House Works: Pros and cons of air, gas and battery power nailers

Jul 26, 2023

There are many great nailers out there, but only three main technologies and all have pluses and minuses, says Steve Maxwell.

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Q: What kind of power nailers should I buy? I’m choosing a nailer for framing and another for trim work on the house I’m building for myself.

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A: There are many great nailers out there, but only three main technologies. All have pluses and minuses. If you’re building a house, you should definitely pay for professional-grade gear. Beyond that you also need to understand the pros and cons of each type of nailer technology.

Air-powered nailers are the original, they’re the cheapest and they provide lots of power in a simple format. That said, air nailers also require an air compressor and hose, which can sometimes be a significant pain.

Gas-powered hoseless nailers have been around for more than 30 years. Gas nailers draw combustible gas from a disposable cartridge to power the tool, with a rechargeable battery to activate an exhaust fan and ignition system.

Gas nailers offer lots of power for driving fasteners into hard materials and they eliminate the need for a hose and compressor. On the downside, they also need to be cleaned periodically, and the gas doesn't always combust properly in super-cold weather or when it gets old.

Battery-powered framing nailers are the latest technology and they’ve worked well in my tests. They’re quiet, they require no gas cylinders and they have no hose. I like them.

Although battery nailers can drive nails reliably into softwood, they’re not always able to drive them all the way into extra hard material like engineered lumber.

Q: Should I replace my gas-fired water heater? It's 15 years old, made by Rheem, and I bought out the rental contract from the utility last year. It's been a while since I’ve flushed it out and the tank seems slower to build heat back up after a drawdown.

A: If your water heater has spray foam insulation instead of fibre-based insulation, I’d flush it again and keep using it for at least another five years. High-end units like yours almost certainly were made with foam, and this greatly reduces standby heat loss.

The slower-than-usual heating times could be caused by mineral build up in the tank.

Shut the gas and water supply off, connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom, open the tank vent, drain the water, let the tank cool, then turn on the fresh water supply to the tank while letting it drain out the open bottom valve.

If it's been more than a year or two since your last flushing, the operation will probably cause yellowish mineral flakes to wash out of the hose. That's a good thing, and in extreme cases many pounds of minerals could be sitting in the bottom of your tank.

Removing this build-up should return your heater to like-new performance. If it doesn't, then you’ve lost nothing in the attempt.

Q: Should we tear up the sagging floor in our cottage, or can we fix it with levelling compound? I know rebuilding is the do-it-right option, but is there any reason that levelling with filler won't work? My husband wants to rebuild.

A: I’m afraid I have to side with your husband on this one. If the floor has sunken in places, it's probably not something you should ignore by pouring on levelling compound. There could be rot at work, or perhaps the joists were undersized originally and not strong enough.

Tackling the root cause is always the best policy. Installing a new floor on the old one could result in the loss of your investment as that new floor fails. Levelling with filler would certainly make the floor good in the short run, but support could crumble underneath later.

Steve Maxwell has helped thousands of homeowners. Get help yourself at stevemaxwell.ca.

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