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Found 107 results for the keyword ‘Basement’

  • 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...
  • Installing full sized windows in a basement

    Whether you are building new or renovating, you can have incredible full sized windows in a basement. A standard window well is designed to hold the soil back to allow for a window that goes a few inches below grade. But if you were to radically extend the idea of the window well you can actually...
  • What makes a good sump pump pit?

    It is rather surprising to me how little information there is available on sump pumps and more specifically on sump pump pits.  We find two basic kinds installed in homes. One is just a water collection box where perimeter drains flow and a pump then lifts the water up and away from the house. ...
  • How do you trace drains under the basement floor?

    The most effective technique, one that can save you hundreds of dollars of erroneous digging, is to use a "sonar probe".         This gadget is often combined with a video camera designed to look inside sewer pipes.           An emitter probe is snaked into the drain line. You walk...
  • Sump Pump Back-up

    Dear Sir, After the recent power failure and considering our changing climate conditions we are looking into putting in a back-up sump pump. Presently we have a Zoeller M-53D Mighty-Mate Submersible Sump Pump for Dewatering and Effluent. We have made a couple of inquiries. Some plumbers recommend...
  • How to find where leaks enter the wall.

    A caller from Ontario has a leak that keep's coming in through the wall despite the efforts of two contractors. It is often very difficult to find the place where water gets into the wall, when it is not something obvious like a crack in the caulking around a window. You need to make a careful i...
  • The Bathtub Fill Alarm

    There are many water spill or flood detectors on the market; some hard wired, some battery operated, some free standing, some tied to central alarm systems.  The battery operated models are quite mobile and good for seasonal tasks like spring flooding or specific tasks like the bathtub overflowin...
  • Good and bad techniques in insulating basement walls.

    The national building code requires a minimum level of insulation in a basement that reaches about two feet below the outside grade level. The objective is to make this storage space a heatable space. Hence some materials and techniques have developed that satisfy this minimum code requirement th...
  • 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...