Many paths to mending broken stones
Q. I have bluestone treads leading to my front porch. The stone cracked where a wrought-iron railing post was installed. The crack is about 6-inches long, and leaves a triangular piece loose. Is there a way to fix it?
MICHAEL CLIFFORD
West Roxbury
A. I am wondering if the iron post was shallow enough in the bluestone to move a bit, causing the break. If the iron post goes deeper than the thickness of the bluestone, all you have to do is glue the small piece back on with an adhesive caulk (PhenoSeal or PolySeamSeal) or construction adhesive (Liquid Nails). Glue both edges and bottom. It will show, but you can touch up the joint with a bit of matching paint. If the post goes only into the bluestone, you will have to drill a deeper hole and install a longer post. A new tread will also work, if the price is right.
Q. My problem is a gray haze on a dozen wine glasses. I assume this is a mineral deposit. Someone suggested vinegar. I soaked them in vinegar, but this did not remove the haze. I used OxiClean, but that did not work either. Any suggestions?
S.K.,
Worcester
A. I have two possibilities for your hazy glasses: Add two denture-cleaning tablets to a quart or so of water, and soak the glasses in this solution. If that doesn’t work, rub the glasses with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Q. I have a power-vented, gas-fired heater that extends its exhaust pipe through the wall of the house. It works OK, but the power vent is discoloring a large area of the wall where the pipe sticks out. It isn’t a lot, but it is annoying. Can I clean the wall, and how can I keep it from recurring?
FRAMINGHAM
A. Those power vents seem to be creating problems that their makers did not anticipate. If the wall is not vinyl or aluminum siding, power wash it to get rid of the stains, which are caused by water vapor. Also, extend the power vent a bit, and ask the installer if you can put an “L’’ at the end to force the exhaust downward or upward. If push comes to shove, fix it with a decoration. Put one of those big, colorful hex signs, popular with the Pennsylvania Dutch, on the wall.
Q. How can I insulate the basement to save fuel? The house has a 1900 stone foundation with a few holes that I can see daylight through, but is otherwise well insulated.
DON GRATZ,
Needham
A. People often insist that insulating basement walls will make a big difference in saving heat. It might if you keep the basement closed up, but that leaves the floor uninsulated, which is a huge heat sink. If you use the basement as living space, it is a good idea. If you do not live in the basement, it is a waste of money. Insulate just the ceiling with 6 -inch fiberglass with the paper vapor barrier up, touching the ceiling above. Hold the insulation in with pointed wires. Or put in 4 inches of rigid insulation.
Those holes in the foundation can be filled to keep out critters and insects. If you leave them open it really won’t hurt because it will provide some ventilation, essential in the basement. Be sure to ventilate the basement in summer.
Q. I was told the insulation in my walls is Rockwool. What is it made of, and are there any precautions to take when I remove and dispose of it when I renovate the house?
CONCERNED
A. Rockwool is an old brand name for rock wool, which is made of mineral, just as glass is used to make fiberglass, by blowing a jet of steam through molten limestone or siliceous rock or through slag. I think it is safe to remove and dispose of if you use an ordinary respirator to block inhalation of particles. But as always, err on the safe side and take a sample to a laboratory to test for asbestos before you start the demolition.
Q. My Velux roof window is leaking near a top corner. I took off some roof shingles and caulked the corner with roofing cement, then put up new shingles, but I am not sure it helped. What is the best way to go about this?
FRUSTRATED
A. Gunking up anything rarely works. That corner leak indicates to me a possibility that the flashing along the top of the window is leaking where the flashing turns the corner. If the leak continues, have a roofer check it, or maybe even the Velux dealer. Velux is a good product and the flashing is always the right kind. The Velux people are not interested in getting a bad reputation.
Q. My house is one of 350 houses in a development built 40 years ago; all are similar in style and design, and 10 percent get ice dams with leaks. There are no heaters in the attics. I have heating cables which work, but when I re-roof I would like to get rid of them. What can I do to prevent the ice dams?
The house has a ridge vent and a 12-inch soffit with perforated vinyl. A hot air, gas-fired furnace and water heater are ducted into the center chimney. In a the family room addition, the steel ducts are very poorly installed, with gaps and holes all over the place. Would that faulty ductwork be leaking warm air into the attic? Does the warm chimney going through the attic add to the problem?
WARREN LEICHTER
Framingham
A. The warm chimney is not causing a warm roof (the cause of ice dams). The bad duct work may be adding a lot of warm air into the attic. It’s a good idea to fix. While the perforated vinyl in a 12-inch soffit may seem adequate, I think you should take it down and put up wood soffits with a 4-inch-wide, screened strip. And, when you re-roof, cover the entire roof with an ice and water shield . It will not hurt and can stop leaks from ice dams, if any.
Q. The curb on my street is very high, and sometimes I want to drive over it into my yard.; but I don’t want to damage the tires, wheels, or any other part of the car. Is there some kind of ramp I could put in place, like a little cold patch?
CURIOUS
A. Cold patch is not going to work, and your town may take umbrage at a permanent ramp. You could try putting down a 2-by-6 , then a 2-by-4 board to ease the height of the curb. Or call your town’s public works department to see if it would sell you a smaller sloped curb to put in place. Finally, call Barco Products of Batavia, Ill., (1-800- 338-2697) which could sell you any type of speed bump you want. You could also buy a Hummer; its huge tires will take the curb in stride and scare the bejeebers out of the neighbors.
Q. We have bats behind one or two of our shutters, and while I know bats are beneficial, their guano is destroying our driveway. They do not go to other shutters, I don’t know why. How can we get them to go elsewhere? I wouldn’t mind if they went to shutters on another side of the house, where the guano would not be a problem.
KNEE-DEEP IN GUANO
A. The shutters may be on the sunny south side, where it is nice and warm. One thing you might try is to wait until dark when the bats go out to feed, and take down the shutters. The hope is that they will return and not find the shutters and will go under other shutters. You also could put up bat houses elsewhere on the property. Bat houses are sold at bird feed stores.
Or call a animal removal service.
These companies (in the Yellow Pages) say their removal technique is humane. Finally, try one of the bat conservatories; one is Bat Conservation International of Austin, Texas, 512-327-9721, or American Bat Conservation, Rockville, Md.
When Ralph Desmond asked if his condo in Florida could be left without any air conditioning during the summer, we suggested he try an experiment next summer to see if that would work. After all, the building is new and tight, and there are few sources of water vapor to cause mold.
Disaster, said three readers, who argued that heavy mold can result.
From John Densler: We own a home in Venice, Fla. The Sarasota County Extension Service recommends running an A/C to control humidity so that mildew will be prevented from growing. Here is part of its recommendations: Running your air conditioner for two hours a day when your house is closed and sealed will reduce potential development of mildew. Set the thermostat low enough to operate continually during a two-hour period. Caution: The use of a humidistat to control the operation of an air conditioner may cause problems since it can be difficult to operate properly.
From Lois Glazer: I’ve been renovating houses my whole life. I disagree with your opinion. My suggestion for the owner of the Florida condo is that if he turns off his A/C in the summer he could arrive in the fall to find a sea of mold. I think his high electric bill is caused by an older, inefficient unit or a dirty filter.
Doug Stather, president of a condo association in Florida, added a similar warning.
So, the Handyman pulls in his horns and thanks his e-mailers. And to Ralph, I guess you have to run the A/C for at least a few hours a day.
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. 
