Failing siding needs to be replaced with new vinyl

Q. We have a problem with our vinyl-coated aluminum siding and vinyl-coated window wrap. It is peeling or flaking off in some locations. It was installed in 1985 and has a 40-year non-prorated, transferable warranty. Aluminum Industries, Inc., manufactured it. We have tried to contact them but found out they went out of business, and to our knowledge no one bought them out. The company that did the installation is also no longer in business. Do we tear off and replace with vinyl siding or is there some way to stabilize the flaking and have it painted?

Via e-mail

A. As you have painfully discovered, warranties are only good if reliable manufacturers back them up. I am afraid that your best approach is to remove the failing siding and replace it with new vinyl siding. If your house is not very well insulated, this is a good time to think of having 1-inch thick extruded polystyrene applied to the sheathing before the new siding is installed.

Q. Every time the power goes off on our street, my electric pump loses its prime. The plumber told me that I needed a new foot valve and put in a new jet package. Now my pump runs up to five and stops. Will this cause my pump to go on too often? Before, the gauge would go as far as 40 or so then drop back to stop. Why does it only go to five and start up again? I believe this could wear out my pump. Please help me to know what's going on.

Ledgewood, N.J.

A. The gauge on the pressure tank is usually set to turn the pump on at 20 PSI and off at 40 PSI. If more pressure is desired, sometimes it is set at 30 and 50. You should ask the plumber who replaced the foot valve to see what is happening and make the necessary adjustments. He or she should not charge you for this call, since it should have been done when the service was initially provided.

Q. My son-in-law has a cathedral ceiling in his new addition and is leaning toward a tin roof so he doesn't experience rotting and leaking problems later. Are there other options, such as Styrofoam with airspace between the roof and the insulation?

Irwin, Pa.

A. Please be aware that any roof covering applied correctly should not cause leakage. The difference is that the metal roof may shed snow if the pitch is steep enough to permit and there are no obstructions (skylights, valleys, plumbing stacks, etc.).

Rot of a roof system is usually caused by condensation within the cathedral-ceiling cavities. This condensation can run down through the ceilings below and appear to be a leak. Cathedral ceilings are tricky to insulate and ventilate in order to avoid condensation problems. The safest way to insulate them is with closed-cell polyurethane foam sprayed directly onto the roof sheathing and rafters. Do not use open-cell polyurethane, such as Icynene, in a cathedral ceiling, as it absorbs moisture that needs to be able to evaporate. This condensation won't evaporate toward the cold side, either, because roof coverings are effective vapor retarders.

Closed-cell polyurethane is expensive but trouble-free, and with it, cathedral ceilings do not need ventilation. If he cannot afford to have closed-cell polyurethane sprayed and opts instead to insulate with fiberglass, here is the safest way:

• Nail 1-inch-by-2-inch strips to the sides of the rafters and against the roof sheathing.

• Tack 1-inch-thick rigid extruded polystyrene foam insulation (pink, blue, gray or green; do not use white beadboard, as it absorbs moisture) to the rafters just below the wood strips.

• Fill the remaining rafter spaces with fiberglass insulation.

• Carefully staple 6-mil plastic to the bottom of the rafters.

• Use properly finished and painted drywall instead of any board ceiling.

The roof will need to have full-length venting strips installed in the soffits away from the house walls (to keep wind-driven snow from being blown in through them), and a full-length, externally baffled ridge vent such as Shinglevent II. This type of construction should minimize the risk of condensation, but every step must be done carefully.

It does not take much to cause failure, as I can relate from an unfortunate experience found in a house where the drywall tape had loosened at the peak of the ceiling. The top 2 inches of the rafters and the plywood sheathing were rotten, and the fiberglass insulation was invaded by thousands of carpenter ants. Needless to say, the repairs were very expensive.

© 2007, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.