Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Wall stains in church may be from candles
QUESTION: Our church worship hall has exterior walls around the entire area. It is an extremely large space with room for over 600 people to be seated. The worship area is painted white. On the exterior walls you can see a faint dark line where each stud is behind the wall. We were thinking of repainting the walls but for a space this large it is quite a costly undertaking.
Do you think this condition is manifesting itself due to inadequate insulation or vapour barrier? If we paint the space, do you think in a few years we might be facing the same problem?
Thanks, Frank Conway, Winnipeg
ANSWER: The issue you are seeing on the inside of the exterior walls of your church may be due to building envelope defects typical of many older buildings, which are not normally easy to rectify. I will provide you with an explanation of the phenomenon and some things to avoid that may help, but remediation may be difficult and costly.
The good news is that the "shadows" on the walls are primarily cosmetic and rarely are a sign of any significant defect in the wall system. These vertical lines can be quite common and are simply due to specific areas where particles in the air in the building adhere to the wall. These particles are not attracted to the surrounding area, so the dark discolouration appears as lines only in these specific sites.
You are correct that this phenomenon normally appears only where the studs are installed. The reason for this is primarily due to "thermal bridging", which is caused by a direct connection of the wood or steel studs in the outside walls to the exterior siding. This will cause the entire stud to be slightly cooler than the surrounding wall cavity, which may be moderately insulated. Even with decent insulation and a polyethylene air/vapour barrier, this can still occur.
Because the studs are colder than the surrounding wall, this thermal bridging can also extend through, and make the drywall or plaster covering these areas cooler. The cooler wall may attract more airborne particles than the surrounding, warmer wall surface.
The airborne particles may be fine dust, smoke, or dirt that normally is carried throughout the building by the forced-air heating system. These particles will be darker in colour than the white walls in your sanctuary, so they will appear as shadows or dark lines.
I've been aware of the cause of this phenomenon for quite some time, but always thought the particles in the shadows were sticking to the walls due to condensation on the cooler surface. This may not necessarily be the case. I read an article a while back, authored by a physicist, who explained this issue at a molecular level. He said that fine particles in the air would adhere to cooler surface of walls because the lower temperature causes subatomic particles (electrons) to move slower than on the surrounding wall surface. These slower molecules would then "plate out" on the slightly cooler surface, whereas the warmer ones would simply keep moving and not stick to the warmer sections.
Further details on this were beyond my level of comprehension, but the theory seemed to make sense to me. This theory seemed more valid than that of condensation because the temperature difference may not be great enough to cause that to occur.
My own experience has shown that this wall staining can happen in one area of a home or building and not in others. I typically see it in areas like family rooms where vaulted ceilings and fireplaces are present. I also have observed it in homes with heavy smokers. Other colleagues of mine from across the country have found this happening in homes where candles are frequently burned.
Because of all these observations, I feel that one of the main variables is a high concentration of smoke particles in the air in buildings where this is seen. These smoke particles may indeed be highly susceptible to the subatomic effects described by the physicist, and plate out more frequently due to the nature of the dissolved smoke particles in the indoor air.
Following this reasoning, it's possible that your church is seeing the "shadows" occurring due to smoke particles in the indoor air. Because indoor smoking in all public places has been banned in Manitoba for several years, and I doubt that there is a wood-burning fireplace in the church sanctuary, I would suspect that the smoke may be coming from candles. If your congregants or clergy regularly burn large numbers of candles, which burn at a fairly cool temperature and emit black, carbon-rich smoke, this may be the source of the dirty air particles.
It may be possible to paint the inside of the walls of your church with a good primer and highly washable paint that will be easy to clean, but that may not prevent future staining. Without major renovations, the thermal bridging will continue and the shadows may return.
If my theory about the candles is correct, addressing that issue with better ventilation in the areas where they are used may help more than re-painting. Washing the walls, if they are not coated with flat-finish paint, may minimize the shadow effects by removing the excessive particles at a much lower cost than painting.
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
SOLUTIONS: Use pin to mark pictures before painting
QUESTION: Before I have my walls painted I would like to know: How do I find the exact same spot where I hung my pictures without marking my walls? Can you help me please? Mary, Winnipeg
ANSWER: You can either insert a small nail or pin into the hole (before painting) so you are able to see the hole. Or measure the exact spot of the hole on the wall using a measuring tape and then record the location of the hole onto a paper for future reference.
QUESTION: Can you please tell me how to remove rust stains from Corelle dishes? I know two other people who are tackling the same issue. I have tried Corelle cleaner and a baking soda and water paste but the stains remain. Please help. Marlene, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Reena's Corelleabunga Recipe: In a large pot, combine 3 cups (750 mL) vinegar, 4 cups (1 L) water and 2 tbsp. (30 mL) citric acid; bring to a boil. Set Corelle dish in the boiling mixture for five minutes. (the water must cover the dish). Remove dish with tongs and scrub rust area with an S.O.S pad. Rinse.
QUESTION: I hope you can help me. I spilt hair dye on our bathroom floor; it looks like little dots. We phoned the number on the back of the box but the company was unable to help. Leah, Winnipeg
ANSWER: This stain may be permanent but, before throwing in the towel, consider the following suggestions. If the floor is white, use RIT dye remover. According to the RIT website: "RIT can be used to dye many different types of materials including; wood, paper, plastic, feathers, and even canvas shoes!" So why not the floor?
Test the product on an inconspicuous area to be certain the floor will not discolour. Soak the area with hot water and RIT dye remover, pour the contents onto the affected area and note the difference. Worst-case scenario, replace a small section of the floor.
Other suggestions: Scrub the area with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) on a clean cloth. Or rub stain with mineral spirits or turpentine on a clean cloth. Or fingernail polish remover with acetone can be used, but apply carefully and sparingly. Clean area with vinyl floor manufacturer's recommended floor stripper and/or cleaner and a clean, nonabrasive scrub pad. Repeat as necessary.
QUESTION: I really enjoy your column and purchased several gift packs for family members at Christmas. I hope you have a simple solution for my problem. We have a farm home in which the living room and kitchen share the same stippled ceiling. All of our ceilings have already been spray-painted with a coat of paint. Unfortunately, cooking grease continues to find its way to the ceiling and dust particles attach themselves to the tiny grease droplets. After a while, you see little dust stalactites suspended from the ceiling.
Vacuuming the ceiling has helped some but, since the rest of our ceiling is still in good shape, I wonder whether there is a grease-dissolving solution that can be applied gently to solve this problem. Thanks! Barbara, Snow Lake, Man.
ANSWER: If the stipple was painted with an oil-based paint, you can paint over the oil with latex or oil. For general everyday cleaning, spray the ceiling with the following all-purpose cleaner recipe: 2 cups rubbing alcohol, half-cup household ammonia, 1 tsp. Dawn dish soap and enough water to fill the bottle. Spray, wipe and rinse. If stains remain, hide them by using shellac before repainting. The shellac will seal the stain and prevent it from bleeding through. Or paint with an oil-based stipple paint.
Lastly, touching up stipple on ceilings can be difficult to colour-match. Often, the entire surface must be repainted. Other options for touching up stipple are to sponge on colour-matched grout or stipple fix, which comes in a small container and is available at hardware stores.
QUESTION: I need your help before my family arrives for 10 days over Christmas. Last year, we bought a new glass-top stove and self-clean, hidden bottom-element oven. I hate my oven. Every time I cook, I smoke up the whole house. If anything goes over (no matter how small) the oven smokes up. I have to open every window in the house and smoke alarms are constantly going off. I've put food in oversized pots but one splash and that's it. Why is this oven so sensitive? I'm stressed out over this oven. What am I doing wrong? Karen, Winnipeg
ANSWER: In my opinion, you are the victim, not the cause. The fact the oven is almost one year old means you have no time to lose. Contact the manufacturer and explain the problem. You need a repairperson to come out and have a look before company arrives at your home. Secondly, by contacting the manufacturer you may be informed the stove was recalled. Act fast before the warranty runs out.
Fabulous Tip of the Week:
I recently had an incident with fresh gum on an airline seatbelt. I could not remove it but I came across a suggestion: heat up vinegar and apply it to the area and rub it off with a microfibre cloth. Linda, Winnipeg
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming!
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestselling Household Solutions series. Her website is www.householdsolutions.org. You can contact her at Box 429, Blumenort, Man., ROA 0C0.
Renovation & Design
Keep garden records straight
QUESTION: As we expand our garden, especially the food garden, we would like to start keeping records of plans, plantings, and seeds. Is there a simple way?
ANSWER: At about this time in the year, I set up the new year's garden record book in a lined, coil-spine school notebook with enough pages to accommodate several years of records.
Plans: I begin with a few pages to hold plans for the growing season. Here, I sketch the vegetable plots and begin pencilling in the placements of the crops I want to grow, which are listed along the side of the page and checked off as they are placed. I'll also jot down plans for the annual flower plots and note major container plantings I intend to make.
Seeds: Next comes a seed inventory with vertical lists of seeds on hand by their month of sowing, which is also how I store the seeds, in envelopes according to their planting month.
I list lettuces separately, at the beginning of the inventory listings, because most are sown several times, in succession, from late winter to late summer. I list them by type -- romaine, butterhead, and so on.
Making an inventory of leftover seeds to be used again eliminates duplicate purchases.
Purchases: The third section is for dated seed orders and local purchases. I list each ordered item with its page number in the catalogue. As orders arrive, I record the date of delivery and check off each item. This record is useful when I forget the source for a particular variety of flower or vegetable. It's easy to go back over past purchases to find the information.
-- Canwest News Service
Renovation & Design
Praise the cloth and pass the food
Today, I had lunch with an old friend at a trendy Italian bistro in Calgary. Sparkling water and a remarkable bowl of minestrone were served on a slick white tabletop. The table was simply set with a gleaming soup spoon on a folded, snowy cloth napkin. It was a most restorative lunch on a day when restoration was sorely needed.
Simple fare served with elan is a philosophy that works as well at home. In particular, I love the way cloth napkins make me feel the meal is an event filled with moments worth savouring.
It all began with the eco-conscious effort to eliminate paper towels from my kitchen. Soon, paper napkins were verboten as well. As with other eco-initiatives, there are issues that must be evaluated. For instance, while paper requires the massive felling of trees, cotton production is rife with chemical excess (linen is friendlier). As well, cloth napkins require water and soap for maintenance. However, the consensus of my research still puts cloth ahead of paper.
The surprise of my big switch was how easy it is to accomplish, from a housekeeping perspective. Tossed into the laundry with the appropriate load, cloth napkins easily wash free of most food stains with no special effort. My everyday napkins rarely see the iron (OK, so my standards are low); for special occasions a crisp fold might be in order.
In addition, cloth napkins don’t necessarily require washing after every meal. Both health concerns and degree of soiling determine when the cloth hits the wash. (A friend uses distinctive napkin rings to identify whose napkin it is.)
If you are new to the virtues of the cloth, it’s easy to become a convert. For everyday use, explore the budget-friendly selection at places like Ikea. Any attractive and durable cloth works. A package of four tea towels with a variety of blue and white stripes, from Ikea, became part of my day-to-day collection.
I also use vintage linen napkins with crocheted hems my mother found many years ago at a flea market. If you enjoy vintage linens, half the fun is in the quest to find them. Explore estate and garage sales, and antique stores as well. If you have an old stained damask tablecloth, consider re-purposing it into napkins.
With even the most elementary sewing skills you can make your own napkins to co-ordinate with tableware or decor. About 1.2 metres of fabric will yield four good-sized napkins with generous hems. For best results, select a washable fabric with an even, overall pattern that is easily subdivided.
As it turns out, I am not the only enthusiast; there appears to be a vast, virtual world of us. A quick spin on the web found many sites with detailed instructions on methods of folding, along with napkin etiquette and sources (check out napkinfoldingguide.com).
I found seven books about napkins at the public library, including Napkin Origami (Sterling/Hollan, 2008) and this charming title by Gail Brown: Simply napkins: no matter what your time, budget, or decor limitations, there’s space in your life for these little squares of accessible elegance (Krause, 2003). Well put, Gail.
Cloth napkins bring graciousness to everyday table settings — and whose life can’t use an extra dollop of graciousness? A kind gesture to the environment amply rewarded.
— Canwest News Service
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: You can make your habitat more humane
QUESTION: I am a single mother and live in a Habitat for Humanity house constructed in 2005. It is a bi-level, about 800 square feet on the main floor with the lower floor being a fully finished basement with two bedrooms, rec-room, laundry room and bathroom.
The lower floor is very cool year-round and, in the winter, it is pretty much too cold for comfort. The basement is heated from the furnace heat vents that are in every lower-floor room and don't seem to do much good in keeping the lower floor at a comfortable temperature. The lower floor is also vinyl and carpet installed over the concrete. There is also a hot-water in-floor heat system, as of yet to be hooked up, so the past two winters we went without it. The upper floor is very warm all year round, as there are three large windows that face east and south and bring a lot of solar heat into the space.
This past winter, being my second winter in the home, I noticed a white powdery substance along the outside perimeter of the foundation wall, which I did not have happen the first winter. Also, for the first time I had the windows and the main door ice up several times to the point the door handle was frozen solid and I had a heck of a time getting the door open. This being the only door in the home, I am very concerned about this problem. I have been told this has to do with the humidity levels in the house. I did purchase a humidity gauge and the humidity was always in the 30 to 50 per cent range in the upper floor. The lower floor I did not monitor.
During most of the winter, the HRV system that was installed in the home was running. I also use the HRV unit to vent the bathrooms as there are no separate bathroom fans in the two bathrooms.
What causes the white substance on the foundation? Why would the door and window freeze shut and should the HRV be preventing these things from happening? Are the cooler basement temperatures contributing to these problems and will the installation of the in-floor heat help? I would very much appreciate any advice you can give me.
Diane Lacasse, Selkirk
ANSWER: The white powder you are seeing on the outside of your foundation is efflorescence that is emanating from either the foundation or the thin parging on the outside of the concrete. This material is just minerals or salts that are leaching from the concrete and is harmless, but is the result of a moisture-related issue. This phenomenon can occur from moisture contained within the concrete or from moisture on the surface.
It's not uncommon for newly poured concrete to have some minor efflorescence show up, due to the release of moisture during the curing process. This normally occurs in the first couple of years and can be cleaned off and may not reoccur. The second possibility is that the outside of the concrete is being wetted and not allowed to quickly dry. This will cause the minerals to be drawn out and deposited on the surface, which will turn to the white powder you seen when the area finally dries.
The most likely cause of excess wetting of the exterior foundation wall is snow being built up along the foundation walls. If there is a sidewalk or driveway in this area, you must avoid piling up snow against the foundation when this area is shovelled. Also, vegetation or excess watering of gardens or flower beds next to the foundation can also cause this to occur.
While the efflorescence may be little more than a nuisance, the frozen door is a much more serious concern. The cause of the frozen doors is definitely due to excess humidity within the home, which is condensing and freezing when it hits the cold surface of the front door. While excess moisture should be the major concern, it's also likely the door itself is in need of repairs or adjustment to prevent cold-air intrusion that is making the problem worse.
Newly installed doors often need regular adjustments in the first year or so, due to shrinkage in surrounding building materials or movement. This can be accomplished by adjusting the striker plates so the door closes more firmly against the jamb and by tightening or loosening the long adjustment screw installed in the door hinges. Also, check that the weatherstripping and threshold are not damaged or loose, which can cause excessive air leakage as well.
These adjustments and minor repairs will realign the door and may prevent enough air loss to stop the freezing, but will not get at the root of the problem, which is excess moisture in the home. Having a Heat Recovery Ventilator, or HRV, installed in the home is an ideal way to prevent relative humidity from being too high in your home. But these units need to have regular maintenance, just like any mechanical device, that includes regular balancing, cleaning of filters, vent hoods, registers and intake grills, combined with proper adjustment of humidistatic controls.
I recommend hiring a licensed HVAC contractor who is trained in the design and installation of HRVs to come to your home to check and service the system and show you the proper techniques for regular maintenance and operation.
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