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Found 180 results for the keyword(s) ‘Environmental’

  • Article

    Solidifying rotting wood in a log cabin with Epoxy.

    Update 2025 to the product availability listed below. US Coatings is marketing a product very similar to BCS under the brand name Abatron, which for Canada is much easier to source than my old stand-by BCS.  It is encouraging as a quality endorsement that LeeValley Tools is selling this brand, w...
  • Article

    How do I keep a shallow Sump drain from freezing outdoors?

    Michael writes from St. Lazare, Quebec : We recently found a nasty surprise with our new house. The land has a high water table and as a result we have sump pump in the basement. The plumbing for this pump was hidden in the walls and ceiling of the basement. When our inspector inspected the home,...
  • Article

    Repairing Concrete Steps

    Dave Ashberry of King Packaged Materials joins Jon in running down the various methods and products used making surface repairs to concrete. Cracked corners or edges on concrete steps are a major hazard and should be fixed. Top & Bond (now sold under the brand name Sakrete) is one of the bas...
  • Article

    Changing energy conservation habits in the home via grade school education.

    In 1990 I produced a video for NRCan (National Resources Canada) specifically targeted to grade school children to improve the energy efficiency of the family home.  If things look a bit weird in the video it is because the camera was always at the height of the eyes of a grade school kid – you s...
  • Article

    OVERVIEW: Electromagnetic radiation and your health: THE DEBATE

    Click here to scroll down past all the legal updates to see the Overview of the debate on Cell Phones, Wi-Fi and Smart Meters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update Dec. 2019:  The US Supreme Court just rejected an appeal of a lower court ...
  • Article

    Ozone Generators to clean up air quality problems -- good or bad?

    If you listen to the sales people, this is a hot debate. If you talk to Health Canada, this is a settled issue. Isabelle Sauve from Health Canada was as clear as the warnings issued by her department (January 1999) -- devices designed specifically to produce ozone may be dangerous to your health ...
  • Article

    Eco-Ice Grip -- Treated wood chips for slippery ice

    This is one amazing product.  Softwood wood chips with just the right mix of magnesium chloride to help the chips to melt into and stick on the ice - making the safest icy walkway I ever walked on.  This is a Swiss invention and Canadian distribution is finally underway.  See comments at the end...
  • Article

    OVERVIEW: Roof Ice Dams & Icicles

    "Why do some houses have ice dams on the roof and others do not?" The overview is below -- for details go to Ice Dams -- for contractors who will really solve this problem, scroll to the bottom of this article.   What causes ice dams and ice cicles? Ice dams develop when snow is on the roof, ...
  • Article

    Does your soldering job leak? Why is lead-free solder hard to work with? And new products to make life easier.

    They took the lead out... Several years ago, throughout North America lead was removed from the solder used for making joints in copper pipes intended for carrying drinking water, just as before that we had removed lead from paint. Lead based solder is still available in stores for other tasks, ...
  • Article

    OVERVIEW: About cleaning up Mould.

    The whole question of mould started as a simple nuisance in home maintenance but with experience and research has become a major element of creating and maintaining a healthy house. Of course, whenever research develops over time, recommendations change and things can get quite confusing.   IT...
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