Removing gutter could end ice dam
Q. I have an ice dam in my gutter, and water backed up under the roof shingles and into my cathedral ceiling. The roof is shallow and not a part of the house roof, overhanging a window. I will treat the ceiling with shellac before painting to cover the water stains, but what if I took off the gutter on that shallow roof. Would that stop the water from backing up?
WET IN WELLESLEY
A. Yes, I think that will work. The buildup of ice and snow caused the water to flow over the front and back of the gutter, causing the backup under the shingles. Don't shellac and paint those stains just yet; remove the gutters first so there won't be any more backup, and stains. You may get a few icicles but that is OK unless they get too big, in which case you can knock them down.
Q. My septic system has been working well for at least 13 years, but recently a blockage occurred. I had a Roto Rooter man come and he discovered the blockage right where the discharge pipe forms a T-shape where it discharges into the tank. The blockage was a whole bunch of little balls of fat. When he cleared that blockage, the pipe was clean as a whistle. My wife and I eat very little fat, so I wonder where in the world those fat globules are coming from. I use Ridex regularly to add bacteria, plus a Gardens Alive! product called Flow, which supposedly eats the solids in the tank. Why are those fat balls forming?
GREG KUZIA, Hardwick
A. Good question. For starters, stop using the additives; a septic system will work well with only what goes into the tank naturally. Also, change your dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent to see if that will make a difference. Other than that, it beats the heck out of the Handyman. And if the fat balls plug the pipe, a simple cleaning will fix it. The only other thing that occurs to me is this: I know you do not eat a lot of fat, but do you cook with a lot of oil?
Q. My house is a big, wonderful abode of three stories and double-thick walls of two layers of brick and a stud wall inside covered with very good horsehair plaster. While we were rewiring the house, we removed large baseboards, and a whole brunch of Vermiculite insulation flowed out. Apparently the previous owners had filled the wall cavity from the top. I called W.R. Grace to ask about the insulation and its toxicity, if any, and a spokesman only said that it can be safely disposed of in Massachusetts. What should we do with that insulation, and what insulation should we put in its place? We thought of cellulose, but we do not want to take down that beautiful horsehair plaster, which is in perfect condition.
LOUISE POLY, Salem
A. You have to get more information on that Vermiculite, which might contain asbestos. Even if it does, some people suggest that it can be safely left in the walls, but I don't think that is a good idea. Have the Vermiculite checked by a testing lab. There are several testing labs in the Yellow Pages, under Laboratories. If there is no asbestos, then leave it alone. If there is asbestos in the Vermiculite, even a little, then have it professionally removed. Then you can have cellulose blown in from the top or through small holes drilled in the plaster. The holes are relatively small, and can be relatively well covered.
Q. I have treated a chip on my white painted stove top pretty close to a burner with appliance touch-up paint, which looks good until the stove heats up, then it turns brown. Is there a paint I can use that resists heat?
PHYLLIS CLOPPER, Peabody
A. There sure is, it is called high heat resistant (HHR) paint, and it comes in an aerosol spray. It will resist heat on a barbecue grill. It is sold in paint stores.
Attic stair hinges
Here's some help for "Still Looking," who inquired where to get spring-loaded hinges for her attic pull-down stairway. The Handyman did not know, but two readers did.
Jim Thrower e-mailed: I have a Century Industries Inc. stairs and needed to replace one of the spring loaded hinges. (The company calls them power arm assemblies.) This was in 1997. Their name is stamped on the lower part of the door and on the ladder side. They sent the assembly and installation instructions. Their address: 2300 East 145th St., Little Rock, AR 72206. Phone is 501-897-5253. Hope this helps "Still Looking."
And Bob Rio of Reading e-mailed: I replaced my spring-loaded hinges many years ago. The trick is to find the manufacturer of the original. If there is a marking on the stairs with the words MFS, Memphis Tennessee, that is the mark for Memphis Folding Stairways www.memphisfoldingstairs.com, which sell all replacement parts, including the arms. It took me a long while to figure that out, especially because the Internet barely existed then. I replaced both arms, forget the price. Obviously, she needs to find the manufacturer of the stairs but there are only a few. However, the person needs to be very careful and read the directions - the springs can cause serious injury. Having said that, it only takes about 20 minutes and if one is fairly handy it can be done.
Q. I just had my plumber fix a very hard-to-move faucet handle made of chrome. The whole inside was corroded (I bought this stuff five years ago). Anyway, it was a little tough removing it, and in the process the chrome surfaces are scratched. Is there any way I can touch up the scratched surfaces?
MARCIA KAMIN, by e-mail
A. For the scratches in the chrome, try using a stainless steel lotion or Scratch-B-Gone (www.scratch-b-gone.com).
Q. I am planning on repointing my fieldstone basement walls per your instructions that I have found on the Internet. I am hoping to keep the dust down in my basement, and I wonder if there is something I can coat the walls with to seal them, not for waterproofing but for decreasing crumbling/dust. And at the joint between wall and floor, in many places, there's seepage (just 2 or 3 inches of dark/wet when it's a heavy rain). Do I repoint that wall/floor joint in the same way as any other place in the wall or is there some special instruction? Also, there are several pillars in the basement that are made of brick, and the brick itself (not just mortar) is crumbling. Again, anything I can coat the remaining brick with to keep down the dust?
PEGGY
A. Try sealing the walls with a masonry sealer or the new Thompson's Water Seal; they have added a word like Super or some such, and I think the new product is very good. Do the same for the crumbling brick, but if that does not stop the deterioration, you have to replace those bricks, one by one. If they all are deteriorating, then shore up the beam on each side and rebuild the pillars. Another way to treat the walls is to apply two thin coats of a solid color latex stain; it is an exterior stain, but I think it will work well in this case.
You cannot repoint that joint between wall and floor to stop the seepage. The only way is to install a French drain, an inside perimeter pipe under the floor that will pick up any water under the slab and deliver it to a sump hole and pump to pump it away. Since it is only seepage, and the French drain will cost more than $5,000, the better part of valor is not to bother.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is also in the g 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 www.Boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.
