Boston.com / Your Life

MATT 02:01PM	HI, I AM HAVING VINYL SIDING DONE ON MY HOUSE. I WAS TOLD FROM ONE COMPANY THAT IF YOU DO NOT USE ALUMINUM NAILS THE NAILS WILL RUST AND BLEED OUT OVER THE VINYL. IS THAT TRUE. ALL THE OTHER CONTRACTORS SAID THEY USE GALVANIZED NAILS AND THEY WORK FINE. COULD YOU ALSO GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON OTHER THINGS I SHOULD LOOK FOR AS IN MATERIALS AND WORKMANSHIP. THANKS FOR YOU TIME
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:04PM	Matt: He.llo.everyone, time to do it all. And, everyone, come on down o the New England Home show at the World Trade centger. I will be there today, friday, sat.and sun. come down and sayu hello. there are 500 exhibts there, too. . For Matt, you can use galvanized nails for the vinyl; thenails arehidden and will not getg wet. be sure to use hot zinc-dipped nails, anoly the elctroplated ones. the galvies will resist rrust for many years.
jbug 02:04PM	Peter – Should I be concerned about water hammer in my house? It’s worst at the washing machine. Is there an easy fitting I can install to reduce the noise?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:07PM	jbug: Yes, water hammer can break pipes. the water hammer in your washing machine is happening because the water shuts off rapidly, and here is no way hqaet I know of to make the shutoff gentler. Check with a plumber to see if he could put water hammer arrester on the supply lines of the washing machine.
Contract Limbo 02:08PM	Hi Peter, I just purchased a new residence here but I now I am not sure if my employer is going to extend my current contract. Let's just say, I put one to many permanent fixtures in the house. If I am moving to LA, what are your suggestions on improving the resale value of the house?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:09PM	contractimbo: Unless the house is falling apart and very shabby, thee is liittle you need to do to make it worth more moneyh. many people paint the house with a slapdash coat of paint to make the yhousemore atrtcative, but this is an unfair thing to do, unless you hae a expert, a-one jopb done. with such a shor-time ownership, jst sit tight and hope yu can get a bit more than you paid for it.
108 years 02:10PM	what is thermafoil? it seems that many white cabiets are made of this. Is is good, or should I buy oak and paint them?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:12PM	108: Thermofil is my guess: a sort of vinyl cladding. it's the state of the art for white cbainets. if you don't like the idea of such a material, buy prefinished wood cabinets. don'tbuy raw oak and try to paint it; it will come out poorly because oak is an open-pored wood.
Jim 02:12PM	Good Afternoon, Peter! I'm planning the renovation of my basement, but am having a difficult time finding replacement windows (about 15"x32" opening). Is that something you have to have custom made? Can you recommend a manufacturer or retailer I can contact? Thanks
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:13PM	Jim: Brockway Smith distributeshundreds of windows, including basement windows of various sizes. you can look at a catalog at a local lumber store, which can order whatever you ;like. Not the big chains.
liz 02:14PM	Hello Peter, Is there an easy way to remove paint from my steam radiators?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:19PM	Liz: there is no easy way to remvoe paint from radiators. you couled use chemical painit remover, but better is to sand the radiators heavily, apply an oil based primerand finish with an oil-based enamel. thin coatsspell success. and be sure to do the painting when the radiators are cold , so you ya've to do thiswhen the heatingseason ends. there is no need to put HHR (high heat reistant) paint on. you could if you wanted to, though.
wachusett 02:20PM	Hello Peter, has the dip tube settlement for water heaters been re-invoked ? Water Heater installed March 1997 is apparently, due to disintegrating dip tube, clogging the faucet aerators with small white particles/chips -- much like pieces of thick egg shells.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:21PM	wachusett: I dunno about any settlement, let alone a suit, but the anode rod is designed to disintegrate, and if there is a blockage, check with the dealer; it shoujld not happen. and, if the heater is gas fired,he anoderod should be changed once a year or so, and a gallong of water drained once a month.
robin 02:23PM	peter: My husband and I are looking at a manufactured home to purchase. The house is 2x6 outter walls, tyvek wrap, vinyl siding, IKO asphalt shingles. What is the quality of thes homes compared to stick built homes?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:25PM	Robin: Modular manufactured homes are excellent. often better than stuick buuillt because in the factgory there is a lot of quality contorol. Excvept for the vinyl siding, the materials are good, too. as yoiu might guess, i do not like vinyul siding on any house; if you want it, OK. But yu coujld also o0pt for white cedar shi9ngles and let them weather. they will last for 40 years without stainintg, painting or treqating in any way.
dpb 02:26PM	How would you repair a long crack in a hallway ceiling-- looks like someone put weight on the floor joist in the attic and cracked the ceiling the lenght of the hall!
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:30PM	dpb: Make the crack a little bigger by dragging a utility knife down its full length. Then put a bead of PhenoSeal adhesive caulk, widely sold in hardwre stores in caulking cartridges,on the crack, press it in with your fingers, scrape off excessand wipe clean with a wet sponge. the adheive caul k will expand and contrzct with the movement of ther ceiling andhsould last many years. If the ceiling is white,and your hands are nice and clean, you may not need to repaint.
Chris 02:30PM	Hello -- the shingles on my roof have small amounts of moss and lichens growing on them. The house is in shade most of the day. I'm worried that this will ruin the shingles. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:33PM	chrisL you can scrape off the nmoss with a putty knife, then treat the area with a soliuton opf one part household bleach and three parts water. leave the l;ich'en alone; it is almost impossible to remove, and is unlikely to wreck the roof. the only thing that will kill it is copper sufate (blue vitriol) a very dangerous poison. bleach will not affect it. Moss, mold and algea left on the roof cfan cause decay.
Norm A 02:34PM	Peter-I need to remove the caulking around my tub. I believe it is failing in several places. What is the easiest way to go about this process and what type of caulking should I use?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:35PM	Norm A: If the caulking is caulking, and not grout, dig it outo with a utility knife. and, do not put new caulking; use grout instead; it is much better to use. if the caulking is really grout, you can chip or scour it out, and put new grout in. ALL the grout must be used.
wachusett 02:36PM	Follow up to dip tube, small particles/chips; are there filters/screens in the 1) dishwasher 2) Shower assembly that should be cleaned ?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:37PM	wachusetts: I dunno if there is a filter on the dishwasher, but chedk the inledt pipe; if it is like a garden hose, it might have a filter where it connect s to the water line. the shower head might be i'ts own filter, and you can unscrew it andclean it regualrly, just asyou can unscrew and clean the filters on your sink faucets.
MG 02:38PM	We are putting an addition on to our current house and my plumber told me I could buy fixtures for less, by myself, at one of the large chain stores than he can get them for. Does this sound correct to you or should I look for another plumber?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:41PM	MG: The appliances in the chain stores are of medium quality of less. you cfan go to an independent appliance store (Sozio, George Washington Tom and Yale Electric are three that I can think of) for a quality appliance. Or,have your plumber do it, and if he is unwilling, get another p;lumber.
dpb 02:42PM	The last owner of our house was a VERY sloppy painter! Any suggestions for getting paint drips off the baseboards and door jams? They're both stained wood.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:43PM	dpb: Try Ooops, designed to get latex paint off surfces without messing up the surfaces. Or, put any kind of olil on the spots, leave 15 minutes, then scrape with a wood spatula or rub with a rough cloth.
pohara 02:43PM	Is pressure washing (power washing) a house prior to painting safe? Are there any risks of damage?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:45PM	pohara: Prressure ashing is OK on tight clapbaords or tight shingles, but not on vinyl or aluminum siding, unless the pressure-washers reducethe pressure to keep watwer from behind the siding. there are always risks of damage, but a profesisonal washedr shoujld make sure it is safe.
louisburg 02:45PM	peter, I want to have my house painted. I have asbestos shingles. Is it dangerous to power wash and/or scrape? louisburg
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:46PM	Louisburg: do not power wash, scrape or sand asbestos siding. you can wash it with a strong detergent solution, but that is all.
KFC Guy 02:47PM	Do you recommend EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing System) over vinyl or clapwood siding? Does it add more value than traditional siding.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:48PM	KFC guy: I dunno what EIFS is, unbless it is a lifetime coating of vinyl i doublt it will add more value to the house, in my book itwill reduce the value.
jt 02:49PM	Peter: On occaision, I am getting a smell in my basement of sewer gas. I followed my sewer pipe to the street and there is no sign of any leaks. Is there a possible problem with the trap or blockage?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:49PM	jtL It night be due to a faulty trap or blocked soil pipe, or even a broken pipe. Have a plumebr check it out
newhouse 02:50PM	Hello Peter. My tennants are complaining of poor water pressure. I have 3 hot water tanks, it's a 3 family home. What is related to the water pressure? Is it the gas water tanks, or a pipe off the street? I saw this device in an ad that costs $300, its called a water pressure booster. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Thanks.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:52PM	newhouse: poor water pressure is due top partially blocked pipes leading to the house, or perahps in tghe pipesin the house. usualy it is due to the pipes from the street to the househaving a buildup ofminerals inside. the only cure is to have the pipes repalced. the community water dept. will do this from the street to the house.
1918 Red Sox 02:53PM	Peter, I do not have attic ventilation in my Cape style home. I also do not have enough overhang for soffit vents. Should I still install a ridge vent? Would gable vents on each wall do?
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:55PM	1918 red sox: i would still install a ridge vent, which will work better than gable avents (in the wall). you could also have eaves vents installed if you do not have an overhang.
Frank/Chelmsford 02:55PM	Would you recommend PhenoSeal adhesive caulk to repair a crack in a panel of an exterior wooden door? Door faces south and sun beats on it. There is also a storm door in front of it.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 02:56PM	Frank/chelmsford: Yes,I think the PhenoSeal wuikll work welsl for the crack in the panel. when yu make the fix, be sure to paint the door again.
freddy 02:57PM	Hi Peter, I am in the process of ripping out my old kitchen down to the studs. I will be the contractoe subbing out the work. In what order do I start the remodeling project. ( ceiling, walls cabinets and flooring), I'm not sure of the correct order. Thx
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:00PM	Freddy The usual order is ceiling,walls,cabinet4s and floor. but i think it isbest to do it in this order: ceiling, walls, floor (the whole floor in the kitfchen) then the cabinets. if you do ceiling, walls and cabinets, then the floor, the floor finish will have to but up against the cabinets, which is not the best way to do it.
Peter Hotton (Moderator) 03:02PM	OK, boys and girls, it was avery fast hour, but a good one. anyone who I missed can email mne at photton@globe.com