Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosieโs radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
QUESTION: My tile roof has a series of vents that allow air to enter the attic of my house. But in the attic โ underneath the vents โ the insulation has been blown around because of the backdraft and now I wonder if I should respread the loose fill insulation.
ANSWER: Yes, you can spread it smoothly around again. Then use a ruler or tape measure to measure how high the loose fill is in various spots to ensure everything is evenly laid down. After the fill is leveled out, spread bird netting over the top of it to hold it in place. Itโs important to maintain your insulation because research indicates that disturbing as little as 5 percent of the attic insulation can reduce its efficiency by about 50 percent. Itโs possible that just going into the attic to install a sound system or new lighting can cause significant damage if youโre not careful. As you know, your attic is very hot at this time of year, so pick a cooler time of day for this project.
Q: You often tell people that they can install an evaporative cooler in their garage and then run a duct from the cooler up through the ceiling. But doesnโt an exhaust duct like that violate the one-hour fire code?
A: Itโs true that you must have a one-hour, fire-rated barrier all the way around the garage. That means that the wall between the garage and the house must withstand exposure to fire test conditions for an hour. The door leading from the garage to the interior of the house, for example, must be a one-hour, fire-rated door. But they do indeed make one-hour, fire-rated up-ducts as well.
However, unless your home is a two-story with dwelling space above the garage, most jurisdictions do not require the ceiling to be one-hour construction. To be sure you are in compliance, check with your local building department on their code.
Q: Iโm remodeling my home and Iโve been looking at different kinds of kitchen cabinets. Iโd like to know how ready-to-assemble cabinets compare well to custom-made cabinets because they cost so much less than custom.
A: Those cabinets you have to assemble are also often called knock-downs or KDs. Most of them are pretty flimsy compared to fully assembled cabinets. I do know some people who went that way years ago and now say the cabinets they assembled themselves donโt seem to hold up as well as solid box cabinets. But you can probably get a few years of wear out of ready-to-assemble cabinets.
Q: Weโre in the middle of a remodel that includes a major demolition. At the start of the demolition, workers uncovered air conditioning ductwork in a soffit that we wanted to get rid of. The contractor has suggested routing the duct up through the ceiling and out onto the roof. But it makes me nervous every time they talk about penetrating the roof. Do you have any suggestions?
A: Iโd suggest elevating the duct off the roof deck, spraying the underside with foam and encapsulating the entire duct with spray foam. On the hottest days, you may experience a little heat gain from the duct work. But that should work to protect your roof.
