John from Mississauga, Ontario writes: "I would like to open up a wall between my kitchen and dining room, but there is a cold air return in the way. Is there an easy way to re-route the cold air return so I can still open up this wall?"Actually this could be a non-problem. In the drawing I sho...
This article deals with a block wall above grade. For a below grade block wall see Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations.
Bryan is faced with a totally un-insulated cinder block wall with 1x2 strapping and a plaster covering. He is thinking about stripping it back to the block...
Air-change ventilation systems exist that take stale air out and bring fresh air in so as to not rely on cold air drafts for the entry of fresh air to the house. They are simply a box with two fans. In a few of the warm spots of Canada these are legitimate systems on their own. In most of Canada ...
Patio doors are actually very large windows and even when the weather-stripping and caulking is in good shape, they can create cold drafts in a room simply because there is so much cold glass that the air at the top begins to cool off, slides down along the glass getting cooler and cooler as it g...
It's all about maintenance and one of our viewers had half of a very interesting story.
Burnice writes: "I had a wonderful morning, the heating unit went out of my dryer! Why does everything seem to fall apart this time of year!??? The guy that fixes things went in to the dryer and pulled out t...
Gerry is reshingling an open beam low sloped roof that has always given him problems with ice dams. He wants to know if it is worth it to tear up the first four feet, install air sheets and replace the boards?
Actually it is a great idea to perfect the over-the-wall section of the roof space any...
Doug from Manilla, Ontario checked this site for basement heating systems: "I read the section? on cold air returns in the basement, however I could not find anything on where hot air vents should be placed. Do they need to be at the floor level or at the ceiling level?"
In the house above the f...
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 ...
CUTTING FIBERGLASS STRAIGHT AND SQUARE
It is always easier to cut fiberglass batt insulation if you compress it down as flat as possible. That way you can get through in one pass. Using a piece of plywood gives you a straight edge at the same time.
There is a special devic...
