Find cause, then cure for rising mailbox posts
Q. I live in a townhouse complex and the problem I'm trying to solve involves our mailbox posts. The mailboxes are mounted on treated wood assemblies, anywhere from four to eight boxes on an assembly mounted on two 4-by-4s buried in the ground.
The problem we're having is that the posts continue rising up (unequally). We had one contractor come in and correct several of the worst units. He recommended using only gravel or stones along the 4-by-4s buried 42 inches deep. Supposedly, that's the frost line here in Northeast Illinois. Well, sure enough, by the next spring, most of them were askew. We've had several opinions regarding the use of concrete poured around the 4-by-4s in order to stabilize the unit. Some people say that is the way to go, while an equal number say otherwise. Through your experience, could you please tell me what you think would be the best way to secure these mailbox assemblies to minimize the upheaval?
Palatine
A. Two things may be happening. The freezing soil may be "bear-hugging" the posts and lifting them up. Or it may be that there is a water course or high water table below the posts and, when it freezes, it heaves the posts.
If the builder who reset the posts used gravel or stones around the posts to the depth of the posts without capping the stones with a sloping dirt collar, water may enter the stone around the posts, pool and freeze at the bottom, heaving the posts.
But if he did the job right, you may be dealing with a wet environment under the posts. In this case, the holes may need to be dug deeper and a gravel bed with an outlet or large storage placed at the bottom to allow for drainage. It also helps to wrap the parts of the posts underground with several layers of black plastic, which would provide a slip-joint between the wood and the adjacent material. I believe that setting the posts in concrete would not solve the problem; they, too, would be "bear-hugged" or lifted from the bottom. You need to find the cause of the problem and take care of it.
Q. We have a chronic problem with a toilet that leaks moisture around the perimeter. The house was built 15 years ago and has two baths. The seepage occurs with only one of the two toilets. Twice during the past 15 years, we have had a plumber replace the tank mechanisms, and three years ago replaced the entire leaking toilet. Still, the rusty-colored water leaks out at the base of the new toilet bowl onto the floor. This occurs year 'round, with the same amber (dry) deposit occasionally appearing on the "lip" of the toilet bowl near the floor. Can you please advise us on the cause of this condition and possible solutions to remedy the problem?
South Burlington, Vt.
A. From your description, it sounds to me as if you have a defective seal where the toilet is attached to the floor. In a 15-year-old house, the seal is likely made of wax. It is surprising to me that a competent plumber, who replaced the toilet and its inner workings, would not have been aware of the possible seal problem, so there may be something else I am not aware of. If it is a seal problem, it should be replaced with a newer type that does not use wax.
Q. My two-story house was built in 1996. It has a porch running across the front that is (about) 5-feet deep and 30-feet wide. The ceiling of the porch is enclosed, without any venting, and has four can lights. In the 11 years I have lived in this house, I have used hundreds of light bulbs, as they never last more than a few months. But I noticed that the fewer the lights, the longer they seem to last. When only two bulbs are glowing, they seem to last longer than when four are.
Thinking that it may be a matter of ventilation, we removed some of the plywood -- about a 5-by-5-foot piece, which seemed to improve it, but they still don't last. I haven't really paid much attention to the seasons. But I wonder if the problem is a lack of ventilation; interior temperature of the enclosed roof; type of light fixture; type of bulb; overload of current on circuit breaker, or just some bad feng shui?
Via e-mail
A. Undoubtedly bad feng shui. I have never seen the temperature and lack of ventilation of a porch roof affect the life of light bulbs. If it were a case of an overload on the circuit, the breaker would trip. The type of bulb should make no difference but its wattage may. If the cans are rated for only 60-watt bulbs and you use 100-watt bulbs, and leave them on for many hours at a time, the extra heat generated could affect the cans' insulation and cause a short too small to trip a breaker. But just in case it isn't that or bad feng shui, it may be a loose neutral on the circuit. It makes sense since you observed that the bulbs last longer when you use only two, as a greater load creates a greater arc on loose connections, resulting in power and voltage surges. Have a licensed electrician check the system out.
Q. Can you please tell me how to remove rust spots from my patio pavers?
Via e-mail
A. If the rust is not an integral part of the pavers (nature having made it that way), try dabbing the rust spots with a small brush dipped in Clorox bleach. But it may bleach the spots so much that you may end up with discoloration on the pavers.
Q. I recall you writing about tankless water heaters before. They seem great because of the on-demand concept. The heater I currently use is constantly firing up when not in use. I have heard of two kinds, one by Bosch, which you have mentioned, and one by a Japanese company called Rinnai. Can you tell me some comparative information about the two? Is one more reliable than the other, easier to install or more affordable? My current unit seems to be ready to go, and I would appreciate any help you could offer?
Union, N.J.
A. Both Bosch and Rinnai make reliable tankless water heaters. Bosch is available to the public at Home Depot, while Rinnai is sold only to plumbers through plumbing supply houses. Most Rinnai installations are made by builders through their plumbing contractors -- many installed in new houses. You should be OK with either brand.
Q. I follow your column and keep a scrapbook. Some time ago, you listed a source for the zinc plates that can be used on roofs at drains to fight dark mold-type staining. Don't know what I did with this information, but would you mind repeating it?
Flanders, N.J.
A. The product is Shingle Shield. You can buy Shingle Shield by calling them toll free: (800) 942-3004; fax: (800) 606-2028. Their mailing address is 2710 North Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604. Or you can order online at www.shingleshield.com. Shingle Shield strips are installed under the top course of shingles below the ridge, so the zinc leaching out runs down the roof, preventing the formation of the algae that discolors the roof covering.
Q. You have mentioned the benefits of a Humidex system to dry basements. No mention was made of them requiring an air-to-air exchanger to be used in conjunction with the Humidex. If I understand the unit, it takes air from the basement floor level and exhausts it outside the house. In this house, if I turn on the kitchen exhaust fan without opening a window or door, the makeup air would come down the chimney and the house would be full of smoke if there were a fire. Otherwise, I would be expelling heated air and drawing in cold outside air. If I used one in the summer, the moist air from upstairs would be drawn into the basement to condense on the cold pipes. What is there about the Humidex that I don't understand?
Essex Junction, Vt.
A. The best way I can answer your question is to reprint my earlier answer to a New Jersey reader who had inquired about Humidex. You will note that I did not recommend Humidex for good reasons. Here is the reprint: Sucking a lot of air from the basement floor to the outside will require that the negative pressure created be equalized. That means that the make-up air will get down to the basement either through the basement or upstairs windows in warm weather when they are open. That make-up air from outside will be warm and moist and will be brought into a basement that is kept cooler because it is underground, which compounds the problem. But of much greater concern, since you say that your basement always requires dehumidification, is that it is very likely to cause a backdraft through chimneys including the heating appliance -- a serious safety problem during the heating season since it will pull in the combustion gases that contain carbon monoxide. The Humidex fan also uses electricity, perhaps not as much as a dehumidifier, but I don't know of any better way to dehumidify a basement than to use a dehumidifier.
© 2008, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.