for Cold Climate Housing and much more

Found 12 results for the keyword(s) ‘Attic, Air Sealing’

  • Article

    Sealing ductwork in an attic

    Often furnace heating and air conditioning duct work is run though an attic and then back down into the house. Personally I think that this is a really bad idea unless there is absolutely no alternative route. Why? First, most duct work is not sealed where it goes through the ceiling, so a lot o...
  • Article

    How do you cover up an old chandelier electrical box?

    One viewer wanted to get rid of her centre room chandelier in favour of floor standing lamps. So just how do you cover that hole in the ceiling? First remove all the electrical connections and cap off each wire with a cap or wire connector. If two or three wires are already tied together, keep ...
  • Article

    Pot lights: fire hazards and ice dams

    John in Kleinburg, Ontario asked if he should remove insulation from around his pot lights. Actually it is necessary to take the question much further.   HEAT FROM TRADITIONAL POT LIGHTS Pot lights, or recessed lighting fixtures as they are properly called, do create a lot of heat and it is tr...
  • Article

    WHERE SHOULD I SEAL AND HOW?

    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...
  • Article

    What is Air Sealing all about?

    Sealing air drafts, both inside warm air escaping out and outside cold air sneaking in, is one of the most important things you can do to your house. It will both save you heating dollars and protect the structure of your house. This animation gives you a quick and visual overview of the task at ...
  • Article

    Making an X-Ray of your roof

    When there is morning frost or light snow on a roof, you can learn a lot about a heat losses from the house and how to eliminate ice dams and icicles.    What causes problems  Melting the bottom of a snow pack or melting off all snow at the crown of the roof sends water down under the snow to ...
  • Article

    Solving Ice Dam problems.

    Ice Dams are a serious problem throughout Canada, although it varies from year to year as to which region gets hit. Here we visited one of the solution companies who work to seal up the primary cause of ice dams, the warm air leaks into the attic. For more background on the problem check out th...
  • Article

    Moisture problems with a new roof over an old roof.

    Dan from Winnipeg, Manitoba writes: "We have an older manufactured home with a basement. Years ago a new roof was put on top of the existing one. It is post & beam with trusses, sheeted in with shiplap and a metal roof put on. The problem is the original metal roof now seems to sweat in th...
  • Article

    Mysterious tracks in an attic.

    Dennis in Calgary, Alberta convinced me to come visit his attic which he was about to add ventilation to, but he had never been up in the attic.This was a very interesting attic, and an interesting home. The cellulose insulation was matted down a bit and had a very strange grid pattern in the to...
  • Article

    ATTICS

    Air leaks account for the greatest loss of heating dollars from Canadian homes. These are easily solved by sealing. The greatest conductive heat losses occur through the basement. Canadian basements typically lose more heat than ceilings because attics usually have a little insulation (eve...
Back