Super Handyman: Attic ventilation is vital to an efficient home

One key component in the energy efficiency of a home is attic ventilation. Ventilation is vital, in most homes, to prevent moisture problems in this area.

Moisture can build up in a typical attic and ruin insulation, cause rust, make your home more uncomfortable and cause ice dams, among other issues. Check your attic and see if you need to make some changes.

How much ventilation do you need? A very simple calculation is 1 square foot of ventilation space for every 150 square feet of attic floor space. Each home is going to be a little different, so use this as a guide, not as a fast rule.

To calculate what you already have, add up the square inches of existing soffit vent space, gable vents, roof vents and/or ridge vents, and convert it to feet.

If you have powered vents, the amount of soffit vents needed will be different, since these vents pull a lot more air through them. Of course, you will need fewer power vents than static vents for the same reason. Solar vents are great because they don’t use electricity, and yet they do a pretty good job. Consider installing a humidistat and/or thermostat for power vents to regulate them a little bit.

There is another, very important, thing to remember: Because heat rises, the natural airflow comes in the lower vents (soffits) and goes through your attic, rising and exiting through the upper vents, ridge, etc. Although it’s hard to have too much ventilation, it needs to be balanced. You need to have enough lower ventilation — soffit vents — to supply the upper vents, especially if they are powered. If there isn’t enough available air to pull out through the top of the vents, then it will suck the conditioned air from your house if it needs to. Consider sealing your attic from the home a little better if you have powered vents.

You also should install screen over these soffit and other vent openings to prevent critters from getting into your attic.

Having a cooler, less-humid attic will help your whole house be more comfortable year-round, and might even save you some bucks on heating and cooling costs!

Strain freeYou can strain some shop liquids and reuse them. It won#146;t work with all items, but certainly with most solvents and paint thinners, which can be hard to dispose of and costly. Once you have finished using them, you will need to strain them and pour them back into the storage container. A funnel is a good tool for this, but try adding a strainer made from window screen, and kill two birds with one stone. Cut a square of window screen that is twice as wide as the top of your funnel. Now fold it into a square, place it in the funnel and open it up enough to cover the tip of the funnel to create a strainer. It will strain out the old paint or whatever is in the liquid and deliver a fairly clean portion back to the storage container. Dowel rodsRegular readers know that the #147;pack rat gene#148; is in our family makeup. We have a problem in that we keep all of the assorted building materials we like to use for repairs and projects. One item that has posed a storage problem for us, and for many others, is long, thin stock, like pipes, molding, trim and things like that. An exposed stud wall in the average garage can be used to store these items easily by just drilling a couple of holes in the studs and running a dowel rod through them to create a storage space within the stud cavity. Drill the holes parallel to each other about halfway up the wall and run the dowel rod through them, horizontally. (You can use that dowel rod for repairs if you need it, too!) You can store other things in these areas, too #8212; maybe some garden tools?Super hintsŸ A new Netbook or tablet is a great tool for the shop and home, but it needs to be protected from damage. Slide it into a bubble-wrap envelope and you#146;ll be able to take it anywhere without worry.Ÿ I really am abusive with jewelry #8212; just ask my generous husband! I garden, sand and paint in it, and even have forgotten to remove it when using harsh chemicals. I have found that a little toothpaste and my old toothbrush can shine it back up again, though. It#146;s easy to do and works almost every time. I don#146;t know a better way to get all the grease and grime off it!Ÿ Easy-to-use filler pencils are available at your hardware store. They can be used to cover scratches and gouges on all of your furniture, walls and floors. Keep a few on hand. You never know when you might need one.Q. I have a mold or mildew problem. I used a mildew-resistant paint the last time I painted, but now we have more mold on the house#146;s exterior. What did I do wrong?A. If there is mold on the surface before you paint, then it will #147;grow#148; back. You must make sure all mold is gone before you paint, even with a mildewcide built into the paint. Kill the mildew, prime and then paint.Q. I have a lot of sawdust from my projects. I vacuum it up and store it in a large bin. I#146;m not sure why I have kept it, but I have, and would like to find a way to use it rather than just throw it away. Can I use shop sawdust in my garden?A. You can use it as long as it isn#146;t made from laminated or processed wood, like particleboard or OSB. Also, stay away from pressure-treated wood that contains preservatives. The sawdust doesn#146;t add much to the soil, but it can be a nice additive for the compost pile.Q. I have a large home with mostly tile floors. I keep them clean with a wet mop and vacuum cleaner. The problem I am having is that the grout gets stained even when I am just cleaning it. What can I do to keep it looking good?A. Apply a grout sealer to the floor. You need to clean it very thoroughly first and then apply a grout sealer. Check with your hardware store or home center, and you should be able to find one that easily can be applied to a large area. It probably will need to be reapplied every year or so, as it wears off.Reader tipsŸ I ran across a large magnet and decided to keep it in my shop. It comes in handy for lots of things, and I keep it on top of my toolbox. It#146;s a great way to hold on to hardware for cleanups or while you are working on a project. It#146;s easy to grab when I need it, and it doesn#146;t take up space inside the box, which I never seem to have enough of.Ÿ I have had trouble keeping up with shop manuals and other paperwork that I try to hang on to. It gets dirty and wet, and gets lost easily. I have found some super plastic bags that have a double seal and are very tough, originally made for storing food in the freezer. They are perfect for keeping all of my shop paperwork in, and it stays in one place, protected from me and my dirty, greasy shop messes.Ÿ We just saved a bundle when we repainted our kitchen. It looks like a remodel, but cleaning and a little painting was basically all we did. I didn#146;t even remove the cabinet doors. I loosened the screws in the hinges, without removing them all the way, painted and then tightened the screws again. The screws got a layer of paint but still can be removed later if we can afford a total renovation.Ÿ When my daughter moved out, she abandoned her plastic storage drawers. She had several of these that stacked on top of each other, and she#146;d stored a lot of her clothes in them. I took them out to my shop and am using them to store a variety of things, like tools and hardware. They are inexpensive, lightweight and available just about everywhere, so I can add to them if I need to because they stack so easily. It#146;s a great idea for shop storage.Ÿ I use solar heat for my clothes dryer these days #8212; aka a clothesline! It works great, my clothes smell wonderful and it#146;s free. One thing my mom showed me was to put short sections of garden hose on the line to prevent creases and marks from the clothespins on the laundry. Cut slits in the hose to slip them onto the line. They stay on after that. Place them under the fabric, and then put the clothespin on top. This holds the clothes on the line without making marks.Shop talkŸ For summer furniture, you can#146;t beat PVC plastic pipe. It#146;s lightweight, inexpensive, easy to work with and weather-resistant. You can build just about any piece of furniture once you have learned the basics. We have put together a sheet detailing the basics of working with the plastic pipe. It#146;s available on our website. Another good summer project might be a wooden picnic table. We#146;ve also got plans for a very simple, long-lasting family picnic table made from wood. This table is a one-piece design that is both safe and convenient. Have a super summer!Ÿ Drylock from UGL has just come out with Natural Look Treatments. The penetrating sealer works well because it#146;s clear, so you get the natural look of the stone or brick, but any moisture in the area doesn#146;t get trapped in the stone. The stone can be protected from stains, moisture and water damage with the Drylock Protector, Natural Sealer and/or Wetlook Sealer. It#146;s available at hardware stores and home centers. To find out more, visit www.ugl.com.Ÿ The Irwin Universal Handsaw has some extra-special features. It cuts faster because of the design, which makes for a more comfortable grip and angle of operation. It even has 45- and 90-degree markers on the blade for cutting reference. Faster cutting means you get your repairs done quicker, and that#146;s super! Check it out at your hardware store or online at www.irwin.com.Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$