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Found 48 results for the keyword(s) ‘Frost Heaving’

• Article

  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...
• Article

  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 ...
• Article

  Pro: Air Entrained Concrete

  Concrete, outdoors in the Canadian climate, has a particularly difficult time surviving. Walkways, patios, driveways and the like must have as much as 4 to 6 inches of gravel as a drainage base to minimize the effects of shifting from frost movement in the soil. Drainage around these areas has to...
• 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 ...
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  Weather Restrictions: Brick Mortar

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Masonry     Product: Brick Mortar Temperature Limitations: Use above + 5 C (+40 F) Rain Limitations: No standing water or wash out prior to setting Wind Limitations:  Protect mortar if wind will d...
• Article

  Weather Restrictions: Concrete Surface Patching

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Concrete     Product: Surface Patching Temperature Limitations: Above +5 C (+40 F) and below +30 C (+85 F) Rain Limitations: Protect from rain until concrete is set, 2 to 6 hours (so rain won't was...
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  Can I put ceramic tiles on a concrete porch?

  First, don't put glazed or other slippery tiles on an outdoor porch. You will kill yourself when they get wet or icy. You can find some good looking tiles that are specifically designed to be "non-slippery". Always use a thinset mortar that specifically says "indoor/outdoor" on the bag. You mus...
• Article

  HOW DO I INSULATE A SHALLOW BASEMENT?

  A basement that has more than 50 per cent of its height sticking out of the ground is not really a basement. The walls should be treated as ordinary, above-ground walls. The foundations should be treated as slab-on-grade to avoid frost problems. Interior/exterior insulation combinations can be u...
• Article

  WHY IS THERE FROST ON THE RUG?

  On windy days, houses in the Prairies often develop a small frost line on the rug about an inch away from the wall on the north or west side of the house. Here the wind is succeeding in lowering the temperature of the most poorly insulated part of the house -- the floor boards. In most construct...
• Article

  WHY IS THERE FROST ON MY CEDAR WALL SHINGLES?

  Condensation or frost on cedar wall shingles on the shady side of the house, early in the morning on clear winter days, bothers many homeowners. They imagine that somehow vast quantities of water are escaping from the house. In fact, what is happening is that the surrounding air is warming up fa...