Lady Bug (Answer)

Hey Allen,
Don’t worry the ladybug (Asian lady beetle) will not feed or damage anything in your home. They are really only nuisances more than a pest. They cannot sting or harm you, and they will not breed indoors. It is normal to see a lot of them in late fall, because they are getting ready to hibernate. Once indoors they will hibernate until early spring. The best way to control them is with a vacuum cleaner.

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Lady Bugs (Question)

Hey Al,

We live in an area that has wooded lots all around and we have some pest problems. This year we have had a late fall and along with that a lot of ladybugs. We have noticed them on the exterior walls, but recently they have invaded the interior of our home. What kind of damage can they do, or have they done to my house? The next question is what do I have to do to get rid of them?

Thanks in advance for your help

Allen


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Window Air Conditioners and Cold Weather (Answer)

Hey Ed,

If you are going to leave the air-conditioner units installed, you will need to cover them to keep out the cold. You can buy fitted covers for most models of window air-conditioners, if you prefer. But the inexpensive way works great, and is easy to do.
To cover these units the inexpensive way, you will need to buy some large plastic leaf bags, and some duct tape. Take one of the leaf bags and pull it over the air-conditioner, make sure it is pulled up tight. After the bag is on tight, run the duct tape around the bag and the air-conditioner close to the window. Now cut off the excess end of the bag. Take another bag and pull it tight over the unit, this time you can cut off the excess bag, but leave about three inches of the bag. Fold the left over end so you can tape it to the face of the opening. To make this tape job last trough the winter, you can spray it with some cheep hair spray.

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Window Air Conditioners and Cold Weather (Question)

Hey Al,

We live in a sixteen hundred square-foot brick ranch that we bought last summer. The house has hot water heat, so there are no ducts to have central air-conditioning installed. The house is cooled with two window air-conditioners and ceiling fans, this does a great job. The problem is since it has been getting colder, we feel a lot of cold air coming in from the air-conditioner. We would take them out for the winter, but they are bolted in and insulated very well. We want to leave them installed, but we want to stop the cold air.
Can you help us with an inexpensive cure?

Thanks

Ed

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Stucco Repair (Answer)

Hey Decon,
This job will require a few days that does not get below forty degrees and no hard rainfall. You will need to make a trip to the hardware store to get these items:
Material and Tool List
 Latex caulk
 Caulking gun
 Concrete bonding agent (acryl sixty)
 Whitewash brush (using scissors, cut bristles leaving only about two inches of bristles)
 Small paintbrush
 Square trowel (margin trowel)
 Stucco patching compound
 Duct tape
 Plastic garbage bag
 Small bag of dry sand
Use the latex caulk on the cracks that are one-quarter inch or less in width. Fill in the cracks with the caulk and use the trowel to cut off the excess caulk. While the caulk is still wet, apply some of the dry sand, the next day brush off the excess sand.
For larger cracks you will need to prepare the cracks by brushing off the loose plaster, and painting the crack with bonding agent. Dampen the crack with water, and fill in the cracks with stucco patching compound, make sure to mix the compound fairly stiff. After the compound becomes dry to the touch, brush it with the whitewash brush until it blends with its surroundings. To cure the patch, you will need to lightly mist the patch with water, then cut a piece of the garbage bag large enough to cover the repair. Use the duct tape to secure the garbage bag over the repair, and leave it on for four days. If the area is deeper than three eights of an inch, you will need to use the same techniques, but only fill the area about half the depth, let it set for a day, then finish it just like the other repairs.

I hope this helps, good luck with your “Stucco Jewel”.

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Stucco Repair (Question)

Hey Al,
We bought our ninety-year-old home this year, and have been very happy with it. We want to repair and paint the exterior of this massive stucco jewel. The stucco is in pretty good condition, but there are some cracks and some holes and spots of missing stucco. The finish on the stucco is a brushed look and is also going to get painted. We were told that the hardest things about repairing stucco, is matching smooth textures and the color. With this in mind we feel that we can do the patchwork ourselves.

We could use any helpful hints you can give us.

Thanks

Decon

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Cracks in My Ceiling (Answer)

Hey Dawn,

From your description of the problem, what you have is a typical case of Truss Uplift. This is not the first time I have had this question. To explain this, I will have to give you a brief explanation of your roof structure.
To start your roof structure is a truss type. To put this simply, the frame for your roof and the frame for your ceiling are all connected, this makes a truss. These trusses are spaced about sixteen to twenty-four inches apart, to span the length of your house. The top wood of the truss is called the upper cord, to that your roof sheathing and shingles are attached. The wood that runs along the bottom is called the lower cord, to that your ceiling is attached.

Trusses structurally span the entire width of the house, there for they require no load-bearing wall in the center. The center wall that divides your rooms is a non-load bearing wall, the lower cords of the trusses simply pass over the wall.


Please note: This is a simple explanation of "Truss Uplift" and in no way implies you can safely remove walls in your home. To remove a wall safely, each case has to be evaluated by an expert to determine the proper and safe way to accomplish the desired results!

Now getting back to your problem “truss uplift”. This type of cracking or separation wile being unattractive it does not usually indicate a structural problem.

Since the trusses are all one unit connected together to form the ceiling and the roof structure, as the parts cure and shrink all parts of the truss is affected. The wood starts drying and shrinking the attachments that hold the top cord to the bottom cord, causing the bottom cord to crown or raise up in the middle. This causes the ceiling to raise and lift from the center wall, thus causing the cracks between the wall and the ceiling.

In your case, since the house is three years old, the moisture content of the truss members is at a stable level, and will not get worse.

Cosmetic repair of the cracks should take of this problem. In most cases a paintable calk and some paint is an easy and inexpensive cure.

While major and persistent cracking may indicate structural problems, in your case the cracking is a common and normal occurrence in new houses. With new construction it is likely to have slight settling and shrinkage of building materials, which will cause some slight cracking in the corners of your drywall.


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Cracks In My Ceiling (Question)

Hey Al,

Recently my husband and I purchased a three-year-old ranch house. The house is beautiful and very obviously well maintained. However we have noticed a crack in the ceiling of the living room at the corner of the wall that separates the living room from the family room. On the other side of this wall is the family room, where there is a crack in the ceiling against the same wall. The cracks are not very wide, but they do run almost the entire length of this center wall, on both sides.
Our concern is this wall runs long ways down the center of our house, does this mean that our house is settling? Is our house going to fall down? Is this a major structural problem? What can we do?

See Ya,

Dawn

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Gas Water Heater (Answer)

Hey Melisia,

In this case you are going to need to have a professional plumber correct this installation. Gas water heaters are require to have a short piece of metallic pipe or appliance connector at least six inches long, above the flue piping. This transition piece is required to prevent damage to the CPVC from excessive heat build-up in the flue. In some areas CPVC can be installed directly onto electric water heaters with special transition fittings, but gas water heaters always required the metallic connectors. A licensed plumber will consult local code requirements prior to installation, and in most cases a local permit is required.

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Gas Water Heater (Question)

Hey Al,

I live in an older home that thought out the years has had many repairs and updates, not to mention many different people working on it. Recently we had our water heater go out and I think I hired the wrong person to replace it. We have a gas water heater with a metal flue pipe coming out of the top of the water heater then turning and going to the chimney. My concern is when the water heater was replaced, the installer used a plastic pipe called CPVC. This plastic pipe runs with in an inch of the flue pipe, and the flue pipe gets hot. I tried to call the installer, but his phone is disconnected and it appears he has vanished.
Do I need to call some one else, or is this not a problem?

Melisia

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Older House Wiring (Answer)

Hey Norton,


Older Romex was a two-wire system, meaning the Romex consisted of only two wires a hot and a neutral, but not a ground. The term open ground, just means that there is not a ground wire present. A hot and a neutral is all it takes to make the lights and the receptacles work. In the early sixties the electrical industry converted to Romex with a third wire, this wire was not intended to make the lights or receptacles work better, but to increase shock safety, by protecting equipment that is plugged in to the circuit against a ground fault. Electricity tries to find it’s way to ground, when it finds it’s way to the ground, that is called a ground fault, that’s how you get shocked. The electricity is using you to travel to the ground. The ground wire is just making an easer path for stray electricity to find ground instead of using you.
With a two-wire system (open ground system) like yours, replacing old receptacles in the bathrooms, kitchen, exterior, garage, and basement with GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) receptacles will increase safety. GFCI protection is a system that shuts off the power if it senses a ground fault, that means the electricity is passing thought you to the ground. The GFCI’s are not designed to protect equipment, but to protect you against electrocution.
Consult an Electrician about the best way to add the GFCI protection in your specific situation.


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Older House Wiring (Question)

Hey Al,

We recently purchased an older home that was built in the fifties. We had a home inspection on the house prior to the purchase, and the report indicated that the home’s wiring is “Functional but outdated by today’s safety standards”. The report further states that the house wiring is “older ungrounded romex and that a represented number of receptacles were tested and were found to be open ground”.
Can you explain what this means and how can I increase the safety factor?

Thanks,

Norton

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Oil Stained Driveway (Answer)

Hey Tom,


The best solution for removing fresh oil is a big bag of the cheapest kitty litter you can find. Just put a few large handfuls on the oil spill, and let it soak for a day or two, and sweep it up. This works great on fresh oil spills or under leaky cars.

To clean the old stains, you will need a pressure washer and some concrete driveway cleaner. You can get this cleaner at any hardware store. A little trick I found to work good, is the day before I am going to clean the driveway, I put some of the cleaner (un-mixed) on the bad spots. After this sets over night you are ready to apply the cleaner as to the directions, and pressure all those years of stains.



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Oil Stained Driveway (Question)

Hey Al,

I have a large concrete driveway and three teen-age drivers with older cars. That in it self plays a big roll in supplying my driveway with fresh oil, not to mention my oldest son that works on his leaky car in the driveway.
Is there an easy to remove this fresh oil, and is there anything I can do to remove the old stains?


Thanks

Tony

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Sweating Toilet (Answer)

Hey Paula,

Sometimes a leaking flapper valve can cause this buy not holding water tightly in the bowl. If the flapper valve leaks you will hear the toilet run and shut off, even when it has not been used. This will cause cold water to keep coming in and never giving it a chance to warm up, this can cause excessive condensation.
To check if the flapper valve is leaking;
 Turn off the water supply to the toilet, before you go to bed. The shut-off valve is on the right side of the toilet near the floor.
 Take the top off of the tank and mark the water level with a marker.
 The next morning check the water level.
 If the water level has not dropped, the flapper is good.
 If the water level has dropped, the flapper is bad, and needs to be replaced.
 Turn the supply back on.

If the flapper is leaking, then replacing it should cure your problem. If the flapper is not leaking, you may want to get a toilet tank insulation kit. You can get this kit at your local hardware store for fewer than fifteen dollars. This insulates the tank and cuts down on the accumulation of condensation.
If all else fails, there is one other method. You can consult a plumber on installing a hot water mixer valve. This valve adds hot water to the toilet’s water supply. With warm water and a warm toilet tank, you will not have condensation.

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Sweating Toilet (Question)

Hey Al,

I live in a two-story four bedroom three and a half-bath-house. I moved in about five months ago and noticed that the up-stairs toilet had a lot of condensation under the tank. Now it is worse than it was, the floor gets wet some times. I have replaced the supply line and there are no leaks, it is condensation.
Is there something I can do to slow the condensation down?

Thanks

Paula

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Water Heater (Answer)

Hey Darnell,

It sounds like you have a bad sacrificial anode in the water heater. The sacrificial anode is a metal rod usually magnesium or aluminum. This rod is screwed into the top of the water heater, and its job is to help prevent corrosion of the metal tank. This rod sacrifices it self, to be eaten away from electrolysis instead of the metal of the tank. Once the anode is gone the tank itself begins to corrode. Replacing the anode when needed will prolong the life of the tank.
With the noise and the weird greenish substance you described, I believe you have an aluminum anode rod. If your water has a high pH level, it will cause the aluminum anode rod to corrode slow and produce aluminum hydroxide (weird greenish substance). The aluminum hydroxide falls to the bottom of the heater, trapping heat, and this is what makes your water heater sound like a “coffee percolator”.

The best way to find out if your anode is aluminum is to look at the exposed anode rod nut located on the top of the water heater. If the top of the nut is smooth, that indicates the anode is aluminum. If the top of the nut has a large bump on it, it is a magnesium anode.

If you find out that the anode is aluminum, and the water heater is in good condition except for the noise and the weird greenish substance. You may consider having the water heater flushed out and replacing the aluminum anode rod with a magnesium anode rod.

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Water Heater (Question)

Hey Al,
We bought our thirty-year-old house two years ago, and have been very happy with it. We have painted and done some small repairs. But now I think our water heater is on its last leg. It will make noises like a coffee percolator; at times it is very loud. We have not noticed any problem with having enough hot water, but we have noticed a thick greenish substance coming out of the hot water faucet. I don’t know if the noise and the weird greenish substance have anything to do with each other, but they both started at the same time. We have always had our water heater either stop supplying hot water or leaking, but this noise thing is a new one for us.

Is it time for a new heater?

Thanks,

Darnell

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