Where there are cracks, there will be water

Q. I have a problem in my basement. I have been in this home for 25 years. I purchased the home when it was built. My problem is that one of my concrete blocks on the second row has cracked. It also separated from the mortar. Water has started to seep in on very heavy rains. I have a French drain that has been very effective for all these years. What is the best way or product I need to correct this?

A. I assume that by second row, you mean from the top. If only one block has cracked and is separating from the mortar, and if this block is below grade (since water leaks at that point), it may be that there is a low spot in your grade creating an ice lens or a stone that has caused the block to be pushed in by frost. This can cause it to crack, and it certainly can cause a break at the mortar joint. However, it is somewhat unusual to have only one block with a crack at the mortar joint; more often, there are several blocks on the same row, and even throughout most of the wall length. If I am missing something, please be more specific and e-mail me a photo, if you can.

You should examine the grade along that outside wall and repair any problem as soon as the weather permits, but do not repair the mortar joint at this time. It is quite likely that the crack in the mortar joint may close up as the ground thaws out and warms up.

Q. I didn't understand your article on Laing Auto-Circ pumps. It sounds like it connects to a cold-water pipe. And I didn't understand about the timer. Could you please clarify?

A. The Laing Auto-Circ pump connects to the cold-water supply. The timer is an integral 24-hour clock. You select the times you want it on and off. It is usually installed under the kitchen sink, as it is often the farthest fixture from the main water heater. It provides instant hot water at all fixtures. It's a great hot-water saver. The only drawback is that when you turn on the cold water, you'll get warm water for a few seconds.

Q. I read a question from a homeowner this morning asking about what he could use on aluminum siding to prevent mildew from recurring. I have a real problem with mildew on the caulking on my bathtub and was advised to use car wax on it to prevent recurrence. I was just wondering if this might be an idea for the siding, I believe there are types that can be sprayed on (I think with a hose) that would make application fairly easy, I would think. I'm not sure if this would work or how often it would need to be applied if it did, but I thought I'd at least run it by you.

A. There are no foolish questions - only unusual ones, and that one is. I have no experience with using wax to keep mildew from recurring on any materials. If you have had success with waxing your bathtub caulking, please let me know. And if anyone experiments with it on siding and, over a humid summer, there is no recurrence, I certainly would be very curious to hear about it. My guess is that the caulking on your bathtub is silicone - very prone to mildewing. In my experience, the only solution is to remove it and replace it with a type of caulking resistant to mildew. I have had very good luck with DAP Kwik Seal PLUS Premium Kitchen & Bath Adhesive Caulk w/Microban. You may wish to check the DAP Web site at www.dap.com and click on Products, Caulks and Sealants, Kitchen/Bath. You will see several choices. The advantage of the caulks with Microban is that they contain a mildew-resistant ingredient.

Q. The previous owner of our house had put in his own bookcases. I found that besides nailing them to the wall, he put glue on the wall board. The glue had hardened, and when I removed the boards, the glue pulled some of the paper backing off the wall board. I hope you have some easy recommendations for removing the glue. After removing the glue, I can use joint compound to fill the spaces, but the Lightweight All Purpose Joint Compound made by USG that has been in my basement for a few months has a black, fuzzy, mold-like growth on the surface. It would probably be best to dispose of the remaining 2/3 gallon and get a new or better compound for this chore. Why does the compound surface support mold growth?

A. There are adhesive removers, but they may not work with the glue used on the walls. It is likely to be a construction adhesive, so you may want to ask your local paint store whether they have a product that would work on that type.

You are right: It is best to dispose of the moldy joint compound environmentally. Ask your local waste district whether that product is one that requires special disposal. I have no idea why the compound develops mildew. I have had the same experience, and, when I opened the can, the smell was pretty bad.

Q. I currently reside in a 100-year-old house. I typically take 10-minute showers, and then the hot water is gone. Is this normal? How many showers should one be able to take before the hot water runs out?

Someone suggested that my water heater must be really small. Should I ask my landlord to get a new water heater, and if so, what size and type? There are three of us living here.

A. Do you take your 10-minute shower first or after one or both of the other people take theirs? Have the other two run into the same problem? Even a 40-gallon water heater functioning properly should allow for more than a 10-minute shower, and it is doubtful that the tank is smaller than that. Obviously, a larger tank would help. Eighty gallons is tops for residential use. The fuel type makes a difference as well: Gas- and oil-fired heaters recover faster than electric water heaters. Perhaps the water heater's thermostat is set low to save energy and avoid scalding, so it takes more hot water and less cold water to give you the temperature you like. Having the thermostat set at 140 degrees (54 Celsius) should make the hot water last longer.

Another possibility is that the cold-water intake pipe is connected to the hot side of the heater and the hot-water pipe connected to the cold side. This inversion results in cold water mixing with hot water at the top of the tank instead of at the bottom, so you get very little hot water.

Q. I read your articles regularly and enjoy them very much. My reason for writing is to ask you about passive homes (by my definition at least, that means highly insulated, tight windows and doors, and an air-to-air heat exchanger is necessary for moisture and air quality). The idea seems to have gained a great deal of credibility in Europe, but I have seen very little about it here in the states. Do you know of any passive homes - or builders! - here in Vermont or somewhere else around New England? Have you received any reports from owners about their experiences?

A. By passive homes, I assume you mean passive solar homes. There are quite a number in Vermont, including my own, and builders who have espoused that technology. There have also been articles in the Burlington Free Press about these homes, their designers and their builders.

I have not received any reports from owners of these homes about their experience. I can only report on mine, which is very positive. It is really the way to build nowadays.

Q. My house has two heating zones upstairs. The three bedrooms upstairs are in one of the zones. Only one of the bedrooms is occupied at night. I have a setback thermostat that controls baseboard heating. Is it more energy efficient to leave the doors of the unoccupied bedrooms open or closed at night?

A. When you say that you have two heating zones upstairs, do you mean "upstairs" in the sense of above the basement, with one zone controlling the heat on the main floor and the other one controlling the heat in the three bedrooms on the second floor? You must also have a second thermostat to control the second zone. If so, you can close the flaps on the baseboard units in the two unoccupied bedrooms and keep their doors closed. This will keep these two rooms slightly cooler, saving a bit of energy. Otherwise, keep the doors open for even heat throughout the top floor.

Q. Here is my problem: earwigs in my little cape cod. I did some research and know about rolled-up wet newspapers and tuna tins with vegetable oil left outside the house, along with granules, boric acid, the special soil that cuts earwigs when they crawl through it and everything else. These earwigs have been in this house for decades, and I'd like to know if I can get rid of them completely by attacking the soil outside the house with Ortho spray and granules. I now spray inside, but that stuff is hurting me as well as killing these things. Two days after I spray inside, I see the little corpses of these hideous things along the baseboards. Last night, I found one on the bed. Can I spray the outside soil and use granules during this cold weather, or do I have to wait for warmer weather? Can you tell me the best way to attack these things?

A. I am surprised you still have earwigs at this time of year; they are usually a summer problem. If you have mulched beds around your house, consider getting rid of them, as decaying mulch is a haven for insects, be they prey or predator. This is one of the several reasons why I advise people to plant or move flower beds and shrubbery away from the foundation and plant grass instead.

You can try spraying or spreading granules around the perimeter of the house; it may help. But, unless you see an active infestation, wait until you do.

bull; 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.

#169; 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.