Found 87 results for the keyword(s) ‘Condensation’

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  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...
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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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  Insulating a foundation with embedded floor joists

    Certain parts of Canada, particularly in the Winnipeg region, have a traditional construction technique that presents serious challenges when you want to insulate a basement -- the ends of the joists are actually embedded in the concrete foundation wall.  Chris, from Winnipeg, asked for some f...
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  Just what is Mould anyway?

    SPELLING First, a simple spelling problem. Is it 'mold' or 'mould'. According to the dictionaries, the two are equivalent, with 'mould' being primarily a British variation. But mold is active and dynamic, and dictionaries are slow in comparison. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Co...
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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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  Green ooze from electrical outlets???

  Yes it happens -- but Why? Two viewers have strange problems with their electrical outlets. One has had bright green oily ooze coming out of an electrical outlet on and off for the last two years. Changing the outlet didn't stop it. Another has green deposits at the outlet every time she uses he...
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  Hollow Bulkheads over bathtubs.

  Rodney from Hamilton Ontario asks "why is there a bulkhead over most bathtubs? Every home I remodel seems to have the ceiling above the tub furred down about one foot." First of all Rodney, bulkheads are not a requirement of any kind and as far as I know, never were. In fact, they are a very reg...
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  Insulating un-insulated outside wall corners

  Often in constructing a house, the sequence of putting up walls, applying outside sheathing and installing insulation batts can leave the outside corner as a hollow spot with no insulation. The carpentry work was done and the hollow corner closed and hidden before the guys with the fiberglass eve...
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  Tips for working with fiberglass insulation

    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...
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  Tips to applying window shrink wraps for the winter.

  Shrink to fit winter windows are really great draft stoppers and energy savers for old windows and patio doors.   Plastic has almost no R-value Since plastic and glass have no real R-value, the dead air space created between the plastic and the window is as good as can be created with another ...