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Found 87 results for the keyword(s) ‘Condensation’

  • Article

    Stopping mould growth above the bedroom window.

    Lorraine from Elliot Lake, Ontario has mould growing out from the joint between the wall and the ceiling in her bedroom. This is a common problem caused by the fact that most houses are built with two pieces of wood on the top of the wall called a ?double header?, with no insulation at this spot...
  • Article

    Why is my skylight full of frost?

    Skylights in a cold climate always cause problems trying to get insulation on the portion of the skylight frame that is above the roof. The more insulation you design into the frame, the smaller the light opening in proportion to the size of the skylight itself, simply because the frame that the...
  • Article

    How to keep a mirror fog free.

    One viewer recommended using hard soap on a mirror to keep it from fogging up in the bathroom. So we tested it against no treatment, and against polishing it with shaving cream, a recommendation from a viewer last year. The hard soap looked pretty good although a bit streaked. The ?no treatment?...
  • Article

    HOW DO WINDOWS ACT AS A HUMIDITY ALARM?

    Much of this book has been concerned with controlling humidity in the house. A double-glazed window is a perfect alarm system to warn us of dangerous humidity conditions. A double-glazed window has just enough thermal insulation to allow comfort in the house without producing condensation on th...
  • Article

    WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR APPLYING INSULATION IN THE ATTIC?

    -- Take care of air barriers, ventilation and vapour barriers before insulating. Check out these three topics in the Search Tab above.-- Don't block the eave vents with insulation.-- Do cover the top of the outside wall.-- Don't put plastic foam on top of porous insulations (batts, loose fill) a...
  • Article

    WHICH DEHUMIDIFIER IS BEST?

    The only type of dehumidifier that is any good at all during the winter is a fresh air ventilation system. Mechanical and chemical dehumidifiers are not only expensive and bothersome, but they cannot generally reduce the relative humidity to less than 50 per cent -- not low enough to keep frost ...
  • Article

    WHAT IS DRY ROT?

    Dry rot is actually a fungal growth that destroys the cell structure of wood. In order to grow it requires moisture, oxygen, and warmth. Once started it will not grow in the winter, but it will survive and continue to grow during whatever periods of time provide its three necessary conditio...
  • Article

    HOW CAN I STOP CONDENSATION ON THE FLOOR HEADER BEHIND INSULATION?

    When fiberglass is pushed up into the space between the floor joists around the perimeter of the basement, condensation often builds up on the wood behind the fiberglass. This can be stopped by the addition of an air barrier -- as simple as Kraft paper or as complex as caulked polystyrene. In p...
  • Article

    WHY DO I HAVE FROST IN THE ATTIC?

    Frost in the attic is no different than anywhere else. It is caused by warm moist air coming into contact with cold surfaces and dropping its moisture. The problem in attics is primarily one of quantity; in one house frost accumulations of up to fifteen hundred pounds were discovered one co...
  • Article

    WHY ARE MY WALLS WET?

    This generally indicates a lack of insulation behind the moist area. This can occur when loose-fill insulation has settled, leaving gaps. Open the wall and inspect the insulation.Corners are usually poorly insulated, and they lose more heat than flat walls anyway. If insulation cannot be up...
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