Q.An insulator said he would blow cellulose in my cathedral ceiling. Then he put in 7-inch round soffit vents in every other bay (between rafters), then covered the soffit with perforated vinyl. Is this correct?
RAYMOND PICARD, Waltham
A. If he blows insulation in the ceiling, make sure there is an air space between insulation and roof boards. That way the soffit vents will allow air to move to the ridge vent. As for those 7-inch round vents, they are good but inadequate. So, have your man cut more 7-inch rounds in those bays where there are no vents. I have seen attics that had sporadically spaced soffit vents, and I saw strips of mold on the attic ceiling under the roof where there were no vents and no mold on areas that had vents.
Q.I have a sprinkler system in my condo. The white covers to the sprinkler heads are protruding through the ceiling in places. I can push them up but the weight of the pipes pushes them back. Can I secure them without interfering with the system?
GUEST, in Hotton’s chat room
A. Leave them alone. I think they are designed to be floating so should not be tampered with. Or have plumber check to see if they are behaving as they should.
Q.I had a new exterior door installed a few weeks ago. I painted it and the frame after it was installed (big mistake!). I painted the door stoop with a floor paint. Now, the rubber weatherstripping on the bottom of the door continues to stick to the painted stoop. It’s hard to open the door. How do I remove the paint on the weatherstripping and what do I do with the stoop since the paint continues to come off?
MELISSA, in Hotton’s chat room
