New windows need to blend with existing architecture
Q. I have a 1931 center-hall colonial with 38 double-hung, six-over-six windows with aluminum storms. The windows are drafty. The storms rattle when the wind blows, and many are warped and no longer operate. While I know that new windows would be more energy efficient, I am concerned about the incongruous appearance of new window and the high cost of replacing 38 windows. What are the options for cost effectively making my windows more energy efficient while retaining the home's architectural integrity?
Maplewood, N.J.
A. If the cost were not a concern, you could replace your windows with Marvin. They come in six-over-six style and are custom made to fit your existing openings. These windows are so efficient that you wouldn't need the storm windows. The only other inexpensive suggestion I have is to get some shrink-wrap plastic from a hardware store, tape it on the interior window frames for winter, and remove and dispose of it in the spring. Buying and installing magnetic storm windows would be very expensive, although not as costly as replacing all your windows. But replacing the windows with today's efficient offerings is best in the long run.
Q. Not too long ago, you mentioned a ready-made insulation kit for folding-attic stairways. I have checked with Home Depot, Lowe's and a large, independent home-improvement lumberyard, but they know nothing about an expanded polystyrene kit that fits over the stairs in the attic. Does the manufacturer have a Web site or a mailing address?
Pittsburgh, Pa.
A. If none of your local suppliers carries polystyrene insulated folding-stair cover, try Amazon.com, search "Battic Door" and click on the first link. That insulated cover appears to be fiberglass. Scroll down and you may find others. Other choices are www.astleproducts.com; a rigid polyisocyanurate cover, pricey, but looks good and is easy to use. The Attic Tent, www.attictent.com, is more for controlling convection from the living space into the attic than to provide effective insulation.
Q. My problem is a basement toilet that seems to lose the water level overnight. In the morning, it has receded about 2½ inches. Is this a cause for concern? It flushes well, but lately I notice a slight sewer-like odor. I had my sewer unplugged about two months ago.
Via e-mail
A. It sounds as if a crack developed in the china below the water level, causing a slow leak. If the level of the water in the bowl gets low enough, it allows sewer gases to seep into the basement, and the toilet will need replacing.
Q. I've enjoyed reading your column ever since I bought my house. Last week, you recommended against painting cinder blocks unless one is absolutely sure that there is no chance of water penetration. The prior owners of my house painted the cinderblock walls in the basement. Because the paint isn't peeling, I suspect that they used waterproof paint. What can I do to correct this, since I get water in the basement regularly?
Whitehouse Station, N.J.
A. Since you get water in the basement regularly, I doubt that the paint is a waterproofing coating. If it were, you would have no leakage. The water would build up within the cores of the blocks, and you would get increased humidity in the house to the point at which mold and other problems (sticky windows and doors) would appear, and the atmosphere would become stifling.
Of course, it is possible that the paint is waterproof, but that it hasn't been applied so thoroughly as to stop all leakage at the base of the walls. A cementitious masonry paint is not likely to peel, and oil-based or latex paint may not be peeling because moisture is not building up within the blocks since water is leaking in the basement. If the leakage occurs very shortly after it begins to rain or as snow melts, you should try to stop the leakage by checking the grade around your house, making any necessary repairs to ensure that rain flows away from the foundation instead of pooling against or running toward it. However, if the leakage occurs a day or more after rains, you may be suffering from a rising water table or swollen underground spring. This is a different matter that requires other control measures. If that is the case, write again and I'll discuss these measures.
Q. I read your column all the time, and have my own question for you. I have had replacement windows (double sash with insulated glass) installed in my house approximately 1½ years ago. My problem is in the master bedroom, where there are two windows, one on each exterior wall. Now that it's cold out, the windows sweat. In the morning they are covered with moisture (only the bottom half of the window) and need to be dried off, or mold will occur on the bottom plastic rail. Any idea why this is happening? None of my other windows in the house are doing this.
Via e-mail
A. There may be several reasons for the condensation on the lower sashes. You may keep the bedroom temperature lower than in the other rooms. You probably have a master bath next to the bedroom, and showering will add considerable moisture in both rooms. The reason only the lower sash is affected is because warm air rises, stratifies, and the air temperature gets cooler closer to the floor. The room air in contact with the upper sash is warm enough to prevent condensation.
Q. The 40-year-old one-piece cast shower pan in my stall shower has developed a small crack radiating from the floor drain to the front edge of the shower pan. Is there some way to successfully seal such a crack and prevent water from leaking onto the ceiling below the shower?
Via e-mail
A. The simplest, but not necessarily the best or most successful, repair is to clean the shower base thoroughly, including the crack (using an old tooth brush). You may need to use a fan or hair dryer on the crack then work bathtub caulk into the crack with a latex glove on. The surest repair is to replace the shower base or have it recovered by someone like the Bath Fitter.
Q. We are planning to replace our roof shingles (removing all original material), so I wanted to take this opportunity to improve the attic ventilation. We currently do not have any moisture problems that we know of, but the builder installed two types of ventilation systems, powered and passive. I've heard that only one type should be used, so I would like to improve one and eliminate the other. In addition, several of the current plastic louvers leak and need replacement.
My wife reads your articles all the time and has found your advice to be very sound and helpful, questioning my plan to remove the eight louvers and add another power ventilator and additional soffit vents. The bottom line is she wants me to run my plan by you first. What do you think?
Cranbury, N.J.
A. You are smart to listen to that intelligent wife of yours! What I recommend should save you money now and over time. Your detailed e-mail is very helpful; it has been edited because of its length.
The best ventilation system is passive and consists of continuous soffit venting (so that every rafter space is ventilated), unobstructed air space to the ridge and an externally baffled ridge vent. Normal heat loss from the house into the attic, and attic air, which is heated by the sun on the roof, activate air movement from the soffits to the ridge. Do not use any of the ever-popular roll-on ridge vents.
I insist on externally baffled ridge vents (such as Shinglevent II) because when the wind blows, the baffles direct the wind over the ridge vent, which creates a suction that increases the ventilation of the attic -- Bernoulli's Principle.
In the case of unbaffled ridge vents, all ventilation is stopped because the wind enters the ridge vent and blocks the flow from the soffit vents (with some unbaffled ridge vents, snow and rain can also enter the attic). If you use the whole-house fan to cool the house in summer, be sure to cover it with an insulated cover in winter, as it is responsible for a considerable heat loss.
Consider replacing all existing plastic vents in the soffits with off-the-shelf metal soffit-vent strips for the entire length of the soffits. Get rid of the plastic roof vents and the power vents on the roof; in summer and winter, they draw conditioned air from the house, increasing your energy costs. This recommendation will lower the attic temperature significantly. Finally, add several inches of blown-in cellulose to the attic floor; this will keep the rooms below cooler.
Q. In a column earlier this year I read your article about Sikaflex-la caulking. I have had trouble with the caulking between my countertop and the wall in my kitchen. It seems to dry up and separate -- wall from counter. I have had it replaced twice, and it has done it all three times -- the original and two replacements. Do you think the Sikaflex-la would work in this instance?
Colchester, Vt.
A. Sikaflex-1a, as well as all polyurethane caulking compounds, is very flexible and can stretch without cracking if installed properly -- that's the key. Remove the old caulking completely, and clean the surfaces to which the caulking will have to adhere. If the crack is ¼ inch or more, use backer rod of the right size that you gently push into the crack without breaking its skin Leave a depth of half the width of the crack to be filled with the caulking. Tool the caulking with a wet finger, wearing a latex glove to press it against the opposite surfaces