Damp wall insulation may have to be replaced
The questions keep coming: I have ice dams! Why? Help! And leaks from those ice dams! Gutters overflowing or frozen solid. Use heating cables? Water running down the outside of the house, brown in color, too. Should I shovel off the snow? These questions were answered in previous columns, which you can get on Boston.com. But other questions are inevitable:
Q. In addition to leaks from an ice dam, my outside walls have taken in a lot of water. Can I let the wet insulation dry out, or do I have to remove it? What about mold?
DESPERATE DAVE
A. If the insulation is fiberglass, you might be able to leave it in place. The walls are cold enough to preclude or delay the growth of mold, and you may not get mold, if there are no mold spores in the cavity. Spores are all around, mostly outdoors, waiting to land on a wet and warm surface and grow into black blobs, mushrooms, and a myriad of other white stuff. Molds eat their host, such as wood. But if after a few weeks you smell no telltale mold, maybe the insulation will dry, although it is iffy. Fiberglass is the easiest to dry out; cellulose is harder, I think. If moisture persists, you may have to open up the walls and let the insulation dry out, or remove it, let the wall dry and put in dry insulation.
One small thing: To determine how extensive the insulation is, turn off the power, open an electric outlet or switch box and probe for moisture. A few small holes elsewhere can determine the extent of the wet. If you smell mold, that is the time to go after it. Kill it and rebuild whatever you took apart.
Q. I have several water stains on my ceilings. I pulled back insulation on the attic floor to let the ceiling dry out. Can I paint over the stains, or should I apply some kind of stain killer first?
NEEDHAM
A. You do need a stain killer; use clear shellac or Kilz stain killer. One coat is needed. Then repaint the ceiling.
Q. My ceilings are wet and sagging in some places. Can I push them back or should I replace them?
WHAT TO DO
A. In many old plastered ceilings, the plaster is held in place with wood lath, strips of wood with a half-inch or so gap between the slats, so that the wet plaster oozes between the slats and expands outward, forming a key that holds the plaster in place. A good system, but sometimes those plaster keys get broken, and down comes the ceiling, a little. If you can push the plaster back in place, it can be fixed by inserting an adhesive between the dropped plaster and the lath. Not easy, but possible. My old pal Paul Quinton fixed his ceiling this way, using a bonding agent called Acryl60, which I think is still around. I did a story about this, and the ceiling is still intact, after at least 30 years. The bonding agent can be injected, but will be harder to do if you use, say, an adhesive caulk.
Other plasters, as those on Rocklath (a plasterboard-like material), or tiles, may be harder to put back, particularly if they are quite wet. You can check with a pro to see if it is doable, and not too expensive.
Q. The big snows and constant plowing buried my gas meter. Should I uncover it?
CURIOUS
A. The meter and all its connections are air and gas tight, so leaving them buried should not be a problem. But for your own well being, clear snow off. Your meter reader, if he does not read it electronically, will appreciate it. Also, keep oil vent pipes and filler pipes clear, so the oil man can find and get to the pipes easily.
Q. I had a Corian vanity installed about three years ago, in a nice butter cream color, and the installers grouted between the backsplash and the counter top with the same color grout. Now, some of the grout has come out of the joint. The dealer suggested that my husband put in the new grout. Don’t you think the dealer should be responsible for doing this?
LINDA CARMICHAEL, Lynnfield
A. No. The unit is not an appliance, and there is no warranty on grout. The dealer should have given or sold you the butter cream grout. If not, call him and ask for a small tub of the grout. If not, buy your own grout, and if
Q. My very old antique dresser was stained with big oily blobs when hand lotion was spilled. I wiped it up and tried putting down a bit of cat litter to absorb it, with little success. How can I clean it without harming the old finish?
PAT CHALSIN, Haverhill
A. An old piece has more value when it is not refinished. This treatment will remove the blobs and will not hurt the finish. Wipe the blobs generously with paint thinner. With the thinner still wet, apply lots of baking soda, which will absorb everything. Repeat as necessary.
Peter Hotton (photton@globe.com) is also in the g section on Thursdays. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions. Call 617-929-2930. He also chats online 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to www.Boston.com. 
