Checking Out Old Shake Shingles? Hit the Roof
Q. We’re house-shopping, and all the homes we’re looking at have shake roofs. I’m not too familiar with these, except I know they’re a fire hazard and expensive to replace. Can you determine the condition of a shake roof just by looking at it from the ground?
B.N.
Buena Park
A. To really check a roof you need to get on top of it, but you can give it a cursory inspection from the ground, says Pete Gorman of Rancho Lumber in Westminster. Within a few months of installation, shake roofs generally turn gray, so color isn’t a good indication of condition. After 15 to 20 years, they begin to deteriorate. Look for shakes that are split, cracked or look aged. Shakes get brittle over time and crack easily. If you look up at a shake roof from the attic, you may see tiny gaps of light. This in itself may not be bad, because in the rain the water causes the shakes to swell and seal.
Q. My wife and I are debating about the garbage disposal. She thinks it’s fine to put eggshells and other hard items down there, while I think that’s not good for the disposal. Who’s right?
E.H.
Fountain Valley
A. Eggshells are fine; they crumble easily. But you do have to be careful about other garbage, especially with an older disposal, says Rod Albright of Albright Plumbing & Heating in Los Alamitos. As it wears, the space where the cutting ring revolves gets bigger, so larger pieces of garbage get through. As the drain ages, it becomes narrower, and the bigger pieces of debris tend to plug it up and you get overflows into the sink.
People often don’t use enough water when using the disposal. You need to run it with water flowing through, then after you turn it off continue letting the water run for half a minute to clear the trap. This will help keep it running freely and keep odors from rising back into the kitchen.
Q. I recently bought a ceiling fixture with a warning label that says one should use supply wire suitable for 75 degrees Celsius, and that most dwellings built before 1985 have wiring rated at 60 degrees. Our house was built prior to 1985, and it has aluminum wiring. What should I do?
W.K.M.
Irvine
A. Those warnings are mainly to make you aware of a change in building codes, says Mike McCoy of Current Supply in Westminster. You can still install your fixture, just make sure it’s tight and properly connected, as per the instructions.
Don’t worry about having aluminum wiring; it’s very common and found in thousands of homes around the county. Aluminum isn’t as efficient a conductor of electricity as copper is, and it tends to expand and contract with temperature changes. This loosens connections and is one of the reasons it is no longer used in new construction. It’s a good idea to check the connections at your outlets annually and tighten them if they’re done with aluminum wire.
Q. A friend staying with me recently washed my fairly new no-wax one-piece kitchen floor and used a liquid abrasive cleaner in some spots, which left dull patches. Can it be restored?
D.K.
Lake Forest
A. You may want to try some common floor wax, says Steve Hix of Aaron Anthony’s Floor Coverings in Anaheim. Apply it on those areas that have lost their shine and see if it helps. To keep that shine, you really do have to be careful about what you use on no-wax floors. Always check with the dealer or manufacturer about what cleaner is recommended and stick to it.
Q. What’s the trick to painting door hinges so that the paint won’t crack and peel when the hinge moves?
S.Y.
Santa Ana
A. Remove them from the door and strip them down to the bare metal, says Joe Ragsdale of Color Center in La Mirada. Use a metal or oil-based primer on them, then apply thin coats of your paint. Many people think they should use thick coats to keep something covered, but thin coats are generally more effective on items such as hinges.
