Found 45 results for the keyword(s) ‘Frost’

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  HOW CAN I STOP CONDENSATION ON THE BASEMENT WALL BEHIND INSULATION?

  First ensure that this is not a leak in the basement wall. Click here for details on Waterproofing a basement wall. Second ensure that the wall is well sealed, especially around electrical outlets and floor and wall joints. Click here for details on Air Sealing. Finally, make sure there is no a...
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  Full height basement insulation? An animation explaining why the answer is YES.

  An animation on a CD that I produced with the Reader's Digest several years ago showed clearly why you should insulate the entire wall all the way down to the floor. No, you won't freeze anything outside, as the important footings are below the frost depth anyway and there is always some heat los...
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  HOW MUCH MOISTURE DAMAGE CAN A LITTLE CRACK CAUSE?

  Little cracks in the bottom of the house let cold air in, and can raise your heating costs by as much as $600 a year. They also dry out the air in the house, resulting in dry throats and the needless purchase of humidifiers. Nothing too serious -- unless you don't like wasting money! Let's start...
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  Installing full sized windows in a basement

  Whether you are building new or renovating, you can have incredible full sized windows in a basement. A standard window well is designed to hold the soil back to allow for a window that goes a few inches below grade. But if you were to radically extend the idea of the window well you can actually...
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  Insulating a foundation with embedded floor joists

    Certain parts of Canada, particularly in the Winnipeg region, have a traditional construction technique that presents serious challenges when you want to insulate a basement -- the ends of the joists are actually embedded in the concrete foundation wall.  Chris, from Winnipeg, asked for some f...
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  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,...
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  A window that is warmer than the insulated wall

  I have always said that as far as the cold getting into your house is concerned, a window is always the coldest part of a wall. But no longer. A company called Prelco from Riviere-du-loup, Quebec has produced a window called Prel-Therm that actually plugs into your electrical system. That's right...
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  Retaining Walls and Frost

  Hi Jon,  I have a driveway retaining wall that continues to be pushed by the ground, even though it is backed by gravel and drained to "nothing under the driveway" except crushed gravel. I realize proper drainage affects this somewhat, however would prefer not to cut open my driveway, sidewalk a...
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  Frost Protected Shallow Foundations -- and water pipes

  Frost Protected Shallow Foundations The foundation for a house is generally poured below the soil grade level so that the footing itself is well below the frost depth for any given region and soil type.  This protects the house from frost heaving caused by expanding soils beneath the foundation....
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  OVERVIEW: Outdoor concrete in a cold climate

  Air Entrainment When ordinary concrete gets wet and then freezes, the ice crystals can cause surface chipping, or even more serious fracturing. All outdoor concrete in Canada, even by code, should be what we call air entrained. This means that there are microscopic air bubbles in the concrete ...