Replies

1. 
   Kevin_O'Donnell | Jan 05, 1999 06:30am | #1

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   Sink Installation. I am installing a kitchen sink, a traditional lip-on-counter style. Should I Silicone calk the sink in to the counter or use putty?

   TIA

   Kevin

2. 
   Guest_ | Jan 05, 1999 07:28am | #2

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   Jon, I'm not sure but could the cardboard vent product be absorbing moisture from the cold air as it passes? Vince

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 06, 1999 05:10am | #3

   *Wow, thank you all for your prompt replies!Here's some more information: I didn't check the basement for moisture, but I will. Radiant baseboard heat, whole house ventilation system present. The only small possibility I noticed was this: There is a laminated beam at the gable / roof junction. The drywall has shrunken away alittle bit 1/8" - 3/16". I guess if the rest of the house is that tight, the interior pressure could be forcing moisture laden air up through that crack.Yes there was a full load of snow on the roof, no melted spots. The vapor barrier looked impecable.Do you think it's that little crack?Jon Thompson

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 06, 1999 07:10am | #4

   *Jon, Whole House Ventilation System???? As in a 30+ inch square hole in the ceiling leading into the attic with a big fan in it???? If that's what you've got I think I know where all that moisture is coming from!

3. 
   Howard_Pruden | Jan 06, 1999 11:02pm | #5

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   Jon: Iam having the same problem with condensation on the underside of my roof deck, here is the my situation: I have added a shed dormer across the rear of my semi-bungalow, the central stairwell is now open to the new roof line with walls separating the two bedrooms. The roof has R40 batts complete with draft stops/ to the vented soffits, I installed a continious ridge vent besides the existing gable vent Small puddles of water are collecting on the vapor barrier. I thought there was closure to the soffit from the top plate, but its ok, the ridge vent is clovered with snow but thwe gable vent is clear. Any answers?

4. 
   Guest_ | Jan 07, 1999 05:49am | #6

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   Jon,...Joe,Fred,G. Howard and I all seem to be saying the same thing,warm air cold air condensation .Fill the crack ,check the basement ,keep looking for the air leak. Maybe you could isolate some of these areas from the heat as a way of eliminating them as the sorce. Vince

5. 
   Howard_Pruden | Jan 09, 1999 03:32am | #7

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   Jon: Just to up date the moisture problem. I placed a thermometer in the attic space to find a temp of 8C no wonder there was melting, I added a 24 inch strip of poly to ensure no warm air from the wall to cieling vapor barrier joint, unblocked a existing closed gable vent and cleared the ridge vent of snow. This all took about 30 minutes, when I check the thermometer the temp was -8C. This goes to show air is now circulating removing the warm air.The point is "make sure the venting is clear and stop the heat from escaping into the attic space! I am going install a 2nd layer of poly to ensure all the joints are air tight.

6. 
   Guest_ | Jan 09, 1999 03:32am | #8

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   I looked at a bewildering repair job this afternoon....

   These folks own a "super insulated" Acorn home (panelized). They showed me a place above a gable where every heating season for 4 or 5 years they get what appears to be a leak. I went up into the attic, and stuck my arm up behind the vapor barrier past the insulation, and the plywood is dripping wet!!!! They used a cardboard rafter bay vent product, and it was soaking wet! I'm at a loss to explain the cause or the solution. The rafter bays are vented at the top & bottom just like they should be. The valley rafter at the gable was left down to allow air movement. In fact I could feel cold air moving in the wet bay. Now I'm wondering about other bays.

   Any ideas?

   Jon Thompson
   Bull & Thompson Builders
   Amherst, Massachusetts