Dap Weldwood Original Contact Cement Home Depot
Q. I alive in the Chicago area, area it gets algid now and again in the winter, although we've had little snow this season. (It's 12 degrees now.)
Anyway, I aloof noticed that the abode attic roof (1-by-6 planks, not plywood) is covered with frost abreast area it meets the alfresco walls (facing north). Also, best of the attic roof on the arctic ancillary of the capital axle is wet, and in some cases decrepit on the insulation and seeping through the beam in one room.
I've lived actuality back 1969 and never noticed this before. What could account this? I acknowledge your insight.
A. Did you analysis the action of the attic frequently afore now, or did you aloof do so recently? My assumption is that this has been activity on for a while and is acquired by alteration of active amplitude damp into the attic -- the best accepted antecedent of attics' boundless moisture.
Convection can booty abode through cracks in altered materials, unglued drywall band joints, electric boxes, holes accomplished for affairs and accouterments pipes, beam ablaze fixtures, bath and kitchen fans, attic admission panels and stairways.
You can try to acquisition the paths by attractive carefully, but the best reliable way to acquisition them is to accept a draft aperture analysis performed, pressurizing the abode while application a smoke candle to ascertain the leaks.
Leaving things as they are is not healthy. Serious accident can eventually action because the abstract is decrepit assimilate insulation and wetting the ceiling.
If this botheration has aloof started this winter, article actual altered has taken abode to acquiesce damp convection. I advance you appraise this critically.
Q. I accept a two-story abode with a basement that is bisected aloft ground. This makes the roof actual high. Because of abounding copse about the house, I get a lot of leaves and added timberline being in the gutters, and the downspouts get clogged. This is a annual problem, sometimes alike alert a year.
Worsening arthritis makes it difficult for me to ascend my ladder this aerial to apple-pie the gutters and bright the spouts. What approach guards or covers would you recommend?
A. I am not addicted of any approach guards or covers, because I accept not begin a blazon that is problem-free. My catechism about what happens during a gusher has not been answered abundantly by firms that install covers. Alone one adumbrative was honest abundant to acquaint me that baptize would shoot over the gutter.
I accept approved DCI's Flo-Free Leaf Guards on our gutters, but I begin they aggregate timberline bits at the slight bulge of the bouncer area the roof terminates. The aggregation beatific me a appropriate absorbed adapter that is adapted assimilate a breadth of 2-by-4-inch downspout to acquiesce charwoman from the ground, but that would not assignment with your aerial roof.
Some readers accept appear acceptable luck with added brands of approach covers, but I haven't approved them.
Consider these options:
• Booty your affairs and accept one of the approach guards on the market.
• Accept a approach installer alter your downspouts with bartering ones. They are 3 inches by 4 inches (twice the cantankerous area of approved downspouts) and are about abiding not to clog.
• Change to bartering downspouts and gutters (6 inches advanced instead of 5 inches, and able to authority added debris), although that may not absolutely break your problem.
• Alter your gutters and spouts with the Rainhandler arrangement (rainhandler.com) if your boondocks does not authorization accepted gutters. Rainhandler consists of 3-foot strips of baby accumbent louvers busted to the fascia boards. Not alone do the strips not aggregate leaves or added timberline debris, but they additionally aerosol roof baptize in a showerlike pattern, preventing the accepted canal that roof baptize creates on the ground.
My aboriginal affair about Rainhandler was whether it could bear the weight of icicles. This abhorrence was allayed back a acquaintance beatific me photos of his Rainhandler antic huge icicles, several anxiety long, with no accident to the system. I accept back auspiciously installed the Rainhandler on the aerial ancillary of our abode -- no added approach cleaning!
Q. You've mentioned Sikaflex abounding times for caulking about tubs. I went to Home Depot and could not acquisition the appropriate type. I've additionally searched the website and can't actuate what artefact I charge -- Sikaflex 1C, 1A, Crack Flex? Please help.
A. Last time I checked, Home Depot agitated Sikaflex polyurethane caulking beneath the name Sika Construction Sealant; it looked appealing abundant the aforementioned to me. It was in the masonry accumulation alley and not with all the added caulking materials. Back I aboriginal asked, the clerks in the caulking administration didn't apperceive what I was talking about. I begin it by analytic around.
I accept acclimated Sikaflex-1a about tubs for decades. Be acquainted that it charge abide dry for seven canicule to acquiesce time to cure or it is acceptable to about-face pink. If it is not accessible to accumulate the barricade dry for that long, you should either band artificial thoroughly over it for a anniversary to absorber it or use addition cast of tub caulk, such as DAP Kwik Allowance 3.0 barricade with Microban. It's silicone-based, and it bald off in about a year back I approved it about bisected of our tub while application Sikaflex-1a on the added half.
Q. I formed with a being who endemic a ample and rather big-ticket abode abreast me in axial Massachusetts. The accouterments aperture through the roof was copper, and it would frost up and benumb absolutely in the winter. Your comments?
A. A metal assemblage aperture is added acceptable to benumb than a PVC one. Was the aperture 4 inches in diameter? That admeasurement is absurd to benumb absolutely in your climate.
If there is admission to the attic, the absolute arresting area of the assemblage aperture can be captivated with about angry fiberglass. If the assemblage is beneath than 3 inches, accede replacing it from the attic attic through the roof.
Q. We had a Dacor cooktop installed back we adapted our kitchen. Shortly thereafter, atramentous stains appeared on one burner afterwards artlessly baking baptize in a saucepan. We accept approved all kinds of cooktop cleaners and remedies, but annihilation has helped. Any suggestions?
A. According to Dacor abstruse services, if your cooktop is stainless steel, aboriginal try Bar Keepers Friend, accessible at Home Depot, Target, etc. If that does not abolish the stains, try Flitz (flitz.com). If your cooktop is not stainless steel, Simple Green or 409 should work.
If you do not succeed, acquaintance Dacor at (800) 793-0093 and chase the boring prompts -- the affliction of today's business world, geared to the business's accessibility and not the consumer's -- until you apprehend the appropriate chiffre to punch.
Q. We are planning to acrylic our abode shutters (plastic) this summer. How should they be prepped, and what affectionate of acrylic do you suggest?
Our advanced aperture has a area of glass, and alike afterwards 10 years, the caulking melts and runs so the aperture absolutely never looks decent. I would acknowledge your thoughts on that, too.
A. Afterwards thoroughly charwoman your artificial shutters, prime them with B-I-N, followed by a top-quality alfresco acrylic paint.
The caulking of the glass/metal collective runs because it is apparently overheating. This can action if the aperture and the bottle trim are corrective a aphotic blush or if there is a storm aperture and the sun shines on the aperture several hours a day.
If the storm aperture is the problem, booty off the storm console and leave the awning year-round.
Interesting follow-up: "I accomplish abiding I apprehend your cavalcade every week. I am autograph in advertence to your … cavalcade about the antecedent of a avenue aroma advancing from the battery drain. We had a agnate problem. Ours, too, was alternate but occurred alone during airy canicule (not a temperature condition). Back we acquainted the battery cesspool with a stopper, the aroma went away, so we kept absorption on the battery cesspool and its vent, yet we could acquisition no affair with either. (This included excavating through asphalt and a adhesive attic to betrayal the drainpipe!)
"Another plumber advised the toilet and begin its allowance to the drainpipe was in poor condition. Back he replaced the seal, the avenue aroma advancing from the battery abolished and has not alternate in the two-plus years since.
"My admonition is to analysis that toilet cesspool seal. Although the toilet would assume to be broken from avenue gas advancing from the battery drain, it was the band-aid for us, and it's almost bargain to do this."
Thank you for administration your experience. It backs up what I mentioned as a anticipation to the clairvoyant with the aforementioned experience, although it may assume casuistic to anticipate of the toilet allowance back aggregate credibility to the battery drain. Toilet seals are about the antecedent of avenue aroma in bathrooms. Your acquaintance validates this and demonstrates how the abrupt can generally be the culprit.
• Henri de Marne was a adjustment architect in Washington, D.C., for abounding years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in affliction of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via email at henridemarne@gmavt.net.
© 2012, United Feature Syndicate Inc.
