Lifestyles

Q: Our cedar house is about 40 years old, and it needs to be stained and have some caulking done. We do not know what the other people used, and we need your help on what black stain and caulk to use. Is there a certain time of year we should be doing this? Being green homeowners, your column is like a bible to us. — via e-mail

A: A black stain is unusual. Could it be a dark hue instead? If the existing finish is quite old and is truly a stain, as opposed to a paint, which would prevent absorption of a new stain, you can pressure-wash the walls carefully, let them dry and use a dark stain of your choice. My favorite product for cedar or pressure-treated decks, cedar roofs and walls is Amteco TWP. Its 1500 Series offers two dark stains -- a dark oak and black walnut. You can look at the entire line at www.amteco.com, and select the product that will be best for your house. You can also contact the company for advice if you have difficulty making the right choice. A well-stocked paint store also may have what you want.

The caulking I recommend above all others is polyurethane. You can order Sikaflex-1a, my favorite, from A.H. Harris (www.ahharris.com) or find another brand at Home Depot or Lowe's.

Proper grading key

Q: Our hillside ranch house experiences water seepage almost every spring when the ground begins to thaw. My husband installed a below-grade sump pump inside and outside the house. Last year and the year before, we didn't have any moisture in the basement, but this year, some water seeped into one corner of the basement. We want to solve the problem once and for all, but don't know whom to call. The companies (like Servpro) that get the water out don't instruct you on how to keep the water from coming in.

Is there an engineering firm that specializes in this? Is a curtain drain the answer? I have read that proper landscaping for drainage solves 90 percent of the problems, but who can advise us accurately? Thank you. — South Burlington, Vt.

A: Proper grading and landscaping can cure 99-plus percent of basement and crawlspace water problems. In my experience, the few not solved by repairs to grading were due to underground springs or watercourses swelled by heavy rains. Having the grade and all appendages checked is the first thing to do.

If no deficiencies are found, you may need to have some interior work done because the sump pumps didn't completely solve the problem. There are several ways to do this, but it depends on the severity of the problem, which no longer seems to be so serious. Before getting involved with a waterproofing contractor (who will try to sell you expensive remedies), you can have the house checked by a professional engineer experienced with these problems. A curtain drain or a French drain can be the answer if there is a hill behind your house and the cause of the problem is a below-grade watercourse or surface water that cannot be controlled any other way. A curtain drain is covered with soil, which can be finished as a swale to direct surface water away, while a French drain is also filled with stones but is kept open at the top to catch surface water and dispose of it through its underground pipe.

Get wiring checked

Q: I live in a house that is 10 years old. This winter, I noticed a small amount of water dripping from a smoke detector installed on the ceiling of the second floor. I had a roofer inspect the attic space above the smoke detector, and he found no evidence of any leaks in the roof. We suspect that something is causing condensation to build up in the electrical conduit. There seems to be a good amount of insulation in the attic covering the conduit. I read online about a product called Duct Seal that I could use to somewhat plug the opening so that warm air does not get into the conduit. Is this a safe thing to do?

Should I have an electrician check it out, or is the Duct Seal something I should try? Or should I have someone come out to make sure that my attic space is properly insulated and vented? We have ceiling fans in all of the second-floor rooms, and while there has not been any water dripping from those, I wonder if condensation could be building up in those conduits and what damage might result. — Chicago

A: I would not recommend sealing any part of the smoke detector, if that is what you are asking. Normally, the smoke detector would be wired without the need for a conduit, so I am wondering why there should be one. Or to what other openings are you referring?

You should have an electrician check the wiring to make sure that no part of it is exposed to the cold air in the attic. It sounds as if there is a way for cold air to get to the smoke detector, either through its wiring or directly, because there is a break in the insulation above it, causing condensation, which might damage the detector and render it useless.

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