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

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  ATTICS

  Air leaks account for the greatest loss of heating dollars from Canadian homes. These are easily solved by sealing. The greatest conductive heat losses occur through the basement. Canadian basements typically lose more heat than ceilings because attics usually have a little insulation (eve...
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  CAN AIR BARRIERS BE PUT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE?

  There are two systems that work well on the outside of the house and have, almost by accident, the effect of blocking almost all air movement through the wall. (Caulking is not one of them and should never be used on the outside of the house beyond what is necessary to prevent rain and snow ...
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  MYTH: STUFFING FIBERGLASS INTO A CRACK WILL SEAL IT.

  False. Fiberglass is what air filters are made out of -- it cleans air but doesn't stop it. It can be used to fill a crack if it is then coated with caulking to seal it. Stuffing fiberglass tightly into the space between the window rough and finish frames will not even insulate very well, as c...
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  WHAT SEALING MATERIAL SHOULD I USE?

  There is a wide and confusing choice, and no one material will do for every job. The questions to ask are: What will it stick to? Can I paint it? How long will it last? You won't be saving money if you have to replace the material often; some caulking materials will harden and crack after on...
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  MYTH: PARTIAL SEALING CAN CONCENTRATE PROBLEMS IN UNSEALED AREAS

  False. If you increased the sealing of the house and did nothing to ventilate or control moisture generation, humidity would build up and force more moisture through the unsealed cracks. But window condensation and air quality demands forces us to keep the humidity in the house to a constant co...
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  HOW DO I FIND AIR LEAKS?

  First, the fancy way: infrared photography can identify temperature changes on different parts of the house, and thus heat losses. With proper interpretation of the photograph you can know which heat losses are caused by air leaks and which by missing or soaked insulation. This is like an X-ra...
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  AIR BARRIERS

  An air barrier is whatever it takes to prevent air from moving through the walls or ceiling of your house. Talking about air barriers means talking about sealing your house. An air barrier is not a vapour barrier -- and it is more important than vapour barriers.Why should you seal your house...
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  Dealing with a drafty house.

  Caulking on the outside of the house has very little to do with stopping cold air drafts from getting into the house. It's purpose is to weather proof the wall against rain penetration. It doesn't generally stop air flow since most siding is purposefully ventilated.Caulking inside the house ...
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  Where do you put the House Wrap?

  Sue in Ajax has seen enough home improvement TV shows to completely confuse her. When changing the siding and adding ridged foam insulation, should the house wrap go on first or last? She has seen it done both ways on TV.The answer is Yes! That's right, both ways work fine.The job of the h...
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  What is temporary caulking?

  Temporary caulking is a transparent caulking specifically designed to be put on a window frame in the Fall and then peeled off in the Spring. It is used to actually caulk old windows, usually sliders, shut for the winter because their weather-stripping just isn't keeping the cold out. Remem...