Home Improvement Hour 2 – Attic fan, woodpecker

·37 min·3 clips

Rich reveals how attic fan leaks can rot your roof plywood from hidden condensation.

This episode of the Home Improvement Show features host Rich Orris taking listener calls about common household problems. The show provides practical, project-based advice for homeowners. Mark calls in with a question about his attic fan, and John later seeks help with a persistent woodpecker. Mark asks about covering an attic fan to prevent heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Rich suggests commercially available insulated covers for the attic side or a DIY solution like a plexiglass sheet secured with Velcro or magnets on the interior grate. He explains warm air escaping into a cold attic can cause condensation, frost, and eventual plywood rot. Rich details the option of replacing an old fan with a modern unit that has self-sealing, insulated doors, but notes retrofitting in an older home often requires multiple trades and can be complex. John describes a woodpecker drilling into his cedar shingle siding, having already tried wood filler, wind chimes, and aluminum foil. Rich confirms it is illegal to kill or trap woodpeckers and suggests deterrents like fake owls, rubber snakes, or predator sounds. He recommends treating the house for insects like carpenter ants or bees, which may be attracting the bird. A surprising insight is that attic fan condensation in winter can cause structural damage by rotting roof plywood, not just energy loss. Rich shares that modern attic fans are designed for 24-inch truss spacing, making retrofitting them into older homes with wider, 36-inch openings a significant renovation project. For the woodpecker, a memorable suggestion is using a speaker to play predator sounds, though Rich warns it might annoy the neighbors. He recounts a client with a cedar-sided house who had to constantly patch woodpecker holes with dark brown aluminum panels. Rich also shares an anecdote about someone hearing a woodpecker loudly pecking on a steel trailer. The host uses a conversational, advice-column style, directly responding to caller questions with detailed explanations and personal anecdotes. The tone is educational and pragmatic, focusing on actionable solutions and the pros and cons of different approaches. Homeowners dealing with specific issues like attic ventilation, wildlife pests, or general maintenance would find immediate, practical value in this episode. Listeners seeking broader home improvement theory, high-level design trends, or entertainment-focused content might find the call-in format too niche.

As heard by us

Practical home-repair talk that moves from an attic-fan fix to service costs and drain maintenance.

The cleanest practical note is the attic-fan fix: attic-side covers, including zipper-style closures at access points, keep warm air from leaking out.

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Why you'd press play

When winter air leaks through an attic fan, this hour gives you a plain fix path.

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