Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Looking for source of leak a tricky situation
QUESTION -- Our cottage is an A-Frame, with a front window wall: 75 per cent of the front is windows and the siding is pine D-logs. Since it was built, rain leaks in, but only if it is a really bad storm. We thought it was the windows, but Jeld-Wen came and inspected, and determined that there was no problem with the windows. We had our contractor take off the D-Logs, replace the Blue Skin around the windows, but that did not fix the problem, either. Any ideas?
Pat Chorney
ANSWER -- Moisture intrusion through or around windows is one of the most common complaints of newly built homes. The cause can be difficult to pinpoint because the source of the problem is often hidden. We will discuss a few possibilities, but opening up the walls further may be the only solution to finding the reason for the leakage.
In reality, there are only three possibilities. The first two are leakage through or around the window itself. Since your contractor has removed the siding and reapplied new waterproofing membrane around the windows, that is not the likely area of leakage, but we still may not be able to rule it out if that hasn't been sealed properly. I would check above the windows to ensure there are proper metal drip flashings installed. These must be installed underneath the building paper or housewrap, but that will not be visible. Even if that was done incorrectly, the new Blueskin membrane should prevent water from seeping in behind the flashing. If you don't see metal flashings above all the window frames or brick mould, that is the first place to look for repairs.
If flashings seem to be in place, the next possibility is that water may be leaking through the windows. Since it can't go through the glass or the frames, the seals around the glass units or the moveable sashes are the only options for leakage.
In most newer windows, the glass sealed units are held in place by stops and synthetic seals or weatherstrips. If these are loose, improperly secured, or ill-fitting, high pressure water can penetrate the window. If the hardware that pulls the windows tight to the seals is loose or damaged, seepage is also possible.
If there is a small amount of leakage, drains near the bottom of the window extrusions will often take care of this by allowing it to clear the windows before it can penetrate through to the inside.
If either of these window issues are the culprit, spraying water on and around the windows with moderate pressure from a garden hose may show results.
This was likely done by the window reps who inspected your property, but they may not have been that diligent. I would recommend trying it yourself for a prolonged period, with someone inside checking for leakage with a strong flashlight. If that test proves negative, the final possibility must be explored.
Many times water that appears to penetrate a building through the windows does not actually enter where it is visibly leaking. If moisture is entering the wall cavity near the top, it will normally run down the sheathing or framing before it hits a horizontal surface. The majority of horizontal surfaces in many exterior walls are the framing above or below windows. Water entering high up on the peaked wall at the front of your cottage may travel a fair distance before it settles on the framing above the windows, or on the window frames. With a strong wind, the high air pressure can force this moisture toward the inside of the gap between the frame and the wall studs. If there is enough water, it will eventually find its way in behind the window casing to the inside walls. Taking off the casing on the most problematic windows and trying the hose test on the entire exterior wall may confirm the problem is elsewhere.
If that test results in a positive outcome, or even if it does not, leaving some of the window casing off until the next rainstorm may provide more insight into the source of the issue.
If none of these tests shows a definitive cause-and-effect relationship, more invasive measures may be required.
Inspection of the wall assembly with a thermal-imaging camera may be somewhat helpful, but may only show gaps in the insulation, or where water has made framing or insulation wet. It is unlikely it will be able to pinpoint an exact area of contention.
When checking the wall assembly for defects, the exterior is the likely point to start. You have stated the imitation log siding was removed, but you did not elaborate on the status of the exterior wall. Is there black building paper or housewrap on the outside of the wall sheathing? Is this installed properly with lower areas overlapped by the upper sections and is it complete or missing in critical areas?
It may also be necessary to remove this thin membrane to inspect the condition of the wall sheathing behind it. Looking for any areas with large stains, mould, or other signs of water penetration may yield further answers. If not, complete replacement with new housewrap with minimal seams may prevent future problems.
Investigating and diagnosing a point of moisture intrusion in or around windows can be one of the most difficult tasks for new homes. If leakage through the windows is ruled out, removing casings or exterior siding and other components may be required to identify the true culprit.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors, Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Steps to prep outdoor plants for a long prairie winter
Each fall I get a number of inquiries from readers and clients about how to prepare their trees and shrubs for winter. There are now signs of leaves turning yellow. Did you know that trees and shrubs go through a winter preparation procedure of their own as they approach a state of dormancy?
Prior to the advent of winter, trees and shrubs go into a state of dormancy, or a resting period. During this period all the growth processes and functions of woody plants slow down and ultimately stop. Only the respiration process continues, as all living entities on earth need to breathe oxygen in order to live. In the dead of winter, trees breathe very slowly and very infrequently. The process of dormancy preparation is key to the survival of the trees and shrubs that go through long prairie winters. They are conserving their energy until spring. If you would like more information about how trees are prepared for winter dormancy, please contact me and I will send you further details about this magnificent process.
In our clay and clay loam soils many newer varieties (since 1970) of trees and shrubs are not equipped to absorb what little nutrition there is in our alkaline soils, especially in south central Manitoba. Available soil nitrates, phosphoric acid salts and iron oxide are limited by strong alkaline compounds in the soils such as carbonates and silicates of calcium, sodium and magnesium especially. Proper fertilization is essential. Although fertilization, especially for large trees, can be done by homeowners, I recommend that you get it done by a trained professional that specializes in this field if you have not done it before.
Fall fertilization is valuable for coniferous evergreens such as spruce, fir and pine as well as deciduous trees such as silver maple, red maple-silver maple hybrids, crab apple, mountain ash and all of the regular ashes (especially Manchurian) as it is a key annual procedure in the control of difficult fungal and bacterial diseases.
Although we have had an abundance of rain during this late summer season, it's still wise to thoroughly water all trees and shrubs before freeze up. Nearly all property owners, including gardeners, do not properly water their trees.
Imagine your tree is located in the centre of a large imaginary circle. In clay soils the roots typically grow a distance equivalent to at least half that tree's height from the trunk in all directions where possible.
Mugo pines and cedars especially, as well as other coniferous evergreens, were hard hit by late winter burn (extreme dehydration caused by a combination of the heat of the sun last winter and frozen soils). Install a sturdy burlap screen at least as high as the evergreen when the ground has not yet been frozen. The screen should be on the south and south-west sides of the tree but not touching.
Protect the lower stems of newly planted trees from feeding by voles, rabbits and other small mammals especially evergreens with tree guards. Deep, soft snow encourages voracious feeding by these animals. You may want to tramp down soft snow so that there is no air layer above the ground under the snow.
Michael Allen is a consulting urban forester and certified I.S.A. arborist and owner of Viburnum Tree Experts. He makes house and garden visits to assess tree and shrub problems. He can be contacted by calling 831-6503 or by e-mail at viburnumtrees@shaw.ca His web site is www.treeexperts.mb.ca
Renovation & Design
Foundation best left to pros
Question: I have a 130-year-old home in St. Boniface that needs to have eavestroughs looked at, as they are dumping a lot of water beside the rubble foundation. I also need to look at grading, but my big question is about waterproofing and insulating my foundation. I want to work on one wall at a time this summer and insulate from the exterior at least two of the walls. Currently I am at the beginning of my research into the steps involved.
There is a rubble foundation, houses close by on either side of my house, a few cracks to fix, and water seeping in. A civil engineer friend recommended hydraulic cement for inside and outside fixing the cracks. I do not intend to ever finish the basement. My main goal in this undertaking is damp-proofing, insect control and heat loss. I do not want to dig all the way down and install drain tiles, etc. I will dig deep when it comes to cracks but that's it.
Manitoba Hydro has a pamphlet on insulating from the exterior, which seems pretty easy to follow. It involves digging only two feet down, which I think I read on a forum that recommendation has now changed to digging four feet down. It also calls for smoothing out the foundation wall and damp-proofing it before applying insulation.
So, all this background is to ask what are the basic steps you'd recommend. I can't imagine smoothing out the rubble foundation. Will the waterproofing compound do that? Does it have to be perfectly smooth before applying insulation? Because of the eavestrough and grading problems, some of the foundation is really wet. What happens when applying damp-proofing mixture over a wet foundation? Should I add that black dimpled stuff over the insulation?
Thanks.
Rachel Lovely
ANSWER: There is much debate about the proper way to insulate a stone or rubble foundation, or whether it should be insulated at all. Insulating older stone foundations, especially those with very unevenly sized components, can be a very tricky proposition. I admire your desire to attempt this repair, but it may best be left to professionals.
The first issue to deal with is the lack of smoothness you have alluded to. Because these foundations, often referred to as rubble, have many different-sized and shaped stones, providing a flat exterior surface for any kind of damp-proofing or insulation can seem insurmountable. The degree of difficulty often depends on the actual foundation and the amount of deterioration and movement of the stones. If the mortar in between the stones is not too deteriorated inside and out and there is little movement, smoothing the surface may be possible. If the foundation has significant deflection between the individual pieces, especially at the corners, it will likely be beyond your skill level to attempt. In that situation, some of the rubble will have to be removed, repositioned or replaced with concrete before proceeding. That may require temporarily supporting part of the floor structure while experienced masons or foundation contractors do the repairs.
If the foundation has not moved much and the stones are not appreciably larger in some areas than others, exterior damp-proofing may be practical. Unfortunately, partial excavation of the foundation will be nearly useless. Digging down to the bottom, regardless of whether there are footings or weeping tiles present, is essential. It does little good to insulate part of a foundation wall, and damp-proofing will only be effective if the entire wall is done.
After excavation, removing all loose mortar from between the stones is the first step. This can be done using a trowel or other tools, but may be extremely time consuming. Once complete, the next step requires a change in outlook. Instead of trying to just re-point the mortar joints, the entire foundation wall should be parged with a thin coat of mortar. This will require a large quantity of mortar to be mixed, but should give you a smooth enough surface for damp-proofing. Excavation of the soil away from the foundation should permit enough drying for damp-proofing application, as long as the weather co-operates.
The damp-proofing could be an applied liquid bitumen coating, rubberized membrane, or the dimple-board membrane you have suggested. While the bitumen may be the easiest to apply, the uneven surface of the foundation wall may make this more difficult. Also, any future movement between individual stones may still allow some water penetration. For that reason, a combination of applied damp-proofing and the dimple membrane may be your best choice. In that situation, gaps where the plastic membrane is not directly up against the foundation due to the uneven surface will still have reasonable moisture protection. Also, the rigid dimpled sheathing will give a smoother surface for application of rigid foam insulation on the exterior.
One other difficulty in this exterior insulation method is sealing the transition area at the top of the insulation, but that will have to be left for another discussion.
Extreme care must be taken when excavating around any foundation, but especially an older stone one. There is always the possibility of partial collapse when the exterior soil is disturbed, and proper support and bracing will be essential.
In a nutshell, this type of project is not normally within the skill set of most homeowners, so contacting a reputable foundation contractor should be the first step. You may be able to minimize your costs, and satisfy your desire for DIY, by helping with some of the old mortar removal or digging, but the bulk of the work should be left to professionals.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
How to make baking sheets sparkle again
QUESTION -- I have some favourite baking sheets and muffin pans. They are shiny aluminum, but they tend to become brown and have developed a sticky coating. Because they are my favorites, I would really like to clean them and make them shiny again. Is there any way to do that? Thanks for your help. Carol, Sarto
ANSWER -- You can clean your baking sheets by using a combination of baking soda and dish soap. Scrub with an abrasive cloth. If the shiny finish is gone, you will likely not bring it back. In the restaurant business people use steel wool to scrub non-coated aluminum baking sheets. Some people have had great results by cleaning sheets with oven cleaner in a ventilated area. Or use Barkeepers Friend, testing on an inconspicuous area first. To make cleaning easier in the future, line pans with parchment paper, spray them with non-stick coating, grease them with oil or purchase a silicone sheet.
QUESTION -- My husband and I need to settle an argument, how often should I replace my fire extinguisher? Sarah, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- You only need to replace a fire extinguisher if it needs replacing. With that said, fire extinguishers should be maintained at least once a year or when specifically indicated by an inspection. This is intended to give maximum assurance that an extinguisher will operate effectively and safely. It includes a thorough examination and any necessary repair, recharging or replacement. If the extinguisher is damaged or needs recharging, replace it immediately.
QUESTION -- I am having a dinner party and would like to make cheesecake for dessert. Can you tell me if I can quadruple my cheesecake recipe and bake the cake in a large rectangle pan? Brittany, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- It's not a good idea, the cheesecake will brown on the sides and the centre will remain under-baked. You are better off using a round spring form pan and baking several cakes (one at a time). Here is another cheesecake tip: After baking cheesecakes, partially freeze them. Doing this will make cutting easier and you will end up with professional-looking slices.
QUESTION -- What can I use to clean billiard balls. Any help would be great. Doug, Rosenort
ANSWER -- Some people have great results by putting billiard balls into the dishwasher. However, due to the bleach in dishwasher detergent, this seems a little risky. All you really need is dish soap and water. Rinse and wipe dry. You can also use window cleaner or purchase professional cleaners, but they will run about $50 per bottle.
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
After baking or frying bacon, place a few pieces of stale bread inside a pan and put the bacon on the bread. Doing this will absorb the bacon grease. Discard the bread.
Speaking of bread: save bread ends to make your own croutons (or crumbs). Brush both sides of bread with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle on garlic, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Cut bread into cubes. Arrange the pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.
Poke holes in homemade pizza dough crusts before baking. You will have crispier crusts.
Bake rice in the oven, it takes longer but you will not end up with half of the rice sticking to the bottom of your pan as long as you grease the pan before adding rice.
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Check out my website Reena.ca.
