Home Sense

Mike McClintock (For The Washington Post)

Have questions about how to keep your home fit and trim?

Home Sense columnist Mike McClintock is online every other Thursday at Noon ET to answer your questions about home building, remodeling, repairs and the wide range of home-consumer issues. If it has something to do with the place where you live -- from home security to the latest on appliances, energy-saving and a lot more -- just ask. Mike has the answers.

McClintock's column appears in the Post Home section every Thursday. He is the author of 10 books, including "Alternative Housebuilding."

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Mike McClintock: Hello again: While I get started on your questions (and just comments if you like; that's ok, you know), here's a short quiz about products from the recent International Builders' Show in Orlando, sponsored by the Washington-based National Association of Homebuilders.

Sure, many of the products were innovative, or represented technological breakthroughs and most were at least spiffy one way or another. But some were misguided to the point of defying any logic of product development.

It was surprising to see the few duds, ballyhooed with as much fanfare as some of the winners that consumers will almost certainly want. Except that more and more these days I'm, let's say disappointed, by products and services that are difficult to understand, or assemble, or use, and the like. It's as though market research and focus groups and play-testing have been dropped and companies just wing it, sometimes with a pretty dopey person in charge and a mindset that seems to be- give me your money, take the product or service, and go away.

It's an unfortunate trend, less and less consumer utility and service- and so many lapses and smokescreens of service that consumers have become wise to at least some of them. Case in point: you call a help line and get shunted along a nearly endless maze of push-button options designed to take you anywhere except to a human who might listen and help- the result of some new suit VP saving the company a few bucks by firing some people and buying an automated help system that doesn't really help anyone but lets the company say they have a help system (remedy in many cases being to hit zero immediately to get an operator). Anyway, here's the quiz.

HOME SENSE- NEW PRODUCT DUDS- QUESTION
A few new products at the recent Builder's show in Orlando seemed like obvious duds with major drawbacks that will stunt if not eliminate sales. Can you pick the two duds?

1. A new type of vinyl product, slightly rounded like a log, imprinted with not very convincing wood and bark grain, i.e. vinyl log siding.
2. A kitchen sink made of fiberglass-reinforced rubber so that dropped dishes won't break, even though the rubber surface is slippery.
3. A left-handed hammer the manufacturer says stops chronic joint and other ergonomic problems for lefties even though hammers have no "hand".
4. Electrified gutters that automatically heat up when the temperature drops below freezing, even though they may electrocute birds.
5. Wood-framed patio doors that fold back along the track accordion style, creating a wide opening even though that eliminates any possibility of screens.

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Washington, D.C.: Mike,
What do you think of tankless water heaters? I am thinking of getting one when I have to replace my old water heater because it takes up less space. We have no kids and can coordinate showering, washing clothes and dishes so it wouldn't be a problem for us, but do you think it would be detrimental to the resale value of my home? Thanks!
Love your chats!

Mike McClintock: I'm not a fan of these things, despite all the hooppla about how they've been used for decades in Europe and all. The idea seems good: instead of storing a tank of hot water you make it when you need it. Main drawback (maybe not in your case) is that when you need a lot and are running appliances and taking showers at the same time, even a big (and very expensive) unit can't keep up.
Mainly, turns out your basic hot water heater is very efficient, packed with insulation and doesn't cost very much to ibuy or run. So on the 'if it's not broken don't fix it' idea, i'd say stick with the big tanks. The tankless deals are good for a remote location far away from the main tank.e

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Falls Church, Va.: I'd like to get new countertops in my kitchen. (Corian) But the dealer I'm looking at doesn't rip out the old ones. The kitchen's small... only about 37 sq ft of counter. I'd try it myself, but since I'm only replacing the countertops, don't want to damage the cabinets or tile wall. Any ballpark on how much this will cost to hire someone to do it for me? And how I can find someone good?

Thanks!

Mike McClintock: That's a small job for someone, so i'd try gooing back to the installer and say he should find the person and quote you a price; that also makes him responsible.
Understand that you don't want to muck it up, but if you get into the cabinets with a flashlight and look around you'll probably see there are only some clips keeping the top in place. But the first option is best.

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Warrenton, Va.:

Hello: A plumbing contractor here on other business recently told me that with sluggish draining in the kitchen and bathroom on the first floor that I might need to have the septic system pumped out. I asked how that could be the case when the bath (all fixtures) on the second floor drains just fine, and he didn't have much of an answer, but suggested that I start using a septic additive on a monthly basis to clear the system. What do you think about both pieces of advice?

Mike McClintock: Don't see how you could need the septic pumped if only some of the many fixtures in the house drain slowly. When the septic end of the line is plugged, everything feeding into it is slowed, so seems faily obvious that it can't be a house-wide problem- and maybe also that the plumber is a a little light on logic.
Anyway, he's dead wrong about additives, which supposedly increase biological action in the tank and break down more of the solids. Check with you local Cooperative Extension Service and you'll find that they don't recommend this treatment. In fact, most say it's worthless- as many other groups and agencies do as well. In some areas (I think in Rhode Island it's statewide) additives are banned due to acids and chemicals in som of the products actually retarding or damagingseptict systems aside from eventually getting into the water supply. Septics get more than enough active agents to churn the system properly.
But additives have loomed large in home-related scams, now pushed through spam into home computers- and did a column on them, I think in '03 so it might still be in the w'post archives. If not you can always contact the home sectrion and I'll email you a copy.

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Frederick, Md.: I need to piant the inside of my townhome and I'm not looking forward to it. Do Wagner power rollers work well? I've never tried one but I'd be willing to rent one if they make the job go smoother!

Mike McClintock: They work- but sometimes with more capacity and at agreater rate than many DIYers can handle, i.e. they can keep going when you need a break.
I've also found that while they're good for large flat surfaces, it's kind of clumsy to switch back to a small roller and brush to do cutting in, trim and such. So best for great big flat walls, but for most houses- and at the rate most DIYers work- the by-hand system still works best for me.

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Shepherd Park, Washington, D.C.: Mike, thanks for your expertise from all of us.

I asked a question two weeks ago about a pipe that was losing diameter to build-up. You were wondering about lead pipes and mentioned supply pipes. The supply lines have all been replaced with copper and the line in from the street is lead (the house is 80 years old and we're going to get that replaced).

But the problem is with a 3" drain line, iron I believe. It has lost fully half its diameter and I'm wondering if that will leave the toilets connected to it more succeptible to clogging or other problems.
Should I have the drain line cleaned out?

Mike McClintock: I remember, but a little stumped still, as to see the reduced diamtere (unless it's a guess) the plumber would have been into the line already. Anyway, drain lines may clog up with yuck and muck but i've never seen them scle up with mineral deposits that can reduce diamters and let in only a trickle. So try snaking and cleaning.
Again, I wouldn't replace a lot of pipe thinking that at some point, maybe, the toilets might drain a little more slowly, maybe. Got to be something else with a higher priuority- like the walking the dog.

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Aldie, Va.: I've had basement flooding problems in my 1970s era home. Finally last year I had a basement waterproof company install french drains and sump pump in the basement. No more flooding problems, but the basement is still damp -- the windows have lots of condensation and it still smells damp down there. What should I do now?

Mike McClintock: Not much you can do, due to the system installed, which is like sticking a bucket under the leak instead of stopping it, i.e. the foundation still leaks, but now you have an organized way to collect and pump out the water. That's good, but it's bound to create damp and maybe moldy conditions.
You could run a dehumidifier, but when the drains are active there's probably no way it could keep up- and you'ld be down there emptying it all the time.

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Northwest, D.C.: I think 3 and 4 are the duds.
Was anybody selling foam rubber windchimes for people who hate all that clanging?

Mike McClintock: It's early still, with guessers to come, so i'll respond to one of your guesses and say that three is not one of the real duds (yes, i made it up)
rubber wind chimes could be a pet rock kind of thing- or from the Grot shop, but that's reginald perrin and a whole other world.

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Alexandria, Va.: I'm installing an engineered wood floor over old tile (that can't be removed for safety reasons) in my half bath. How do I handle the area around the toilet? Just cut around the toilet base (which will be painful to get the cuts 'just so')? Any suggestions?

Mike McClintock: It's either cut out the layers to allow the toiulet back down to the drain flange, or move the drain flange up, which means a plumber and maybe some ripping up of the floor, too- could be a tad late for that now.
If it's just a hair high, some folks try installing double wax seals to make up the difference, but it rarely works as they compress pretty quickly.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hello Mike,
there's gas in the neighborhood but we don't have it. We'd like to get a gas fireplace. what are the steps to this? Are any of the steps DIY'S, thanks

Mike McClintock: Call the gas utility to start, and if they can't giove you a ballpark price for tapping into the main, they should have a list of "approved" contractors you can can call.
Kind of a big deal just for a fireplace, but not if you're remodeling and thinking about gas stoves, water heaters, and more.

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Fairfax, Va.: Mike, my wife and I are seriously considering a house renovation to include the buliding of an attached garage, and a bump out of the upper level of our split level home to allow for a larger master bedroom and update baths. (the house was built in the 60's)

BUT, we don't know where to begin.

How should we tackle this project?

Mike McClintock: The thorough answer would take many columns in the newspaper- and maybe 7-8 years ago i did a series (maybe nine in all) on the whole process. Nutshell is if you know what you want you can go directly to contractors, maybe a design-build firm.
Then there's the long and difficult process of getting recommendations and conducting interviews and weeding out the bad apples- on and on it can go- until you find the right company, which mainly means the right person- the guy who will bve there regularly, not the estimator who sometimes promises a world that the contractor you've never met can't deliver.

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Washington, D.C.: Itty-bitty question: What can I do, short of buying a carpet, to keep my couch from sliding all over the hardwood floor whenever I sit down?

Mike McClintock: Hey- it's couch bowling instead of chair bowling (i useds to do that in a very long hallway, but we won't do details). So how about a few rubber pads, even cut-em yourself pieces of anything that grips, like a rubnber glove. But then what to do for fun on a dull evening.

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Alexandria, Va.: Stupid ideas: vinyl log siding and electrified gutters.

Not a bad idea: rubberized kitchen sink. Who cares if it's slippery, you're not walking on it. I'd buy that.

Mike McClintock: So you would buy the one i made up; ok i'll race out a take a patent. But to be whittling down the list and making it easier for everyone, i also made up electrified gutters. But some people put heat cables in the gutters; alsmost the same thing but not really.

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Middleburg, Va.: I have a plumbing question... recently when I turn off my kitchen faucet the water still continues to stream out for a few seconds. Even though the water has been completely shut off. This has just been occuring within the past week.

Mike McClintock: So something is probably stuck in the plastic washer (assuming single control lever as most are), or the guts are just going. You can replace them on most unbits, but may need an exploded view (in an owner's manual or online) to see how to get the handle off and expose the replacable parts underneath.

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Frederick, Md.: Duds: The sink and the patio doors?

Mike McClintock: The sink we've ruled out. Trying to think the last time i busted something by driopping it into the stainless steel sink and i may never have done. I did recent;y shatter a wine glass just drying it, tenderly too. So let's leave the patio doors hanging- and remember the two we're looking for are real products, just duds.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hi, Mike. Posting early because of meetings. I had a leak in my master bath which is now repaired. My ceiling requires some patching tho. All the damage is on the seams of the drywall so can I just scrape, retape and mud? Or do I need to use something special? It looks easy to me, but I've never done anything like that before. Thanks for your help.

Mike McClintock: Meetings; you're allowed. Main thing is to open up the seams and make sure everything is dry. Sometimes water weakens a main panel, but of course, flows first oveer to the edges and through the seams.
If it's sound, scrape out anything loose and go through the standard three-coat taping process: embedding coat, then tape, then two progressively wider coats. Try to get them smooth and minimize sanding. If you oversand the paper drywall surface nearby it gets furry.

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Aldie, Va.: Thanks for your answer on the damp basement. Your answer made it sound like maybe the french drain/sump wasn't the best solution. Is there something else you would have recommended we do?

Mike McClintock: Too late now, but i like getting the water to drain while it's outside instead of letting it in and then pumping it out. But that can be more costly, involve excavation, though often just extending downspouts and regrading to create a slight slope helps a lot.

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Crofton, Md.: What kind of flooring would you recommend for a basement? I intend to use it as an office and don't really want carpet because the chairs won't roll well. I've heard conflicting opinions on laminate, some say it isn't good for basements and some that it wears quickly. The current floor is concrete (I removed the old carpeting).

Mike McClintock: Carpeting and pad is the easiest, and you can put down a plastic shield for roller chairs near the desk. But if the concrete is and stays dry, laminate is fine, and wears better than most carpets, though it won't be as comfy.

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Ashburn, Va.: What is your opinion on radon. Is it a real problem? Is short term or long term exposure a problem. Also, are new homes less likely to have a problem since they are supposedly more airtight?

What is the best way to test for radon, are the 7 day tests from Home Depot accurate, or do you need a 3 or 6 month test?

Mike McClintock: It's a real problem, even though you don't hear much about it anymore, but i'd certainly test for it to see what's up. To do that, start with one of the quick kits; they're inexpensive so get a couple and puit one in the basement and one on the first floor- not buried in the sump pit or like that, but out in the room where people are.
If you get very elevated levels, then a longer test makes sense. And in very tight houses the problem is generall;y worse not better because radon seeps up from the soil under the house. When building, even on a site that tests high for radon, there are several ways to defeta the problem that don't add all that much to construction costs.

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Prince Frederick, Md.: Submitting early while I think of this project; I suffer from attention deficit, or actually "Too many interruptions."

The walls of the living room in my house are pine-paneled. I hate it. They were like that when I bought it but other features overruled this paneling; however, contractors who have done other work on my house think it's such a beautiful thing. They call it "heart of pine" paneling and think it's great. It's depressing; reminds me of those horrible paneled basements in blue-collar neighborhoods. What would be involved in painting the walls a shade of creamy ivory? Do they have to be sanded before painting, or should I just have them ripped out and replaced with new walls?

Mike McClintock: If the pine paneling were in the basement you might have shuffleboard laid out in the vinyl tiles, too. But if you don't like it you don't like it and instead of paint i would stain (it's wood) after cleaning and a light sanding, assuming it's not buried under massive layers of shellac. You might try a semi-transparent stain, like a wash, (and several tests on out of the way boards) until you get it right. But wood will look like wood, even with a heavy-poigment red or blue or whatever stain. It's a feature that many buyers would want.
Like your first sentence.

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Alexandria, Va.: Also a basement flooring question. What do you think of Marmoleum? I want to use the basement as a hobby and exercise room. Of course it's also where the laundry area is, and it's the de facto main entrance of the house, as it's attached to the garage so that's the door we use most often.

Mike McClintock: Never heard of the tradename, but reminds me of the old SNL routine when Ackroyd says, "kids, you're both right, it's a dessert topping and a floor wax."
Back to reality: if the concrete floor is dry you can lay anything you like: linoleum, cork, sheet vinyl, laminates, you name it.

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Arlington, Va.: We're redoing our kitchen and I see lot of ads with off white cabinets. Is this a trendy thing and if I were to think re-sale, it's not a good idea?

Mike McClintock: Anyone who would not buy your house because the cabninet color was not the right shade would be a dunce and not deserve your house anyway. Pick the color you like- and i think you're not too far out on the limb with off-white.

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Richmond, Va.: Is there any type of yearly or monthly maintenance that needs to be done on a hot water heater? I've been in my house for 9 years and haven't done a thing.

Mike McClintock: That's one of the reasons i like them instead of tankless; they just run and run. If you have hard water, grit in aerator screens, etc. you probably should flush the unit.

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Springfield, Va.: Dear Mike:

We are having a problem in our house with water pressure. Now with four women in a house, I know we're already pushing the limits with showers, washing machine, dishwasher... BUT we recently had some sprinkler guys out to fix the in-ground sprinkler system and even THEY said there's a problem. They thought, as my husband the contractor does, that something is wrong with the water meter or something in the ground, but I am told to get the water company to admit something is wrong at the water meter (or whatever it is)is like an act of God. Any suggestions for us? I'll write a letter but from what I am hearing, I'm going to hear "it's not us, it's you."
Thanks

Mike McClintock: If the problem is house-wide, every fixture same problem, it sort of has to be them, though in some cases the main feed line is yours. And it could be the meter, which can be checked and replaced and not a bad place to start. ASfraid that your expectations about the utilty response will probably proove correct, and you'll just have to gfight through the defenses.

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Rockville, Md.: Hi Mike,
We have a wood burning fireplace that was converted to a gas burning fireplace. Can we still burn wood in the fireplace? Thanks

Mike McClintock: Nope.

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Linthicum, Md.: Mike,
My husband and I have just moved into our first house. We have noticed that in the exhaust fan in the downstairs bathroom is like a direct hole to the outside, figurativly speaking of course. It constantly leaks in cold air. Is there some type of cover we can put over it to stop the air?

Mike McClintock: The idea is to have a cover that's spring-loaded, gentlyt. It stays closed until the fan creates enough pressure to raise the cover.

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Herndon, Va.: Hi. At what point should an asphalt driveway be resurfaced? What symptoms should trigger it? About how long should an asphalt driveway be able to go between resurfacing around here?

Mike McClintock: Already planning the warm-weather projects? That's organized. No way to say how long one will last as it depends on the installation, thickness, amount of sun, and a lot more. Remembering a DIY test, though, which i think is that you wait for a hot sunny day and simply turn a bucket of water over on the asphalt. If a lot of the water soaks in and leaves a l;arge damp spot, resurfacing is probably worthwhile. If most of the water runs off, evaporates without leaving a big dull spot, probably not.

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Falls Church, Va.: Hi Mike
Basement question: Do you recommed laying ceramic tile on linoleum squares? Or, should I scrap up the linoleum and lay the tile on the concrete slab?
Thanks

Mike McClintock: It would be better, of course, to install directly over sound concrete. But often the old tiles won't budge- and sometimes if they're old, they could be vinyl asbestops tile and you don't want to dislodge them.
So you could do it over a clean dry floor that's not cracking and lifting and all; just make sure the tile supplier knows and gives you a compatible adhesive.

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Henrico, Va.: What do you think of the companies that blow out or "clean" the a/c duct in homes? Does this service really do anything, particularly for cutting down on the amount of dust, or is this a service that makes people think they have a need for it (especially by showing those giant photos of dust mites)?

Mike McClintock: In most homes duct cleaning is never necessary. If you change filters a lot and always find them clooged to the teeth, then maybe. Why not remove a register or two, stick your arm down there(with a white glove or something like that) and see what you bring back.

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Bowie, Md.: Is there anything wrong with loading up my attic with insulation, as long as it's not heavy enough to collapse the drywall or trusses?

Mike McClintock: Sounds like you have trusses in a crawl space and see the drywall ceiling through the bottom cords, in which case "load up" in this area might be a foot but not much more of insulation, with something like an R-36 R-40 there are probably many other places to invest in saving energy and making the place more comfortable.

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Somewhere, Okla.: Re: tankless water heaters. I am considering one for the garage I am remodeling to live in, due to space limitations (approx. 350 sq. feet total living space). Running appliances while taking a shower will not be a problem, However, I do want to be sure that at least the shower will be hot. What do you think in this situation?

Mike McClintock: That's one of them where a tankless system is great. It's too far from the main heater to send hot water and expect it to arrive even tepid. So you send water, and then heat it on demand. Makes sense.

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Mike McClintock: So some guesses were partly right; maybe my made up duds were too real

HOME SENSE- NEW PRODUCT DUDS- QUESTION
A few new products at the recent Builder's show in Orlando seemed like obvious duds with major drawbacks that will stunt if not eliminate sales. Can you pick the two duds?

1. A new type of vinyl product, slightly rounded like a log, imprinted with not very convincing wood and bark grain, i.e. vinyl log siding.
2. A kitchen sink made of fiberglass-reinforced rubber so that dropped dishes won't break, even though the rubber surface is slippery.
3. A left-handed hammer the manufacturer says stops chronic joint and other ergonomic problems for lefties even though hammers have no "hand".
4. Electrified gutters that automatically heat up when the temperature drops below freezing, even though they may electrocute birds.
5. Wood-framed patio doors that fold back along the track accordion style, creating a wide opening even though that eliminates any possibility of screens.


HOME SENSE- NEW PRODUCT DUDS- ANSWER
Some company may dream up some or all of the fictitious duds above, but the real products that seemed destined for few if any sales were:

1. A new type of siding made of vinyl, slightly cupped like a log, imprinted with not very convincing wood and bark grain, i.e. vinyl log siding.
- Stranding next to the product samples I watched for a while as people stopped to look, shook their heads, rolled their eyes and walked on, overheard comments suggesting that the company had found a black hole between vinyl siding and real logs that was destined for disaster.

5. Wood-framed patio doors that fold back along the track accordion style, creating a wide opening but eliminating any possibility of screens.
- A lot of elegant woodwork and hardware went into this new and unusual configuration for exterior doors. But asked directly how you would screen the opening with panels folding along the centerline of the track, the company demonstrator said, "You wouldn't." So much for sales in markets with mosquitoes.

See you next time, or in Groucho's wonderfully oddball voice, "hello, I must be going"

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