thicker
the fence, okay, the better. I would recommend that you
(11:48):
build a fence the like like you're building a wall,
not just a typical Oh, put some posts in the
ground and run flat two eyes and slats on the fence.
I would recommen that you build the kind of the
equivalent of an exterior wall, and that is that you
build the fence with panels that are as wide as possible, okay,
(12:10):
and the transformer isn't too big, And this is going
to be a relatively small fence that you're going to
build as the enclosure around it. So I would probably
build it out of a two by six material with
a top plate, bottom plate and studs in between, so
that then then you could turn around and fill those
(12:31):
empty that the void of the wall itself with mass.
With more mass, Now what kind of mass? You could
use a layer of mass loaded vinyl. Sure, I wouldn't
use much standard insulation because it's out there in the weather,
and I don't want to get wet, moldy and mildew
in all that kind of stuff because it's not weather protected.
(12:53):
But you could use expanding spray foam insulation that you
can get right off the shelf at the hardware store.
Let it expand in those cavities. Let it over expand,
you know, sheet one side of the wall, so that
you've got a one side solid you can use the
expanding foam insulation. Let it expand up, mound up, get
(13:14):
all thick, so you know that it's going to be
nice and thick. And it's a MESSI let it harden
and then you can just take a knife or a
saw blade and slice off the excess so that it's
flushed with the backside of the wall, and then encapsulate
that in between, you know, two pieces of sheathing and
then put some you know, attractive wood slats on and
(13:36):
that would be of great use. And you want to
build that wall as low to the ground as possible
so that there's a minimal amount of air gap underneath
it for sound to get through. And you want to
build it as tall as possible in front of that
transformer so that that sound coming off the top of
the transformer still has something to hit and baffle it
(13:58):
and keep it from cross over into your yard. The
best thing we can do is muffle what's coming right
at you and reflect away from you up over your head.
The stuff that we can't control. And honestly, honestly, Rick,
that's about as good as we're going to get.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
I really appreciate the info, and I wrote it all down,
and I was hesitant always. I listened to you on
the weekend, and I hesitant to call because the topic
is out of bounds of what I thought people might
also have that issue. But when you say noise pollution, yeah,
if you live in town, everybody's got noise pollution in
some way or form. So I appreciate you going over this.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
No trouble, Rick, my pleasure. Good luck with that. Let
me know how that turns out. I would be fascinated
to know what you especially what you end up accomplishing
with your city council and the Department of Water and
Power and such. But good luck with that, Rick. But yes,
this is why we take calls. You know we take calls.
Of course, I take your call to answer your specific
(15:04):
question when you call in. But the other reason we
take calls is because you know what what you're struggling with,
thousands of other people who are listening are also struggling
with it, maybe not in that one specific not thousands
of other people like Rick will have a transformer from
the Department of Water and Power sitting in their backyard humming.
(15:25):
But everybody I know wrestles with noise pollution, unless you
just live out in the country somewhere out in the
middle of nowhere. Everybody wrestles with noise pollution. And then
the solutions that are offered to you online or in
the marketplace out there are relatively uninformed solutions. They're just
(15:46):
people selling their goods who want you to buy their stuff.
And there's nothing more frustrating than to have an expectation
that a very expensive material or component or system is
going to solve your problem, and then spend the money
and find out that you know it helps, but it
didn't solve the problem. So this is all about understanding
(16:09):
what we need to do when it comes to outside,
my friends, higher the walls and fences the better, the
thicker the better, and then what's left over. This is
one of the reasons if you live in a sound
pollution area, that I love things like water features because
it just so happens. For instance, if traffic is your
(16:30):
noise pollution problem of choice, it just so happens that
the sound of falling water covers over about ninety five
percent of the exact same frequencies as traffic noise, which
is why traffic in the distance kind of sounds like
rushing water. You put that rushing water in your yard,
you'll still be hearing the traffic noise, but it blends
(16:52):
in with the water.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You would your.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Mind attributed it to the water, and now it's just
beautiful water in your backyard and not water plus traffic
or traffic alone. You see what I'm saying. So we
can mask, we can mix. We can't shut it completely down,
but if we step wisely, we can help it a lot.
All right, more of your calls when we return.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM sixty.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Your Home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. We're talking
about stuff you've inherited from previous owners of your house.
Mistakes specifically. I don't mean, like, you know, treasure tests
full of diamonds and gold, I know, I mean mistakes,
things that you don't like, things that you tell me
when we walk through your home. It was like this
(17:43):
when we bought it. I'm sorry, it wasn't us. That
kind of stuff. And we're going through a list. This
is part three today of our three part series, and
most importantly, I'm showing you how you can get it fixed,
get it changed. But right now we're taking calls and
I want to continue to do just that. So I
want to talk to Perry. Perry, welcome home.
Speaker 7 (18:07):
Oh thank you, sir. I have a quick question about
my HVAC. So we recently had winter service performed and
the technician has recommended two upgrades that I really wasn't
familiar with. So one is a surge protector. The second
is a UV light to help protect against mold and
(18:27):
mildew build up in the unit. So I wasn't sure
that these are really necessary, so I told my wife, well,
I trust Dean. I'm going to call and ask for
his honest opinion.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Oh how very cut. All right, So tell me about
this surge protector. What was the justification for the surge protector?
Speaker 7 (18:46):
Just to protect against electrical damage to the unit?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Oh? I see, I see.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
So that they're just saying that we're not talking about
another breaker at this point, but literally an incoming surge protector.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
And and this is a gas furnace, yes, okay. And
and they're talking about a surge protector on the gas furnace.
Speaker 7 (19:13):
Yes, it's also an electrical air conditioning unit. Okay, so
it's a mass of electric and gas.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah, but now are they Are they talking about a
surge protector for the outside condenser as well, or are
we just talking about the air handler that's you know,
the part that's inside the house.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
No, outside of the unit is on the roof, And
he wants to put the surge protector in the unit
up on the roof, the same with the UV light
up there in the unit.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Okay, all right, so here's the thing. There's nothing wrong
with those options. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it
at all. The question has been how long have you
guys lived in the house and uh, and how long
have you had unit? And how many electrical company power
surges have you received?
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Zero power surges? And the unit is seven years old?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, so you know there, if you've got disposable income
and you're like, what the heck?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Why not? You know, I mean, surge protectors do just that.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
But generally speaking, generally speaking, okay, for instance, the condenser
that actually starts up, I mean it is designed to
be hit with a ton of electricity, right, it's two
hundred and forty volts usually forty sixty amps. That is
(20:43):
a lot of electricity that surges into an AC unit
when it starts up and goes running. It is virtually
impossible to imagine a little bit of a power surge
from the local power lines overwhelming the AC condenser because
(21:07):
they're designed to be slammed with a large amount of power,
and so does a surge protector potentially could it protect
sensitive electronic equipment out there? Okay, yeah, maybe, but by
and large is this is probably just an extra to
be thrown in.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Yeah, And here's my proof.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
My proof of concept is this, of all the air
conditioning units that exist, let's just take a pool of
southern California, which are hundreds of thousands of them. Of
all the air conditioning units that exist, how many of
them have SURG protectors on the main condenser unit? I
would say less than a percent of a percent. And
(21:52):
how many of those units constantly are getting hit and
destroyed by power company power surges? You it's just something
you don't hear about, and so I would say the
odds of it happening to you are incredibly, incredibly low,
and so if you don't want to spend that money,
I wouldn't. Now the UV side of things, and this
(22:13):
is going to be in the air handling unit. This
is where the air ducts connect UV. If moisture has
been a problem, has been a problem, then sure address it.
But here's the funny thing about that. The funny thing
about moisture and humidity is that an air conditioner, when
(22:34):
the AC is running, air conditioners by definition, are dehumidifiers
that they pull moisture out of the air and then
deliver it through a condensate line to the outside of
the house. If the heating element, which also by the way,
by definition kind of dehumidifies the air. If if the
heating element during the winter is something where there's a
(22:57):
lot of humidity building up in the house and there's
a risk or you've in the past struggled with the
mold or mildew build up, then yeah, I'm all for
a technician coming to me and saying, Dean, we saw
a little mildew build up around the coil, and I
think this homeowner could benefit because of these conditions, you know,
(23:22):
they could benefit from a UV light in there.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'm like, all right, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
But it's one of those things that doesn't come with
every AC unit, doesn't come with every install and for
a very good reason. Most of the time they're not needed.
So again I would just ask you if you guys
have had that before, if the technician ever said to you, yeah,
we got a little mold and mildew build up, I
think we should knock it down with the presence of
a UV light.
Speaker 7 (23:52):
Thanks you very much. Yeah, I've never had that issue.
And my thought was if those were so beneficial wire
in our units, but with them to begin with when
they're installed, So I aarreciate your honest opinion.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're exactly right, Perry. And and again
this is not to say either one of those accessories
and accessories is what they are did either one of
those accessories is bogus.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's just a question of is that a particular problem
for your unit, in your home, in your area, and
if it's not, you know, don't waste the money. Don't
waste the money. You know, it's one of those things
where again you know, you know, I live in southern California.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm all about well insulating our homes.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And and you know, I want you to have the
most efficient windows possible, but you know I don't install
you know, six pain storm windows for clients that are
designed for arctic conditions in southern California. Does that mean
they're bad? Are they ripoffs?
Speaker 2 (24:50):
No, they don't belong here. We don't need them here.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And so that's at the end of the day of
the rationale. Perry, thanks for the call, Bud, appreciate And again,
every time we take a call, other people are listening thinking, oh, yeah,
that makes sense.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Do I have a problem with contractors, especially service contractors,
swooping in and saying, all right, we got your ten
point check the list here, and we also recommend that.
You know, I don't really have a problem with them
offering a recommendation, but you, as a homeowner, I want
you to specifically ask them, why why do I need
(25:31):
this thing? Why do I need it? Don't tell me
what it does? I get that, I get what it does.
Why do I need it? Do I have a problem
with this? Did you see something up there? And if
the answer is yes, then continue the conversation. Otherwise, if
the answer is well no, no, we didn't see anything
in your Okay, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I'm going to pass on that and let me finish
out your.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Bill, all right, Joell when we come back, Yeah, I've
just decided to use this hour for calls when we
come back, a couple more calls, and then we'll get
back to It was this way when we bought it.
The problems that you've inherited from the previous owner at
your home.
Speaker 5 (26:11):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on Demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Thanks for joining us on the program.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
We're taking calls right now, and then we're going to
get back to it was like this when we bought it.
The mistakes you've inherited from the previous owner or owners
of your home. Let's go back to the phones. I
want to talk to Sarah. Hey, Sarah, welcome home.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Hi, good morning. Hi. I have you spark my brain
when you were talking about noise canceling. I have two
waterfalls about six or seven feet apart from each other.
One of them faces my patio and it's about six
and a half to seven feet calls. I had it
(27:00):
installed horizontally correct, so I'm not having a problem with
the water. However, my smaller three or four foot waterfall
is also installed horizontally correct, and it's facing my kitchen
windows so I could listen and see the water when I'm.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
In the house.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
In the beginning, it was working just fine, but now
it seems like I need to kill the water every day.
And I don't see any splash factor. I don't see
any leaking. It can't evaporate that fast, So I don't
know where to look next to solve my problem.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Ah, all right, So and.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
I don't know if you can.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Yeah, well, I mean I can't look at it right now,
but I've got it in my mind's eye. So when
these were installed, the one that's giving you the problem
at least, does it have like a rubber liner under it?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Is it? Is it one of those setup side?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
How is it?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Well, I don't know what's attached to the bottom of
the waterfall. However, it's sitting up on a like a
table a platform, and it's covered with the corrugated metal
to keep the wood of the platform from getting wet
(28:29):
if it were going to get wet. Okay, all right,
So it's sitting on metal, okay.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Uh So, and you don't you don't see and where
is the pump.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
It's inside the bottom of the So this is.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
A pre this was a pre built unit that you purchased.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yes, I bought both of them from the same place,
made by the same people.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Okay, and you don't.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
See that Mountain Valley.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
You don't see any leak. Did you get it from
Recita Fountain?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Ah, I knew it. I love those guys all by
the way over there, So you.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Don't see any evidence of of of at all.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
No. And I even put cardboard all around it to
see where it might be splashing that I might not
notice it. But there's nothing splashing, and I don't know
where the water's going.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
And there's nothing leaky underneath.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
No, H got your stump?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Yeah I would, No, I would. I would give them
a call. Uh, receive a discount. Pottery and fountains by
the way, everybody, if you've never been there and you're
thinking about getting a fountain, you know what, you owe
it to yourself to get over there and see the
over one thousand.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
That sounds like I'm doing a commercial. I am.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
They're not sponsors on the show, but uh, over the
one thousand fountains that they all have running at the
same time, every single day over there.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It's amazing. But I would, I would.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
I would get it to them, I really would. I
would get it back to them, Sarah, because it's since
it's a since it's a unit that you purchased, getting
back to them and say, I don't know what's happening here.
Is there a reservoir at the bottom that's exposed like overnight?
Like I mean, are you getting visitors in the middle
of the night who are drinking down the water or
is it all hidden away?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
It's well, I turn it off at night at sunset
pretty much. I turn it off, so I don't know
how they'd be getting into it. The bigger waterfall is
more accessible, and I see squirrels and birds there, but
I don't have any big critters.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
All right, Well, my best advice is that you get
it back to them because something's going hooey.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
There's something weird. And normally when it.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Comes to a water feature and we see that it's
starting to lose water, a there's a leak in the
lining itself. And this is more you know, for people
who have had water features built into their yard, the
lining is leaking and so and they can't see it
because it's just soaking into the soil right underneath them.
But there's a you know, there's a tear or you know,
(31:15):
a hole in the lining somehow, and we're losing water
that way, or it's been constructed in such a way
that the water is hitting rocks and a good amount
of water is splashing outside of the feature, so it's
not you know, it loses water every time it runs
because of splashing that it doesn't get returned into the reservoir.
(31:38):
Or there's a busted pipe or a leaky fitting where
the pump is and as a result, water again is
soaking into areas where we can't see it. That kind
of stuff, and or just we use it a lot
and evaporation. The more you use the fountain, the more
it evaporates, you know, the more you expose the water
(32:00):
to evaporation. And in those situations will put in a
little auto fill valve and we'll run a little quarter
inch waterline to it with a little plunger so that
when the water gets low, it activated. It's kind of
like the the the ballcock in the the valve in
the in the toilet of your tank, the tank of
your toilet, toilet of your tank the tank of your toilet.
(32:22):
You know, when the little float goes down, the valve
turns on and refills the tank. We use those for
pools and for fountains, just to keep the water level
topped off all the time so you never have to
worry about refilling. And a really cheap way of doing
this for those of you who have it built into
the ground is you know, I've you just noticed mild
(32:45):
evaporation over days of time. Run a little quarter inch
line from your irrigation system, you know, your drip system
into where the reservoir is, and that way, every two
or three days, when your sprinklers come on, your eargation
system comes on, you know, you get a little top
off every time we do that. With the bird feeder
(33:06):
that we have sitting out here, it just gets topped
off because the irrigation system runs. There's a lot of
ways of addressing it. But if it's a mystery where
the water is going and this is the prefabed unit,
then take it back to them, have them figure it
out for you. All right, Sarah, thank you for the call,
and here we are top of the hour. When we
(33:28):
return back to it was like this when we bought
it the problems you've inherited from the previous owners of
your home. You are home with Dean Sharp, the House
Whisper on KFI. This has been home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper. Tune into the live broadcast on KFI
AM six forty every Saturday morning from six to eight
(33:51):
Pacific time, and every Sunday morning from nine to noon
Pacific time, or anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp the
House Whisper on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
On the iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Dean Sharp the House Whisper Live every Saturday and Sunday morning. Hey,
follow us on social media. We only do the good
kind of social media. I promise you the uplifting, informative
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(00:30):
the board. That's all you have to remember. Home with
Dean And just another reminder. Today the last day to
sign up for next week's Holiday Home Show, a live
audience event that you can be invited to right here
at iHeart Studios in Burbank, and we're going to fill
up the helpful Honda Lounge. It's going to be a
(00:53):
lot of fun special guests. Al Dick Home is sponsoring it.
They're going to decorate one of their acculate Christmas trees
right before our eyes during the show and then give
it away to a lucky audience member. All of that
happening a week from today, and today is the last
day that you can enter to win. All you have
(01:13):
to do on social media is go to our Instagram
or our Facebook page Home with Dean. You'll find the
holiday post right at the top. All you have to
do is comment and say, hey, I would love a
chance to win a seat you and a plus one.
By the way, that's how we give the seats away,
so you don't have to come along, you and your
(01:34):
plus one. And if you've already entered, check your messages
on Instagram and Facebook, because we very well may have
reached out to you already to notify you, and you
only have till the end of today to get back
to us to confirm that you want to go. So
there you go. All right, that's all happening next week.
(01:56):
Very exciting. All right, it is time to go to
the phones. Let's talk to Let's talk to Rick. Hey, Rick,
welcome home.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Hello, and good morning. I have a electrical transformer in
my backyard. There's one every five houses. I've had the
DWP come out and they did a two week test
on it. It does operate within its margins. I also
(02:30):
called eight hundred dig because I want to put up
a fence, and eight hundred Dig came out and marked
the ground down where the underground wires and piping is
and for where not the dig So I know that,
and I've been googling lots of fabric and material and
(02:53):
using wood and a space put material make a space
to absorb the vibration of the coils of this transformer.
Speaking to the DWP people, I've expressed that it's not
the actual noise, it's the vibration hum that penetrates, and
(03:14):
so he recommended. Also, I call my city council person
who I'm talking to tomorrow morning, and all the neighbors
have this same issue, but nobody's ever done anything about it.
And I'm a new homeowner here, and if I'd known
about it, I don't think i would have bought the place.
And that's where I'm at. All types of material is
(03:37):
out there. A lot of it comes from other states
back East though, and I don't know whether to build
some type of a dome or you know, how to
contain the vibration from the coils the sound. That's my issue.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Okay, all right, So you've got a ground based transformer
sitting in the corner of your yard and and it's
making it's making noise. And again, now are you feeling
the vibration down through the ground or are You're just
saying it's the vibration that's making its way through the
yard and becoming a sound factor.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Correct. And also my next step is a noise ambient
noise level complaint. That's that's the next thing. But yes,
it's just the humming of it. Also found out that
this is a sixty year old unit and where I
used to live was also all electric and they were
updated units and they're so quiet. So that's there's a
(04:39):
big difference between this ancient device and new gyptology.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. All right, Well, here's my advice. Do
not break the bank. Okay, it's wise. It's first of all,
it's wise to consider a well planned uh sound reduction wall. Okay,
it's a good idea. So I'm all for it, and
(05:06):
uh and I want to help you understand how you
can go about doing it. I I but I also
don't want you to break the bank on on the
highly expensive materials to get this done, okay, uh. And
the reason the reason is this, Uh, there are there
are not uh a ton of soundproofing materials. In fact,
(05:29):
I'll go so far as to say I know of zero.
And this is from somebody who has built sound studios
before recording studios. I mean, soundproofing is part of you know,
what we do. I know of no soundproofing material that
is specifically explicitly designed for exterior use. Okay, it's all
just a carryover of standard soundproofing materials. And the problem
(05:53):
with that is that it's never just Soundproofing is a
layered thing, and it's never just about the material. It's
never there's no wonder material out there. Sometimes mass loaded vinyl.
I'm sure you've researched it and come across some info
that sometimes mass loaded vinyl is kind of touted as
(06:14):
a wonderkinned material, like the ultimate wonder material when it
comes to soundproofing. In fact, when you go to and
I'm giving you this illustration for a reason, when you
go to the International Builders and Design Show, there's always
a company selling mass loaded vinyl and you walk by
their boot and what they've got is a massive speaker,
(06:35):
I mean just a really loud speaker sitting on their
counter and there's a box over it. Okay, literally, they've
built a box that just sets over this speaker, and
the inside of the box is lined with mass loaded vinyl.
This incredibly heavy, very thick, very dense material, and it's
very very useful as a soundproofing material. The box sits
(06:57):
over the speaker and it's silent, silent, and then they
pull the box off and you realize that the speaker
is blaring, I mean, just incredibly loud. But here's the thing.
If there was a one inch hole in that box, Okay,
all the mass loaded vinyl in the world would not
(07:18):
keep that thing.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Okay, it has a vent on top. It has to
be vented too.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
So what I'm doing with this illustration is I am
adjusting your expectations. I think you are best to build
a sound baffling wall, but I think you're also best
to continue your efforts with the city. In fact, you
know what, Rick, I don't want to go long into
this break and make the next one short. But there
are a couple other things that I want to tell
(07:48):
you about this because a lot of people have sound
issues in their backyard. Noise pollution is just part of
twenty first century life. So I want everybody to hear me.
Can you hang on and we're going to go to
We're going to here's some news, and we'll come back
and I will continue to address this with you.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Is that okay?
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Rick?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Appreciate it?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
All right?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Rick, I'm gonna pop you on hold. You hold on,
and all of you who are listening, who have wrestled
with noise pollution in your yards, you hold on too,
and we'll hit this thing head on.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI A M six forty.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I've got Rick on hold. Let me get him back
on the line. Rick, you're still with me, Bud?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
All right? Rick is there? Okay? So Rick, Rick's got
a town home.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
He's got a an electrical transformer, the transformer for his
little klump of houses. And now, in a lot of situations,
some of you are thinking, wait, what what's that? Okay,
if you happen to if you happen to have poles,
you know, like power poles around your house, you'll as
(08:55):
you drive around the neighborhood, you look up to the
top of the pole and you'll see every few holes
there's what looks like a gray trash can hanging at
the top of the pole. That's the transformer that's distributing
the power from the main lines to a clump of houses.
And it's usually four or five, maybe six houses per transformer. Okay,
(09:16):
Rick happens to have a ground based one, an old
one sitting and uh and it's sitting there and uh
and it's vibrating and it's making noise, and so uh
the question now.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And he's doing he's doing all the right stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
He's calling a city council, he's talking to water and power,
UH to get this because it's a it's annoyingly noisy.
So I wanted everybody to hang on because I because
I wanted to talk have this conversation about noise pollution
in our yards. So in your situation, Rick, I'm telling
you about mass loaded vinyl and how you know, Uh,
(09:53):
soundproofing material providers just want to they want to push
their stuff at you. And it's very expensive. I mean,
it's expending stuff. And I don't want you to break
the bank over it, because if you can't seal down
the air space around the thing that's making noise, then
you're not going to silence it. What you are able
(10:16):
to do, though, is you can achieve some buffering and
reflection and baffling of the sound. Okay, I just want
to get your expectations set straight. That does that mean
that mass loaded vinyl built into a fence around this
thing wouldn't help. No, I'm not saying that it wouldn't help,
because mass is important, Okay, mass is important. I'm just
(10:41):
want you to be aware that if you you know,
you're spending your life savings on this wonder material and
you can still you know, it hasn't shut it all
down when it's said and done, because no material, no
soundproofing material, when there is still air coming out.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
You know, perfect example right here at kfive.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
You know, uh, millions of dollars get spent soundproofing studios,
recording studios and broadcast studios, and all you have to
do to defeat it and is for somebody to leave
the door to the studio open, right the door. If
the door of the studio is open and we're on
the we're on the air talking through our mics, and
(11:24):
somebody you know, is talking loudly and walks down the hallway,
it's like, well, now there's noise in the studio. It's
simply an illustration that if you can't shut all the
airflow down, you're not going to completely shut it down.
So with that bed stay that being said, the thicker
the fence, okay, the better. I would recommend that you
(11:48):
build a fence the like like you're building a wall,
not just a typical Oh, put some posts in the
ground and run flat two eyes and slats on the fence.
I would recommen that you build the kind of the
equivalent of an exterior wall, and that is that you
build the fence with panels that are as wide as possible, okay,
(12:10):
and the transformer isn't too big, And this is going
to be a relatively small fence that you're going to
build as the enclosure around it. So I would probably
build it out of a two by six material with
a top plate, bottom plate and studs in between, so
that then then you could turn around and fill those
(12:31):
empty that the void of the wall itself with mass.
With more mass, Now what kind of mass? You could
use a layer of mass loaded vinyl. Sure, I wouldn't
use much standard insulation because it's out there in the weather,
and I don't want to get wet, moldy and mildew
in all that kind of stuff because it's not weather protected.
(12:53):
But you could use expanding spray foam insulation that you
can get right off the shelf at the hardware store.
Let it expand in those cavities. Let it over expand,
you know, sheet one side of the wall, so that
you've got a one side solid you can use the
expanding foam insulation. Let it expand up, mound up, get
(13:14):
all thick, so you know that it's going to be
nice and thick. And it's a MESSI let it harden
and then you can just take a knife or a
saw blade and slice off the excess so that it's
flushed with the backside of the wall, and then encapsulate
that in between, you know, two pieces of sheathing and
then put some you know, attractive wood slats on and
(13:36):
that would be of great use. And you want to
build that wall as low to the ground as possible
so that there's a minimal amount of air gap underneath
it for sound to get through. And you want to
build it as tall as possible in front of that
transformer so that that sound coming off the top of
the transformer still has something to hit and baffle it
(13:58):
and keep it from cross over into your yard. The
best thing we can do is muffle what's coming right
at you and reflect away from you up over your head.
The stuff that we can't control. And honestly, honestly, Rick,
that's about as good as we're going to get.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
I really appreciate the info, and I wrote it all down,
and I was hesitant always. I listened to you on
the weekend, and I hesitant to call because the topic
is out of bounds of what I thought people might
also have that issue. But when you say noise pollution, yeah,
if you live in town, everybody's got noise pollution in
some way or form. So I appreciate you going over this.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
No trouble, Rick, my pleasure. Good luck with that. Let
me know how that turns out. I would be fascinated
to know what you especially what you end up accomplishing
with your city council and the Department of Water and
Power and such. But good luck with that, Rick. But yes,
this is why we take calls. You know we take calls.
Of course, I take your call to answer your specific
(15:04):
question when you call in. But the other reason we
take calls is because you know what what you're struggling with,
thousands of other people who are listening are also struggling
with it, maybe not in that one specific not thousands
of other people like Rick will have a transformer from
the Department of Water and Power sitting in their backyard humming.
(15:25):
But everybody I know wrestles with noise pollution, unless you
just live out in the country somewhere out in the
middle of nowhere. Everybody wrestles with noise pollution. And then
the solutions that are offered to you online or in
the marketplace out there are relatively uninformed solutions. They're just
(15:46):
people selling their goods who want you to buy their stuff.
And there's nothing more frustrating than to have an expectation
that a very expensive material or component or system is
going to solve your problem, and then spend the money
and find out that you know it helps, but it
didn't solve the problem. So this is all about understanding
(16:09):
what we need to do when it comes to outside,
my friends, higher the walls and fences the better, the
thicker the better, and then what's left over. This is
one of the reasons if you live in a sound
pollution area, that I love things like water features because
it just so happens. For instance, if traffic is your
(16:30):
noise pollution problem of choice, it just so happens that
the sound of falling water covers over about ninety five
percent of the exact same frequencies as traffic noise, which
is why traffic in the distance kind of sounds like
rushing water. You put that rushing water in your yard,
you'll still be hearing the traffic noise, but it blends
(16:52):
in with the water.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You would your.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Mind attributed it to the water, and now it's just
beautiful water in your backyard and not water plus traffic
or traffic alone. You see what I'm saying. So we
can mask, we can mix. We can't shut it completely down,
but if we step wisely, we can help it a lot.
All right, more of your calls when we return.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM sixty.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Your Home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. We're talking
about stuff you've inherited from previous owners of your house.
Mistakes specifically. I don't mean, like, you know, treasure tests
full of diamonds and gold, I know, I mean mistakes,
things that you don't like, things that you tell me
when we walk through your home. It was like this
(17:43):
when we bought it. I'm sorry, it wasn't us. That
kind of stuff. And we're going through a list. This
is part three today of our three part series, and
most importantly, I'm showing you how you can get it fixed,
get it changed. But right now we're taking calls and
I want to continue to do just that. So I
want to talk to Perry. Perry, welcome home.
Speaker 7 (18:07):
Oh thank you, sir. I have a quick question about
my HVAC. So we recently had winter service performed and
the technician has recommended two upgrades that I really wasn't
familiar with. So one is a surge protector. The second
is a UV light to help protect against mold and
(18:27):
mildew build up in the unit. So I wasn't sure
that these are really necessary, so I told my wife, well,
I trust Dean. I'm going to call and ask for
his honest opinion.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Oh how very cut. All right, So tell me about
this surge protector. What was the justification for the surge protector?
Speaker 7 (18:46):
Just to protect against electrical damage to the unit?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Oh? I see, I see.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
So that they're just saying that we're not talking about
another breaker at this point, but literally an incoming surge protector.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
And and this is a gas furnace, yes, okay. And
and they're talking about a surge protector on the gas furnace.
Speaker 7 (19:13):
Yes, it's also an electrical air conditioning unit. Okay, so
it's a mass of electric and gas.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah, but now are they Are they talking about a
surge protector for the outside condenser as well, or are
we just talking about the air handler that's you know,
the part that's inside the house.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
No, outside of the unit is on the roof, And
he wants to put the surge protector in the unit
up on the roof, the same with the UV light
up there in the unit.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Okay, all right, so here's the thing. There's nothing wrong
with those options. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it
at all. The question has been how long have you
guys lived in the house and uh, and how long
have you had unit? And how many electrical company power
surges have you received?
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Zero power surges? And the unit is seven years old?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, so you know there, if you've got disposable income
and you're like, what the heck?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Why not? You know, I mean, surge protectors do just that.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
But generally speaking, generally speaking, okay, for instance, the condenser
that actually starts up, I mean it is designed to
be hit with a ton of electricity, right, it's two
hundred and forty volts usually forty sixty amps. That is
(20:43):
a lot of electricity that surges into an AC unit
when it starts up and goes running. It is virtually
impossible to imagine a little bit of a power surge
from the local power lines overwhelming the AC condenser because
(21:07):
they're designed to be slammed with a large amount of power,
and so does a surge protector potentially could it protect
sensitive electronic equipment out there? Okay, yeah, maybe, but by
and large is this is probably just an extra to
be thrown in.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Yeah, And here's my proof.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
My proof of concept is this, of all the air
conditioning units that exist, let's just take a pool of
southern California, which are hundreds of thousands of them. Of
all the air conditioning units that exist, how many of
them have SURG protectors on the main condenser unit? I
would say less than a percent of a percent. And
(21:52):
how many of those units constantly are getting hit and
destroyed by power company power surges? You it's just something
you don't hear about, and so I would say the
odds of it happening to you are incredibly, incredibly low,
and so if you don't want to spend that money,
I wouldn't. Now the UV side of things, and this
(22:13):
is going to be in the air handling unit. This
is where the air ducts connect UV. If moisture has
been a problem, has been a problem, then sure address it.
But here's the funny thing about that. The funny thing
about moisture and humidity is that an air conditioner, when
(22:34):
the AC is running, air conditioners by definition, are dehumidifiers
that they pull moisture out of the air and then
deliver it through a condensate line to the outside of
the house. If the heating element, which also by the way,
by definition kind of dehumidifies the air. If if the
heating element during the winter is something where there's a
(22:57):
lot of humidity building up in the house and there's
a risk or you've in the past struggled with the
mold or mildew build up, then yeah, I'm all for
a technician coming to me and saying, Dean, we saw
a little mildew build up around the coil, and I
think this homeowner could benefit because of these conditions, you know,
(23:22):
they could benefit from a UV light in there.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'm like, all right, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
But it's one of those things that doesn't come with
every AC unit, doesn't come with every install and for
a very good reason. Most of the time they're not needed.
So again I would just ask you if you guys
have had that before, if the technician ever said to you, yeah,
we got a little mold and mildew build up, I
think we should knock it down with the presence of
a UV light.
Speaker 7 (23:52):
Thanks you very much. Yeah, I've never had that issue.
And my thought was if those were so beneficial wire
in our units, but with them to begin with when
they're installed, So I aarreciate your honest opinion.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're exactly right, Perry. And and again
this is not to say either one of those accessories
and accessories is what they are did either one of
those accessories is bogus.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's just a question of is that a particular problem
for your unit, in your home, in your area, and
if it's not, you know, don't waste the money. Don't
waste the money. You know, it's one of those things
where again you know, you know, I live in southern California.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm all about well insulating our homes.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And and you know, I want you to have the
most efficient windows possible, but you know I don't install
you know, six pain storm windows for clients that are
designed for arctic conditions in southern California. Does that mean
they're bad? Are they ripoffs?
Speaker 2 (24:50):
No, they don't belong here. We don't need them here.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And so that's at the end of the day of
the rationale. Perry, thanks for the call, Bud, appreciate And again,
every time we take a call, other people are listening thinking, oh, yeah,
that makes sense.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Do I have a problem with contractors, especially service contractors,
swooping in and saying, all right, we got your ten
point check the list here, and we also recommend that.
You know, I don't really have a problem with them
offering a recommendation, but you, as a homeowner, I want
you to specifically ask them, why why do I need
(25:31):
this thing? Why do I need it? Don't tell me
what it does? I get that, I get what it does.
Why do I need it? Do I have a problem
with this? Did you see something up there? And if
the answer is yes, then continue the conversation. Otherwise, if
the answer is well no, no, we didn't see anything
in your Okay, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I'm going to pass on that and let me finish
out your.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Bill, all right, Joell when we come back, Yeah, I've
just decided to use this hour for calls when we
come back, a couple more calls, and then we'll get
back to It was this way when we bought it.
The problems that you've inherited from the previous owner at
your home.
Speaker 5 (26:11):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on Demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Thanks for joining us on the program.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
We're taking calls right now, and then we're going to
get back to it was like this when we bought it.
The mistakes you've inherited from the previous owner or owners
of your home. Let's go back to the phones. I
want to talk to Sarah. Hey, Sarah, welcome home.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Hi, good morning. Hi. I have you spark my brain
when you were talking about noise canceling. I have two
waterfalls about six or seven feet apart from each other.
One of them faces my patio and it's about six
and a half to seven feet calls. I had it
(27:00):
installed horizontally correct, so I'm not having a problem with
the water. However, my smaller three or four foot waterfall
is also installed horizontally correct, and it's facing my kitchen
windows so I could listen and see the water when I'm.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
In the house.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
In the beginning, it was working just fine, but now
it seems like I need to kill the water every day.
And I don't see any splash factor. I don't see
any leaking. It can't evaporate that fast, So I don't
know where to look next to solve my problem.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Ah, all right, So and.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
I don't know if you can.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Yeah, well, I mean I can't look at it right now,
but I've got it in my mind's eye. So when
these were installed, the one that's giving you the problem
at least, does it have like a rubber liner under it?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Is it? Is it one of those setup side?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
How is it?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Well, I don't know what's attached to the bottom of
the waterfall. However, it's sitting up on a like a
table a platform, and it's covered with the corrugated metal
to keep the wood of the platform from getting wet
(28:29):
if it were going to get wet. Okay, all right,
So it's sitting on metal, okay.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Uh So, and you don't you don't see and where
is the pump.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
It's inside the bottom of the So this is.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
A pre this was a pre built unit that you purchased.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yes, I bought both of them from the same place,
made by the same people.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Okay, and you don't.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
See that Mountain Valley.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
You don't see any leak. Did you get it from
Recita Fountain?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Ah, I knew it. I love those guys all by
the way over there, So you.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Don't see any evidence of of of at all.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
No. And I even put cardboard all around it to
see where it might be splashing that I might not
notice it. But there's nothing splashing, and I don't know
where the water's going.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
And there's nothing leaky underneath.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
No, H got your stump?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Yeah I would, No, I would. I would give them
a call. Uh, receive a discount. Pottery and fountains by
the way, everybody, if you've never been there and you're
thinking about getting a fountain, you know what, you owe
it to yourself to get over there and see the
over one thousand.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
That sounds like I'm doing a commercial. I am.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
They're not sponsors on the show, but uh, over the
one thousand fountains that they all have running at the
same time, every single day over there.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It's amazing. But I would, I would.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
I would get it to them, I really would. I
would get it back to them, Sarah, because it's since
it's a since it's a unit that you purchased, getting
back to them and say, I don't know what's happening here.
Is there a reservoir at the bottom that's exposed like overnight?
Like I mean, are you getting visitors in the middle
of the night who are drinking down the water or
is it all hidden away?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
It's well, I turn it off at night at sunset
pretty much. I turn it off, so I don't know
how they'd be getting into it. The bigger waterfall is
more accessible, and I see squirrels and birds there, but
I don't have any big critters.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
All right, Well, my best advice is that you get
it back to them because something's going hooey.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
There's something weird. And normally when it.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Comes to a water feature and we see that it's
starting to lose water, a there's a leak in the
lining itself. And this is more you know, for people
who have had water features built into their yard, the
lining is leaking and so and they can't see it
because it's just soaking into the soil right underneath them.
But there's a you know, there's a tear or you know,
(31:15):
a hole in the lining somehow, and we're losing water
that way, or it's been constructed in such a way
that the water is hitting rocks and a good amount
of water is splashing outside of the feature, so it's
not you know, it loses water every time it runs
because of splashing that it doesn't get returned into the reservoir.
(31:38):
Or there's a busted pipe or a leaky fitting where
the pump is and as a result, water again is
soaking into areas where we can't see it. That kind
of stuff, and or just we use it a lot
and evaporation. The more you use the fountain, the more
it evaporates, you know, the more you expose the water
(32:00):
to evaporation. And in those situations will put in a
little auto fill valve and we'll run a little quarter
inch waterline to it with a little plunger so that
when the water gets low, it activated. It's kind of
like the the the ballcock in the the valve in
the in the toilet of your tank, the tank of
your toilet, toilet of your tank the tank of your toilet.
(32:22):
You know, when the little float goes down, the valve
turns on and refills the tank. We use those for
pools and for fountains, just to keep the water level
topped off all the time so you never have to
worry about refilling. And a really cheap way of doing
this for those of you who have it built into
the ground is you know, I've you just noticed mild
(32:45):
evaporation over days of time. Run a little quarter inch
line from your irrigation system, you know, your drip system
into where the reservoir is, and that way, every two
or three days, when your sprinklers come on, your eargation
system comes on, you know, you get a little top
off every time we do that. With the bird feeder
(33:06):
that we have sitting out here, it just gets topped
off because the irrigation system runs. There's a lot of
ways of addressing it. But if it's a mystery where
the water is going and this is the prefabed unit,
then take it back to them, have them figure it
out for you. All right, Sarah, thank you for the call,
and here we are top of the hour. When we
(33:28):
return back to it was like this when we bought
it the problems you've inherited from the previous owners of
your home. You are home with Dean Sharp, the House
Whisper on KFI. This has been home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper. Tune into the live broadcast on KFI
AM six forty every Saturday morning from six to eight
(33:51):
Pacific time, and every Sunday morning from nine to noon
Pacific time, or anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Home with Dean Sharp News
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