Manuel from Kingston, Ontario has just purchased a house and knows that there have been past problems with ice-damming. He inspected the attic and found that there were enough roof top vents, but the old wooden soffits have been covered up with aluminium and there were no vents installed. How can...
Todd in Kirkland, Quebec writes: "I just purchased a house that has five low profile roof vents, 3 gable vents and perfect soffit ventilation. I have insulated the attic and now have R32. My concern is whether the low profile roof vents and gable vents will be effective in the winter or should I ...
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...
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 ...
Kyle from Fort Erie, Ontario, has a vapour barrier question. "We have a house, 80-90 years old, with no insulation in the attic. The house is a 1-1/2 story building with sloped ceilings on the second floor to the outside walls. Our ceilings are plaster. Can we lay insulation in the attic without ...
In my experience, heating ducts that run through attics cause serious problems in snow country. Don't let a contractor talk you into it.
In warm climates it is common practice to run heating and air conditioning ducting through attic spaces simply because it is easy to do. Unfortunately this ...
In all too many new houses, there is a seasonal problem where in the winter the ceiling actually lifts itself right off the wall in the centre of the house, and then settles down after the heating season. Even in some older houses this goes on every year.
What causes this crack?
Avoiding...
Note 2014 :
As you read below you will find a detailed history of Vermiculite insulation and problems it had starting in 1920. Just recently I have become aware of houses built around or before 1920, yes 100 year old houses, where it was discovered that there was about 2 inches of Vermiculite u...
This item falls under the heading of 'things that homeowners can teach their contractor'. Unfortunately too many renovators do not know that you can cause serious damage to your roof if you don't duct exhaust fans completely out of an attic. Some know, but just don't care.
You cannot just leave ...
Drum Cymbal noises --> Furnace Ducting
Gina in Saskatoon is complaining about drum cymbal-like crashes that happen every time her furnace goes on. This is common when you have smooth flat ductwork. The heat and pressure of the air can cause the large flat surface of sheet metal to flex eithe...
