Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Sealants (Caulking) Product: Thermoplastic Caulking / Sealant
Temperature Limitations: Above -30 C (-22 F) and below +40 C (104 F) -- keep product above +5 C (+40 F)
Rain Limitations: Dry befor...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Concrete Product: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating
Temperature Limitations: Water based products must be used above freezing -- Solvent based materials minimum -17 C (+1 F)
Rain L...
Weather-stripping is used to seal air leaks at any opening in the house that moves -- doors, windows, and traps. If you need to be convinced of the necessity of doing a good job of weather-stripping, check out Air Barriers in the search tab above -- or look at your last heating bill.
Much of ...
The smoke test described in the previous answer should be used to verify the presence of typical leaks and discover those peculiar to your own house. Before sealing, read the section on Ventilation to avoid any future condensation problems.
The leaks high in the house are not necessarily the lar...
When Heritage Window Restoration becomes
an energy efficient & cost effective
alternative to new windows
Most of us who have worked in older neighbourhoods have at one time or another thought about or dabbled in restoring old building components rather than ripping out and installing new...
David writes that he recently installed a double sink but it gurgles and backs up. It is 10 feet away from the plumbing stack and goes through a garbarator. What did he do wrong?
When you attach a large double sink on a long horizontal run, the drain pipe will tend to fill up with water ...
The best way for air to move through a duct is to have a straight duct with a smooth inside wall and a round form will have the smallest surface area to cause the air to slow down. That straight smooth round duct is what is considered the benchmark for good ducting.
Everything else is measure...
I have had several letters recently about bad smells and even flies coming up out of basement floor drains and sump pump pits. One viewer was quoted hundreds of dollars to break up the entire basement and replace all the sewer lines.
The real problem is usually that the trap under the floor has ...
Jon, On the radio last week you gave someone a remedy to get rid of a smoker's odours coming up through the apartment building. Could you please post that for me. Francine.
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First my opinion -- second hand smoke from cigarettes is already identified as a public health problem, and is ofte...
Most people don't realize it but glazed tiles are not completely waterproof although they are highly water resistant. The reality is that the tile and the grout are not the final line of defence against water leaking through to the ceiling below.
A proper built-in shower stall starts with a tape...
