Burn bans occur in two stages:
Stage 1 bans prohibit outdoor burning (in areas where it would have been allowed normally) and burning in traditional fireplaces and uncertified woodstoves — unless it is your only "adequate" source of heat.
Stage 2 bans prohibit outdoor burning and use of any fireplace or woodstove, certified or not — again, unless it is your only "adequate" source of heat.
A certified woodstove is defined as a unit that has an Enviornmental Protection Agency placard showing that it meets state particulate emission standards. Only certified stoves have been legal to sell or install here since 1992. Certified woodstoves/inserts produce approximately half the emissions of an older unit.
Your gas fireplace has no restrictions at any time of the year.
Interestingly enough, it is illegal to sell, give away or exchange an uncertified woodstove unless for scrap.
Information on burn bans is found in the newspaper, on radio, television, billboards, skywriters (well, OK, I admit, not billboards or skywriters, but it should be) at many fire stations, on PSCAA's Web site (www.pscleanair.org), or by calling the burn ban information number: 1-800-595-4341.
Q: Upon examining the outside wall of my house, I noticed that the concrete steps coming up from my patio were poured right against the cedar siding. The steps come up to the middle of the second row of siding. On closer examination I see that there is flashing between the wood siding and the concrete. However, the concrete and flashing seem to be "form fitting" against the siding. Also, the flashing goes only as high as the concrete, thus it does not extend under the lip of the next higher siding board. I figure this can't be good. Couldn't water run down the siding, behind the flashing and get trapped? I'm thinking I might need to jackhammer out the steps and maybe replace them with wooden steps that let the siding breath.
A: What you describe is the most commonly practiced method of pouring concrete against wood framing in our area, typically using "Nervastral," a very tough rubber/plastic membrane material as the flashing. Not that I am advocating this method, and not that I haven't done it myself countless times, but it is the method that is traditionally used when the concrete isn't poured directly against the siding.
You're right, water could and does get behind the flashing, especially after a number of years, when the patio settles and water runs toward the building — or conversely if it settles outward, opening a gap between siding and concrete. And water running down inside the wall between the siding and tarpaper is trapped and can't weep out at the bottom (a huge problem if the building has vinyl siding). Recently the trend has been to outline the steps with flashed solid lumber siding trim, then put Nervastral and/or metal flashing down below, where the steps rise up. This is definitely an improvement.
Theoretically, it would work to leave siding off the framing behind the steps, use metal flashing (with Nervastral behind) all the way down past the top of the foundation, leave a vertical gap between the concrete and siding above the step and allow the siding paper to bleed out beneath the siding above the step But I have just given myself a migraine thinking about this. Understanding this concept and implementing it correctly is too big a leap.
The only sure-fire way to alleviate the problem from the beginning is to build the foundation flush to the top of the framing where the steps go (encapsulating the framing). This makes the stairs idiot-proof for the sider, framer and the concrete finisher.
But that doesn't answer your question, does it?
I wouldn't do anything to your steps unless you have physical damage, pests, standing water on the siding, or evidence of water leaking in. If the area is well protected by roof overhangs, this helps. If you do decide to do surgery, your wood steps idea would work as an easy fix.
Another option short of removing the steps completely is to cut the concrete back nine inches from the wall, remove the siding below, install flashing under the siding above to down to below the outside of the top of the foundation, and replace the cut concrete with brick pavers, aggregate, or another complementary material.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question, |
