Schaumburg owner has roofing questions

Q. I live in the area of Schaumburg that was hit by microburst. We have been accepted for new siding and roof. My current roof is 13 years old, siding is 30 years old. I have a few questions.

• I have recently read, maybe even in your column, that roof/attic ventilation is not that important?

We had none until recent roof, then they added 6 vents, plus an attic fan in the middle. Now that I am re-roofing, just wondering if these are needed or not.

• The roofing guy said it would be a good time to replace all the plywood on the roof, which was not covered by insurance and is out of pocket for us. This was done 13 years ago. Is that a sensible recommendation?

• The picture I included is of a vent opening to our crawl space. We concreted the floor years ago. I think this has been an entryway for mice over the years and recently had the Mice Guy come and seal around the house. Now that I am siding again, is this ventilation necessary?

The crawl's entryway is in my garage, which is heated in winter, and stays pretty cool in summer as we keep door closed most of the time. The crawl is directly under a living room floor.

• We will also be re-decking around our pool in the fall. I have a 30-year-old deck and would like to have something around the pool that does not get hot. Do you have any suggestions for a product that works well in a wet, sunny environment?

A. I am sorry that your house suffered so much damage, and I hope you will have a contractor who will do a good job for you.

Please keep in mind that if your house was not built to energy standards, you now have a great opportunity to improve its performance and reduce your heating and cooling costs while reducing your CO2 footprint.

This can be done by adding 1-inch thick XPS rigid insulation (blue, green or pink) over the existing sheathing before replacing the vinyl siding. There is vinyl siding with an integral EPS foam insulation (white), but I prefer having XPS installed separately. It has a greater R-factor, which will help in the long run.

It will be an extra cost to you, but the benefits over time in energy savings make it worthwhile considering.

Sorry, but you didn't read that attic ventilation was not important in my column. There is a school of thought that insists that a hot roof is OK, but most shingle manufacturers will void shingle warranties in such a situation.

Years ago, when I handled a number of shingle failures that occurred throughout the nation, we were required to provide proof of adequate ventilation to collect on the warranties.

I also remember my old friend and colleague, chief engineer at the U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory), now retired, respond to a question from an attendee to one of his many presentations who asked him if ventilation could be omitted under certain cathedral roof configurations. His response was: "Get on your knees and pray!"

I assume from your description that the roofer added six vents in combination to the attic fan. This does not provide the best ventilation system, and it uses power.

Now is your opportunity to have a full length, externally baffled ridge vent, such as Shinglevent II, installed. But for it to be effective, you also need full length soffit vents front and back of your roof. If you do not have overhangs to install soffit venting, there are products to install vents behind the fascia or on the roof itself.

All gable and other vents should be closed, as they short-circuit the ridge/soffit combination.

Attic fans actually rob energy from the conditioned space unless there is enough NFVA (net free ventilation area) to satisfy their CFM rating. This is seldom achievable; they are counter productive. I suggest you get rid of the fan and the six roof vents added earlier.

I wonder why your roofer is suggesting replacing the plywood at your cost. Unless the plywood has been sufficiently damaged by excessive moisture and is buckling enough to affect the looks of the new shingles, I see no need to replace it and I have the same question as to why it was replaced 13 years ago.

If it was necessary then and again now, the absence of adequate attic ventilation is likely to be the culprit. Convective currents from the conditioned space into the attic can also be a major factor.

Unless replacement of the roof sheathing is absolutely needed, put the money in the rigid insulation under the siding instead.

If moisture is well under control in a crawl space, vents have a negative effect, as they admit warm, moist air in the summer, which can cause serious structural problems. To make sure that your concrete floor forms an adequate vapor control to soil moisture, tape a 2-square-foot piece of plastic to it. If no water beads have formed under the plastic after 48 hours, you should be safe closing all crawl space vents.

You haven't said, but is your pool deck concrete? Wood products should not become that hot, but if it is the problem, I have no suggestion as to what would be cooler short of a light-colored indoor/outdoor carpet.

Q. What product can I use to remove the gooey, dark grime stuck on wood handrails indoors?

A. After suggesting using Milsek Furniture Polish & Multi-Purpose Cleaner for years, I have received many comments from readers about its magic. Go to Milsek's website: www.milsek.com. Click on "Where to Find" and enter your ZIP code. Be sure to read and follow Milsek's directions to use it properly.

Q. Can this recommended cleaning technique (12 percent hydrogen peroxide to 1-cup of ammonia) be used to clean stubborn bird-dropping stains on a Natural Bluestone patio?

A. I see no reason why it would not work; it has worked on bricks.

Mix 12 percent peroxide (which you can buy in pharmacies, some big box stores or online at Amazon) and ammonia in the following proportions: a tablespoon of ammonia to a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Mix only as much as you will need.

Apply the solution to the droppings and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes, after which scrub with a fiber brush. Rinse thoroughly with your garden hose full strength.

Remember never to mix ammonia and bleach, as the combination is very dangerous.

• 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.