June 7, 2010
Dear Ken: I have an unusual odor in my master bath area. I think I've checked everything, like the vents and the traps. It all seems OK. Any other ideas? Paul
The master bath shower drain may be the trouble--it fills up with hair and soap scum rather rapidly with two or more daily showers. The blockage then siphons water out of the trap, letting in sewer main gas. If you have a handheld nozzle, sometimes you can unclog the drain using the most powerful jet stream setting aimed directly into the drain. If that only gets you temporary relief, then once or twice a year you'll need to clean it out with a strong chemical. My preference is plumber's acid ( a form of sulfuric) that eats away at the clog in about ten minutes; invert an old plastic container over the hole, because the process smells really awful. Finally, rinse it for five minutes or so with cold water. Look for a product called Liquid Lightning, or go to one of the name brand hardware chain stores for their house brand.
Drano and other similar sodium hydroxide (lye) based drain cleaners react violently with acid, so never even think about using them in combination. In fact, if you do buy the acid, I would destroy the other products to avoid any accidental contact between them.
Finally, there are the so-called bio-active drain cleaners. They aren't quite as strong as the afore-mentioned chemicals and take longer to fester in the drain, but some folks prefer them for environmental reasons. If you're on a septic tank, they are preferable because they aren't as harsh as the strong formulations. Of course, always follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter.
Dear Ken: I have hail damage on my roof and neither the old nor my new insurance company will cover it (they say it was prior damage). Now what do I do? Steve
It depends on the terms of your policy. Perhaps you could go to arbitration. Also, consult with a wholesale roofing company to see if they have an expert that will give you an objective opinion. They even keep records of the dates that big storms hit a given neighborhood, and that can help you big time with your dispute. Finally, you could write to the state insurance commissioner for help.
This is a fairly common problem, especially when folks buy an existing home. Sometimes the prior owners got a settlement after a hail storm, and instead of getting a new roof, they spent the money on a trip or some other frivolity; or they might not have been aware of the damage and then changed insurance companies. This is where a good home inspector comes in. If they see damage during the home inspection, it gets written up as a possible insurance claim. It's important that the current insurance company then takes a look. If they question the home inspector's assertions, there's still time for them and the proposed new company to get together before the closing to iron it out. The important point here is that the new buyers not get told later on that they have "old" damage, and get then get paid a reduced settlement.
If there is any doubt about the condition of a roof on an older home, it's wise to keep the same company and agent that the sellers use, so there's no break in coverage.
Dear Ken: I'm thinking of installing either a crushed granite sidewalk or regular concrete. Any recommendations? Lawrence
The crushed granite may wash away over time, plus it can get pretty "mushy" when it's snowed upon. If concrete is too boring a look for you, you might think about pavers-whether natural material, like flagstone, or a pre-cast unit (my favorite). You prepare the surface by laying down a level bed of sand or crushed gravel, surrounded by some edging as a barrier to set the paver units against. Then sweep in fine sand as a grout to lock the whole thing together. This is a pretty labor-intensive project, but is an ideal one for us weekend warriors. In other words, it's hard to mess up.
