QUESTION: Over the past year, our desert bungalow home has developed a “singing” pipes problem. It’s a very high-pitched noise that seems to happen randomly – not when the plumbing is in use. When it wakes me up at night, my first thought is that it must be the smoke alarm. Flushing the toilet takes care of the noise – not running the taps or shower. But we are wondering how best to resolve the issue.
ANSWER: While it’s hard to diagnose issues like yours without being there, I suspect that there is a failure in the float (fill) valve in the toilet, since you can flush to stop the noise. Sometimes even the tiniest leak will prevent the float valve from closing completely, thus causing a variety of sounds. Given the low cost of a replacement valve, change it out and see if that fixes the problem.
Q: Recently, we bought a three-bedroom ranch-style home that was built in the late 1970s. There is a 60-foot-long concrete slab along the back of the house that serves as a patio, but no roof covers the patio. Installing a metal patio cover seems like a good idea, but winds here can be very strong. Can wind blow out sections of the metal awning? And where would the awning attach to the overhanging roof? Could the wind blow across the awning and create a lifting effect that peels up the shingles?
A: A metal roof structure that is properly designed, engineered and installed by a qualified metal specialist can avoid many problems you mention. Their products are designed for appropriate wind uplift, are lightweight and very low in maintenance. Just be adamant that whoever you choose gets the proper permit from the city you live in. The plan submittals should have all the engineering calculations required by the city to ensure a safe and long-lasting structure.
Q: We are having our house repainted next month. One problem to cope with is the wood-paneled siding above our stucco walls. The seams between the panels are starting to separate. In the past you’ve advised me that elastomeric coating could seal it. But the painting company recommended putting boards — 3 or 4 inches wide — on top of the seams that they would then seal. Would that work? And what kind of boards would they be?
A: Typically, we use boards that are 1x2- or 1x3-S1S2E. That code stands for a board that is smooth on one side and two edges. Generally, the rough side is out, but the smooth side could be – whichever you prefer. The rough side generally blends better with the textured siding and holds the paint better than the smooth side. The boards are fastened with 8d galvanized nails. Each seam should be directly over a stud so the nails have plenty of backing to grab onto.
Q: I have a home that has metal post-tension cables that were laid in the concrete of the slab under the house when it was built. Now I want to drill into the garage floor to anchor something. But I don’t want to hit the cables. What’s the safest way to find the cables so that I don’t drill into them?
A: If you drill into one of those cables, it could cause a lot of problems throughout the house. You can hire a concrete scanning service to find them and do the drilling. If you are set on doing the job yourself, you can buy an electronic scanner to locate the cables for you.
