Epoxy glue allows for easy fix of small driveway chips

Q. Our year-old concrete sidewalk has an egg-sized piece that is cracking and separating from the concrete. Can we glue that piece down with a special glue? Or should we try to fill in the hole with new cement?

A. If you can easily remove the piece, brush-clean it carefully and blow any dust and small particles from the hole it left. Apply epoxy glue according to instructions on the package and put the piece back in its hole.

Put a substantial weight on it until the indicated curing time has passed. It should be good for a long time. A similar piece in our driveway is still holding up after several years.

Q. I enjoy reading all of your tips and ideas in the Daily Herald every week. I don't remember ever seeing a solution to my problem.

My daughter's house has a bathtub that has a rust spot where the faucet drips. She has tried several products to remove the rust, but nothing seems to work. I am not sure what the tub is made of, but it is a single unit tub and tub surround. If there is no way to remove the rust, is there any way to paint over or cover the rust? Replacing the entire unit is not an option.

If the rust is left there, can it harm my young grandson while he is in the tub? Also, the house is on well water with a water softener.

A. Your daughter's bathtub unit must be acrylic, since it is in one piece. Try Rust Off (www.wash-safe.com). The manufacturer claims it is safe to use on all surfaces, as it is noncorrosive and non-bleaching.

A note of caution: I haven't tried it myself as I have had no need to, but I would if I did. So please be sure to read and follow the directions carefully. It's always helpful to try on a small, inconspicuous area first.

I don't think that your grandson is at risk; the rust stain doesn't scale off or gets diluted. But you may want to check with your daughter's pediatrician.

Replacing the tub would not solve the problem anyway. It sounds to me as if your daughter should have her water softening system checked. This should not happen if it is operating properly. Maybe it's not the right kind.

Q. We are seeing ants in unusual places in our home: in the bathroom - in the bathtub, on the walls, on the framed pictures; in an office - on the desk; in a bedroom - on the bed, on the carpet.

There aren't many of them - no more than six at a time.

We occasionally have had ants in our kitchen during the summer, but they are smaller than the ones we are seeing now, and we got rid of them quickly using ant bait traps.

The ants we are seeing now are between ⅜-inch and a half-inch in length.

We put down ant bait traps weeks ago, but they do not seem to be having the desired effect. We would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

A. It sounds very much as if you have an invasion of carpenter ants. They have found winter refuge in your house and are now coming out as spring approaches.

You should contact a pest control professional (PCP). And as I always do, I recommend calling on a local, family-owned PCP. A professional will be able to locate the nest and spray a pesticide in it or inject some gel in or near it that will kill the ants. And there may be more than one nest.

Q. Can you help answer this question for us? This winter we noticed a brownish stain from the drain holes in our vinyl siding. This is a Huntington home built in 1986 in Danville, Vermont. Can you give us your thoughts on this, please?

A. This tells me that there has been heavy condensation that froze in the back of the vinyl siding. It sounds as if the moisture absorbed some asphalt or other petroleum-based product from the substrate, such as felt paper or other material, before freezing. Now that the frost is melting, it shows up as the brownish stains you see.

From the coloring, it is possible - even likely - that the moisture may be convecting from inside the house because there are cracks or other failures in the interior surfaces.

If this is the case, over time this may cause some serious structural problems.

You may want to have an energy audit performed by a certified auditor who will perform a combination of a blow-door test, a smoke test and infrared thermography. These tests will point out every heat-loss path and where to make repairs to seal them and tighten up your home.

Q. We read one of your columns that addressed the need for insulation and ventilation in the attic. Our house was originally built with a Hicks drip-edge vent and two gable end vents on the main body of a two-story colonial. A new roof was installed 10 years ago, at which time a ridge vent was added along all ridges at the suggestion of the roofer; the gable end vents were not closed up.

Since we had the new roof, we have had issues with ice dams as well as uncomfortable temperatures on the second floor of the house (cold in winter and very hot in summer). Ice also forms in the gutters, with water running from the soffit causing the paint to bubble and brown icicles to form on the house. We are concerned that water backing up from the gutter could be coming in the drip edge vent and running into the exterior wall.

We have done much research online and have spoken with a number of roofers/handymen. They have told us that we have good insulation in the attic and that the Hicks drip-edge vent seems to be free of obstruction inside so air can pass through, but then we get inconsistent advice about what to do:

• We have been told that the type of ridge vent that was installed was not of good quality, so it does not allow the air to flow freely; it has been recommended to replace the ridge vent with a better quality (ShingleVent II ridge vent).

• Some say to close up the gable end vents; others say not to.

• Some recommend adding continuous soffit vents, but we are not sure if we should do that with the Hicks drip-edge vent. And should we cover up the drip-edge vent if we add the soffit vents?

• Add a heating wire to the gutter to prevent ice buildup (ice formation is probably blocking the air intake at the drip-edge vent).

It is apparent that something needs to be done to correct the ventilation issue, but we are not sure what. We would appreciate your recommendation to follow any of the above suggestions or do something else.

A. It does look like water is indeed getting inside the structure behind the ice dams. The brown icicles indicate that some asphalt-like product is being leached out by the water.

Since the problem you describe happened after the new roof and ridge vent were installed, it points to the fact that the gable vents were not closed.

Gable vents, if left open with the combination of continuous ridge and soffit vents, interfere with the airflow between the two. Air will flow in the easiest direction, and that is between the gable vents and the ridge vent. The soffit vents are no longer functional.

You should close the gable vents from the attic side; this can be done easily by screwing in pieces of plywood painted matte black.

Replacing the ridge vent with ShingleVent II is a good start. My guess is that the ridge vent that was installed is one of those that come in a roll or short sections of a horse-hair-like matrix that has no exterior baffle, or looks like a beehive. They are not effective, yet they are the ones most used because of heavy marketing and the lack of understanding of attic ventilation principles by so many building-supply salespeople and contractors.

You should also ensure that there are no obstructions to the airflow between the soffit and ridge vents.

I don't understand the recommendation to add continuous soffit vents if the Hicks vents are already continuous and unobstructed. Is someone suggesting a belt-and-suspender approach?

I do not usually recommend heat cables in gutters.

Q. According to your book "About the House," you suggest that driveways be sealed every three to five years as needed. My neighbor insists that she read in one of your past columns that you did not need to seal the driveway at all. Just wait until it needs to be replaced and then just pave. Would you please enlighten me?

A. There is confusion here. In my book, I am referring to an asphalt driveway, and the answer is correct.

Your neighbor may have read my answer about a concrete driveway, and I believe I said that concrete driveways can be sealed with one of two processes: topical or penetrating, and that some people don't seal these driveways at all.

If your driveway is asphalt, follow the advice in my book; sealing it too soon or too frequently can lead to serious and damaging problems.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. His website is www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to henridemarne@gmavt.net, or mail First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

© 2015, United Feature Syndicate Inc.