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Fence posts should have more powerful preservative

Q. My fence is pretty old and several of the 4-by-4 inch posts (cedar) have broken due to deterioration and I need to dig them up this weekend to replace. My question is which would last longer? Treated or cedar with the lower portion sealed with a primer or a waterproof sealer? We are not going to be in the house that much longer so this may not be a big deal, but I do not want to cut corner so the next owner has the same issue.

A. Heartwood cedar is a durable wood and that is most likely what you have. However, it may be hard to find nowadays.

I would recommend that you use 4-by-4 pressure-treated posts rated for ground contact as a much-longer-lasting replacement. Ground contact pressure-treated wood has .40 pounds of preservative whereas above ground pressure-treated wood only has .25 pounds of preservative, so it will not last as long with ground contact.

Be sure to treat all cuts with preservative, which you can buy in hardware and building supply stores.

Q. I'm hoping you can help me with an issue that has stumped a number of people. We have a well and our water has a high iron content. When we replaced our water heater we began to get a strong sulfur smell. We did some research and found that putting in an aluminum rod often helps.

Our HVAC provider changed the rod to aluminum (so I'm told), but the smell didn't go away. We've solved the problem temporarily by adding 3 pints of peroxide to our 50-gallon water heater every two weeks. This takes the smell away, but is very time consuming. We could pull the anode rod, but that will void our warranty, which has many years to run.

We've read about an electrified rod, but have no idea if this would work. No one has had experience with it. If you have any suggestions for me I'd truly appreciate it.

A. There may be several causes for the sulfurous smell.

Sacrificial anodes, generally made of magnesium, are in glass-lined water heaters to protect the tank itself from early demise by attracting the chemicals in the water responsible for corrosion. When the anode is almost completely eaten, a sulfur smell develops, and the anode needs to be replaced in order to continue protecting the tank.

But if you smelled sulfur very shortly after the new tank was installed, it is unlikely that the magnesium sacrificial rod was eaten this fast unless you have a water softener, which precipitates corrosion.

Replacing a magnesium anode with an aluminum-alloy rod (aluminum/zinc/tin) will delay the need for replacement.

Another choice is to replace the anode with a powered anode, which is not sacrificial. It will last much longer and may not need replacing for the life of the heater. It uses very little current - in the milliamperes - but it must not be used in stainless steel or galvanized tanks, or the A.O. Smith Vertex.

Powered anodes are quite pricey and may not eliminate all odors, in which case, you will need to have a water specialist test your water to determine the cause for the odor.

You can buy a powered anode, also known as an impressed current rod, in plumbing-supply houses. Any licensed plumber can install one for you.

Q. I have a small basement toilet and shower with an exposed (galvanized) metal deck ceiling. The metal deck supports a concrete porch floor that is open to the elements. We live in Pittsburgh, so the weather goes from cold/snow/ice to 100 degrees in the summer. There is an exhaust fan and hot water heat.

I would like to remodel this room and cover the metal deck, but I am worried about trapping moisture under the metal deck and causing corrosion, mildew stains, etc. I have considered spraying a closed cell urethane foam. What do you recommend?

A. Your concern is well taken. The safest solution would be to spray closed-cell foam. Be sure you have this done by an experienced foamer to minimize the chance of shrinkage and overheating of the mixture.

You'll have to figure out how to install a ceiling to cover the foam. Is there enough height to build a two-by-four framework to hang drywall?

Q. We bought a self-cleaning oven and before reading the directions instructing not to put an aluminum drip pan on the oven floor, I did just that. The aluminum melted and adhered and will not come off. I'm afraid to turn on the self cleaning process. Should I?

A. If you can remove the oven floor, take it outside and spray The Works Toilet Cleaner on the affected areas. Do not do this inside! It has a pretty good record of success.

Let it do its work for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse it off into a plastic drywall compound or rubber-type bucket and dispose of it at your local hazmat recycling center.

Use heavy rubber gloves. You may have to repeat the process several times. When the aluminum is gone, scrub the oven floor with dishwasher detergent.

If you cannot remove the oven floor, try naval jelly, a gentler process that has no fumes. Apply it generously to the aluminum and leave it overnight. Wipe it clean and repeat for several days as needed.

An option is to buy a new oven floor.

Q. We are replacing the steel roof on our summer camp, used May to September. The camp is uninsulated.

Twenty-five years ago when we last re-roofed, we had placed furring strips on top of the roof plywood and polystyrene between the furring strips. This made the cabin cooler in the summer.

We plan on putting in a ridge vent this time. Would that make the polystyrene unnecessary?

A. Are you planning to reroof with metal again? If so, installing a ridge vent may be a challenge because of the ribbing on screw-on metal roofing or the seams on standing seam roofing.

It can be done, but it is tricky unless you contract with an experienced standing seam contractor that has developed a ridge vent system.

If the strapping for the existing metal roof was installed from rake to rake, as it should be, the ridge vent will not be effective. For it to work, it needs to have equal net free ventilation area at the soffits and a clear space between the soffit and ridge vents.

This will require a set of strapping installed from eaves to ridge and another set from rake to rake for screwed-on roofing or a new plywood deck if you choose a standing seam roof.

You certainly can keep the rigid insulation, as the new venting system is unlikely to be as effective.

• Henri de Marne, a former remodeling contractor turned columnist and consultant, is the author of "About the House with Henri de Marne" (Upper Access Publishing). He continues to take questions from readers for this column and his website, www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to aboutthehouse@gmavt.net.

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