Air flow between top and bottom of attic is best
Q. My townhouse was built in 1991 without an attic gable vent. The attic wall consists of plywood covered with wood clapboard. I plan to have a gable vent installed by a contractor or do it myself. How should the gable vent be installed? Should the plywood hole be large enough to mount the screened piece on the inside of the attic or cut smaller so that the screened piece is mounted to the outside of the plywood? The louver piece will be installed over the screened piece.
A. If you can install soffit vents in combination with an externally baffled ridge vent, and there is an unobstructed air flow between the soffit and ridge vents, this is the best way to ventilate your attic. If you can't, you or a contractor could install a gable vent purchased in a home center or building-supply house. Off-the-shelf gable vents come with a wood, vinyl or aluminum frame, including louvers and a fly screen. Be aware that if you install only one vent, you will get very little benefit. Vents should be on opposite sides of the house to be most effective. And even then, they are limited in their effectiveness.
I have a sump pump in my basement that is working well when we get heavy rain. I am thinking about installing one of the Basement Watchdog backup pumps. They have three models: big dog, special and emergency. Do you recommend their product, and which model would you recommend? Also, do you have any recommendations on how to get rid of animal urine smell in the house/carpet?
A. I have had no experience with the Basement Watchdog pumps. But why would you want to go to the trouble and expense of buying and installing another pump if the one you have works well in the most difficult situations? If you have frequent power interruptions, a battery backup system is not a bad idea, and the Basement Watchdog is one of several such systems. Otherwise, why bother?
To get rid of urine smell on the carpet, try either one of these two products, which I have used with great success: Magic Zymes - you can order online at magiczymes.com or by calling (866) 478-2368. The other choice is Nok-Out, which works differently and has a chlorine base - nokout.com, (866) 551-1927.
This one is a real mind bender. I live in the south Chicago suburbs. As you can see in the photos I sent, the floor gets noticeably wet when it is real humid outside. It only gets wet along the baseboards and one spot in the bedroom doorway. I have checked the roof for leaks, and it is completely dry in the attic. There is an exhaust fan in the attic, too. Any thoughts?
A. You haven't given me much information. Is this a below-grade concrete slab? What is the floor covering: patterned, wood-plank imitation resilient flooring (the most likely) or real wood?
If my guesses are correct, condensation occurs in humid weather on the coldest parts of the concrete floor - nearest the outside walls - as the floor is kept cool because it and the wall bases are in contact with the earth. Condensation occurs when hot, humid air comes in contact with the cool concrete. Closing all windows and using central air-conditioning are one way to deal with the problem. A dehumidifier should also help, but if you have a number of rooms, you'll have to keep doors open or invest in more than one unit. Fans blowing across these walls are another suggestion.
You had mentioned a way to get rid of small gray moths in one of your articles. I need the Web site for the traps. I also have a series of small cracks in the sink basin. This is a double, one-piece fiberglass sink (I don't think it is porcelain). Only one side has this defect and it is not all the way through. Any way to fix without replacing the entire top? I also have holes in my sliding glass door. Any reason not to fill them in with spray foam insulation? During the winter, condensation forms on the inside of the door at these locations. Slider is vinyl.
A. You should be able to buy the Revenge Pantry Bug Trap from Gardener's Supply Co. in Williston, Vt. The traps attract the males and they die, interrupting the breeding cycle - (888) 833-1412, gardeners.com. They sell these traps in sets of two, item 32-599, for $8.95.
If the sink is fiberglass, you can have a fiberglass-repair person look at it, but if it is porcelain enamel, which is most likely, there are firms that do porcelain repair. Find them in your Yellow Pages.
The holes at the bottom of the vinyl sliding glass door rail are there to adjust the door to account for any less than perfect sill. However, these holes are usually only found on the inside. The holes at the top are the match of the lower ones. Both these sets of holes are so that the door can be reversed or flipped. They should not be filled with anything but the plugs that should have been provided at the time of installation, as you may need to adjust the door.
I read your column about gutters and want to know what commercial gutters and downspouts are. I have the traditional ones with no gutter guards, and because of all the trees in my neighborhood, I need to have mine cleaned as many as three times a year.
A. Commercial gutters are 6 inches wide instead of 5. Commercial downspouts have a cross section of 3-by-4 inches (12 square inches) whereas residential downspouts have a cross section of 2-by-3 inches (6 square inches). Residential downspouts are very prone to clogging if there are many trees around, particularly at bends, whereas commercial downspouts, having twice the cross section, aren't as likely to clog. As my metal subcontractor, who sold me on the use of commercial gutters and downspouts in the 1950s, told me: "A dead pigeon would flush through them!" Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but a clear image of the difference between the two types.
You can have residential gutters installed with commercial downspouts if the amount of water running off the roof is not overwhelming and their size does not detract from the appearance of the house (such is possible if they are installed on a one-story house). Tree debris will still accumulate in the gutters, but the downspouts can handle it most of the time without clogging, and the debris will eventually decompose and wash away in the larger commercial gutters, reducing or eliminating the need for frequent cleanings. I am in favor of these combinations instead of using a variety of gutter guards.
After reading my comments on this subject, one roofer wanted to show me the various faulty gutter guards he had removed from houses. I have experienced the same thing with a number of brands.
My house is 106 years old. I replaced all the windows in it about 10 years ago. In the winter my windows leaked. I thought maybe they were just cheap replacements, so I had almost all of them replaced by a reputable company, and I still have the leaking problem. This company has been here probably 10 times and they cannot figure out why the air comes in. It's pretty much where the two sashes meet in the middle (they are double hung). Do you think that it could be coming in somehow through the aluminum siding? There is nothing between the siding and the house. When gutting different rooms, I noticed you could even see daylight in certain areas through the siding.
My house is balloon construction. I paid a lot of attention to insulating while the walls were open, but still I have cold coming in. I hate to spend the money again on windows. Do you think that Tyvek stuff would help if I would go to vinyl siding? I put plastic on my windows in the winter, which is getting old.
A. You may have more than one problem. The fact that you can feel air coming in at the joint between the top and bottom sashes would indicate that the weatherstripping is not as effective as it should be. I assume that the windows are vinyl replacement windows. Vinyl windows are prone to expansion and contraction following the changes in temperature. In winter, the vinyl shrinks, and that is probably one of your problems.
One of the sales techniques of some less-than-honest vinyl window sales people is to show you how tight the windows are by inserting a dollar bill between the sashes and asking you to try to pull it out. You have difficulty doing so without ripping the bill. But in the course of winter, you could wiggle a credit card between the two sashes, and the cold wind has free passage.
Having seen daylight in some areas while remodeling is an indication that the outside walls are not airtight. If there is no air barrier between the aluminum siding and the material behind it, regardless of the amount of care you took in insulating these walls, fiberglass will not prevent the movement of air.
Residing the walls with one of the housewraps on the market and installing vinyl siding should prevent air infiltration. I urge you also to consider adding 1-inch thick XPS (extruded polystyrene) rigid insulation over the wood sheathing after removing the aluminum siding to improve the energy efficiency of the exterior walls. Tyvek or equivalent can be installed over the XPS.
I read your article regarding Milsek Furniture Polish. We have a mahogany bedroom suite that is about 75 years old. The wood is in good condition, but the finish has many years of built-up wax and cigarette smoke. I've tried many products but it always looks smeared and dull. Is the Milsek just to revitalize wood or does it clean and polish as well?
A. Milsek Furniture Polish & Multi-Purpose Cleaner says it all. It does clean and restore damaged and dirty finishes. Furniture can be damaged by using silicone-based, spray-on "polishes" that leave residue and streaks on the wood. You also have the choice of using Milsek Antique Restoration & Care, available at Sam's Club and at milsek.com.
• 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.
© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.