Try candle wax on tight new windows
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Q. My replacement windows are very hard to open and close. I tried spraying them with
JAMES LaSALA, Hyde Park
A. Many replacement windows are tight to make sure they are resistant to loss of air and heat. The WD-40 may not have worked if you did not spray the jambs. Raise each bottom sash and spray the jamb, where the window slides. If there is rubber, felt, or vinyl weather-stripping on the jamb, any kind of oil may not be a good idea because it could damage the material. Candle wax will do just as well. So, keep raising and lowering the sash; you eventually might loosen them just enough. Or, contact the installer to see if he can loosen them a bit.
Q. My roof has two layers of asphalt shingles, the top layer being about 20 years old. Some of the gravel on the top layer of white shingles are coming off, and there are black areas where the gravel has gone completely off. Can I repair those bald spots? How long will the roof last with the gravel off?
WORRIED
A. The only repair is to have the roof completely coated with a liquid tar-like composition. This is quite expensive and I don't think the expense is worth it. Your roof probably has 5 to 10 years of life left, despite the loss of gravel. I don't think all the gravel is gone. Even if there is some life left in the shingles, replacing the roof at any time is not unreasonable.
Q. My neighbor is putting covers on his gutters. If I do that will the slotted cover handle all the water during a heavy rain? Do those Gutter Helmet type covers work? Also, the storm sewers in my street have overflowed, flooding the street, due partly to my gutters being connected to the sewers. Is there a way to reduce this heavy overflow of water?
OSCAR FRIETAS, New Bedford
A. Yes, I think the gutter covers work, although they might not handle a very heavy, prolonged rain, but nothing will anyway. To reduce the storm water overflowing and flooding, detach your downspouts from the storm sewer (they are going straight into the ground now) and extend the spouts 10 feet horizontally from the house. You can put them back when the water subsides.
Q. The cellar in my one-family house floods with 1/4 inch of water two to four times a year. The water comes in between floor and foundation. We have a sump and pump, and when the water comes, I push it with a big squeegee into the sump, where the pump pumps it away. I have heard of French drains, both inside and outside. Would they work?
BOB GUTERMAN, West Newton
A. The fact that the water comes in between floor and wall indicates that the water table (underground water) is high, and will go down when it stops raining. An interior French drain will work. But it will cost $5,000 or more, even without the sump and pump. Unless you plan to sell the house sometime soon, I would say save the money and get the exercise by pushing the water into the sump on the occasional times it floods.
Furnace in the attic?
Here is what we heard from Mark T. Wilhelm, an architect from Marblehead, in reply to the handyman's opinion on cutting trusses and furnaces in the attic: "In the 'Handyman on Call' column of Aug. 10, Peter Hotton states that he would have no trouble with enlarging the attic scuttle by cutting trusses, but has a big problem with attic furnaces. As an architect, in my opinion both of these opinions are in error. If the roof and attic are, in fact, framed with trusses, as the writer of the letter to which the column responded stated, cutting them to enlarge the opening would be risky, as the strength of the trusses depends on the continuity of the bottom chord members which would be lost by cutting them. Enlarging an opening framed with common joists would, of course, be possible.
"Mr. Hotton's primary reason for not installing furnaces in an attic is his theory that heat from the furnace would cause ice damming. It is true that heat buildup in a poorly insulated or poorly ventilated attic is one known cause of ice damming. But locating an air handling furnace in an attic is a widely accepted practice, and modern high efficiency furnaces leak a minimal amount of heat to the space in which they are enclosed. Good practice to avoid ice damming might indicate that the space around the furnace/air handler should be within the insulation envelope, to retain as much heat as possible, but with high-efficiency equipment and a properly ventilated space this may not be necessary. Heating system ductwork is commonly run through attic spaces above insulated ceilings, and a not-insignificant amount of heat is generally lost through those ducts into the attic space and is dissipated through the ventilation of the attic. Such heat loss through mechanical systems into the attic air is regrettable, but it is not per se cited as a cause of ice damming. As a practical matter it is often necessary and even preferable to locate air handling equipment in attic spaces.
"Mr. Hotton's comment about the water vapor produced in a furnace suggests that he does not understand that the products of combustion, including the water vapor, are vented through the equipment's flue to the outside air, and his blanket condemnation of this type of heating system appears similarly misinformed."
MARK T. WILHELM, architect, Marblehead
Thank you, Mr. Wilhem, for your informative and courteous letter. I can't justify my opinion on cutting trusses, but I will hold the fort on furnaces in the attic, partly because there are better ways, I believe, to handle heating systems. And, I will concede an error (no, a gaffe!) concerning the water vapor produced by a gas furnace going into the attic. I know it does not go into the attic, but safely through the chimney or power vent.
Q. I have six basement windows with sills at grade level in my 1927 house. I have replaced two rotted sills in the last five years, and already one has rotted out again. Would window wells help to keep the earth and water away from the sills?
ALWAYS THINKING
A. Yes, wells are a good thing, even though I was a bit negative about them in our phone conversation. A well can be quite shallow, only 6 inches deep, with a masonry border and a clear plastic cover. The covers are sold by lumber stores. Another way is to replace the sills with pressure-treated lumber. I have done this on several sills and it works. The only problem with replacing the sills is that water could soak part of the frame of the window, if it is wood, and rot that out, too. If you opt to replace the sills, I suggest as an alternative to window wells to dig out the earth a bit to keep the sill clear of the water.
Q. I have a Filon plastic roof over a long walkway going the length of my house to keep water away from the foundation. It is in pretty bad shape and needs replacing. Have you ever heard of Filon? Can I replace the old one with a new Filon cover? A solid roof would black out windows below the roof.
ANNICK BELLEVILLE, Voorheesville, N.Y.
A. Yes, I have heard of it, and wrote about it many years ago. It is a fiberglass panel, used for greenhouses. So you might find it at a greenhouse company. Or, from a dealer that builds sunrooms. And, if the panels are in fair shape, you can buy a paint called Filon Nuglas High Gloss Refinisher, from a dealer who sells the panels. The paint will let light in through the panels.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is also in the Styles Section on Thursdays. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.
