Caulking

Caulking.  Not too exciting stuff, but it does an important job.  It's something that nobody pays too much attention too though.  Caulking goes on when paint work is done on wood siding, new vinyl or aluminum siding was installed, and also when window and door work is done.  Then everybody forgets about it.

Over time, and that amount of time depends on the brand and quality of caulking used, like everything else it fails.  Cracks develop, at it's worst it dries up and will fall off in chunks.  Time to recaulk.

If you don't already have one, go to your local paint store and get a 5 in one tool.  You'll be amazed by what a great item this is to have in your tool box.  Helps clean paint rollers, opens cans, and that little pointed part is what you can use to remove caulk.




With caulk guns, the nicer ones are easier to use than the $3 specials.  A good caulk gun will last a lifetime.



Dig and scrape out the old caulk and then you're ready for new.  Pretty simple stuff, but there are a couple more things to keep in mind.  Don't caulk the bottom of siding, trim etc.   If water can get in, it needs to get out.  I see lots of rotted wood because people caulked all the way around something.  The other thing to keep in mind is to not caulk storm window drain holes shut.  These are typically two small holes that allow water to drain off the window sill.  The sill is pitched outwards for a reason, don't seal these up or you'll be replacing your window sills sometime in the upcoming years.  Below is a picture of what I'm talking about.

Lastly, you've got to  develop your caulking technique.  Practice a bit on some newspaper of an old board.  The correct way to caulk is to push the caulk with the caulking gun; this gets more caulk into the crack.  Pros can do it without ever touching it, I admit I'm guilty of using a finger on it more often than I'd like to admit.  If you do need to correct a mistake etc, just keep some water and wet towels handy.  A wet finger and a towel to wipe it off on are great things to have handy when caulking, and your clothes will thank you for not wiping it off on them; it won't come off once it's in the fabric.

So when the snow finally stops and spring is really here in NE Ohio, get out there and have a look at your caulking.

Springtime gutter cleaning

Spring is here and it's a good tome to check those gutters once again.  Spring in North East Ohio means rain, so  those gutters are going to be working hard over the next two months.  Make sure they're free of debris, leaves, bark etc. that builds up over winter.  Also make sure they're secure to the house.  Winter freezing can loosen and pull out gutter spikes.  Stand back and look at the gutters to make sure they're pitched correctly; you want your gutters pitched slightly towards the downspouts.

When it does rain, have a look to see what's going on.  Are they over flowing?   This puts a lot of water against your foundation, which can translate to a damp basement.  If they are overflowing, is it just because of blockage or is it improper pitch?  You may need a contractor to correct an improper pitch, if they're low enough, you can clean them yourself, but be careful on the ladder.

Lastly, have a look at the downspouts.  If your's go directly into the ground, your gutters are tied into the storm sewers.  When it's raining hard, make sure that they're not overflowing at the drain crocks.  Also check to see that if you have the old vitrified clay type drain crocks that they're not damaged; they often break into several pieces at ground level, which of course defeats the purpose of draining all that water away from your foundation.

If you have surface draining downspouts, the type that have 90 degree bends near ground level and then discharge the water on the surface of the ground, verify that there is an extension in place.  You want to divert that water away from the foundation, so you'll want a 18" minimum extension.  Sometimes there is a splash block, a short of diverter that is placed on the ground so the water doesn't erode the soil.  If your downspout extensions are crushed, replace them, these can get stepped on during gardening etc.  if they're crushed, they can't do their job.