Low pH, copper pipes turning water blue
Q. The water that comes into our toilet is so blue. I have a well, and the water in my bathtub is also blue. It is so hard to clean. Can you tell me why we have such blue water? I have copper pipes. I will be so grateful for any help you can give me.
Ledgewood, N.J.
A. It sounds like you have acidic water with a very low pH. The water, which is generally green, is eating the copper pipes. If nothing is done about it, the copper pipes may eventually leak. You should have a water specialist test your water and recommend a treatment to bring the pH to a normal 7. If you don't, you may end up with a very expensive pipe replacement.
Q. I did not see this mentioned in your book: My house was built circa 1930, so the outside walls do not have any insulation. If I have a contractor blow cellulose into the walls from the outside, is a vapor barrier needed on the inside walls? I'm planning to have the vinyl siding replaced anyway; it seems to me that's the time to insulate. Most of the inside walls are plaster and lath.
I was wondering, if an inside vapor barrier is needed/recommended for fiberglass insulation, why not for cellulose? I found a cellulose insulation manufacturer's Web site where they said that they recommend against any inside vapor barrier because cellulose absorbs and releases moisture, whereas with fiberglass, the moisture condenses on the fibers and collects but does not get absorbed. This might be a timely column, since I understand that the tax credits for this type of activity will be available only if the work is done before Dec. 31, 2007.
Via e-mail
A. I don't know on which Web site you found that information, but it is not so. If you are reporting the information accurately, the Web site is wrong on several counts: One, a vapor retarder is definitely needed in residential housing in most areas of the country. Two, water does not condense on fiberglass; it condenses on the sheathing. It may adhere to the insulation's fibers through surface tension until such tension is overcome by the sheer weight of the water -- at which time the water drains down following the laminar structure of the fiberglass insulation (when installed vertically in walls).
After you have had the cellulose blown into the wall cavities, have 1-inch-thick extruded polystyrene rigid insulation (XPS) applied over the sheathing before putting on new vinyl siding. This is your last and best chance to reduce your energy consumption and increase your comfort, while taking advantage of the credits you refer to. The additional cost of the XPS will reduce the possibility of condensation on the walls, and you'll be paid back in energy savings if you stay in the house for several years.
Also, a vapor retarder is essential in residential housing, where moisture is generated by the occupants who live there day and night. Industrial and commercial buildings are an entirely different story, as they have a lesser moisture load and are not occupied during the night. In these buildings, a vapor retarder is not essential.
Provide the needed vapor retarder by caulking all joints between different materials (plaster/trim, etc.), using a paintable caulking compound such as polyurethane (now found at Home Depot), and apply a sealer such as B-I-N on the walls, followed by at least one coat of a vapor-retarder paint (a paint with a low-perm rating.) You will still have a problem around the old windows if they have not been replaced -- something you may want to seriously consider improving to increase your energy savings and comfort -- since they probably have weight pockets that are huge heat-leak channels.
Q. My wife-to-be and I are thinking about purchasing a new home. It is a frustrating process, and every time we find something we like, there is a hidden problem. Well, this one is the installation of a French drain. I don't quite understand the concept of a French drain. I was hoping to finish the basement in the house, but I'm not sure this can happen now. I was also wondering if this is an eyesore and detrimental to the value of the house.
Via e-mail
A. I am not sure what the problem is here. Is there a basement-water problem in the house? The best fix depends on the reason for the leakage. Is the leakage due to improper grading around the house? This is easily corrected in most cases -- if the problem is due to surface water -- by sloping the ground away from the foundation.
However, if the basement (or crawlspace) leakage is caused by an underground water source or water running down a hill, an intercepting trench -- be it a French drain or a curtain drain -- can solve the problem. Both types of drains are dug outside a structure to capture water that runs down a hill toward the building, whether from the surface or below it following a ledge -- or an underground water course.
The depth of the trench is determined by the depth of the underground water course -- if this is the reason for building the drain. The trench is filled with stones after a perforated drainpipe has been installed near the bottom and tied to a solid pipe that exits to lower ground. The difference between a French drain and a curtain drain is that a curtain drain is topped with soil and vegetation once the trench has been dug, the stones and drainpipe have been installed and everything has been covered with geotextile fabric. It is also advisable to create a swale on top of the curtain drain to catch any surface water and lead it safely around the building. In a French drain, stones completely fill the trench to the top so surface water can be captured quickly and disposed of through the drainpipe. There is no reason to fear that either of these drains will lower your property value. If done well, they are not unattractive.
Q. I have wood floors in my home. In the foyer near the front door, a part of the wood keeps coming up. I had two plumbers look at it, and they said that I did not have any leaks. I am on a concrete slab. The mechanic who put it down came three times to fix it but it still came up. Do you have any suggestions on what I could do with the floor?
Via e-mail
A. It sounds as if there is moisture coming through the slab, causing the back of the wood flooring to expand, resulting in the cupping of the floorboards. The moisture content of the slab and its porosity should have been checked by taping a piece of plastic to the slab. If beads of water form under the plastic after a day or two, wood floors should not be put down. It is virtually impossible to seal a concrete slab to prevent all moisture from migrating through the concrete if precautions were not taken before pouring the slab. These precautions are a washed stone base of at least 4 inches, covered with a 6-mil plastic vapor retarder over which 2-inch-thick extruded polystyrene rigid insulation (XPS) has been laid.
Q. I read your article recently in The Star Ledger and it prompted me to write. I live in central New Jersey and had a water problem in my basement. I had a waterproofing company install a system -- the type of system where they jackhammer out the concrete along the walls, pierce the foundation block to let the water out, create a pitched trench, use blue stone and perforated pipe to catch the water. Finally, they add a plastic sheet on the wall and fill the trench with concrete. The pitched trench leads to a sump pump in the corner, and the water is pumped to the outside.
The system works fine, and we have not had any water problems since. However, we do have something else, which I am not so sure is worth the trade-off. Frequently, since the system was put in, we see centipedes in the basement. And some of them make their way to my first-floor kitchen and occasionally to my second floor. These centipedes are extremely unnerving to me. They are about 2 inches, sometimes 3 inches in length, with a thick body and lots of legs and move quite rapidly. I feel very certain that they are coming from the earth of the sump pump, which has a cover, or perhaps up the wall of the trench behind the hard, plastic piece. We do have pets, which makes me hesitant about using an exterminator, although I'm not even sure that would help.
Please let me know your suggestion. These creatures have made living in my home much more unpleasant than the water in the basement, and I would rather have continued to bail water than this. By the way, the system was installed four years ago, and that was the beginning of the arrival of these creatures. Thank you for your help. -- East Brunswick, N.J.
A. Centipedes are fond of damp areas. It follows that when the plastic was applied to the walls, it created a damp environment between the plastic and the foundation. I have always questioned the use of lining foundation walls with plastic lining sheets for that very reason. It is fine to dig a trench in the concrete along the walls and install a drain leading to a sump pump, but why bother with the plastic? Although I always warn against waterproofing block walls, it is OK if there is a way for the blocks to drain, as they would with the system you had installed. Waterproofing the block walls would not have created the damp environment the plastic lining provides.
To control the centipedes, you have the choice of using residual sprays that should be applied by a pest-management professional who will know where it will be most effective or drying the basement by removing the plastic, something you may be reluctant to do, considering what you paid for it. Keep in mind that the best control for many predator insects is removing their food supply, found in damp environments.