July 3, 2021
Dear Ken: We have two big windows in a sunroom which gets quite hot, and we want to know what you think of window film? Does it last? Is it good for privacy?—Cheryl
It's mostly good for saving energy. It can help reflect heat inside in the winter, saving heating dollars—and back out in the summer, lowering your air conditioning costs. You can apply it yourself if you have a little help—and a lot of patience. The process is essentially like they do in an automobile: cut it to the approximate width, apply a soapy film to the window, slide it into place and finally, squeegee out the water.
There are indeed some privacy benefits with this stuff, but they aren't 100%. Although the reflected sunlight keeps folks from seeing inside in the daytime, at night, when you are backlit with interior lighting, you’ll be visible to outsiders.
This film is long-lasting, up to a point. Since it’s mostly installed on the south and west facing windows, it eventually breaks down. One other thing. Most window manufacturers won't honor their warranty on newer windows after you install the film. So, if that's your situation, check with the window company first.
Dear Ken: I have deep window wells and need to cover them. What type do you recommend?—Iris
Look for an adjustable style. They are typically high strength aluminum and have a clever arrangement of sliding, slat-like rails, so they can be adjusted to fit virtually any window well shape. Check your options at grate.com
Another idea is to have slat covers built out of ordinary redwood 2"x2" or
2"x4" boards. Alternatively, a good welding shop can fabricate steel grates out of expanded metal. In either case, it's important to create window well covers that can stand the weight of whoever is likely to stand on them—but light enough so occupants of the rooms below ground level can push them out of the way to escape.
If the intrusion of blowing snow and leaves is a concern, you could add those flimsy, plastic see-through dome coves if you'd like, but only after you've created a strong platform beneath!
Dear Ken: The previous owners put a skim coat of some sort on our patio, and it is now coming off in chunks. We would like something new on the patio. Any ideas? Do we need a jackhammer? I hope not.—Marge
When this material starts to slough off, it's fairly easy to complete the job. I'll bet a few well-placed blows with a small sledge hammer will finish it off. There are lots of choices for your patio. You could use natural flagstone, glued on with an appropriate mastic (avoid tile, since it is so slippery). How about using brick or manmade pavers? They can be installed without any glue or mortar and bedded with fine sand. It's really a great scheme in our climate, because they are free to move and shift in response to temperature and other stresses.
Dear Ken: How can I cover up woodpecker damage on my 5 year old cedar siding. I'm trying to sell the house and some of the siding looks terrible.—Larry
You can buy some of the same siding and use it to create "plugs" to hide the damage. Using a hole saw in the appropriate diameter driven by a handheld drill, cut the birds’ holes out and substitute a plug of the same size cut out of the new wood. Use a little wood glue (the brown stuff) to keep it in place. Once you apply a dab or two of stain to match the rest of the house, you'll have created a virtually invisible patch.
Do the best you can, but keep in mind that rough cedar siding is a natural, rustic-looking material, so a buyer won’t expect it to be blemish-free, as if it were, say, furniture.
Dear Ken: I have smoke alarm troubles. Suddenly it’s going off from the steam from the bathroom. I’ve exchanged the batteries to no avail. What can I do? — Richard
Have you tried swapping it with a different smoke detector from some other part of the house? That may help. Also, it’s a good idea to use some canned air—like you blow out a computer keyboard with—to gently propel the dust and cobwebs out of the detector itself.
Otherwise, it sounds like you need to vent the bathroom a little more. Be sure to use the bath fan while showering. That will not only keep alarming water vapor away from the smoke alarm, but it will also discourage mold and mildew formation in the shower/tub stall itself.
If all else fails, you’ll need to move the detector. It would be relatively easy for an electrician to pull a wire from its existing box to a spot farther down the hallway and away from the bathroom.
Dear Ken: There is a soft spot in the ceiling below the shower area. No water pipes are leaking. What next? — Del
Leaky showers require more detective work than just about any problem around the house. The most likely culprit is the shower head. Unscrew the pipe that disappears into the wall and add a generous layer of Teflon to the threads before reinserting it.
If the leak continues, let’s move on to the walls. Even the teeniest pinhole can let enough water into the wall cavity to cause a problem down below. I would re-grout the walls and re-caulk the right angles in the corners of the enclosure and the edges of the tile where it meets the shower base.
The drain may also need attention. Unscrew it can apply a generous dollop of silicone around the edges and then reinstall.
Finally, do you have a shower door? They can be the cheapest protection in these circumstances, particularly if teen agers are basking in those interminable showers they prefer.
If none of these approaches works, then you have a leak in the drain and waste pipes underneath the shower. A plumber will have to cut an access hole in the sheetrock to make the repair.
