Home Maintenance Questions and Answers - Recent questions and answers in Interior Walls

follow up/answer to question from admin....

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:28:18 +0000

I have a gas furnace & it was purchased just before I bought the house (November 2006)...so just about 6.5yrs old. Thanks much, Carrie

Answered: floor in master bedroom slopes toward center -- should I walk?

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Hi Joel,

Some sagging of the floors, especially in older buildings, is normal / natural and caused by slightly different ratio of settlement of the house’s exterior walls foundation and whatever is supporting the bearing walls inside the house. Sometimes the problem starts at the lowest level where the main beam support (columns, wall) get somehow compromised by rot, wood boring insects, lack of proper footing, unintentional (or intentional) removal, or anything else.

Sometimes the lowest section stays intact and the middle floor (like in your case) gets remodeled and the extension of the lowest level bearing wall disappears. This process, if performed properly, can even improve the floor / ceiling surface level in older structures. However, I’ve seen it done without any concern about the structure, just for aesthetic reasons, which in some cases can be dangerous.

If the original second floor frame was constructed with the bearing wall underneath being its major component, removing that component without completely rebuilding the frame or reinforcing it could result in a disaster. The roof structure may have been also supported by this removed wall.

Since the floor surface is sagging the chances are that whatever was done on that middle floor can further compromise the integrity of the structure. There are some basic things that can be done without removing the plaster or drywall to assess this situation.

If it’s possible to determine the dimensions of the floor framing members, you can guess what kind of weight they are able to support. This can be usually done in the staircase ceiling cutout area. For example, if the ceiling to floor thickness is around 10” and you deduct about 2” for the plaster and floor sheathing, you’ll end-up with 2”x 8” floor joists. The next step would be to determine their direction and span of supporting walls.

Unfortunately without somehow looking inside the ceiling you won’t be able to find out if the floor / ceiling joists are solid – single length pieces or they’ve been assembled from shorter sections jointed together on top of that missing wall.

As far as hiring a home inspector; look around for one that is also a certified structural engineer (if everything else looks fine inside the house) even if it’s slightly more expensive. A general home inspector without extensive structural knowledge will most likely recommend hiring a structural engineer anyway.

Please let me know if you have more questions.

Answered: Wall board around new window is wet and stains on curtain, GFI breaker keeps going out on same wall.

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:27:24 +0000

Hi Floridahelp,

I'm not sure what is your question... You stated the facts and didn't ask about anything. If the wall is wet after all those repairs, there is obviously some source of water / moisture which is penetrating it (plumbing issue, sprinkler system outside, rain water, etc.). I can't see it and based on your description there's not much else I can tell you...

Answered: ghosting on the ceiling,air fliter black,windows and floors black

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:54:26 +0000

Hi John,

There might be several reasons but without having any information about your location / surrounding area, house structure, mechanical systems, their age, occupant’s behaviors etc., I can’t really tell you much.

Go over my post: http://www.checkthishouse.com/2432/ghost-marks-and-soot-deposits-on-house-walls.html

and previous Q&A in Interior Walls Category: http://www.checkthishouse.com/qa/questions/interior-walls and start investigating.

Answered: Why is the main floor of my house covered in soot?

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:31:50 +0000

Hi there,

I'm not sure ... could you tell me:

what's underneath the floor (basement, crawlspace, concrete slab), if basement or crawlspace - do they have finished ceiling, if crawlspace - does it have a finished floor?
what's on the floor (carpeting, hardood, tile)?
did anyone checked fireplace chimney?
was the chimney recently cleaned?
is there a functional damper in the fireplace chimney?
is the soot something recent, maybe associated with some changes inside your home... remodeling?
how are your appliances vented, how many chimney's / flues there are?
oil or gas burning appliances, where are they located?
are you absolutely sure this is soot, is it only visible on the floor surface / nothing on walls or ceiling.

Please explain in as much detail as you can, just click "comment" below

Answered: How do I know if ceiling stains are from candle soot or mold?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:45:06 +0000

Hi Elandw

If it’s not obvious (no condensation visible on the surface) you’d need moisture detector to measure moisture presence inside the wall. You may be able to find an inexpensive one (analog type) in a local hardware store, just type “moisture meter” or “moisture detector” in Google search box.

Those stains might be related to an inadequate insulation inside the wall and above the apartment’s ceiling. Digital thermometer would help you determine that just like you can see on a picture in my article – Stains on walls.

This article also explains how those stains are generated and if they might be related to mold. However, the only way to be 100% sure that something is or is not mold (and what kind if it is) is to perform laboratory tests of the surface material picked from an area in question.

Let me know if you have more questions, just click “comment” below.

Answered: We have dark marks on EVERY wall of our townhouse!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:58:33 +0000

Jenny,

Generally Black marks as you described are sometimes caused by improper insulation, the result is air movement behind the walls, and eventually manifests as black streaks or marks on walls and cielings, and yes soot from fireplaces, smoking, candles and gas heating elements will be drawn to these areas and provide those telltale marks.

Answered: brown? not black soot on walls and ceiling

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:51:13 +0000

Hello,

I’m referring to black because it is black or some shades of it all the way to light gray. Brown isn’t typical or at least I’ve never seen it, so there has to be some source of that “pigment”.

With this new high efficiency furnace installed a few years ago there are a couple of things that might be responsible for your brownish staining on walls.

If you have an old air conditioning coil still attached to this newer furnace; there might be deteriorating coil compartment insulation that is being slowly released into the air and resulting in discoloration of interior wall surfaces. I doubt it…
Lining of the air ducts or air ducts material itself. I don’t know how old is your house, its HVAC air ducts, and how were they designed. I’ve seen many older homes with wall and floor framing used as an air duct (supply and return).

Sometimes asbestos based brownish color cardboard or some kind of a paneling board (1/8” – ¼” thickness) was used as a liner or to create an air duct; for example by closing the bottom of the space created by two floor joists and the floor decking on top. I hope asbestos is not your case.
Crawlspace air intake or disconnected air duct in an unfinished crawlspace... with maybe something like a clay floor. If you have an unfinished crawlspace and air ducts running through that area, they might be picking up dust (especially if a return duct is open / separated in there) and blowing it through the registers.

Can you see discoloration, powdery substance on the registers and air filters??? When you rub that discolored wall area with your fingertips, does it feel like a powder and stains your fingertips?
Same as number 3 but with the ducts running through the attic and sucking in some brownish insulation dust.
Exterior air intake. Some forced air HVAC systems are designed with an exterior air intake which should be controlled by a damper. They are designed to improve ventilation in air tight homes, increase air exchanges, and minimize the possibility of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. If there is such system installed in your home there would be a question of pollution in that particular area.
Smoking is still one of the possibilities, even if there were no prior issues with it. It might be responsible for staining because of a different paint used on surfaces (one that reacts with smoke). Or maybe your previous homes had better insulation installed inside exterior walls / on top of the ceiling and staining wasn’t that obvious.

However, i believe that you would have to be a heavy smoker to cause noticeable discoloration / staining of the interior surfaces. With forced air systems it doesn’t really matter where you smoke because the air is constantly circulating.

You can start investigating by installing some white color air filter. If the filter turns brownish after a couple of weeks there must be something that causes discoloration inside the house or between the air intake and the filter. Can’t say much more about it because I don’t know your HVAC system’s configuration (where is the filter located, returns, etc.).

If there’s no discoloration on the filer, try to put facial tissues under the air supplying registers, and monitor their color… plus all the other stuff from 1 to 6. If you can somehow collect this brownish substance (stained tissue, filter, or swabs from the wall surface) you might have it lab tested to determine what's in it.

Let me know if this helped at all. Just click on “comments” below

Answered: Stains on walls after hurricane

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:08:56 +0000

Hi Melissa,

In some cases, as it might be in this one, answering the question without actually “touching” the problem and digging around the possibilities… may not be possible. As you already know from my article (stains on walls), there are several conditions that might be responsible for those dark stains.

If this house is only 16 years old, the furnace (if it is forced air) should not be an issue but I’ve seen some of them 15 years old, with cracked heat exchanger causing wall / ceiling stains and dumping soot onto the carpeting (you’d need a professional to check all of the fuel burning appliances, preferably nobody associated with the Realtor). If you’re positive that those dark stains have appeared (or their amount increased) everywhere after the hurricane, the chances are that they are mold related. There might be flooded crawlspace underneath the house (or just wet), high water table around and under the house that increases moisture level and causes mold growth, leaking wall finish, etc.

So, since the general home inspection is only a “visual” procedure (according to standards of practice, the inspector has no obligation to lift the siding to check for water damage, attempt to check wall interior for insulation, mold, etc., enter the attic if he feels that it might not be safe or could cause some damage, and so forth. He can but he is not obligated to do it. So, you need an experienced home inspector that is working for you / not for the agent, and will find the reason for those stains / not just state that there are stains.

It’s your money and I wouldn’t worry about the agent. I lost many of them while doing home inspections because they thought I should be obligated to perform inspection in such way that it guarantees successful deal. I can call you but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tell you much more from Illinois. You just need a pair of experienced eyes.
Let me know,
Darek

Answered: How to prevent and remove stains on walls?

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:03:48 +0000

Hello Carrie,
Could you tell me what type of a heating system you have (forced air, hot water radiators / steam, electric, gas, oil, etc.) and how old is it?
Thanks

Answered: Get rid of soot by repainting the room with staiblocker

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:57:14 +0000

Hello Anna,

Good stain blocker should seal that contaminated area. However, if it is only this one sooty spot on the wall / ceiling corresponding to the tree on exterior, I would also check your exterior wall finish condition, flashing and roof/gutter/attic section directly above this spot.

There must be a reason for the soot accumulating in this particular area – make sure that it is actually soot / not some king of a mold caused by excessive moisture. Shade / the tree could be responsible for trapping moisture in this area / slowing evaporation, but the moisture must penetrate the wall somehow.

There is more about it here: stains on walls

Answered: How to clean ghost marks, stains on walls, soot stains

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:53:02 +0000

Hello Chuck,
If stains on walls / soot deposits only appear in the spots you’ve described, it sounds like you have a house insulation problem. Even without burning candles, those areas would most likely become darker just from dust particles sticking to colder surfaces.

Of course, soot from the burning candle flame accelerates “darkening” / appearance of ghost marks process. By using the humidifier, colder spots on walls will have slightly higher moisture level and soot / dust will more likely stick to that spot.

Air purifying equipment should help to reduce amount of soot particles in the air, but not all of the purifiers are alike, so do some research before you invest several hundreds of $$$ in it. As for the clean-up process, depending on contamination, complete stain removal might not be possible.

This 3 step method sounds promising – Soot sponge. In addition, check this article about candles, your wife may never use them again – Candle Soot Damage.

Answered: For a garage addition, can I run a 4" main through a 2 x 6 wall to connect with the house main

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:19:25 +0000

Hi Mary,
3’ diameter drain is a minimum required to handle a toilet and sufficient for a full bathroom (for gravity systems). You other option would be to use low profile "Up-Flush" sewage lift pump system (example: http://www.accentshopping.com/product.asp?P_ID=150032#tabtop). It supports two additional connections like sink and a shower / tub and uses 2” diameter discharge pipe.

There might be a problem with 2x6 framing of your wall. If this is a bearing or exterior wall you can only drill a hole in the stud up to 40% of its width (no closer than 5/8” to the face of stud) or notch 25% of it. 60% boring is permitted on bearing walls only if you double the stud and you cannot go through more than 2 doubled parallel studs. For non-bearing walls, 40% notch and 60% boring is OK for the entire wall.

With 2” diameter pipe bearing / exterior wall wouldn’t be an issue.

For 3” or larger gravity drain you need minimum slope of 1/8” per foot. Don’t forget venting of this system and make sure you always check your local code requirements.