♪♪ Kevin: On "Ask This Old House," our experts travel across the country to answer questions about your house.
♪♪ Today, Richard heads to the City of Brotherly Love to help a Philadelphia homeowner install a brand-new oven with built-in ventilation.
And can you imagine charging your electric vehicle without a plug?
Ross will reveal a new wireless innovation that could be coming soon to a garage near you.
Then, what's the buzz around pollinator gardens?
Jenn will explain why she loves them and how to plant one of your own.
♪♪ Hey, there.
I'm Kevin O'Connor.
Jenn: And I'm Jenn Nawada.
Kevin: And welcome back to a brand-new episode of "Ask This Old House," packed full of information today.
And we are starting off on the road.
Jenn, I don't get on road trips with you that often.
So, where are you taking me?
Jenn: Well, today I want to address all these questions I'm getting about pollinators.
So I thought the best thing to do is bring you to the nursery.
You can see the plants in person.
So, this is in the Northeast, but a lot of these are native plants.
They're beautiful, and nothing is better than seeing them in person.
Kevin: Sure, alright.
Well, native pollinators -- I'm all in.
Jenn: Awesome.
Alright, Kevin, check out this nursery.
Kevin: I love it.
Look at this background.
Jenn: Well, I brought you here to talk about pollinator plants.
Okay?
Kevin: Okay.
And so tell me what a pollinator plant is.
Jenn: A pollinator plant is basically anything that's going to flower, right?
Anything that's going to attract the pollinators, which are bees, birds, butterflies.
And what they do is they feed from the nectar on the plant, and then they fly off and then they pollinate something else.
Kevin: Okay, so, literally, anything with flowers is a pollinating plant?
Jenn: Yes, yes.
Kevin: Go figure.
Alright.
Jenn: So, here's some of the springtime bloomers.
So you want to, you know, start throughout the season.
So when I do my designs, I like to incorporate plants that bloom throughout spring, summer, fall.
Just so you extend the life and the feeding time, and everybody's happy.
Kevin: And what have you got here?
Jenn: So, this one is called ilex verticillata.
It is a winterberry.
Kevin: Now, that, I've heard of.
Jenn: So, they get those bright red berries in the fall, but they first start with these beautiful white flowers.
This one's about to emerge, about to pop.
These buds are going to open up to flowers, and then those will be pollinated and turn into the big, bright red berries.
Kevin: And if the birds and the bees don't come, or they're not hanging around, that's not going to happen.
Jenn: No, sometimes it gets a little self-pollinating.
But if you want the full-on berry heavy fruiting, you need your pollinator.
Kevin: Okay, so, this is early spring.
What have you got here?
Jenn: This is called -- this is a perennial.
This is a shrub.
This is a perennial.
This is called Dicentra, bleeding heart.
Kevin: Oh.
Yeah.
Jenn: That sounds familiar?
Kevin: Yeah, my son gave my wife one of these for Mother's Day.
Still her favorite plant.
Beautiful flowers.
Jenn: Very good choice.
I'm proud of your son.
Kevin: [ Chuckles ] Jenn: Yeah, it's beautiful.
It's a great shade option, but they have these beautiful flowers that droop down.
Kevin: Very nice.
Jenn: Incredible.
Kevin: Alright.
Jenn: Another shrub.
This one's called Fothergilla.
It blooms right on the wood before the leaves emerge.
It almost looks like a bottle brush.
It's bright white, flower that's accessible on all sides.
Kevin: So, the fact that the leaves are out means the blooms have come and gone?
Jenn: Correct.
Kevin: Hence early spring right here.
Jenn: Yes, yes.
Kevin: Alright.
So as we move down the line, these are the later bloomers.
Jenn: Yes.
This is butterfly weed.
You could see, these are all opened up.
These are budded up, ready to go.
This one is a very important plant for a very special friend called the monarch butterfly.
You've heard of the monarch, right?
Kevin: They commute -- they migrate big, long distances.
Jenn: Yeah, they commute.
So this is their main food source, and they need this to survive and give them the energy to fly south.
Kevin: So if you have these in your yard, you might -- you're likely to get a layover from one of the butterflies.
Jenn: You're 100% going to get a layover.
And they're very attractive, and they give some height to the garden.
Beautiful perennial.
Kevin: So, if I could, I'm going to guess this is some sort of hydrangea, right?
Jenn: Yep.
It's a hydrangea arborescens.
The cultivar name is Pinkie Pollen Ring.
Kevin: Hmm.
Jenn: And so these are all budded up, ready to go.
So, it's a lacecap.
So, it's absolutely beautiful.
It's like a landing pad.
And it's another beautiful option.
It's a shrub.
Kevin: There are so many hydrangeas out there, and a lot of them just have these gigantic blossoms, vibrant colors.
Jenn: Mm-hmm.
Kevin: This one's a little bit more muted.
I'm surprised it's on your favorite list.
Jenn: Well, these are all natives, okay?
Kevin: Oh.
Jenn: So let's talk about native plants for a second.
So, all of these are going to play a very important part in the whole ecosystem.
Kevin: Everything we've seen so far?
Jenn: Everything we've seen, everything I've picked out.
I really like to incorporate them in my designs for so many reasons.
First of all, you don't need chemicals -- any kind of chemicals -- to keep them alive.
Kevin: Right.
Jenn: Watering -- reduction of water.
So they're indigenous to this area.
Everyone should look up, like, what's indigenous to their area, so there'll be less maintenance, less care.
Kevin: Yeah, you spray with pesticides, and the bees are not going to enjoy that.
So they're not going to be really doing the job at pollinating.
Jenn: Right.
It's going to it's going to hurt that population.
So it's very important to try to go native.
Kevin: Very nice.
And is this also a summer bloomer here?
Jenn: Yes.
We have our coneflower echinacea.
Kevin: Oh, right.
Jenn: One of my favorites.
Kevin: Yeah, I mean, that is sort of like the quintessential pollinate.
You can almost see the bee or the butterfly on that beautiful blossom.
Jenn: The butterflies and bees love this nectar.
It's incredible.
And then, when this becomes spent, the birds come and eat the seeds.
Kevin: So, summer bloomers?
Jenn: Yep, summer bloomers, moving into late summer, early fall.
Kevin: I think you planted one of these for me.
Jenn: Can you I.D.
it, then?
Kevin: Oakleaf hydrangea?
Jenn: Yes.
I am an oakleaf hydrangea junkie.
They have such a beautiful, big panicle of flower.
And it's such a big flower that all pollinators get in from all angles.
Kevin: And does well in the shade.
Jenn: Does well in the shade, does well in part sun.
It's a beautiful plant.
Amazing fall colors.
One of my favorite natives.
Kevin: Okay.
Jenn: Yep, and then this one, corymbosum.
This one is a highbush blueberry, right?
So the flowers will come out, and then once they're pollinated, they turn into these near blueberry season, right?
Kevin: I have got a row of these.
There are millions of blueberries on them, none of which I've ever tasted, because the birds get to them.
Jenn: Yeah, because they're so good, because you do such a good job taking care.
Kevin: The birds can have them.
Jenn: So, highbush blueberry -- great choice.
Amazing fall color, as well.
And feeds you and the birds.
Kevin: Okay.
And then the final one here?
Jenn: This one is called diervilla.
So, it is also known as low bush honeysuckle.
And this is about to pop.
But the flowers are spectacular.
They're, like, tuberous, so you can really get in there.
You'll see a bee or a butterfly really just going inside.
And there's -- it's just another beautiful shrub.
Kevin: It's awesome to see that you've got such a choice that are both natives and pollinators, right?
So they're going to look great in the yard, but they're going to do everything you want for all the local birds, bees, insects.
Jenn: Right, with less maintenance, less water, less chemicals.
It's kind of a no-brainer.
Kevin: Yeah, you got to bring me back here more often.
Jenn: I know.
Alright.
Kevin: Thanks, Jenn.
♪♪ ♪♪ Richard: Today we're in Philadelphia, known for a lot of things -- the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin, "Rocky," cheesesteak, and housing stock like this -- Philadelphia row houses.
Now, Lois, you're one of the homeowners of these beautiful houses.
Lois: Yes.
Welcome to Philly, Richard.
Richard: Nice to be here.
Lois: Nice to meet you.
Richard: This is your little piece of heaven?
Lois: Yes, definitely.
So, I bought this home about four years ago from Habitat for Humanity.
Richard: Great.
Lois: Their homeownership program.
Richard: Super.
Lois: And the kids are loving having their own room.
Richard: Great.
And what are you doing now, these days?
Lois: Now I actually work for Habitat for Humanity.
Richard: Oh, great.
Lois: I started off in their repair department, helping other families get repairs.
Now I'm helping families get a home.
I'm doing the homeownership program.
Richard: Good for you.
Lois: Yeah.
Richard: You wrote us that maybe we might be able to help you.
You have a little issue inside the house?
Lois: Yes.
Please let me show you.
Richard: Good.
Let's go.
[ Truck backup alert beeping in distance ] Lois: Alright, so, welcome to our beautiful kitchen.
Richard: Love it.
Lois: So, I really like to cook, especially bake.
My two children love baked ribs.
And so, a few months ago, we started smelling gas.
And so it really scared me.
Richard: Yeah.
Lois: So, the gas company thinks that it's coming from the stove.
So, we've only been using the top.
Richard: Only been using the top?
Lois: Only been using the top.
So, no, we haven't baked in a few months in this.
We really miss baked ribs.
Richard: Alright, so I could actually get down in there and try to find the leak, seal it up.
But you know what?
I notice you don't have a vent to outside either.
So you know what?
That stove doesn't know anything, I think.
How about a little upgrade?
Could that work?
Lois: That would be amazing.
Richard: Alright.
I'll be back.
♪♪ Careful.
Woman: Alright.
Richard: Alright.
Lois: Ooh!
Richard: What do you think?
Lois: This is nice!
Richard: Alright, I need you to meet three new friends.
First is Kelly Ireland, a local plumber who's going to help us.
I'm not licensed as a plumber here in Pennsylvania, but she is, so she's going to help us make the connections correctly.
Lois: Hi, Kelly.
Nice to meet you.
Kelly: Thank you for having me in your home.
Richard: [ Chuckles ] This is your new gas range -- 30-inch gas range.
And this is a 30-inch microwave, but it also has the vent hood that goes to outside.
Lois: Oh, that's great.
Kelly: Awesome pick on your oven, but I'm really glad you went with the microwave with a vent hood, because when you cook with any gas appliance, you can have incomplete combustion, which releases a little bit of contaminants.
It's safe, but it's always best to get it out of your house if possible.
Richard: Yep.
A lot of times, you just have like you have -- it just recirculates.
So it's really great.
Alright, you're not going to be able to start baking and cooking unless we get going.
So let's get rolling.
Let's turn the gas off and get this old one out of here.
Lois: Alright.
I'll let you guys get to it.
Richard: Alright.
Love seeing you protect the counters.
Nicely done.
Alright, let's get that range out of the way.
Kelly: Alright.
Richard: Turn off the gas.
Alright, you're smaller than me.
You can go in there.
Kelly: Alright, I'll squeeze in.
Richard: [ Chuckles ] Kelly: A little bit more.
Okay.
Richard: Gas cock off.
Gas is off.
The union connection is broken.
And you can just unplug that electrical plug when you come out.
Good.
Kelly: Alright.
Richard: So... We're good?
Kelly: Yeah.
Richard: Look at you go.
Kelly: Yeah.
Richard: [ Grunts ] Guns.
Kelly: Got my big muscles on.
Richard: Got your guns.
After you.
Alright, a little discovery here.
The gas line comes up in the middle of this opening, and it comes up to about about 6 inches.
And that was fine for the old stove, because on the back of that stove, there was plenty of room to run the flex.
But not the case on the new stove.
The new one has this box on the back, which means there's barely enough room.
So I'm going to have to modify the pipe a little bit to have a space.
Never easy.
To get the clearance for the flex pipe and the new stove, we'll first remove this threaded adapter.
We'll use a multi-tool to cut back the Sheetrock to give us room to insert this elbow.
This new angle will allow for the connection to be made behind the new stove.
Now we can turn our attention to removing the old microwave.
[ Tools whirring ] You got that end?
Kelly: Yep.
Richard: A new venting microwave is secured to the wall with these brackets.
[ Tools whirring ] We'll modify the cabinet to accept the vent flange.
[ Tools whirring ] Hooah.
Great.
[ Vent hood scraping ] Kelly: Okay?
Richard: And I want you to hold it.
Kelly: Okay.
Got it.
Richard: [ Sighs ] Kelly: Look at that.
Richard: Now, any of these microwave-exhaust combinations have a choice to exhaust straight out the back or at the top, as we've done right here.
And it comes off the center of the unit.
But look what also is at the center of the unit.
That's a stud -- a 2x4 wall stud.
If we ever drilled a hole there, we take all the structure outside of the wall.
So we can't.
So what we want to do is to offset the exhaust, right like this, so that means that we're going to come over here, and "X" marks the spot.
[ Tool whirring ] It starts with a pilot hole.
Then, we'll switch to our hole saw.
[ Tool buzzing ] Nicely done.
I'll finish the through cut from the outside by matching our hole saw onto our pilot hole.
Now we can mark and cut our vent pipe to length.
[ Tool buzzing ] Kelly: On the money.
Richard: Perfect.
Attach it to the flange, and secure it in place.
[ Tool whirring ] Alright, Kelly, close enough?
Kelly: Yep.
Good.
Richard: Okay, make your connection.
[ Chime rings ] One important installation step is this anti-tip bracket.
It's designed to key onto the back leg to avoid the range from ever tipping over.
Okay?
Okay, just be sure that we don't kink that flexible line.
And just help me guide onto that anti-tip leg.
Kelly: Tip it to you?
[ Speaking indistinctly ] Richard: Look at that.
And that goes right in beautiful.
Okay.
Okay, I think we're there.
Right?
And that's -- we're going to key it onto this.
Alright, so, let's just level.
Just try bringing that front leg up, please.
[ Leveling leg clicking ] Okay.
Nice.
Oh, the posse is here.
Hi, guys.
Lois: Hi.
Kelly: Hi.
Richard: Who are you?
Cameren: Cameren.
Richard: Hi, Cameren.
Richard.
Jade: Jade.
Richard: Hi, Jade.
You excited?
Cameren: Yep.
Jade: Yeah.
Kelly: What's the first thing you want Mom to cook?
Jade: Ribs.
Cameren: Ribs.
Richard: Ribs.
Kelly: I'm staying for dinner.
Richard: I want to stay, too.
[ Laughter ] Well, here it is.
Lois: It looks amazing.
Richard: It's great.
Lois: Thank you both.
Richard: It's got an air fryer.
It doesn't leak.
You don't smell any gas.
That's a good thing.
Lois: Yes.
Richard: And what I love is this right here -- it's vented to outside.
Lois: Okay.
Richard: Okay?
So that's going to make sure all the contaminants go outside.
Kelly: And you use it for your stove and your oven.
Lois: Okay.
Kelly: And it'll take all the smoke and everything out.
Richard: Alright?
Lois: Great.
Richard: We hope you guys cook for your kids and your kids' kids and enjoy forever.
Lois: Thank you!
Richard: Bye, now.
Kelly: You want to do the honors?
Lois: Yes, we want to try it on.
Jade: I'm going to cook some eggs.
♪♪ Ross: Wireless technology is all around us.
Our Internet is wireless.
Household appliances, like doorbells and thermostats, are now wireless.
We can even charge our wireless phones wirelessly.
So if we can charge our phones without wires, where else can we cut the cord?
Well, wireless electricity may be coming to your garage sooner than you think.
David.
David: Welcome, Ross.
We're really glad that you came to visit, because we want to show you how we can charge your car wirelessly.
Ross: Wait, you're saying I don't have to plug my electric vehicle in anymore?
David: That's right.
You just park and walk away, and a car charges itself.
Let me show you how we do it.
Ross: Alrighty.
David: Ross, before we go in the back and I show you the electric vehicle, I want to give you a demonstration of how wireless energy transfer over distance actually works.
So I have this small system that we'll use to demonstrate.
This is the battery.
Battery is the power supply.
This is the charging pad.
Ross: Mm-hmm.
David: Charging pad creates a magnetic field around it that's used to transfer energy to a receiving device.
In this case, the receiving device has a coil in it that's used to couple to and capture energy.
And here you can see... Ross: Wow.
David: ...that it's lighting up.
Ross: Look at that.
David: No wires.
The energy is going right through the air.
Ross: Wow.
Okay.
I mean, it looks a lot like charging a cellphone, right?
We have the induction pad, and I got to put my cellphone physically on it.
If it's a little off, it doesn't work.
Sounds like this has a lot more flexibility, and it can do it over distance.
David: That's exactly right.
You can think of this as a charging pad and a receiver on steroids.
Ross: Okay.
David: And the way that the system works is that this charging pad is designed to create a magnetic field that extends over a region around the charging pad.
It doesn't extend all through the room.
It's really focused on the charging pad.
Ross: Try to keep it efficient and localized.
David: Exactly.
And we have to be efficient in order to charge an electric car.
Ross: Sure.
David: In this system, the coil is small.
It's able to capture a few milliwatts in order to light the LEDs.
But in an electric car, we have to capture 11,000 watts.
Ross: A lot more power.
David: 11 kilowatts.
Right.
And so the coils that we use are quite a bit larger.
And the efficiency of energy transfer is very, very high.
Just as good as plugging in.
Ross: Can we go see one?
David: Let's go have a look at the system.
Ross: Great.
♪♪ David: Ross, these are the three components that we just discussed, scaled up to deliver 11 kilowatts to an electric vehicle.
This is the power supply.
The power supply is connected to the Internet and also communicates by Wi-Fi to the vehicle.
And most importantly, it's connected to the electric grid to get power.
Ross: Okay.
David: It delivers the power to the ground pad.
Ross: Sure.
David: Ground pad creates the magnetic field, which then is captured by the receiver, which is mounted to the vehicle.
This receiving coil is designed for a vehicle -- a sedan or small SUV -- that might have a ground clearance of about that much.
Ross: And if I had a pickup truck or different type of vehicle?
David: That's right.
If you had a pickup truck with a higher ground clearance, this coil would be a bit larger.
If you had a sports car that had a lower ground clearance, the coil could be a bit smaller, but they would all work together with the same charging pad.
Ross: So, one size on the charging pad, but multiple sizes on the receiving side?
David: That's correct.
Ross: Got it.
David: Let's see how we put the systems to the test before we put them on a car.
Ross: Right, now you're talking my language.
David: Alex is running some important tests on the system right now.
We don't expect people to park their car perfectly.
And the system is designed to deliver full power over the full range of parking positions that you expect in the real world.
Ross: So if I'm not perfectly aligned with my car over the charging pad, it's still going to work fine?
David: That's right, you're still going to get a full charge.
Ross: Awesome.
David: Let's go take a test drive.
Ross: Love to.
David: Alright.
Ross: Alright, safety first.
David: Let's buckle up.
Alright, now put your foot on the brake and press the Start button.
Ross: Okay.
David: Put it in drive, and just park the car.
Ross: Pull in forward.
So, I'm watching the display here.
And you want me to get the red dot right in the rectangle.
Is that right?
David: That's correct.
That's going to tell you that you're parked perfect.
Ross: Alright, put it in park?
David: Put it in park, and the car will charge itself.
Ross: That was easy.
David: Yeah.
Right now, the car is communicating with the power supply, and the car is asking for power.
And it will tell the power supply how much power to deliver.
And we'll see the power ramp up from zero up to 10 kilowatts -- full charge rate of Level 2 charger.
Ross: Got it.
And if I'm outside of that region, it won't give me any power?
David: That's right.
It won't charge, because the system is designed to always give you a consistent and high level of charge power when you're parked in the charge zone.
Ross: Got it.
We're doing everything through the secondary display.
So is that part of the car?
David: So, this vehicle was retrofit with the wireless charging system, which included both this extra display as well as the receiver that's mounted underneath the car.
In the future, carmakers will integrate both the display and the receiver into the vehicle at the factory as a standard feature or a factory option.
Ross: Is the upgrade kit available for all cars today?
David: It'll be available for selected vehicles.
Ross: Gotcha.
Okay.
So the goal long-term is to get it embedded in the car?
David: You should be able to go to a car dealer, buy your electric car, and get it with wireless charging.
Ross: Awesome.
So, we're at 10 kilowatts.
We're at full power right now.
David: Sure.
And now if you want to see what happens if you overshot your parking spot.
Ross: Okay, let's do that.
David: Now you can see you're out of the charging zone.
The car simply won't charge, because you're out of the charging zone.
Ross: I see that.
Alright, so, we got the wallbox and the charging pad.
What does the cost look like for a system like this?
David: The cost of a system like this is very similar to the cost of a Level 2 smart charger.
Cost of installing it is also about the same as installing a Level 2 conductive charging wallbox.
Ross: And I see the charging pad here is surface mounted.
Is it waterproof?
Is it rugged?
Can it handle... David: Yeah, absolutely.
It's designed to be installed in a public parking lot or at somebody's home.
So it's completely waterproof.
It's been tested with cars driving over it.
Ross: Okay.
I mean, I've got to ask, though, in the Northeast here, we got a lot of snow, so if this is outside, you're getting exposed to the elements and the snowplow.
How do you guys deal with that?
David: It's a great question.
Let's show you what we're working on to solve that problem.
Ross: Alright.
David: Well, Ross, you're one of the first to get to see a prototype of our in-ground charging pad.
It's made of concrete.
It's designed to be embedded right in the pavement so that the pavement, it's flush mounted, and a snowplow could just drive right across it.
Ross: So, the coils are actually embedded inside the concrete base?
David: That's right.
Everything is inside of this.
And this connects to the power supply.
Ross: What's the timeline like to get this to market?
David: Systems with this technology are already available in Asia; and here in the U.S., in the next 6 to 9 months, we'll be offering systems on a retrofit basis.
And systems with this technology with the in-ground coil should be available in the next two years.
Ross: Alright.
Well, David, thank you so much for showing us what you're working on.
Now I just need the keys for the car.
David: Oh, it's a pleasure.
Come with me.
Ross: [ Chuckles ] ♪♪ Kevin: Next time on "Ask This Old House"... Ross: You wrote to us about ice dams.
Man: If you look up, you'll see the symptoms.
Ross: Oh, yeah.
Kevin: ...Ross suits up to help a homeowner properly insulate his attic.
Then Richard shows how to repair damage to your irrigation system.
Richard: Too small.
[Chuckling] Just right.
Kevin: And Mark paves the way for a new asphalt parking spot.
All that on "Ask This Old House."