Tepid-water problem has reader heated

Q. I had our hot water heater checked out (it's gas). The pipes are not reversed, and everything else in the new tank checks out just fine. I had a new tank, which I thought would solve my problems, installed last year. Since a new tank did not improve the situation, can you think of what could be wrong with the actual plumbing system? A family friend who often worked with my husband (a plumber) has checked out everything he can think of. We have the temperature turned up all the way on the tank and can still get only about 3 minutes of hot water. We have a lot of condensation on the floor next to the tank. The company rep said it was from the tank being turned up all the way and the basement being so cool. Help!

A. Since all the obvious possibilities for getting so little hot water I mentioned have been checked, something must have occurred to cause this shift in the last few years. You need to get a master plumber with a lot of experience to check your entire water-delivery system. If the problem is discovered and solved, please let me know. I will keep you in mind if anyone else encounters a similar situation. This is the first time I have heard of such a case.

As I mentioned to you earlier, the condensation around your water heater makes no sense under normal circumstances, as heat does not cause condensation. If the condensation were in several other places on your basement's concrete floor, it could indicate that no plastic vapor retarder and stone bed were placed under the slab. Since concrete is porous, moisture from the soil would work its way through the slab and condensation could occur because the floor is cold and the ambient air is warmer and moist in summer. Since you only have the problem around the water heater, perhaps plastic was omitted under that area. But the heat loss from the water heater should keep the floor warmer and less susceptible to condensation. Something does not add up. I have checked with two engineer friends, and they have no more idea than I about what the rep is talking about OR what is going on. Is it possible that the pressure-release valve activated? The water you see on the floor may be from the release. Is your water heater covered with an insulating jacket?

Q. I recently read your column that addressed a problem of a cold second floor and ice dams. I live in a new house and had several ice dams build up this winter that caused leaking in my home. Like the reader in the column, we have a furnace on our third floor, which is a finished attic space that we use as a playroom.

Initially, the room where the furnace is located was not insulated at all. Our builder came and added very minimal insulation to the space but left some uninsulated areas. The venting for the second- and third-floor heating systems run in knee walls around the perimeter of the playroom. Those spaces are not insulated, but the heat ducts seem to be. Since moving the furnace is not an option at this point, is our best option to get all of those spaces insulated? Do you recommend any particular type of insulation? I've sent some pictures of the ice dams. Is there anyone in the area you could recommend?

A. The photos you e-mailed me illustrate a serious ice-damming and icicle problem that is inexcusable for a house built in 2007. There is no doubt that the third-floor heating system is responsible for this huge problem. I wonder what the builder was thinking when he irresponsibly installed a heating system in an uninsulated attic, especially in your specific climate.

Without seeing the existing setup, I can't judge the difficulty or feasibility of insulating a now-finished attic. The only possible solution to your problem - since moving the heating system is not an option - is to insulate between and over the rafters. This should be done with closed-cell polyurethane spray foam applied to fill the rafter spaces in the bays where there is a finished ceiling attached. You also need to have the rafters slightly covered where they are fully exposed in unfinished areas. This is the only way to ensure that the insulating job will be most effective. If done well, this may alleviate or solve your problem.

I do not know of anyone doing this type of work in your area. Check your Yellow Pages under "Insulating Contractors." Ask for references and check them out.

The builder has a considerable responsibility to do the necessary corrective work and any necessary repairs to interior damages without charge to you.

Q. Would you have an idea about why the chains on our toilet tank go through periods of tangling up? We have changed the chains, the clips that hold them and the entire handle apparatus. Whether the chain is metal or plastic makes no difference. The toilet chain began acting up two months ago after rarely doing so for the past eight years. The toilet tank is about 25 years old.

A. This usually happens when the chain is too long. Try shortening it so there is only a bit of slack when the flapper is down.

Q. Many years ago when one of the trays in my new refrigerator got broken, I was able to apply some type of liquid repair that melted and fused the plastic together. I have another refrigerator in need of similar repair but have no idea who would have this item. I believe it was in a small bottle with a brush applicator. Could you help me?

A. Contact a plastic fabrication specialty firm and describe what part is in need of repair. Some plastics can be fused while others may not. Vermont Plastics Specialties Inc. is a good place to start (209 Blair Park Road, Williston, Vt.; (802) 879-0072.) Epoxy is also an option.

Q. I live in a hillside ranch with a cement-block foundation built sometime in the late 1960s. The house sits on a slab without a frost wall. The unfinished basement/ground floor on the backside of the house is below grade. The front part of the house is finished. Because there is no frost wall under the slab, the entire front - except for our main front door entrance - and sides of the house have a raised shrub bed that's lined with railroad ties. This earth serves to protect the house from frost. The backside of the first floor is damp and has water year round. Previous owners chiseled a drain around the edge of the inside wall that leads to a sump pump. I think they also painted the inside blocks with a water-resistant paint to prevent even more water from coming in. The paint on the bottom row of blocks has peeled and is flaking off. There are no visible signs of the blocks cracking or splitting, although I have not looked very closely.

Each spring, we get some water in the finished side of the house when things start to melt and the raised shrub bed is still frozen. There must not be any drainage pipes under the raised beds.

The soil on our property is heavy clay. My wife and I plan on staying in the house for another 15 to 20 years and wonder if we should be concerned with the long-term stability of this block-wall foundation because of the constant water, water-resistant paint, etc.

We have spoken with an excavator about putting in a French curtain drain around the perimeter of the house. While the earth is away from the house, we would also have the outside blocks sprayed with a sealant of some sort. Afterward, the drain would be put in and backfilled with gravel and topsoil. We have been given an estimate of about $10,000 for this work. Our conversation with this excavator did not include his recommendations or our options; we simply asked him for a price on a curtain drain. We wonder if this expense is worth it? Should we ask others for options instead of a curtain drain? I guess we can live with the water, but I'm more concerned with the block wall failing/crumbling.

A. The foundation is over 40 years old and shows no signs of problems despite the soil being heavy clay. This tells me that something was done right when the house foundation was backfilled. Of course, there is no guarantee that problems will not develop in the next 10 to 20 years, but is it likely? Not unless there are other drastic changes taking place.

You mention that "the back of the first floor is damp and has water year round." Do you mean the ground outside? If so, the grading can be altered to take care of that. A swale can be built across the back of the house that will collect surface water and lead it to one or both sides of the house. I would not attempt to repair the peeling paint because the bare blocks are a means for any moisture to evaporate inside - not a desirable thing, but better than building up hydrostatic pressure against the block walls from outside or having water collect inside the blocks.

As to the raised shrub beds, you are probably right that they were built to protect the foundation from deep frost - a poor way to address the lack of frost walls. The soil in the beds may have settled; if so, add soil to them, sloping it toward the outside. This may allow melting snow to drain out of the beds while the soil in them is still frozen. Unless you are overly concerned about the long-term stability of the block walls, consider saving the cost of the excavation, which in itself runs some risks and is no guarantee that it will make the situation any better. As the old saying goes: If it ain't broke -

Follow-up: A kind reader sent me solutions for removing old wax misapplied to a laminate countertop. She wrote: "Removing wax from a laminate countertop should be exactly like stripping wax from a vinyl tiled floor. This isn't a wipe-on, wipe-off process. The ammonia has to have time to soften the wax. Follow the directions on the ammonia bottle for mixing with water for stripping wax. Soak towels or flour sacking in the solution and lay on the countertop. Make sure they stay moist for at least 10 minutes. Lift and check to see if the wax has softened. Remoisten and leave until the wax has softened. Use a plastic scrubber to remove the softened wax. Dip the scrubber in fresh ammonia/water solution frequently to rinse.

• 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.

© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.