Houseworks: Handy hints for the home, top to bottom

Home repair expert Steve Maxwell answers readers' questions on fix-ups

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Q How can I secure a tank-style water heater to a wall? We want to sell our old house and one interested party says the water heater needs to be secured, not just sitting on the basement floor. 

A In most places there’s no code requirement to secure a tank-style heater like the one you sent photos of. They simply sit on a solid base and that’s it. In earthquake-prone places, however, there is often a requirement to install straps to secure the tank to a wall, but that’s not universal. The idea is to try and stop the tank from toppling over in case of a quake. In your case, I can see that there’s already an anchor point near the heater. Some plumber’s strapping or dedicated water heater tank straps system could be extended around the heater, with the straps secured to the wall with screws. If this detail is part of getting your place sold, ask if the prospective buyer is looking for earthquake-type anchoring. 

Q What should I make of differing opinions on whether my furnace should be replaced or not? One contractor I called in to do a simple repair said the furnace needs replacing. Another one says what I have is fine. A third one said I needed another new part and the furnace is working well now. It’s a propane model that was already here when we bought the place in 2012. 

A Given the age of your furnace (14-plus years old) you’re coming up to the time when replacement makes sense. But since you don’t have access to natural gas, replacing the furnace with an air-source heat pump will lower your operating costs. Generally speaking, a high-efficiency, cold-climate unit like this will reduce your annual heating costs by at least 50 per cent compared with propane or direct electric heat, sometimes even more. This generally works out to a three- to five-year payback period on installed costs where government subsides are present; seven to 10 years if you have to pay for the whole thing. Heat pumps used to require a backup heat source for really cold weather, but I know people who rely exclusively on heat pumps in an area that gets down to -25C each winter. Air-source heat pumps also offer air conditioning, so that’s another advantage. 

Q How can I find someone to fix a loose ridge cap on my cedar shake roof? I’m told the main part of the roof has 10 years of life left, but most roofers I’ve contacted don’t want to take on the job of fixing the loose ridge shingles. Of those that do, estimates range from $2,000 to $5,000, which seems really high.  

A Roofing companies are generally in the business of large amounts of bulk work on entire roofs. They have a system and they’re looking for a big enough job to make it worth driving out and setting up. What you have is a small job involving finesse. And for this kind of work I’ve found that a skilled handyman is often the way to go. By definition most of their jobs are small, and they run into a lot of variety. And once you find someone like this you’ll find them helpful for lots of different jobs. 

Those $2,000 to $5,000 estimates do seem high, especially for a job that might only take a couple of days for one person to do. When tradespeople don’t want a job (perhaps because it’s too small or not the kind of work they like) they don’t usually say no, but rather simply jack the price up. That’s probably what’s happening in your case. So I’d recommend you try and find someone from the handymen sphere, and see what they say. 

Steve Maxwell loves working with cedar shingles. Visit him at baileylineroad.com and join thousands who get his free home improvement email newsletter each Saturday. 

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