Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Fence replacement likely better idea than repair
Question: I have a PVC fence that is over 20 years old. The fence is sagging in spots and I am worried about the integrity of the fence. Last winter one of the panels had a problem. The bottom rail somehow dropped and almost all the pickets in that panel fell out. That section of the fence is behind the garage and I was unaware that it happened. Fortunately, someone walking behind the fence let me know what happened. I just happened to have a sheet of press board in my garage, so that was my fence until the weather warmed up and it could be fixed. In the spring, I contacted a few vinyl companies to see if they could advise me what to do, especially with the sagging issue. Two companies didn’t come out, as they said this fence is not their product. They did give me a quote on replacing the fence. One of the companies said it probably is a fence from Sears, but that sure doesn’t help. I don’t know who took over maintenance after Sears closed.
I would like to know whether I should replace the fence or if it can be shored up so the sag doesn’t worsen. Because this issue is not house related, you may not be able to help, but you may be able to direct me to someone who may be of some help.
Thank you, KLT.
Answer: Replacing portions of outdated manufactured fencing may not be practical, due to the difficulty in finding similar or identical components. Budgeting for a complete replacement is likely the only good solution for a fence of that age.
There are many types of materials used for residential fencing, still mostly wood or composite wood products, but newer materials have been available for a while. These range from vinyl coated chain-link metal fencing, which has been around for decades, to various types of plastics. The PVC and other plastic fencing materials are generally newer, but various lattice and trellis materials are becoming more popular. The benefit of a metal or plastic fence is the obvious lack of maintenance required, compared with various types of wood.
Most older wooden residential fences were made of lower cost materials, like spruce or pine. These types of softwoods were economical and easy to work with, but had very little moisture or UV resistance. For this reason, they had to be stained or painted ever five years, or so, to prevent premature damage. This was a laborious chore, especially if solid colour paints were used. Often, older paint would partially flake off and have to be scraped, sanded, and primed prior to recoating. Still, these boards had limited life expectancy, around 20 years, even with good maintenance and regular new finish applications.
A more costly, but far superior, option was to use cedar for fencing, which has natural resistance to rot. That type of wood was often used only for posts, to prevent rotting in or above the soil. When it was used for the entire fence, rails and pickets in addition to the posts, the longevity of the increased to approximately 25 years. The cedar did not have to be painted or finished, which severely limited the maintenance required. The only downside of using unfinished cedar is that the UV rays from the sun would turn the wood grey. When it was nearing the end of its life, the boards would get even darker in colour and be almost black when rot had infested the fencing.
Some homeowners like the weathered grey look of cedar, and many later composites copied the colour and texture, to simulate a more authentic appearance. Many of these types of materials use wood byproducts, like sawdust or shavings, mixed with plastics and binders to further emulate weathered wood. But unlike wood, these rarely have to be finished and have a longer life expectancy. This type of product is more costly and was generally not used for fencing, but more for decking and other areas where wear and tear on wood surfaces is more pronounced.
In the late 20th century, a process to imbed preservative deep into wood was developed and became known as pressure treated wood. This was done by soaking lower cost softwoods in a preservative bath and driving the liquid deeper into the core by pressurizing the process. In the highest quality method, preserved wood foundation or PWF, the wood is normally incised with small crevices to get the preservative even deeper below the surface. This process was so effective that some of the preserved wood, normally pine, would last up to 40 years, even buried below grade. Later advances added a cedar-coloured coating above the normally green-coloured preservative, which is still very popular for fencing and decking.
Regardless of the advances to wood fencing materials, they eventually rot and need replacement. Vinyl (PVC) fencing, which has been in regular use for a few decades, gained some popularity around the turn of the century. The main problem was the much higher cost of production. While vinyl has a longer life expectancy, it also had to be constructed with more measures to counter much higher expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. This could be why the section of your fence failed, and modifications to allow for the movement may be the only way to save the fence. Otherwise, it is likely impossible to find similar materials, after two decades. Replacing the damaged section and the adjacent ones with pressure treated fencing, or the entire fence, may be the only good solution for the long term.
Trying to replace 20-year-old warped or damaged vinyl fencing materials may be futile, due to the limited production of this costly material. Replacing the damaged sections, or the entire fence, with more popular and less costly treated wood fencing materials may yield a more fruitful outcome.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (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 trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Dripping bathroom fan likely roof related
Question: On several occasions, during and after heavy rains, I have noticed water dripping from a bathroom fan housing. It is usually around one or two cups. However, on one occasion of heavy rain, it didn’t leak. A roofer checked the shingles and pronounced everything OK. He attributed the dripping to extreme humidity and condensation, due to last year’s exceptional humidity.
I have lived here 40-plus years and haven’t experienced this before. The roof was replaced six years ago. The ceiling fan in the bathroom is not used because it has not been working for a long, long time. The dehumidifier in my basement is set to 35 per cent RH. There has been no increase in showers or other sources of humidity in the home. ls it possible that last summer was exceptionally humid and is responsible for the leak, or should I get it checked again? I am hesitant to go up in the attic due to vermiculite covered with fibreglass insulation. I would appreciate your advice before getting another inspection.
Thanks, Larry Semenko
Answer: Moisture intrusion from the ceilings, during or after heavy rains, are almost always from something on the roof leaking. Getting an experienced roofer to identify the point of entry, perhaps with a garden hose water test, will be the key to preventing future leakage in your bathroom.
I have written dozens of times about moisture intrusion at ceilings, often being caused by condensation in attics. While I would agree with your roofer that leaks are often misdiagnosed as roofing issues, when attic moisture is the culprit, that is not likely the case in your home. The main difference between that and a roof leak is the time at which each is occurring. Ceiling moisture issues that occur in the warmer seasons, especially at the same time as it is raining, are from precipitation gaining entry through the exterior.
When water is seen dripping from the ceiling during a steady rain, it is not caused by condensation. Even in your bathroom, where the moisture is leaking through an old ceiling fan, there would not be enough of a temperature drop to cause the warm air inside the attic or fan ducting to significantly condense. Even in extreme conditions, where the humidity is almost 100 per cent on a very hot day, it is doubtful the air inside the attic would cool enough after it started raining, to form more than a little bit of sweat on any cold surfaces. While this could certainly happen inside a metal bathroom exhaust fan duct, it would never amount to enough water for more than a few drops.
If you had told me that the dripping occurred in early spring, late fall or during a mid-winter thaw, then I would suspect condensation in or around the fan duct as the source. The amount of water you collected would require condensation to form multiple times, continually freezing afterwards, to build up a significant layer of frost or ice. That often happens inside different types of fan ducts and is a common occurrence in our cold climate. It may also occur on the outside of a poorly insulated metal duct, inside a very cold attic, with similar leakage patterns when the frozen moisture melts. This may drip through the actual fan housing, or around it, with both types able to cause damage to the surrounding ceiling materials.
When water leaks into an attic from rain, it may drip into the building below in a different location than it enters. That is because water can cling to the underside of the roof sheathing, or any vertical or diagonal components inside that space. It may run down any of these spots and stop when it hits a more rigid impediment. In that situation, the leakage will usually be seen on the ceiling below the item which halts the progress of the moisture. The water may drip on to the ceiling below that location, or change direction and run down the side of the vertical member. Once enough water collects at that location on the attic side of the ceiling, it will find a hole, seam, or gap to leak through.
In your home, the conduit for the water leakage is likely the older exhaust fan ducting. The water may be entering from elsewhere and running down the sheathing until it hits the top of the duct. It will then change direction and flow down the side of that pipe. So, the area of leakage to repair on the roof should be above the top of that duct.
Alternatively, and even more likely, is that the vent hood for the duct termination on the roof is where the water is leaking in. It may only occur certain times, due to the rain’s intensity or wind direction. For example; if the bottom of the vent hood is facing west, a rainstorm with strong west winds may blow the flap in the hood up, allowing wind-driven rain to enter the duct. Rain on a day where the wind is blowing from any other direction may harmlessly flow around or over the vent hood, leaving your house dry. Conversely, if the water is leaking under a flashing at that vent hood, or some other roof protrusion, it may only get under the bottom when it is blown up the slope of the roof on a very windy day.
Sometimes diagnosing problems with roof leakage is fairly straightforward, if the water is leaking when it is raining. It should not be caused by condensation, and a very experienced roofer or general contractor may be required to try and duplicate specific weather conditions, often with a hose and sprayer, to locate the area of leakage and seal or replace the offending vent hood or flashing.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (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 trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
