Switch to a quieter sump pump valve

Q. Recently, I had a Liberty one-third horsepower sump pump installed in my basement to remove water that seems to be present most of the year, excluding the winter months here in Vermont. One of the problems that I have encountered immediately was the loud noise from the check valve every time the sump pump shuts down. We have wood flooring above the basement, which probably makes the noise level more audible. According to my plumber, a “quiet” spring-loaded check valve would not quiet this noise but would make it worse. Is this true? Can you recommend a specific “quiet” check valve that would reduce the noise level?

A. I am surprised by your plumber's comment regarding a spring-loaded check valve, as these valves are much quieter than swing check valves (probably what you have). Swing check valves close with a bang, while spring-loaded check valves close softly. So I fail to understand how changing to a spring-loaded check valve could make the situation worse.

You may want to talk to another plumber with more experience with this. Making the change is not that expensive. But if you choose not to take a chance and spend the money to have a plumber switch valves, try covering the sump hole with a piece of 1- or 2-inch-thick extruded polystyrene insulation. Cut it to fit tightly around the exhaust pipe and electrical wire. It should help significantly.

Q. We have a dry, finished basement that we use as a family room. When we go down there, a distinct change in atmosphere exists. It is much colder and feels damp, even though we do not get water. We run a dehumidifier year-round, which needs to be emptied on a regular basis. It is 10 years old and noisy. If we purchased a new one, what brand, size, etc., would you recommend for a room approximately 400 square feet? We would like to feel comfortable while down there and not have to use blankets to keep warm while watching TV. What about the cost of running a dehumidifier regularly? I can't seem to determine the cost of electricity. What do you think of the product called Humidex, which is a ventilation system installed inside the house to control the atmosphere?

A. Why do you need to run a dehumidifier during the heating season if your basement is dry? Not only is that unnecessary; it's also costly. In the summer, running a dehumidifier is essential, even if you have central air conditioning, because basements are always cooler, since they are in contact with the earth, which remains basically the same temperature year-round as depth increases.

You haven't told me what type of heating system you have, but I assume that living in New Jersey, you have warm air and central air conditioning. In that case, you should have an HVAC contractor regulate your system or add a supply in the family room. If you do have a supply there, it may be feeding warm air to the family room near the ceiling, as is too often done by cutting a hole in the main trunk. This is not effective because, when the fan turns off, the warm air, which is stratified at the ceiling, is drawn back into the main trunk line as the warm air remaining in the entire system is rising through it. To be effective, basement supplies and returns should be at floor level. If you have a hydronic (hot water) heating system, you may need to have additional radiation installed.

The Humidex system expels air from the basement, which creates a negative pressure that is equalized by drawing air (infiltration) from the upper stories of the house through cracks around windows, attic access panels, etc. So on hot summer days, you would be drawing moist air to replace damp air in the basement, which could result in condensation on the basement floor and walls because the basement is much cooler than the rest of the house. On milder and less humid days, this condition would be less critical. In the winter, the Humidex would bring in cold outside air, raising your energy bill, unless you shut the system off. But this does not solve your desire for additional heat. To choose the right dehumidifier, I defer to Consumer Reports' review of them. If you do not subscribe, your local library should have current and back copies.

Q. I'm hearing crackling sounds in the living room coming from around the ceiling. My house is 50 years old. I thought it was because I have the heat on, but I heard the sounds this summer, too. Could it be animals on the roof or rotten boards? I've had it checked out, but no one could find anything. Is this in the crawl space or somewhere else in the house?

A. You heard right; the crackling sounds are coming from the attic. In the fall — when the heating season has started — the attic gets colder and the roof-framing members respond to its relative humidity. As they move, stress is put on the nails that hold them together, which is what you hear. Conversely, during the warm summer season, the process is reversed and the sound you hear is relief from stress. It's nothing to worry about.

Q. We had an addition put on our house with a two-foot overhang on the front and back. The addition is butted up against the original part of the house. The siding and shingles were left on the old part of the house, and small gutters were put on in corners between the addition and the house.

When we have snow and ice, the melting causes water to run under the shingles and down the inside walls of the bedroom and bathroom, ruining fixtures, plugs and furniture. We put on a new roof, metal in the valleys, ice guard under the shingles and tried heat cables on the roof edges and gutters.

My husband wants to take the gutters off for the winter. We have had to replace bath fixtures, carpets, etc., two years in a row. We have climbed up and put ice melt in the gutters last year; it worked, but it is dangerous on icy ground. Please help before the snow flies.

A. This is an example of an incompetent contractor! No one should have to put up with what you did! The contractor should have installed a water-and-ice guard on the bare sheathing and nailed the shingles over it. Such a guard should cover a minimum of two feet of the roof over the heated part of the house at the eaves. Because you have two-foot overhangs and the material comes in three-foot width, you needed two rows to accomplish this coverage.

On a small addition, it is often best to cover the entire roof. The photo you sent me shows a huge amount of ice dangling from your roof. This is inexcusable. It illustrates a lack of effective insulation. You should have had recourse against this contractor after the first winter. If the repair expenses are significant enough, you may want to contact a lawyer and pursue a claim against the contractor. A new roof and everything else must have been quite expensive. With the proper installation of a water-and-ice membrane and effective insulation, you should not need to risk life and limb putting ice melt in the gutters or removing them for the duration of the winter, and you should not need heat cables, either.

Q. My two-family home has no overhangs. I have long gutters nailed to the fascia boards on the front and back of the house. My pitched roof is only 5 years old, and I added six to seven inches of insulation to what was already there. Ridge venting was installed, and there are two small gable vents on the side of the house. The house still gets warm in the summer, especially the second floor.

I cannot help but think there is still not enough natural airflow to make the venting work correctly. The attic is 1,050 square feet. Would adding some dormer or turbine vents help? Would pulling the gutters off and adding a venting system that brings in lower air make sense?

A. Ridge venting is ineffective if it is not accompanied by equal or greater soffit ventilation, which you do not have. Gable vents do not help much in combination with a ridge vent, because during warm summer months, the ridge vent draws replacement air from the gable vents, which are high, thus not flushing air from the entire attic. Turbine vents are not effective, either. Instead, consider installing DCI's SmartVent. It will require removing three courses of the eaves shingles and cutting a 1-inch slot off the roof sheathing a foot up from the fascia boards. Once the SmartVent is installed, including the necessary end caps, apply an ice-and-water protective membrane over it and reinstall the shingles. There is no need to remove your gutters.

You can call DCI Products on its toll-free number, (800) 622-4455, to find out more and get the name and number of the nearest distributor. Or if you have access to the Internet, visit www.dciproducts.com.

Unfortunate experience — A Massachusetts reader writes: This morning in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Nov. 21), there was an inquiry from someone who had used some old Cabot stain on a deck and found that the deck had not dried two weeks later.

Last May, I had a similar issue with a brand-new Cabot product. I had been using the Cabot Clear 3000 on an open porch every other year or so as instructed. This product worked perfectly. But this year, I was told that the 3000 was discontinued and that the comparable product was the 9200 Series.

The porch is approximately 400 square feet, and I applied the new product lightly, using nowhere near the full gallon. This was on May 21, and the floor was still tacky for our open house on July 11. I have been told at my local paint store that when new regulations necessitated changes in drying agents, Cabot went a step further, anticipating that even tighter regulations would be forthcoming. He told me that I am far from alone with my nondrying Cabot situation. To the company's credit, Cabot made it possible for us to rectify the situation, and we hired a floor specialist who did a complete stripping of the entire floor.

My point is that the new regulations have been a challenge to the industry, and some brands seem to have done better than others in formulating drying agents that meet the new guidelines. I would hope that Cabot's 9200 has been reformulated to do just that.

Dear reader: Thank you for passing on your unfortunate experience. It should help others who may be facing the same project next year. Congratulations to Cabot, a long-established manufacturer of quality paints and stains, for making it good for you. I wish all manufacturers showed the same responsibility, but unfortunately, the mail I receive from readers tells me otherwise.

Ÿ Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. His book, “About the House,” is available at www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores. 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.

$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2010, United Feature Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$