Hi Tom,
I have a question about insulating my basement walls. We have a 1930s
bungalow with a wet basement. We had a comany dig a trench around the
perimeter of the basement, install perforated drain pipe and gravel, and
re-cement over the trench leaving a 2 inch slit along the bottom of the
wall. The walls are crumbly on the surface and some of the water that
comes in runs down the walls into the slit above the drainage. I was
thinking about putting styrofoam panels on the walls to provide insulation
and further contain the water but allowing it to drain behind the styrofoam
and down into the slit. Because of the wet walls, I thought this might be
a better choice than putting fiberglass up.
What is your opinion on this? If you agree with the styrofoam, do you have
a suggestion on the best way to attach it?
Thanks!Jo Ann Higgins
Hi,
If you are considering installing foam on the inside, I suggest using spray
foam. It sticks to everything. It will also act as a water barrier that is
fairly effective.
Spray foam also helps hold the walls together.
Tom
Friday, June 27, 2008
Turning furnace on and off
Tom,
Thanks so much for your quick reply!
Is it safe to turn the furnace off and on this summer - only turning it
on when we actually need hot water?
Thanks again - love your column and your show!
Suzie
Hi,
If the boiler has a coil built into it, it is not wise to turn it on and
off.
If it has a separate tank, it is not necessary.
Ask your oil serviceman if you are not sure.
Tom
Thanks so much for your quick reply!
Is it safe to turn the furnace off and on this summer - only turning it
on when we actually need hot water?
Thanks again - love your column and your show!
Suzie
Hi,
If the boiler has a coil built into it, it is not wise to turn it on and
off.
If it has a separate tank, it is not necessary.
Ask your oil serviceman if you are not sure.
Tom
Insulating suspended ceilings
Dear Tom:
What is the best way to insulate suspended ceilings, and what kind of
material should I use? Can I insulate these ceiling without taking the
grid work down?
Thank you. Bob Tweedie
Hi Bob,
There is no simple way to do this. Ideally, spray foam on the original
ceiling is a good way to go.
You can try putting fiberglass batts up overhead. There will be voids,
which are not desirable, but it is better than nothing.
Use the batts that are in pieces instead of rolled batts.
Tom
What is the best way to insulate suspended ceilings, and what kind of
material should I use? Can I insulate these ceiling without taking the
grid work down?
Thank you. Bob Tweedie
Hi Bob,
There is no simple way to do this. Ideally, spray foam on the original
ceiling is a good way to go.
You can try putting fiberglass batts up overhead. There will be voids,
which are not desirable, but it is better than nothing.
Use the batts that are in pieces instead of rolled batts.
Tom
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Comparing oil company prices
Dear Tom,
I wish the BDN would publish a price comparison between fuel oil
companies in the Eastern Maine area. Gasoline is easy to shop by just
driving down the street and observing the signs. Fuel oil & propane prices
however are only available by calling the respective companies. I think it
would be a real service to readers for the NEWS to publish this information
especially during these high priced times. I would like to see the pre-buy
price and the cash price featured. Thank you for your consideration.
Jim
Cochrane Ellsworth
Hi Jim,
The dilemma is that oil prices are changing daily, as are gas prices.
Check out www.maineoil.com.
It is usually up to date.
Tom
I wish the BDN would publish a price comparison between fuel oil
companies in the Eastern Maine area. Gasoline is easy to shop by just
driving down the street and observing the signs. Fuel oil & propane prices
however are only available by calling the respective companies. I think it
would be a real service to readers for the NEWS to publish this information
especially during these high priced times. I would like to see the pre-buy
price and the cash price featured. Thank you for your consideration.
Jim
Cochrane Ellsworth
Hi Jim,
The dilemma is that oil prices are changing daily, as are gas prices.
Check out www.maineoil.com.
It is usually up to date.
Tom
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hot air solar panels
Hi Tom..
I have a 2000 SF retail space with approximately 50 linear feet
of southern exposure that I would like to supplement my existing heat with
hot air solar panels. I have been looking for info online but everything I
come across is either for hot water or electricity. What are your feelings on this.
Thanks, Jack
Hi Jack,
Check out the website: www.builditsolar.com
It is an affordable project if you have the place for the collectors.
Tom
I have a 2000 SF retail space with approximately 50 linear feet
of southern exposure that I would like to supplement my existing heat with
hot air solar panels. I have been looking for info online but everything I
come across is either for hot water or electricity. What are your feelings on this.
Thanks, Jack
Hi Jack,
Check out the website: www.builditsolar.com
It is an affordable project if you have the place for the collectors.
Tom
Cellar insulation
Dear Mr. Gocze,
I believe that I may have missed the article that you suggested you were going to write regarding insulating basements without causing an issue with mold and mildew. We insulated one area of our basement last year with 3" aluminum coated styrofoam insulation. We also taped all of the seams with aluminum tape. Since this area is a
storage area, we have not had it finished with sheet rock. In addition, we insulated the sill with paper-backed fiberglass insulation, then applied the same styrofoam insulation that was used to cover the walls and taped
the seam where it joined. We are concerned already that we may have issues with mold and mildew! Could the way that we insulated this area have created a problem? Your comments would be greatly appreciated before we
continue to insulate the rest of the basement.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Lisa Colburn
Hi,
Do you smell mildew? If not, probably you are on the right track. The material you used is unlikely to cause an issue. This is the time that you might have a problem given the humidity in the summer. The foam should be right up against the wall, leaving no space for humid air to get up to it. Spray foam is the ideal material for this application, but other materials can work well, if you can seal off the masonry surfaces.
Tom
I believe that I may have missed the article that you suggested you were going to write regarding insulating basements without causing an issue with mold and mildew. We insulated one area of our basement last year with 3" aluminum coated styrofoam insulation. We also taped all of the seams with aluminum tape. Since this area is a
storage area, we have not had it finished with sheet rock. In addition, we insulated the sill with paper-backed fiberglass insulation, then applied the same styrofoam insulation that was used to cover the walls and taped
the seam where it joined. We are concerned already that we may have issues with mold and mildew! Could the way that we insulated this area have created a problem? Your comments would be greatly appreciated before we
continue to insulate the rest of the basement.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Lisa Colburn
Hi,
Do you smell mildew? If not, probably you are on the right track. The material you used is unlikely to cause an issue. This is the time that you might have a problem given the humidity in the summer. The foam should be right up against the wall, leaving no space for humid air to get up to it. Spray foam is the ideal material for this application, but other materials can work well, if you can seal off the masonry surfaces.
Tom
Electric water heater
Hi Tom,
We have oil furnace with Boilermate - 2 adults (2 showers daily/laundry and
dishwasher once/ week). Is a tankless electric water heater our best bet?
Can the furnace be completely shut off for the summer without any damage?
If electric is the way to go, can the furnace be turned on and off in the
winter as well?
Thanks for the help, Suzie
Hi,
You might do better with an electric tank water heater. If it is insulated
with several inches of foam, it will do a decent job. The standby loss is
minimal. A tankless electric water heater is less likely to perform to your
expectations and requires a sizable electric service.
The cost of electric is close enough to oil that it might be cheaper to use
the electric full time!
Tom
We have oil furnace with Boilermate - 2 adults (2 showers daily/laundry and
dishwasher once/ week). Is a tankless electric water heater our best bet?
Can the furnace be completely shut off for the summer without any damage?
If electric is the way to go, can the furnace be turned on and off in the
winter as well?
Thanks for the help, Suzie
Hi,
You might do better with an electric tank water heater. If it is insulated
with several inches of foam, it will do a decent job. The standby loss is
minimal. A tankless electric water heater is less likely to perform to your
expectations and requires a sizable electric service.
The cost of electric is close enough to oil that it might be cheaper to use
the electric full time!
Tom
Radio show
Dear Tom:
I especially enjoy your section in Bangor Daily News online edition, which I
read every day.
Some of your articles refer to your radio show, which I cannot listen to
because I am currently located too far away, in New York City (but will be
moving to Maine soon).
Is there an website through which I can listed to your radio show online?
Thank you.
Bill
Hi Bill,
It is not presently available online. Hope to change that soon.
The station I am on is being sold and I will be lobbying for that.
In the meantime, there are some videos on the BDN website.
Thanks for your kind thoughts,
Tom
I especially enjoy your section in Bangor Daily News online edition, which I
read every day.
Some of your articles refer to your radio show, which I cannot listen to
because I am currently located too far away, in New York City (but will be
moving to Maine soon).
Is there an website through which I can listed to your radio show online?
Thank you.
Bill
Hi Bill,
It is not presently available online. Hope to change that soon.
The station I am on is being sold and I will be lobbying for that.
In the meantime, there are some videos on the BDN website.
Thanks for your kind thoughts,
Tom
Spray foam
Hey Tom,
Dan Frazell here again. In taking your advice I got an estimate for
some spray foam for my home. The company is Advanced Spray Foam out of
Clinton. Has some pretty solid testimonials on the website from all
over Maine. He has given me a quote of doing 3" of 1.7-1.9 ridged foam
in the attic and 2" of same in the basement walls and the crawl spaces
of my home. My question is, does that seem like the right amount depth
wise? I know nothing about this stuff and his estimate is not cheap
but this does seem like a practical way to go with this old of a home.
Thanks for the time,
Dan
Hi Dan,
I think the attic is a little low, unless the 3" is supplementing some
other insulation that is already there.
The 2" in the basement is great.
If you have a flat ceiling in the attic, you might consider 16" of
cellulose in the attic.
We are going for at least R-40. 3 inches of foam is about R-22.
Tom
Dan Frazell here again. In taking your advice I got an estimate for
some spray foam for my home. The company is Advanced Spray Foam out of
Clinton. Has some pretty solid testimonials on the website from all
over Maine. He has given me a quote of doing 3" of 1.7-1.9 ridged foam
in the attic and 2" of same in the basement walls and the crawl spaces
of my home. My question is, does that seem like the right amount depth
wise? I know nothing about this stuff and his estimate is not cheap
but this does seem like a practical way to go with this old of a home.
Thanks for the time,
Dan
Hi Dan,
I think the attic is a little low, unless the 3" is supplementing some
other insulation that is already there.
The 2" in the basement is great.
If you have a flat ceiling in the attic, you might consider 16" of
cellulose in the attic.
We are going for at least R-40. 3 inches of foam is about R-22.
Tom
Geothermal energy as a heat source
Tom,
Several years ago before building a house on MDI, I suggested using
geothermal energy as a heat source. The builder rejected my idea because of the island being granite. Was he correct?
Ted
Hi Ted,
No. If you were using wells as a source, there is no problem.
If you were trying to bury coils, there might be an issue, but I would
assume there could be enough soil on a given site to bury a loop.
Tom
Tom
A lot of TNTing was done to make room for the basement and then
backfilled the area around it. What minimum depth is necessary for the
coils: 6 ft, 7 ft, 8 ft to still do an effecient job?
Also, what would be an est. cost for installing a geo-unit to replace just
our oil furnace ?
Ted
Hi Ted,
I would expect a ground coupled unit would cost about $15-20,000.
I am not sure how deep it should be, since I am sure there are variables of
the ground water, soils and the heat load of the building.
Generally, I think deeper is better (and more expensive!!).
Tom
Several years ago before building a house on MDI, I suggested using
geothermal energy as a heat source. The builder rejected my idea because of the island being granite. Was he correct?
Ted
Hi Ted,
No. If you were using wells as a source, there is no problem.
If you were trying to bury coils, there might be an issue, but I would
assume there could be enough soil on a given site to bury a loop.
Tom
Tom
A lot of TNTing was done to make room for the basement and then
backfilled the area around it. What minimum depth is necessary for the
coils: 6 ft, 7 ft, 8 ft to still do an effecient job?
Also, what would be an est. cost for installing a geo-unit to replace just
our oil furnace ?
Ted
Hi Ted,
I would expect a ground coupled unit would cost about $15-20,000.
I am not sure how deep it should be, since I am sure there are variables of
the ground water, soils and the heat load of the building.
Generally, I think deeper is better (and more expensive!!).
Tom
Friday, June 20, 2008
Outside wood boiler
Tom,
I intend to expand my wood burning from a Regency wood stove in my
cellar to an outside wood boiler. It's my intention to heat my home(3000
sq ft) with this boiler. I cut my wood on family property so, wood is
free. I would like to put in a boiler that's not going to smoke up the
neighbor hood. My neighbors are within 100' of me but, they are
seasonal. I do not intend to burn the summer months. Do you have a
recommendation on an outside boiler that will burn clean and
efficiently. My wood will be dry seasoned wood. My boiler will be kept
in a wood shed with a chimney 20' high. Any information would be a big
help. Thank you for your time.
Bob Peasley-Otis, Maine.
Hi Bob,
Good question! Many of the original outdoor wood boilers tend to shutdown
and become rather smoky once the
system is up to temperature. One of the selling points of the outdoor
boiler is that they can hold a lot of wood. This
big capacity means that when they try to turndown once the house is up to
temperature, they get smoky.
A gasifier design might help, but a better solution might be to install a
storage tank in your basement to allow the
unit to fire out straight and dump all the heat into the tank for later use.
At any rate, check references of people who have used a unit for at least a
full year.
You can properly operate a unit without storage once you get a feel for
your home's heat load and how the boiler
works. There is a little bit of wood burning art here! And it will be a lot
easier to solve this problem in the dead of
winter!
Tom
I intend to expand my wood burning from a Regency wood stove in my
cellar to an outside wood boiler. It's my intention to heat my home(3000
sq ft) with this boiler. I cut my wood on family property so, wood is
free. I would like to put in a boiler that's not going to smoke up the
neighbor hood. My neighbors are within 100' of me but, they are
seasonal. I do not intend to burn the summer months. Do you have a
recommendation on an outside boiler that will burn clean and
efficiently. My wood will be dry seasoned wood. My boiler will be kept
in a wood shed with a chimney 20' high. Any information would be a big
help. Thank you for your time.
Bob Peasley-Otis, Maine.
Hi Bob,
Good question! Many of the original outdoor wood boilers tend to shutdown
and become rather smoky once the
system is up to temperature. One of the selling points of the outdoor
boiler is that they can hold a lot of wood. This
big capacity means that when they try to turndown once the house is up to
temperature, they get smoky.
A gasifier design might help, but a better solution might be to install a
storage tank in your basement to allow the
unit to fire out straight and dump all the heat into the tank for later use.
At any rate, check references of people who have used a unit for at least a
full year.
You can properly operate a unit without storage once you get a feel for
your home's heat load and how the boiler
works. There is a little bit of wood burning art here! And it will be a lot
easier to solve this problem in the dead of
winter!
Tom
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Back to you on mold
Hi, Tom,
It appears that the blackened parts of inside plywood sheathing is "mold" Called the insulation contractor and put blown in insulation on hold. I have someone from Servpro coming tomorrow(Tuesday) to tell me what is involved. Unfortunately all of the homeowner's insurance policies in the last two years have excluded mold, etc from full cover rage. Now one is only covered for a lifetime coverage of only $5 ,000 - less your deductible. Apparently this problem is going to get much worse and the insurance folks know it. There is no smell in the attic which indicates that the mold is dormant???? Suggestions please
Bob
Hi Bob,
I would not be too concerned. It doesn't sound that bad.You can apply a product called Moldex which is available at Rhoades Building Products in East Holden. It is safe, not real expensive and goes on with a garden pump sprayer.
Tom
It appears that the blackened parts of inside plywood sheathing is "mold" Called the insulation contractor and put blown in insulation on hold. I have someone from Servpro coming tomorrow(Tuesday) to tell me what is involved. Unfortunately all of the homeowner's insurance policies in the last two years have excluded mold, etc from full cover rage. Now one is only covered for a lifetime coverage of only $5 ,000 - less your deductible. Apparently this problem is going to get much worse and the insurance folks know it. There is no smell in the attic which indicates that the mold is dormant???? Suggestions please
Bob
Hi Bob,
I would not be too concerned. It doesn't sound that bad.You can apply a product called Moldex which is available at Rhoades Building Products in East Holden. It is safe, not real expensive and goes on with a garden pump sprayer.
Tom
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