A properly sloped vinyl deck with no punchers will last a long time but if the water starts to pool on the deck this is the sign that something is wrong; ether the slope has changed as the ground has shifted under the deck or there is a leak. Many decks do not have a sufficient slope for the water to run off, once they have the combination of a pool and a small leak, this is the beginning of the  end.

Rotting the sheeting under the vinyl and creating a sag which is now a pool of water that grows bigger each year. There are many accidental punctures throughout the vinyl on a deck which do nothing at first but as the water manages to flow, into the supporting framing and plywood sheeting, the vinyl now on top of the plywood with the water in between prevents the water from evaporating, holding the moisture in to the wood and accelerating the rotting process. The vinyl, which protected the wooden framing from moisture, is now the moisture proof barrier witch will guarantee the disintegration of the deck.

Don’t drop steak knives on your vinyl deck! Things like your barbecue utensils and pointy high-heel shoes should be kept away and that old patio chair with the missing leg-end cap will just make another hole every time somebody sits in it. The hole may not even be visible but once the water gets it cannot get out.

I hope what I have said here will start many people thinking about things I will never do on my vinyl deck

Murray

If your safety railing is showing rust lines, downward from the flanges, where it is attached to the shower stall or bathtub wall, in the grout and down the tile or on the vial; this means the water is getting into the tube that the safety railing is made from and the tube has filled with water, is rusting on the inside,  and the water is sitting in the tube. The problem here is the water is also sitting at the flange where the screws go through the wall holding the safety railing to the wall.

The water has 24 hours a day to find a way to get into the wall through the screw holes and rot the wall out from the back without you ever knowing.  The damage will occur slowly through time and the only warning is a rust line.

I have found tubes literally full of water! The rail should be removed and resealed to stop the the water from getting in to the tube in the first place.

If you are experiencing a problem with the safety railings in your bathtub or shower please contact me and I will be happy to help!

Murray

Anything Goes – Handyman Services