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Found 128 results for the keyword ‘Problems’

  • Iron Ochre

    Iron ochre is a rust coloured sludge that accumulates and clogges perimiter drains in certain soils.  It is often found the Eastern Townships of Quebec.  It is a very complex problem which can be controlled but not solved.  In fact the real solution in regions known to have iron ochre is to not b...
  • OVERVIEW: Frozen pipes: Tracing, thawing, preventing.

    As weather patterns change we are getting longer colder periods than traditionally in many areas of the country -- and with that, more and more complaints of water pipes freezing. Finding the frozen point can be difficult, thawing it can be problematic but if you have done those two, go one step ...
  • Which Paint Is It - Latex or Oil?

    Determining, definitively, whether a given paint was oil or latex has always been a bit of a problem, but an important one as you can paint oil over latex, but not latex over oil unless you use a special 'super adherent primer' first. I used to recommend taking a bit of paint thinner on a clean ...
  • Pressure Treated Wood - the new generation

    Have we really moved to a new generation of Pressure Treated Wood? With the introduction of MicroPro treated wood to the Canadian market in the spring of 2013, some are saying that we have a game change in exteriour wood and building decks.  It has taken several years to get this technology adap...
  • Back Pain and Home Improvements

      Back Pain and arthritis are probably the two primary health problems that cause people to give up manual trades and even renovating or repairing their own homes.  Back pain in particular can step in while people are quite young.  It doesn't have to be so.    I have always had a peculiar pro...
  • How to check if your furnace oil tank is safe

    Underground tanks are banned Many years ago we buried oil tanks in the ground. Think a minute about how bad an idea that was. When a very old tank developed a leak, we never knew about it and it just leaked oil into the ground for years, creating quite an environmental problem. That is why it is...
  • Fixing a squeaky ceramic floor?

    A squeaky ceramic floor is a particularly difficult problem because you really cannot fix it from the top down, and if you don't fix it, it will eventually break the grout if not the floor tiles because of the movement of the floor. Squeaking is caused by something rubbing, often the floor board...
  • 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...
  • Hot Water Tank Maintenance and Failure

    Earnie from Vancouver wants to know how can you predict the failure of your hot water tank before it fails. That is not an easy one Earnie. There are many signs that will indicate that you need to change the tank or at least do some maintenance work to keep it running, whether it is an electric ...
  • I have white particles in my hot water.

    Jean writes from St.Paul, Alberta: "I live in town and have municipal water. I have started getting yellow water from my hot water tank. It is not smelly, but it does have some suspended flakes. I also don't have the same volume of hot water as I previously had; yet it is still very hot. A friend...