General Homeowner Advice

General Homeowner
Advice – 7-2013
Paul Ellringer
Air Tamarack Inc.
www.airtamarack.com
651-696-0267
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General Information
 Electronic wiz bang air cleaners commonly advertised on TV
basically are junk and should never be used to clean air where
people are. These units give off ozone a very dangerous gas
that is a respiratory irritant, see next slide for information from
the MDH.
 The best type of filter for a home furnace is a fat pleated filter as
shown in Figure 1
 In houses with AC there is a cooling coil typically above the
furnace with a drainage system that can get plugged with debris
if not cleaned occasionally. Having access to clean this
drainage system is helpful, see Figure 2. Spraying an all
purpose cleaner in the drainage system on occasion will keep it
clean and functional.
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Figure 1A –
These furnaces need
to be modified to accept
a pleated filter that
is 4 inches deep and
has a filtration rating
of MERV 10 or
greater
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A 4 inch pleated filter is installed
where the metal elements were
Figure 1B –
These furnaces need
to be modified to accept
a pleated filter that
is 4 inches deep and
has a filtration rating
of MERV 10 or
greater
Metal element is removed
and recycled
A ½ inch thick foam needs
to be installed on the door
to make a tight fit
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Dey Distributing
651-647-0171
sells the
right angle Air
Bear Part
#447380-002,
these are made
by Trion
Figure 1C
Comfort Plus
Heating and Cooling
7050 20th Avenue S
Centerville, MN
55088
651-426-4233
Installs these units
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Dey Distributing 651647-0171 sells the
right angle Air Bear
Part #447380-002, these
are made by Trion
Figure 1D
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Figure 2 – showing exposed
A coil above a furnace
This A coil during the
cooling season drains water
into a drainage system
located below the coil – if
this drainage system gets
blocked water will drain into
the furnace, which can cause
damage
Furnace needs easy access
to this location – install
an easy to open access door
to allow inspection and
cleaning
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Have proper drainage around a house
 Open seams next to a house foundation is a
bad idea. Sealing these seams with a proper
sealant or a combination of vinyl cement and
a sealant can go a lone way to keep the
basement walls dry. A good option is shown
in Figure 3.
 Proper landscaping around a house is always
a good idea. Most critical area is the first five
feet from a house. Under ground drainage
systems work great, see Figure 4.
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Figure 3A - Polyurethane sealer (Vulkem 116)
used here between the sidewalk and the house
and between the sidewalk pieces is over 15
years old and holding very well – homeowner
previously had used silicone and acrylic latex
caulks that had only lasted one to two years.
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Figure 3B Installing a urethane sealer with a slope on
it is best to keep water away from the foundation wall
Vulkem 116 is a good product for this application - this
can also be used between concrete and asphalt.
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Figure 3C Installing a sloped area as shown here is excellent at keeping rain and snow
melt away from the foundation wall. We like to use vinyl cement or a combination of
vinyl cement and a urethane sealer to accomplish this. Vulkem 116 is a good product for
this application – this can also be used between concrete and asphalt.
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Figure 3D – If there is too big an opening installing a vinyl patch can work well. This
stoop is two inches away from the foundation. We used a vinyl patch to install a sloped
area to keep rain water away.
this is sloped away from the building
This patch is about 1 inch thick near the foundation and goes out about
8 inches – If cracks develop in the patch seal them with Vulkem 116 – no
cracks in first three years so far.
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Figure 3E – vinyl patch between concrete foundation and concrete stoop. This stoop
was separated from the foundation about two inches – We used a vinyl patch to install a
sloped area to keep rain water away from the structure
We used a diamond saw and made a ½ inch cut in the concrete block and in the
concrete stoop as shown – this gives the concrete patch something to hold on to – this
will crack – when this occurs seal the cracks with a
urethane sealer like Vulkem 116 – patches like this can last 20 years or more
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Here a swale was created between the two houses
with a slope towards the street
Figure 4A - Rain leaders are tied
into an underground drainage
system that drains the rain water
away from the houses/building
Figure 4B - Each downspout is loosely connected to an underground
drainage system – The initial elbow should be a minimum of 12 inches
high. The connection between the downspout and the underground
drainage system needs to be loose to allow for ice to form without
breaking anything.
12 inches high
The ground within five feet of the house/building must have a 10% slope
if possible, concrete like surfaces need a 2% slope – A 10% slope is a
drop of six inches at a distance of five feet. After five feet the slope can
drop to 3 to 5% . Swales or drainage ditches can be used to accomplish
this. Installing drain tile in the swale is also effective.
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Underground drain line and swale needs a 1 to 2% slope, a 1% slope is
a drop of 1 foot in a distance of 100 feet – underground drain line
should start out a minimum of 4 inches below grade – in this example a
single 4 inch drain line was used to drain 6 down spouts draining ½ of
each house or 1 entire house – this system has been in operation for
over 15 years with no problems
Figure 4C - Rain leaders are tied
into a drainage system that drains
the rain water away from the houses
No perorated pipe is used – all must
be smooth sewer type pipe
Here a swale was created between the two houses with a slope towards
the street – if drain tile is needed it can be added with a separate
perorated drain tile - blue line – rigid PVC is best for both lines
Figure 4D - Rain leaders are tied
into an underground drainage
system that drains the rain water
away from the houses/building
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Figure 4E – Try to keep the daylight part of the system away from
sidewalks to avoid ice on sidewalk. Keeping the drain five feet away
from the sidewalk helps in combination with a small slope on the
sidewalk and no grass dam on opposite side
slope away from
drain
Five feet away helps
Soil here is lower than
sidewalk
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drain holes on the sides
Figure 4F - Rigid 4 or 6 inch PVC, which is solid on the top and the
bottom with drain holes only on the two sides works best for drain tile This type of drain tile has a smooth surface that will not collect debris
readily and can be easily sloped to allow proper drainage – the black
corrugated drain tile commonly fills with debris and cannot be sloped
properly because the back fill will press down on parts of it – we have
dug up the black corrugated pipe and found areas where the back fill
pushed this pipe down 6 inches – under these conditions this pipe will
not drain properly – downspout should never drain into drain tile. 20
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Figure 4G – Creating a Swale Between Two Houses
Is an Excellent Idea to Promote Proper Drainage
Ground needs a 5-10% slope for the first 5-10 feet or a drop in
elevation of 6 inches – swale needs a 2-5% slope away from
the houses
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This does become a tripping hazard but the basement is less likely
to flood – take your pick
Figure 4H – floor drains with an elevated cap like this one will not plug
like a flat drain will – see Figure 4F
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Figure 4I – flat floor drain will plug with just a little debris and
then will not drain properly
plugged drain
This drain is poorly designed and will plug with just
a few leafs or other debris
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Rain
Rain finds
a way to
to get behind
the cladding/siding
thru open seams
and cracks in the
cladding/siding
The rain getting behind the cladding
is not a problem if the wall assembly
allows the rain to drain out of the
wall. Drainage out of the wall
primarily occurs at the tops of
windows and other penetration with
a drip cap or cap flashing and at the bottom of the wall
Figure 5A – Rain Control in a Properly Flashed Wall
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Rain finds
a way to
to get behind
the cladding
Rain
Sealant or caulk
above a flashing
will prevent
drainage and rain
water will pool
behind the caulk or
other blockage
in wall
The rain behind the cladding will pool
behind the caulk and leak around the
window and collect at the base of the
window and cause the wall sheathing
to get wet and if too much wetting
occurs the sheathing will rot and get
moldy – especially at the bottom of
the window and bottom of wall
Figure 5B – If Drainage Not Provided Moisture and Rotting Occurs
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Note: Cladding (siding etc.) is not water tight and wind driven
rain water gets behind the cladding - the main purpose of the
flashing is to allow drainage. Never caulk or seal the seam
between flashing and cladding because it prevents drainage
rain water
Water resistant barrier
Cladding
Wall stud
sheathing
No caulk above
drip edge or head
flashing of window
corrosion resistant flashing
above window – back leg
a minimum of 4 inches high
Caulk here
and here
Inside of window
Figure 5C – Flashing Above a Window
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Note:
warning
about caulk
Figure 5D
James
Hardie
installation
Instructions
Note that the
WRB is
not taped to
the flashing
Figure 1F showing caulked end dams on a head flashing
No caulk above head flashings
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Figure 1G – Showing a Continuous Cap Flashing over a
Multi mulled window assembly.
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Stuffing fibrous glass in a rim joist is a
bad idea
 Insulating the rim joist area of a house is a
good idea but insulating with fibrous glass at
this location is a bad idea see Figure 5A-F
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Mold
Figure 5A - Fibrous glass in the rim joist is always problematic
and encourages mold growth
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Figure 5B –
Never stuff fibrous
glass insulation in
a rim joist area
Mold
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Figure 5C – Closed cell urethane foam to a thickness
of 2 ½ inches (R-19) in the rim joist, can be left exposed
without a thermal barrier – 4 inches of pink or blue foam
could also be installed here
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Figure 5D – Closed cell urethane foam to a thickness of 2 ½ inches (R19) in the rim joist, can be left exposed without a thermal barrier – 4
inches of pink or blue foam could also be installed here – must be sealed
with caulk or foam to make an air barrier – discolored wood needs to be
coated with Zinsser Perma White or other mold resistant paint
acrylic latex caulk works best
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Figure 5E – Closed cell urethane foam to a thickness of 2 ½ inches (R19) in the rim joist, can be left exposed without a thermal barrier – 4
inches of pink or blue foam could also be installed here – must be sealed
with caulk or foam to make an air barrier – discolored wood needs to be
sealed with Zinsser Perma White or other mold resistant paint
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Figure 5F – spray foam works very well in the
basements of houses both in the rim joist and in
the walls – for basements close cell urethane
foam works best
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Installing a ceiling
fan in the bathroom
is an excellent way
of preventing mold
growth in the
bathroom
Painting the walls
with a Zinsser
mold resistant
coating like
Perma-white works
in a bathroom
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Figure 1M – discolored carpet and tack strips like this are
mold growth caused by water penetration – For small areas
like this remediation using a mold resistant paint can work.
Zinsser Perm-White bathroom paint works well
Mold growth
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Figure 2 M - Clearly replacing the carpet is always a good idea,
however with proper coating most of the mold can be remediated
without replacement of the carpet as shown below
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Figure 3 M – clearly at some point carpet
replacement is the only option
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Figure 4M Installing a landing near outside doors is always a good idea
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Figure 5A – discolored concrete related to surface water penetration
Clean this up and then put two coats of Zinsser oil based
mold resistant masonry paint on these two walls
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Figure 5B – Basement corner after coating with two
coats of Zinsser Water Tite Coating – this coating will
help prevent some surface water penetration of the wall
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References
 Building Science Corporation web site
www.buildingscience.com or 70 Main Street, Westford, MA
01886 Phone 978-589-5100
 Air Tamarack Corporation web site
www.airtamarack.com or phone 651-696-0267
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Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of
Warranty
 Air Tamarack has prepared this information for
professionals. The author of this article has used his
best efforts to provide accurate and authoritative
information in regard to the subject matter covered.
The author and Air Tamarack make no warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to the
information contained in this article.
 The information presented in this article must be
used with care by professionals who understand the
implications of what they are doing. If professional
advice or other expert assistance is required, the
services of a competent professional shall be sought.
The author and Air Tamarack shall not be liable in the
event of incidental or consequential damages in
connection with, or arising from, the use of the
information contained within this article.
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