Winter’s problem is with us again

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 14

Winter’s problem is with us again

Home Line with

Bill Harrison

Condensation — wet win-dow-sills and mould growth — has again reached its seasonal epidemic proportions. To keep faith with my readers, an answer must be attempted. The regional technical adviser for the Building Research Association, Mr Bill Ash, has also received so many inquiries from concerned homeowners that he has arranged a public seminar on the problems of condensation, insulation, and mould growth. The seminar will be held next Wednesday evening, July 17, at 7.30 p.m., in the Building Centre Promotion Hall, at 211 Cashel Street. This will be an excellent opportunity to have some of your home maintenance queries answered personally by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (8.R.A.N.Z.) representative. Your written questions C/o “Home Line” can be presented for you. Condensation is not a problem peculiar to Christchurch homes, but because our city has grown on low land with a high water table, drained by a system of creeks and rivers, dampness is often a serious problem. B.R.A.N.Z. researchers advocate reducing the risk of ground moisture affecting the house by checking that stormwater drainage is adequate, and there are no plumbing leaks putting water under the house. They also advocate, where possible, laying a plastic sheet on the ground under the house floor to prevent rising damp. In many cases ventilation is inadequate when the house is locked up all day while the family is away. Some home owners choose to fix the problem of wet window-sills by having condensation diverter channels fitted to collect the water running off the glass, and divert it outside. Most manufacturers of aluminium window frames now fit condensation channels as standard features Q Can you suggest any simple method for unscrewing old, rusty, and firmly embedded screws

without doing great violence to the particular object they anchor and the base they anchor it to? D. J. Round. A More home handypersons and backyard mechanics must be frustrated by the stubborn screw than by any other cause. The job would be so easy, if only those wretched screws would come out. Rest assured, tradespeople suffer the same frustrations. As with all jobs, the answer is in the preparation. Don’t even try to move the screw until the head and slot have been thoroughly cleaned. You can then apply a little penetrating oil, and while it is penetrating, prepare the screwdriver, a much abused tool. It is essential that the blade of the screwdriver is flat and square and fits the slot of the screw exactly. The screwdriver should be as long as practicable because it is the screwdriver’s length that gives it leverage. With the driver forced firmly into the screw slot, having removed all traces of the penetrating oil, turn the driver anti-clockwise to remove the screw. Overcoming the inertia and the attraction of the screw to the material around it is the hard part. A little violence, like a sharp tap with a hammer can often be helpful, but not if hinges are of cast iron, or the surroundings brittle. The use of the hammer may ease your frustration, if not the

screw. Damaged screws can be removed by boring them out. Wax rubbed on the screw makes it easier to drive and to remove next time. Q After some alterations to our house we now have a basement-garage 13 metres by 4.8 metres. One effect of the alterations has been to make the house very noisy. The basement seems to act as a sound-chamber transmitting any noise throughout the house. What can be done to correct the problem? “Farmer.” A Noise control in buildings is a technical problem requiring attention at the design and construction stage. It is seldom given particular attention in houses. Traditional materials and construction methods result in a house with noise levels acceptable to most people. It would seem the concrete floor and walls of your basement are reflecting sounds through the floor/ceiling structure. If it has not already been done, your basement ceiling should be lined with plasterboard thick enough to give the required mandatory fire rating. If the ceiling is already in place it may be too costly to install insulation between the joists to reduce noise transmission. Perhaps another layer of sound absorbent ceiling lining could be considered. It may be easier to reduce the noise at its , source. Impact noise on floors can be reduced with thicker carpet underlays. Motors in household appliances should have their mountings checked or the appliances isolated with sound absorbent material

under or around them. Mountings for garage doors should be isolated from the floor/ceiling joists. Your problem may well reduce as absorbent material accumulates in the basement, as it surely will. Q I am considering recladding our weatherboard house with solid vinyl sidings to avoid having to repaint again. My concern is that the life of the product will be as good as the manufacturers claim. Can you give me any reassurance about this material? “Watford Street.” A New Zealand has a reputation for high levels of ultraviolet light that hae proved detrimental to many plastic products over the years, so your concern is justified. If you wish to retain the weatherboard appearance of your home then the solid vinyl sidings will certainly do that. The Building Research Association has recently issued 3 Appraisal Certificates, nos. 119, 120, and 121, covering three such vinyl products, and I quote, “In the opinion of the association — the product provides a decorative and protective wall cladding with concealed fixings and a prefinished surface that requires very little maintenance except for periodic washing down.” The Appraisal Certificates also suggest that under normal conditions of exposure the serviceable life of solid vinyl sidings should be 30 years. As with so many products it is the skill and care of the fixer that determines the ultimate life of the finished job. Thermal expansion must be allowed for to avoid buckling and distortion. Neutral, cured, silicone sealants are used to seal around holes made in the cladding for windows and services. When recladding weatherboard walls that are not flat an underlay of Pinex Triple S sheathing is recommended. If you have a question relevant to home ownership or maintenance, write to “Home Line,” C/o The Building Centre, P.O. Box 22-143, Christchurch.