Found 42 results for the keyword ‘Freezing’

• 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....

• 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...

• Freezing metal door locks -- removing broken keys & is there a right side up for locks?

  Wendy in Golden, British Columbia is having constant problems with her front door lock freezing up. Actually this is common in a very cold climate when you have a positive pressure in your house for some reason. The positive pressure pushes moist warm air out the door lock, and it freezes there. ...

• 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,...

• Weather Restrictions: Adhesive for foam insulation

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Adhesives     Product: Adhesive for foam insulation Temperature Limitations: Check the package: one manufacturer says above -30 C (-22 F) while another says above +15 C (+60 F). Rain Limitations: A...

• Vapour barriers in basements

  One of our viewers is about to insulate his basement and he has been told that he should not run the vapour barrier all the way to the floor. Fact or fiction? You should run the vapour barrier wherever there is insulation to keep the moisture on the warm side of the wall. And in a basement insta...

• BASEMENT: INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR INSULATION?

  It is always better to insulate on the outside of basements and crawl spaces, but usually more expensive and more trouble. Brick or field stone foundations must not be insulated on the inside for much more than one foot below ground level. The poor quality of the mortar in these foundations dete...

• How far down should you insulate on a basement wall?

  As you can see in the first graphic, the soil helps to insulate a basement so there is more heat lost on the top of the basement than on the bottom. That is why the National Building Code requires a minimum level of insulation in a basement that reaches from the floor boards above your head, down...

• An alternative to ducting through the attic in a cold climate.

    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 ...

• How do I unfreeze a frozen hose bib?

  Nav in cold Edmonton, Alberta, writes: "We are trying to build an ice rink in the backyard. Our tap has frozen over and nothing comes out of it at all. Are they any solutions to this problem?"     The easiest way to unfreeze the hose bib is to wrap rags around it and keep pouring boiling wa...