Simple measures can solve minor basement seepage
Q. My parents gave us your book when we bought our house last year, and it has been very useful. We have a question regarding problems with our basement and its poured-concrete foundation: The problems are:
1) The basement is cold in the winter. The rest of the house above grade is relatively warm, probably owing to good insulation in the exterior walls.
2) In the spring, a small amount of water leaks through the walls in two different corners of the basement.
Based on what we've read in your book, we would like to excavate and insulate the foundation from the outside, because that seems to be the most effective way to reduce heat loss. Additionally, to address the basement leakage, we plan to build a crushed-stone perimeter drain next to the footing, slope the soil away from the house, and plant grass over it. However, your book suggests that any basement-dampness issues should be resolved before insulating the foundation. Is the perimeter drain sufficient to remediate the basement dampness? Or did you have something else in mind?
A. This is the type of work that should be done when a house is built. What you propose to do is expensive and disruptive when done as an afterthought, especially if there are plantings near the foundation. There are easier things you can do to solve your problems. Your priority is to take care of the leakage. I describe this in detail in my book and have repeated it often in my column; you are obviously aware of it since you plan to slope the grade away from the foundation and plant grass on it. Unless the leakage is caused by a seasonal high water table that rises or a spring that swells when it rains heavily, you are likely to find that these simple measures will solve the problem without going to the expense and disruption of the work you propose to do.
Although not as effective, you have to weigh the cost benefit of spending a large sum of money to insulate the foundation from the outside, compared to a partial insulation from the inside. If the soils in your area are heavy, you should only insulate from the ceiling joists to about two feet below grade to avoid the risk of frost cracking the foundation walls. The band joists should also be insulated. The proper approach is fully addressed in my book as well, and discussed periodically in my column. Keep in mind that the earth maintains a certain temperature the further down you go, so the heat loss is considerably minimized.
Q. I live in a manufactured home in a senior development. My home is on a cement slab with a cement block foundation. It has three vents in the foundation. I have had the foundation insulated on the inside, with 4-inch-thick pink Styrofoam and have the same Styrofoam blocks, which I place behind the vents in the winter. In the summer, I take the blocks out from behind the vents for circulation. I am wondering if taking these insulation blocks out in the summer allows for humidity to get under my home. Should these blocks be left in during the summer or taken out for air circulation under my home?
A. Although the name is used generically, Styrofoam is the proprietary brand name of the extruded polystyrene foam insulation (XPS) manufactured by the Dow Chemical Co. Owens Corning now manufactures the pink XPS, called FoamulaR. These two products have identical properties.
Considering that it is unlikely that the concrete slab under your manufactured home is poured over a stone bed and unlikely that it has a vapor retarder, it is best to have some ventilation under the home in the summer to remove any condensation that may occur on the slab.
Q. I have read some of your tips and I have a question for you. I need to replace my gutters. I am a senior member of society and I'm considering LeafGuard gutters. A friend informed me that they are expensive, but she feels that, at our age, we need to buy them. So far, my grandson climbs on the roof and cleans out my gutters, but I know that won't last for too long. What is your opinion of these gutters? Do you have something else to recommend? Thank you in advance for any information you may provide. I live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
A. Since you plan on replacing your gutters, you should install commercial gutters and downspouts. They cost a bit more than residential systems but a lot less than any gutter guards you can buy. They work better despite what installers of various brands of gutter guards will tell you. In fact, an honest installer I just talked to today, who sells and installs one of these expensive guards, agreed that, in a summer downpour, water is most likely going to overshoot most gutter guards and that commercial gutters and downspouts are trouble-free as they flush themselves out in heavy rains.
Commercial gutters are 6 inches wide instead of 5 inches, while the commercial downspouts have a cross section that is 3-by-4 inches, as opposed to 2-by-3 inches for the residential systems (twice the cross section). That is why I have installed them on all my jobs since the 1950s, including my own house (and recommend them). They simply don't clog.
Q. We replaced our kitchen faucet about six months ago. We now have a Moen single-handle pullout faucet. It works fine, with no leaks or issues. However, about two months ago, we started getting fizzy water when the faucet was initially turned on. It seems that the water is carbonated. It lasts for just two to four seconds, and then the water runs clear. None of our other faucets have this problem. Any idea what might be causing the extra air in the water, and what, if anything, we need to do to fix it?
A. The faucet has an aerator in the wand. It seems as if there is a burst of additional air that accumulates in the wand when the faucet is shut off, which is quickly cleared when you open the faucet. Try this to see if this is the cause: Remove the wand, wait a few seconds, and run water through the hose. If the water comes out without the fizzing, you have discovered the reason. You may not be able to fix it, and it does not seem that it's a serious problem. But if you can't live with it, you might want to try replacing the faucet in the hope that the new one may not have this idiosyncrasy. But don't be disappointed if it also does, as it may be inherent to this type of faucet.
Q. I have lived in a condo for four years, and the deck wasn't in great shape when I moved in. The deck is ground level, and it can't be raised because it is level with the living room. The deck is treated lumber that I have had a reputable painter prep and re-stain three years in a row, without lasting success. I don't know exactly what kind of stain he has used, but I know that he has tried several different types hoping to solve the problem. He has prepped the wood and made sure that it was perfectly dry weather for several days before staining so as not to trap in any moisture. The problem is that the stain chips off and green mossy stuff develops each year. The wood is also cracking. I'm fairly certain that the problem is moisture. The deck has large trees covering it, and large buildings around it, so it gets minimal sun, only a little in the morning and late afternoon. The trees belong to neighbors who have trimmed them as much as possible, but they still block all of the midday sun. It is actually nice to have a shady deck; however, it doesn't dry quickly after a rainstorm.
I would like to replace the deck this fall with something that can hold up under the conditions I described. I am looking for something that requires little maintenance. I am willing to spend the money for the right solution. Do I want treated wood again? If so, what different types of treated wood are there and what stain should be used? I've seen decks constructed with Portico, a composite. Would that work? What other options are there?
A. It sounds as if your painter did not use a penetrating stain but rather a surface coating. Otherwise, it would not peel. Your choices are to have all the coating removed and a penetrating stain such as Amteco TWP (www.amteco.com) or Wolman (www.wolman.com) applied over clean and dry wood. Or you can replace the deck boards with one of the many composites available. Trex is one of them, but there are so many on the market now that you should research and price them out, as they can be expensive. But be aware that there have been serious problems with composite decking and that, because they have a high content of cellulosic matter, they are prone to rot if not properly treated and maintained.
Pressure-treated decking made of southern yellow pine is still the most trouble-free in the long run.
Ÿ Sump-pump backup follow-up: I recently asked you to let me know if you knew of a sump-pump backup that works when the power is off and the battery backup fails. I have just received a number of e-mails from savvy Illinois readers who have made me aware of the wonders of water-powered sump-pump backups with alarm. These are connected to the municipal water supply and are triggered when the float rises to open a valve. It apparently removes two gallons of water for each gallon of city water used, and, as a firefighter reader puts it, “The only cost is of the water used to create the vacuum, which we feel is extremely minor compared to the cost of a flooded basement. Well said!
There are several such systems available: the Water Commander (www.watercommander.com) and the Trusty Warns emergency sump pump (www.trustywarns.com), for instance. Here are a few more links: www.plumbsource.net/product/LIBSJ10A/SJ10A-SumpJet%C3%82-Water-Powered-BU-Pump-with-Alarm.html and www.radonseal.com/pumps/water-powered-pumps.htm. Water-powered sump-pump backups cannot work with rural wells as these do not function in power outages. Thanks to all of you for educating me today.
Ÿ Recommendation for moss removal: A reader writes: “Your column was about moss on the roof. I fought this problem for years and finally found a product that works on my wood-shingle roof. The name is Safer Moss & Algae Killer, distributed by Woodstream Corp. in Lititz, Pa., (800) 800-1819. It is easy to apply. Just fasten your hose to the nozzle fixture on the bottle, and spray it on the roof. I enjoy your column and have picked up many tips.
Thank you for this valuable information. Woodstream's website is www.woodstream.com. Click on the Safer Brand icon, and enter 5324 in the upper-left-hand search box. The manufacturer specifies that Safer Brand Moss & Algae Killer & Surface Cleaner should be rinsed off 10 minutes after application to avoid staining of the surfaces.
Henri de Marne 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.
© 2010, United Feature Syndicate Inc.