Home repair: Best strategy for musty storage room
Q. We would like your advice concerning a small, basement storage room. It’s beneath our fully enclosed, unheated front porch. The storage room has a damp and musty feel and smell, but no visible water. We are going to purchase a dehumidifier for it. The storage room’s three outside walls are entirely underground, except for about two feet at their tops. Should we insulate them? What about the single wall the room shares with our basement? If so, should we use rigid Styrofoam boards or fiberglass batts? Would there be any point to insulating its ceiling? Should we install a vapor barrier? Our home is in western Pennsylvania, so we do experience freeze and thaw cycles.
A. Because your front porch is fully enclosed, the storage space below is sheltered from rain and snow, so it is safe to insulate its three exterior walls and its ceiling. There is no need to insulate the common wall with the basement. Use rigid 2-inch thick XPS insulation boards. (XPS is extruded polystyrene; it comes in blue, gray, pink or green.) The insulation can be adhered to what I assume to be a masonry foundation with polyurethane caulking applied to clean surfaces. If the ceiling is the porch’s floor joists, filling the joists’ depth with fiberglass is better. You should cover the insulation with gyp board, which can also be glued to the foam on the walls with the same caulking. You do not need a vapor retarder over the foam, but staple plastic under the fiberglass before screwing the drywall to the bottom of the joists to prevent any moisture in the storage space from migrating into the fiberglass and condensing on the underside of the porch floor. Keep the door from the basement open to provide some heat to mitigate the damp and musty smell. A dehumidifier during summertime is a good idea.
Q. Six years ago, we had a metal roof applied over a conventional asphalt shingle roof with the expectation that ice-dam leaks around valleys and skylights would be prevented. They weren’t. Subsequently, I’ve been told metal roofs should not be applied over conventional roofs. As we are on the verge of making what could be a major investment in new roofing, I would appreciate your comments on whether there is anything to this metal-on-top-of-conventional-roof argument.
A. If your metal roof is standing seam, an experienced standing-seam roofer would not have put it directly over a shingle roof, because as time goes by and the elements cause the metal to expand and contract, the metal will telegraph the shingles under it, and the roof will look terrible.
If the metal roof is made of panels that are screwed or nailed on, it should have been installed over furring strips known as sleepers. This is commonly done, and keeping the shingles as additional protection is a good idea. Considering the leakage problem, inexperienced people must have installed your metal roof. The installation of a metal roof does not necessarily avert ice dams, but it can shed snow, thus preventing their formation. Ice dams are caused by heat loss through the roof. If you are opting for a standing-seam roof, I suggest you choose a contractor who uses 24-gauge metal and double-lock seams, and seals terminations of eaves with an appropriate sealant followed by locking the standing seams with a folded metal tab. Few of them do this, but it ensures a top-quality job with no problems down the line. I recently was involved in a case where this wasn’t done, and windblown rain entered the seams and rotted the fascia boards. A quality job will cost you more up front, but will not cause you untold headaches later on.
Q. Can you provide your thoughts on condensation related to our recently installed insulating Symphony Shades? Attached are photos from our master bath that show condensation from when I raised the shades at 7:34 a.m. It was -7 degrees outside and 61 degrees inside at the window (42 percent relative humidity). At 8 a.m., you can see that the condensation had largely evaporated so there was no moisture that reached the sill. Not sure why the internal temperature dropped to 57 degrees, perhaps from the cold coming from the window. I have some concerns about the moisture that sits between the glass and the sash. (You can see it if you zoom in on the photo.) Do you have any ideas on this?
A. These Symphony Shades are terrific. They will save energy while making your house more comfortable. Their cost should be recovered in just a few short years. I am familiar with them and the manufacturer in northern Vermont because we have their cellular shades. We have experienced the unparalleled service they provide, as these older shades have required servicing over the years. For those interested, the company website is www.symphonyshades.com.
The reason the temperature is 61 degrees at the window when you raised the shade is that the shade kept the ambient temperature warmer while the air caught between the shade and the glass cooled overnight, causing condensation. As soon as you raised the shade, the room air was able to absorb the condensation, but that caused the ambient air at the window to drop a few degrees because the cold air could escape. To prevent damage to the wood sashes, keep a tight paint seal at the glass/wood joint and wipe the moisture as soon as the shades are raised.
Q. I believe you published an article some time ago about getting hot water delivered to areas where it took long periods of time and mentioned hotwaterlobster.com. Do you recall this information? Have you had any comments on this product? I did purchase it and discovered that I must have the check valves in my hot-water heater removed for the unit to operate; there can be no check valves between the hot-water heater and the installed unit. My plumber will be coming back to remove the check valves in my hot-water heater this week. But I would like to know if you have any additional pro/con information on this product.
A. Yes, I do recall mentioning the Hot Water Lobster because it was brought to my attention by a reader after I mentioned the Laing AutoCirc, which I have had installed in our house to provide us with instant hot water at all faucets. At the time, I checked the Hot Water Lobster’s website, and it sounded intriguing because it required no power connection and cost so much less than other models. I have had no personal experience with it, but thought that I should give my readers another system to choose from. However, I am sorry to say that if I had noticed the footnote mentioning that there couldn’t be any check valves on the water heater, I would have cautioned my readers about its use. The requirement that there be no check valves between the Hot Water Lobster and the water heater is indeed burdensome, as check valves are needed to shut off both hot- and cold-water pipes when replacing the tank.
Q. I have a greenhouse, about 8-by-12 feet, made of fiberglass, which I absolutely adore. Over the years, it has yellowed and it looks as if the actual fiberglass is beginning to disintegrate in spots. Is there any treatment that you know of that will elongate its life? It also looks as if the mighty amount of snow we’ve had this year might have dented a portion of the sloping roof area. Any ideas for repairing that?
A. Sorry, but I don’t know of a way to clear up the yellowing of the fiberglass. Unfortunately, with age and the weather, the clear gel coat is wearing out and the panels are losing their luster as well as some of their strength. Your greenhouse may be nearing retirement age.
Q. Is there a location in the Chicago area to purchase Sikaflex-1a caulk? Or is Internet the only place to purchase it?
A. Check your Yellow Pages for a local construction- or masonry-supply house; they are the most likely to carry Sikaflex-1a. If none is carrying it, you can order it from A.H. Harris Construction Supplies, www.ahharris.com. Click on “Locations,” and choose the closest.
Q. A recent column in our Chicago-area newspaper identified a product that you recommend for cleaning and degreasing kitchen cabinets. I accidentally threw the paper away before making a note of the product, which was available for purchase on the Internet. I would so appreciate a reply with this information.
A. The miracle product is Milsek, www.milsek.com.
Q. Do you have any suggestions to help me wash my windows and not end up with streaks?
A. Professional window washers use a squeegee to remove most of the cleaning fluid and follow it up by wiping with newspapers. What a way to recycle newsprint, and they can be put in your compost bin.
Q. I have mold in my attic, and a mold remediation company told me that they would fog and kill the mold and seal the wood. They would also warranty the work for two years, provided I had a roofer install an electric fan in the attic roof to improve the ventilation and vent the bathroom vents. I also contacted other remediation companies that want to remove my insulation, blast the wood, seal the wood, and vent the bathroom vents. These estimates were $5,000 to $10,000 more than the first. Which is the correct procedure?
A. You should have your bathroom fans vented through a gable wall, using rigid schedule 20 drainpipe. The bell ends should be facing toward the fans. The vent pipes should be kept as low as possible and covered with insulation. You do not need a remediation firm to do that; an experienced contractor or electrician can take care of the venting. You should not install an attic fan; it wastes energy by robbing heat from the house in the winter and cooled air in the summer. You may find that, once the bathroom fans are vented to the outside, you may not need additional roof ventilation. But if you do, you can increase it by having a combination of ridge and soffit vents installed if you do not already have it. The mold will die if the moisture source it feeds on is eliminated. Because it is in the attic, there should be no risk to the inhabitants.
Ÿ 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.
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