Dear readers: Now’s a good time to prepare for the summer “monsoons.”
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First, address your sump pump. Most homes built in the past 25 years have a perimeter drain along the bottom of the foundation wall. Usually that drain empties into some sort of a pit — sometimes simply a plastic sleeve about 18 inches in diameter. Chances are, the builder installed that system as a last resort to catch water that infiltrates the house in the basement. If there is simply a pipe inside and no pump, this is an ideal time to get one (after the first big storm comes, the home centers can run out).
A small, submersible pump with a check valve will cost about $100. Enough 11/2-inch PVC pipe and fittings to run the water outdoors will cost another $25. The business end of that pipe needs to be situated well away from the foundation, or you’ll simply run the same water around in vertical circles. Plug the pump into a grounded (three-prong) outlet, and you’re in set to go.
Many of these systems are well out of sight, like under a stairwell, so it’s helpful to purchase a water alarm, which beeps if the pump has failed. It also pays to “exercise” your pump twice a year. Simply dump a bucket of water inside the pit until it starts. Finally, if there are kids in the house, secure the pit lid with drywall screws.
Next, inspect the gutters. Keep gutters scrupulously clean, run the downspouts at least 6 feet away and walk around the house while it’s raining to check on how well these systems are doing. Are the gutters overflowing? Are the downspouts leaking? Are their pipes plugged?
One vulnerable spot to check is the bottom of roof valleys. When two roof planes come together, they create a channel, or valley, at their common angle, which dumps into a gutter at the bottom. When it rains hard enough, that valley flow jumps over the gutter and lands at the least desirable spot, next to the foundation. If that happens at your house, fashion a fan-shaped deflector from a piece of sheet metal at the bottom, which will keep that flow in the gutter where it belongs.
Finally, peruse the perimeter. The soil around your foundation must slope down and away at least an inch per foot. Add soil or dig swales (channels) to let water that falls near the foundation escape as quickly as possible. These vulnerable areas within about 4 feet of the house should be kept as dry as possible. Make sure that sprinkler valves and hose spigots don’t dribble. And plantings should require little water (annuals and vegetables should be out in the yard or in a garden well away from the foundation).
Dear Ken: My daughter just moved into an older home that hasn’t been maintained well. Many of the redwood deck boards have rotted ends and have split badly. I can’t afford to replace all the boards. Are there other options? — Hank
Answer: Sometimes all you need to do is turn the boards over. Splits don’t always go all the way through so what looks like a throw-away turns out to be a keeper — and many times, because of the uniform spacing of the underlying support joists, you can reuse the existing holes. Before replacing each board, apply a layer of Ice and Water Shield — a sticky tar paper — to the top of each joist.
Don’t worry about the nonmatching color of the flipped piece. Once you apply a deck brightening product, it’ll be ready to accept new stain. You also can remove a split board, drill a small pilot hole in its side and insert a coated deck screw to pull the crack together. Between these repair options — combined with cutting the ends off rotten boards — you’ll minimize the number of pieces you’ll have to purchase.
Dear Ken: Two things. Where should I store our leftover paints? We have an unheated garage so that might not work. And I can’t get a closer to work on my metal storm door. It sticks all the time. — Gene
Answer: Water-based (latex) paints will freeze and break down when stored in too cold of a space. Store them in their original cans with a layer of kitchen storage film — such as Glad Wrap — stretched under each cover. Keep them in a cool spot away from the furnace and water heater. Petroleum-based materials are more volatile and, hence, more dangerous to have in the house. Those should be kept in the garage.
Metal storm doors can be trouble, especially if they’re exposed to the sun. Their frames and the door itself swell and shrink as they heat and cool. You might have to adjust them a couple of times each year by moving the screws in the frame sideways a bit as the seasons change.
Those pneumatic closers must be installed perfectly level so they won’t bind, and sometimes they do better if they’re installed at the mid-point of the door instead of the top of the frame.
Ken Moon is a home inspector in the Pikes Peak region. His radio show airs at 9 a.m. Saturdays on KRDO, FM 105.5 and AM 1240. Visit aroundthehouse.com.