May 31, 2010

      Dear Ken: Our rear fence blew over, and I noticed a great deal of erosion between me and my neighbor's house. What can I do? Will it be expensive? Janette
      I hope you and your neighbors are good friends. If this erosion is pretty much right on the property line, you could split the cost of a retaining wall with them. Instead of poured concrete, we now use those precast, lightweight concrete blocks. They are relatively cheap, and the wall goes up quickly because there's no mortar between the joints. That's why many homeowners treat this as a DIY project.
      Unfortunately, you may bear the lion's share of this from a liability standpoint. Most laws governing drainage allow you to pass water downhill to the neighbors' lot-following what's called the "historic flow". But you can't pass mud and other debris. If it goes on long enough, you may be responsible for the cleanup and for repairing damage to their landscaping. Hopefully, this won't even come up during the discussions between you two. But, if it does, you should contact a lawyer to protect yourself.

      Dear Ken: When you were talking about rusty window wells, you mentioned a rust combing primer. Can you elaborate? Thanks, Sam
      There are lots of these products around, and they're generally available at the name brand paint stores. One brand to consider is Rust-Oleum. They have been formulating paints for metal applications since the 1920's. Look for a product called Rusty Metal Primer Spray; it combines with the iron oxide to form a new primed surface for whichever topcoat you choose.

      Dear Ken: How safe is this new plastic pipe from bursting. I'm in a new home, and the pipes froze. The builder won't do anything. Will the plumbing be OK? Bill
There's no doubt that the PEX plastic water pipe is more freeze-proof than copper. When water freezes it expands about 9% by volume. Flexible plastic pipe can absorb this better than copper-but only up to a point.      You were lucky this past winter that one of the connection joints didn't come apart.
Builders are responsible for both installing and insulating pipes so they won't freeze during our long winters. Just because it's "up to Code" doesn't let them off the hook in my opinion. Perhaps someone left out a piece of insulation, or maybe one of the wall cavities isn't sealed, so the heavy cold air sinks into it from the attic.      In any event, the builder should come back and fix the problem. Sometimes it's possible to bleed a little heat into the area from a furnace duct. Also, cutting a hole and adding a small grille in just the right spot will let a little warm room air waft into the space to protect the pipes. Whatever. But you need to address this before cold weather comes back, because the plastic piping can stand only so much.

      Dear Ken: I have a 1960's home with double hung windows-both storm and regular-that are hard to open. Please help. Dave
      Lubrication is the key here. I would avoid WD-40 and similar products. Try silicone wipes. Why not spray? The wipes put the lubricant just where you want it-whereas the aerosol will side spray droplets all over the glass and wood casing. Rub them along the side jambs-probably over several days to free up the sash.
Regrettably, this problem sometime reflects gradual structural movement in an old house. If that's the case, you can plane the edges of wood windows for a better fit. If your windows are metal, you may have to pull off the outside wood trim and then reset the nails in the metal frames to relieve the stress.