Found 41 results for the keyword(s) ‘Air Barriers’

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  Insulating the floor of a bedroom over a garage

  You might also call this entry “Insulating the ceiling of a garage under a bedroom”.  Any floor over a cold space will be cooler than a floor over a heated space, no matter how well you insulate it.  So bay window jut-outs always have cold floors as do rooms over garages.  For the bedroom over a...
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  Basement walls -- Moisture & Vapour Barriers

  Do I need to place a vapour barrier against the brick wall, then insulation and then another vapour barrier over that?  The wall does not leak and is fully underground.  Barbara THE VAPOUR BARRIER The vapour barrier is more properly called a vapour retarder. It is designed to stop moisture in t...
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  Cold window frames and window condensation

  Shawn asked why he always has condensation on his windows. Check "condensation" in the database and you will see a lot about high humidity in the house and the need for one sort of ventilation or another. Here I wanted to look closely at another cause of condensation -- extra cold spots on the wi...
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  SHOULD I PUSH OR PULL MY CAULKING GUN?

  It's largely a matter of personal choice or habit while the video below will show you the WHY of good caulking technique.  Pushing forward forces the compound into small cracks and helps it to stick on smooth surfaces. Pulling is easier for filling large cracks, and leaves a bulge which allow...
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  HOW MUCH MOISTURE DAMAGE CAN A LITTLE CRACK CAUSE?

  Little cracks in the bottom of the house let cold air in, and can raise your heating costs by as much as $600 a year. They also dry out the air in the house, resulting in dry throats and the needless purchase of humidifiers. Nothing too serious -- unless you don't like wasting money! Let's start...
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  Air Spaces in Walls -- Myth and Science -- Overview

    Walls often have air spaces hidden somewhere between the siding on the outside and the drywall on the inside.  Some are accidental -- some on purpose, even code required -- some served a purpose at one time in history but because of the evolution of construction, are no longer useful -- some a...
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  What is an air tight electrical box?

  We all know that electrical boxes are the often the source of cold air drafts. They are equally the route by which warm moist air escapes from our houses. In fact, the National Research Council of Canada has calculated that up to 30 litres of water can pass through a single electrical box in one ...
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  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 ...
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  Insulating problems with historical buildings

  Hello Jon I am the chairman of a church committee with the task of raising money, and doing the admin. for the restoration at St Andrew United. My concern now is the proper procedure to fully insulate the Church. I am alright with the Attic as well as the crawl space, however I am pondering the...
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  Caulking indoors -- part of Air Sealing your home

  Caulking joints on the outside of the house will not save you energy and will not stop cold air drafts. That is because almost all sidings are vented specifically to allow the wind behind the siding to help keep the wall dry. If you do not have a modern sealed house-wrap all around your house und...