Home needs energy audit to find cause of roof icicles
Q. A shed-style roof overhangs a brick stoop at my front door. Every northern New Jersey winter after every snowfall (sometimes even during the snowfall), melted snow from the top section of the roof travels down the steep slope of the lower section, freezing along the way and creating icicles above the brick stoop.
The attic beneath the top part of the roof is ventilated well, but the top part of the roof is not insulated at all. I cannot determine how, or if, the lower, steeper part of the roof has insulation, although the walls of the house do have four to six inches of fiberglass. I have attached four pictures to illustrate my problem.
I made the mistake of using salt to melt the ice, and now I am arranging to have the stoop rebuilt because it has deteriorated so badly from the salt. I should note that the previous owner had ice-dam damage in the house. I do not believe he did anything to remediate the problem.
About six feet in and just to the right of the center window is a folding stairway to the attic. I installed a commercial insulated cover (a cardboard box covered with four to five inches of insulation -- I believe it has a rated R-value of 55). Also about six feet in and just to the left of the window is a whole-house fan in the ceiling. I made a foam-insulation box to cover it, and it has a plastic cover on the grill to minimize the heat loss.
The icicles travel the full length of the roof, suggesting that the melting is not strictly localized above the stairs and fan. The attic has about six inches of old fiberglass insulation between the floor rafters, which has compressed to four or five inches. There is no other insulation. Would this be a good candidate for spraying foam insulation right onto the underside of the roof? Or should I just double the insulation on the attic floor? What choices (and at what cost) do I have to eliminate the icing?
Via e-mail
A. Heat loss from the living areas through both the attic stairway and the fan can cause the entire roof to develop icicles as the warm air spreads across the entire attic at the ridge area. The best way to find out if they are the sources of the snow melting is to observe the roof after a snowfall. If the snow melts faster in the areas above these two openings, they are responsible.
If your utility providers perform energy audits, they are your best bet to determine where the heat loss is coming from. If they do not provide audits, they may be able to steer you to some people who do. You may also want to have another six to eight inches of cellulose blown in over the old fiberglass, although the audit may offer other suggestions. Spraying foam on the roof sheathing is not the answer for an unoccupied attic space. Instead of using salt on your stoop, use a deicer that does not damage concrete or bricks.
Q. I'd like to add some new life to an almost 50-year-old Formica-topped table. I just don't know how to handle the Formica part of the table. Can it be refinished? Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
Via e-mail
A. Try Counter Gloss-Aerosol ($8.39, trindustries.com) The manufacturer claims that it cleans, seals and protects laminate countertops without streaks, smears, smudges or fingerprints, restoring luster and shine while protecting the surface and making the countertop stain resistant. Gel Gloss Aerosol or liquid ($7.99) should also work.
Q. We live in an old brick house on the banks of Otter Creek. The house has always had a breeding colony of little brown bats in the attic space. We have finally decided that we are sick of living with them and would like to exclude them. We want to do this now before they come back in the spring.
Our contractor has some guys who are willing to go up there, remove the old, inadequate insulation and clean up the bat guano. They will also caulk every hole they can find, put new screening over the louvered vents, etc. (We'll then add a lot more insulation.) We want to be sure that they don't come back.
My question is, is it true that bats won't come back if we put a light up there that is on 24 hours a day during bat season? If so, what sort of light would be best? Would it help to add an extractor fan of some sort to make it cooler? The house is very hot after sundown in the summer, and I've heard bats like the heat. Should we put up a bat house and blocks of wood on the backs of the exterior shutters to keep them from roosting there? Any other advice would be welcome.
Weybridge, Vt.
A. Why remove the old insulation? Just have cellulose blown in on top of what is already there. Have all cracks sealed and the louvers screened. Install a string of three bare light bulbs in the attic. Use CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) to save energy, since the lights will be on day and night.
If you increase the insulation in the attic, the house should remain cooler. Set a bat house on a tree nearby. Many bat houses sold in hardware and other stores do not meet the criteria bats need, so buy bat houses from Bat Conservation International, P.O. Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716. Telephone: (512) 327-9721; fax: (512) 327-9724; catalog orders and inquiries: (800) 538-2287; Web site: www.batcon.org.
On the Web site, you can also find a list of certified bat houses or buy one from your local Audubon chapter. Locally, you can purchase from Chiroptera Cabin Company, P.O. Box 4156, Burlington, VT 05406. Telephone: (802) 951-2501; fax: (802) 865-0480; e-mail: batcabins@aol.com; Web site: www.chiropteracabins.com; contact: Barry Genzlinger. Get a bat house that can accommodate many bats.
I am not sure what you mean by putting wood blocks on the back of the shutters to keep the bats out. Are you planning to install the blocks around the entire perimeter of the shutters to seal it? If the shutters are louvered, they would get in through them, unless you put screening behind them. If the intent is to set the shutters off the house walls so the space is larger, you may want to try it. I have no idea if this will discourage them.
Q. In a column you wrote last year, you mentioned a product called Olde Yankee Towne to use on a ceiling that had been painted with calcimine paint. You said that we could get it at Home Depot, but we have been unable to find it there and when we inquire, no one seems to have heard of it. Do you know of any other source for this product or something similar we can use? We have a calcimine ceiling that will not hold paint (yes, old house!). We would appreciate any assistance you can give us. We always read your column and have learned so much from it!
Watchung, N.J.
A. Here is a repeat of the column you are referring to: Remove all the loose paint, feather the edges of the surrounding non-peeling paint and apply two coats of Olde Yankee Towne with over the entire ceiling. Be sure to follow the instructions on the container.
You should be able to find this product at Home Depot and high-quality paint stores. If you can't find it locally, order it directly from the manufacturer, Savogran. The mailing address is P.O. Box 130, Norwood, MA 02062-0130, and the toll-free number is (800) 225-9872. The Web site, www.sclsterling.com, provides more details on the product, including pricing.
It comes in one- and five-gallon cans; one gallon will cover 125 square feet, so for two coats you'll likely need two gallons. The cost is under $30 per gallon. The most important thing to remember is that if there is any moisture coming from behind the calcimine paint, it will continue to cause peeling of any coats you apply over it.
Q. About four years ago, I had my six windows replaced with the metal tilted ones. That was the worst investment ($4,000) I ever made. I am an 85-year-old senior citizen with minor problems in my wrist and find it almost impossible to raise them. Is there anything that I can apply to make them easier to use? They were purchased from a local distributor who has been awarded praise for his sales and service.
Via e-mail
A. Try WD-40. Spray a very small amount on the tracks. It should work.
Q. I have two dehumidifiers working in the basement (June through September). Is there a downside of a basement that is too dry?
Via e-mail
A. Not that I know of. Should you be so lucky!
Q. In winter, I was sealing all my windows with masking tape to cut the draft of air leaking from them. Now I am having problems getting the glue off? How can I take off the glue?
Via e-mail
A. Try Goo Gone. You should be able to get it in any hardware store. It works very well on all kinds of projects, including removing tape residue from glass. The manufacturer claims that it is a safe product to use with a small environmental effect.
© 2007, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.