for Cold Climate Housing and much more

Found 105 results for the keyword(s) ‘Heating’

  • Article

    Can I insulate my electric in-the-floor heater?

    Debbie from North Bay, Ontario has electric heaters sunk right into her floor. Very few people even know that these things exist, but if you have a baseboard heated house you know how hard it is to get heat in front of a patio door or some other place that needs heat but there seems no way to ge...
  • Article

    How to soundproof the heating ducts that run through my workshop?

    Craig from Calgary, Alberta has built a woodworking shop in the basement of his house. He wants to cut off the sound from there that is travelling up through the heating ducts that run through the room.First, use aluminium duct tape to seal off all leaks in the ducts. More sound will travel thr...
  • Article

    Heating an old mobile home.

    Darlene from Charlottetown, PEI wants to put an old 33 foot travel trailer out by the ocean and live in it, but it isn't very warm. How can she winterize this old rig?It was interesting to research the evolution of mobile homes in Canada.From the 70's to the 80's, they almost doubled their amoun...
  • Article

    Do we need cold air returns in the basement?

    Cory from Regina, Saskatchewan is finishing their basement and wants to know if they should have cold air returns in the basement.Hot air heating systems function best if there is at least one cold air return on each floor of the house. Essentially, that allows the warm air to circulate better. ...
  • Article

    Heating a bathroom without ductwork.

    Peter in Toronto has forced air heating but no ducts in his bathroom and finished ceilings below. He is wondering just how he can get heat to this room without ductwork.Well, Peter, the only heat available without any ductwork is electric. Actually using electricity to heat one bathroom in an a...
  • Article

    Should cold air returns be on the ceiling or on the floor?

    Pham from Hamilton asked why he sees air returns on the ceiling sometimes and on the floor in other houses, and what effect this placement has on air quality in the house.If you are in the far north, or in the Southern US, the answer is simple. In an air conditioning climate the return duct goes...
  • Article

    How far back should a set back thermostat be set?

    Jack wrote: I recently installed an electronic thermostat. I have it set for 21 degrees before bed and then down to 15 overnight. Someone told me I shouldn't have more than a 5 degree difference because the furnace would have to work harder in order to warm up the house in the morning, there...
  • Article

    A heat pump horror story.

    Leo from Kirkland, Quebec has been living a nightmare with his new house and his air source heat pump. He has put over $5,000 into heat pump repairs in the first 7 years and that doesn't count what was replaced for free because of warranties. Compressors kept burning out and valves gave out...
  • Article

    Protecting the wall behind a wood stove.

    Melissa sent in an e-mail worrying about the fact that the paint on the wall behind her wood burning fireplace is so hot that it is bubbling.That is too hot. Check the manufacturer's instructions if you have them -- each appliance has specified distances from combustible surfaces. Yours is ...
  • Article

    Two baseboard heaters connected to one thermostat.

    Frank is confused about series and parallel wiring. He wants to connect a small and a large baseboard heater to one thermostat and isn't sure how to go about it.Although physically the wires will run from the thermostat to one of the baseboards and then on to the other baseboard, the way they...
Back