Range hood is best vented through a side wall

Q. My split-level's kitchen and front room share the same ceiling, with the kitchen on the upper level. I had my kitchen completely redone. I moved my gas cook top next to the half wall, overlooking the room below. At that time I thought a range hood would not be necessary. However, when I cook now my smoke detector goes off. I started researching the different brands of island range hoods and what to look for. I would love to see them up close, but there are not many brick-and-mortar retailers that display range hoods. Whom should I hire to install it: HVAC, electrician, roofer? I am most worried about the electrical, condensation in my attic, and keeping my roof without leaks.A. There are smoke detectors that are resistant to false alarms with remotes that allow you to momentarily shut them off. An employee at a hardware or big box store can show you the various types. Call high-end kitchen showrooms and ask them if they showcase top-quality kitchen hoods. You could also ask the contractor who did your kitchen remodeling to install the range hood. He or she must have a licensed electrician subcontractor who will make the right and safe connections. Or have a licensed electrician do the entire job. The fan must not be vented in the attic (if you have one); the condensation and grease would become serious problems, increasing the risk of fire. I am not in favor of venting any fan through the roof in cold climates; the condensation from warm, moist air being exhausted will run down the duct, rusting the fan and dripping on the range or cook top. It is best to vent kitchen and bathroom fans through a gable wall, if there is one. If there is no choice and the fan has to be vented through the roof, the contractor who installs the hood should be able to seal the roof properly.I have a 15-year-old home we bought four years ago. The home didn't have air conditioning when we bought it, but we installed central air. The problem that we are noticing looks to be minor, but I'm wondering if it's a bigger problem than we think. I often notice several mold spots above our shower. It is on all three sides, above the plastic shower on the drywall. I have used bleach, which cleans it right off, but is this something that I should be worried about? Could it be on the other side, behind the walls, even though it comes off?A. It's probably only surface mildew that develops because of the high humidity generated by showers. The simplest solution is to paint the walls with Zinsser Perma-White, a mildew-resistant paint that's guaranteed for five years. In the summer, the air-conditioning is not enough to remove the moisture in what is probably a recessed area in your bathroom. In cooler months, heat should help, but air circulation may not be effective. If you have one, use your exhaust fan regularly. It also helps to keep the bathroom open after showering.Whenever the second-floor sink is shut off, the sound of dripping in the main drain continues. We have lived in this home for nearly 40 years. The problem seems to have started when the second-floor bathroom was remodeled more than 15 years ago. There is no sign of leakage anywhere. Is it possible that not enough air was allowed in the system? Or could it be the result of a long drainpipe run at too small an angle?A. It is possible that you hear water dripping since the remodeling, because the copper plumbing was replaced with PVC. PVC is noisier than copper or cast iron. If you have an old-fashioned siphon trap under the sink, you may hear the excess water dripping out of the trap as the sink finishes draining. Since there is no leakage, there is nothing to worry about. If anyone has a better explanation, let me know.I am the first owner of a 30-year-old home that came with aluminum siding - fashionable at the time. I am thinking of residing it. What is the best modern material now on the market to reside with, considering the insulation value of the new material now at hand? Does the aluminum siding have considerable insulation value? A. Aluminum or vinyl siding offers no insulation worth mentioning, except for vinyl siding that features integral foam insulation such as Alcoa, CraneBoard, DuraPlank, Prodigy and Polar Wall. There are some aluminum-siding brands with integral insulation, but that is more rare than vinyl siding. Some insulated vinyl siding, like DuraPlank, has ribs that the manufacturer claims offer many benefits, but any air space behind insulation stands to lower its effectiveness, as convection currents occur. You can install either vinyl or aluminum siding over rigid foam applied first and separately over the wall sheathing or existing siding, if it is in such a condition that you can avoid removing it.We added a room 10 years ago. A ceiling-to-floor, 1/8-inch crack developed in the topcoat where the addition joins the existing wall, which is slightly noticeable in the summer months and more noticeable in the winter months. Can you suggest any cosmetic fixes?A. It is often difficult to avoid these cracks when joining new construction to old. The crack is more noticeable in the winter because the framing dries up as it releases the moisture it has absorbed during the summer. The simplest and permanent fix is to nail a wide wood board as a molding over the crack. It can be made attractive by chamfering its vertical edges or dadoing a bead near them.After a heavy downpour of rain, water seeps in between one cinder block and the cement floor of the basement. The downspout is about 31/2 feet from this spot. I don't see any overflow from the downspout during the rain. I don't have this problem during a gentle rain. How can I correct this?A. Leakage occurs during heavy downpours, because the ground cannot absorb the deluge fast enough. Check the grade in the vicinity of the downspout. You may find that it is either flat or negative (leaning toward the foundation), allowing water to run down to the footing where it finds a weak spot in the joint between the wall and the concrete floor. Check to make sure that the downspout discharges onto a splash block or through an extension pipe that has the proper pitch to move water away from the house. If you do not find a problem there, keep checking the grade at the point of discharge to make sure that water does not run back toward the house. If the water runs toward the house, you will need to alter the grade. You have a mild problem that can be corrected by careful observation and a few corrective measures.We live in an older wood-frame house with high heating bills. We recently had an energy audit, and the No. 1 recommendation was to spray our basement walls with polyurethane foam, as this would stop cold air from being drawn into the rest of the house. They said that doing this had the potential to reduce our heating bill by 30 percent. We have just learned that the product that the contractor planned to use is "an unreasonable fire risk" unless protected with a fire-rated paint. If the foam burns, it gives off cyanide gas and potentially other VOCs. We are reluctant to go ahead with this product but would like to realize the energy-saving benefits of having foam applied to the basement walls. Do you have any recommendations? Are there any products or approaches that could be used cost effectively to seal the air infiltration and add insulation without negative side effects or risks?A. A couple of coats of a flame-retardant paint should help give you enough notice if you have a smoke detector in the basement. A carbon-monoxide detector is also a good idea. Hydrogen cyanide gas is lethal, of course, but in your basement, with proper warning devices, it is less of a threat than any wool, silk, cotton furnishings or clothing in the living quarters. Helpful suggestion: A follow-up to a reader's question about an unpleasant odor coming from a bathroom sink: "My wife's sink has the same thing. It's due to all of the makeup, creams, lotions, etc., that some women use. The best solution I've found is to periodically (monthly) pour Zep Drain Care Build Up Remover cleaner solution down the sink. You have to stay with it. Hope this helps." Readers: Worth a try, if that is the problem causing the bad odor. Correction: In an earlier column, I replied to a reader asking if the plastic strips should be removed from asphalt shingles to allow the sealant strips to work. My answer was that they should be removed. This was an error. The plastic strips are on the bottom of each shingle and directly over the sealant strips of the underlying shingle in the bundles to prevent it from sticking to the sealant strips that are on the top of each shingle. Once the shingles are installed, the tabs of each upper shingle come in contact with the sealant strips and the sun encourages adhesion. The plastic strips are harmlessly left on and serve to identify the manufacturer and the type of shingle used. Thank you to the several people who brought this to my attention, and my apologies for any confusion or difficulty this may have caused. bull; 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.#169; 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.