Dear Ken: How can I clean up my rusty window wells? They are pretty ugly. — Galen

Answer: There are rust inhibitor paints that you can use. They combine with the iron oxide to create a primer coat you can then cover with a spray-on enamel; check with a name-brand paint store. I’m concerned, though, about what might actually be the cause of the rust you mention. The culprit is usually drainage. Make sure that the top lip of the well is a few inches above the surrounding soil and that the surface drainage pattern slopes away from it.

Sometimes a hose faucet or sprinkler zone valve box is nearby, and that can also create trouble for the window well. You could use a concrete splash block under the faucet to carry water away. If it’s the sprinklers, dig out the box and install some heavy duty plastic sheeting underneath it. Then punch a few holes in the cover to aid evaporation of water that accumulates inside.

Around the House: Opt for plug-in when getting a carbon monoxide detector

Dear Ken: Can I overlay the concrete surface on my patio? What are my options? — James

Answer: You have lots of choices. If the surface is intact, you could simply stain it with a water-based product, “glue” natural flagstone to the old concrete or sand-bed brick or concrete pavers on top. Many companies offer faux finishes, like an epoxy-based pebble surface or a colored and stamped concrete overlay. Be careful, though. Check out the warranties offered by these folks — plus their reputations — before you commit. If the patio is cracked and heaved, chances are it will do it again after it’s replaced. In that case, why not use the old patio as a “footer” and construct a wood or plastic composite deck right over it? It’s incredibly simple, since you can cut short legs out of treated lumber to hold up the new framework.

Around the House: Turn to attic fan to cool off overly hot attic

Dear Ken: We have concrete crawl space walls, and the prior family’s kids spray painted some — shall we say —naughty words on them How can I cover it all up? — Daniel

I like our old friend KILZ for this job. It’s essentially a pigmented shellac that seals over almost anything. There are two versions: the original “oil-based” product and a newer water-soluble version. Since you’re going to have a fume problem in the confines of your crawl space, I suggest the latter. Ventilate the area with a couple of box fans, use an appropriate mask and take frequent breaks. You may have to roll on two or three coats to get the coverage you’ll need.

Around the House: How to remedy a stinky garbage disposal

Dear Ken: My older moss rock fireplace looks dark and dirty. How can we clean it? Or should we replace it? —Michelle

Answer: Moss rock fireplaces are part of the ‘70s motif we thought was so cool back then — dark and darker was the motto of that era. Replacing it would not be an option for me; it will be very messy and quite expensive. You can clean it up a little with a shop vac and a furniture brush to remove clinging dust. Then start a regimen of feeding the moss (it’s actually lichen). Some folks report that a mixture of water and beer — half and half — will wake up the foliage.

You can also cancel out some of the effects of the rock wall with decorating. A large mirror or just the right painting would help. And how about some new lighting? Brighten up the area with a halogen track light set. Or add a tubular skylight for extra brightness.

Around the House: Solving one stinky situation in the bathroom

Dear Ken: I have a flagstone patio extension and all the grout is chipping away. It’s laid on sand, not on concrete, by the way. — Ronny

Answer: I hope they bedded it in sand for some extra stability. This is a tough one because there are two culprits here. The soil is probably shifting a little as seasonal moisture comes and goes. Also, the thermal expansion and contraction of the grout itself contributes to the deterioration you describe.

The best long-term answer is to rebed the flagstones with polymeric sand between the cracks, instead of regular mortar. This stuff hardens up when it gets wet and will lock everything together; plus, it’s easy to replace.

Dear Ken: Our older water heater in the crawl space is one of those short tanks. It’s natural gas, but a friend said I might not be able to replace it. Is that true? — Todd

Answer: Unfortunately, the so-called “stubby” water heaters are now only made in electric versions. Apparently, they just weren’t selling enough to continue their manufacture; they were quite expensive compared to their more upright cousins — and that may also have been a contributing factor. They do, however, make electric versions of these little guys. What that means to you is that you’ll have to pull a 240 volt circuit wire to the current water heater location.

Of course, it will cost more to heat water electrically, but you can mitigate some of that extra expense by installing an insulating blanket around the tank. In fact, that would be a good idea right now with your existing tank, since crawl spaces are a little cooler than the rest of the house, and hence, suck more heat through the tank walls.

Finally, you might want to install a couple of battery-powered water alarms around the base of the tank you have now. That way, when it does fail, you can attend to it before it floods the crawl space.

Ken Moon is a home inspector in the Pikes Peak region. His call-in radio show airs at 4 p.m. Saturdays on KRDO, FM 105.5 and AM 1240. Visit aroundthehouse.com