Fence posts can be reset, provided the wood has not rotted
Q. A post that is part of my stockade fence is loose. When the wind blows, the fence rocks back and forth and makes the post weaker. Can I fix this myself? I am a senior citizen and I don't want to be cheated.
A. If the post is in good condition - not rotted - you can buy Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete or Sakrete Fence Post Concrete Mix in building supply, hardware or box stores like Home Depot or Lowe's. These stores may carry similar products under different brand names. Follow instructions on the package. Some of these products only come in 50-pound bags - probably more than you need, and cement-based products do not keep well. Be sure that you mix the dry ingredients thoroughly as they have a tendency to segregate when stored for a long time.
Q. We have just purchased a small cottage on Lake Champlain in South Alburgh, Vt. The house is only 4 years old, but the siding is badly stained with spider poop and other bug carcasses. Is it safe to pressure-wash siding? What should I use for a detergent? I'm told that I should spray with something like Malathion three or four times a year to prevent bug staining. Do you agree or have other suggestions?
A. You haven't told me what type of siding is on the cottage; it can make a difference in whether or not it is safe to pressure-wash it. Is there organic mulch at the base of the cottage? It may explain the "spider poop." If pressure-washing is safe, a good solution to use is a mix of fresh Clorox bleach and TSPPF as a detergent. This should remove any mildew, mold and other pollutants, but it is unlikely to remove what you call spider poop, etc. This will probably require hand scrubbing. But if what I suspect is artillery fungus, it will not come off vinyl or aluminum siding, and removing it from wood siding may damage it. I am not qualified to recommend pesticides; you should consult a pest-management professional.
Q. We have an insulated garage, and I wondered if it would be possible to allocate some space in the garage for use as a root cellar to store vegetables, etc., during a Vermont winter. If so, how would it need to be constructed?
A. If your garage is heated, it is probably kept at a very low temperature - 45 to 50 degrees (7 to 10 Celsius), somewhat like a refrigerator. If it is not, the fact that it is insulated will not make it any warmer than the outdoors, so you need to find out what vegetables will stand freezing temperatures. The Master Gardener program can advise you. It seems that you would only need some shelving in a closet-like area built in the most convenient part of your garage that would not interfere with parking a car - unless, like many Vermont garages, it's full of other machinery and personal possessions while the car sits outside covered with ice and snow. The space can be built with 2-by-4-inch studs on a pressure-treated bottom plate and regular top plate. Fiberglass insulation can be stapled between the studs and the walls finished inside and out with either plywood or gypboard kept 1 inch off the floor. The door can be an insulated metal door.
Q. We have a bi-level house with an attic area on either side of one bedroom that was built in 1954. We had a roof installed, and as a result, the insulation in the attic area fell out. The areas can be seen from the main attic, but an adult cannot fit through the dormer area to reinstall the insulation. Is there any way to reinsulate the area? The house is very cold now, causing cracks in the bedroom walls.
A. I am not clear about the layout that makes it impossible for an adult to reach the affected "area" (you used the singular, but earlier you used the plural), but I assume that you are talking about wall insulation that fell out. Is one area accessible while the other is not? If you can access one part of the attic through a panel or a door, can the other side be accessed the same way, even if it means cutting an access panel? If you are speaking of the ceiling of the bedroom, it sounds as if the only solution is to have dense-pack cellulose blown in or closed-cell polyurethane sprayed in. Check with two or three insulation contractors and get their prices and take on it.
Q. I own a house in Trenton, N.J., and I share the chimney with my neighbor. He has three heaters, for the basement and the first and second floors. I keep carbon monoxide detectors in the house on each floor and in the attic. Two years ago, the attic alarm went off. The fire department came and ordered him to shut down the heaters because the chimney is not big enough for so many heaters plus my own. I reported this problem to the city, and the inspector came and ordered an evaluation done by a licensed person to see what he says needs to be done. When I called someone, the person who came and inspected both places was supposed to write the report to be sent to the city inspector, but that never happened. The city gave us a time for this to be done. I am thinking that my neighbor bribed the city inspector, because he never followed up on this problem. Now that winter is around the corner, I am worrying again and I need your best advice on how to tackle this problem once and for all.
A. You do have a very unsafe situation. You may want to call the city again and ask if the report has been filed since you last inquired, and if it has not, ask why it hasn't been filed. Let them follow through with it since you have done your part and an inspector came in. You should also call the fire marshal's office; that's in their bailiwick, and he or she should be able to exert some pressure on the other departments.
Q. I live in central New Jersey in a balloon-frame house built around 1919. My porch is closed in. I had insulated windows installed, and now I want to insulate the floor. The floor is only hardwood over frame. The porch stands 4-plus feet off the ground - open on three sides (lattice covering the openings). My question is: What can I install underneath the floorboards (I can crawl in under the porch) to warm up the porch so - with the addition of an electric oil-filled radiator - my plants don't freeze in the winter? I was thinking of putting up some kind of insulation and holding it there with plywood. Would that work? What insulation material would be best?
A. Are the walls and the ceiling insulated? If not, insulating the floor will not do you much good. To insulate the floor, since it looks like you want to do it yourself, the easiest way is to use fiberglass batts of the depth of the floor joists. Use friction-fit, unfaced batts and push them in tightly against the floor. Screw the lightest plywood you can get to the bottom of the floor joists; 1/4-inch thick is fine to reduce the weight that you will have to handle. This is essential to keep rodents out of the insulation. Be sure to wear protective clothing with tight wrists, goggles and a dust mask.
Duckbill dust masks are the best. They are made by Kimberly-Clark and are available at Home Depot. You can also find them on Kimberly-Clark's Web site: www.kcdiy.com. You may also want to look at their Grip gloves - the best work gloves I have used.
If the job seems too big to handle, a contractor can do it in one of several ways: As described above; screw the plywood up and have cellulose blown in; or foam insulation sprayed on.
Q. We have a light-colored GAF shingle roof that is approximately 13 years old. It has developed dark gray streaks on the north side only. We do have an in-ground pool, and we suspect that the streaks are algae. The roof is in otherwise good condition. No roofers in this area will even talk about the possibility of cleaning the roof. They want, of course, to replace the roof. I have come upon the name of a roof cleaner (Roof Be Clean) that kills algae. Apparently, you spray the solution on and let the rain wash it off. The information provided says that it may take as long as six months for the product to work. If you have any knowledge of this process, it would be very helpful to us; or, if you are aware of any other way to attack this problem short of replacing the roof, we would be most grateful.
A. You are right; it is most likely algae. There are a number of roof-cleaning products around, but you can make your own solution for far less money. Spray the roof with a solution of 3 parts fresh Clorox bleach to 1 part water with a garden sprayer on a windless day. Work from a ladder, and do not walk on the roof, as it can become slippery, and you can damage the roof surface, voiding the warranty. Wear goggles, old clothes and rubber gloves. Spray only enough to wet the shingles and avoid as much runoff as you can. One gallon of the mixture covers 50 square feet of roof surface.
Before you start, thoroughly soak any vegetation below the roof and cover it with plastic. If you have metal gutters and downspouts, keep running water in them while spraying and until all runoff stops, as the solution is very corrosive. When you are finished with the spraying, wash the plastic thoroughly with your garden hose and spray the plantings again. It will take several weeks before you see results. This will not prevent future growth. To prevent recurrence, install special copper or galvanized strips on each side of the roof directly below the ridge vent. An easy way to find and install these strips is to get Shingle Shield strips online: shingleshield.com, (800) 942-3004; Fax: (800) 606-2028, 2710 North Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604. Shingle Shield strips are installed under the top course of shingles below the ridge, so the zinc leaching outruns down the roof, preventing the formation of the algae that discolors the roof covering. It will take several weeks for the results to show.
Q. Like many other retired people, my wife and I will be going south for two months this coming winter. We will be leaving our home in the care of our son, who will be checking the house from time to time. The house is well-insulated, etc., and we have oil heat. What is the proper temperature to set so that no damage will occur in our absence? Also, can I turn off the water supply? We have a baseboard hot-water heating system.
A. A safe thermostat setting is 45 degrees (7 Celsius) for a well-insulated house, but it would be safer at 50 degrees (10 Celsius) for a house insulated before the new standards. You should not shut off the water, as the boiler may need to get recharged.
• Henri de Marne's column appears Sundays. He was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.