Dear Tim,
Could you please explain to me the different parts of the plumbing? I’m looking for a clarification of what part is the “drain line” and what part is the “waste line.” I’ve tried searching on the Internet, but have not had success. Can you please tell me where does one end, and where does one begin?
Lovenia S.
Teacher-DECA & Yearbook Adviser
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Lovenia,
From now on I hope you begin your Internet searces at AsktheBuilder.com! If I don't know the answer, I surely know where to find it. Because I am a licensed master plumber, I most definitely have what you are looking for.
The *drain* portion of a plumbing system is the lowest part of the piping that collects all of the waste stacks. Typically it is under a slab, but it can hang from joists and be visible in a crawl space or basement.
The *waste* portion of a plumbing system is the other piping that accepts liquid and solid waste from any fixture. This would include both horizontal and vertical pipes found in floors and walls above grade. You could easily see these pipes if all of the drywall or plaster in a house were removed.
But, that being said, some of the pipes you would see after the drywall was removed would be the third part of a plumbing system: the vent pipes. Vent pipes carry air from the roof into the plumbing system. The only water they carry would be rain water or condensate water.
Tim
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Dear Tim,
I just read your article: Relocated Plumbing Vent Pipes. This swell article talks about the importance of keeping the plumbing vent pipes located on our roof clear of water and debris. This is a challenge since no one explains how to clear the problem pipes. I live in Washington state where the rainfall is nortorious and my neighborhood is filled with redwood trees that are hundreds of feet tall dropping cones and needles constantly. Would you please detail how and how often to clean our 2-3 plumbing vent pipes? Should the pipes have screens? Is there anything else I should know?
Thank you, Carla
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Carla,
A superb question! In a situation such as yours where there is a high likelihood of debris falling into a vent pipe, you should be checking them twice a year. The good news is that a plumbing system will frequently tell you when it needs service. When you flush a toilet or let a large volume of water drain from a fixture, an adjacent fixture will often gurgle. But the key is to prevent this from happening.
Cleaning plumbing vents is simple if they were installed correctly. It is a two or three person job the first time you do it and it really helps if you have two or three of those inexpensive family hand-held radios. These devices allow the people inside the house to communicate with the person who is operating the hose up on the roof. You need to make sure people are inside in case a vent pipe is cracked or leaks and the water starts to drip or flow inside.
Simply insert the hose in the vent pipes and turn it on full blast. The water should flow freely into the vent stack. If it starts to back up, that is a sign of problems.
Once clean, it is a great idea to install a plumbing vent metal bird cage that will stop pine cones and deflect needles from the pipe entrance.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Tim,
When framing a wall with a door(s), what is the rough opening dimention for the door? Is it different for each manufacturer (if so, how do I find out what it is)? or is there a standard? Thanks for your time.
BGColton
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B,
I always roughed in my doors two and 1/4 inches wider than the actual door slab width and two and one-half inches more than the door slab height for interior doors. For exterior doors I always made the height three inches more than the slab height.
So, say you are roughing in for an interior door to a bedroom - I always put in 2' 8" doors that were 6' 8" high. So the rough opening would be: 34 and 1/4 inches wide by 82.5 inches high.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Tim,
I just read your column about blacktop/asphalt overlays in the Great Falls Tribune here in Great Falls, Montana . My problem here is that my asphalt driveway is uneven and crumbling. I put a sealer on it 2 years ago and I guess it only lasts a short time.
Can an old asphalt surface be reheated and smoothed out or is there a product I can put over it to smooth it out? I prefer not to tear it out and start all over again. The previous owner is the one who put it in. Can a layer of concrete be put over the old asphalt and if so how thick would it have to be to allow vehicles to drive on it? I read your article on tar and chip driveways on your web sight. Can this be put over the top of the old asphalt also?
I am happy to here that you enjoyed your trip to Big Sky, Montana. We really like Montana except where we live the wind blows alot.
Thank you,
Bill Mahoney
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Bill,
You need special equipment to reheat asphalt paving. And even then it doesn't work well as the lighter-weight oils in the asphalt have log since evaporated. These lightweight oils give the asphalt its plasticity when it is first made.
You could install concrete over an asphalt base, but I would not put less than four inches of steel reinforced concrete. My guess is that you do not have the luxury of doing that as this might put the concrete higher than surrounding sidewalk, garage slabs, etc.
Tar and chip can go over asphalt, but if the old asphalt moves, the tar and chip might start to look shabby. Remember, the tar and chip is a thin coating and it mimics what it covers. My tar and chip driveway looks smooth because the gravel base below it was groomed as smooth as one of those fresh corduroy runs at Big Sky. You need to bite the proverbial bullet and take out the defective asphalt. It is easy to do with the right equipment. Once removed, you have quite a few options.
Tim
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com
Tim,
We have a retaining wall which currently appears to be stucco. The front of our home is brick and we were going to just brick the wall but that would mean uprooting flowers and rose bushes. I would like to use brick veneer instead. Is this a viable option?
Thank you for your help.
Anita Morris
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Anita,
It is indeed an option so long as you find thin pieces of brick - not a regular brick that is three and 5/8 inch thick. The process you describe is not any different than attaching artificial stone to an existing masonry surface. The companies that make the incredibly realistic concrete-based stone products clearly state in their instructions one can mortar the stones onto a stucco surface.
I know some actually make a thin brick that can also be successfully mortared onto a stucco or concrete block surface. In fact, you can attach these thin brick pieces to a wood frame house. In fact I got a letter from a nice man who did just this. You can read it at the bottom of a column I wrote about the difficulty of installing real brick veneer.
You simply have to locate the durable one-half inch thick pieces of brick to accomplish the task. They are available, it just may take some work on your part to find the right color and texture.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Hello,
I just put up a new rain gutter and the water is missing the gutter. Is the gutter to be installed up under the drip edge on the roof? I positioned them under the edge of the roof and some of the slower running water just follows the roof to the drip edge and down the fascia board. What happened?
Mike
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Mike,
The shingles are supposed to overhang the edge of the facia or gutter board at least one if not one and one-half inch. But on low-slope roofs, this is not always a guarantee that dripping water will not roll back and up the shingles. This is caused by capillary attraction.
It sounds as if you will have to install a metal flashing that slides up under the shingles about four inches. The metal is bent to lap over the back of the gutter. This metal drops inside the gutter and then kicks away from the back of the gutter at a 45 degree angle. This little kick is only 1/4 inch long. If you don't create this kick angle, the water can actually be pulled up between the flashing and the back of the gutter and leak once more onto the facia board.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Tim,
On the main floor of a ranch home, over a finished basement, do you need to lay building paper under prefinished 3-1/4" oak flooring? For years that has been the standard practice. The store I bought it from says you don't need to. The instructions that came with the flooring say that it is optional. It will be installed over 3/4" plywood. Jeff S.
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Jeff,
I feel it is very prudent to install tar paper under hardwood flooring. It is a fairly effective vapor retarder and it also helps to even out slight imperfections in the subfloor. The tar paper also helps to prevents squeaks between the oak and the subfloor. You can't always trust the advice you get from salespeople at a store, especially ones who have not installed and serviced the product for many years.
If you want the most accurate answer, I suggest you contact one or both of the Hardwood Associations. They represent oak flooring manufacturers and believe me, they want the flooring installed correctly so customers experience 100 percent satisfaction.
Tim Carter
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com
Dear Tim,
My husband and I are planning to build a new home, and we were wondering what you think of using metal as the frame. Would it save money, as opposed to using wood, and is it safe and lasting? Also, could we save a bundle of money by having each job contracted out to the lowest bidder? Could we go by their floorplans, or would we still need detailed blueprints? Thank you.
Terri
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Terri,
This is a tangled question to say the least. The answers are very complicated and entire books have been written about the topics. For starters, there are many pluses to using steel. It doesn't rot, it is often perfectly straight, and it is fireproof. The material itself can sometimes cost less than wood framing.
But steel can be more expensive to work with as not all carpenters are trained how to efficiently install it. You must screw *everything* to steel studs. Can you imagine how much time that takes?
There are heat conductivity issues as well. Steel conducts heat very well. Wood does not. I actually feel the best home has a combination of wood and steel. The next house I build will have steel wall studs in every wall where cabinets, wall tile, etc. will be installed. Steel wall studs installed professionally make a perfectly flat wall. Finish carpenters and tile setters dream of these conditions. I might consider steel floor joists or at the very least engineered floor joists / trusses on all floor where I would have cabinets, hardwood flooring or any tile or slate. Once again, you want the floor to be in the same plane.
Have you ever wondered why a low bid is low? Let's see, could the contractor or sub-contractor have forgotten items, could they use the poorest quality materials, could they work without insurance, could they? I could go on for hours. If you want a great home you need superb plans and specifications and you need my New Home Construction Bid Sheet. Both are non-negotiable in your situation.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Hello Tim,
I have purchased a new spa that requires an 8'x8' level area. I was planning on putting it on my patio which is 3" concrete with gravel aggregate. It turns out, however, that there is too much slope on the patio for drainage - several inches over an 8' span. I don't want to jack-hammer out the patio and build a concrete foundation due to the time and expense involved.
Instead, a friend suggesting building an 8'x8' frame out of 4"x6" pressure treated lumber and filling this with (tamped) pea gravel. I can then level out the gravel inside the frame. I would secure the frame against the concrete of the patio with concrete fasteners. Can you tell me what you think of this idea?
Regards,
Fred
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Fred,
With all due respect, I think the idea is a bad one. I would want my spa supported by solid masonry, not pea gravel that can shift if something goes wrong with the timbers.
Why not just do a quick Concrete Overlay on the patio just in the area where the spa will sit? The overlay would be installed level so the spa in turn would be perfectly level and secure.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Dear Tim,
I would like to start some painting jobs on the side , part time if you will. It would be all interior painting . How do I go about estimating or charging someone for the job without hurting myself, and at the same time being fair to the customer? Thank you for your support.
Robert J
Robert,
This is not as hard as you might think. First you have to get a grasp of tax laws. You will be responsible for paying more taxes than you see typically withheld from an ordinary paycheck. You also need to think about wear and tear on your equipment.
Then you need to think about how much time you invest in bidding a job and then doing any and all paperwork associated with the job. Don't forget the cost of Workman's Compensation insurance and a General Liability policy in case you damage a customer's house. Finally, it is perfectly good business practice for you to make a reasonable profit on the jobs. This money can be re-invested in your business to make it grow.
The bottom line is that after discovering what all of the above costs are and dividing them into the time each week you spend painting, you may have to charge $40 - 50 per hour for the actual time you estimate you will be at the job working. Your actual take-home pay after taxes, expenses and the miscellaneous hours you spend not painting but working within the business may only be $18 - 20 per hour!
Tim Carter
W3ATB
Hello Mr. Carter,
I consider myself very handy around the house with everything from electrical to plumbing. However I feel like this problem is getting the best of me. The problem is we often (not everyday) have a very strong sewer odor that comes from the sink drain in our Master bath. It only occurs during the first use in the morning and seems to be emanating from the overflow hole entrance of the sink.
I have cleaned the drains (P-Traps) and do find residue from toothpaste and stuff but nothing that explains this. We do ever so often get the same smell from our walk-in shower too! I have heard that if the problem is a clogged vent pipe on the roof it will make a gargling sound and also it would smell other than first time we use the sink of a morning. We never hear these gurgling sounds. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate it. We have black plastic pipes and the house is 4 years old, this started about 1 year ago.
Thanks,
Jim
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Jim,
I know exactly what the problem is. The odor is caused by bacteria that is breeding and multiplying in the bio-film that is coating the vertical drain pipe / tailpiece between the fixture trap and the actual drain outlet in the fixture. It is not the vent pipe unless you know for a fact the trap are being siphoned. The gurgling / suction noise is unmistakeable and you have indicated you never hear it.
The reason you smell this when you first use a fixture is simple. The motion of the water first hitting the bio-film releases some of the bacteria molecules into the air.
Remove the drain strainer in the shower and I guarantee you will see a layer of slimy goo on the side of the pipe leading down tot he trap. Clean off this goo. Do the same in the sink. You will have to remove the sink stopper to gain access to the vertical tailpiece.
The overflow tube that leads from the top of the sink to the tailpiece can also be a contributor to the problem. It is tougher to clean. I have had success using a turkey baster filled with a solution of Oxygen Bleach to kill the bacteria. You have to squirt the solution into the overflow tube vigorously several times and let it sit to try to coat the entire lining of the tube.
Tim
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com
Tim,
Many contractors in this area are not in the general practice of wrapping the house with a Tyvek-type wrap prior to installing the vinyl siding. To me it makes common sense to wrap before the vinyl. What is your take on this ordeal?
Sincerely,
William A. Benzel
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William,
You bet it makes sense! You always want a water repellent membrane under any exterior skin of a home. Believe it or not old fashioned tar paper is an excellent material to place behind vinyl siding or many other finishes such as wood siding, brick, stone, fiber cement, etc. The house wraps go on faster and look better, but I would not hesitate to use tar paper if it was my only option.
Tim
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com
Dear Tim,
I'm having a modular home built in mid-Michigan and my builder has given basically two options for a full basement foundation. One is the traditional poured basement, the other a permanent wood foundation. The permanent wood foundation is their standard foundation and poured being an upgrade of $2000 additional cost to me. I've done some looking into PWF, though its not nearly widely as used, what I've read has all been positive, though I still have my doubts. My question being should I go with the permanent wood foundation or am I better off sticking with a traditional poured basement in the long run?
Thomas Lutze - Fenton MI.
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Thomas,
With all due respect to the Wood Preservative Industry - and they have taken considerable flack recently - I think back to a childhood fable when I get this question. Surely you remember the fable of The Three Little Pigs? One built his house from straw, the other wood and the third one brick or masonry. The only pig who lived to tell about it was the last one.
I also prefer to look back in history. There is a commonality to buildings that are still among us today such as the Great Pyramids, the Mayan temples, the ruins of Rome and Athens, the Great Wall of China, etc. They are all made from masonry.
There is no substitute for an expertly installed concrete foundation. If you want the benefits of concrete, treated wood and insulation, then you must read my past column about Pre-Cast Foundation Walls.
Tim Carter
W3ATB
Hi Tim!
I just found your website and hope you can help me. I'm about to start a small concrete block structure to house my "garbage cans". My question: How do you attach the framing (roof) to the blocks? I know I need to run a piece of lumber around the top, but how do you firmly attach this to the top run of blocks? Your answer is anxiously awaited! Many thanks and Richest Blessings.
Debbie Scragg
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Debbie,
An excellent question! You do this by installing anchor bolts in the cores of the concrete block. An anchor bolt is a one-half inch diameter piece of steel that has machine threads at one end and a 90 degree bend at the other end. The threaded end sticks up above the top of the last row about 2.5 inches. You embed the bolt into the block with wet mortar and chips of broken block or clean small rocks. You can slide the wood plate over the bolts after 24 hours and hand tighten the nuts onto the bolt. But do not tighten with a wrench for at least one month as the mortar must get very hard.
It is very important for the block walls to be parallel and square. This makes it a breeze to frame the roof. If you goof up, you can cheat a little by squaring the 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 plate that will be bolted to the block walls using the anchor bolts.
Tim
W3ATB
Dear Tim,
I read your column each week in the Chicago Tribune. We have just finished designing our dream house, and are getting ready to build. Our builder says lumber has gone up 50% this year. We are starting to see the house disappear
because of cost. He further says we import lumber from Canada. What are your thoughts on this?
Barry Seth
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Barry,
Unless you own your own forest and sawmill, you are going to pay whatever it costs to get the necessary rough and finish to build your home. It is not quite unlike what is happening at the gasoline pumps all around the nation.
This is an excellent example of Economics 101 in action - Supply vs. Demand.
Tim
W3ATB
Tim,
We have a cinder block house that has some paint and some stucco. We want to put on siding, probably vinyl. But we also want to do the best job of insulating the exterior. What do you recommend? Thanks,
Sandy
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Sandy,
Talk about being at the bus stop when the bus comes by! You can now buy a vinyl siding that has a solid foam core backing. The foam has an R-value of 4 and makes the siding feel almost as solid as wood. Traditional vinyl siding is fairly flimsy. The first company to market with this was Crane Plastics. They call their product Crane Board.
There are some other vinyl siding companies trying to catch up to Crane.
Tim
W3ATB
Dear Tim,
My father has a 45 year old concrete driveway and the surface of it is crumbling away. He is too cheap to put down a new driveway and wants to know if he can put down blacktop sealer on top of the concrete and make it look like a blacktop driveway. I would appreciate your comments and advice.
Thanks,
Andre Krecko
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Andre,
The answer is a big "Yes!" But you forgot to ask me the right question: Would I do this at my own home? The answer is a bigger "No!" Blacktop sealers are not much different than paint. They are a coating that wears off. When they wear off blacktop, it doesn't look too bad as the blacktop is primarily black. But when blacktop sealer starts to wear off a light colored surface, it look horrible.
Your frugal father can solve the problem with a concrete overlay. It is easy to do this and when done according to my instructions, the repair is permanent. Go read this column. If you want detailed step-by-step instructions, you need my Premium AsktheBuilder.com website!
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Tim,
My house is 60 feet long by 40 feet deep and has a hip roof. Is there a simple way to figure the roof square footage so that I can figure how many shingles I will need to reroof?
Jay Roach
Charles Town, West Virginia
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Jay,
I would need a little more data to get an accurate estimate of material. You failed to give me the distance from the gutter up to the peak of the roof. This measuring line needs to be at a right angle to the roof ridge and the gutter. Getting this dimension gives us the overhang and the pitch at the same time. But I can still get you fairly close without that measurement.
Having framed countless hip roofs the old-fashioned way with a framing square, I can tell you that the linear ridge at the top of the roof is 20 feet long. You calculate the length of a hip ridge by simply subtracting the short leg of the roof from the long leg. 60 - 40 = 20. If you take out a piece of paper and draw your roof, you will quickly see you can divide the roof into 8 right triangles and two rectangles.
For sake of discussion I am going to assume the measurement from the gutter to the peak is 27 feet. The short leg of the two rectangles is 20 feet so you would multiply 27 x 20 x 2 = 1,080.
The area of one right triangle would be approximately 20 x 27 divided by 2 = 270. I say approximately becasue I don't know your roof overhang. The base of the triangles will probably be a little more than 20 feet. Since you have 8 of these, you multiply 270 x 8 = 2,160. So a very rough guesstimate is 3,240 square feet plus 10 percent for waste at the hips, starter shingles and all the caps you need. I'll bet you will need approximately 36 squares of roofing.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
I received a short but important email last night. Paul Schieber wrote: "I'm a student at Bob Jones University. My major is carpentry and am doing a research paper on how construction quality has declined (both materials and the work itself) compared to the 1950's. I saw your column titled 'The Pursuit of Perfection', and was wondering if you could give me reading materials on the subject or point me in the right direction."
I thought about his request for a moment and couldn't come up with any quick references to trade publications that have tackled the subject head on. The first thing that did come to mind is a website run by homeowners who have been victimized by poor-quality construction. It is called Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings. No doubt its acronym - HADD - is a play on MADD.
If you have been a victim of poor construction, you may want to share your story there. The facts you place on the table may help an unsuspecting homeowner in your city or town. In fact, you may become a chapter president. One woman who I have helped over the years overcome a nightmare encounter with a Michigan builder is now president of the Michigan HADD chapter.
Grassroots movements like this have huge power since they can distribute facts via the Internet. Of course that is the most important thing: tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about what may have happened to you.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IS BACK!
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Remember last's week's mention of Ed Littell in Arizona? You know, the guy that transforms regular fluorescent light fixtures into windows to the sky? Well, I got a great email from a woman. Here it is *unedited*:
"I believe my gynecologist has had one of these skyscapes, for years, in the fixture just above the examining table (with stirrups). Just thought you'd like to know, Tim."
Name Withheld By Requet
That email made me grin for hours. Why? Because it reminded me that there are fantastic subscribers to the newsletter who have a great sense of humor. We all need more humor in our lives - at least that is my opinion.
So, The mailbox is Open! If you have a comment of any type - positive, negative, humorous or a related story you want to share about an item in the newsletter, I am bringing back to life the Letters to the Editor Section of the Newsletter.
Email your comments to: newseditor@askthebuilder.com
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WEEKLY ASK THE BUILDER COLUMN
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Concrete Block Makes a Great Home
DEAR TIM: I know this sounds crazy but I am thinking of building a home from concrete blocks. Are there any advantages? What about disadvantages? I am concerned about safety and cold temperatures. Will the block crack if it gets extremely cold? Melissa L., Braxton County, WV
DEAR MELISSA: Surely you are acquainted with fairy tales. Believe it or not, there is much wisdom in those great stories. Read the fairy tale about the three little pigs and you will quickly learn that a house built using masonry materials resists not only the big bad wolf but also wood destroying insects, fire and much more. Open any world history book or visit Europe and you will also discover things that built with stone and masonry materials can last for thousands of years.
A home built using concrete block is nothing new. Travel to the South today and you will see many homes built using concrete block. It is an excellent choice as termites can infest and start to destroy a wood framed home that does not have adequate protection. Concrete block homes that include easy-to-install steel reinforcing can stand up to vicious hurricane winds. Fire typically does not cause a well-built masonry home to collapse. These houses can often be restored with much less effort than a wood frame home destroyed by fire.
Concrete block homes also work well in areas that suffer from earthquakes. Once again the architect or engineer simply has to specify inexpensive steel reinforcing rods that are inserted into any number of hollow voids in the concrete block. A wet concrete mixture of sand, cement and sometimes small rounded gravel is then poured into these voids. This wet mixture surrounds the reinforcing steel and once it cures and hardens imparts incredible strength to the structure.
It is vitally important that a registered engineer develop the specification for this reinforcing steel. It might also be in your best interest to have the engineer stop by the construction site as the home is being built to make sure the steel is being installed correctly. This may require more than one visit.
The thermal mass created in a concrete block home has numerous advantages. There is far less air infiltration if the home is built well. Concrete block homes are virtually soundproof if you purchase high-quality windows and doors that have excellent weatherstripping. The void space between the window and block must also be sealed well to stop air that acts as a sound-transmission conduit between outdoor noise and your ears inside the home. The thick masonry walls also help to maintain comfort within the home, especially if they are well insulated. Keep in mind that Native Americans used mud and masonry homes to stay cool in the extreme temperatures of the desert Southwest.
The disadvantages of building with concrete block are few in my opinion. There is a slight aesthetic issue. If your builder uses regular concrete block with no facing, your home will possibly look like a warehouse. You can purchase concrete block that has very interesting texture and shapes. Concrete block can be stuccoed readily and this extra masonry can be tinted to nearly any color so you will never have to paint the home.
You need not worry about concrete block and cold temperatures. If the block is well made and the builder installs it according to all industry standards, the block will withstand any cold weather Mother Nature can muster. The block and mortar will also resist repeated assaults of cold rainy weather for many years.
You should proceed with your plans to build with concrete block. There are several associations that represent the manufacturers of this material and they probably can show you any number of photographs of homes built with concrete block. My guess is you will be amazed as the block is hidden by other common building materials both inside and out. I strongly recommend that you also hire an architect and engineer who can prove to you they have designed numerous concrete block residential homes. The experience they bring to the table will be invaluable as the plans progress.
SIDEBAR CONTENT # # #
Concrete block has been used for years to build residential homes. During the 1950's in many parts of the nation, four-inch hollow block was used as the back-up masonry material for brick homes. The outside of the home was brick, but the inside rough surface was concrete block. Furring strips were nailed to the concrete block and plaster or drywall was then applied as the interior finish surface.
The positive attributes of concrete block far outweigh any negatives aspects. The biggest hurdle will be finding a builder that is familiar with concrete block. All too often certain building methods and techniques get kicked to the curb in favor of newer methods. New does not always mean better, not by a long shot. What’s more, there have been many innovations with concrete block over the years. Any decent concrete block supplier can astound you with all of the possibilities and advancements in simple concrete block.
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EXTREME HOW-TO MAGAZINE
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You should consider getting a great new magazine - Extreme How-To. I am the Editor-at-Large of this publication. Getting in on the ground floor of a new magazine launch is very exciting. You should come along for the ride!
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EMAIL Q & A
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Hello Tim,
I just built a house with a very large “cooking” masonry fireplace. The opening is 6 feet long by 4 one half feet high, the top is arched. I have days when the fireplace works wonderfully and other days you can see the smoke going up but then it swirls and comes out at the very top. If I keep a door slightly open across the fireplace for a while it does not do that. Other days I don’t have to open the door, it works great for days. Then all of a sudden the next day I will have the smoke billowing out. Why does it do it some times and not other time? Help!!
Andrea Stephens
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Andrea,
Fireplaces smoke because they are not built right. There can be many different defects: improper firebox design, missing smoke chamber, chimney flue too large, chimney height too short, etc.
Many people do not realize there are distinct relationships between the width and height of a fireplace opening and the shape, size and sloped faces of the internal firebox size of the flue and the overall height of the chimney. I have covered this topic in great detail in a past column about Smoke-Free Fireplaces. A table showing the size relationships for firebox openings, the firebox dimensions, etc. are in a past Builder Bulletin.
You can use the information in the table to determine if the fireplace firebox was constructed properly. If is defective, you are going to have to bite the bullet and get the builder to do it right the second time around.
Tim
W3ATB
Hi Tim,
I will be remodeling my bedroom but I have wood paneling on the walls. What can I use to cover up the paneling? I was thinking of using joint compound to cover up the groves and paneling. Do I have to remove the paneling and install drywall? Please help so I can start my project.
Thank you,
Rochelle
- - -
Rochelle,
You don't have to cover it up at all. You will be shocked to find out how attractive the walls look once painted. The vertical lines add just the right amount of three-dimensional depth that smooth walls never exhibit.
If you are willing to invest just one to two hours I can prove it. Move the furniture away from the easiest wall to paint. Take any art and paintings down. Wash the paneling with soap and water and make sure the wall is very clean. Paint this one wall with the correct primer as called for by the finish wall paint manufacturer. Follow it an hour an hour later with the finish coat. Let it dry and then move the furniture up against the wall and rehang any art and paintings. Rest assured you will be impressed with the look.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
At 01:46 AM 3/1/2004, you wrote:
Hi Tim,
We had a beautiful stamped concrete driveway installed in September, 2003. After the snow melted in early February, 2004, we noticed much damage to the driveway. There are several large patches of the concrete flaking off and the concrete in the areas around the cuts is just crumbling. Most of the sealer also seems to have worn off and there is a dusty white powder on the surface which wipes off easily with plain water. We called the installer, who blamed the cold weather, the tracking of salt onto the driveway from our car tires (we did not use any salt on the driveway ourselves), and the incline of the driveway. He said he would power wash it, redye it, and reseal it. We are afraid it will never look the same and think the installer owes us more. What is your opinion? Thank you,
Denise
Denise,
Spalling and surface failure of concrete can almost always be traced to workmanship errors. All sorts of things could have gone wrong. I have covered this in great detail in past concrete defect columns. I urge you to read all of them, but especially one that talks about deicing salts and surface failure.
Each time I hear a contractor blame road salt, I burst out laughing. There are millions of square feet of concrete in cities and towns, such as curbing, actual concrete roadways, sidewalks, drive aprons, etc. that get the same rock salt exposure, but exhibit no signs of surface failure. Don't you just hate it when people fail to take responsibility for their actions?
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Hello Tim,
I just built a house with a very large “cooking” masonry fireplace. The opening is 6’ long by 4 ½’ high, the top is arched. I have days when the fireplace works wonderfully and other days you can see the smoke going up but then it swirls and comes out at the very top. If I keep a door slightly open across the fireplace for a while it does not do that. Other days I don’t have to open the door, it works great for days. Then all of a sudden the next day I will have the smoke billowing out. Why does it do it some times and not other time? Help!!
Andrea Stephens
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Andrea,
Fireplaces smoke because they are not built right. There can be many different defects: improper firebox design, missing smoke chamber, chimney flue too large, chimney height too short, etc.
Many people do not realize there are distinct relationships between the width and height of a fireplace opening and the shape, size and sloped faces of the internal firebox size of the flue and the overall height of the chimney. I have covered this topic in great detail in a past column and I have produced a table showing the size relationships in a past Builder Bulletin that is located on my subscription-based Premium AsktheBuilder.com website.
You can use the information in the table to determine if the fireplace firebox was constructed properly. If is defective, you are going to have to bite the bullet and get the builder to do it right the second time around.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB
Tim,
You have a great newsletter that is always very informative.
I have a quick question. I am putting up some new drywall and notice that the joint compound comes in two flavors, regular and lightweight. The clerks at the Home Depot and Lowes of the world can not seem to answer the question of which is better.
Do you have any insight? I assume that the lightweight has less water content, but have no clue if that is a good thing or what I would be trading off to use it vice the regular. Thanks,
Chuck
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Chuck,
I don't know that one is better than the other. The lightweight compound, I believe, has a composition whereby when dry, the solids are a slightly different type and possibly slightly farther apart. The net result is the lightweight compound is much easier to apply - it is very fluffy when you whip it before putting it on the wall surface. The lightweight compound is also very easy to sand. I have used both and get great results from each one. I would simply read the label and see if the manufacturer recommends one over the other for specific tasks.
Tim
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com