OCR Text |
Show I FIRST-AID AILING HOUSE by Roger B. Whitman . Roger B. Whitman WNU Service. LINING CHIMNEY FLUES FOR GAS A HOME owner who is consider-ing consider-ing putting in a gas burning! furnace has been advised by the gas company to put a lining in his chimney chim-ney flue. He is told that if he does not; ! go to this expense of $40, the chim-1 ney brickwork may be injured, and he will be required to sign a waiver; by which he accepts the responsibility. responsibil-ity. He asks about the necessity for a lining. There is a real necessity neces-sity for it, because of probable damage to the mortar joints. In; burning, gas forms vapors that will, condense against the cool masonry. These vapors contain sulphur, andj in combining with the water vapor va-por that is present, a mild form of sulphuric acid results. In time, this will eat into the mortar joints and; lead to destruction. A chimney that' is properly built, with a fireclay flue lining, will not be harmed. But bare mortar joints will suffer. To protect pro-tect them, a pipe can be inserted in the flue made of a material that is not affected by acid. It was evidently evi-dently this that was suggested by the gas company. Another treat- jment is to spray the inside of the jflue with a form of liquid asphalt. juse being made of a special spraying spray-ing outfit that can be let down the jchimney. I have heard of so many cases , of the deterioration of chim- meys in burning gas that 1 strongly 1 recommend that my correspondent go to the expense of Uning . the chimney. Chimney Creosote. Question: My old house, originally original-ly for one family, has been made jover into three apartments. It has a peak roof with an inside chimney. Each apartment has a kitchen stove, burning range oil. In the top apartment a black liquid drips down the pipe on the stove and floor. How can this be stopped? Answer: Apparently, the three kitchen stoves are connected to the same flue, which makes the draft poor for each one of them. If the top of the chimney is not at least two feet higher than the highest point ol the peak roof, this also will affect the draft. As a result of poor draft, the vapors from the burning burn-ing oil condense in the cool part of the chimney above the roof, and the liquid which forms runs into the smokepipe ol the top apartment. Rebuilding the upper part ol the chimney with thicker walls would help the situation, because that part ol the chimney would be warmer warm-er then, and there would be less condensation. The chimney cap should be the lull size ol the flue; il it is smaller, it will reduce the draft Uneven Door Sill. Question: My basement door is cut through an opening in a stone foundation. The lower stone surface Is uneven, so that there is a space under the door of as much as an inch in places. This makes the basement base-ment cold. How can this space be filled? Answer: Your best result would be to cut the sill smooth and level with a cold chisel. One way to fill the space would be with concrete, provided you leave the surface of the stone sufficiently rough for the concrete to form a bond. Another method would be to screw a strip ul wood to the bottom edge ol the door. Basement Wall Finish. Question: Basement walls are of' 2Ut stone, and were finished on the inside with cement. Much of this has fallen off and I plan to put on a new surface. Would you suggest :ement, or something else? Answer: Cement paint, which is ntended for masonry, would be better bet-ter than straight cement, for it contains con-tains a binder. It comes in white s well as in colors. Get it at a paint store. Directions on the label mould be carefully followed. Leaking Roof. Question: A dormer roof is covered cov-ered with cedar shingles, and as it aas little pitch, it develops many '.eaks. I do not want to remove the shingles because of the expense. What can I cover them with? Answer: You can use composition composi-tion shingles over heavy roofing felt. Mildew Spots. Question: What will remove mil-jiew mil-jiew spots from broadcloth shirts? Answer: Javelle water or similar jquid bleach will take them out. Use 1 weak solution and alternate with :lear water, for long exposure may damage the fibers. Repeated laun-jerings laun-jerings will usually do the trick. Making a Lawn. Question: How can 1 grow a lawn jn sandy soil around my house? i Answer: For best r9sults, you Uhould cover the sand with about a iloot ol top soil. Get the advice of ji good seed store, where the local :onditions are known. |