Karen from Kingston, Ontario writes: "We have a washing machine on the second floor and have noticed the water from previous cycles does not always seem to drain completely away, as evidenced by a smell of grey water when the machine begins it's next cycle. Our upstairs plumbing is well vented wi...
When air flows through the edges of carpets, the carpet acts as a filter and collects whatever is in the air. Hence we often find dirt streaks around heating outlets where some of the air sneaks under the grill and through the rug.
Often, streaks are found near baseboards where household air flo...
This item falls under the heading of 'things that homeowners can teach their contractor'. Unfortunately too many renovators do not know that you can cause serious damage to your roof if you don't duct exhaust fans completely out of an attic. Some know, but just don't care.
You cannot just leave ...
Adding water to concrete or masonry will definitely make it flow better and make it easier to work with, which is why just about everybody does it. At the same time you have all heard that this will weaken the final product and increase shrinkage, but just about everybody does it anyway. If the d...
Chalk lines are used to draw straight lines across large surfaces from about 2 feet to over 20 feet. But it is not always easy to see the line, especially if you are working in the sun, or your saw has a dusting action that blows the chalk away.
Phil from Ottawa sent in the chalkline tip t...
Disloving the problem
If your sink is just suffering from a lot of face cream and shaving cream, the least expensive and most ecological solution is simply 1/2 cup of baking soda (try using a funnel to get it into the drain), followed immediately by a cup of vinegar. Let it sit a few minutes...
Drum Cymbal noises --> Furnace Ducting
Gina in Saskatoon is complaining about drum cymbal-like crashes that happen every time her furnace goes on. This is common when you have smooth flat ductwork. The heat and pressure of the air can cause the large flat surface of sheet metal to flex eithe...
Colour from the studs themselves is not really "bleeding" through the drywall, but it is the studs that are causing the problem.
When metal studs are used in outside walls of a house, they conduct so much energy through the metal that the overall R-value of an R-19 wall drops to only R-10. When ...
Tim lives in a 13 year old house and is rather disturbed by the fact that he can see the studs and ceiling joists as if they were coming right through the wall.
Don't panic Tim, this is unfortunately very common. It relates to a poor job of insulation in a cold climate.
You see, the ...
My friend Keren has been keeping mice at bay with essential oils of peppermint on cotton wads -- she now swears by this clean remedy in a multi-lodgement building. Her new pest problem is that her son has pigeons on his 6th floor balcony in Ottawa and has discovered that the fake owl didn't d...
