Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Debris-catching products can be trouble
QUESTION: I would appreciate your comments on a product named Gutter Stuff, which is available at Home Depot in Winnipeg. A friend of mine had suggested a product called "rain filter" which appears to be very similar to the above product and which he installed about four years ago without problem. Gutter Stuff is a foam-like substance and comes in four-foot lengths which are quite easy to install into the eavestroughs.
My concern is in the late fall when things start to freeze. Will any leftover moisture in the foam freeze and expand, splitting the eavestrough? The roof line is a cottage-style with eavestrough around the complete structure.
Your comments and suggestions would be most appreciated.
Don Olafson. Gimli
ANSWER: There have been numerous types of products developed over the years to help ease the difficult maintenance task of cleaning debris from eavestroughs. Many have failed miserably, either due to our difficult climatic conditions or poor design features.
I have similar reservations to yours about any product that goes inside the troughs, and some other concerns about reducing the effectiveness of roof drainage.
There are two basic types of products to prevent leaves and debris from entering and blocking proper eavestrough drainage. The style you cite is typically constructed of woven plastic mesh or foam, which compresses slightly and fits inside the trough by a combination of gravity and friction. The idea is that the gaps between the mesh or foam can allow water to drain through to the bottom of the gutter, while keeping debris on top.
While this may be quite effective in keeping large items like leaves and twigs from filling up the troughs, smaller debris can actually get caught in the mesh and plug up the drainage function.
It's true individual sections should be easily removable for cleaning with a garden hose, and then replaced, but this product also limits the amount of water that can enter the trough, possibly leading to overflowing during heavy rains or excess ice buildup in the shoulder seasons.
The second and more prevalent type of gutter guard installs over top of the gutters and is perforated. Some of these are plastic composites, but the better-quality ones are metallic.
The plastic styles often do not perform well over time, due to deterioration of the plastic from ultraviolet light and expansion and contraction. They also do not have enough strength to avoid bowing or buckling from the weight of debris or from eavestrough movement. While they can be installed quite easily by compression inside the top of the gutter and are easily removed for cleaning, they often require replacement every few years due to deterioration.
The metallic style of perforated "gutter guards" are often more durable than vinyl, but require more effort for installation and removal. These mostly flat devices are usually secured to the lip of the gutters with small sheet metal screws. The other end is designed to tuck under the overhanging sections of the roof and may have an integral soft plastic fin that helps to seal against water backing up under the shingles.
The benefit of these metal products are both the durability and strength. They will not only last for many years, but may actually help reinforce the eavestroughs, which can easily bend or warp if fasteners come loose. They may help prevent damage to thin, aluminium eavestroughs from hailstorms or ice buildup. The only drawback is the potential for easy blockage of the small surface holes by debris.
The interesting thing about any of these products is the idea that they are designed to minimize the chore of cleaning debris from eavestroughs. While they may all help to some degree, they do not eliminate the requirement for frequent cleaning. They may simply make the cleaning job easier than pulling out 10 centimetres of wet, soggy leaves and roofing granules with a wet glove or bare hand. They still require elimination of surface debris, but it may be possible to complete the job with a stiff broom or garden-hose nozzle.
To test the effectiveness of the metallic style of gutter guard, I graciously accepted an offer from local roofing specialists Dr. Roof, who have done previous installations and repairs on my home, for a partial installation. They installed their preferred brand on one side of my home, where I have excessive debris issues from nearby pine trees. The idea was to compare that side of my eavestroughs relative to the rest, in relation to cleaning and maintenance.
After a recent deluge caused many areas of my gutters to overflow, I inspected and cleaned the entire system. I discovered that part of the reason for the overburdened troughs was excessive pine needles, cones and shingle granules blocking the gutter openings, above the tops of several downspouts.
The storm did not appear to have the same overflowing effect on the protected side, but a large amount of debris still required to be cleaned off to the top of the leaf protection afterward. I suspect that drainage was also worse in the non-protected side due to blockage where debris prevented proper water flow under the metal cover on that side, which would not occur if I had a complete installation.
To summarize, and answer your question more directly, the effectiveness of any product designed to prevent excessive debris from filling up your eavestroughs may only be determined after prolonged use. I would avoid anything that reduces the water-carrying capacity of the system, like the "Gutter Stuff" you have mentioned, but rigid metal systems that install over top of the existing eavestroughs may be relatively effective.
Regardless, even with a quality product installed, regular cleaning and maintenance is necessary to allow proper roof drainage.
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 e-mailed 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
Gardening: raise it up!
FOR all the romantic notions about gardening, it can be a strenuous effort. Digging, planting and weeding can burn plenty of calories depending on how vigorously you work. Gardeners whose movements are restricted either due to a recent injury, advancing years or disability, may conclude that it's time to hang up their trowel.
Raised beds, though, can be built at a height and width that allows plants to be easily and comfortably tended either from a seated or standing position to make gardening more accessible.
Darlene McPherson, an avid St. James gardener who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis several years ago, has never forgotten the advice of her occupational therapist, May Chan: "Don't stop doing the things you love to do -- just change the way you do them".
Raised beds in McPherson's butterfly garden help to minimize the stress on her joints and muscles.
"Raised beds cut down on the distance that you have to bend. If you are in a wheelchair, you can still garden", she says.
Raised beds are also utilized in areas with minimal space and can be found in almost every community garden in Manitoba. A strong design element in the home landscape, raised beds provide different levels in a garden and can be constructed from many types of materials that range from very affordable to custom designed.
Railroad ties are useful for low beds, but another affordable option is to create a bed using natural stone that is laid dry (without mortar). Also called drystone walls, each stone should slope inward slightly for stability.
Do-it-yourselfers may want to make a trip to the U-Pick rubble pile at Gillis Quarries in Garson for a selection of limestone (production offcuts with at least one side sawn). A load can range in price from $20 to $65, depending on the size of your vehicle.
Today's contributor is Laura Rawluk, a West Broadway area gardener who decided last year to change her approach to gardening. After consulting with Urban Eatin Gardener Workers Co-op, her traditional perennial borders and square vegetable garden neatly planted in rows were handily replaced with spacious triangle shaped raised beds.
"Give it a try -- start small, and ask an expert if you don't know where to start", recommends Rawluk.
Colleen.Zacharias@gardensmanitoba.com
Renovation & Design
There is more than one way to insulate between joists
QUESTION: I know the use of extruded foam insulation on interior basement walls must be covered, but what about the header areas? If you seal them with extruded foam, too, must those areas be covered? Doug
ANSWER: You have identified an area of considerable debate and controversy in new-home construction. The cavities between the floor joists over top of the foundation has been a difficult area to deal with in the building envelope since modern insulation and air/vapour has been used in basements. The technical answer to your question may differ from what is normally seen or done in many homes.
The area above insulated basement walls against foundation walls has always been a difficult area to deal with in relation to air sealing. This is due to the limited flexibility of typical 6MIL polyethylene sheathing used as an air/vapour barrier in this area. While it is easy to install and seal this thin sheathing on the wall studs, it is very difficult to cut and fit between the floor joists above this wall. Even with lots of acoustical sealant or plastic tape, it is near impossible to install without several gaps.
This is very important because any gaps in this membrane can allow warm, moist air from the home into this cavity. With conventional fibreglass batt insulation, warm air leaking into this cavity will likely cool, condense and can lead to frost and mould growth.
Because of possible convective air currents within the insulated wall cavity, condensation is most prevalent at the top of the insulated system, which is the troublesome area you have inquired about. This is compounded by the fact that this area is above grade and will be colder in the winter than much of the rest of the wall assembly, which is partially insulated by the soil and snow outside. These two factors often lead to frost forming behind the insulation if the wall is poorly sealed.
The good news is that modern insulation methods can be used that virtually eliminate this issue. Rigid extruded polystyrene has been used for several decades in this location to help minimize both the air-sealing issue and the chance of condensation. While this can be very labour-intensive to install, having to cut each piece exactly to fit between individual floor joists, it can easily be sealed at the bottom and perimeter with caulking or small cans of blown-in foam. With sufficient thickness and sealing, this material works very well to provide a combination of waterproof insulation and good air/vapour barrier.
An even easier, newer solution is to have high-density polyurethane foam blown into each cavity, which has similar properties but fills all gaps even better. The only drawback in using either of these materials is they are combustible and may produce toxic fumes during a fire. To minimize this risk, covering it with a fire-retardant sheathing, such as drywall, is required.
Your question is addressed by this passage on the City of Winnipeg website: "Can foamed plastics used as an insulation on a basement wall be left exposed? No! The Building Code expressly denies the use of foamed plastics for interior finishes. This is because the material is considered to be a fire hazard when left exposed. Where foamed plastic is used on interior walls, it must be covered by any of the approved interior finishes listed in the Building Code, i.e., drywall, plastering, plywood, hardboard, particle board, waferboard, strandboard, or wall tile (plastic or ceramic)."
I don't think this could be any clearer, but what is normally seen in many homes, especially newly built ones, differs considerably. Quite often, basement perimeter foundation walls are framed, insulated and covered with 6MIL poly to the underside of the floor joists and loosely stapled in place between these pockets. In better-insulated situations, these cavities are partially filled with high-density foam or extruded foam pieces. The poly is often sealed to the foam, creating a continuous air/vapour barrier from basement floor slab to the underside of the main floor sheathing.
Unfortunately, this is rarely covered with any type of sheathing. This is done partially to allow installation of electrical wiring and boxes in the perimeter walls and any other modifications before covering with drywall or other wall panels.
While this may seem a rather complicated route to answering your direct question, the underlying theme is simple. Any plastic foam insulation must be covered to meet existing building and fire codes. This does not mean you will be forced to immediately cover this insulation after installation if you are not completing your wall assembly. If you are planning on leaving these walls unfinished, with exposed polyethylene sheathing, this should be all right for the time being.
While this may seem like a contradiction, I see it in dozens of homes every year. In fact, many builders are installing white-coloured poly in an attempt to make a brighter, more attractive basement area. I can only surmise this is being done because it is assumed this area will remain uncovered for some time.
While this appears to be in direct contravention of the previous website notification, I don't know why this is so prevalent or allowed. Contacting your local building officials for clarification may answer your question more fully.
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 and www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com