Faulty dry well is leaving property wet
Q My wife and I moved into our first house last January. The sump pump cycled on and off about every 10 minutes after the spring thaw, and the back yard became very wet, especially on top of the dry well. One spring morning after a heavy rain I awoke to find moisture coming in through the foundation cracks (not full-on water, just moisture) and learned that the PVC pipe running from the sump pump to the dry well out back had separated. This caused the backyard to flood, which in turn created an even worse cycling of water from the sump pump -- to the backyard to below the foundation -- and back to the sump pump. The pipe separated just outside the house, below the grass but above the frost line. The builder provided a temporary fix and eventually re attached the elbow when the yard was fairly dry. However, my neighbor, who built his own house and saw mine being built, suggests my dry well wasn't put in deep enough to get through the clay in the soil. He also advises me that the same flooding problem will likely happen again this winter and spring unless the PVC elbow is below the frost line and the dry well is done properly. What should I do?
Rob Foley, Abington
A Whew! I do believe that dry well never worked right, and is unlikely to do so, especially since it failed less than three months after its installation. I think the water table is too high to allow proper drainage, and the clay soil is adding to the problem. I think you will run into more water by digging deeper. I suggest you disconnect the discharge pipe from the dry well, and bring it through the foundation wall so that it discharges at least 10 feet from the house. Let's hope the pipe does not freeze in cold weather, when it is also hoped there will be less water to pump out.
The pump is recycling often because the water table is high, and it will continue to recycle until the water table goes down. This should happen in drier weather.
Another thing to consider: If the property slopes down toward the house, it should be regraded to prevent all that water from running against the foundation.
Q I have a built-in china cabinet along one wall of my dining room. It has glass doors on the top and drawers on the bottom. The exterior wall behind the cabinet is insulated, and the back of the cabinet is painted matchstick wainscoting. It is mortal cold in the cabinet. How can I insulate the back of the cabinet to keep out the cold?
Vera Gropper, Somerville
A The cabinet is cold because it is separated between the insulated wall and the heated room. Open the glass doors and the cabinet will warm up, with little extra fuel burned. But it will not hurt to add a little insulation wherever you can. You can cover the back of the cabinet with another layer of three-eighth-inch-thick wainscoting. If the shelves can be removed, take them out and tack or glue new pine wainscoting on the old. Then put back the shelves. You may have to take a little off the sides of the shelves to make them fit. If they are glass, or cannot be removed, instead of putting new wainscoting on the entire back of the cabinet, cut the covering to fit between shelves. As I said, you can tack it or glue it. If you use glue, use Phenoseal, an adhesive caulk that is good for this purpose.
Q My family summer place in Maine is used in the spring, summer, and fall. It is only five years old, but already it is over run with mice. I cannot use poisons or D-Con because I have kids and pets. I have not yet trapped any in sticky traps. What else can I do?
Over run
A Get a cat and bring him or her with you. If he is any kind of a mouser, he will have a ball, and you will have many little presents presented at your feet. When you go back home with the cat, the mice will be back. You can try sealing all suspected openings in the foundation and between siding and foundation. Any opening should be sealed. Traps are good. I have no idea why you are not trapping any, except maybe the bait is wrong. Peanut butter or cheese is a good bait for mice. So are jelly beans. Snap traps are best, if a bit messy. The sticky taps are cruel, which is a good reason not to use them.
The ultra sound anti rodent devices work to keep mice away, but not force out those already there.
Q I just put in a French drain, a pipe under the floor all around the inside perimeter of my foundation. It works well, and is covered with concrete. I then put down big indoor-outdoor carpet squares, and the ones over the drain are retaining moisture under the carpet. I keep a dehumidifier running, and it runs fairly continuously. How can I stop that moisture?
Elizabeth Tirrell, West Springfield
A That moisture is condensation of water vapor coming up through the concrete, condensing on the cool floor, under the carpet. There is too much of it to allow the carpet to let it evaporate. The cure is to lift those border carpet squares and set them aside to allow the moisture to evaporate. It will with ventilation.
There is one more thing. That dehumidifier is working well, perhaps too well, pulling water vapor out of the air and more water vapor right through the concrete, where it might stay if the dehumidifier were not used. So, turn off that humidifier and use ventilation instead. It is a lot cheaper than the dehumidifier. In winter you do not need to dehumidify or ventilate because there is less moisture. You may have to experiment, but a little adjusting can go a long way toward a dry basement.
Q I am taking the ceramic tiles off a wall, which leaves some mastic remaining. I plan to re use as many tiles as I can. How can I remove the mastic from plasterboard or plaster?
Georgia Wilhelmson, Framingham
A Use chemical paint stripper; it will soften it enough so you can scrape it, every so carefully, from plasterboard. If it is plaster, it is much easier to strip.
Q My rubber door mat has a lot of little buttons on the back, which make black rubber smudge marks on the porch floor. I can scrub off the smudges, but it is getting to be a pain. How can I keep the smudges off the floor?
R.F.C., Milton
A Chuck the rubber or put it in the back. Buy one of those new fiber welcome mats. They come in all shapes and colors and will not smudge. There are some pretty nice ones in the Improvements Catalog, 1-800-642-2112.
Q I am having the concrete floor of my one-car garage replaced because it is very badly broken up. The garage is on a hill, but the floor itself is level. I am insisting the concrete man put in rebar, but he says it is not necessary. Is my insistence unreasonable?
Norma Uccello, Arlington
A Rebars -- steel reinforcing bars -- are good anywhere. Yours are not necessary, because that slab is not going anywhere, but since the first one broke up so badly, why not? It's your garage, your floor, and your money, and the man is not charging much for them, so why not. Your insistence is definitely not unreasonable.
Q I installed white caulking around a bathtub about four years ago. Now it has turned brown. How can I clean it and keep the brown from coming back?
Upset Over Brown
A Bleach can take away the brown, but if it is any kind of caulking, the bleach will also mess up the caulking. So, it is best to dig it out and put in a new white type -- one that resists staining. If the joint you are caulking is between tub and tile, then use grout, a cementitious material, rather than caulking.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. He 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 
