Rat-infestation problem solved, but what about the droppings?
However, we still have droppings up there and want to know what to do with/to them. I've thought of vacuuming them up and disposing of them, but how and where? Should we take all the insulation out and thus the droppings, too, take them to the garbage dump and get new insulation in the attic?
We'd like to be able to sell our house in three to five years, possibly. Is this a problem we have to disclose to the buyers?
A: This is a subjective issue. Almost all houses have some amount of droppings. I've seen attics that, I swear, had more droppings than insulation, while another may have only a few hidden feces in a corner of the crawlspace. It's a nasty reality, in any case.
Dried vermin feces are akin to asbestos; encapsulated, undisturbed and out of range of human contact, they pose no known harm.
Assuming the active infestation has been eliminated, there is no need to eliminate the feces except for cleanliness/odor issues related to working in the attic. Nasty odors in attics are uncommon; crawlspaces routinely smell bad enough to require disinfectant treatment many months after removal of the animals.
Once the dried feces are disturbed, they can release contaminants, not the least of which may be the deadly hanta virus (from deer mice). Hanta virus is released when feces are disturbed in previously closed areas (closets, inside walls, unventilated attics). In better-ventilated areas, the risk is mitigated somewhat. Properly removing the feces requires wearing a HEPA respirator, and wetting them with bleach or Lysol before disturbing.
All "product" needs to be bagged and sealed securely.
Routinely, additional layers of insulation are laid over the top of vermin feces, effectively covering it. If the amount of product is truly staggering, then you should employ a properly equipped pest control or insulation contractor to literally suck all the insulation and contaminant from the attic, and replace the insulation. They will have the proper equipment and filters to prevent contaminating the home.
Do you disclose this? The alternative is having the seller discover it on his own, and whether during or after the sales process, this won't elicit good feelings.
Q: During a re-roofing project, we would like to take out two of the four skylights (for various reasons) and re-cover. This will require plywood sheathing on top and drywall in the interior on the ceiling. We will have to take out the drywall attached to the interior box formed by the skylights and add a layer of insulation on top of the added drywall section for the closed-up ceiling (formerly open from the skylights).
Is there any ventilation concern about leaving space between the drywall and the roof? And, while we have the chance, should we open a ridge vent for better ventilation with the split vaulted ceilings?
A: Making sure the former skylight shaft is open to the greater attic is the primary concern. But it sounds like you have a handle on all that. Adding ridge vents is good idea with vaulted ceilings.
Q: I recently had my old metal pipes for my water-supply system replaced with white plastic. They did not remove the old system but just disconnected it at the different ends. Last night, I noticed grounding wires from the washing machine and the main breaker box still attached to the old metal pipes. This does not seem correct to me. Do I need to re-ground my system? If so, how?
A: Metal plumbing pipes are part of the grounding system, but actually are considered a supplement to the main grounding system, which generally consists of one or two 8-foot-long metal grounding stakes buried in the ground. Some older electrical panels may not be connected to a grounding stake (or in Redmond, a ground stake is integral to steel in the foundation), instead relying on the disconnected metal plumbing pipes as the sole ground source.
The metal plumbing system is grounded (bonded is a better term) not as the main grounding conductor, but as part of the greater grounding system. It is done this way so that when a pipe is energized by a cut/damaged electrical wire somewhere in the house, you will not be electrocuted when you touch the shower control. The bonding on the older metal plumbing system provided a path of less resistance to ground, rather than through the metal plumbing to you.
Plastic plumbing will not conduct electricity, so the issue is moot now. Metal ductwork, steel gas lines, cast iron or steel drain lines, and other items may also become energized, so you still have bonding and grounding work that needs to be reviewed by an electrician to meet local code requirements.
I found myself thankful for breakers and grounding after I hit a hot wire with a drywall screw last weekend. It made one heck of a pop, burned the wiring where I hit it (without arc-welding me to the grounded drill motor and screw) and let me escape with nary a shock!
Q: I have an 18-month-old house. On the second-floor hallway, a noticeable squeak in the floor has developed whenever a specific section of said hallway is walked across. Hallway is carpeted. Any ideas about how to get rid of squeaking? Or is it brought on by recent increase in humidity and will hopefully go away?
A: Squeaks can originate from different areas. It might be a nail rubbing the side of a joist, it could be a section of plywood that is loose or it could be the base of a wall squeaking where it was not attached to the floor well. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.
Being on an upper floor makes it more difficult, since you can't crawl beneath to repair.
See if you can get someone to bounce on the floor, making the noise repeatedly, then try to locate it more definitely. Screws with snap-off heads can be used to eliminate loose plywood problems through the carpet, if you can locate the joists.
If a wall is loose, you may be able to toe-nail a screw into the base of the wall after removing the baseboard trim. Most other squeak remedies will require removing the carpet and possibly the plywood.
Squeaks are not necessarily signs of structural defects, but annoying nonetheless.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question, or e-mail dhay@seattletimes.com. Sorry, no personal replies. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.