Roof Leak? Cricket Comes to the Rescue
QUESTION: We have a persistent leak in our roof, near the chimney. This leak is causing water damage to the ceiling by the fireplace in our living room. My husband’s efforts to tar the edges between the roof and chimney help for a while but don’t correct the problem. We replaced the roof but that made no difference. Will a “saddle” from the roof to the chimney help? Our chimney is 4 feet wide.
ANSWER: A cricket (also called a saddle) should solve the problem. Whenever the width of a chimney located along the slope of a roof is more than 2 feet, a cricket should join the roof and chimney. The cricket prevents debris or snow and ice from piling up behind the chimney. This can cause rain or melting snow to back up under the shingles and leak into the house. The cricket also deflects water running down the roof around the chimney.
Flame Spread Rating Shows Fire Potential
Q: Can you tell me what “flame spread 200 or less” means? I saw it on a label on the back of a 4-by-8 plywood panel that had a decorative finish.
A: Flame spread is the propagation of a flame over a surface. The flame-spread rating classifies the fire hazard potential of building materials. It is based on tests performed by independent labs using procedures developed by Underwriters Laboratories. Inorganic materials and untreated red oak provide the range against which flame-spread ratings are made. Inorganic materials, which include concrete, cement-asbestos board and metal, have a flame spread of zero. Untreated red oak has a flame spread of 100.
Building codes require materials that have a low flame-spread rating (0 to 25) be used in fire escape routes, such as in stairways and exits. Where passageways and corridors are not part of an enclosed exit, the flame-spread rating of the material should not exceed 75. Materials used for interior walls and ceilings generally have a flame-spread classification of 200 or lower. This includes most untreated plywood or paneling.
No Need to Find Stud in Wall to Hang Art
Q: Is there any way we can hang pictures on hollow walls without having to nail into the stud behind the wall?
A: Hardware stores carry fasteners that grip the wallboard rather than the framing behind it. Most use a clamping mechanism that locks the unit to the wall and a screw for securing the item to be hanged.
One type is the Wall Grabber. Unlike some other designs, this fastener can be installed with only a hammer and screwdriver. No drill is required. If you decide to remove the fastener, simply take out the screw, pull the base from the wall and fill the remaining small hole with patching compound.
*
Questions? Write to Popular Mechanics, Reader Service Bureau, 224 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
