Articles filed under DeMarne, Henri

• Water filter company still in business Nov 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  I live in an area of southwest Pennsylvania where cisterns are the typical water source for homes. Recently, my aged Bruner sand/gravel water filter developed an irreparable leak. The water from this filter was used for every household purpose except drinking and cooking for many years.
  

   

• Why is HVAC system emitting sewer smell? Nov 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I am a single lady living in my own one-story house for 25 years. My problem is that for the past six months, my house smells like a sewer every time the heat (or AC) kicks on.
  

   

• Water heater is likely source of awful odor Nov 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. We have stinky water rotten egg stinky. It hasn't always been this way. Some 12 to 15 years ago, there was no smell. A plumber once told us heating the water would exaggerate the smell if the heating elements had a buildup of minerals.
  

   

• Roof membrane: too much of a good thing?Nov 4, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I am a homeowner with good do-it-yourself skills. I followed the advice of two local contractors (one a building inspector) and covered my entire roof with Grace Ice & Water Shield before applying Owens Corning shingles. Now I am told that the roof will not be able to breathe and that this situation will create mildew, rot and all forms of homeowner disasters.
  

   

• Garage access to attic helps vents heat Oct 28, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I own a trilevel home in the Chicago area. In the garage is an access door to the attic. During this brutally hot summer of 2012, I’ve left the garage access door open, and it dropped the temperature in the attic substantially.
  

   

• Noise from furnace aggravates new owners Oct 21, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. My wife and I recently purchased a new home in a 55-plus community in Illinois from a big builder. Every time the furnace comes on, you have to raise the volume of the TV and shout to have a conversation. The general contractor on the job has gone through a lot of HVAC contractors, and each one has made changes to the HVAC system.
  

   

• Metal valleys on roof replacements are the best option Oct 14, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. Do you have an opinion on open vs. closed valleys of roofs? I’ve had six estimates done, and all of the higher estimates cite open valleys (with a metal flashed valley), while the lower estimates cite a woven “California cut” valley.
  

   

• Covering dirt floor will reduce mustiness Oct 7, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q.We have an old home with a dirt basement and stone foundation. For energy efficiency, we had the foundation walls spray-foamed, including foaming over the little windows. Now, of course, there is no ventilation, so we have constant moisture and mugginess.
  

   

• Have water tested before choosing a softener Sep 30, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. We are looking to replace our water softener, which is probably 20 years old. We have a well, and our water is high in iron and often has a sulfur smell. I have been looking at reviews online, but they have differing views on salt vs. salt-free softeners.
  

   

• Screen door should not drag across the deck Sep 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I have a wooden deck outside my kitchen door. Once in awhile this past hot summer, I noticed a problem. I would have to raise the screen door a little to open it.
  

   

• Congregation hopes to dry out church basement Sep 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. We are members of an old church. The basement is concrete block and is sunk three-fourths of the way underground. We have a sump pump but the basement remains damp. The windows are left open 24/7, rain or shine, to let in fresh air, but the problem is getting worse. Help!
  

   

• Home repair: Second-floor bedrooms too hot for sleeping Sep 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I need advice before we invest in a new roof for our Cape Cod-style house. The house has two front dormers and one large dormer off the back of the house where the original owner added a bedroom upstairs. The roof on that dormer has been leaking around a vent pipe and has to be replaced.
  

   

• Algae on shingles is homeowners’ nemesis Sep 2, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I have ugly black streaks/stains on the asphalt shingle roof of my house. They appear on the north side of the roof only, where the sun doesn't hit very much; the south side is fine. Is there a product to remove this stain?
  

   

• Outdoor A/C unit is OK in the sun Aug 21, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. We moved into a fixer-upper and have been doing a lot of work to get it just right. One question I have is about our air conditioner. The exterior unit sits on the patio slab and is directly in the sun. Is the unit OK in the heat?
  

   

• Energy audit can identify heat-loss culprits Aug 19, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. First of all, I would like to thank you for suggesting Amteco TWP wood preservative. I just used the TWP 1500 series on my fence, and it turned out great. I hope it lasts for years to come.
  

   

• Home repair: Ductwork insulation may help air conditioner’s efficiency Aug 12, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I have a question regarding air conditioning. Our cooling is done with the heat exchanger in the attic. Off the heat exchanger is an uninsulated manifold that allows for a lot of heat transfer in a hot attic. Would there be any downside to insulating the manifold exterior?
  

   

• How much to spend on attic insulation? Aug 5, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I was disappointed in your recent reply to the question about having two layers of fiberglass insulation between the floor joists in the attic — about 6 to 8 inches total. This equates to an R-value of about 18 to 24. In Chicago, we recommend R-49 in attics.
  

   

• Home repair: Special hardware affixes grab bars to fiberglass Jul 29, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. My elderly mother is coming to live with us. We have a beautiful, sunny bedroom with private bath for her, and the bathtub/shower unit is fiberglass. We asked a handyman to install grab bars, but he said he couldn't because the fiberglass can't hold the screws to fasten the bars. Do you know of a solution?
  

   

• Home repair: Can solar panels be used to shade a deck? Jul 22, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. The narrow cedar slats in the pergola/shade roof we built over our large deck 15 years ago are now peeling, warping, shrinking and deteriorating. It's a hefty 18-foot-square frame made up of about 250 slats, so the cost of materials and labor to replace them will be substantial.
  

   

• Mice can squeeze into house through tiny holes Jul 15, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I am having trouble with mice. I have looked everywhere but cannot figure out how they get in the house. I see some small openings around where the electric cable goes into the house at the basement level, but it seems too small to let them in. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have.